M’egg-Alynnia checked her schedule. “I do believe I have mathematics next.”
“We just call it math,” said Presley helpfully.
Normally, the Princess would have bitten the girl’s head off for daring to correct her. But, for now, it was all part of her plan to win recruits. “Oh, thank you. Math . . .” she said as if trying out the word. “I do hope one of you will be with me.”
Just then, Egg and Sylvia came up to the group. “Come on, Meggy,” said Egg purposely trying to annoy the royal witch. “You’re in my class.”
“Go away, Egg. The Princess . . .,” Angela stopped when she said it. “I’m sorry, Megg . . . but is it alright if we call you Princess? If it wasn’t for your father’s gambling, you would have been a princess . . . right?”
M’egg-Alynnia could hardly contain her smile. These earthlings were so pathetic. “Since you are my new friends . . .,” she stopped and smiled at each of them, “. . . at least I hope you are, then in private you may call me by my title. But mind you . . . only in private.”
The three girls were thrilled. “Oh, absolutely; we understand,” said Melody breathlessly.
M’egg-Alynnia gave each girl her best Royal Smile. “We are going to be such good friends . . . I can just tell. Now, other than this person (she was referring to Egg) which of you will be joining me in mathematics (she said that on purpose so the others would correct her)?
“Math . . . remember we call it math,” reminded Presley.
“Of course. Thank you. Math it is.”
*****
As far as Egg was concerned, Math class went much better. The teacher, Mr. Addington, announced the new student but that was all. No fuss, no special attention and no mention of her stupid blue blood. However, M’egg-Alynnia did sit between Presley and Angela who looked more like bodyguards trying to protect a famous person.
Sylvia had it much worse in music. Mrs. Mobach introduced the Princess, made a reference to her royal heritage and then asked her if she played a musical instrument.
“As you might expect (which was a not-so-veiled reference to her blue blood) I do. But it is a special instrument called an Angel’s Reed (the girls all oohed and ahhed at the sound of that).”
“I have never heard of such a thing. Can you describe it?” And the princess did.
“Why that sounds much like our recorders,” and she went into the storage closet and came out with three of them . . .
M’egg-Alynnia gave the teacher her most dazzling royal smile. “Oh, I am so pleased. They do look very similar. May I try one?”
“Well of course,” and she offered all three to the princess.
She chose the red one, put it to her lips, and blew a few practice notes. She stunned everyone (even Sylvia) by playing a beautiful, haunting piece with great complexity. When she finished, she smiled and said, “Forgive me, I am out of practice.”
The class broke out into very loud applause . . . even the boys. The fact that M’egg-Alynnia was also very cute added to their enthusiasm.
“My, my . . . that was extraordinary. I have never heard that particular song before. What was it?”
“I call it Life Amongst the Clouds . . . I hope it was adequate for this class?”
Mrs. Mobach was stunned. “You wrote that? That’s amazing. It was simply beautiful and you played it flawlessly. Perhaps you can teach the rest of us . . . .”
But by this time, Sylvia had tuned-out the whole exchange. She and Egg were supposed to be teaching M’egg-Alynnia how to be a better person. But now she was getting the feeling that the Princess had turned the tables on them . . . and she would be teaching the lesson, not them.
*****
“She’s been here for half a day, and she’s taking over the school.”
“How can they possibly like her?” asked a bewildered Egg.
The girls were sitting by themselves. Princess Blue-blood was sitting with the three X’s and a half dozen other girls. There were even a couple of boys hanging nearby.
But before they could explore this impossible turn of events, Zack and Zeke came by holding their lunch trays.
“Hey . . . got room for two incredible hunks,” asked Zeke with a big smile.
“Always . . . do you know any?” teased Egg.
The boys sat down opposite the girls and began eating. “So what’s with the new girl?” mumbled Zack with a mouth full of food.
“Swallow your food then try again in English,” chided Sylvia.
“He said, what’s with the new girl?”
