12

I stayed at the West's house across the pond for lunch, four o clock dessert and eventually dinner. They were very welcoming, and less odd than Elijah West was. His sister told me stories about him, and I soon learned he was the oldest in a family of oldest child's ( of course, apart from Ruth), which meant that he was going to be the next 'Don West'. I didn't get the reference, which shocked all of them.

Elijah West tried to make me swim to my door, but I convinced him that we should take boat and that the government agents wouldn't surround us this time. We were lucky that I had, because my mom came home as soon as we had sailed halfway through the (quite admittedly huge) hallway. I think she would've fainted if she saw me 'swimming' to my door.

"What are - You know what, forget it. Stasia, I'm making chicken tonight."

"Thanks mom!"

She opened the door and went inside, leaving it open for me, most likely. "Don't be long."

We didn't take long, in fact, we hurried up after she arrived.

"Thank you for visiting my home today." Elijah West said. I nodded.

"I had a ball of a time. Thanks for inviting me."

"You're coming tomorrow, and we're going to bake cupcakes and watch The Godfather three times." He declared.

"Isn't that movie like three hours long?"

He sighed. "Okay, twice. But you need to watch it more than once to get it!"

"Relax, I've got all summer, and you live just there."

Elijah pouted and then rested his hand on my shoulder. I blinked at him. "I'm going to do something very strange and slightly unnecessary."

"Only slightly?"

"I feel that it's somewhat necessary."

I nodded and he gave me a hug. When he let go, I propped my hands up on my hips and gave him a look.

"See? It was only somewhat necessary."

"Only somewhat." I repeated, very amused. I started to smile at him and he stepped back dramatically, his eyes wide.

"Oh my gosh, is that emotion I see on your face? Call the police! Call the ambulance!" He yelled. I had to punch his shoulder for him to stop.

"I'm capable of emotion."

"Sure you are!"

"I just proved I am?"

"Whatever!"

I rolled my eyes and started making my way into my house without so much as a goodbye.

"Diane Young, I was right about the smile thing."

"What?" I asked, irritated. He grinned at me before I could close the door.

"You do look prettier when you smile."

My Ma was on the phone with someone, speaking in hushed Flemish when I came in. I guessed it was my Grandparents, or even my brother, but I didn't really involve myself. I did get curious though, when she told me that there was a 'big surprise' waiting for me next week over dinner. I think she hoped that I'd question her like any other normal teen (at least, her definition of normal) would do.

She asked me about Elijah, and what I did today, and whether or not I wanted her to buy strawberries. I told her he was weird, that I had spent my day at the house across the pond and no, I'd go and get some in the morning. We didn't speak after that. Admittedly, that was probably the most we had ever talked to each other on the dinner table.

The next day after I'd gotten the strawberries, I took initiative and went to knock on the West's door. Elijah's sister answered, and it sort of shocked me how much taller than her I was.

"Hi, Ruth West," I started, and she gave me a grin that was uncannily similar to her brother's before turning around and shouting into the house.

"Vapid brother of mine!"

Elijah came running to the door, wearing old jeans and a Nirvana t shirt that looked even older.

"Hello Diane Young! Are you going to help me paint my room?" He shoved his sister out of the way and she pinched him before running off.

"Painting your room? I thought we were watching The Godfather today."

"That was before I wanted to paint my room." He scratched the back of his head. "Will you help me, though?"

I shrugged. "Why not? I'll just go change into something more... Suitable."

He looked me up and down before agreeing. "Wear something wacky, because I'll probably throw paint on you by the end of the day."

I blinked at him twice. "You'll what?"

Elijah West turned me around and pushed me out into the hallway. "Hurry up, we're starting in less than three and a half minutes." Then he closed the door.

I probably stood there looking confused for those three and a half minutes. Shaking my head, I went to change into overalls of my brothers and I wore a hairnet. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed; it was ridiculous, but then I had gotten used to doing ridiculous things with Elijah West.

Ruth was waiting at the door, the wielder of two insanely large paintbrushes.

"Hey, Diane Young." She said.

"What's up, Ruth?"

She actually looked upwards and frowned. "A couple of spiders and - no, I'm joking. I've just been waiting for you to show up, really."

She gave me the paint brush and we went into Elijah's room. The organised demeanour it once held had been lost in favour for ladders and opened cans of green paint. His mom and dad were painting the walls diligently. They looked around when Ruth and I entered.

"Hi girls!" Audry with no e said. Ben echoed her.

They smiled at us and then when back to rolling paint on the walls. Elijah was painting the ceiling a dark blue and saluted the pair of us. I noticed his hair was now slicked back and very shiny.

Ruth and I got started on the left wall, where his desk had been pushed against only just the day before. There was a table in the middle of the room, playing music from an iPod Classic.

We painted for a really long time, chatting about things and listening to music. At one point, the iPod ran out of battery and Audry with no e started singing instead. She had a lovely voice, and when we were painting the same wall, she told me that she once had ambitions of being a singer, but you know; twins.

At around one o'clock, the first coat had been successfully done and if I do say so myself, brilliantly done too. We sat down and were treated to tuna and ham sandwiches (yes, they were together in one sandwich and tasted extremely good). Elijah brought Duke out from his temporary evacuation and I asked him about his hair.

"Does it look okay slicked back? Do I look Italian?"

" .. Why do you want to look Italian?" I asked. "And it looks... eh."

"What does 'eh' mean?!" He demanded.

"It's okay."

"I'm half Italian, and I want to be a gangsta in the family when I grow up." He explained.

"Elijah West, don't talk like that." His mom chastised.

"Sorry mama, but it's true!" He said with a very accurate accent.

His dad laughed. "I don't regret telling this kid a thing. One day I'm taking you two to Naples to see your grandpa's vineyard." He said.

"Vineyard? What am I going to be the gangsta of over there?"

"Grapes."

I bit back a not so foreign feeling that was starting to bubble in my throat and instead focused on Duke instead of the conversation. Audry with no e asked me if I had a pet and I said no.

"We used to have a cat, but then it took one look at Duke and ran away." Ruth piped up.

"Really?"

"Yep." She popped the 'p'. "Duke is one scary chameleon. But we love him. Sorta."

Duke made this deep gurgling noise and then started to crawl over to Ben West and blended in with his ham and tuna sandwich. I thought it was cool, but nobody else seemed bothered about it. Elijah finished his sandwich before turning to me.

"But really, does my hair look okay?"

"Elijah West, who are you trying to impress? Diane Young doesn't even seem fazed about your face, damn it." Ruth snapped seemingly angry. I wondered why though. His parents got up and tiptoed out of the room, leaving their dishes in front of us. I seemed to be the only one who noticed this fact.

"I don't understand why she's so passive?" Elijah said.

"Same? I thought Tiffany, Ellie and I were the only ones who thought you were less than ordinary, but I guess I was wrong. Diane Young does have some strength though."

"I'm sitting right here." I said.

"I know right, Ruthie? I mean, look at this face." She looked at his face. "Isn't it just a beauty?"

"I'd have to agree, considering we have the same face!"

I picked up Duke from his hiding spot and scooched out of my seat. Duke was put back in his little cage in the beautifully painted living room. Mr and Mrs West were in Elijah's room, and they had already started putting on the second coat of paint.

"When they start talking about themselves, there's a small chance they'll stop straight away." Mrs West said.

"Sometimes I wonder how we raised such conceited kids." Mr West added.