He looked at the cell phone before putting it back to his ear.
“You are my granddaughter,” Otis said with a chuckle.
“See you tomorrow morning at the Castle,” Jill said and hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” Mari asked.
“My granddaughter, Jillian,” Otis said. “We need to be in Denver tomorrow morning.”
“Why?” Mari asked. “We just got here.”
“I don’t know,” Otis said. “Can you ask your sister?”
“Sure,” Mari said.
She got out of bed. She walked into the sitting area of the suite. Holding her hand out, she whispered Edie’s name and requested a chance to talk with her. A small version of Edie appeared in her hand. They talked back and forth for a moment before Mari nodded and returned to the bedroom.
“So?” Otis asked.
“A trickster tried to steal Katy’s soul,” Mari said.
“Bastard!” Otis asked.
“Jill is gathering everyone she can think of to figure out a way to protect Katy and the boys,” Mari said.
“Is that possible?” Otis asked.
“Not that I know of,” Mari said. “But. . .”
“But?”
“I’d like to know,” Mari said. “For our child.”
“Our child?” Otis asked.
“It’s spring in the Queendom,” Mari said. “I guess it’s babies all around.”
Mari smiled and Otis grinned.
“Come back to bed,” Otis said. “We’ll celebrate.”
She did just that.
Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-eight
Down the Rabbit Hole
Friday morning — 9:43 a.m.
Denver, Colorado
Not wanting to make a sound, Tanesha scowled rather than sighing. The stylist was so freaked out by the pressure of dressing “Miss T” for her first-ever Grammy’s award ceremony that he was hanging on her every sound and movement. Even though the man reeked of marijuana, she was sure a simple sigh could easily send him to the hospital.
The problem was that Tanesha looked horrible in everything the young man had brought. Most of the dresses were designed for curvier women. Tanesha patted the dresses D-sized cups. She did not have the breast mass to pull off this dress. She grabbed a handful of fabric at the waist of the dress. Her waist and hips were too narrow. Her butt and thighs looked enormous as they pulled at the seams of the dress. She looked like a clown.
To make matters worse, she was alone. Sandy was still in New York. Jill was immersed in doing research on how to protect her children. And, even with Jill’s intervention, Heather was simply too ill to help. As for her fairy family, Abi was still in New York, and Fin was covering for Tanesha in class. Her mother was caring for Jabari. Very simply, no one was available to help Tanesha with this life milestone.
Of course, Jeraine had been all high-fives and fist-bumps with some stylist he called “bro.” Tanesha scowled at herself again. She needed help and fast.
“Did you hear that Valerie Lipson was in town?” the stylist asked.
“Mmhm,” Tanesha said.
“I heard that you were friends with her,” the stylist said.
“From whom?” Tanesha asked.
“What?” The stylist’s voice rose with panic.
“From whom did you hear that I was friends with Valerie Lipson?” Tanesha asked.
“Oh, no one,” he said.
Tanesha nodded to herself in the mirror.
“I just figured that you’re such a big star and she’s such a big star, and this is such a po-dunk town,” the stylist said. “You must know each other. I’d give my eye teeth to meet that husband of hers.”
“Mike?” Tanesha asked.
“That man is gorgeous,” the stylist said with an exaggerated sigh.
Tanesha bit her lip to keep from saying that Mike was like an older brother to her or that Valerie would be here right now but that she was, in Valerie’s words, “busting balls” at the new Marlowe School.
She sighed and turned sideways. Feeling someone looking at her, she looked up to see the stylist’s eyes over the edge of the changing room. Her eyes caught his in the mirror.
“Okay,” he said, “it’s pretty awful.”
She turned to look at him.
“Everything I brought is hideous,” the stylist said. “I know. I just thought you’d be. . .”
He gestured to her chest.
“Why didn’t you get them done?” he asked.
“You mean, ‘Why didn’t I disfigure myself so that I could look like a cartoon instead of a human female?’” Tanesha said. “Gee, I don’t know.”
“He likes them big,” the stylist said.
Tanesha shook her head.
