"I DON'T understand. I could have sworn-" They had been walking through the woodland for about two hours and as much as Noel enjoyed his surroundings he was starting to get tired and hungry and mentally cursed himself for finishing his bag of Cheetos on the coach. Myron was mumbling underneath his breath, his words incoherent and jumbled.

"What is it Myron?" Noel stopped walking, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his oversized jacket. Reality was starting to catch up with him and he did not want that to happen.

"I just, I'm trying to find the house, and I thought I knew where it would be...I'm pretty sure we're just going about in circles."

Suddenly Myron broke into a frantic run, his expression changing rapidly from mildly confused to a state of an epiphany. Noel watched him run dumbfounded, before grudgingly catching up with him.

"It's here. I know it's here."

"Care to tell me why we were running like mad people."

"Look."

Grand. Ethereal. Otherworldly. There was so many words to describe the sprawling castle dotted not too far from where Noel and Myron were standing. It reminded Noel of his old MySims game, where he'd spend hours creating a pretentious house with a rollercoaster and drawbridge, but what he saw in front of him didn't even come close. There were large vines trawling up the sides of the mansion all the way to the top. Dotted between these large vines were huge blood red roses, the petals of some had fallen and had now created a swarm of rouge petals scattered on the mossy undergrowth. A castle may have been an exaggeration but it was a beautiful mansion that seemed to belong in a fairytale book, not in real life.

"You live here? As in, here?"

"Yep. My grandparents should be here, they don't know I'm coming you see, it's kind of a surprise."

Noel followed Myron in awe to the wood grazen door, Myron's tan knuckles rapped on the door twice, his hands slightly quivering in the cold breeze.

It took a few moments before the door opened slowly and a kind, wrinkled face peered out curiously. "Myron, my Myron Akil?"

"Grandmama..." Myron's softer tone shocked Noel slightly, it sounded as if he was about to cry.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."

"I had to come here."

"It had to be this weekend."

"Yes, it had to be."

"Come here." Myron's grandma wrapped a strong arm around him, her lips letting out a string of incomprehensible Spanish, Noel vaguely remembered Myron babbling to him that he was Mexican and Indian, deducing this fact Noel quietly recognized that this must be his Mexican Grandmother.

"And who's this?" Her brown eyes scrutinized Noel's earth crumpled appearance, yet her lips were turned up into an implicit smile that Noel couldn't quite decipher.

"Someone special." Myron breathed out gently. His grandma leaned into Myron's ears and whispered something quietly that led to an unexpected blush to splash through his face. Noel watched in confusion as Myron blushed bashfully and tried to pry his smirking grandma off his ears.

"Where's Pops?"

"He's sleeping, but I must wake him up and alert him that you're here, I wished you sent a bit of a warning, I would have cooked more food." His Grandma turned towards Noel's fluttering frame. "What's your name."

"Noel."

"No-el, No-el, Noel, No-el. Born is the King of Israel!"

Noel let out a simpered laugh, his initial anxiety ebbing away slowly at Myron's grandma's off tune singing, it must run in the family. "I get that a lot."

"I couldn't help myself, could I? Well, enough standing around, come in! come in! I'll make some hot cocoa and you can tell me all about yourself! Oh and you can call me Esmeralda."

Both boys followed after Esmeralda, both taking in the lavish and cozy surroundings. To Noel the warm simplicity of the mansion was surprisingly refreshing, he was expecting the inside to be cold and haunted with rustic rugs and two hundred year old paintings, yet the atmosphere was fresh and light and it smelled like hot cookies. To Myron however it left an uncomfortable lurch in his stomach, yet he did his best to ignore this and plastered on a semi-fake smile, trying his best to not look to long at his family photos situated by the staircase but at the smiling boy next to him.

"Roderigo! We have guests, wake up!" Esmeralda proceeded to whacking her long time husband of forty years with her wrinkled hands, his body shifting shortly on the large cream chair in the reception room. "You're always sleeping, you miss most of the day!"

"Esme...you never let me sleep..." Roderigo grumbled quietly, although he sat up and opened his eyes slightly. "What guests do we have that you had to interrupt my hibernation." However an answer was not needed as Roderigo's eyes went wide at Myron's appearance, his greying moustache shifting as he lumbered over to Myron's frame and enveloped him in a warm hug.

"Myron? My Myron Akil...oh, it's been so long, I thought you'd never come here again."

"I had too."

"You came alone?"

"Yeah...well I came with Noel."

Roderigo's eyes took in Noel's frame, he smiled slightly, or maybe it was his moustache lifting a little, Noel wasn't sure. "Noel what?" His voice was deep and gruff, yet it carried that same calming and relaxed tone Esmeralda had.

"Noel Adams."

"What is you and Myron's relationship?"

"W-w-we're friends." Myron turned to face Noel slightly.

"Best friends." Myron tacked on with an elusive smirk.

"Best friends?" Noel countered back in disbelief, he hadn't heard that word since elementary school, his best friend having been the insufferable Mickey Clark, a boy with muddy blonde hair and sand paper eyes who always bought small toy cars into school and lost them, Noel vaguely recalled him leaving abruptly in the fourth grade.

"I don't just bring anyone to Wood Acre, even Dylan hasn't been here."

"But, I haven't known you that long."

"Maybe you aren't best friends." There flowing conversation was interrupted by Esmeralda, her face was scrunched up in silent thought. "Maybe your soulmates." After this statement both Roderigo and Esmeralda broke out into a slaught of uncontrollable laughter, leaving Myron smiling in fondness and Noel feeling awkward.

"How long are you both staying?" Esmeralda's spluttered laughter had now calmed down, she had sat on the couch next to Roderigo, her slender wrinkled fingers tracing over Roderigo's calloused ones. She directed Myron with her question, unable to keep the small smile that was forming on her face from his appearance alone.

"We'll leave tomorrow at around 4-5 pm I think."

"Okay, so I must cook a feast!"

"You really don't have to Grandmama, we have our own food."

"Um, no we don't." Noel hissed quietly, he resisted the urge to jab Myron in the stomach with his elbow.

"Nonsense!" Esmeralda cried out. "You both should go into the village and get me some supplies, vegetables, seasoning, I'll give you a list, drop your backpacks and get some fresh Wood Acre air."

Esmeralda practically pushed them out of the door, a rushed list crumpled into Myron's hands. "Don't stay out too late!" Then the door shut in front of their faces.