Box Set #3: The Serenity Deception: [The 4 book 3rd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  “What’s wrong with gals? It’s a perfectly good word.”

  “Oh, Father . . . you are so prehistoric.”

  *****

  Grammy

  Egg had Ashley drop her off at her grandmother’s house very early the next day. It was Sunday and her parents were already out and about doing what they loved to do – antiquing.

  But it had been a struggle . . . sleep was a beautiful thing and not something the older girl was ready to give up. “Go away,” came a pillow-muffled voice.

  “Ashley, I need to see how Grammy is. She might need help.”

  “Just fly over there.”

  “WHAT?”

  “You’re always talking about flying . . . so just do it. I won’t tell anybody.” A moment later, she added, “Give Gram a hug for me.”

  “Ashley, come on. Grammy’s sick.”

  “Oh drat. Yeah. Okay, you’re right. Give me a minute.”

  Half an hour later, they pulled into the older Eloise’s driveway. Egg opened her door, as did her sister. “Ash, you don’t have to stay.”

  “How will you get home?”

  “Fly of course.”

  “Right. I almost forgot. Well, I should at least come in and see how she's doing.”

  “She’s probably still asleep. I didn’t want to call and wake her. I’ll just slip inside and make her breakfast. The smell of coffee will open her eyes in no time. So, go. I’ll give her a hug for you.”

  The older girl smiled. “You know, for a little runt, you’re turning out to be a pretty good kid. There’s hope for you yet.”

  “Did you know on some worlds, I’m considered a hero and a role model?”

  “Really. I’ll give you one thing . . . you have the most vivid and bizarre imagination of any teenager I know.”

  Egg gave her sister a sly smile. “What happens if it’s not my imagination?”

  “Then the next time you go to one of those other worlds, you’ll have to take me. Always wanted to meet a dragon or sea serpent.”

  The younger girl got out of the car then leaned in through the window. “I know just the pair. Bl’azzz is a vegetarian F’yre Dragon that’s always burping and burning. And her best friend is Soo . . . a wisecracking sea serpent. You’ll love them.”

  “What, no princesses?”

  “You already met one.” She was referring to Meggy whom she met on the girl’s first visit to Earth. No one knew who she really was, of course.

  “Enough of this jibber-jabber. I’ve got things to do.”

  “Thanks for driving me.”

  “Hey, nothing is free. I’m going to hold you to your promise to take me to one of those far away planets. Don’t forget.”

  “I won’t.”

  *****

  “Oh, my. I thought it was just a wonderful dream. That coffee smells divine.”

  “Morning, Grammy,” and Egg went over and gave the woman a big hug. “How are you feeling?”

  “Not too bad. I’m terribly sorry to have missed your very important celebration.”

  “You had to be really sick not to go. So what’s wrong? Have you seen a doctor?”

  “Sweetheart, I can tell you one thing with great certainty.”

  “And that is?”

  “If you don’t pour me a cup of coffee right this instant, I will go weak in the knees and fall down most ungracefully.”

  Egg smiled. “Sassi and Sylvia said that’s what you did when the Mo’beye zapped you with that energy thingy.”

  “Oh goodness . . . I haven’t thought about that in years.” She went quiet as her mind replayed the events on that long ago day on Aerianna. “How quickly time goes by, my darling.”

  That comment only served to remind Egg that her grandmother was getting on in age. “Grammy, sit down while I bring you the coffee.” As she walked over to the cupboard to get a mug, she asked, “So what’s wrong with you?”

  “The doctor said it was an inner ear infection. It’s not serious but, unfortunately, it makes you very dizzy. He told me to spend the next few days resting and to take some antibiotics . . . and then I’ll be as good as new.” Egg placed the steaming beverage on the table. “Thank you, dear,” and the older Eloise took a long, slow sip. “That’s wonderful.”

  “Why aren’t you in bed then? Would you like me to fly you upstairs?” teased the younger Eloise.

