A Witch's Way

17) House Tour

Layla:

What we stepped into seemed like something out of a fairytale, the house was magnificent. 

From the front doors we walked into the Foyer. Matt set me on my feet and I stared ahead of me. A big staircase, carpeted all the way until it reached the top adorned the room. The floor beneath us was lined with smooth, shiny wood and the walls were a perfect cream colour, funny how that colour was growing on me. The Foyer had a high ceiling and at the top hung a beautiful chandelier, dripping with diamonds.

"Let me give you a house tour, after all it is now your house as much as mine," Matt spoke, interrupting my dream-like state and taking my hand.

To the left and right of the hallway stood two grand archways which led to different rooms in the house, Matt first took me too the left side.

"This Layla, is the library."

A library? Yes I really mean a library. 

Along two walls in the room stood huge bookcases lined with shelves upon shelves of books, from floor to ceiling. In the centre of the room sat a cluster of sofas and chairs arranged in a circle. The floor was made of shiny tiles and in the middle, lay a big off-white coloured fluffy rug. The wall facing the front of the house was made almost completely of glass and had a wonderful view of the lake.

"We liked to come in here and relax, read some books. We have every book imaginable, fiction, non-fiction, all labeled alphabetically, of course."

"Of course," I murmered.

On the opposite wall stood a double door, made also from glass. Grinning, Matt led me through those glass doors and into another huge room. This room was simple but elegant and Matt told me it was the music room. 

The floor was covered in wooden floorboards and the walls were a clean white. It too had a wall made from glass.

The room was filled with all different types of instruments. In the centre stood an incredible, sleek, grand piano. Also around the room I counted two violins, one cello, three acoustic guitars and one electric. One flute and one clarinet, a huge drum kit, a saxophone and two trumpets. 

Wow. With all of theses instruments he could form a choir!

"Why do you have so many instruments?" I asked breathlessly.

I mean they really couldn't play all of them, right?

"Well, we all play all of them," Matt shrugged.

Huh. 

How?!

"Each member of the family plays different things," Matt continued. "My mother favours the piano, but she can also play the trumpet, flute and clarinet. My father loves the guitars and he plays all three of them over there, he also plays the cello, my erm brother played the drums and electric guitar and I play a bit of piano and drums, but my favourite is the saxophone. Seeing as we were never allowed away from the estate when we were here, we had quite a lot of spare time. At the Palace we are also required to learn at least one instrument. We've charmed the instruments so they never have to get tuned, so they are always in perfect condition. Do you play an instrument?"

Oh yeah I can play the piano, clarinet, guitar, violin and trumpet, also a bit of precession on the side. Not! But for once I was so glad that I kinda could play an instrument.

"I urm used to play the violin, before my mum died. I stopped after the fire because every time I played I thought of her, she used to love hearing me play." I gently stroked a finger down one of the perfect violins, remembering the smoothness of it under my fingers.