About The Scarlett Kite

Scarlett's Story

Hi! I'm Scarlett Kiteway, I'm 21 years old, a journalism student in Perplex City and this is my blog all about the excitement over the search for the Cube. I'll be keeping track of what the media over there is saying about it, and maybe a little bit about my life as well!

 

Hello! So these are all my posts which are just about me! Hope you enjoy hearing about my life!

Friday, February 23, 2007

The heart of the matter

Category: me, 06:08 PM

In all of my journalism classes, they tell us to suspend judgment of the facts, to doubt everybody. I guess I never really understood before that they really meant... everybody.

I think back, now, to that ball night. I felt so very grown-up in my new gown. It was white satin, with a maze of little sparkly beads all on it, and it was strapless. I was so smug that I had talked my dad into letting me wear a strapless gown. And I felt sorry for Violet who was too sick to come.

I guess that's when she started lying to me. To everyone.

A couple of days after the ball, I made soup from an old recipe of our mother's I'd found in the kitchen, and I brought it over to Violet's apartment. Her nose was so red you could've used it for a traffic signal, and her eyes had these terrible purple smudges underneath. I made her eat the soup and clucked around piling her up with pillows and blankets, just like she'd done for me a hundred times when I was sick. And she croaked up at me, "Don't ever change, Lettie, you're perfect just as you are."

Well, it's too late, I've changed anyhow. People keep treating me like I'm broken, you know. They talk to me in hushed tones and they lay their hands on my shoulder in a way meant to be reassuring and they avoid asking me about anything 'worrying' or 'stressful,' which means nobody wants to let me talk about everything I've been through. I'm not broken, though. I mean, I think I was before, right after... you know. With my dad. And Lancewood. I'm not, now.

But I'm not the same Scarlett I was three years ago, either. There's a Scarlett-shaped hole in everyone's life where I used to fit, and I don't fit there anymore, but people keep trying to push me back in. And I'm just so angry at everyone, at Kurt and Violet and my father for all lying to me, and for expecting me to just trust them again and go on being sunny little Lettie. And I'm angry at the whole city for giving Kurt and Violet a Silver Solve for their very convincing years of deceit, while I get... "Oh, don't worry, Scarlett, the drugs are almost entirely safe. We're very probably almost sure that everything will be fine, eventually." This must be what growing wiser feels like.

Violet knows I'm angry, of course. She sees it simmering there under the surface. Maybe the worst part is she thinks I don't have a right to be angry at all; like when we spoke a couple of days ago.

"I was only trying to do the right thing," she told me.

I told her: "I know you were 'trying to do the right thing.' I know you didn't ask for it, I know you were afraid, I know you were trying to keep me safe. I understand all that. But the point is, you lied. You even lied to me."

I shook my head, and tried to explain just one more time. "And you were so good at the lying, Violet. So very, very, good that I just don't know where the real Violet is anymore, or if there's even a real Violet at all."

I still love my sister, I just don't know if I can trust her. But I'll always be there for her if she needs me. She did risk her life and her secret to come save me, in the end. Although... without her secret I guess I wouldn't have needed saving.

My fingers don't hurt so much anymore, you know. They still feel bruised when I use them. They're so ugly, though, and I can't bear to look at them. I've been wearing gloves, and telling people it's to protect my fingers, but really it's so I don't have to see them all the time. They remind me of all the ugly things there are in the world.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Hello?

Category: me, 04:46 PM

I think this is recording. I can see the words coming up on the display - it should be OK and I.... They've put bandages on my hands. Nothing hurts but I feel so sleepy. I'm, I'm fading in and out. Everything seems very distant, like a dream, or something someone told me once. Kurt came to see me today, I think. Unless it was a dream, but it doesn't seem... He told me all about the different drugs they're giving me, and what the effects are. Kurt knows so many things. He'd found me some literature about tissue regeneration treatments and said I shouldn't worry about my hands because at least 90% of the damage is repairable. They don't hurt. Nothing hurts at all, and my head is very quiet and peaceful. I think it's the drugs. I'm trying to remember what I....

[No vocal signal detected.]

No, no please, no, I don't, I don't!

[No vocal signal detected.]

Sorry, I fell asleep. I keep doing that. I think of things and then I lose them again. The doctor said not to fight against it, just allow myself to heal. Sometimes moments come back suddenly, vividly. Just now I thought I was back there... in that.... It's so funny that I was in The Point. I love The Point. It didn't seem like... I thought I was far away, in Anjsbourg again maybe. I...

[words indistinct, please repeat]

Sorry, I. I don't know what I told them. They put needles in my arm and I... there's no way I could warn the Castilles. I don't know.

[words indistinct, please repeat.]

It doesn't like it when I cry. It thinks I'm making indistinct words. Funny. Everything seems funny right now. I don't want to make the little machine unhappy, but it's so unhappy. Maybe it's me who's unhappy, but I can't find it in my head. Violet came to see me, after Kurt. She told me about Caine, but it seemed to me like the very last thing in the world to think about. Violet was angry like snow around her hills and valleys and I told her so, but I don't think she understood. She looked at my bandaged hands and cried, and I told her not to cry. I can't remember the last time I saw her cry. I wished my dad was here, to give her icecream like he used to when we were little but he's not. I have to sleep now.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Something happens

Category: me, 09:43 AM

Sorry about the cliffhanger yesterday - I think old habits die hard. But I suppose if finding old, brave Scarlett means also rediscovering my enjoyment of cliffhangers, it's worth the trade. And I really think I am finding her again. I feel so much better now, so much calmer and like I know what I'm doing again. I can't help worrying that it won't last but I hope, I so hope it will. So, Vi and I came up with a plan. I'm going undercover at the Sentinel! Not very undercover, of course, because they all know who I am. (I asked Violet if we could come up with some kind of disguise for me, but she seemed to think that wasn't the best idea. She was very kind about it though - I wonder how long it'll be until I can make her properly tetchy with me again ;-) ).

Here's the plan: I go into the Sentinel today at lunchtime to talk to Iona. This was really easy to organise because everyone's so nice to me right now. I'm going to ask her if she knows about who might have broken into our house - no one's been arrested, but our best guess is still that it was a journalist looking for information. It doesn't seem likely that Iona will be able to tell me anything but it's worth a try; she might have some leads that could help or, if I'm very lucky, I'll manage to wangle my way onto the Sentinel key systems and see if anyone's been trying to sell information about us.

It's so nice to be back. I haven't burst into tears about anything for more than a day now! I'm worried about going back there, but everyone's been so supportive. Violet's annoyingly insisting that I 'check in' with her as soon as I leave the Sentinel - she and Caine are still so worried about me. But I really think I'm getting better, I've even called a couple of friends and I'm looking forward to Caine's band's gig next week - the only way is up!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Gone

Category: me, 03:54 PM

I'm angry. I think I haven't been angry for weeks, maybe months. At least, angry with anyone who isn't me. But now I'm angry. It feels... nice. Strong. Alive.

Vi took me back to dad's house - I didn't want to go there by myself but I'd left some stuff there and wanted to see if anything had been taken. Whoever it was - Vi guesses some journalist - had turned everything over. Not just turned over. Destroyed. The Zingiber sofas my mother chose, ripped to shreds. Urns and vases smashed. Drawers tipped out onto the floor. Paintings cut out of their frames and left, curled and crumpled, on the floor with the other debris. It felt angry. The whole thing felt like someone was personally angry with us, wanted to hurt us.

The bedrooms were just the same. All my books were thrown on the floor, the photos I took in Tanraga which I'd had printed out as posters were ripped and crushed. They'd even gone through my wardrobe, ripped into the linings of my coats. One of them was Violet's coat, in fact, but she didn't seem too angry. She wanted to know if anything was missing but I couldn't tell. There could be loads of things missing that I'll only think of when I go to look for them in six months' time. This was what made me really, properly angry. Someone I've never met, someone I don't even know. After everything that's happened, everything I've done and it's not even... it just doesn't make sense.

Vi went to look around the rest of the house while I sat in my bedroom. I picked up one of the antique leather-bound books my father had bought me years ago - the faceless someone had ripped its covers off. She found me still staring at it when she came back.

"Are you OK, Lettie?" she said. "We can leave if you want to. You don't have to stay here."

I didn't answer.

"Lettie? We'll get someone in to clean up. Everything can be replaced."

I turned that book over in my hands.

"Lettie? Sweetheart? Let's go now, OK? Maybe you should take a little nap."

She's been like this for months.

"I'm not a child, you know," I said.

"Um. OK. Yes. I know."

"I don't need anyone looking after me."

