by Amanda Lees
Anyway, I was so looking forward to seeing Ms Martin and my friends and telling them all about it. But ever since we got back, some people at school have been mean, especially Eddie. The day after the show aired I walked back in and I was really tired after the flight back and everything so I kind of kept my head down and didn’t say much and some people took that to be attitude. It was like, oh suddenly she’s all snobby because she’s been on some TV show, and it wasn’t that at all. I was just tired.
Hannah and Charley said to ignore them, that they were just jealous. Like Eddie is ever going to be on Oprah - in his dreams! And some of the other kids just came up and said, ‘saw you on TV – you were cool.’ The teachers were OK about it too but that was probably because I mentioned that I was at Rita Moreno Middle School. Ms LaMotta actually smiled and said, ‘Well done’ and Ms Martin winked at me. After that, though, she carried on as normal and boy was I grateful. I could already see Eddie working up a head of steam, flicking me the evil eye.
Anyway, Chico told me he thought I looked great on TV which made me feel a whole lot better. Then he asked me if I was going to the Halloween Ball and said he’d see me there. He’s going to see me there. Now, what does that mean? Does it mean I’m sort of going to the ball with him or does it mean just what it sounds like and he’ll see me there? This boyspeak is very confusing and Hannah and Charley weren’t much help either. They just said, ‘So, he’ll see you there,’ and then burst out giggling.
Ma says I can stay out until 10pm but no later and then said CeeCee and LeeLee would come get me. I said I could get home on my own but she gave me that look. Since Oprah, Ma’s been all excited, telling everyone at the salon how I’m now a Celebriteee – she says it like that with a great big smile on her face. Being a Celebriteee obviously isn’t enough to let me stay out late, though. I mean, the ball finishes at 11pm so it would only be an extra hour.
Oh great – one more reason for Eddie and his gang to make fun of me. Eddie gets to stay out as late as he likes but that’s because no one cares where he is. At least, that’s what Ma said and she’s probably right but I could do without any extra ammunition for him and his weasely friends. Maybe the ball’s not such a good idea. I don’t even have a costume. And if Chico really wanted me to go with him he’d have asked me exactly that. Then again, I really ought to go, seeing as Jack Raider’s sponsoring it. Aargh – I don’t know what to do. Why is life so complicated?
CHAPTER 21
Halloween, schmalloween. Kumari didn’t want to go to the ball in any case. What was so great about wearing some supposedly scary costume? Totally ridiculous. She’d done her bit, secured sponsorship. Raider was only too happy to cough up the dough. Another opportunity for him to look good, supporting the underclass. Well, she was above all that. She would stay home, reading her book. Avoiding Eddie and the like.
Except thvat the more she thought about the Halloween Ball, the more it seemed like it would be a blast. And besides, Chico would be there. Not that she cared one way or another.
‘Hey you,’ she said to Badmash. ‘How about we dress up, just the two of us, in scary costumes?’
Badmash looked straight through her, nodding his beak in time. He was busy listening to LeeLee’s iPod. Birdman. Interesting.
‘Great,’ sighed Kumari, flopping back on her pillow. ‘Even my bird has abandoned me.’
She flicked through the magazine she’d borrowed from Ma. So many glossy advertisements. Jack loved it when she came out with that stuff, about how things did not make you happy. But some things do, she thought. Does that make me a hypocrite? Really, it was all so confusing.
Whatever. At least her school got Raider’s money and she got to spread her message. Maybe she really could bring more Happiness to the World Beyond. Now, that would be satisfying.
‘Surprise!’
Kumari nearly jumped a foot. Bursting into her bedroom were Hannah and Charley, dressed up in their Halloween outfits. In their arms, carrier bags galore, behind them a beaming Ma brandishing a hot brush.
‘We’ve brought your costume,’ said Hannah.
‘And your make-up,’ said Charley.
‘And I am going to style you up a storm,’ added Ma.
Ohmygoodnessfabugosh. It was the girl posse. She must have died and gone to Halloween heaven.
‘Arms up,’ ordered Hannah, swapping Kumari’s sweat-top for a silver number.