“Don’t be mad,” he said.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” the stylist whined. “We need a fashion fairy.”
“Fashion fairy?” Tanesha asked. “I don’t think Queen Fand’s queendom has a fashion fairy. In fact, I’ve heard Abi. . .”
Mari was standing in her dressing room. Her long hair was back in an intricate design that only magic could have made possible. She wore her tiara and diamond earrings, which matched the ones Tanesha had received in Olympia. She was dressed in a tight, bright blue mini-skirt, pale blue stockings, and a teal silk blouse. She wore what looked like an artic fox stole over her shoulders.
“You rang?” Mari asked.
Tanesha looked at the stylist. His eyes were wide, and his mouth flapped like a fish out of water.
“My aunt,” Tanesha said.
Mari curtsied to the stylist. His eyes disappeared from the top of the changing room. The door flew open. Tanesha and Mari looked at the stylist and then back at each other.
“What are you doing here?” Tanesha asked Mari.
“All you have to do is wish for me,” Mari said.
“No, really,” Tanesha said.
“Jabari wants to host a tea,” Mari said. “Your mother asked if I could find you.”
Tanesha nodded.
“But I can help with your dress,” Mari said. “Where are you going?”
“Award ceremony,” Tanesha said.
Tanesha turned to show her the dress. Mari tugged at the fabric.
“Not in that, you’re not,” Mari said. Turning to the stylist, she pointed her finger accusingly. “That’s horrible!”
“Why are you here?” Tanesha asked again. “Besides the tea thing?”
“There’s a confab tomorrow with your little friend, Jill,” Mari said. “Edie and Fin are going to be there. Otis, too. I couldn’t allow them to soak up all the adoration.”
“What about the blue fairy?” Tanesha asked. Her eyes flicked to the stylist, who was still drooling.
“Oh, God,” Mari said. “Fin never should have told you about her. And anyway, she hates us. Precious blue fairy. Baah!. Her name is Aife. Now, she’s too cool for her own name. Have you ever seen her and Fin together?”
Tanesha shook her head.
“It’s ugly,” Mari said. “I don’t think she’s going to be there. The one you call ‘Keenan,’ either.”
“Where is he?” Tanesha asked.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the stylist said and gulped at the hard look Mari gave him. “But, who are you?”
“My aunt,” Tanesha repeated.
“And how did you. . .?” the stylist asked.
“She’s a magician,” Tanesha said at the same time Mari said, “You asked for a fairy.”
The stylist looked from Tanesha to Mari and then back to Tanesha.
“Fine,” the stylist said. “I’m a native Californian. You guys have legal weed, of which I have had plenty. If anyone asks, I’ll just say that I had a bad trip. So, go ahead. I’ll play along.”
“Play along?” Mari asked. Her voice shifted to the harsh tone Mari usually took with humans. Tanesha groaned. “Listen, you. . .”
The stylist raised his hands as if she were going to shoot him.
“I was just thinking that if you were really a fashion fairy, we could use your help,” the stylist said.
He batted his eyes in an easy rhythm. Mari squinted and raised her hand to turn him into something awful.
“Don’t,” Tanesha said. She pulled Mari’s hand down. “He’s not doubting you. We’re just stuck. I have to go to this thing on Sunday. I’m kind of hard to fit, so it takes a while. I was planning on going shopping tomorrow, but Jill’s thing is tomorrow.”
Mari looked at Tanesha. She raised her hand and flicked her fingers. Only a couple sparks flew out.
“You are powerful, girl,” Mari said.
“What?” Tanesha asked.
“You told me not to curse this toad, and . . .” Mari flicked her fingers again. There were no sparks this time.
“Maybe you simply don’t want to,” Tanesha shrugged.
“How likely is that?” Mari asked. She leaned toward the stylist. “What did you want?”
“If you’re a fashion fairy, what should Miss T wear to the Grammy’s?” the stylist asked.
Mari crossed her arms. Her right finger tapped her lip for a moment before she pointed at Tanesha. Tanesha was dressed head to toe in bright-red satin.
