“She’s the bad me.”
“Oh, please. What does that even mean?”
“It means she will be challenging you to a little battle of wits. Winner takes all.”
“Takes all what?”
The girl ignored the question. “For the next day, all safety protocols are off. She will break your sisterhood. By the time she’s finished, your six sisters will probably hate you. At the very least, they will never let you lead them again.”
Egg was getting mad. “Not going to happen. No idea what you’re even talking about, but the Hameggattic Sisterhood has faced tougher bad guys than you.”
“Oh, please. You’ve only fought one person . . . Mobius. He was a big mouth fool. My alter ego, on the other hand, is not. She’s going to prove to be a complete . . .,” she paused for effect, “. . . mystery.”
“Really? Sorry, not impressed.”
“How about now . . .” and she snapped her fingers. In that instant, Sera’Fina ‘did a Jynxie’ and morphed into . . .
“My name is Mysteria. And you are a double-crossing, oath-breaking, untrustworthy disloyal teammate in seriously serious trouble.”
“Oh my gosh.”
Serenity
Book 4, The Serenity Deception
Another Novel of
Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood
Copyright 2014, by Robert Iannone
All rights reserved
(Book & Illustrations)
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1 – Don’t Call Me Gracie
Chapter 2 – The Challenge
Chapter 3 – The Other Mobius
Chapter 4 – GO
Chapter 5 – STOP
Chapter 6 – To Fly
Chapter 7 – Tee for Two, Two for Tee
Chapter 8 – The Newest Sister
Chapter 9 – Loose Ends
Chapter 10 – An Epic Oops
Prologue
Up in the spaceship, six girls screamed, hooted, and hollered with delight. Egg had done the impossible. Well, Jynx did help.
Serenity was fit to be tied. Spitefully she said, “You can stop celebrating. This isn’t over yet.”
*****
Back on the ground, Egg turned and hugged her four-legged friend. “Jynxie, you were epic. I owe you a green scarf.”
“Tee, I need a mirror and a green scarf like the one K’ssss always wore.” They materialized and Egg tied the scarf around the Shamie’s neck and held up the mirror for her to admire herself. “Looks fantastic. Congratulations, you are now an honorary Hameggattic sister.”
“Grrrrrrr,” and she gave Egg a big, saliva coated kiss that the other girl accepted gracefully.
“Egg,” asked a dazed Spirit. “What just happened?”
“We won, that’s what happened.”
“Not so fast,” came a very angry voice.
Egg turned to look at Sera’Fina. “Sorry about that. But my sisters come first.”
“I trusted you.” Egg was about to respond, to explain her predicament, but the girl cut her off. “I filed a formal protest with the race committee. You and I were teammates. By bringing the other two onboard, you violated the rules. I’ve asked for you to be disqualified and for me to be declared the winner.”
“If I may?” interrupted Tee’ka.
“No, you may not,” replied Sera’Fina rudely.
“Go head Tee.”
“Thank you Egg. I am sorry; I must have misunderstood your instructions. I did not register you and Sera’Fina as teammates. I registered you, Spirit and BreeZee. My bad.” Her eyes actually twinkled.
“YOU DID WHAT?” screamed Sera’Fina.
“You heard her. Me and my sisters won.”
Sera’Fina turned bright red. “I’ll get even for this.”
“Yeah, no. I won’t be racing anymore.”
“Not what I had in mind. I was just too nice . . . too trusting. I need someone who is meaner . . . rotten to the core. Someone who won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to win.”
“Whatever. Have someone in mind?”
“I do. She’s my alter ego.”
“What?”
“She’s the bad me.”
“Oh, please. What does that even mean?”
“It means she will be challenging you to a little battle of wits. Winner takes all.”
“Takes all what?”
The girl ignored the question. “For the next day, all safety protocols are off. She will break your sisterhood. By the time she’s finished, your six sisters will probably hate you. At the very least, they will never let you lead them again.”
