I slept through Mrs. Grady’s early morning visit to Lauren’s and my room. This didn’t endear me much to Lauren who heard the knocking, answered the door and spent the next half hour discussing Spanish influenced art instead of getting some much desired sleep like I was doing.

She was especially ticked off when it turns out that the only reason Mrs. Grady had come to our room that early in the morning had to do with me. Not Lauren.

So when I finally did wake up about forty-five minutes after Mrs. Grady left Lauren made sure to give me a piece of her mind.

“Sleep well?” she asked icily as I tossed and turned before sitting up in my bed.

“Yeah, I did thanks for asking.” I probably sound far too cheery for her.

“Mrs. Grady stopped by…she didn’t want to wake you. She also seemed to want to discuss each and every painting she saw yesterday with me. Which would not have happened if you were awake and talking to her instead of me! Anyway, she wants you to meet her in her room for some message, or something. Kay? Now I’m getting the shower first….”

With that Lauren slammed the bathroom door and I figured I’d better head off to Mrs. Grady’s room because I knew I would not be allowed anywhere near that shower for a good hour or so.

I made my way to Mrs. Grady’s room still wearing my gray sweatpants that were fraying around the edges and blue tank top that I had worn to bed. I’m surprised Lauren let me walk out of the room dressed so unfashionably.

She answered the door after I knocked twice. Once the door was open Mrs. Grady got a good look at what I was wearing and smiled.

“Well you certainly came ASAP!”

“huh, yeah I guess I did…I’m not sure why I’m here…”

“Oh , right come in. You received a fax this morning. Purely confidential. I think it’s from your parents. “ Mrs. Grady answered me while ushering me into the room.

As soon as I sat down she handed me an envelope with the hotel’s crest type symbol on it. I looked at and then looked up at my teacher who had the oddest look on her face.

I opened the envelope to find two sheets of paper one addressed to me one addressed to the chaperones of my trip. The second one I handed back to Mrs. Grady and then I let myself out of the room to find someplace quiet to look at my letter.

When I stopped back at my hotel room I was pleased to find it empty. Lauren must have gone off to Cory’s or one of the other boys on the trip rooms. I flopped down on the bed and took out my fax.

From: Johnson, Miranda

Telephone: 1-900-736-9873

Fax: 1-400-922-9282

Date: June 5 2008

To: Johnson, Eleanor

I see your trip has already found some excitement. Don’t forget your Windex, honey. Dad sends his love.

Love and kisses,

Mom.

Well that was….a waste of time? Mom and Dad usually didn’t send little love notes to their oldest daughter just out of the blue. After all they are writers…so why wasn’t the whole page filled with words and advice? I was rather engrossed in my non-informative letter that I didn’t notice a still annoyed Lauren entering the room.

I guess when I failed to acknowledge her presence after a few moments she decided to do something about it. She grabbed one of my various Windex bottles and sent a stream of light blue Windex right onto the back of my fax.

Instead of focusing my attention on Lauren like she wanted the dripping fax commanded both of our gazes. Why? It might have been something to do with the swirling blue letters there were forming on the page wherever there was Windex.

I knew my parents would never waste time sending me a letter that short. They are writers for crying out loud. Naturally, with their Windex and Paranormal obsessions they would write a letter to me in invisible ink…invisible fax? Must be some sort of odd spell they invented.

Honestly, they are really bizarre.

“W-w-what….b-but, El…um…oh, God.” Lauren whimpered while stumbling backwards from the paper I was holding. She finally ended up sprawled over the floor after tripping over her designer suitcase. The bottle of Windex was being strangled in her hand.

Oh boy, what was odd, but still fairly normal for me, was a major shock for Lauren. She was looking up from the floor in mute horror at my fax that was now dry and ready to read.

I didn’t know what to do with Lauren so I (stupidly) said the first thing that popped into my mind.

“Want to hear what my letter is about?”

o0o0o0o0o

Dear Eleanor,

If you are reading this you obviously took our advice and kept that Windex close to you. That’s our girl! (Here Lauren made a sort of humph noise and started to glare at the fax again.) We have heard from an old…let’s just call him friend of the family that you might have just met. A certain Jason, now we sent a letter to your teachers saying that Jason (should you want to) is allowed to show you around Madrid while you are there. Try and stay out of trouble. Maybe carry a stake with you. Or better yet mix some garlic into your Windex.

Well we hope you are enjoying yourself over there. Everything is quiet back here. Please do not forget the list of books and items we wanted you to purchase for us.

Love,

Mom and Dad

“Why are you supposed to carry a steak? That’s just disgusting. That letter made no sense. Who is Jason? Garlic and Windex? Explain…” Lauren seemed to have recovered some from her shock as she was now rapidly demanding answers from me.

“Stake not steak…you know like wooden stake/silver stake…sort of thing. Jason was that guy we uh…walked in on the other day.”

“The really good looking one?”

“Yeah, him…speaking of which I need to go tell him something. I’ll explain more later ok?

I rushed out of the room leaving a confused Lauren behind. I ran all the way through the hotel back to room 237. Once there I quickly started to bang on the door.

Jason opened the door immediately.

“There is not a chance on the face of this Earth of me helping you right now!” I snapped.

That wasn’t the answer he was expecting I think…after all the trouble he took to contact my parents back home.

“Excuse me?”

Every new study shows that reading and reviewing not only increases ones lifespan but also gives people immense amounts of joy.