in the trees Chap 3

"Ow!" An angry voice echoed up. "Why are you always so  clumsy! You would lose your own head if it wasn't screwed on!" Ray winced. Xavier and Chris were here? Of all bad luck. Trying to forget what Chris would do when he got into the tree house, Ray set to exploring. The tree house was even better than she had imagined! There was a main platform, with two separate rooms and an open patio deck with 3 large wood chairs. With a smug smile on her face, Ray relished the fact that the boys would have to make a chair for her, now that she was 10. Past the chairs was a long, thick tree branch that steadily climbed towards the sky. She climbed up like a monkey and was thrilled to discover yet another floor. This one had one large room and one small room, but only a small patio area.

"Where are you?" A voice broke through Ray's daydreams. She hurried down the ladder  and came to a halt right in front of Chris. "Come on! It's time for the grand tour!" Anna beamed at her sister. As she led Ray towards the first room on the main deck, she began to act like a real-estate agent. "Over here is the main room, where we play games, eat, and just have a good time!" Ray swiveled her head in order to take in  the rooms entire lay out. In one corner, a counter with a well, a mini fridge  and a cooking stove served as a 'kitchen' "In case we get hungry!" next to the kitchen stood a large, wooden picnic table, covered with a bright checkered cloth. The rest of the room was sixties style, with tie-die beanbags and peace sign blankets littering the floor. mounted on the wall was an old TV!

"We got most of this from the Goodwill." Xavier gestured around the room. Anna pulled Ray away.

"Over here is our bedroom. We divided it into 4 parts, so you could have one. Since you are the newest, you get the far one. 'Kay?" Ray nodded enthusiastically, happy to have a space of her own.

"But..." Chris interrupted Ray's daydreams. "You have to pay for all your stuff. Beanbag, mattress, anything!"

"Now, the rest of the tree house! Upstairs is the library and bathroom. up past that is, well, just for reading and writing. Now, go on! explore!" Ray didn't need to be told twice! She rushed up the ladder, ready to read a book from the library. When she got to the second story, she pulled aside the vines hanging over the entrance. ray then grabbed a  book of the shelf and plopped into a beanbag, to read.