"OK then. Let's go?"

"You know, while you and Kurt were sitting at home messing around with investigating libraries and Recons I went to Anjsbourg!"

"Yes," she said, "I remember."

"I've been further away from the City than anyone else we know! I'm different from you! You don't have to treat me like a baby, I don't have to always be taking naps and drinking tea!"

I looked up at her. She was smiling.

"Yes. Good. In which case, I have an idea for you."

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Not Me

Category: me, 03:06 PM

It wasn't me after all. It was something else. I would have preferred it to have been me. Why is that? I feel like it would have been easier to bear. Instead, this is what happened. I woke up at about midday, feeling kind of OK. Still sick, but I managed to drink a little coffee. And I still didn't remember anything. My head hurt and my body hurt and Caine still wasn't back so I thought... I'll go for a walk, to clear my head.

It's about a mile, maybe a bit more, from Caine's place to my dad's house and it seemed perfect. It's been a pretty warm day - I carried my dress shoes in my hand and enjoyed the walk, the feeling of air in my lungs and warm sun on my skin. And it was only when I got almost to the house that I saw all the cameras and the journalists waiting, and it was only then that I remembered what happened last night. I think there are pictures of me crying on every news station in the city right now. And I still don't know where Caine's gone, or why.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Yuck

Category: me, 11:41 AM

I feel sick. I think I have been sick, but someone cleaned it up. I'm in Caine's apartment but he doesn't seem to be here. He's left me fresh croissants, fruit and coffee things, but I feel sick when I look at them. He's nice though, Caine. I expect it was him who cleaned me up. I can't really remember. I can't remember very much from last night. I remember getting dressed up, and I remember arriving, and I remember Caine taking care of me and I remember crying, and I feel like some other things happened, and I feel really sad but it's all through a thick murky curtain, a fog. I think maybe I spoiled the party somehow. That's how I feel, I think I cried and spoiled the party for everyone. Caine's left me a note saying he'll be back in a couple of hours, and, for some reason, that I shouldn't turn on the news. I think I'm going back to bed. Everything hurts and I want to cry but I don't know why.

Monday, January 15, 2007

I'm sorry

Category: me, 01:09 PM

There's this nightmare I have, over and over and over. I'm walking in some kind of maze. There's not much light, or the light is flickering, and I'm afraid, just afraid all the time. There's someone following me. Or is it that I'm following them? I can't tell. The lights flicker on and off and I know that they're going to catch me soon. Or maybe I'll catch them and that would be worse, so much so very much worse. And then the lights go off, and it's dark, and I know that they're in the room with me, right there. In a moment I'll feel their breath on my neck. And then I wake up screaming. I've been doing that a lot.

I can't explain what's happened to me, not really. Violet's been so kind, I've never seen her like this before. When I wake up in the middle of the night, and they tell me that I was shouting or screaming, and Caine brings me warm milk and Vi strokes my hair it's like... I think it's like my mother. As much as I can remember. And I know they love me, and I know they want to help, and I trust them, I really do, but I can't feel it. I can't feel anything much, sometimes. Only afraid, and alone. And I think back to the person I was this time last year: travelling, having adventures, excited by new destinations. I can't even believe it was me. I feel like I've always been sad and afraid. It's the Academy Ball this evening and I can't go, I don't want to be around all those people. I don't even leave the house that much anymore. All the time, I feel like something awful's about to happen. Just around the corner, just out of sight.

I hate this, I hate it. I wanted to be able to tell you how I'd spent the past months researching and investigating, and getting closer to finally solving all these mysteries. And some days I feel like that Scarlett, sometimes for a few hours put together and I think: I can do this, this is me again. And then I remember that I'm not that person anymore. I'm someone new, and this is who I am, who I'll always be. I'm a person who killed someone. Before I ever really fell in love, before I learned to waterski, before I finished college, before I tried eating swordfish, before I got married or had children. Before all that stuff that regular people do, I killed someone. I don't know who I am anymore.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Lockdown

Category: me, 02:28 PM

I'm writing this from Violet's apartment on Moebius. I've been staying here the past few days. Well, since we got back from Viendenbourg really. I haven't even been out of the apartment today - I've just been sitting in the window seat, monitoring the chat and news channels on my key, browsing some favourite Earth sites and knowing I won't be able to get at them much longer. Vi said Kurt had sent her a quick mail with a warning about the lockdown beginning at 5.30pm today. I think I may never want to leave the apartment again.

I had a conversation with my father yesterday. He's been trying to get through since Monday but I haven't been answering. I can't really remember a lot of the things he said. He was angry, and he was trying to hide it but he couldn't. I remember he said: "Why, Scarlett? Why couldn't you talk to me?" And I didn't have an answer - at least not one that made any sense. And I remember he said: "I want you to come home." And I started crying, and Violet took the key away from me and shouted at him for a while about lying and deceiving, and how he owes us an apology. I've been doing that a lot lately. Crying.

I miss my dad, the dad I used to know, or thought I knew. And I miss the world how it was, when I thought he could solve it all for me. And I don't know what to do or what to say about any of this so I just say: I'm sorry. I don't know how much of this is my fault, but for the things that are, I'm sorry.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Chrysalis

Category: me, 04:17 PM

Have you ever had the feeling of having outgrown yourself? Or where you suddenly take a turn around a corner and come face to face with the person you were a year or two ago and realise, properly realise that you're just not them anymore? And you think - when did this happen? I seem to have been looking the other way and pretending to be that person I used to be when all this time, I've been... changing.

So, I was wondering what to write here, about all of this, and feeling confused and sad, and staring at my blog I noticed this, which I wrote not so very long ago:

"I'm not just, like, majoring in journalism, I really love it! I know some people think it's a bit hokey, but I really believe that journalists can make a difference. My friend Iona Rodie who writes for the Sentinel has changed City Council policy on the environment with her writing. One day I'm going to do the same."

I remember what I thought when I wrote that. I still believe it. Journalism is something that can change the world, can make a difference, can right wrongs and expose lies. But every gain is a loss, you know? I remember writing that about Iona's environmental stories, and feeling so excited and happy that she'd stopped some corporate dumping of waste in a protected habitat. And now I can't stop thinking about what happened in that corporation. Did someone lose their job? Were they thrown out of their house? Did their partner leave them? What happens then?

Violet isn't sure about what we've done. Her instinct was to keep everything secret, to investigate more, maybe to find a way to use the information to our advantage. But she agreed it was my call. Because of Lancewood. Because of Major Maine. And because I still believe that revealing the truth can change the world, I've made my decision and you'll hear about it soon. I don't know what's going to happen now. I don't think it'll be good. But everything's different already - there is no good decision anymore. The world has changed while we were looking the other way.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Decisions

Category: me, 11:52 AM

We've all read over those documents that Kurt got off the Viendenbourg network. Thank you for deciphering them for us, but now that you have, I really wish you hadn't.

"Subject reports extreme pain, disorientation."
"Subject lost."
"Subject severely injured. Expired at 18:15."

Something awful is happening at Viendenbourg, that much is clear, and... my father is directly responsible. This is the same man who tucked the blankets up to my chin at bedtime and taught me how to catch fireflies, you know? And I've known for ages now that my father was somehow involved in all of this, from the last time I went into Viendenbourg, but I'd hoped there was some sort of innocent explanation. I think now it's too late for that.

And, try as I might I can't get away from the fact that if my father authorised the experiments on Major Maine, it was he who made me... Well. He might as well have had his hand on the gun with me.

So now we're all huddled together in our tent. It's pouring rain outside, which isn't helping moods, and we're trying to decide who to tell, what to tell. We have to tell someone, we're agreed on that, but there's no way of knowing who to trust. I said on Hobbs Island, maybe the safest thing is to tell everyone. But I don't know what will happen if we do. I don't know what will happen to my dad.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Scrambled

Category: me, 06:01 PM

I guess Violet told you all about our adventures at the Viendenbourg Heritage Centre. It's weird. The compound is still the same, the low-slung grey building is still there but now there's this tourist attraction for, apparently, the general public. It's very odd - obviously it hasn't been there long but really it still had that wet-paint smell to it. It looks so new I practically expected to find bits of it still wrapped in plastic. We feel kind of idiotic not having thought to check up on our key networks about what might have been going on here, but what were we supposed to do? The last time I was here it was a top-secret military facility, who would have thought it'd turn into a theme park?!

Anyway, Violet and I came up with a plan of attack with Kurt. That part of the tour, right at the end, when the children connect their keys to the Viendenbourg network - we decided to hook up at that point. Kurt didn't think he'd be able to find a way in through military security in the few minutes we'd have (and he was right - apparently just looking at the gateway practically made his eyes bleed) but he devised a little plan to retrieve some less-guarded files, the dumped corrupt files stored in temporary files on the system.