As much as the girls didn’t want to talk about her, they really had no choice. So Egg explained, “Her name is Megg Alynnia. She’s an orphan and related to my grandmother’s best friend. She’s staying with her for the rest of the school year.”
“She’s cute.”
“Shut-up,” Sylvia said to Zack (her boyfriend).
“And she’s living right next door to us.”
“Shut-up,” said Egg to Zeke (her boyfriend).
M’egg-Alynnia had noticed the good-looking boys sitting with the two girls, so she excused herself from her new friends and went over to cause a little trouble.
“Egg, Sylvia . . . will you not introduce me to these very handsome young men?”
The girls jumped at the unexpected sound of that irritating voice. They turned around to see the princess looking down her royal nose at them . . . wearing a grin that would make the Cheshire Cat proud.
Reluctantly, Egg said, “Megg these are the twins Zack and Zeke. They live next door to Grammy.” And as soon as she said it, she knew it was a mistake.
“How fascinating. Perhaps you will drop by sometime; I would love to get to know you better. You are the first . . . men . . . I have met.”
“Yeah, that’ll be cool. Thanks,” said Zeke with way too much enthusiasm.
“Yeah, thanks,” added Zack, not to be outdone by his brother.
“Well, I must return to my new friends. It was very (she exaggerated the sound of the word) nice to meet both of you.” She turned and left.
The boys watched her walk away . . . each sporting a silly grin.
Egg glanced at Sylvia who nodded. The girls both stood up and accidentally spilled their drinks on the boys’ laps.
“Hey, watch it,” yelled Zack.
“Ah, man . . . look at my pants,” complained Zeke.
“Oh, guys . . . we’re so sorry,” said Egg who wasn’t sorry at all.
“Maybe you can use the hand dryer in the bathroom,” suggested Sylvia.
The boys grumbled something about clumsy girls then hurried off to the boys’ room. When they had left, Egg said, “If he so much as talks to her, I’ll transport him to Aerianna and leave him in the middle of the Crystal Forest.”
“You’re being too nice. We should just shoot them both.”
Over at her table, M’egg-Alynnia was laughing. Melody thought it was because of something she had said. But of course, she was laughing at Egg and Sylvia.
*****
After lunch, American History was a disaster. Mr. King introduced M’egg and asked her about her connection to the royal family. Reluctantly, the princess went into more detail . . . much more.
She then took the class into her confidence and talked about a distant relative, King George III, who reigned during the American Revolution. The king was more than a bit loony and the Princess had the class in hysterics telling some of the lesser-known stories of his sad exploits.
Egg made a promise that she would steal M’egg-Alynnia’s history crystal the first chance she got. That would change things . . . for the better.
*****
Science was great. The teacher didn’t introduce his new student and she in turn apparently knew nothing of science. It was a perfect class.
*****
The last class of the day was P.E. and all six girls were in it. Today, because of the weather, they were inside playing dodge ball. Sylvia and Egg made sure they were on the opposite team from the ot
her four.
“Now, it’s payback time,” said Egg. This was her favorite sport. Nobody ever beat her when she was teamed with Sylvia.
The teacher, Miss Payne, had to explain the rules to Megg who of course had never heard of the game. Then they played.
After ten minutes, it was down to Megg and Egg.
Megg won.
*****
On their way home (Grammy had picked up M’egg-Alynnia and Mrs. Hampton had come for Egg and her daughter), the girls were in complete shock and total despair.
“How can she be so smart . . . ?”
“And so good at sports . . . ?”
“And so terrific with the recorder . . . ?”
“And make so many friends . . . ?”
“And be the most popular girl . . . ever?”
“And have all the boys drool over her?”
They contemplated this unexpected turn of events in silence.
Then Egg came to the only conclusion possible. “I think I hate her.”
“If only she was really, really ugly . . .,” said Sylvia wistfully.
Chapter 6 - Social-light
“Hi, Grammy.”
