DESIREE'S P.O.V.

Gianna, her family, and I had arrived back home safely after we and the boys mercilessly finished our delicious ice cream. Gianna, Brianna - or should I say, my sisters - and I were already halfway up our staircase. But their parents - or should I say, Mom and Dad - stopped us in our tracks.

"Girls," Dad said. "We should sit and discuss the young man's proposal before our butts are in gear."

"Why did you not just say so while we were in the car?" I asked. "And if I need to put my butt in a gear to go on the trip, I will not go."

Despite not being a good time to snicker, Gianna could not swallow her snickers. Neither could Brianna. While Gianna pushed her fingers against her lips, hoping that Mom and Dad would not notice her smiling or hear her snickering, Brianna snorted between snickers like pigs, her hands squeezing the railing and her head and chest leaning over it. I clutched her dress in case that she fell overboard.

"What is so hilarious?" I demanded. "Are you both that excited to go to a village that we never heard of? 'Cause I am too! I am hoping that they offer mustard cookies."

Their snickers started dying down. Brianna said, "I can guarantee that you are the only one in the world, no, in the galaxy, who makes mustard cookies."

"And do them justice," Gianna added.

"How did you know that I have been playing court with my food?"

"Say what?"

"We will have the short discussion in the dining room," Dad said. "I will bring my computer so we can research the village. I do not want to go there to see that it is not a village. To be told that we fell for a trap."

"Gianna shared with me not long ago, I think last week, that buildings cannot talk. How can those in the village say that they tricked us?"

"You figured that buildings were alive?" Brianna asked.

"No."

"Then why did Gianna have to explain it?"

"She assumed that I was chatting with a building, when I was only chatting with my reflection."

"That was our secret," Gianna reminded.

Both hands hovered over my mouth. "Whoopsie." I was behind her. An overwhelming feeling of...sorrow...crept up inside me. Sorrow usually comes knocking when my sadness or guilt or both get the best of me. Gianna said that sadness and guilt are nice feelings to have every so often because they remind us that we are only humans. Making stupid mistakes is perfectly alright and relieves us of being perfect. A common mistake is definitely not the end of this world - unless that your work requires a diligent mind.

Regardless of her words, I felt ashamed for spilling our secret. I coiled both arms around her, gifting her with a tight hug. "I am sorry for telling them the secret. Please forgive me. I will do anything to regain your trust - and restore our friendship. I will never tell another secret. I swear on our lives. Just tell me how I can fix this."

"Heh. I wish that my friends were as remorseful as you, Desiree," Brianna commented, trying to cheer me up, I think.

Gianna patted the top of my head. "There, there."

"That is all, sis? No words of encouragement?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"That you forgive me," I pleaded.

Mom reached and grabbed my hand. "Desiree, you and I can put out a couple snacks for the little meeting. The discussion in the dining room."

My arms slid off Gianna. "Can we...fill the pretzels with chocolate sauce?"

That does not sound like me.

"And shrimp and lobster?"

Now that is the Desiree that we know and love.

"We will check what is in the kitchen."

Soon, everybody was sitting at our dining room table. I was with Gianna and Dad, and Brianna and Mom were across from us. Dad was fidgeting on his laptop.

"Gianna. Desiree," Brianna said. "Do either of you have any idea why that boy desperately wants you to visit his village?"

"This...is a surprise," Dad commented.