‘Legs out!’ demanded Charley, replacing Kumari’s jeans with spider web fishnets.
As Ma worked away at her hair, the two of them applied her make-up, turning her into a gorgeous ghoul. She pouted, blinked and smiled to command, all the while basking in the warmth of their friendship. When they had finished, Hannah dragged her to the mirror.
‘What do you think?’ she said.
‘I . . . ah . . . ’
‘What’s the matter? Don’t you like it?’
They were all looking at her now, concerned.
Kumari grinned. ‘I love it!’ Then she burst into tears.
‘I knew it!’ said Hannah. ‘I said she’d hate it.’
‘It’s not that,’ gulped Kumari. ‘It’s just that I can’t believe you made me look so good.’
‘How about the hair?’ asked Ma, uncharacteristically anxious.
Kumari gazed at herself, at the soft tumble of waves that framed her face. She felt a surge of confidence, of strength. More herself than ever.
‘The hair is fatte,’ said Kumari. ‘That’s “awesome”, to you guys!’
A huge grin lit up Ma’s face. ‘Time to move,’ she said. ‘Off you go, girls. Knock ’em dead. I’ll babysit Badmash.’
One last look in the mirror. It was time to hit the party trail.
As Kumari shimmied past she heard Ma murmur, ‘Well, you sure look like a goddess tonight.’
‘You think so?’ asked Kumari.
‘I think so,’ said Ma. ‘Now you go shake your heavenly fatte booty.’
‘You betcha,’ said Kumari.
* * *
The gym was heaving with ghouls, some scarier than others. They caught sight of Eddie in his usual gear.
‘Nice costume,’ said Kumari.
‘Looks like you lost your boyfriend,’ he sneered.
He was jerking his head in the general direction of the dance floor. It was one undulating mass of bodies, most of them wearing masks. No way she would spot anyone there, never mind Chico. Not that she was looking, just generally checking things out.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Kumari.
It was hard to adopt a lofty tone when you were shouting. The music was so loud it sent shockwaves up her spine. Hips swaying, arms swinging, she began to dance with Hannah and Charley. Hair whipping round their faces they whirled into the centre of the crowd. It was hot, steamy, sweaty, lights flashing, the beat pulsating. They were holding hands, whizzing round faster and faster, heads back, laughing, dizzy. She let go and stumbled back into someone.
‘Oops, sorry’ she said.
And then she saw him. Dancing up close to another girl. She’d know the back of his neck anywhere. He turned and she felt sick. They were practically glued together.
‘Hey, there’s Chico,’ said Hannah.
‘I know,’ mumbled Kumari.
‘Isn’t that Maria he’s dancing with?’ added Charley.
Maria. If they’d had a Homecoming Queen at Rita Moreno she would have been it. Miss Cheerleader. Miss Great Legs. Miss Perfect. Chico’s Miss.
Suddenly Kumari wanted to be anywhere else but here. She started to push her way through the crowd, off the dance floor.
‘Excuse me, excuse me,’ she muttered, not like anyone could hear.
Ahead, she spied a door. Great. An escape route. Stumbling through it, Kumari found herself out in the cold and dark. All at once, light sliced across her face. She was not alone any more.
‘Hey Kumari.’
‘Chico.’
‘What are you doing out here in the co
ld?’
‘I, uh, needed fresh air.’
‘Come and dance.’
‘No thanks.’
She could feel rather than see his confusion. It really was very dark out there.
‘Shouldn’t you be getting back?’ she said. ‘Maria will be wondering where you are.’
‘MARIA?!’ He grinned. ‘Come on, I want to show you something.’
There was no resisting Chico, especially when he was dragging her by the hand. Wall to wall sound hit her as he pulled her through the door. Her eyes took a moment to adjust. When they did, she saw where Chico was pointing. There was Maria, locking lips with some other guy.
‘Her boyfriend, Joe. My cousin,’ said Chico. His breath tickled her ear, sending a butterfly fluttering down her spine.
His cousin. Right.
‘Joe asked me to look after her until he could get here.’
