Because there wasn't an "Other:" question on the form, I just wanted to clarify that I can't swim. Which hopefully doesn't destine me to a drowning, if this ends up as a traditional ski lodge and not a non-death one.

Name: Lyric

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Age: Anywhere between 12 and 16.

Appearance: T-shirt (solid or with a graphic design on it), blue jean jacket that doesn't really button, black leggings, glasses, thick black hair, purple watch on my left wrist and a hairband on my right, very skinny.

Personality: Gentle, kind, quiet, shy (become a teensy bit more talkative over time), logical, clever, anxious, optimistic, fidgety, nerdy, creative, inquisitive, helpful, and thoughtful.

What color embodies you?: Lightning yellow most of the time, but occasionally a slow, dark chocolate brown.

If you could enter a painting, which one would you choose?: One of my own oil paintings of a tree and a series of waterfalls in a scenic forest. I think that'd be lovely.

Favorite character(s). Heidi from the book Heidi by Johanna Spyri, and Sara Crewe from A Little Princess.

Favorite style of bedroom: Floral, small, and cheerful (which to me means stuffed animals and sunny windows, because what says cheerful better than that?)

What is your opinion on Oreos: Last time I ate them, they gave me a stomach ache so...I am not kindly disposed towards them.

Luggage: Clothes, hairbrush, extra hairbands...basically what people typically bring on a trip, my diary specifically for traveling, my bible, an array of fidget toys, water bottle, a book of Emily Dickinson's poems, sketchbook, pencils, eraser, pencil sharpener, colored pencils (you get the idea. A lot of art/writing supplies), and a few other important things I don't have time to add *glances at the clock*

You're riding through London in the car. As you drive over Waterloo Bridge, you notice a man who has turned bright blue and gone dancing in his bathing trunks on the bridge. What do you do?: Become extremely nervous and worried about why he is bright blue, and hope the man won't fall off the bridge.

Did that last question make you laugh?: Yes. 

@Bushy Tail and Poinsettia, your guesses are wrong. I am none of those you mentioned, though I'm flattered to be thought pangolin. @Poinsettia, yes, you can leave if this becomes a death ski lodge. @Lyric, I will remember your specifications on swimming.

Without further ado, let the ski lodge begin!

Day 1, Part 1

The lake was cold and gray, a chilly wind blustering around it. Tiny waves lapped at Silver Crystal's feet as she shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to another.

She opened her backpack to do a last-minute check of everything. Snacks, laptop, compass, yes it was all there -

"Hey!"

Startled, Silver jumped up, sending snacks flying everywhere. Perched on the bank of the lake was a small otter. Its lithe wet body was streaming water, and its paws were muddy, but it still had an air of elegance. Its bright eyes were regarding her expectantly.

"Well?" it said. "Are you ready?"

"What - where -" Silver stammered, filled with confusion.

"I've been sent to you by The Queen," explained the otter, its whiskers quivering with eagerness. "Here, pick up the luggage and we'll be off. All you need to do is jump on my back."

Silver crammed the snacks back into her backpack and squatted down over the otter. She didn't quite dare to rest her weight on it for fear she would be too heavy, and though she didn't like to say so, she was sure it would never be able to take her anywhere.

"Hold tight!" it chirped cheerily, and pushed off from the bank.

Cold water engulfed Silver. The otter seemed to have become at least five times its usual size. She could feel its muscular body propelling itself forward and clasped her legs tighter around it, not wanting to fall off. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to discover that although completely underwater, she could breathe perfectly.

"It's so cold!" she exclaimed.

"Not for long, though," replied the otter cheerfully, in a grandmotherly sort of voice. "You'll see."

A moment later, they were suddenly hurtling through warm water. Tropical fish were swimming among fronds of seaweed; the water streamed like silk over Silver's skin; and if she tipped back her head, she could see the sun, a glowing light far above her, veiled by clear turquoise waves.

The next moment the otter popped neatly out of the ocean. Silver looked ahead - and her hands tightened involuntarily around the otter's neck.

There was an island rising out of the sea. It looked like an emerald jewel, lying low and lush along the horizon. Trees covered its surface, and Silver could just make out some rocky shores and cliffs with waves breaking and foaming against them. And that was when she realized that the otter had suddenly shapeshifted into a dolphin. Not only that, there were other slim gray shapes leaping through the water, each with a CBer on its back. Chattering and clicking filled the air, along with the excited whoops of the riders.

A moment later the otter, or, well, dolphin, halted.