Which we now have. Most of it is garbage, just strings of meaningless characters, but Kurt said he thought this part looked significant. He thinks there are several files all mangled together and we hoped, well, we thought, that you might be able to help us untangle them? Kurt gave me the original file and the same one in hex too.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

A year on

Category: me, 05:12 PM

It's been a year, almost to the day, since I first came to Viendenbourg. Then, I was with my boyfriend and my friends and a strange man called Allain who knew more about the place than he ought to have done. But I didn't know how important that was yet. A year ago I was camping in these woods with my friends and we built the campfire high and told ghost stories and took pictures of each other posing in front of the splinterwood trees and the towering crowns of purple hawksblossom. A year ago I hadn't even put anyone I loved in danger, let alone, well. Let alone killed someone.

I haven't said any of this to Violet. I know she's noticed that I've been quiet. I haven't wanted to say much about anything much since Lancewood and I guess she knows why. But coming here, coming back here and remembering everything that happened last time I was here... if I were to tell her to go back she wouldn't listen, and if I were to explain to her what I'm thinking she couldn't help. But the hawksblossom's blooming again and I'm a little sad, and a little frightened.

We brought the car this time - can't bring it through the woods of course but we've taken it as far as we can and have set up camp in the forest. Kurt took us shopping for a whole new camouflaged tent, with smart-skin which blends into the surroundings. We're taking precautions. He's also rigged up the same bafflers Allain and I had last time, this time super-streamlined, extra-safe, highly-monitorable. Violet says she doesn't know when he gets time to sleep for doing all of this. I think maybe he didn't sleep at all this weekend, just got by on a bunch of Ceretin but I don't know if she knows that either.

I had a conversation with Kurt on Saturday night. Vi and I were at his apartment. She was asleep on the couch and Kurt had his soldering gun out, creating some kit for us.
He carried on working as we talked, in that careful meticulous way he does.
"So that was quite bad, what happened at Lancewood."
I nodded slowly.
I said: "It's difficult to talk about."
Kurt fiddled with a few more connections and pulled out a thin-beamed laser to fix a lattice-work of tiny wires in place.
"Yup," he said. "It's, um, it doesn't get much easier."
I nodded again.
"A bit easier," he said, still looking at his work, "these things are, you know. It's better if you can work out how to talk about them."
"Do you?"
"I've talked to Vi a bit about it. Sometimes. Look, um,"
"Yes?"
He frowned at his circuit board, retrieved a tool that looked like a tiny button-hook and used it to twist two minute screws in place.
"If you ever want to talk. About Lancewood, you know, and I guess. You can talk to me."

I don't know if Kurt's going to be the person I'll want to talk to about all of this, but I really appreciated the thought. Vi hasn't really known what to say so she's sort of ignoring the whole I-killed-someone part of our expedition and is concentrating on the we-have-to-get-to-the-bottom-of-it element. Which is fine. It's good to have a project.

So, we're back in the forest. We have our special anti-confusion-field gizmos. And tomorrow we're going back to Viendenbourg to find out what's going on. And in my pocket, I have Major Jake Maine's dogtags. Just to remind me why we're doing this.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Lancewood Logs

Category: me, 09:55 AM

Violet and I are still exploring Granier's laboratory here in the Lancewood Archipelago, but I thought it was a real disappointment - nothing interesting, no secret documents, no mummified corpses, nothing like that. We've just arrived back at Hobbs Island for another look and to try and get in the lift, which was locked. I just hope it doesn't just lead to more empty old rooms.

Oh, and in case you missed all the 'fun' that we had exploring Level 1, you can read the logs from yesterday afternoon of Violet, Kurt and me text chatting.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

So awesome!

Category: me, 04:10 PM

So I know Violet's told you this anyway, but just in case you haven't noticed her post yet... Her friend Kurt's produced this awesome interface for us to explore the lighthouse, and talk to each other and to him. If you want to look at it, go here. It's so exciting!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Hobbs Island

Category: me, 05:59 PM

Sailing is fun! Even if I do have to spend my time with grumpy-pants sister and her love life issues. It's still fun! We spent last night in the little seaport of Great Lancewood. It's a cute town, all the houses face down to the shore and there are even little 'heritage' fishing boats you can take out to explore the harbour with real oars and everything. I wanted Violet to come out on a boat with me, but she just grumped a bit more and said she had some "research" to do. I think she was on her key moaning to Kurt for two hours while I was out rowing my boat all the way round the bay, getting all salty from the sea spray.

This morning, we rented a proper boat though - a self-steering yacht with a little cabin and galley below and all the latest key-port gadgets. I can even play my music and watch my vids on the boat! That is, when Vi's not telling me to keep the noise down :-(.

The thirteenth island (which apparently has a name, Hobbs Island, which I think is kind of a shame, because it was cool calling it 'the thirteenth island') is marked on the maps as being "completely uninhabited" with no interesting features or heritage. Because we've been doing this for a while now, Vi and I just looked at that information, looked at each other and programmed the destination into our yacht's navigational systems. You know, maybe to find the Third Power you guys should just go to every place in the world which has "nothing interesting about it" and is "utterly deserted", because that's how these things seem to work.

It's been a perfect day for sailing. The sky is a light china blue and the wind is high and for a few miles a pod of dolphins was following the boat, rolling over and looking as if they were smiling. You're supposed to get special permission to land on Hobbs Island, because the sandbanks are dangerous but we managed to navigate it safely with the map Vi got from her bestest Recon friends. (She doesn't like it when I tease her about that either. She doesn't seem to like being teased at all these days.)

So now we're on Hobbs island. It's teeny, only about four miles across by maybe a six along, and very flat - no trees or anything. Vi's borrowed Kurt's clever tent and various other handy gadgets. Luckily, the tent automatically expands to accomodate more people, or we'd have to share a sleeping bag! I suppose we could sleep on the boat if we wanted but we thought we might find ourselves too far away while exploring so it seems sensible to have the tent.

We haven't had to look far to find something interesting, though. About a quarter of a mile inland we found a huge circular set of foundations. Just as if, as Violet said, there used to be a lighthouse here. And at the edge of the foundations there's a set of steps down into... well, at the moment it just looks like a bare concrete room, like a bunker or a storage cellar. But Vi's going to bring some of the proper scanning equipment Kurt gave her tomorrow and we're going to see what else might be down there.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Sea Journey

Category: me, 05:23 PM

We're going to the Lancewood Archipelago! Violet and I booked our tickets on a fast charter ship leaving from Portside Docks on Sunday. I've never been on a proper journey by sea before - actually, the only times I've been on a boat were around the Mobius Strip with friends - so it's going to be exciting

Dad didn't take much convincing, since he was very pleased with my report from college and agreed that if my trip to Tanraga was so useful, going on a research trip to Lancewood also made sense. "Travel broadens the mind," he nodded sagely. He was a bit surprised though when Violet agreed so quickly to going along as my chaperone, but it worked out well for us.

The Lancewood Archipelago, also known as the Isles of Gyvann because of its historic association with Cubeheads, is one of those places which people love making documentaries about. Our science teacher at school kept on showing us old programmes about the huge Tretretretre skeletons they dug up there. It was hard to believe that they were so big in the past and only just died out a few thousand years ago! I so would have loved to have seen them. There's a lot of other rare wildlife there, cut off from the rest of the world, and some interesting history to do with naval battles and pirates.

After meeting with Kurt, I went down to the Academy archives with Violet to look at the old travel records (we bumped into Von along the way, he seemed a bit flustered when I said Hi), and we found out that a bunch of Academy researchers had visited the islands in Granier's time, but mostly studying zoology and geology. Of course they could be lying, but we didn't find any that stuck out. There is a slight problem, in that the archipelago is notoriously difficult to navigate - the Cubeheads who used to live in a retreat there apparently have the most detailed information about the sandbanks and so on. Strangely, Violet seems to think she can persuade some Recons to help us - I expect she'll fill you in on that though.

So, we should be at the Archipelago on Monday afternoon. Some of the bigger islands are inhabited, and we have a hotel booked there. The exact island we want to go to doesn't have anyone living on it though, so we'll have to take a boat or something. I guess we'll figure that out when we get there.

