Tess’s house

Tess's house
First appearance	Left Behind, page 1 October 20, 2006
Related characters	Tess, Mike, Lucy, Paulo, Daisy, Abbey, Sue, Amaya, Stacy, Katie, Rachel, Jessica, Jasmine

Within walking distance of Mike and Lucy’s neighborhood, Tess’s lavish house is where the gang heads for festive gatherings.

Appearance

Tess’s house is lavishly opulent, and its grand exterior leaves visitors awestruck the moment they see it.

• Exterior: The front of the house has two decorative pillars and several large windows that offer a glimpse of the fancy chandelier hanging in the entryway.
• Interior: Inside, the gang uses a sizable gathering hall with large windows and fancy supporting pillars for parties. An outdoor patio area gives them room for a breath of fresh air or a private chat. The floors are adorned with checkerboard tiles.
• Sitting Room: Though only partially revealed in the series, the home includes a sitting room (complete with a beanbag chair Mike once occupied) and hallways that offer quiet corners for private conversations away from the main festivities.

Key events

• Mike’s Chilly Visit: In Left Behind, Tess brings a shivering Mike over to warm up and hear about Lucy’s backstory. Though we don’t get to see much of the house beyond a beanbag chair, this marks Mike’s first visit to Tess’s place – a fact he forgets by the time the Christmas party rolls around!
• Christmas Party Shenanigans: Feline Festivities sees the house transformed into a festive wonderland for Tess’s Christmas party. As Mike, Lucy, and the pets arrive, they can’t help but gawk at the house’s grandeur before Tess ushers them inside.
• Abbey’s Christmas Experience: During another Christmas celebration at the house in Confrontation, Paulo and Jasmine’s playful snowball ambush of Abbey outside contrasts with the more serious interactions inside, including Abbey sharing his sister’s gift-making tradition with Daisy and Janet arriving to take Abbey to visit his mother’s final resting place. Daisy also discovers Mike’s plans to visit Sandy, revealing her lingering grudge about being overlooked.
• New Year’s Eve Heart-to-Hearts: As the gang gathers at the house to ring in the new year in Ten Seconds to Midnight, Tess and Paulo discuss his love life woes. Paulo and Jazz also have a private heart-to-heart in the hallway, mutually agreeing to end their relationship. As the countdown to midnight begins, a bittersweet Paulo can’t help but wish Lucy was there to join in the festivities.

Trivia & observations

• The house was designed by Lily (the creator of the Tess character) using Microsoft Paint at the request of Veronica.
• Despite its significance as a gathering hub, Tess’ house appears in only three chapters throughout the series, always in connection with winter holiday celebrations.