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be home any minute or that the party had lasted all night and they were still with their friends. I was not sure what to believe.
    Later, I decided to go up to the library to look at the Rose House. I slowly climbed the stairs, taking them one step at a time. It took me awhile, but I finally reached the top. When I approached my father’s study, I stared intently at its door and then walked toward it. I stretched my arm out to touch it.
    Very carefully, I moved my hand across the wooden surface to the knob. I wrapped my hand around it and attempted to turn it. Normally the door was locked, but this time it was not. I let go and jumped back.
    After staring at the door a little longer, I finally turned and walked toward the library. As I struggled to push open the large doors of the library, Audric ran over to help me with them.
    “Good morning!” he greeted me.
    I could not say anything, so I just smiled and then walked over to the Rose House.
    Standing by the table, I pulled a chair out, and then I brought it with me to the painting. After I placed the chair in front of the painting, I climbed onto it and stood on top of it, which made me eye level with the painting.
    When I looked at it this time, I saw that something had changed. It was as if the roses had become deeper in color. And it almost looked as if more roses had grown. But they cannot grow! I mean, it is a painting. It cannot change, can it? I thought.
    I was not sure how long I stood there just staring at it, but it must have been a long time. The next thing I knew, I was being called down for lunch.
    I stepped off the chair and placed it back at the table. As I walked out, I thanked Audric for allowing me to have the time to myself. When I walked toward the stairs, I stopped at my father’s study. How I longed for him to walk out of the study with a fellow businessman. But I had no such luck.
    Where are my parents? Are they really still with their friends, having so much fun that they do not want to come home yet?
    As I walked down the stairs, I saw Buttons waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase. He must have heard me, because he perked up and stopped cleaning himself. Then he let out a big meow as if he were sighing.
    Once at the bottom of the steps, I picked him up and carried him down the hallway with all the paintings and into the dining room. Once again, although the windows were open, the aroma of the roses did not fill the room. I became curious.
    In the dining room, I set Buttons down and walked over to the windows. The roses were usually in full bloom this time of year. I opened one of the windows more so that I could stick my head out of it.
    The roses did not look as they had the day prior; the day before, they had been lush and vibrant with color. Now they looked as if they were wilting from lack of sun or water; they had brown petals and drooping stems. But I watched our gardener water them every day, and they received a lot of sun during the day. It did not make sense.
    “If these roses are wilting when they are in the soil and receiving nutrition from water and the sun, what are the roses in my room doing? They must be a lot worse off!” I mumbled to myself.
    “What was that, sweetie?” Leala asked.
    “Oh, nothing. I was talking to myself,” I explained.
    She walked out of the kitchen with two plates in her hands. Deleena walked out after her, and Russel followed closely behind. They were setting the table by placing four plates down. I walked over to the table and then sat down as Leala placed a plate in front of me.
    “Thank you,” I said to Leala.
    She nodded with a big smile on her face. “Feeling better at all?”
    “Not really.” I spoke softly with my head down, looking at my lap.
    “Well, here, eat some lunch; then we will do something to get your mind off all of this! Sound good?”
    “Okay.”
    Once again, I hardly touched my food. To appease Leala, Russel, and Deleena, I took a few bites, but my mind was elsewhere.