Oh! I bet you'll want to know how we worked out that it's the Lancewood Archipelago Granier was talking about. I'm not completely sure myself, but Kurt showed me a map of 13 shapes on his office wall that had all sorts of lines and crossings-out. "They correspond exactly to the Lancewood islands, it's absolutely clear!" he said very confidently. I think he said that he'll be posting more about it on his blog. He said he'd love to come along with me and Violet to the islands, but there's no way Garnet would let him take any time off. Oh well...

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Squiggle-squiggle

Category: me, 02:20 PM

Well, as I suddenly have nothing at all better to do with my time, I've been staring at those funny lines on my key all day and pretending it's a legitimate assignment in Historic Logic Patterns or something :-) Good practice, really, and a much more memorable way to learn about it than reading some dull old tract on how "multiple perspectives and repeating patterns or themes were a hallmark of early-AC Perplexian puzzle design." Maybe I'm better off with this independent course of study after all!

So I'm going over what we know about the puzzle, and it seems to be directing us toward a specific place, so it would make sense that it's some sort of, well, map, right? A map to a place than Anthony Granier wanted his children to know about. I get the feeling from his letter that it isn't even a place in the city, to be honest, or else why would he have been away from his children at all?

I did get a good thought from Anji Petrizzo, who said it might be a skyline seen from a lighthouse in the picture. I think there has to be something to that, though I do have some qualms. The city was under very heavy construction at that time - Granier couldn't have known what roofs would be there even a few months after he died. So it must refer to something more permanent than the roofs of buildings. Also, there seem to be many traces - maybe it's views of permanent natural features taken from several different vantage points?

Monday, September 11, 2006

Loose ends

Category: me, 06:16 PM

The strangest thing just happened. The dean's office at Marmalejo College called me early this morning and set me up for an urgent counselling session this afternoon with a curriculum specialist. Now, I'd already had my classes all picked out and registration done, and I'd actually been expecting to attend my first classes today, so I'm sure you can just imagine the state I was in! I spent all morning feeling queasy worrying over whether my exams last week weren't as good as I had thought, and I might not be allowed to take the courses I'd picked!

So this afternoon at the appointed time I got to campus and was ushered into the office of one Jonathan Kamedin, a short, blonde man with a weedy little moustache and bristles of hair sticking out all over his head. He was very friendly, didn't act at all like I was about to have my courses pulled out from under me, so I started to relax a little bit. Once he had me settled, he just sort of sat there beaming at me for a minute, until I couldn't take it anymore.

"What is this all about?" I asked.
"Oh! Oh, oh, of course! It's about your placement exams."
My heart sank a little. "Were they so bad?"
"No, goodness, not at all!" He seemed genuinely startled. "In fact, the college is very impressed with your scores, very impressed indeed!"
I think I just sat there blinking at him for a moment.
"In fact, the college feels that, given the advances you made on your own over the past year, you are clearly the sort of student who excels in an independent study environment," he said. "You were traveling in Tanraga over the last semester, were you not?"
I nodded.
"Well, your placement exams came back so very high," he said, "We would very strongly like to encourage you to withdraw from your registered courseload and continue on this semester as you did last semester. it was clearly very beneficial to you, truly impressive!"
"Withdraw?" I asked.
"Well, of course you would need to take another round of placement exams mid-year," he said. "But the evidence shows us that your education would be vastly hindered by restricting you to regular classes. Freedom! That's clearly best for you!"
"So you don't want me in classes this term?"
"Clearly not!" he said. "I'll just go ahead and cancel your existing schedule right now, it's very obviously the best thing for you."
I nodded again, I mean what else could I possibly say? And that was pretty much that!
So... it looks like I have a lot more free time on my hands the coming term than I'd expected. I'm a little upset about it, actually, because I'd really been looking forward to having regular courses with my friends again, and getting back into something like my regular life. And now I have this gaping hole of free time to fill with some kind of independent study. Sometimes it feels like nothing is ever going to be normal ever again.

Friday, September 8, 2006

Curiouser and curiouser

Category: me, 06:35 PM

Violet's transcribed that letter into something readable. It's rather intriguing:

My dear children, Edward and Amaithe -

As I write this, my time draws near. I have passed too many hours away from you, indeed, and never conceived a manner in which to tell you of all I had seen and done. I am sorry for it. I love you and kiss you both. If your heart is in the matter and you wish to learn more of your father, there is a place which contains much knowledge. I cannot write its name, but this puzzle will lead you to it. I am confident you will find out its secret. Should you travel there at last, go safely and forgive me.

Your ever-loving,
Papa

Friday, September 8, 2006

Success!

Category: me, 03:59 PM

Cheers to you all! I'm so excited, I hurried over to that mosaic to try some more of your solves this morning while my aunt and uncle were breakfasting, and I got it OPEN! The whole panel on the wall just popped open and inside there was a small letter packet, there's just a piece of paper with some blocky lines on it plus a note I can't read. I hid it under my shirt and I'm going to run off and see if Violet can help me decipher the note later on. I think this looks like another puzzle, though, don't you?

Anyway, you must be wondering what the solve was - it turns out to be simpler than anyone had been thinking! I only needed to move two of the tiles to open it. The 2 o'clock tile went 90 degrees counter-clockwise, and the 6 o'clock tile rotated 180 degrees, and then pop! it just opened right up.

Both Brian Rater and Claire Melton sent me this answer, and looking at it, it makes sense, because the resultant pattern leaves only one mosaic tile of each colour on the innermost, outermost, left and right points of the tiles as you look at them from the center, and moreover the colours go through the same pattern.

Sorry it took me so long to get to this, though. I've been writing my placement exams, which have turned out to be much easier than I thought they'd be. This has turned into such a good week!

Monday, September 4, 2006

No luck yet

Category: me, 06:05 PM

A few of you have sent me things to try to see if I can get that mosaic to open a secret door or something. So far, no go... and what's more, I've discovered that of those six more prominent tiles, the top one and the lower one on the left side (I guess that's twelve o'clock and eight o'clock) won't budge even a little bit. :-(

I think you're all on the right track trying to make some sort of pattern, though, it's very much in keeping with the popular puzzle style of the time. I keep looking at it and thinking six squares and six colours, that has to be significant, doesn't it?

Anyway, thanks for helping me think about it so far, I'm sure with all of you hard at work we'll have it figured out in no time. :-)

Friday, September 1, 2006

Perhaps a puzzle

Category: me, 02:32 PM

Uncle Sanjean finally found a moment to give me the tour of the house this morning. As I suspected, he gave me an in-depth analysis of how Anthony Granier supervised the reconstruction of the city's sewer system, and the impact of his later novels on the burgeoning experimentation in the visual arts. But when I asked about how Granier took up seducing the daughters of his political rivals and then mentioning it up on the council floor, or how his second wife left him because she was jealous of his relationship with Vianne Adamek, my uncle just harrumphed and said he "couldn't possibly comment."

Anyway, there was one thing I saw that really piqued my curiosity. There's a funny bit of an alcove in the hall outside my aunt and uncle's bedroom. In there is a picture with a sort of mosaic frame, permanently fixed to the wall. My uncle showed it to me and said that it's a picture of the place where Granier retreated to write his last novel, Lay Sorrowe to Rest. If you look carefully, you can kind of see a very tiny seam running horizontally above and below it. Anyway, Uncle laughed when he saw me looking at it so closely and said my mother always thought there might be something there, too, when they were children, but they weren't allowed to touch the antiquities in the house for fear they'd damage something.

I crept back a bit later in the day and tried to find a way to open it, but none of the tiles seems to be buttons or anything like that. I did notice, though, that there are six more prominent squares of four tiles each - you'll see in the picture - and it's hard to get them to budge, but if you push very hard, they turn a bit. I didn't want to stand there in front of their bedroom fiddling with it all night, it would be rude. Sooo I'm just wondering if you'd take a look at it and see if you can come up with any good ideas on how it might work, and let me know. :) I really don't want them to find me standing outside their bedroom scratching at the door, though, so try to be sure you've got the right answer before you send me there!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Exploration

Category: me, 07:30 PM

Wow, you know, with you guys emailing me advice about what I should investigate, and me being away from home again, it's quite feeling like old times!

I'm still at my uncle and aunt's house, but my summer studies are coming to an end. I'll have some exams over the next couple of weeks, but I think all my work has actually paid off because I don't feel worried about them at all really. Well, all apart from biological sciences. But I think I'm going to ace Conflict History, if you know what I mean. ;-)

In my free moments from studying I've been, well, to be honest I've been seeing my friends because I just can't stay in this house all day every day like Uncle Sanjean and Aunty Annaliese want me to. But in my free time from that I've been looking round the house, like some of you asked me to. So far, I can't say I've found anything particularly interesting. There was one afternoon when, tapping on the panelling in the garden salon I found a "secret door." I was very excited for about five minutes while I worked out precisely which of the carved flowers was the handle. Imagine my disappointment when I opened it to find that it contained... cleaning supplies. That's the problem with old houses - everyone else has generally discovered all their secrets already. All the romance is gone!

