Egg’s face lit up. Now this was a topic of conversation that could distract her from her doubts. “I think that would be wonderful. The others don’t see themselves as crime fighters except when it involves one of our own. But I think fighting evil wherever it shows up would be an epic way to spend your life.”
“Epic?”
“It’s a perfectly good word. Trust me.”
They both giggled and whatever tension Egg had been feeling began to fade away.
“Sera’Fina, have you ever done this race before?”
“Last year. That’s when I decided you needed a strategy to win.”
“Which is what?”
“Here’s where I have a problem. If I tell you and you don’t help, then you’ll know how to beat me.”
“Why wouldn’t I help you?”
“Cause I’m not a Hameggattic Sister. Two of yours will be racing against me. It will probably come down to you choosing between them or me.”
Egg went quiet as she considered the problem. “No it won’t. This isn’t a life or death struggle . . . it’s just a silly race. No one gets hurt, except maybe their pride. Those two are out to beat me so turnabout is fair play, don’t you think?”
“Well, I’m being selfish, but – yup, you’re absolutely right. It’s just a game.”
“Then it’s settled. Tell me your strategy.”
“Later. First, let’s finish your lessons by practicing a series of maneuvers that you’ll need during the race. Ready?”
Chapter 9 – Up in the Air
Serenity’s Ship
“Isn’t that a problem for you?” asked Sylvia.
“Why is that a problem? It’s actually a vindication of my theory.”
“Nonsense. Egg is playing a game. She always plays to win . . . even if it’s against one of us. That’s not betrayal. It’s not even being selfish. It’s why you play. If it was a team competition and she was doing something for herself without regard for the others, then you might have a point. But that’s not what’s happening. In fact, just the opposite. She’s joining Sera’Fina’s team.”
Serenity went silent and Sylvia heard a few of her sisters give a single tap of approval. Then their host smiled. “Not if the safety protocols were disengaged.”
“What are you saying?”
“If during the race Egg finds out that the protocols have been disengaged, would she still try to win at the expense of her sisters?”
“Of course not.”
BreeZee joined the conversation with a sudden insight. “You can’t disengage the protocols. Syl, they were never off. Think about it. Every alarm on this world would sound if that happened. Laff’Alott would be ruined if a guest got hurt.”
“You’re right. Nice reasoning, sister,” said Aeri’elle.
Serenity considered that statement. “But Egg doesn’t know that. Her hostess will tell her it’s true and she’ll believe her. However, for this challenge, I agree . . . she won’t jeopardize the welfare of her sisters in this scenario. That must wait for her second challenge. But you have given me a much better idea. What do you think will happen if we raise the stakes?”
“Meaning?”
“Right now she’s playing for a trophy. What would she do if I have the Empress tell her that each sister will be given a unique incentive to win. For Egg, her suit will be restored to full functionality; if she loses, the suit will never again work.
For Spirit, if she wins, the evil government of her planet will be removed and she will be free to go home to her parents. If she loses, the Empress will give her to the bad guys – as you earthlings would say.
And for our beautiful butterfly, what could we do. Let me think. Hmmm, since there is nothing obvious, I’m forced to make up a problem. How about, if she loses, the remaining WingStone will be destroyed and her people doomed to extinction. If she wins, the Empress will give her people an endless supply of the Stone so they will never again have to worry about its safety. I think that should do it.” She looked at each of the girls and smiled triumphantly.
“You wouldn’t dare?”
Serenity made a face . . . totally frustrated with the other girl’s thick-headedness. “Of course I would never harm the real sisters. This is just a challenge to show you what Egg is really like – a flawed leader. No matter what happens, after this you are all free to go if that’s what you want. As to her suit, I would never destroy such amazing technology. My mother would never forgive me. Again, Egg won’t know that.”
The six sisters heard the reference to Serenity’s dearly departed mother . . . and despite everything, their hearts went out to this very troubled girl.
On the other hand, Serenity was putting Egg in an awful position. Their sister had said that from the moment she first put on the suit, Eloise Grace Graystone had become Flying Girl in more ways than one. It was who she was. It was all she wanted to be.
Egg’s decision could be a life changer . . . one way or another.
*****
Without putting too fine a point on it, at first Egg was awful. Within minutes of her lesson, her obvious lack of ability in piloting a craft that almost flew itself was beginning to be embarrassing. And the more embarrassed she became, the worse she flew.
“FOR FLYING OUT LOUD,” she finally screamed. “If you weren’t here, I’d have crashed about a million times. And we’ve only been flying for ten minutes.”
“Actually, it’s been about six,” teased Sera’Fina.
“Kill me now.”
“Sorry. That’s not allowed on Laff’Alott.”
Egg looked over at the other girl . . . only to see her stick out her tongue. Both girls broke down in a fit of giggles.
“Feeling better?”
“Yeah. I think I know what the problem is.”
“What?”
Egg grinned. “You. As a teacher, you’re worse than Smelly Kelley.”
“Who’s that?”
“My math teacher. He was awful . . . couldn’t teach worth a lick and smelled like potpourri.”