Egg was getting mad. “Not going to happen. No idea what you’re even talking about, but the Hameggattic Sisterhood has faced tougher bad guys than you.”
“Oh, please. You’ve only fought one person . . . Mobius. He was a big mouth fool. My alter ego, on the other hand, is not. She’s going to prove to be a complete . . .,” she paused for effect, “. . . mystery.”
“Really? Sorry, not impressed.”
“How about now . . .” and she snapped her fingers. In that instant, Sera’Fina ‘did a Jynxie’ and morphed into . . .
“My name is Mysteria. And you are a double-crossing, oath-breaking, untrustworthy disloyal teammate in seriously serious trouble.”
“Oh my gosh.”
Chapter 1 – Don’t Call Me Gracie
“Is that it? All you’ve got to say is oh my gosh? You are pathetic.”
“Hey, be nice.”
The masked girl laughed . . . like her words, it was a bit muffled by the scarf over her mouth. “Nice is not part of my vocabulary. Nice is for losers.”
“Who are you and where’s Sera’Fina?”
“Pay attention, you dim-witted has-been. Sera’Fina is gone . . . as in no more.”
“What do you mean ‘no more’?”
“Like she told you – I’m her alter ego. Think of her as the chocolate coating on one of your earth candies. Once that’s gone, what’s left?”
Egg giggled despite herself. “The nut inside.”
“Laugh now, Gracie, but I’ll be laughing last . . . and best.”
One thing that almost no one knew about Egg was that she hated her middle name – Grace. It was probably because Ashley used to call her Gracie when she was young . . . just to irritate the little girl.
“Listen, Miss Inferior (give Egg credit for trying –turnaround is fair play, right?), if you call me Gracie one more time, I’m going to rip that ridiculously stupid scarf off your head.” Unlike Sera’Fina, who Egg liked from the very start (the hijinks of the race not withstanding), she really disliked this new girl. Mysteria was mean, rude and nasty. And they had only just met.
“I dare you to try, egg-o.”
“Egg,” interrupted Tee’ka. “Shall I have this person removed? If her behavior is bothersome, Fair’Giggle is authorized to teleport away such individuals if you so choose.”
“Thanks Tee, but I’ve got this.”
“This computer thing is your friend, isn’t it?”
“She’s not a thing . . . and yes, she’s my friend. Anyway, if Sera’Fina is gone – and I still have no idea what that means or where she went – what do you want?”
“Like you say on Earth, I’m challenging you to a rematch.”
“Sorry, I’m done flying. Well, flying airplanes anyway.”
“It’s not going to be a flying contest.”
Egg wanted to ask what the other girl had in mind. But her need to compete and beat this abrasive newcomer was more than offset by the desire never to see her again. “Still doesn’t matter. Can’t tell you what a thrill it was to meet you. Bye-bye.”
Ignoring the brush off, Mysteria said, “Tomorrow morning we’ll start our competition. I suggest you get someone to spoon feed you some dinner, then tuck you into bed and rock you to sleep, little girl.”
Egg had to fight herself and not respond in kind. “I am going back to my room . . . but I won’t be se
eing you in the morning or any time. Tell Sera’Fina I’m sorry. Otherwise, it’s been real.” She turned to leave.
“Oh, I think you will be seeing me. Let’s say around eight.”
“No. Not going to happen. Get used to disappointment.”
“Too bad. I guess this hologram isn’t really your friend.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you want to see her again, then you’ll partake in my challenge.” Before Egg or Tee’ka could respond, Mysteria opened her hand to reveal a device of some kind. “Yoo-hoo, come to momma,” she hissed.
Tee’ka let out a little “oh” then she was sucked into the device much like a genie into a magic brass lamp . . .
“TEE,” screamed Egg. Jynx echoed her displeasure with a “Grrrrrr. Burp.”
“It can’t hear you.”
“She is not an it. Let her go.” Egg was turning red with anger . . . an emotion she almost always reserved for someone who was trying to harm her sisters or friends.