“Ew,” the stylist said. “Makes her skin look. . . ew.”
Mari snapped her fingers, and Tanesha was wearing a 1980s cocktail dress in bright blue. The stylist grunted. Mari snapped her fingers, and Tanesha’s dress changed again. They went through twenty different dresses before Mari shook her head.
“Your skin is dark,” Mari said.
“And?” Tanesha asked.
“And it has your mother’s shine,” Mari looked at the stylist and nodded. “It’s tough, but. . .”
Mari snapped her fingers, and Tanesha was dressed in a floor-length white dress. The dress was made out of a material that was form fitting and sheer enough to show details without being pornographic. The long sleeves were tight on her fit arms and widened at the wrist. The boat-cut collar showed the top of Tanesha’s strong shoulders while skimming the edges of Tanesha’s breasts, revealing the top of her nipple. Tanesha turned sideways. Her legs looked strong and her rear looked sexy in this dress. But one thing had to go.
“Too low,” Tanesha said.
Mari snapped her fingers, and the fabric grew a half inch. Tanesha gave her a hard look, and Mari added another half inch. Tanesha nodded.
“So plain,” the stylist whined.
Mari snapped her fingers, and Tanesha was wearing her tiara, diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, with a triple band of matched diamonds around each wrist.
“Too sparkly,” Tanesha said.
Mari snapped her fingers, and the dress had white fur cuffs.
“I don’t want. . .” Tanesha said.
“Relax,” Mari said. “It’s not animal fur. Fairies cannot harm the creatures of this earth. That is law. It’s fairy faux fur. This is, too.”
She gestured to the stole around her neck.
“I look like something out of White Christmas,” Tanesha said.
“Hmm. . .” Mari said and tapped her lip.
“Just make it less sparkly,” the stylist said.
“Too many diamonds?” Mari asked. “Is that even possible?”
Tanesha nodded. With a snap of Mari’s finger, the fur was gone. A single strand of fresh white pearls with a knuckle-sized diamond in the center appeared around her neck. She was wearing her tiara and matching earrings.
“I like it!” the stylist said.
Mari gave him a slight smile and snapped her fingers. A thin band of fresh white pearls alternating with matched diamonds appeared in a low-slung belt around Tanesha’s waist. Tanesha’s hands went to the belt. Mari looked at Tanesha, and she nodded. Mari smiled.
“You’ll have fun,” Mari said.
“I hope so. . .” Tanesha started to say. Mari snapped her fingers, and Tanesha was wearing her jeans, T-shirt, and sweater. The next thing Tanesha knew, she was standing in her mother’s dining room with Mari.
“Why look, Jabari!” Yvonne said as she looked down the stairwell. “Our guests have arrived!”
Mari winked at Tanesha. Jabari ran down the steps, and Tanesha picked him up. She grinned her thanks to Mari, who winked at Tanesha.
“We’re having our tea party in here,” Yvonne said and gestured to the kitchen.
Akeem came in the back door, and they followed Yvonne into the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~
Friday afternoon — 2:53 p.m.
New York City, New York
Ivan ran through the hospital. Sissy was leaving New York this afternoon, and he’d been held up in a Ballet Foundation board meeting. He stood at the elevator for a moment. All eight cars were on a higher floor. Spinning in place, he ran to the stairwell. He took the stairs two at a time and was on the fourth floor in no time. He spun around the corner and slid into Sissy’s room.
Sissy was sitting in a wheelchair, talking to someone on his right. Her hair was loose on her shoulders and she was wearing a lovely blouse, skirt and tights. When she saw him, her entire face brightened.
“Ivan!” she said in a soft voice.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He smiled at Sissy. Feeling movement, he glanced to see that Delphie and Sandy were sitting on the hospital bed, surrounded by Sissy’s things. The women were smiling at Ivan. He blushed at their eyes.
“I’m sorry I was late,” Ivan said. “I had this meeting, and. . .”
He glanced back at Sissy.
“You made it,” Sissy said.
He smiled at her and looked back at Delphie and Sandy.
