by Anna Hoghton
‘I won’t,’ she promised.
Theo smiled. ‘Friends?’
‘No matter what,’ she agreed firmly. She grinned at him. ‘Want to take it for a spin?’
Aribella went back to Burano often in the weeks that followed. Sometimes Seffie, Fin and Helena joined her.
Theo quickly warmed to her new friends and they spent long afternoons racing Theo’s gondola (at Inbellis speed) around the lagoon before heading back to Papa and Mama’s bright kitchen for dinner, or to Halfway though Theo never asked to join them there.
And one day there was a thick white envelope waiting for her on the reception desk. The envelope had her name written across it in swirling gold ink and there was a mask stamped into the purple seal. Rosa smiled as she handed the letter over.
With her heart beating very fast, Aribella tore the envelope open and read the letter inside.
Dear Aribella,
You are cordially invited to your mask fitting.
Please be prompt.
Tardiness is not tolerated.
Distinti saluti,
The Mask Maker (Mama)
That same afternoon, Aribella went to the shop and Clara – no longer a Mask Maker’s apprentice – led her behind the black curtain into the bonding room. On the stand was a new mask. Patterns of orange, red and gold flames twisted across its face, and rubies, topaz and sapphires flickered and sparkled on its forehead. She recognized the mask instantly, like the face of an old friend, or a part of her own soul, staring back at her.
As Aribella met the mask’s gaze, her fingers tingled and she felt something pass between her and the mask.
‘Do you like it?’ Clara asked.
‘It’s perfect,’ Aribella whispered.
She reached for the mask and put it on. It felt light on her skin – not hot and clammy like the Mask of Venice, but as though she wasn’t wearing a mask at all. As she tied the scarlet ribbons, she thought of Seffie, Fin and Helena, Rodolfo and Rosa. Mama and Papa. The Cannovacci and the Inbellis. The Halfway Hotel and Burano. Theo. All of them were part of Venice. Home.
And that, she realized with a joyful thump of her heart, was where she truly belonged.
Acknowledgements
It’s such a huge moment to have Aribella published. A few key ingredients have made this possible: some blind faith, a great deal of stubbornness, and the support of fantastic people, without whom Aribella would still be hiding in Venice, so please indulge me while I thank a few of them.
My gratitude to Catherine Coe, who first saw magic under murky canal water. To my wonderful agent Caroline Walsh, for taking me on and her consistent support throughout all the ups and downs, also to Christabel for being such a fantastic cheerleader. To the Chickens: Barry, Jazz, Laura Smythe, Rachel Hickman, Elinor, Sarah, Lucy, Laura Myers and Kesia, for your hard work and expertise. Especially to Rachel Leyshon, for being a phenomenal editor and so kind and upbeat during the seemingly endless redrafts.
To Paola Escobar and Helen Crawford-White for the beautiful cover.
To the MAWFYP tutors: Julia, David, Steve, Janine and Lucy. The international writer’s club: Anna, Imme and Laura especially, for keeping me sane during that year in L.A. To other workshop friends: Julie, Fin, Maddy, Mark, Dandy, Kirsty, Sue and Helen.
To Lucie, for all her support over the years. Hamish, I love you dearly, sorry I couldn’t find a way to wangle the name ‘Hamish’ into an Italian story. Jess, Tom, Lucy, Abbi, Nelson, Chloe, Ed, Katie, Tim, Georgie H, Georgie W, Caroline, Portia, Roly, Harriet, Jemima, Teri, Johnny and Mia . . . and many more.
To early readers: Pat Ferguson and Karine Akande. To Oscar, Theo and Lola, aka the coolest kids on the planet, thanks for letting me read parts to you during nannying shifts. You are both wonderful company and brilliant reviewers!
To Granny Ireland, for inspiring me daily with her spirit, kindness and total love. To Granny H, for a childhood full of reading Tintin in bed. To my wonderful grandpas, who both loved stories, to Wilf, my aunts, Susie, Tracey and Isabelle, to Uncle Bob, and my excellent cousins: Sam, Olivia, Elsa and Hugo. To my fairy godmothers Sovra and Paula.
To Mum, for sobbing so much while reading me The Amber Spyglass that I learnt to read for myself just so I could find out what happened. To Dad, for your imagination and the example you set as a human being. You are both amazing parents and I am lucky to have you. To my sister Oni, for teasing me on pretty much everything except for my writing.
And to Chris, for everything. For being both my adventure and my home.
And finally, to you, reader, for picking up this book. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I know growing up can be a little tough, especially if you’ve not found the place you belong yet, but hold on and keep being true to yourself. Remember Rodolfo’s words about the secret of being a misfit: you’re never the only one. You will find people like you one day, people who make you feel like you don’t need to be anyone but yourself. It might take months or years, and you might find them down the road or across the world, but they’ll be there. Until then, there’s no point wasting time pretending to be anyone except for who you are because one day you’ll realize that what makes you different is your strength. Your power. So, don’t let go of it.
Published by Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd
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First edition published by Chicken House, 2020.
This electronic edition published by Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd, 2020
E-PUB/MOBI eISBN: 978-1-76097-374-2
Text © Anna Hoghton 2020
Cover illustration © Paola Escobar 2020
Cover and interior design by Helen Crawford-White
Cover and interior illustrations by Paola Escobar
Anna Hoghton asserts her moral rights as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, unless specifically permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 as amended.