Recap: Our main character arrived at Scarlet's house for the group History project, only to be ambushed by her evil little sister. Not only that, but it was revealed that the book Heather yearned for so much was chilling out under Scarlet's bed this entire time! Jenna, Laura and Heather are then freed by Massa. When Scarlet finally makes an appearance, Heather fails to ask her about the book and is dragged on a house tour. Read on to find out what happens next...  

"Wait for me!" Laura calls, following us into the hallway. "I need a house tour too!"

"No you don't," Scarlet says, still dragging me.

"I do too."

We stop in the living room where the pimply adolescent who first greeted me is sitting, eyes glued to the television screen.

"This is the living room where my family and I... well, live. And that person sitting over there, can you see her? That's my – duck!"

Scarlet pulls Laura and I down just as a pillow flies overhead followed by a, "Keep yer voices down!"

"She's your duck?" Laura asks when we stand back up.

"That's my sister, Poppy," Scarlet says to me. "She's addicted to Turkish soap operas and she wants to marry a handsome Turkish man, which is why she's learning how to speak Turkish."

I snort inwardly. Why do people want to learn new languages? Can't they simply appreciate the fact they can speak at all? I can speak, but it's not always when I want to, not the way I want to. I feel jealous, I realize. I'm jealous of Scarlet for her ability to speak casually, I'm jealous of Laura's stupid remarks, even of Poppy's chopped up slang.

I'm bloody jealous.

"Sus!" Poppy shouts at us. "I'm tryin' to watch here."

"Sus means shut up, by the way," Scarlet explains.

"Scarlet either you shut yer trap or I shove the remote up your–"

"Alright fine, we're leaving!"

As we are exiting the scene Laura sticks her tongue out at Poppy, receiving in return a pillow on the face. Scarlet then takes us to the kitchen where our ex-captor is sitting on the kitchen table munching on a strawberry donut.

"This is where we eat. Please don't hesitate to grab whatever you like when you're hungry. And that over there is my other sister, Ruby."

"Massa got us donuts, look!" Ruby announces, holding up a box of donuts.

"That's wonderful! Now – yes, Laura?"

Laura stops poking our tour guide and says, "Pssst, Scarlet, can you get me a donut?"

"Why don't you go get one yourself? You're not shy, are you?"

"No, but..." Laura nods her head in Ruby's direction.

"Oh, come on! Just take one, it's not like she's going to bite."

Scarlet pushes Laura towards the table. The blonde stumbles forward then halts, twiddling her fingers together and glancing back and forth between Ruby and the treasure box of sugar. She slowly reaches out for a donut.

Ruby stands up, making Laura jump. The predator slinks past us and out of the kitchen, shooting Laura a nasty we'll-meet-again look. Scarlet remains oblivious though. Laura sighs with relief and takes over the box, grabbing two donuts for herself.

"Would you like a donut Heather?" Scarlet asks me.

I shake my head.

"Alright then, I'll show you upstairs. Are you coming Laura?"

Laura salutes us with her donut. "Nope, thanks, I got what I wanted."

Scarlet takes me into the corridor, past her bedroom – I can almost hear my book calling out for me from inside – and up the stairs. We reach the second floor of the house and the narrative begins.

"So that door over there, that leads to my parents' bedroom, but that's off limits, of course, and this – this is what I really wanted to show you – it's my father's pride and joy."

Scarlet pulls the curtains apart. I squint against the sunlight. The glass door slides open and the scent of soil and wet grass leaks in. When my eyes adjust to the light I see...

A forest?

At least I assume it's so since it's entirely green. It's all plants draping over one another. I wouldn't be surprised if a monkey jumped at me from behind the leaves. A portal that leads to a jungle, that's what it is.

No wonder Scarlet's sisters are vicious – they must have grown up in this side of the house.

Wait. Not only are there real plants, there's also a real sky, with real clouds and a real sun. That's when it hits me – this isn't a room. It's a balcony. A balcony possessed entirely by plants, as if a giant had plucked out a piece of the earth below and placed it up here.

"We don't have a lawn or a backyard," Scarlet explains. "So my father, who always wanted a garden, turned our balcony into one. He calls it our airborne front lawn."

This time, when my eyes return to the balcony, I see not a jungle but an oddly misplaced and yet innovative imitation of nature. I see a creative surge of effort that molded a man's flimsy dream into a sturdy reality. I see an artist, twirling a brush with his fingers, wondering how he was to create a painting when his easel was missing its canvas – that's when he begins to paint the easel itself, turning it into an uncommon and yet beautiful work of art.

A plant stirs, although not from the wind. Two vines slither away from the balcony and come towards me. They carry music with them, soft and assuring. I allow them to circle my ankles and climb to my shoulders. Gently, they wrap around my face.

The rusty lock that held my lips together falls with a heavy clang to the floor.

"Your father is... amazing." I blurt out. "I love it. This floating garden thing, I mean."

"Airborne front lawn," Scarlet corrects me with a smile.

"Right, that."

The vines are gone now. So is the lock. The plants are stock still. It was all part of my imagination.

"We better go back downstairs before Laura devours the entire kitchen."

"Yeah," I agree. "And we've got a History project to start."

Hope you enjoyed this! Did you notice any similarities between the three sisters in this segment? Tell me in the comments!