Well, he’d certainly been doing that. Kumari gave him another long, assessing look.
‘What’s the matter? You don’t believe me?’
All of a sudden, she had a flash. A certain knowledge that he was telling the truth. It was as if she could see right into his mind and heart and read what was there. It was all there, in Technicolour. Bizarre. But undeniable. Written large in black and white. It’s the truth. If she believes me, she’ll take my hand again.
‘Actually, I do,’ said Kumari, interlacing her fingers with his. Chico threw her a startled look, then smiled and squeezed her hand.
Now, what had that flash been all about? It had almost felt like Power No 2, the Power of Extraordinary Sight. Impossible, though. Her Powers were well and truly renounced. Must have been her instincts, then. Or maybe just desire.
‘Now, do you want to dance?’ said Chico.
‘Uh, sure,’ mumbled Kumari.
Kind of late to try to act cool. In any case, the heat was building, radiating between them with every move. Still they danced apart. It was as if they touched, they might combust. As she spun round she caught sight of Charley, upthisclose with some cute guy. And then she saw Hannah, dreamily smiling, her head against Daniel’s chest.
‘Let’s go outside,’ Kumari said, grabbing Chico’s hand. The answering glint in his eye sent those butterflies into orbit all over again. Ignore them, she told herself. She had to talk to him and now.
‘I need to tell you something,’ she blurted, the minute they were out the door.
‘I’m listening.’
Was it her imagination or was he breathing a little faster?
‘That thing you heard the day you rescued me in the park. What you said before you passed out. It’s all true. I am a living goddess. A trainee one. Or at least I was.’
‘And?’
‘And, well, that’s it. Except I’m not one any more, so it’s all OK. I’m like you, like everyone else. Normal. Well, almost. I know I scared you off because I acted kind of strange, but it’s fine now. I fit in. No more goddess stuff.’
Now she was gabbling. Slow down. Gabbling is not cool. It’s not even remotely sexy. SEXY? Ohmigosh. Where did that come from? He’s looking at me like, I dunno, like something. Breathe, Kumari.
‘Let me get this straight. You were a goddess but now you’re not?’
‘That’s it!’ She beamed. ‘The tornado thing – that was me practising my Powers. And Simon Razzle, that was all about eternal youth. Goddesses get to live forever you see. Not that I will now that I have chosen to become mortal. But he doesn’t know that. He thinks I’m still a goddess. I tried to tell him but he wouldn’t listen. That’s why he tried to cut me up.’
‘Uh huh?’ said Chico, a smile playing round his lips. Clearly he thought she was crazy.
‘You see, I was kidnapped,’ she went on. Might as well spit it all out. ‘That’s how I was brought here from my kingdom. Those guys you beat off, they were my kidnappers. That stuff in my essay, that wasn’t all of it. My father’s not just a king, he’s a living god. My mother, she’s a living goddess too except right now she’s kind of stuck.’
She stopped to draw breath. Was he getting any of this? By the expression on his face she had clearly just blown it. Then he was reaching out, pulling her to him. His lips met hers and the world stopped. So this was what it felt like. Melting. Electric. Like fireworks made liquid, white hot, spreading through her limbs. No clashing of noses. Somehow, it all just fitted.
‘Hey’ he murmured. ‘I don’t care what you are or were. It’s you I care about. Kumari. You know, that crazy girl who’s funny and, yes, kind of strange. But I like that. I like that you’re different.’
‘You do?’ she said. Now this was a revelation.
You didn’t scare me off, Kumari, I did that. I scared me. Like that day I just walked past you in the street? I didn’t know what to say. It’s because I liked you so much I couldn’t act normal around you. You have this strange effect on me.’
‘I do?’ she asked. Whoops, she was beginning to sound like a parrot.
And then it didn’t matter any more what she said because he was kissing her again and when he did that words were superfluous. She kissed him right back. It felt natural. It felt right.
Not strange at all. Just gloriously fantastic.
KUMARI’S JOURNAL
(TOP SECRET. FOR MY EYES ONLY.
