Mask of Aribella

by Anna Hoghton

  Talk to animals . . . Could this really be the girl’s power? If so, it was the best so far. She had always wondered what Luna was thinking.

  ‘That’s a wonderful power!’ she said.

  The girl smiled coyly. ‘Some people don’t think so. They say animals don’t have anything to say that’s worth hearing.’

  ‘That’s nonsense. Animals are so intelligent.’

  ‘That’s what I think,’ the girl agreed passionately. ‘If you ask me there are plenty of humans who don’t say a thing worth hearing, yet they are the ones who talk the most.’

  In spite of warming a little, she was still eyeing Aribella with distrust, until Aribella stroked Luna in her favourite place under her chin. When Luna purred loudly the girl seemed to relax.

  ‘I’ve known Luna most of my life and have always wanted to talk to her,’ Aribella said. ‘Could you do me a favour? Could you ask if she’s seen Theo?’

  ‘Who’s Theo?’

  ‘My friend. He was . . . sick,’ she said, deciding it was easier to say this than to try to explain what had happened last night. ‘Could you?’

  ‘Oh, all right.’ The girl meowed a few times and Luna meowed back. The girl looked puzzled and shook her head. ‘I’m sorry but she’s not making a lot of sense. Or it’s some kind of weird cat dialect that I don’t know. I can’t even get her to tell me her real name.’

  ‘Well, I’ll just carry on calling her Luna then.’

  Luna meowed.

  The girl laughed. ‘Well, she seems to like that name and it’s obvious she likes you. And anyone who is a friend of animals is a friend of mine.’ She held out her hand. ‘I’m Seffie. Persephone really, but don’t call me that if you want to keep all your teeth.’

  Aribella almost laughed, but Seffie looked so fierce that she nodded seriously instead. Seffie, however, must have found something in Aribella’s startled expression amusing, because she cocked her head to one side and suddenly laughed herself. The effect was amazing. It was as if curtains had been lifted. Her dark scowl dissolved and her face became full of sunshine. She had a laugh that came right from her belly.

  ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Aribella.’

  Luna purred louder and Seffie meowed. Again the sound was uncannily cat-like, but this time Luna didn’t respond.

  Seffie sighed. ‘I really wish she’d tell me how she managed to get past Rosa.’

  ‘Can you talk to all animals?’ Aribella asked.

  Seffie smiled mischievously. All traces of her earlier hostility were gone and she seemed to have decided that they were going to be friends. ‘Most. I can talk dog, monkey, horse . . . I speak some languages better than others. Always had a problem with giraffe, and sea creatures can be tricky – all those bubbles!’ She shook her head and her curls bounced everywhere.

  Aribella’s mind was boggled by the fact that Seffie could talk to one animal let alone all the different kinds Seffie had just listed. She didn’t even know what a giraffe was!

  ‘What’s your power then?’ Seffie asked.

  Aribella told her about the sparks.

  ‘Oh, fire is such a cool power!’

  It was Aribella’s turn to smile. She was still getting used to the idea of having a power, and far from feeling good about it, it scared her. She envied Seffie’s ability to talk to animals. It seemed a lot less destructive then setting things alight. Would she ever feel as positively about her power as Seffie did?

  ‘It started yesterday,’ she explained.

  ‘Yesterday?’ Seffie’s eyes widened. ‘But that means . . . wait, is it your thirteenth birthday today?’

  Aribella nodded. ‘Although—’

  ‘Why didn’t you say anything? Happy Birthday!’

  ‘Thanks.’ Aribella smiled and resisted the urge to point out that she hadn’t really had the chance. Luna started to wriggle so she put her down. ‘But how did you know?’

  ‘The day before thirteenth birthdays is when most powers first appear. I was invited here soon after my birthday too. Fifteenth of July, don’t forget it. My parents are part of a travelling circus. They were so surprised when I started chatting to the animals! I really miss them,’ she added.

  ‘Your parents?’

  ‘No!’ Seffie wrinkled her nose. ‘Well, maybe a bit. Truth is, I think Mama and Papa were relieved when Rodolfo explained I was a Cannovacci. They thought I’d gone crazy, growling and hissing all the time! No, it’s the animals I miss most.’ She sighed and sat cross-legged on Aribella’s bed. ‘So, tell me, how did it happen for you?’