"Get off now, please," it ordered briskly. "Can't swim any farther than that. The water's too shallow. Enjoy Lydarios!"

"Thank you!" Silver exclaimed and scrambled off.

Everyone splashed through the shallows, waving goodbye to the dolphins. A sandy beach ran the length of the shore, glowingly white in the sun. The air was gloriously soft and warm. It touched Silver's face with the softest, lightest, yet most luxurious of touches, as if she was being bathed in liquid sunlight. A sighing breeze rustled the leaves of the trees and blew gently at her hair, which was somehow still dry, carrying the scent of orange blossoms and vanilla. Beyond the beach, the island sloped upward in a slight hill covered in rocks, then beyond that were dark green trees. Some of them had white blossoms, and Silver wondered if they were what was releasing the orange smell.

"So we're all here?" asked WiLdSoNg.

"I think so," said Poinsettia. "I'm so excited to finally be here!"

"Me too. Although I wish I'd brought sunglasses," commented Darkvine.

"No worries," came a voice.

At first there didn't seem to be a person anywhere to match the voice, but then some branches parted, and a pretty, young woman came out of the forest toward them. She had dark, curly, wild hair that was swept up in a ponytail, strands of it escaping around her face. Her skin was suntanned and her eyes were deep brown, with sparkling good-humor in them. She was wearing a wine-red minidress and high-heeled sandals, which seemed a bit glamorous for the beach at midday. She looked around at everybody and smiled in welcome.

"Hi, everyone! I'm Queen Ariadne, your guide for today! Welcome to Lydarios." She drew a pair of sunglasses from a purse and handed them to Darkvine, who put them on. "Now, I believe everyone is here, right? One-two-three-four-five-six-seven - eight - stop moving around, I can't count you all! Ninetnventevthirfrr - yes, you're all here. Good. Those dolphins are good shapeshifters, but they're so forgetful.  Let's go up to the palace!"

"Are you our host?" asked Bushy Tail inquisitively.

Ariadne's bright face fell. A shadow passed across her eyes, as if she were the sun and Bushy Tail's question had cast a cloud of sadness over her. Silver Crystal felt an odd shadow over her own mood. It was natural - Ariadne was able to transmit her moods to those around her - but Silver didn't know that, and she felt vaguely puzzled.

"Yes and no," said Ariadne finally. "Come on, let's go."

She cheered up as they walked along the shady path through the forest, explaining the rules - absolutely no striped pajamas, no going into certain areas of the palace, as despite being a hotel it also held the Lydarian court, and no iPhones.

"All iPhones have been magically confiscated upon your arrival," she commented. "They interfere with the magic of the library."

"Wait, what? How can that be?" asked Scuttles.

"It's because of the Sixth Law of Lydarian Magic," said Ariadne vaguely. 

"Well, it's worth it to have a library where our fave characters will come to life," said Hawkstar, and all the CBers agreed.

Just then they rounded a bend in the path - and came upon the dazzling hotel.

"What do you think?" asked Ariadne, beaming.

"Amazing," said Lyric happily.

-----

Present: 14

Disappeared: 0

Tysm, everyone! @Scuttles, you're onto something there... Oh, and no, a Google Pixel will not do at all, sorry :)

Day 1, Part 2

The guests were standing at the edge of a huge green lawn. A path led through it, passing a mossy stone fountain filled with plashing silver-clear water. At the end of the path was the Palacio. It was dazzling, with arched doorways and several stories. It did indeed look like a palace.

Ariadne gave them a tour of the building. In front and in back were the lush grounds, which you could apparently get lost in. "We have all sorts of trees here," Ariadne mentioned. "Lydarios is famous for its fruits. Peach, apple, papaya, lemon, fig, plum, apricot, orange..."

"So that's why it smells like orange blossoms!" remarked WildWolf.

"Yes, you're right. The trees are in blossom right now. You know, here in Lydarios orange blossoms are a symbol of mortality."

Nobody paid much attention to her words - they were too engrossed in the tour.

Part of the building was given over to the Lydarian royalty. They entered a dim room filled with Greek columns and balconies. "This is where the queen rules," Ariadne whispered to them. Each end of the long hall-like room boasted a throne, ornate and cushioned, and the queen - named Mina, so Ariadne told them - was sitting there.

"Aren't you the queen?!" WiLdSoNg asked Ariadne.

"Yes, sort of," she replied. "Mina and I both rule together, though really Mina is more powerful than I am. It was she who sent you your invitations."

"How did Lydarios end up with two queens?" parody queried.

