An Imaginator banner hung from the side of Madison Square Garden, next to a digital New York Knicks sign. The banner read, 'Imaginator Festival of Inventions and Creativity. 13–15 March.' Today was March 14.
I joined Paul at the back of the short queue.
'I can't believe we're actually here.'
'Check that,' Paul said.
There was a girl sitting on the ground nearby, back against the wall. She was short with dark hair and eyes. She looked like her parents must've been from someplace interesting.
'Yeah, she's pretty cute,' I said.
'No, look what she's doing,' Paul said, annoyed.
She was typing into a black glove on her left hand, then she put the hand up to her ear and started talking to someone.
'What is that, like, a glove phone?' I asked, as we shuffled forward in line.
'Maybe you can get them here.'
'Check the skates,' I said.
On her feet, she had these giant wheels. Or they were more like bowling balls set into the bottom of a pair of boots. Like one-wheel rollerskates. Rollerballs, maybe.
'How do you balance on those things?' Paul asked. We'd been working on a two-wheel skateboard for a couple of years and the balance thing was a killer.
'I could film her on your phone. Why don't you go ask her for a demo?' I said.
Paul just looked at me, rolling his eyes – his 'don't be an idiot' look. We both knew by now that Paul wasn't the kind of guy who just went up and talked to humans. Especially girls.
She finished her call.
'I'm gonna go ask her,' I said. 'Those skates are hot.'
'Next!' said a voice.
A chubby, grey-faced woman was ready to serve us. Imagine someone photoshopped the head of a bulldog onto the body of a rhinoceros and locked it in a ticket booth. That was her.
I took a last look at Rollergirl, hoping she wouldn't take off.
'Um, yeah, two tickets thanks.'
The bulldog stared at me. 'Really?' she asked. 'You two want tickets?'
I looked at Paul, then at what we were wearing. Paul looked a little uncool in his 'missing link' t-shirt with the neanderthal dude on it but surely he could still go in.
'Yeah. Two tix please,' I said.
'Okay. Seven-fifty each for a two-day pass. Show finishes tomorrow,' she grunted.
I rustled around in my pocket for the cash Dad had given me. I tossed a ten and a five on to the counter. The woman stared at the notes.
'It's seven hundred and fifty dollars,' she said.
'Are you kidding?' I said. 'We don't want to buy the festival.'
'Imaginator is not a public exhibition. It's a major industry conference and festival for international delegates. Now, step aside please, sir.'
Paul began moving away but I stood there. I didn't want to have to pull this card, but ...
'We're from Coolhunters,' I said. 'The website.'
She gave me that same bitter, bulldog stare. If she were a real dog I'd have started backing up real slow.
'Good for you,' she said. 'Now step aside.'
I wanted to chuck her a doggy treat and say 'Chew on this'. But I didn't. I moved off.
'Why didn't you know this?' Paul asked.
'Me?'
'Yeah, you. You're the one who lured me here for this,' he said.
'As if. What, you don't have the web at home? You couldn't have looked at the site?'
'You were, like, in charge. You kept on talking about it. I figured you might have looked at the prices!' he said.
If we were at home in our workshop I'd have wrestled him to the ground and sat on him but there was a security dude nearby who looked ready to deport us.
'That ticket lady's a treat, isn't she?'
It was Rollergirl. Standing on her skates now, gently rolling back and forth.
'Yeah,' I said. 'I mean, not really. Can't you get in either?'
'Nope. I'm Melody,' she said.
'Hey. Good to meet you.'
'You have a name?'
'Mac. Sorry. And Paul.'
Paul's eyes were fixed on her glove. Mine drifted to her skates.
'I heard your accents,' she said. 'Are you guys Australian?'
I liked the way she said Australian.
'Yeah,' I said.
'Get outta here. I LOVE Australia.'
'Really?' I said.
'Absolutely. I've heard Melbourne is the coolest city in the world.'
'Yeah, I dunno. Never been.'
'Right,' she said, the conversation kind of dying. 'Bummer about the fest. I even tried flirting with the security guy but he's unbreakable.'
'There's gotta be some way in,' I said. 'We came thousands of kilometres for this.'
'Yeah, well, bonne chance,' she said, and started rolling away.
'Hey, can I have a look at your glove ... thing,' Paul said.
She turned back.
'Um, sure,' she said, not looking so certain.
'What does it do?' Paul asked.
'Well, it's a kind of laptop. I call it a handtop. And it's a phone and internet device. It's pretty much whatever you want it to be.'
'Where did you get it?' I asked.
'Well, I kind of made it myself.'
Paul and I looked up at her.
'No way,' Paul said.
'Yeah way.'
'We're inventors, too,' I said. 'Are you gonna sell these or ...'
She started rolling backwards again.
'Not really. Look, I gotta go. Nice to meet you guys.'
She gave us a wave and skated off.
'Can you tell me about your skates?' I called.
'I'm late,' she said above the noise of traffic and crowd. People were crisscrossing between us now. But I couldn't let her go. She was a coolhunter's dream.
'Is there someplace we can catch up? Or can we get your digits?'
She kept on rolling backwards. Then she called out something like: 'FenderBender. 17464.'
'What?' I yelled.
But she was gone, skating off down 7th Avenue. It wasn't like regular skating. She just kept her feet together, leaned forward, and the balls drove her forward.
'What the hell is FenderBender 167646?' I asked Paul.
'Not FenderBender. FriendBender. And she said 17464.'
'Yeah, well, what's that?' I said, unzipping my bag to grab a pen.
'I d'know. Maybe it's a street,' he said.
'Yeah, FriendBender street. Right,' I said, writing 'Friendbender 17464' on my hand.
'You're not falling in love again?' Paul asked.
'Shut up,' I said. He always accused me of falling in love with any girl we met. I think it was because he was always hot on the chicks but he didn't have the guts to do anything about it. 'She's gone anyway. Let's go check email. See if Speed and Tony have e'd us.'
'Yeah, right,' Paul said. 'They ditched us at the airport and won't even answer their phones. Like we'll ever hear from those idiots again.'
Mac and Paul are officially lost in New York. And they don't know it yet but they've stumbled across a girl who will lead them to the coolest thing in the city. Maybe even the world. But they're not allowed to tell a soul ...
Mac Slater, Coolhunter 2 Out now
About The Author
Tristan Bancks is a writer and filmmaker. He has a background as an actor and television presenter in Australia and the UK. His short films have won a number of awards and have screened widely in festivals and TV. He loves to discover new places, hang out with his family, play sport, get lost inside a good story and eat Mexican food. His drive is to tell inspiring, fast-moving stories for young people. it's yr life, his next book for young adults, was co-written with Tempany Deckert and will be availiable in June 2009. More at www. tristanbancks.com
Mac Slater Coolhunter 1 Page 13