Still, Uncle Sanjean's noticed my interest in the old house, and he's promised that he'll give me a proper tour very soon. He says he's going to tell me all about Anthony Granier. But knowing Uncle Sanjean, that'll mean a lot of information about the politico-sociological legacy of the man and his literary endeavours and not too much about the strange rumours and speculation we're interested in. I'll try to wheedle all I can out of him, and in the meantime I'll keep on looking for the secret passages and concealed rooms!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Unsulk

Category: me, 04:29 PM

Well, I've weathered a weekend with my aunt and uncle, and I have to say, it hasn't been as terrible as I'd thought it was going to be. I had a talk with my Aunt Annaliese about curfews and adulthood, and she intervened with my uncle just in time to save my Saturday night. Now I just have to call and let them know when I expect to be back so they don't fret and lie awake all night. Still tiresome, but at least liveable!

And! Even better! I managed to find out at least something about that blackout last week! :-) I went out with some friends to Cervantes, and Margot's brother's friend was there with us. His name is Emory, and he spent most of the evening trying to chat me up, and - wait for it - he works for the electrical authority! So of course I used my charm and feminine wiles to get some information out of him on the blackout. Violet isn't the only one who knows how to flirt, you know. Doesn't hurt that Emory is very tall and very, very clever. ;-)

Anyway, he told me this is all super-top-secret internal stuff, but it turns out that the reason it took them so long to get power up again is because most of the safety mechanisms that keep an "excessive draw" from taking out the city had been disabled somehow, and they had to go round resetting power stations and reconfiguring them manually. So whoever ran whatever massive piece of equipment it was that caused the blackout, well, Emory says they knew ahead of time it wouldn't run off the normal electrical grid and somehow cut out all of the system's failsafes intentionally!

I do wonder what exactly could need so much power. Of course I'm hearing that same "wormhole to Earth" business that everyone else read in the paper, but I'm not even sure what to think about it. I'd ask my dad, but I'm not sure he'd tell me straight, and anyway, I haven't even heard from him in days and days now.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Sulk

Category: me, 06:57 PM

Sigh. I hate being the youngest. Older siblings always go on about how much responsibility they have, and how they were always punished more because they were supposed to "know better". But, in my opinion this is more than covered by the fact that they get to do everything first! Moreover, they get to do it not only first, but earlier.

When Violet was my age, she was finishing up her degree, had already fipped off my father by refusing a place at the Academy and was making more money than Levenay playing cards most nights and was dating some skanky musician from the Old Town. And what do I get? At the first hint of trouble, like some 12-year-old kid, I get sent away.

My dad's shipped me off to stay with my aunt and uncle for a while. He said that with all of the trouble he's going to have for the next few weeks, he'd rather I stay out of the way as far as possible. Doesn't want midnight meetings disrupting my studies, and people will be tramping in and out at all hours, blah blah blah.

And Uncle Sanjean is even worse! He seems to feel I'm still 8 years old and doesn't want me coming home after 9 at night. I'm supposed to have dinner with them every evening, and have to clear it with them if I want to spend a night at a friend's house. Honestly! As if I hadn't been taking perfectly good care of myself in Tanraga all those months!

Soooo it looks like there isn't much for me to do but live with it. :-( My friend Iona says it might be better for me to be out of my dad's way for the next few days anyhow. She wouldn't say what she meant by it, though.

Thursday, August 3, 2006

Bad news

Category: me, 09:22 AM

I heard about Anna from Violet on Saturday morning, and it's really taken away my enthusiasm for, well, everything. I'm sure you understand. Anna has been a friend of the family for years and years. She was one of my dad's colleagues you could count on to speak to you like someone who has something to say, and not condescending or pompous like too many of the fellows are.

I know I'm not usually big on children, but I feel so terribly for Anna's... I remember what it's like to lose your mother when you're small. I keep having flashbacks to when it happened to us, just pictures, really. Violet finding me sitting on the steps and crying, and giving me hugs. Dad looking so tired, and bringing us to stay with Auntie Annaliese and Uncle Sanj for a few days so he could sort everything out. And them being so horribly fake and cheerful, as though we didn't know anything was wrong at all. I hope Fleming or whoever has the children right now knows not to pretend everything is all right, because it isn't.

I have some pictures to post from Comic-Con, and from the Wave 4 launch party in London. I think I likely won't get to it until after the memorial later today, though.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Please hold...

Category: me, 05:53 PM

A bit of annoying news - I'm having a few tech problems today, so I can't upload my Scarlett Code on Myspace. I know, I know...

I'll have something extra cool for you on Monday (as long as things are working again!) but in the meantime I thought you might like to know that Jonathan F was the quickest to get the answer last week (and wins Perplex City things) and Locard is the winner of the Nintendo DS bundle. :-)

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Wave Four

Category: me, 04:35 PM

Well, thanks to that leak to the Sentinel, you all knew about Wave 4 coming out sooner than anyone wanted. I think they'd had a big announcement planned for just the week before the release, to spring it on everybody as a nice surprise, and of course the Sentinel went and ruined it. Dad is in a state over it, stalking everywhere with a black cloud over his head. Vi and I have both been trying to stay out of his way.

Then again, Vi seems to be staying out of everyone's way lately, so far as I can tell. She hardly returns my calls and hurries me off when I do reach her. I've stopped by her apartment a few times, but she's never home lately. Though, don't tell her, but I did borrow her new strappy shoes anyway. Don't worry, I'll have them back before she notices anything :-)

Anyway. I got a bunch of questions in my mail from a few people, so I thought I'd try to answer some of them (too many to answer them all, though!)

Cassandra wanted to know if the photo album Margot got me was from my Tanraga hike with my friends. Yes, that's what it is :-) Photography isn't really in style here in Perplex City, but she has a way with a camera, and the pictures she captured are really inspiring.

You also asked about my friend Iona Rodie, and what she did before she was a reporter for the Sentinel! Iona is older than I am, of course, and she didn't go to the Academy at all. She went to Marmalejo College, like me, and she practically ran the school paper while she was there, so the Sentinel snapped her up the second she graduated because of all of her experience!

Then I have about a hundred questions from Ben :-) I can't answer them all just now, I need to get back to my studyies, but here are a few: If you're wondering what a key is, I've tried to explain that before... and there is no way for people to travel between Earth and Perplex City :-( Which is really too bad, I'd love to visit... but of course this is why we can't go and look for the Receda Cube ourselves! Oh, and yes, puzzle design is an actual career here. :-)

That's it for now! Do feel free to send in more questions, I'm sorry I've become so bad about answering them. :-(

Friday, July 7, 2006

Blogs and Birthdays

Category: me, 01:30 PM

So, it looks like a lot of you remembered my birthday and said something over at Myspace. (It's so strange, having two blogs to update!) Anyway, thank you so much, it really helped to lift my mood when I've been starting to feel a little down. :)

See, during my time spent in Tanraga with the animals and all, I missed rather a lot more school than I'd intended to. In the fall I'll get an opportunity to take some proof of competency exams, so hopefully I won't have so far to go to graduate, but I'm going to wind up studying rather a lot the next couple of months. I'm just making a game plan now for which proofs to take and how to prepare for them.

And it's about time for me to start working up my Academy entrance application, too, if I want to go. I know dad would be upset if he thought for a minute I weren't going to even apply, I saw how he was with Violet. And he still hasn't given up with her, either, so I know he'd quadruple his effort with me! Still, I want to be a serious journalist, and while an Academy program in psychology or sociology might help me a bit, I'm not sure how sensible it would be to take the time for it.

At any rate, for my birthday, I had a really lovely dinner with Violet and dad at Conundra, including the most wonderful warm gooey-centred chocolate cake you can even imagine. And dad gave us a weird gushy talk about how we're grown women now and hardly even need him anymore, and then he gave me an old-fashioned stationery set with an ink pot and a quill pen and everything. Violet said I could keep the jacket I borrowed from her last month, and then on top of that she gave me a magnificent puzzle necklace. Oh, and when I saw her earlier in the day, my friend Margot gave me a beautiful bound book she made of some of the best photos we took on our hike together.