Ariadne shrugged sadly. "I don't really know. Mina does, but she's never told me. I do know that it's said that even though there are two "queens" in name, only one of us is The Real Queen - but nobody knows which one of us that might be-"

"Are these the guests?" inquired a sharp voice from the end of the room.

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Ariadne hurriedly.

Mina was older than Ariadne, and somehow the exact opposite of her. Where Ariadne's hair was bouncy and escaped from its carefully styled hairdo, Mina's was long and straight and heavy, hanging down her back. She sat rigidly on her throne, her hands gripping the sides, with none of the other queen's easy light grace. And where Ariadne's eyes were full of welcome and laughter, Mina's were hard.

"Welcome, guests," she said, majestically enough. "Ariadne and I hope very much that you enjoy your stay. You may go." She extended a hand.

They were all glad to get out of the throne room and go on with the tour. The first floor was mainly general rooms, like the dining hall and the library. Then the elevator, whose doors were decorated with Claude Monet's Water Lilies, took you up to the second and third floor, where the bedrooms were. There were windows everywhere, filling the hotel with clear light and a spectacular view of the sparkling sea.

After the tour, Ariadne gave them some time to rest before it was time for dinner. Everyone loved their rooms. Each bedroom was tailered to its occupant; Darkvine's, for instance, was filled with black and gold decor, and Bushy Tail's was overflowing with books and craft materials, yet somehow clean and pleasant. The guests wandered in and out of each other's rooms as they unpacked. Hawkstar didn't need any rest and was helping Bushy Tail, or Tai, unpack her luggage, while across the hall, parody hurried into a change of clothes. Jokes and banter flew from room to room. Outside, Ariadne, who was listening to the merry sounds that floated through the windows, smiled to herself.

For dinner, everyone congregated on the outdoor patio. Periwinkle was flooding the sky, streaked with red clouds. There was a smell of hamburgers  from the grill that Scuttles, who was good at that kind of thing, was in charge of. The wind was cooler now, sighing through the ever-tossed trees, and if you listened very carefully, behind the guests' laughter and talk you could hear the soft liquid murmur of the waves down by the shore.

But nobody heard it anymore.

Someone was hidden in the shadows of the night that had already begun to fall in the forest. Someone was watching them through the trees.

"All right guys, fourteen hamburgers coming up!" said Scuttles, coming over to the table with a loaded tray. "Here's mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, tomato sauce, ketchup, pepper, salt, and my own particular condiment that I invented."

"You forgot the cheese!" exclaimed CelineBurningBright.

Scuttles pretended to be overcome with remorse - then produced a mozzarella package from a capacious pants pocket.

They began to eat. The hamburgers tasted delicious, smoky-flavored meat combining tastily with soft appetizing buns. They talked softly, the quiet wind sweeping through the trees. Tai had found a CD player in the lounge, and since everyone's phones had disappeared, they used some of Poinsettia's CDs to provide background music. There was a wide variety, and they decided on an old Don McLean one, which matched the evening's tranquil wistfulness.

After singing along to the last song on the album, "American Pi," the CD ended. 

"Let's sing something!" suggested Poinsettia.

"Great idea, man," Lord Entropy agreed, nodding. "How about a Mountain Goats song?"

But Hawkstar suggested a K-pop song, and WildWolf wanted Taylor Swift, and Silver Crystal launched into "We're taking this horse by the reins -"

"MAKING REDCOATS REDDER THAN BLOODSTAINS-" chimed in about half the group.

"I don't think everyone knows the words to any of these songs," ventured Lyric doubtfully.

So Darkvine got up on her chair and launched dramatically into "What shall we do with the drunken sailor," which everyone sang along to.

Halfway through the second verse, the sky turned dark. Sunset had not yet finished, yet suddenly the island seemed swallowed up in blackness. The song died in their throats. They knew instinctively that someone was passing, someone evil. And it was watching them.

It was I, The Queen, who was passing.

Then they noticed that there was one tiny voice still singing "Put him in a longboat till he's sober..."

It was the voice of one of the guests, though nobody could see who it was. And that guest did not feel fear.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and its grumble and the clear voice of the singer mingled and grew stronger until all the world seemed to be a battle between the two. And then all sound broke off. The thunder and the song ceased. The darkness lifted, and normal dusk returned.

Slowly everyone stirred and looked around. The table was surrounded with blanched faces. The stars were there. So was the moon. The cool dusk air caressed them. It was as if nothing had happened. 

Nobody was there but themselves - and Mina at one end of the patio, and  Ariadne at the other.

---

Disappeared: 0

Present: 14