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“We have to talk. Where is you-know-who?”
“Taking a royal bath,” she said using some kind of highborn accent.
That made Egg giggle and feel just a little bit better. “Did she tell you about school today?”
“I asked. All she would say was that it went as expected. What can you tell me?”
“Grammy . . . it was horrible. It was just like the time I first met Sylvia at camp . . . but much, much worse. (Egg was eight when she first met the girl who would later become her best friend. But it didn’t go well. Egg was very competitive and very serious . . . and when Sylvia beat her at every event, she was frosted. It took a long conversation with Grammy before she was able to put it all in perspective).
“Oh my. What happened?” And Egg gave her all the sordid details.
“Very interesting. It just goes to show you what our Megg could accomplish if she put her mind to it.”
“But Grammy . . . she’s like the queen of sixth grade. And . . . and . . .,” she sputtered, “it’s only been one day!”
“Calm down, love. Remember, our princess is only pretending to be this person they all seem to admire. I promise you that over time, the real M’egg-Alynnia will show her true colors. And that’s when you and Sylvia will teach her how a real queen should act.”
“I’m no queen.”
“You’re a Hameggattic Sister . . . that’s even better.”
“Thank you, Grammy. I guess this is all going to work out okay . . . even if I have no idea how.” Then another thought occurred to her. “Ummm . . . if Zeke or Zack should come over to your house; would you please tell them to go home?”
“Uh oh . . . I take it they met the Princess.”
“Stupid boys . . .,” Egg growled, “you'd think they would have better sense than to be fooled by the likes of her.”
Grammy laughed. “I have a feeling that they’re no match for the next Queen of Aerianna. And if they do come over . . . I won’t let them out of my sight.”
“Thanks, Grammy. You’re the best.”
*****
From Egg and Sylvia’s perspective, things went from bad to worse . . .
The bad news was that by the end of the week, everyone at school knew that M’egg-Alynnia apparently had some connection to the English royal family. And her reputation as good-looking, smart, athletic and talented had also been established.
The only glimmer of good news was that the eighth grade clique of girls who considered themselves the cream of Athenian Middle School society had decided to put the newcomer in her place. These girls just hated the idea that anyone who was not part of their little circle would garner more attention than themselves; especially if they were sixth or seventh graders. And at lunchtime, there was a showdown.
The leader of the group and this year’s homecoming queen was Isadora Duncan . . . Izzy to her friends (and only her friends). She was tall with long blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was also a straight A student and captain of the volleyball team. Her two closest friends were with her . . . Dora Krabapple and Brittany Stuart.
They walked up to the table where M’egg-Alynnia was holding court with ten of her new friends. They stopped, stared, and didn’t say a word for a good thirty seconds . . . it was their little way of trying to intimidate people. Everyone had gone quiet . . . waiting for Queen Izzy to address them.
Egg and Sylvia were a couple of tables away. “Hey, look,” said Sylvia pointing.
“Uh oh . . . you think we should go help her?” M’egg was still their responsibility.
“Let’s just see what happens first.”
“Which one of you thinks she’s a fairy princess?” said Izzy with a smirk. M’egg-Alynnia’s friends all turned and looked at her.
M’egg smiled . . . she instantly recognized someone worthy to be a royal. And this girl was obviously that. “I am Megg Alynnia. Perhaps you are referring to my very humble connection to the English monarchy?”
“Oh please . . . you’re as much related to the Queen of England as I am.”
Purposely misunderstanding the girl, Megg said, “Really? To which branch of the family is your lineage? I am sure that I do not recognize you?”
Izzy’s eyes went wide and the tips of her ears had turned the slightest shade of pink. There was just a hint of doubt in her voice when she said, “What?”
“Ours,” she said obviously including Izzy, “is such a large family. My father being the outcast that he was (she said this with great modesty and sadness), it is conceivable that your family chose not to associate with us. I perfectly understand. Be that as it may, we are most likely cousins. How wonderful.”