Still, between my blogs and my studies, I've got a lot of work cut out for me this summer, so I guess I'd better stop complaining and get on with it. :-)

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Soooo sleeeeepy

Category: me, 03:39 PM

*Wave*. Hello all. I'm so glad to be back in the city! Spring is here, the blossom is on the lilac trees in the park and I am sleeping in my own bed which, let me tell you, is looking exceedingly good to me after months away at the animal sanctuary.

I wish I could tell you I've been having exciting adventures since I've been back, but, really, not so much. I've been sleeping about 10 hours a night; just so exhausted from travelling! I've been visiting old friends - my friends Margot and Sanj are dating now, which is so exciting! They're so perfect for each other, and I'm really happy for them. I've even been out with Brede a couple of times - his leg is all better since he broke it while we were on vacation - but we haven't been out out. He's seeing a dance student called Chloe who seems really sweet, but it's been great to hang out with him. He's the only one who hasn't been bugging me for photos of my time at the animal sanctuary. It's so hard to explain, but really I was too busy to take pictures of all the injured animals! My father keeps threatening to write to the sanctuary to ask if they have pictures he can put on the walls, but I keep telling him that would just be embarrassing.

So many things seem to have moved on while I've been away. Violet's boss at the library died, which is very sad. She's seemed kind of depressed lately, and I've tried to cheer her up but she doesn't seem to want to talk. Usually she talks to Kurt when she's sad but he was spending so much time with his girlfriend Miranda that I don't think they've seen a lot of each other.

And then, you probably heard a little while ago Kurt was injured in a gas explosion! I didn't see Miranda at the hospital when I went to take him some flowers and fruit but he said she was on a hiking trip or something. It seems a bit weird, though, for her not to come back when he was in such danger. Maybe he played it down when he spoke to her - he's always so stoic when it comes to things like that. In any case, he and Violet went off for a few days to rest in the country which I think did them both some good. When I spoke to Violet after she got back she said that Kurt seemed very focused on what he needed to do, and that he didn't need her support anymore, which sounds like he's making progress!

It's such a lovely day today, maybe I'll suggest she sneaks off a bit early from work and we can go for icecream in the park. Although, I think she said she was meeting Caine. I think there's something going on there but, with Violet, it's so hard to tell.

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

New York PCAG Tournament

Category: me, 05:50 PM

I've just gotten these pictures from Mind Candy - they're from the PCAG tournament in New York. How very exciting! Congratulations to Gabriel, the winner! (They tell me he's the one in the first photo being presented a trophy from Andrea at Mind Candy.)

It makes me a little sad to know I'm so out of the loop on what's happening with all of you and in the city, but I do think what I'm doing here is important. Just this morning I was feeding berries to an owl with a broken wing, and he looked at me with his giant, wise eyes, and I realised again how very rewarding this experience has been, even if I do miss home a bit from time to time.

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

PCAG on Earth!

Category: me, 08:00 PM

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been so quiet for such a long time. I've been SO busy here at the animal rescue centre that I've hardly had a moment to myself. Still, when I got a message from Mind Candy about some upcoming events on Earth I just had to post the link here so you could see it! Here it is.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Special Offer this weekend

Category: me, 11:28 AM

I just heard back from Mind Candy that Firebox will be running their special offer this weekend. That means from 0:01am Saturday 26th to 11:59pm Sunday 27th (GMT), they'll be sending out five packs per order instead of four packs. Please remember that the times I gave above are in London time, so if you live in another time zone, you should check that it's actually the weekend in London when you order!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Second Wave is Out

Category: me, 03:35 PM

Second wave cards are definitely on sale now. How exciting! :-) I just wanted to dash off a quick post to let you know Firebox isn't doing their special offer yet -- though it should be coming in the next few days. Keep on the lookout here!

Friday, November 18, 2005

Wave 2

Category: me, 07:07 PM

Good news! Mind Candy says that Wave 2 cards will be available for sale next week!

Mind Candy says they've mixed together some cards from Wave 1 along with the new ones, so that new players still have a shot at getting a whole collection. But they said that some of you probably mainly want Wave 2, as you have nearly all of the Wave 1 cards already!

So to reward all of you who have been with us from the beginning, they've decided to do a special offer from Firebox. They'll be sending out five packs per each order for four packs, which should mean you'll mostly get Wave 2 cards. It will only be in effect for 48 hours, and they're not sure yet when it'll start, but I'll let you know as soon as I hear -- keep checking back so you don't miss it!

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Harrods

Category: me, 04:00 PM

A piece of news from Mind Candy! Apparently Harrods, a big store in London which stocks Perplex City puzzle cards, is holding a "Trading Card Extravaganza" on Saturday 12 November. It sounds great fun, especially for children!

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

London Expo

Category: me, 06:42 PM

Hey! I haven't blogged for a long time - we've extended our trip in Tanraga for a while, because my boyfriend Brede unfortunately had an accident so we're waiting till he gets better. Don't worry, he's definitely healing well :).

The guys at Mind Candy have just sent me this great picture so I just had to say hello! It's of an event called the "London Expo", where Mind Candy had a stall. You can see an actor called Toby Stephens who played "Gustav Graves" in a "James Bond" movie holding some of our puzzle cards! How extremely exciting!

Friday, September 23, 2005

Cards competition

Category: me, 05:13 PM

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your email with such fun ideas for spreading puzzle cards around on Earth! The response has been so overwhelming, it was hard to pick among them. It's been so much fun reading these on my long train journeys. :-)

I've selected the best ideas and sent them on to the guys at Mind Candy. Parcels should be winging their way around the world to the winners in the next few days. Of course, if you get up to any adventures while distributing these I'd really love to hear about it - and given your crazy ideas, I'm sure there will be plenty of adventures to be had!

But remember that Mind Candy can only send packs to people who've sent me their address, so if you haven't done so yet, you'd better send your address over quickly!

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Cubefest report

Category: me, 07:13 PM

Sounds like the Cubefest was a great success! I had an email from "European Chris" to tell me all about it. He said: "The day was lovely and everyone else who is trying to find the cube are outstandingly nice people." Doesn't surprise me to hear that all the Cube-hunters are lovely people! The guys from Mind Candy also sent me over this great photo of Katie, who at 7 years old is our youngest Cube-seeker so far! Hi Katie!

Have to go now; we're about to set off on a quick wildlife-hike at dusk. So exciting :-).

Thursday, September 8, 2005

More cool stuff :-D

Category: me, 10:38 AM

Another cool piece of news from Mind Candy :-). They want to get more people from Earth involved in the search for the Cube (naturally!) so they have a clever idea - they're going to give away some cards to you guys who read my blog, so that you can put them in interesting locations where they might be found. You know, leave them on tables in cafes, on the train, in your school or library.... I'm sure you can come up with some better ideas than that! So, the people who email me with their addresses and the best ideas for where they're going to put the cards will receive a package, free, to distribute. Mind Candy will only send out a package to one person in each city, though, so you'd better be original! Looking forward to hearing your crazy, creative ideas! :-D

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Cubefest!

Category: me, 07:15 PM

I just had a message from the guys at Mind Candy that they'd like me to pass on. This week there is going to be the first ever Cubefest in London! It'll be at The Ha Ha Bar, Villiers Street, London on Saturday 10th September and starts at 2pm. Lots of the guys from Mind Candy are going to be there, there'll be a Mind Candy-sponsored buffet, and everyone's welcome! I think there's a website for the event on its way - I'll let you know when it's ready. Sounds like it's going to be a great time. Sigh, another party I can't go to....

Friday, September 2, 2005

Vacation time!

Category: me, 06:22 PM

Hey! Just want to let you all know that I'm off on vacation tonight! I'm going on a six-week train/hiking trip to the Tanraga mountain region with my friends Margot and Sanj and my boyfriend Brede :-D. It's supposed to be incredibly beautiful there - I'm just so looking forward to it!

Just before I go though, I promised my dad I'd let you all know about this puzzle. Apparently the people at Mind Candy wrote it so it's not too difficult - just a bit of fun :-).

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

A sad day

Category: me, 02:28 PM

The Sentinel had a service this morning to commemorate one of their reporters who died a little while ago - Pietro Salk. I didn't really know him; I met him a few times last time I was interning at the Sentinel, we had lunch together sometimes among a group of people. It was a really lovely service, held in the Sentinel building's atrium, where people just walked up to the microphone to share their memories of working with Pietro. I didn't have anything much to say - I just said a couple of words about how I remember that Pietro would make a point to pick up Julian Blooms for his wife on Fridays, when the ones he grew himself didn't meet his exacting standards. I always found that so sweet - I could tell just by the time he took choosing those flowers how in love he was with his wife.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Last night

Category: me, 03:30 PM

Hi. A few of you had emailed me to ask if I could look for something for you, in the Sentinel offices. And last night I did. And I didn't find what I expected. And... I don't think I can carry on blogging about this. I'll be sending an email soon.