  Aribella told her the story of Gian in the market. She was surprised at how quickly she’d grown comfortable in Seffie’s company and spoke freely, though she stopped short of telling her what had happened on the lagoon afterwards.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Seffie said once she’d finished. ‘Everyone’s powers are out of control at first. For weeks, I was speaking duck when I was trying to speak sparrow. Can you imagine? Then I got my mask and things were heaps better.’

  Proudly, Seffie took out a mask from the yellow shoulder bag she was carrying. It had pointed ears and its colourful face was covered with feathers and fur. Butterfly wings were painted on either cheek.

  ‘It’s beautiful!’ Aribella said.

  ‘Thanks. Every Cannovacci gets one – and only one. They help you control your powers. As well as making you unwatchable when you need to be, and all sorts of other things.’

  It could help control her power? That was a relief! And if it could make her unwatchable, maybe that meant she could go back and visit Theo.

  ‘You’ll get one soon. Any day now. The Mask Maker doesn’t usually wait long.’

  ‘I hope mine’s half as nice as yours.’

  Seffie grinned. ‘It will be. The Mask Maker’s a proud man. He’s always trying to outdo himself. So what did your family say about you being Cannovacci?’

  Aribella’s throat grew tight.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Seffie asked.

  ‘Yes, sorry, I’m fine . . .’ Then, because she wanted to be honest with her new friend, Aribella added, ‘My mama died when I was three and my papa, he’s—’ Again, her throat tightened. Luna mewed softly and rubbed her head against Aribella’s legs. Her familiar, warm softness was reassuring. ‘He’s in the palace prison.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  Seffie eyes widened as Aribella told her about last night. Talking about the guards, the lagoon and the spectre in the sunlight-filled room felt silly, as if Aribella was explaining a nightmare, though it had been horribly real at the time.

  ‘And Rodolfo knew what it was at once?’

  Aribella nodded.

  ‘I’ve never heard of anything like that before. Sounds really scary!’

  ‘It was,’ Aribella agreed. ‘I hope there are no more of them out there.’

  ‘I’m sure if there are, Rodolfo and the other Elders will find them. The stars tell him the future so if there’s any danger coming he’ll know about it and find a way to stop it. With him and Nymeria we should all be safe.’

  So it was the future that Rodolfo was reading. Aribella hoped Seffie was right.

  There was a loud dong as the clock above the door struck the hour and a yellow cuckoo shot out. Aribella jumped and Seffie burst out laughing again. Luna pawed at the balcony doors, so Aribella let her out. They watched her jump from balcony to balcony, working her way down to the jetty.

  ‘That must be how she got in,’ Aribella said.

  Seffie frowned. ‘Weird if she did. There’s more protection on this place than you can see.’

  Aribella thought of the hotel’s changing appearance and didn’t doubt it.

  ‘We’d better go down to breakfast. Come on, get dressed. My tummy is rumbling so loudly it sounds like Nymeria’s snoring in there.’

  ‘Right, yes.’ Aribella looked for her old clothes but remembered she’d left them with Rosa last night. Her stomach twisted at the thought of meeting the rest of the Halfway’s g
uests in her frilly nightdress.

  Seffie was wearing a beautiful pair of yellow pantaloons that suited her perfectly. ‘Check the wardrobe,’ she said, smiling mischievously.

  Aribella looked at the large oak wardrobe. Carefully, she opened the heavy door and gasped at the rainbow of silk and satin dresses hanging inside. ‘But they can’t all be for me?’

  ‘Who else would they be for?’

  Aribella had never seen so many beautiful clothes. They were a world away from the coarse trousers, holey jumpers and ripped second-hand shirts she was used to. She picked out a dark blue dress with long draped sleeves and a ribboned bodice. It was the simplest item in the wardrobe but still looked like something a princess would wear.

  It took a while to lace the bodice but Seffie helped. When it was done, Aribella looked in the mirror and barely recognized herself.

  Feeling a bit foolish, she almost took the dress off, but before she could Seffie exclaimed, ‘Che bella!’ and pulled her out of the door.

