The translator cut out on her, and Evelyn's next foreign words were incomprehensible. Kiera removed the translator from her ear. Evelyn did the same.
"Enter the main house using the nearest entrance. Your bracelet acts as a sort of master key, so you can go anywhere in the whole house. There should be a servant or someone posted near the entrance who can guide you to the restroom. If not, it's along the same hallway as the door. Just go four or five doors, and it'll be on your right."
Something splashed Kiera, and she pushed the droplets from her face, concentrating on Evelyn.
"Is it four or five?" she asked. "If it's four and I go five and interrupt someone's conference or walk into a room full of tarantulas, I'm going to go crazy."
"No, no. I think he said four," Evelyn said. "I'm sure there will be someone-- oh, hell, don't look down!"
Something furry dropped into Kiera's lap. The two pre-teen boys laughed.
Kiera's eyes dropped to her lap, and she stared at the mass of furry legs, freezing in place for a long moment. The cats' fur was matted from a bath in her dipping soup. She gave a startled cry, shot up from her seat, and swiped the creatures from her lap in one movement. Two of the cats, young and small enough to be kittens or perfectly sized adult tarantulas, detangled and darted from her pillow to the table.
Kiera took two steps back, shuddering in disgust and fear. God, she hated spiders. Hated them, hated them, hated them! A sharp word from Romas, and the two boys looked suddenly abashed. One of the kittens dashed toward Kiera, moving sideways like a spider on its flexible legs, and she skittered farther away.
Romas leaned back and snatched the kitten trotting toward her, and Evelyn rose to her knees, looking both surprised and dismayed. Suddenly, Kiera really, really wanted to go home.
"I'm going … to the restroom," she said, heart thudding in her ears.
"I'm so sorry, K. I'll go with you," Evelyn offered.
"No. I'm okay. I'll go and we can talk about going home when I get back!"
Romas tossed the kitten, which darted for her again. She took another hasty step back as he grabbed it once more. Her left foot found the first shallow step, and she took another step back, her eyes pinned on the second kitten running along the table. She'd just made a complete fool of herself and Evelyn … how would she react if someone were as terrified of kittens on earth?