Monday, August 8, 2005

Lunchtime

Category: me, 04:30 PM

Well, here I am back in the Sentinel offices! Taking a quick lunchbreak to update you on my day. Not that I've had much to do this morning, it's been a whole lot of saying hi to people, with them smiling and saying things like: "Great! An intern! I've been wanting someone to clean out that back store cupboard." Still, everyone's really friendly and it's great to be back on the newsfloor, hearing about all the stories before they hit the paper :-D. I just love the buzz you get from sitting in a newspaper office!

One sad thing is that I'm only sitting a few desks away from Pietro Salk's old desk. They've left it mostly as it was, although they've cleaned out his old files of course. It's so sad what happened to Pietro; I think they're planning a little Sentinel memorial service sometime soon which I'll go to. I didn't know him very well at all but I remember seeing him in the office last time I was here, and I know everyone at the Sentinel misses him very much.

Friday, August 5, 2005

Back to the Sentinel!

Category: me, 10:25 AM

OK, so... I know I said I'd never do this again, but... I'm going back to the Sentinel! Iona says they've been enjoying my pieces in The Column, so they've offered me another internship for a couple of weeks over the summer. I thought about saying no after those things that Michiko said to me, but I don't think I'll be seeing her that much anyway, and I had such a good time last year. And as I have time before the Tanraga trip, and I don't want to be hanging around the house... it just all makes sense! So, from Monday I'm back interning at the Sentinel - wish me luck!

Wednesday, August 3, 2005

My new article

Category: me, 06:00 PM

Things have slowed down a bit at the Column, what with the summer vacation, but we're still putting out the odd edition. Here's my latest report of a jaunt around the city - my trip to Mazy Wave Court!

Amazing Wave Court

We've all been there on school trips, we've all taken pictures of the ancient frescos and spent a happy hour or two lost in one of its mazes. We've all sat through yet another lecture on "Classical Maze Design and Implementation" and, perhaps, silently cursed Mazy Wave Court for ever having been built. But is there more to Council Leader Liern's mansion than an educational day out for children and source material for historians? In the summer heat, I decided to find out.

My first impressions weren't particularly inspiring. Catering to the school holidays, Mazy Wave Court provides a range of events and puzzle trails for children - useful for parents who want to amuse their children for a few hours, not so pleasant for adults who'd like to spend an afternoon away from the hordes of children who invade the park at this time of year. The mansion itself was practically a no-go area for adults. The house was filled with children searching for those historic elements to the building we've all found in our time - the carved mark of three, the statue of Madna with his jug, the six interlinked mazes in the faces of the hexagonal chamber. These historic features are certainly worth another look, but perhaps not when 45 children are taking pictures of them.

But wandering away from the house, I found the hidden treasure of Mazy Wave Court - its gardens. As a child I remember finding the intricately-patterned gardens rather dull, and this seemed to be the opinion held by most of the young visitors to the Court last week. The main mazes were heaving with children, but the outer gardens were calm oases of tranquility. The apothecary garden, dedicated to plants, shrubs and trees which were thought to have healing properties, was wonderfully restful, even offering a discreet stall selling fresh lemonade and various old-fashioned "remedies". I don't know whether it'll achieve its original aim of "cureing the skin of all inflammations and noxious dis-eases" but the strawberry cleansing cream I purchased was certainly soothing.

The furthest garden is a particular treat - it looks out onto Founders Lake, with a small jetty allowing visitors to take out rowboats or simply relax and admire the view. Though the building itself may be awash with children,
the gardens secure Mazy Wave Court a very favourable verdict.

Friday, July 29, 2005

Decisions, decisions

Category: me, 04:40 PM

So I received a Dalia Way gift certificate for my birthday - it's one of those ones which is interchangeable between lots of different stores in the same area. I went window-shopping today to decide what to spend it on... I think my mind is almost made up because I saw the most adorable little key charm in one of the boutiques - Floria. They always have the greatest stuff there, really original and cute. Anyway, they had this little charm in the shape of a bunchful of kites, like a bunch of flowers held together with a ribbon, and some of them bent over with the tail ribbons looking like leaves. I can't describe it, it was really cute. I guess a new pair of boots might be more practical, because Vi really wants hers back, but I expect she won't mind if I hold onto them for another couple of weeks....

Friday, July 15, 2005

Photos!

Category: me, 04:42 PM

A whole bunch of cool photos today! Firstly, here are some photos from PlayLounge in London, at which the first puzzle cards were sold. The man who bought the first one is called Reason. Hi!

And some photos from the Mind Candy press party on Wednesday night. It sounds like it was an amazing party - I wish I could have been there. As well as being full of interesting people, they had wall posters of some of the cards, and everyone was having fun solving them together. I'm so glad you guys understand that one of the most fun parts of puzzle-solving is the teamwork!

Anyway, Mind Candy held a competition where everyone had to collect and solve lots of puzzles to win a "Playstation Portable" - a sort of games-dedicated key. In the end, a girl called Jess won the contest - she's one of the original 333 people who received that gift parcel from my dad. I guess you really deserved that leitmark! :-) Sigh, now I really wish I'd been able to come to the party...

Jess is on the left in this photo, with the people who helped her get all the solutions - well done! And here's her leitmark!

The card she found toughest is here:

If you have any photos of Perplex City cards being sold at the eight other stores around the world, I'd love to see them!

Friday, July 8, 2005

A secret...

Category: me, 01:26 PM

OK, so I probably shouldn't post this, but who cares? I'm tired of the Sentinel writing their stupid articles criticising my dad. Particularly because I happen to know that the most recent one is completely wrong. Hah! Take that Michiko! So... I know, because my dad told me yesterday, and I don't even think it's that much of a secret, that a handful of the cards will be available today from one of the nine Cardinal stores. Apparently, Playlounge in London will have some for sale in store from 3.33pm today. So, wrong again, Sentinel!

I've asked the Mind Candy folk to try and send me a photo of the first person to buy a pack. Can't wait to see what happens!

Thursday, July 7, 2005

Alchemy's Magic

Category: me, 12:48 PM

As promised, my latest article, which will appear in The Column next week. Brede says he's had a great response from the previous article about Ascendancy Point. I've even had a thank-you letter from the Red Hot Bakery to thank me for the nice mention I gave them!

7 July 2005
9.54am
From: tor.moulden@ascendancypoint.com
To: scarlett@thescarlettkite.com
Subject: Making the point

Dear Scarlett,

One of my staff here at the Red Hot Bakery has just drawn my attention to your mention of us in your recent article in The Column. I'd like to thank you for your kind words, and also invite you back, the next time you come to the point; we're putting together a whole new selection of baked goods and we'd love you to be one of the first to try them.

All the best,
Tor

Isn't that lovely! And mmm.... free baked goods.... Anyway, here's next week's offering:

Alchemy's Magic
by Scarlett Kiteway
Those of us who have lived in Perplex City all our lives might feel that we know Alchemy Bay like the backs of our hands after years of family weekends and school outings. Can it really have anything new to offer? The answer, after my recent trip to the Bay, is a resounding yes. Alchemy Bay has spruced itself up and is now the ideal day-trip for the city-dweller longing to swap the roar of traffic for the gentler sound of the waves.

Along with a group of friends, I took a picnic to Alchemy Bay one weekend day. Remembering our childhoods, we'd been expecting a few tired beachfront shops selling icecream and overpriced buckets and spades. But no longer - we needn't have bothered with the picnic at all, given the number of excellent shops and restaurants along the front, selling everything from "catch of the day" cooked to order to selections of fruit brought in fresh from local farms. One deli - The Alchemy Bay Provisions Company - even specialises in pre-packed picnic baskets with all the essentials for a great day out, including sachets of suntan lotion!

But if you're watching your Lecks, bring along a picnic and just enjoy some of the free entertainment on offer along the beach. The magnificent views speak for themselves, and after more than 25 years of city council funding to keep the beach clean, it positively sparkles. The water is clear and perfect for snorkelling in the shallows. Along with this the Alchemy Bay Society sponsors a series of events and performances by local artists on the beach. The day I visited, I was able to take in a puppet show - The Children in the Forest - and listen to guitar music by a local trio. Other events have included an artist's competition, open-air concerts and beach games, including volleyball, for children and adults.

And if you get tired of all that fresh air, or get caught in unseasonable rain, why not head along to the Naval Office's Maritime Museum? You can spend time in its galleries learning about the history of sailing and shipbuilding, or just relax on one of the armchairs in the long Viewing Gallery which looks out to sea.