  They descended the staircase and Aribella soon forgot all about the dress. There were so many beautiful and curious things to look at. Even the stairwell was full of countless treasures that she’d been too tired to appreciate the night before. She kept getting left behind by an increasingly exasperated Seffie, as she stopped to examine the gold-framed portraits that lined the walls. Some looked centuries old, but they all had something in common: every single person wore a mask just as exquisite as Rodolfo’s, Rosa’s or Seffie’s – even in paint – decorated in unique arrangements of feathers, sequins and jewels.

  ‘Graduation portraits,’ Seffie explained, doubling back to where Aribella had stopped by a painting of a handsome man with a black half-mask that sliced diagonally across his face. He had straight dark hair, pale skin and high cheekbones. White petals lay on the floor below the portrait in a delicate pattern. Underneath the painting was written a single word: Zio.

  ‘Graduation from what?’

  ‘Halfway. We’ll get our own portraits when we’re eighteen.’

  ‘Really?’ Aribella’s skin tingled.

  ‘Yes, when we’ve done all our Novice training and become Elders.’

  Aribella looked down at the ground. ‘Why does this one have petals under it?’

  ‘Oh.’ Seffie looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. ‘Well, it’s a bit of a story. I don’t know exactly what happened but apparently he was murdered – by another Cannovacci.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Yes, it’s all very hush-hush.’

  ‘Who murdered him?’

  Seffie shrugged. ‘I don’t know, it was years ago. Come on, Ari, I’m starving,’ she groaned, tugging on Aribella’s arm.

  Ari was what Theo called her. It was strange to hear Seffie use it with such familiarity after less than an hour together, but Aribella found she liked it. She pulled her eyes away from the paintings and let Seffie drag her down the stairs.

  On the first floor, a mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked bread and sweet pastries filled the air. Seffie marched up to a pair of intricately carved oak doors. A sign read: POLITE NOTICE: No masks to be worn in the dining room. Aribella could hear a buzz of conversation. Her stomach fluttered with nerves as Seffie shoved the doors open without hesitation.

  Aribella had never been in a hotel dining room before, but she was still certain that this one must be the best in the entire world. On one side of the room, sunlight streamed through three floor-to-ceiling windows. The large balcony beyond was full of colourful flowers, and the view over the Grand Canal was similar to the one that Aribella had from her new bedroom window. Circular tables were covered with lace tablecloths, sparkling crystal glasses, and neatly laid-out cutlery. Jugs of bright orange juice and bowls of sugar sat on every single one. Aribella stared in astonishment.

  About fifty guests of all ages were seated round the tables, chatting and tucking into pastries. A beautiful lady with pale skin, blue eyes and a long plait of white-blonde hair caught Aribella’s eye. She sat next to a dark-haired lady with braids piled on top of her head and colourful scarves wrapped round her shoulders. They were chatting like old friends.

  Aribella looked for Rodolfo, anxious to ask him if he had any news on Papa, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘The grown-ups are Elders,’ Seffie informed her. ‘I’m sure you’ll meet them all eventually. Most are nice, just don’t get on the wrong side of Jacapo.’ She nodded to a small, harassed-looking man with a red face and a few strands of wispy white hair that had been brushed over his head sideways in a bad attempt to hide his baldness. Aribella remembered the similar warning Fin had given her about Jacapo last night.

  ‘Is he in charge?’

  Seffie wrinkled her nose. ‘No. It’s meant to be a democracy, but Jacapo is the one who enforces rules the most. He’s a real pain. Best to avoid him.’

  ‘What’s his power?’ Aribella asked. ‘Being bossy?’

  Seffie cackled. ‘You’d think! He can control sound. Although he’s so boring, everyone just stops talking at the sight of him anyway.’

  She steered Aribella to the centre of the room, where a large buffet table was so laden with trays of golden pastries that it looked about to topple. Glazed spirals topped with toasted sugar were piled next to delicate almond-flaked twists and fat buns studded with raisins the size of buttons. Aribella’s mouth watered. To her delight, she spotted some folded squares of pastry drizzled with chocolate that she’d seen at the market and always longed to taste.

  Seffie followed Aribella’s gaze and piled several of the chocolate-drizzled squares on to a plate. ‘Go on, have one now!’

