“Why don’t we go explore and find our classrooms?” Dev’s gaze lingers on Sage.
I jump at the excuse to get out of this room before more people start asking me for selfies.
Once we’re away from the crowds, my mood improves. The rooms are so extravagant that I’m surprised they aren’t sectioned off with velvet ropes. There are marble pillars wide enough that I can’t get my arms around them and fireplaces I can walk inside and enough sculptures and paintings to fill a museum. Mom would be falling over herself at the decor. I take as many pictures as I can for her.
We end up touring all the classrooms at Sage’s insistence, plus we peek at the massive library and an ornate dining room. On theother side of the manor we find a garden conservatory. As soon as I walk in, I relax. It’s warmer here and the pleasant smell of freshly dug dirt wafts over me. The last rays of sunlight glow through the glass walls. I feel at home surrounded by plants. We don’t have a backyard at our new duplex, but I’ve filled our patio with ferns and small palm trees. Plus, I have lots of miniature plants and materials on my desk for making fairy gardens.
I wander farther into the conservatory. In the middle of the floor is a sunken pond with a fountain. A few massive koi fish swim in slow circles around the lily pads. I crouch down and stare into the water.
Scuffed shoes walk next to me. I glance up to find Dev.
“This place is pretty crazy, huh?” I gesture to the mini fuchsia trees that line the wall behind him. “I can’t believe someone had the money to build this in their private home.”
“Actually, it was added in the 1970s as a part of the renovations when they sold the manor to Hillsboro University.”
I roll my eyes.
“What?”
“Nothing, I just forget I’m surrounded by people who know the answers to everything.”
He shoves his hands into his pockets. I expect him to leave then, but he stares into the palm trees.
I stand up. “Everything okay?”
“Hm? Yeah, sorry, just trying to wrap my head around the fact that I live here now.”
“It’s a good thing, right?”
“Sure. I mean, it’s beautiful.”
“But?”
“It’s a little much.” He gestures back toward the rest of the manor. “Like you said, one family used to live in all this space. And own all this stuff. I almost wish they’d give all the art and antiques to a museum so more people could experience them. Think of everyone who will go their whole lives and never see what they’ve collected here. It doesn’t seem fair.”
I blink, taken aback by the seriousness of his answer. “Well, if you start feeling too guilty, then remember the alternative. Slugging down the linoleum floors at Waterford. Staring at pee-yellow walls and posters for student government. We’re living in a castle. You might as well enjoy it.”
“True. All right, I’m going to bed before I fall headfirst into this pond from sleep deprivation. But Huan and I are taking the van to Northampton tomorrow if you want to come.”
It takes a second to register that he’s inviting me to join them. I hesitate, wondering what it’ll be like to spend an entire day with this group. We don’t seem to have much in common. But on the other hand, I don’t want to explore a foreign city on my own, and at least they aren’t teasing me about Andy’s party. I smile, my earlier negativity forgotten. Tomorrow I’m going out to explore England!
“And, uh, maybe you could bring Sage?” he adds.
I nod, though I’m curious about how timid he sounds asking that. Could Dev have a crush on Sage? I did notice a few of his lingering glances in her direction. I bet that’s the real reason for my invite, but I don’t mind. This might be exactly what Sage needs to loosen up while she’s here. Things are looking better already.
Chapter
7
I can’t get my eyes open wide enough as the van takes usinto Northampton the next day. As beautiful as the manor is, this is why I came to England. Real British stores! And food! Andboys! Oh, hell yes.
The van rolls by green fields dotted with white sheep and old stone cottages, before leaving the countryside behind and heading into civilization. The narrow road widens and I have the disorienting feeling of seeing a flipped version of America. So much of it is the same. Asphalt roads, traffic circles, roadside litter. But everything is also the opposite. When we get to the first traffic circle, I almost scream when the van turns left rather than right. I catch Huan’s eye and he chuckles.
The outskirts of Northampton only hold touches of the England from my dreams. Mostly it’s brick buildings and concrete, but every once in a while there’s something charming like a Gothic stone church next to a run-down electronics store. As we drive deeper into the city, the buildings creep higher and turn from brick to honey-colored stone similar to Emberton Manor.
I jump out as soon as the van stops and swing around to take everything in. Even Sage is wide-eyed. We cross the street and find a huge open square surrounded by buildings on all sides. They’re squashed together, and none of them have the same roofline or color or windows. It’s so wonderfully European.
“What’s that?” A girl from Emberton points to rows and rows of stands with red-and-white-striped awnings.