Varain Bay, further up the coast, may offer better waves for surfers and Cedar Beach greater opportunity for celebrity-spotting, but for an enjoyable, accessible day out you can't beat Alchemy Bay.

Tuesday, July 5, 2005

My birthday!

Category: me, 06:01 PM

OK, first of all, thank you so much to all the lovely people who sent me birthday wishes and birthday cards! :-D It was so great to get them all and I'm sorry I can't respond to them individually.

For those who're interested, I eventually decided to have a birthday picnic on the beach at Alchemy Bay - I think that was the suggestion of a guy called Seej, so thank you for that! In fact, I liked it so much that I've decided to write my piece for next week about it! I'll post it up here when it's done. I also wanted to say thank you for all the sweet emails I had about my Ascendancy Point article! A couple of people have asked if I'll take requests - the answer is... ummm... well... I'll take *suggestions*, how about that? I have to run the ideas past Brede, so the final decision is his. :-)

Anyway, the picnic at Alchemy Bay was wonderful - the weather was a bit windy (some actual sand in the sandwiches) but clear and bright. The guys from the Column came, and so did Violet, Kurt, and some other friends from Marmalejo. Iona brought a cake from an exclusive boutique bakery on Dalia Way - with little red kites in icing sugar decorating the edges! My goodness, I'm twenty.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

An article of mine

Category: me, 11:02 AM

OK, so some of you guys asked a while ago if I could post up some of my articles from The Column here. To be honest, I didn't want to because I didn't think they were really good enough yet.... At least, not to share with people from another world!

But, Brede's just given me a new assignment (I think he's still impressed that I've been interviewed on the radio :-)) and I'm really quite proud of what I've done so far, so I thought I'd let you see! It's going to be a regular short article on Perplex City Places, reminding the readers about all the cool stuff there is to do right here in the city, which is so easy to forget when you live somewhere, you know? Everyone's all about "rural charms" and "small town life" but this city's amazing! So, here goes, my first effort, to be published next week so you get a sneak preview:

Making the point
by Scarlett Kiteway

Ascendancy Point might just seem like another landmark on the horizon to many Perplex City residents. With its reputation for high-price accommodation and chic, exclusive boutiques, many people feel that it's not just the tallest building in the city, it's completely out of reach. But Ascendancy Point has a huge amount to offer the budget-conscious Perplexian; even as a student, I was able to find plenty to do and enjoy.

I started my day in the Arboretum, where the friendly staff were glad to explain their work and introduce me to some of the more exotic specimens, including various carnivorous plants which must be hand-fed. From there, I took the elevator up to the 160th floor - the apartments in the 160s are in the most expensive price bracket, and the other floors are only accessible to those who live there. But on the 160th floor is the Point's show-apartment - for those who have Lecks to burn, or just want to see the high life. The five-bedroom apartment stretches across three floors, with an open-air terrace and garden protected by high-tech buffering devices which turn the powerful winds into a gentle breeze.

The Point's famous restaurants can certainly be pricey but the Red Hot bakery offers an affordable lunch - filled rolls for only 20 Lecks. I ate mine in the waterfall-atrium on the 40th floor, along with dozens of other Point-residents. The atrium stretches five floors up; its stark architecture may not be to everyone's taste, but I found the arrangement of black and white pebbles and granite blocks to be surprisingly relaxing. The atrium is also home to a selection of black-and-white themed games - Chess, Chequers and Go, so it's the ideal place to people-watch, and perhaps even get talking to some of the players.

After lunch, I decided to take in a movie on one of the big screens on floor 78 - the screens show a variety of classics, rather than modern movies. I plumped for the '59 version of "Absalom and Tavent" with the classic cast including screen-idol Isiah Wright. It was certainly an improvement on the recent disappointing theatre performance of the play. Entry to the screens is absolutely free during the day, as are many other attractions in the Point. In fact, there was so much to do that I ran out of time before I ran out of choice - watch this space for further suggestions of days out in Ascendancy Point!

So... what do you think? Is it OK?

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Old Town History Day

Category: me, 09:15 PM

Blech. Went to a history day in the Old Town yesterday. I usually
love walking round the old town, and I thought it'd be really cool to go and look at all those people dressed up in old-fashioned costumes! Some of the costumes were great - old cloaks and hoods, wooden shoes, the three-barred walking sticks that you see in the old pictures, that sort of thing. But everyone was just getting so drunk on all the free beer it was really kind of gross. Literally, I saw a couple of people vomit in the street. I don't know why anyone would want to drink so much that they make themselves sick - it can't be fun, can it? It really doesn't look like fun. The streets had got so dirty with litter as well - dropped wrappers and leaflets and goodness knows what. I guess it's probably true what they say that the Old Town doesn't get the attention that the rest of the city does. It's such a shame because the buildings are really beautiful.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Happy solstice day!

Category: me, 06:21 PM

Hey, it's solstice day - happy holidays! Went to the balloon-release this morning which was really magnificent, seeing all those white balloons drifting off into the sky which is so incredibly blue this morning. Just, wow. And now there are all sorts of events at the Academy, so I'll head along there. This time of year always reminds me of being a kid again, getting dressed up in costume for a party, taking part in the cube hunt. I've still got a few of those little cubes in a bowl on my bookshelf; they're so pretty, decorated in different colours.

Reminds me of how one year, when I was about 7, so Vi must have been about 13 - we decided to hint to some of the other kids that there was a whole bunch of cubes hidden in my dad's office. When he came back, he found these kids all over his office, turning out his drawers, looking under his furniture! Violet got into a lot of trouble about that and I didn't at all, I guess because I was younger. I felt guilty, but not very guilty ;-).

Monday, June 13, 2005

School's out!

Category: me, 11:15 AM

Not quite, but soon... and soon it's going to be my birthday too! Trying to decide what to do. Half the people from the Column are all off doing the Solstice Gambol right now - I've done it before, it's really good fun, but this year I had classes. Still, I'm planning to take a car out to the camp tonight to see them: Margot, Brede, Sanj and Zaisa will all be there - I'm sad I can't walk with them :-(. Still, we'll be able to talk about what we'll do for my birthday - all suggestions gratefully received!

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Summer's here!

Category: me, 02:28 PM

It's a lovely sunny day today in Perplex City - the sky is so blue, with little fluffy white clouds, just like a child's drawing. Had a free morning, so went for a stroll in the Park, where they're already putting up the seating for the PCAG matches and the concerts later in the month - so exciting! There are tiny wild strawberries growing in the bushes to the north of the Hausam theatre - they looked so pretty I didn't pick any, just looked at them. And... couldn't help thinking how nice it'd be to have someone to share the walk with. Actually, I have kind of a crush on someone, but I don't think he's noticed. Not sure he knows I even exist...

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Shhhh...

Category: me, 02:13 PM

Probably shouldn't say this, but everything's going a bit mad in my house right now. There seem to be people calling all hours, and my dad's really stressed out, so I'm hiding in my bedroom most of the time and sneaking down to make toast when they've all gone! Sigh. This is not going to make me a top reporter... On the other hand, it means I'm getting way more studying done than usual. Term paper on Classical Riddles is almost finished. Yay!

Still, it's a bit tiring living here right now. I just don't want to upset my dad by asking him questions when he's so exhausted. I guess you've all seen the leak at the Sentinel; I know there's something planned for Friday but, before you ask, I don't know what it is and if I did I probably couldn't tell you! I'm sure you'll love it. :-)

Hmmm... time for toast, I think....

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

I give in!

Category: me, 04:49 PM

So, I've received a huge pile of emails (can you have a pile of emails? A flurry, maybe? ;-)) asking about keys. This is another one of those questions that's tough to answer... to find parallels that'll make sense to you. I'm talking to a couple of people at the Academy, Von and my sister's friend Kurt, and they're going to come up with some useful analogies for me. Watch this space!

Meanwhile... Another ambigram has arrived! This one's just for me and my blog :-). A guy called Bruce has sent it over and I love it. Thank you!

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Ambigram

Category: me, 04:33 PM

So many emails, so little time! A guy called Brett has sent me this great ambigram of "Perplex City". Turn your head upside down (or, you know, turn the paper upside down, whichever works better for you...) and it looks the same! Very cool.

Oh and I wanted to say hi to Jemima, who's been emailing me even though she's not well. I'm sorry, Jemima - I hope you feel better soon. And, to answer your question, yes we get sick too. Some awful flu went round everyone I knew last winter; we all felt pretty low for ages. So, loads of sympathy to you!