  Aribella didn’t need to be told twice. It was more delicious than she ever could have imagined – a perfect mix of crispy and gooey – and instantly became her favourite food in the entire world.

  ‘Here, try this too,’ said Seffie, handing her another pastry that was shell-shaped.

  Aribella took a bite. It tasted of candied lemon and was just as delicious.

  ‘Good, aren’t they?’ Seffie smiled. ‘Take as many as you want.’

  When their plates were piled high with as many pastries as they could carry, Seffie led Aribella to a table by the windows where two boys and two girls were sitting.

  ‘Ciao, Aribella. How did you sleep?’ one of the boys asked, putting his book down.

  ‘Morning, Fin!’ Aribella said, pleased to know someone already.

  Seffie frowned. ‘How do you two know each other?’

  ‘We met last night,’ Fin said. ’I managed to sleepwalk right through my bedroom door and into the corridor. When I woke up, she was staring right at me!’

  One of the girls laughed. Her long, dark hair fell to her waist and she was wearing a beautiful emerald-green dress. ‘What a great introduction!’ she exclaimed.

  ‘Don’t encourage him, Julietta,’ the younger girl next to her said. She had short spiky hair and an expression to match. She was wearing plain trousers and a shirt buttoned right up to her chin that was secured with an old-fashioned gold brooch. ‘Using your power without permission is against the—’

  ‘Rules,’ the others all chimed together, laughing.

  The spiky girl’s face went beetroot.

  ‘I know, Helena,’ Fin went on. ‘It wasn’t like I did it deliberately. The Elders should understand. Everyone’s powers are a bit out of control to start with. Except yours, of course. Whatever it really is.’

  Helena scowled. ‘My power is my own business. Anyway, you should tell Rosa what happened.’

  ‘If you tell her I’ll get Bruno to beat you up.’

  ‘I’m not beating anyone up!’ the other boy protested. Though he was large and stocky, his voice was soft and he looked hurt.

  ‘Suit yourself.’ Fin shrugged and picked up his book again.

  ‘Enough, you two,’ said Julietta. ‘Aribella’s going to think we’re weird.’

  ‘We are weird,’ Fin said from behind his book.

  Julietta rolle
d her eyes and smiled up at Aribella. ‘Welcome to the mad house. Do sit down.’

  ‘Er, thanks.’ Aribella smiled back shyly.

  Bruno groaned as he picked up his spoon and it bent in his grip. ‘Not again!’

  Aribella could make a pretty good guess at Bruno’s power . . . She wondered what Julietta and Helena could do. Why didn’t Helena want to talk about her power?

  ‘So how were you found?’ Julietta asked.

  Aribella licked sugar from her lips. ‘My name came through the Lion’s Mouth.’

  Helena’s eyes widened and even Fin looked up from his book.

  ‘You’re the first to be found like that for years,’ said Fin. ‘Most of the names that come through the Lion’s Mouth are just pranks. One generation of Cannovacci almost got rid of it altogether.’

  Aribella thought back to last night: the image of the huge lioness spitting out the paper came back to her like a strange dream. She reached for the orange juice, her mind elsewhere, and the jug slipped in her hand as she poured. Orange juice went everywhere. The others pushed their chairs back and Fin lifted his book above his head just in time.

  Aribella’s face grew hot. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry . . .’ Before she could even try to stop it, a spark shot from her index finger and caught the edge of the tablecloth. She jumped backwards as more flames appeared.

  Moving so fast that she became a blur, Julietta grabbed a jug of water from another table and threw it over the flames, which went out with a wet sizzle. Julietta stopped being a blur and Aribella saw that she was now wearing a curved bronze half-mask with cheetah spots across the cheeks and two bronze wings sticking up on either side. Julietta must have pulled the mask out of the now-open shoulder bag hanging off her chair and put it on so quickly that Aribella hadn’t even seen her do it.

  Aribella gasped. ‘Thank you!’

  Julietta shrugged. ‘My power is speed. Can be useful.’

  Seffie leant over, picked up a sodden pastry from her plate and grinned. ‘Thanks, Julietta! Aribella almost set fire to my last sfogliatella but you drowned it instead!’

  The others laughed, except Helena, but stopped immediately when Jacapo approached their table.