  “Ha. You don’t have the power of the bracelet or ring anymore. Not even Flying Girl could lift this womanly figure.”

  “Silly, you still look like a twenty-something year old girl.”

  Grammy laughed at that ridiculous – though incredibly kind – remark. “Don’t I wish.” Then she asked, “How did you get here? Fly?”

  “No. Ashley drove me.”

  “I can’t believe she’ll start college in the fall. I’m so very proud of her for getting into U.C. Berkeley. That’s a wonderful school.”

  “Yeah, but it’s in California.”

  “Berkeley is just across the bay from San Francisco . . . probably the prettiest city in the country.”

  “I know. I took Ashley there, remember?”

  “Of course you did. That was the first and only time she met Flying Girl.”

  “But she forgot . . . like everyone else.” It was the magic of the suit, of course.

  “Are you going to miss her?”

  “Grammy, most kids I know don’t get along with their brothers or sisters. But Ashley and I always did. It’ll be lonely when she’s gone.”

  “Well, you two will have the summer to spend some quality time together before she leaves.”

  “I’m not sure she’ll want to spend much of it with me. She and her doofus boyfriend are a loving couple again. Barf.”

  “Really. His name was Brad, wasn’t it?”

  “Still is.”

  That remark caused Grammy to laugh. “Well, you just need to make her an offer she can’t refuse.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’ve given this a lot of thought, dear one. I think you should share your secret with someone else. If I get sick or am unable to move around, I might not be able to provide a cover story for you when you need to go off on one of your quests.”

  “Grammy, please don’t talk like that.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m getting older, as are you. It’s just a fact of life. So, let’s plan for the inevitable future that, sooner or later, will be upon us.”

  “Only if you promise it’ll be later.”

  “Can’t promise . . . but I’ll give it my best shot. Anyway, I think that someone should be your sister.”

  “You want me to tell her I’m Flying Girl?”

  “More than that. Take her to Aerianna to meet your friends.”

  Egg smiled. “Maybe I’ve said this before . . . but it’s like we share one brain in two bodies.”

  “You’ve thought about telling her?”

  “Actually I already have. Syl and I swore never to talk about Flying Girl or the Hameggattic Sisters to anyone. Then we realized it didn’t make any difference – no one would believe us. So, we bring it up all the time. In fact, just after Ashley dropped me off, I told her that on some worlds I’m considered a hero and that she’d really enjoy meeting Bl’azzz and Soo.”

  “Did you now? And how did she respond?”

  “She laughed but said that if I go back I should take her.”

  “Then I think it’s settled.”

  Egg smiled again. “On one condition”

  Grammy returned the smile. “Of course I’ll go with you. Besides, I need to be the one to tell her why you are Flying Girl. . . and she is not.”

  “Oh my gosh. You’re right. Think she’ll be mad?”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  *****

  An hour or so later, with her grandmother safely tucked in bed, Egg flew to Sylvia’s house. She landed away from prying eyes and knocked on the door.

  “Hello, Egg,” greeted Mrs. Hampton.

  “Hi, Mrs. H. Is that ridic
ulously smart daughter of yours up and about?” It was still late morning and Sylvia was famously known to wake well after noon.

  “Apparently her brain requires more sleep than the rest of us mere mortals. You have my permission to go up and rouse her anyway you can.”

  “I love a good challenge. Here goes,” and the girl bounded up the steps, down a hallway to her best friend’s bedroom door. She didn’t knock – she just opened it as quietly as she could, slipped inside, closed the door then ‘flew’ onto the bed. Unfortunately, she misjudged her leap, hit the far edge of the mattress, and bounced off. She landed on the carpet with a respectfully loud thud.

  “OUCH.”

  From the depths of her sleep, Sylvia cried, “No, no, no, Mobius. It wasn’t me, it was Egg.”

  “Nice,” was Egg’s sarcastic response. She got up, brushed herself off, went to the bathroom and returned with a quarter of a glass filled with water. “Mobius, it was Egg,” she mimicked then poured the liquid on her friend’s head.