“Which is?”
“Dead flowers, I think.”
“Sounds dreadful.”
“I’m just teasing you.”
“I know.” The girl hesitated then added, “Egg, I like you. You remind me of Princess Cloud Dancer.”
Egg laughed. “Who?”
“Yours truly. That’s what my dad called me when I was growing up.” (Actually, as an avatar, Sera’Fina grew up in a very large test tube).
“Cute. Why that?”
“Cloud Dancer because I could fly before I could walk. And Princess because . . . well, it’s obvious isn’t it. I’m cute as a button and obviously descended from royalty.” Then her smile left her face. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“Because you’re the real live princess. Queen Rose’Alynnia was your ancestor.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. I do think of her as my big sister.”
“I thought you had an older sister?”
“Her name is Ashley and she’s the best. But, we need to get back to this flying lesson or I’ll never be able to race.”
“The problem is you’re thinking about this craft as a machine. Think about it like it was an extension of your body. Almost like your flying suit. Relax. Don’t chase the aircraft. Don’t react to what it’s doing; let it react to what you want it to do.”
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t think about the controls. Think about where you want the craft to go . . . your hands will understand. Trust me.”
Egg frowned. “Well, I’ve got nothing to lose at this point. My pride is gone and I’ve made Jynx airsick.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Egg glanced over and Sera’Fina was trying not to laugh. “If this doesn’t work, I’m calling you Smelly Kelley forever.”
But it worked. And over the next hour and half, the two girls flew through the sky doing more and more complex maneuvers. Egg could not have been happier.
*****
After the lesson, the girls and Jynx started to walk back to town.
“I can transport you back to your room,” Tee’ka offered.
“No thanks. If Sera’Fina is up to it, I’d like to walk for a while. It’ll give us a chance to talk.”
“I’d like that.”
“Jynx, may I transport you back to the room?”
“Grrrrrrr”. (I know it all sounds the same, but the Shamie was saying no, thanks).
“Very well. I will follow at a discrete distance so you may have some privacy.”
“Tee, that’s not necessary. You’re a friend; you have every right to walk with us.”
The hologram smiled warmly. “That is very kind of you, Egg. I do appreciate being included.”
As they headed back to their rooms, Egg asked, “Before you tell me your race strategy, aren’t we going to be competitors? Don’t I want to kick your butt?”
The other girl scrunched her face. “I’m assuming ‘kick your butt’ doesn’t actually involve your foot and my backside.”
Egg giggled. “Sorry. It’s an earth phrase. It means that I will do whatever it takes to win the race.”
“See. That’s one of the reasons I really like you. Your other two sisters are in it for the thrill – winning is secondary. You, like me, are in it for victory. That’s the thrill.”
Egg laughed at the memory of her grandmother giving her a lesson about playing games and winning. It was on the day that she gave Egg the flying suit. It was a day that she could never forget.
“Laughing at some memory, I’m guessing.”
“Oh yeah,” and she told the other girl the story.
“Wow. That’s not in any history book.”
“Why would it be?”
“Because you’re Flying Girl and the galaxy has never seen anyone like you. You’re famous.”
Egg shook her head. “I’m not famous. I’m just a novelty. If it weren’t for my flying suit, I would be like any other teenager back on Earth. No one in the galaxy would even know I was alive.”
“You just gotta stop with this modesty stuff. You’re famous and so is your Sisterhood. Learn to live with it.”
“Like I have a choice.”
“You could stop being Flying Girl.”
Egg shook her head. “I could never do that. It’s who I am.” (Back on her ship, Serenity looked up from her controls and at the six bound girls. She said nothing – only smiled.) “Anyway, you haven’t answered my question. Aren’t we competitors?”
“No, we’re teammates. If one wins, we both win.”
“That’s it? Won’t there be other teams?”
“No. Most people assume you have to race as an individual. But . . . there’s a loophole in the rules that was put in many years ago to accommodate the Binarians. They used it just that once. For whatever reasons, the people in charge never took it out. So, we’re going to use it to our advantage.”
“Okay, first – what’s a Binarian?”
“They’re the inhabitants of the planet Binar. Binarians always give birth to identical twins though on rare occasions, it could be triplets. They are two or three separate individuals physically, but they share a single brain. Half the brain is in one, the other half in the other. In the case of triplets, it’s a third not a half. The weird thing is that they must always stay in close proximity to each other. So if one wanted to race, the other had to go along.”
Egg laughed. “I can’t wait to tell Grammy. Two persons that share the same brain . . . how epic is that?”
“Grrrrrrr. Burp.”
“Shut up.”
“Why is that epic?”
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve told my grandmother that she and I were two people that shared the same brain. I was teasing. Who knew it was possible?”
“Lovely story; thanks for sharing,” came the sarcastic reply. “Anyway, that’s why there’s a rule that lets two or three people team up.”
“How does that help us?”
“One of us will distract an opponent while the other knocks them out of the sky.”
“It’s definitely not cheating, right?”
“Right.”
“And if I finish first, we finish first.”
“Or the other way around,” she hesitated then added with a smile “which is much more likely.”