“Take a deep breath, Gracie. I want you to concentrate your feeble mind on what I’m about to say. Your friend is now mine to do with, as I will. If you want to see her again, you have one choice. Tomorrow at eight, you will compete against me. If you win, I’ll return your hologram unharmed. Understand?”
“And if I lose?”
“Then I’ll have a little souvenir to take home with me when I leave this annoying planet.”
“Let her go. You can take me prisoner.”
“No.”
“Why are you doing this? Is it because of the race?”
“You cheated my friend to save yours. What makes them more important than Sera’Fina? Don’t,” and she put up her hand to stop Egg from responding. “There’s nothing you can say. So, I’m going to give you an opportunity to prove that your winning wasn’t an accident. Since I now know what you are – a two-faced, scheming liar – I won’t be surprised by anything you do. And I won’t fall for any of your tricks. Just to give you a fighting chance, I insist you bring your sisters. Seven against one, that should make it more fair.”
“Grrrrrr. Burp.”
“Make that eight,” replied Egg with a snide smile.
“I think not. I believe the Power of Seven is all you need.” She touched her once more and the Shamie began to swirl . . .
A moment later, Jynx was gone.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?” Egg screamed yet again. Her face had gone from red to plum purple. She took a threatening step toward Mysteria.
“Stop.” The masked girl held up the device. “One more move and I’ll take one of them,” and she pointed at BreeZee and Spirit who took a step backwards.
“You didn’t hurt her?”
“Of course not. Just another souvenir . . . unless you seven can win.”
Egg took a few deep breaths to calm herself. But it didn’t work. She managed to growl, “Eight o’clock tomorrow. Don’t be late,” and she turned and stormed off. Her two sisters hurried to catch up.
Back on Serenity’s Ship
Jynx materialized on Serenity’s ship. The Shamie looked around – a bit disoriented trying to get her bearings. Seeing Spirit, she was about to amble over when a mechanical hand came out of a panel and dropped a large collar over her head. As soon as it made contact, it began to contract until it fit snuggly around Jynx’s neck. The Shamie growled and burped her disapproval. She looked to Spirit but the Thought Weaver ever-so-slightly shook her head ‘no’.
“Jynxie . . . lie down. Don’t remove the collar until I tell you.”
“Grrrrrr.”
“Did you just give your pet a command?” Serenity had never considered the possibility that the telepath could talk to a single individual. She assumed that like normal speech, a telepath’s communications would be heard by all. This revelation was troubling.
Spirit answered with the appropriate lie. “Obviously not”.
But BreeZee had seen the look on Serenity’s face and instantly understood what the girl was thinking. “I think she was referring to your head nod, Spirit.”
The Thought Weaver looked up at her winged friend who gave her a quick wink. It took a moment before she understood the message. “Sorry, Serenity. It’s so second nature to me to give Jynx commands with my head or hands that I almost don’t realize I’m doing it. She was about to come over to me. If she realizes that I’m . . . I’m your reluctant guest, she would get upset. I didn’t want her to cause a scene.”
Serenity weighed the words . . . trying to assess their veracity (think truthfulness). Reluctantly, she decided to accept the statement at face value. “Thank you for clarification. But, no need to worry. She now wears an obedience collar . . . she won’t be doing anything I might find disagreeable. Be sure she understands that.”
Spirit pushed against her restraints . . . an involuntary reaction to Serenity’s words. She was very protective of Jynx and the thought of an obedience collar made her blood boil. With a superhuman (or is that super-alien) strength, she forced herself to calm down. “As you wish. Jynx, please only respond to my commands. Do not react to anything you see. Understand?”
“Grrrrrr.”
“Thank you. By the way dear one, congratulations on becoming an honorary sister. I’m so very proud of you. It was well deserved; you were magnificent.”
“Grrrrrr”.
“I second that, Jynxie. You were terrific,” said Sylvia.