  Nothing happened. How strange and not a little disappointing.

  Egg leaned over to see if her friend was still asleep. Bad move. Sylvia’s arms shot out, grabbed the other girl and tossed her over the bed.

  Another respectfully loud thud preceded her “OUCH.”

  “Serves you right. Why did you pour water on me?”

  “’Cause you told Mobius I did it.”

  “What?”

  Egg explained it to her.

  “Oh. Sorry,” came the sheepish reply.

  “I forgive you. Besides we have more important things to discuss.”

  Sylvia yawned then looked at her alarm clock. “It’s not even noon.”

  “Remember what happened to me when I wasted time.”

  “Yeah. Reven gave you a time out. Oh, alright. Talk . . . but I’m not getting out of my pajamas.”

  “As your best friend, I just have to tell you that they’re really ugly.”

  “My pj’s?”

  “Yeah. They have little ducks on them.”

  “I like ducks.”

  “Oh my gosh . . . you’re a teenager. Teenagers don’t like ducks.”

  “That’s not true. I do.”

  “You’re giving me a headache.”

  “Eloise Graystone . . . you’ve got ten seconds to tell me why you woke me up or I’m going back to sleep. And you better not say pajamas.”

  “Grumpy.”

  “EGG!”

  “Alright already. We need to talk about Ashley and boys.”

  Chapter 2 – Truth and Dare

  “We always talk about boys.”

  “Then I’ll start with Ashley.”

  “Is it because she’s going away to college?”

  “Not exactly. Grammy thinks I should tell her about Flying Girl and the Sisters.”

  “Really? Why?”

  Egg frowned at the memory of that conversation. “She says she’s getting older and there might come a time when she can’t cover for us if we have to go off and save some world.”

  Sylvia was Egg’s best friend for a reason. She leaned forward and hugged the other girl. “That won’t happen for years and years.” Egg felt her eyes begin to tear up. “And like always, Grammy’s suggestion is perfect.”

  “You think so?”

  “Of course. Now that Ashley’s going away to college, you and I can go visit her whenever we need to leave for Aerianna or wherever. But she’s only the backup – you know, plan B – if Grammy’s ever feeling . . . um . . . under the weather. I bet we never have to use her.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I mean it. Nothing’s going to happen to her for a long, long time.”

  “I know.”

  “So how will you break this to Ashley? Just promise me that I get to be there.”

  “Actually you can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Grammy first has to explain to Ash why she picked me to be Flying Girl and not her.”

  “Ohhhhh. That could get a little ugly.”

  “What happens if Ashley holds it against me? You know that I took away her chance to be Flying Girl . . . I would be devastated if that came between us.”

  “Well, I’m guessing that Grammy’s smart enough to figure out how to do this without hurting your sister’s feelings.”

  “Hope so.”

  “Then after you tell her, are you taking her to Aerianna to meet everyone?”

  “Grammy and I are.”

  “What about me?”

  “You’ll already be there to greet us.”

  “I will? Why?”

  “For giggles.”

  “I like it. So . . . let’s move on to your favorite topic. Boys.”

  “Zeke is boring.’

  “Don’t sugar coat it . . . tell me how you really feel.”

  “Zeke is boring.”

  “This is the same guy you took to the Crystal Mountain, the guy who helped you rescue Dazzle’s body, the guy who rode with you on the back of Storm. That boring Zeke?”

  Egg put her head in her hands. “I guess it’s not him . . . it’s me. I’m bored.”

  “Egg-o, you can’t be off roaming the galaxy fighting bad guys all the time.”

  “Why not?”

  “Let’s see . . . you’re thirteen, you haven’t even finished high school, your family is here on earth and you would have to do it without me.”

  “You wouldn’t go with me?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “'Cause I’m thirteen, I haven’t finished high school, my family is on earth and I want to go to college.”