Egg gave the girl a playful shove. “Okay, then. Let’s do it.”
“Great. Just have her,” and she pointed at Tee’ka, “notify the race committee.”
“Hey, she has a name.”
“Please, Egg . . . I took no offense.”
“Well, I did.”
“Geez, sorry,” apologized Sera’Fina. “Tee’ka, would you please notify the race committee?” She turned back to Egg, “That better?”
Egg just nodded. It was hard for her to stomach when one person was needlessly mean to another.
“Well, I gotta go in that direction,” and Sera’Fina pointed. “So, I’ll see you back here in a few hours. Get some rest and eat a good meal. The race gets pretty intense.”
“I will. See ya.”
After the other girl disappeared, Egg apologized to her new friend. “I’m really sorry. That was rude of her.”
Tee’ka took on a solid form, reached out, and hugged the girl. “Egg, you stir such amazing emotions in me. Your kindness, your empathy and your friendship are memories I will treasure forever. I doubt I will ever meet another like you. Like your sisters.”
“Tee, I wish there was some way I could make you a sister right now. I’ll keep bugging Aeri’elle. Maybe she’ll find a way.”
“I understand that the possibility of success is infinitesimally small . . . but I will nurture the hope until the day I am deactivated.”
“WHAT?”
“Deactivated. It means . . .”
“I know what it means. Why would they do that to you?”
“I represent the pinnacle of technology. But like all inventions, sooner or later an improved hostess will be created and my services will no longer be required.”
“And . . . and . . . and,” sputtered the other girl, “they just kill you?”
“Egg, my dear friend, all things grow old and die. That is the nature of life.”
“But . . . but . . .”
“Calm yourself. Without Astral Sing, there is no one even working on this technology. Even if there was, they certainly don’t have her abilities. It will be many, many years before such concerns will become relevant.” She smiled then added, “And you will be an old woman by then.”
Egg managed a little smile. “I still don’t like it.”
“Thank you . . . but there is nothing to be done about it.”
“We’ll see about that. You may not be a sister yet . . . but you are my friend. And I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” At that moment, Egg looked more like Bl’azzz . . . because she was figuratively breathing fire.
“The history books already say you are unique in all the galaxy. I am just beginning to see why.”
“Please, don’t say stuff like that.”
Tee’ka smiled again. “When the day comes, I will be so very proud to be your sister. I will gladly follow you to the ends of the universe.”
They hugged once more.
*****
“Shall we teleport back to room?”
“Yes. No.”
Tee’ka smiled. “I do not have the power to do both.”
“Tee, you can teleport me and Jynx . . . but not to the room. I want to materialize – is that the word – out on the balcony.”
“Of course. May I ask why?”
She couldn’t tell her friend the real reason since Tee’ka’s wand was always turning red. Obviously, someone was trying to do take control of her. So, she lied. “They’ve been teasing me so much that I thought I’d return the favor. I’m going to jump out and scare them.”
“That is considered acceptable behavior?”
; “Sure. I’m just goofing around. It’s how friends treat friends.”
“I see. Okay, here we go.”
In the next blink of an eye, they were on the balcony where they first arrived in Fair’Giggle. They materialized off to one side so that no one in the room could see them. Jynx was wagging her tail apparently excited to see her master again. Egg shushed her. She then crept up to the glass door and peered in.
“Oh my gosh,” she murmured.
“Is there a problem?”
“Um . . . no. Come on, let’s go in.” She opened the door and did just that. The six girls turned as one and greeted the new arrivals.
“How was it?” asked Sylvia.
“Wonderful. I had a blast. The race should be fun.”
BreeZee’s avatar asked, “What did you think of Sera’Fina?”
“She’s pretty neat. I like her.”
What Egg had ‘oh my goshed’ about was that when she peered in, the other girls were just sitting there – not talking, not moving, not anything. They looked like mannequins.
Chapter 10 – And the Winner Is
“Hey, Syl”.
“Yes?”
“Listen, this race is going to be so intense that I won’t be able to handle any distractions. If you don’t mind, I rather you not be there.”
“Really? But you’re taking Jynx?”
“She and I are just starting to bond. Besides, other than a Grrrrrrr and a burp, she doesn’t say much.”
“Well, that’s disappointing. I guess I understand.”
“Thanks.” Egg turned to Tee’ka and said “Nobody gets to observe me, okay?”
“As you wish Egg.”
“Great. So, if my two sisters are ready, let’s get down to the airport.”
“It’s called an aerodrome,” corrected her brain.
“Whatever. You ready Jynx?”
“Grrrrrrr”.
“Okay, Tee . . . let’s do this thing.”
They disappeared but when they rematerialized it wasn’t at the airpo . . . I mean aerodrome. In fact, as she looked around, Egg was alone. Her sisters and Jynx were gone. More curious than frightened, she examined her surroundings. It seemed to be a big, very dark empty room. Standing about ten feet away was the vague shape or silhouette of something weird . . .
Box Set #3: The Serenity Deception: [The 4 book 3rd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood] Page 30