Now Izzy was totally flummoxed. This wasn’t going well at all. “You’re not my cousin, you stupid cow.” Wit and charm had given way to crass name-calling.
M’egg-Alynnia, Princess of Aerianna, slowly stood up. The rest of the table . . . heck, the rest of the cafeteria . . . had gone deathly silent. “I am unfamiliar with that reference (meaning stupid cow) . . . forgive me.” Showing such restraint and apparent courage increased Megg’s reputation even more. And Izzy was beginning to look less queen like with each passing word.
Izzy was smart enough to know that if she attacked this girl anymore, it was she, and not the fairy princess, that would suffer humiliation. It was time for plan B . . . which was to just walk away as if this person was so far beneath her that even the act of talking would be an unworthy use of her energy. So she gave one more glare and turned to leave.
But M’egg-Alynnia was just getting started. “I introduced myself; is it not custom to do the same?” She made it sound like a real question.
Izzy stopped and turned back. Everyone at school knew who she was . . . she never needed an introduction. She gave her two friends the evil eye which meant ‘tell her who she’s talking to’. M’egg waited patiently . . . her smile still affixed to her face.
Finally, Dora got the message and quickly made the introductions. “Everyone knows Isadora Duncan . . . like she’s the homecoming queen and captain of the varsity volleyball team. Like . . . where are you from, outer space or something?”
“And you two are?” looking at Izzy’s two friends.
“Like I’m Dora and this is Brittany. Duh . . . get a clue, will ya.”
Turning back to Izzy, Megg asked, “There was a very famous American dancer name Isadora Duncan. Are you perhaps related?” Her culture crystal was coming in handy once again.
Izzy had heard this question before. “No, I’m not.” Now she was thinking furiously about how to get out of this conversation without looking like a total jerk.
“You certainly have the body of a dancer . . . you must be a gifted athlete.” Megg was throwing her would-be enemy a small bone . . . and the girl took the bait.
I
zzy actually smiled; now that was better she thought. “Well, thanks. I work out a lot. How about you? You look like you’re pretty fit. We can always use someone good on the volleyball team.” She didn’t really mean it; she was hoping to humiliate her on the court. But the invitation shocked everyone . . . except Megg.
“It would be an honor to play alongside one such as you. But, alas, I do not know this game.” That admission got Dora to laugh derisively.
“Shut up,” commanded Izzy causing her to turn red. “You have last period PE. Just tell Miss Payne that I want you to come over and work out with the volleyball team . . . and we’ll see just how good you are.” She turned and walked off before Megg could say anything else.
When the three girls had left, Megg’s friends broke out in laughter and applause. As far as they were concerned, their Princess was now Queen.
Over at the other table, Sylvia wanted to scream. “This just can’t be happening.”
“Keep your fingers crossed . . . maybe she’ll do terribly.”
“Like that’s going to happen.”
*****
Miss Payne let everyone go watch the tryout.
It took M’egg a minute to learn the rules.
It took her two minutes to learn how to return and set-up.
It took her almost four minutes to learn how to serve.
She played offense for ten minutes and defense for about another ten.
And by the end of thirty minutes, M’egg was invited to join the varsity team . . . the first sixth grader in the history of the school to have ever done that.
*****
“See what an incredible influence we’ve had on her,” said Egg sarcastically. “She’s now the most popular person in the entire school. Everyone loves her.”
“You’re absolutely right . . . our job here is done. We should take her back to Aerianna today.”
It was Saturday morning and the girls were sitting on the bed in Egg’s room. They fell silent as they contemplated their horrible fate at the mega-disaster that was Megg.
“Can you believe that she’s spending the day with Izzy and her friends? Izzy’s like the most ‘in’ person there is. For her to pal up with our princess is just unbelievable. It makes me want to vomit.”
Box Set #2: Zynn-Zaz'Zia: [The 4 book 2nd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood] Page 6