Soo added, “Love your super sexy scarf, kiddo. Nice job.”
The other girls also congratulated their furry friend.
“Grrrrrr”.
“Jynxie, now would be a good time to get some rest. Please, lie down and nap.”
“Grrrrrr,” and the Shamie flopped down, rolled over on her back and began to snore gently.
“That girl loves to sleep,” quipped Soo.
“It’s her favorite pastime. Eating is a close second.”
“You gotta love that about her,” commented Sylvia with a smile. No one appreciated sleep more than she did.
Aeri’elle interrupted the conversation when she asked Serenity, “What is it that you have planned? What’s with this Mysteria?”
“Whereas Sera’Fina was nice, friendly – all the things that Egg would like in a friend, or a sister – Mysteria is the complete opposite. She’s mean, rude and totally unlikeable. She’s the type of personality that Egg wants to beat. Wants to beat so badly that she’ll do anything to win. Even if it costs her a sister or two.”
“Wow, you really have no idea what Egg is like.”
“Feminion, it’s you who doesn’t understand her. With all due respect, it takes someone of my intellect to appreciate her psyche.”
Sylvia just rolled her eyes.
“So what’s this contest Mysteria is challenging Egg to?” pressed Aeri’elle.
“If I told you, I would spoil the fun. Let’s just watch and enjoy the show, shall we? But first, since she did win, I need to give Egg back her ability to fly. Wouldn’t want her to think that the Empress couldn’t be trusted, now could we?” She turned some dials and pressed a few buttons then leaned back with a smug look on her face. “Enjoy it while you can, Gracie,” she mumbled under her breath.
*****
Fair’Giggle
“Egg, slow down.”
No response.
“EGG,” BreeZee yelled.
“What? Oh, sorry.” She stopped and waited for her two sisters to catch up.
“What are we going to do?” asked Spirit. “I have to rescue Jynx.”
Egg was so upset with Mysteria that she never even considered how Spirit might be feeling. “Oh, Spirit. I’m really sorry about Jynxie. You know I won’t stop until I get her back.”
“I do and I thank you. But it’s ‘we’ not ‘I’.”
“And that ‘we’ includes me,” added BreeZee’s avatar.
Egg hugged both of her sisters. “Like Mysteria said, the power of seven is all we need. Let’s hurry back to the others so we can talk this out.
” As they trotted off, Egg told the girls about her little visit with the Empress and why she had to do what she did to win the race.
*****
They were back at the room in ten minutes. It didn’t take Egg long to bring the remaining sisters up to speed . . . spending extra time on the conversation she had with the Empress. When she finished, the other six started talking at once . . . each trying to make a point but no one listening to what the others had to say.
“Hey, shut up.” Egg rolled her eyes because there was so much noise it drowned out her voice. “SHUT UP,” she screamed.
“What did you say?”
“You guys are cackling like my mom’s bridge club.”
“I think I’ve been insulted,” replied a teasing Feminion.
“Syl, I’m not a brain surgeon like you but I guessing one conversation would be more useful.”
Sylvia smiled. “I prefer you think of me as a rocket scientist . . . math and science over that yucky squishy stuff inside people’s heads.”
“Oh my gosh. This is serious.”
“Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood.” Egg gave her a dirty look. “Sorry,” she repeated contritely.
“Egg’s right,” said Aeri’elle. “Let’s focus and attack this logically.”
“First question is who is this Mysteria? I have no idea what she meant when she said she was Sera’Fina’s alter ego.”
“Alter ego is like a second you, but with a personality that is opposite of your regular personality,” explained the brain surgeon . . . I mean rocket scientist. “Um . . . like Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde.”
“What?”
“Who?”
“Sorry. It’s an earth story. The Doctor is good until he turns into Mr. Hyde who is evil.”
“He changes shape like Sera’Fina and Mysteria?”
“Um . . . no.”
Box Set #3: The Serenity Deception: [The 4 book 3rd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood] Page 32