“I had meeting,” Ivan said and realized he was speaking in pidgin English. He swallowed.
“We heard,” Sandy said. “It sounded like a real brawl.”
“How. . .?” Ivan started.
“Bestat called a minute ago,” Sandy said. “Plus, Nadia’s been by.”
“How did it turn out?” Sissy asked.
“Nothing,” Ivan said. “All this worry and fuss and. . .”
Ivan shrugged his shoulders.
“I should be grateful, but. . .”
Sissy held her hand out, and he took it. He smiled at her beaming face.
“How are you?” Ivan asked.
“High,” she said with a snort. “I can see why Charlie got addicted to this stuff. It’s pretty awesome.”
“Do you think you will be. . .” Ivan started.
She shook her head.
“It’s just for the trip,” Sandy said.
She gestured to Delphie, and they started to leave the room.
“You have the call button?” Sandy asked Sissy. She held it up. Looking at Ivan, Sandy added, “Just in case she needs something.”
Sandy hugged Ivan and kissed his cheek.
“What. . .?” he asked.
“Welcome to the family,” Sandy said. “We’re hopping a ride back to Denver with some friends. We need to go find them to tell them we’re ready to go.”
Delphie gave Ivan a broad grin, and they disappeared. He stared after them.
“Are you all right?” Sissy asked.
“I. . .” Ivan turned back to her. “That woman unnerves me every time.”
“Sandy?” Sissy asked.
“The Oracle,” Ivan said. He shook himself. “She always looks like she’s. . . I don’t know.”
“I think she looks like the Cheshire Cat,” Sissy said.
“From Alice in Wonderland?” Ivan asked.
Sissy smiled, and Ivan knelt down to her. They shared an awkward moment before he leaned forward to kiss her. Like last night, Sissy felt as if every cell in her body was singing out loud. Her heart raced. She had to pull back to take a breath.
“Do you think that will change?” Sissy asked.
“God, I hope not,” Ivan said.
He grinned, and she returned his smile. For a moment, they looked a
t each other. Sissy lifted a shoulder to shrug, and clutched her side in pain.
“Feels kind of weird,” she said.
“It’s different,” he nodded. “We’re different.”
“Feels kind of awesome,” she said.
Her hand hadn’t left her side. His fingers brushed her arm.
“Are you in pain?” Ivan asked.
“Yes,” Sissy said, with a slight nod. “But, as you know, I am accustomed to pain.”
“Every dancer’s best friend and worst enemy,” he said.
She smiled at his oft-repeated saying. He blushed.
“I cannot go with you,” Ivan said. “Not today. I will be in Denver — Tuesday, Wednesday, this week — then back to New York. Every week is different.”
“We’ll just play it by ear,” Sissy said. “The plane trip and getting settled will be a lot for me. I’ll probably sleep until Tuesday anyway.”
Her voice was positive and strong. He knew her face well enough to know that she was scared and sad. He gave her a partial smile and she nodded.
“I feel very. . .” Sissy started. She took a breath and then nodded. “. . . young, I guess, today. Are you sure you. . .?”
“Yes,” Ivan said. “That is, if you. . .”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “Of course.”
“I’m glad,” he said, and she smiled. “I brought with me. . . I don’t know, I guess it’s silly, but. . .”
“What?” Sissy asked.
“I wanted to give you something personal of mine, something important,” Ivan said. “I want you to have something to remind you that I am rooting for you.”
He swallowed hard and nodded.
“That I love you,” he said. “It’s not very. . .”
“What is it?” Sissy asked.
“My mother’s wedding ring,” Ivan said. “It’s a ring from the time of communism, so it’s not very special or fancy. It’s certainly not a big American ring, with many diamonds and beautiful things you deserve. But it was hers. Just a band, really, and. . .”
Sissy held her hand out. His hand slipped into the front pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a thin band, and he placed it. She smiled.
“It’s perfect,” she said. “Which finger, do you think?”
“In Russia, we would use the right for marriage,” he said.
“It’s the opposite here,” Sissy said.
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