  “Syl, how do you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Be a kid on earth and hero out on other worlds. Here you have to face the mind-numbing horror of Angela and Presley; out there, you get to pal around with amazing sisters from three other worlds and face incredible dangers and do amazingly good things. All I can think about is our next adventure.”

  “Egg, we always have this conversation. Heck, last time it took us two years to go back for a visit. So . . . let’s make a pact that we’ll go back at least once every month or two. That should keep you from going stir-crazy.”

  “Oh, alright. I guess that’ll have to do. But you have to promise me we’ll spend most of the summer on Aerianna.”

  “If Grammy can cover for us, I’m in.”

  “Terrific.”

  “I do have one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Tell me you like my ducks.”

  *****

  The following weekend at Grammy’s Farm

  “Hi, Gram. How are you feeling?”

  “Perfectly fine now, thank you. And thank you for coming to spend the day with your grandmother. The three of us haven’t spent time together like this in forever.”

  “It’s an honor and a privilege to be included in your little secret society,” teased Ashley. That caused Egg to giggle. “Did I say something funny?”

  “More ironic than funny,” replied the older Eloise.

  “I’m getting the feeling there’s a conspiracy afoot . . . and I’m to be the victim.”

  “Well phrased and well deduced,” responded Grammy.

  “Okay . . . what’s going on with you two?”

  “All in due course. First, congratulations again on your acceptance by UC Berkeley. Have you decided what subject you will major in?”

  “Thank you and economics.”

  “Egg dear, did you know that Ashley’s new school is ranked in the top ten in economics . . . in the world?”

  “Really. That’s pretty impressive.”

  “Au contraire . . . it is very impressive. What’s equally as impressive is that they only accept the brightest students. Your dear sister has proven herself to be very, very intelligent.”

  Now this might seem like an unusual conversation, but Grammy had called Egg the day before and told her to ‘play along’ no matter how boring things became. She knew her gran
ddaughter all too well.

  “Yeah, Ash is definitely the brains of the family.”

  “Gram . . . where are you going with this?” Ashley was becoming even more suspicious.

  “I just wish to point out that Egg and you share many wonderful qualities . . . but are very different in others. She, for instance, does not have the intellect that you have but does have what you young people call streets smarts.”

  Egg’s “True dat” caused her sister to bark out a laugh.

  “She’s also impulsive, a born leader and incredibly lucky . . . to mention a few of her more endearing attributes.” Grammy raised her hand to stop Egg from standing and taking a bow. “You, Ashley, are the thinker. You do not overreact to a problem. You take the time to analyze it, gather the facts and weigh the possible solutions. Would you agree?”

  “Nailed it. I’m the thinker and little Sis is the doer.”

  “You were always that way . . . from a very early age. That is why I chose Egg and not you.”

  Ashley’s face scrunched in confusion while Egg held her breath. The moment of truth was upon them.

  “Gram, what are you talking about? Chose Egg for what?”

  “To be Flying Girl.”

  There were a number of different reactions you might expect . . . but Ashley’s was probably not among them. The girl stood up and walked over to the big, comfy couch that her grandmother was sitting in. She sat down and put her arm around her. “Grammy E . . . you’ve been under the weather for almost a week. The medication the doctor gave you probably has some side effects. Egg and I are going to drive you to the emergency room so they can have a look at you. We’ll be with you the whole time, won’t we Egg?” She looked at her younger sister – concern and alarm plainly etched on her face.

  Egg stood up as if she was about to join the other two on the couch. Then she started to giggle. In a matter of seconds, she was rolling on the carpet, laughing so hard that her face was turning a very deep shade of red.

  “EGG,” screamed an outraged Ashley.

  “She does tend to show her emotions,” said Grammy. Turning to Ashley, she continued, “Love, it’s not the medication, I can assure you. Now, please return to your seat . . . that goes for you too, little Eloise.”

  “Sorry, Grammy. Sorry, Ashley.”

  “Enough of this foolishness, you two. What is going on?”