Right after slipping away from Lucy and her group of friends, Poppy started wandering around the hotel. She then found herself in the terrace. She couldn’t see much of the city from where she was standing but she could hear it.

The Cleopatra’s hotel was not far from the busy road so the traffic noise could be heard very easily. It didn’t bother her that much, it was all part of the experience. A bit like going to Venice and complaining about the amount of water taxi on the water. Every place had its own tune.

Her eyes locked on some beautiful cast iron chairs in the shape of lotus flowers.

"Wow, I love it, it's so beautiful" she whispered taking a seat.

She immediately screamed in pain and jumped "what on earth?"

She caressed the back of her legs and let out a sigh of relief, I didn't burn myself, thank God. And it had to happen the day I chose to wear a short romper. She thought while carefully repositioning the chair.

Left out in the sun, the cast iron chairs felt like they were on fire; "I think I better sit somewhere else" she murmured. "Oh, palm trees, great! The shade under them will do just fine."

She went down the steps quickly and sat under them resting her back on the trunk. She gazed at the garden then noticed some grass steps leading to the back.

Well Dorothy, time to follow the yellow brick road, she thought making her way into the back garden.

They lead her to the right, and not before long, she ended up in one part of the garden filled with dazzling whites to deep red flowers with full, dark green leaves planted all around.

The burst of colours gave it an enchanting feel. Hanane was right, the garden is the best part of the hotel.

She then heard "drop,drop,drop...." and frowned, is that water dripping I hear?

Following the sound, she ended up in another part; how big is that garden?

There was a large pond filled with white and blue lotus flowers. Her face lighted up, and her jolly walk turned into a run. That is when she realised that she was not alone. A boy was stone skipping on the side. He seemed to be about her age.

She wanted to walk up to him and introduce herself but lacked the courage to do so. She made a move to turn back when she heard him say, "Hello."

She turned around and smiled; the boy took a seat on a bench under a tree close to the pond. She walked uncertainly up to him.

"Do you mind? " She asked, pointing at the space next to him.

He extended his hand toward the spot "of course not."

She sat next to him, "Hi, I'm Poppy, Poppy Southill!"

"Ile Ulagan, but you can call me Ius. Nice to meet you.’’

‘’ Ah! Like G-E-N-I-U-S! But just Ius’’ She said smiling.

He smiled back. ‘’ Exactly. So how old are you?"

"Thirteen. You?"

"Me too,"

"Seems like we are the youngest of our team," Poppy added.

Ius raised a brow, "not really. I saw a bunch of really young children with their parents earlier."

"Are you sure they are part of the tour? "

He frowned, "hum, no, I'm not; it was just an assumption."

An awkward silence came between them. They glanced at each other a few times, but no one had anything else to say.

Ius finally broke the silence by asking, "So, where are you from?"

"I'm from Lancashire. You?"

Ius was about to answer when she said "no, don't tell me, let me guess. London."

"What makes you think that I am a Londoner?" said Ius with a grimace

Poppy smiled "may be because I am a brit too..."

Ius giggled "Well, you are way off, I am from east asia"

"Oh really? What country? And where did you pick up your London accent?"

Ius' expression changed, and he asked, "Does it matter?"

"No. But it will be nice to know, "she answered, a slight grin crossing her face.

He looked up to the sky, thinking then smirked, "Okay, we are known for our grasslands, fishing lakes and a desert with immense dunes. What country am I?"

Poppy immediately stood up visibly annoyed "I don't like riddles, either tell or forget it. I'm hungry so I'm going back inside. See you later"

She left, leaving Ius behind with a shocked look on his face.

Walking back inside, she smiled, I actually love riddles, I don't know why I said I didn't like them.

For some reasons, that encounter with Ius felt familiar, like she had bumped into an acquaintance.

Why did I get annoyed so easily? She shrugged and thought maybe I was just hungry.

That little burst of fire inside her had awakened something she had thought she had lost, courage.

While still thinking about her running with Ius, she bumped into her uncle, and she let out a yelp

"Oh! Here you are! " Joe said "The tour guides are here. Come on!"

She smiled at her uncle and followed him inside.

It didn't take long for all the guests to gather in the dining room. Two women were putting down brochures and clipboards on a table. They introduced themselves as Selma and Naima and announced they would be their tour guides.

Selma, the tallest of the two, had a grumpy face. She was trying her best to be pleasant but it wasn’t working. She started explaining with a forced smile, "We will divide the parents and the children into two groups. Unlike the last time, we have no under-10s, so everything should go according to plan."

Pointing at the table, Naima, the other guide, a petite woman with a more genuine face and friendly attitude added, "Both groups have different activities but do not worry. I have placed a couple of sheets on this table. If you are interested in something else, you can sign up for those as well. Please register under the activities you wish to join."

The guests all started to walk toward the table to choose their activities.

I may as well put my name everywhere since I failed to make any friends so far

She glanced at the other teenagers; Maybe I will try again at dinner. What is the worst that can happen?

Then she suddenly felt a chill again. She turned toward the reception desk and saw the man in the brown suit, just standing there looking at her.

This time she took a few steps toward his direction, but he turned around quickly and left the hotel.

Oh my God, what on earth was I thinking? Why was I going in his direction? He looks suspicious, maybe he is a psychopath. I have to stop doing things without thinking.

Maybe I should speak to Joe about that man.

She picked up the snacks she had gathered then made her way upstairs to her room.