EVERYONE ELSE KEEP OUT!
THIS MEANS YOU!)
The World Beyond
October 31st – very late – 30 days to go
He kissed me. I cant believe it. He actually kissed me. Even better, I kissed him back and it was so easy. We didn’t knock noses or clash teeth and I managed not to bite his tongue or slobber and it felt like, well, right, like we were meant to be doing it. In fact, it felt so good we carried on back inside. I didn’t even care that everyone could see us. Actually, I forgot everybody else was there although that’s not going to work in reverse. Knowing how things are at Moreno, I’ll never hear the end of it.
When I looked up, Charley was grinning at me and then I saw Maria staring and I swear she actually turned green. Maybe she’s not so into Joe after all – maybe it really is Chico she’s after. In any case, I know Chico’s not into her so that’s OK. Tee hee. Although that was weird how that happened. Somehow I just knew.
Best of all, though, Chico doesn’t think I’m strange. Well, he does but he doesn’t care. He likes the fact I’m different. ‘Stay exactly the way you are,’ he said and then we kissed again. And again, quite a lot, before CeeCee and LeeLee appeared to drag me away. By then, I didn’t even care that Eddie saw although it still sucked I was leaving early. But that was only because I could have gone on dancing and kissing Chico all night although, if I had, my lips might feel even more tingly than they do now. And my chin is a little raw but it was so worth it. So, so worth it.
Eugh – get a grip Kumari. You kissed a boy, so what? People kiss every day. It doesn’t mean anything. But, actually, it did -mean something to me, I mean. Whoops – too many ‘means’ in one sentence. Ms Martin would not be impressed. OK, what I mean is – aaargh there I go again! What I want to say is that it felt really good and kind of significant but ultimately I’m still the same person.
I tried to say that to Hannah and Charley in the restroom when we all took a break together – Hannah did her hand flapping thing to signal we had to leave the dance floor and meet up. Very subtle. Anyway, they pounced on me as soon as I got in there and demanded to know everything. How I felt, who kissed who first (or is that whom?) – every single detail. And I said the bit about still being the same person and they both burst out laughing and then gave me a hug. I still have no idea why they laughed but it doesn’t matter – they still love me. They said as much when they finally stopped laughing. Friends! I couldn’t be without them.
CHAPTER 22
The butter lamps flickered, casting shadows across the picture. Instinctively, the king looked over his shoulder. There was no one there. Nothing but an empty throne room in a sleeping palace. He turned his attention back to
the portrait.
‘Help me,’ he whispered. ‘Give me a sign. I cannot bear to lose you both. I am so lonely’
But the portrait stayed silent. It was, after all, just a picture. A picture in a kingdom immersed in sadness. It was partly the king’s fault. He could barely bring himself to tend the fires, to create the haze of Happiness for himself and his people. Instead, he spent hours in here, gazing at the image of his dead queen, thinking about the daughter he had lost, wondering where in the World Beyond she could be.
‘What should I do?’ he asked the portrait again. The queen looked back at him, enigmatic as ever. ‘Should I send someone else?’ he persisted. ‘Someone other than the RHM?’
Silly question. The RHM was the best person for the task. It was so hard, though, to sit and wait. To be powerless for once.
‘Perhaps I should go myself,’ mused the king, instantly dismissing the very notion. If he went there would be no one to rule the people. Duty came above all else. Take one step into the World Beyond and he, too, would be lost. Sometimes it was hard to be in charge. Especially when you were ill and weak and had apparently lost all your Powers.
‘A year and a day,’ he murmured. The sweat prickled on his forehead.
A year and a day. And her time was nearly up. Kumari was out there, alone, at the mercy of the ticking clock.
‘We have to find her,’ he cried to the heavens. ‘We have to find her,’ he told the portrait.
And all the while his queen stared serenely from within the gilded frame, her features etched in fine brush strokes.
‘You cannot talk,’ said the king. ‘How could you? I am a fool. A fool rattling around alone inside this palace. Perhaps the Ayah is right. I should take another queen. After all, you are never coming back, either of you. Should I do that? I don’t know.’