by Erica David
Copyright © 2019 DC Comics.
DC SUPER HERO GIRLS and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
WB SHIELD: TM & © WBEI. (s19)
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, and in Canada by Penguin Random House Canada Limited, Toronto. Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: David, Erica, author. | Mengert, Hollie, illustrator.
Title: Winner takes all! / by Erica David ; illustrated by Hollie Mengert.
Other titles: DC super hero girls.
Description: New York : Random House, [2019]
Identifiers: LCCN 2019020420 | ISBN 978-1-9848-9453-3 (paperback) | ISBN 978-1-9848-9454-0 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 978-1-9848-9455-7 (ebook)
Subjects: | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Media Tie-In. | JUVENILE FICTION / Humorous Stories.
Classification: LCC PZ7.D28197 Win 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
Ebook ISBN 9781984894557
v5.4
ep
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1: Sometimes a Tiara Is Not Just a Tiara; It’s a Challenge
Chapter 2: Larry, Just So You Know, Sapphires Are a Cat’s Best Friend
Chapter 3: These Boots Are Made for Dancing…and General Mayhem
Chapter 4: Heavy Lies the Crown (So Don’t Try to Lift It)
Chapter 5: The Queen Who Would Be King…(It’ll Make More Sense When You Read the Chapter)
Chapter 6: Follow the Leader—But If the Leader You Are Following Is Catwoman, You’re Probably a Villain
Chapter 7: Brute Force. Truth Serums. Tickle Torture. the Villains Have Most Definitely Arrived.
Chapter 8: Treat Yourself to a Selfie with Oliver Queen—He Will Make You Look Good!
Chapter 9: Say Yes to the Dress and No to the Pantsuit…Unless You’re an Amazon Princess
Chapter 10: There’s No Place Like Homecoming for an Epic Battle…and the Snacks Are Good, Too!
Chapter 11: Let’s Dance…and Try Not to Destroy the School
Chapter 12: Diana Delivers a Dance Sensation…and Will Always Be Homecoming Queen in Our Hearts
Zee Zatara was the first to see Diana. As usual, Zee greeted Diana with a warm hug.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zee asked dramatically. “I didn’t even know that you were interested!”
Diana Prince’s five closest friends, as well as a large group of their fellow students, were packed in at the end of the hall. Everyone was clustered around a bulletin board, reading the latest announcements. There seemed to be more excitement in the air than usual.
“Huh?” Diana said, puzzled. She had no idea what Zee was talking about, but she did know that her friend could be dramatic with a capital D. It was probably because Zee was the daughter and assistant of a famous stage magician. She was used to keeping an audience spellbound.
“The list just came out,” Karen Beecher said softly. Karen was probably the quietest of Diana’s friends. She was the opposite of Zee when it came to drama.
“What list?” Diana asked.
“Actually, there are two lists. Such a waste of paper!” Jessica Cruz told her. Jessica was constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
“Well, how else were they going to post the nominees?” asked Kara Danvers, but then quickly added, “I mean, not that I’m interested or anything.” Kara was too much of a rebel to pay attention to bulletin board lists.
“I’d post by text alert,” said Barbara Gordon, scrolling through her cell phone. “Babs,” as she was known to her friends, was a whiz with gadgets and all things internet. “But nobody asked me.”
“For Zeus’s sake! Will someone please explain what is going on?” Diana asked.
Her five friends turned to look at her. They couldn’t believe she didn’t know. The school was about to celebrate homecoming, a time of year when students new and old came to visit. Everyone pitched in to fix up the school for the occasion. It was a big deal! The celebration included pep rallies, a football game, and most importantly, a school dance.
“You do this every year?” Diana asked, after her friends explained the tradition. She was new to Metropolis and to the World of Man, as she called it. Diana was used to living among the Amazon warriors on a secret island called Themyscira. She excelled in hand-to-hand combat, but dancing the Macarena was a mystery to her.
“Of course!” said Zee. “It’s tradition! We nominate outstanding students, then we vote for them to become the king and queen of homecoming.”
Diana’s eyes brightened when she heard the word “queen.” Her mother, Hippolyta, was queen of the Amazons. She was a strong, fierce ruler, and Diana wanted to impress her. “What does this homecoming queen do? Does she lead her people into battle?” she asked.
“Not unless battle requires a frilly dress,” Kara said, blowing a wisp of her bangs out of her eyes.
“It’s not that kind of queen. It’s more of a ceremonial role,” Babs explained. “Like a sprig of parsley next to a hot cheese quesadilla.”
Diana moved closer to the cluster of students. She looked at the flyers on the board. There were two lists of nominees—one for homecoming king and the other for homecoming queen. Sure enough, her name was at the top of the list for queen.
“But we haven’t told you the best part, Diana!” Zee chirped enthusiastically.
“You mean about the crown?” Babs said.
“Tiara! It’s called a tiara,” Zee said.
“Sounds like a fancy crown to me,” Kara muttered.
“Well, it’s different. This tiara has a special sapphire called the Star of Andromeda,” Zee explained. “And it’s famous! It even has its own legend!”
A hush fell over the students as Zee told the story of the tiara. Some people believed that the sapphire had magic powers. There was a rumor that it granted the wearer one wish every thousand years on the night of the full moon! It just so happened that the homecoming dance was on the thousand-year anniversary! “That means whoever wins queen gets a wish!” Zee finished.
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Kara asked skeptically.
Zee shrugged as if to say, “It’s possible.”
But for the other girls, it didn’t matter if the story was true.
“I know what I’d wish for,” said Jessica. “I’d wish to stop climate change.”
“I’d wish to be the World’s Greatest Detective,” said Babs.
“I’d wish people would listen when I ta—” Karen began.
“SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” a high-pitched voice interrupted.
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound. The squeal of delight had come from Carol Ferris, a cheerleader and devoted fan of the school’s football team. Carol’s name was also on the list for homecoming queen.
“Uh-oh, Carol is going to be fierce competition,” Jessica whispered to Diana. “Everyone knows she has a huge crush on Hal Jordan, and he’s up for homecoming king.” Hal was Jessica’s friend and quarterback of the football team. (He was also secretly a Green Lantern just like her.) “I bet she wants t
hat crown so she can wish for Hal’s undying love.”
“Tiara,” Zee said. “It’s a tiara!”
Carol clasped her hands together and twirled joyfully on her tippy toes. It was as if she were floating on a cloud of happiness. But suddenly, she turned serious.
“Where’s my crown?” Carol demanded. Her eyes were steely with determination.
Unfortunately for Carol, the tiara wasn’t in the building. Zee explained that it was being kept at Larry Stinson Jewelers until the night of the dance. Stinson was the most famous jeweler in all of Metropolis.
“Slow down there, Carol. First, you have to be elected queen,” Kara grumbled. “Or so I hear. I mean, not that I’m interested or anything.”
“That’s right,” Zee said. She turned to Diana, who had her own ideas about being queen. None of them involved tiaras. “I can’t wait to get to work on your campaign, Diana. You’ll let us help, right?”
“Of course.” Diana nodded. “It will be a pleasure to have your help. Together we can ensure that the people elect a queen who will lead them on the path to justi—”
“SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” a second, higher-pitched squeal emerged from the crowd. But this time it wasn’t Carol. It was Oliver Queen, star of the school’s drama club. He was thrilled to see his name on the list for homecoming king. Within seconds, he was campaigning. He stacked his textbooks on the floor and stood on top of them.
“My fellow students. It is my great honor to receive your nomination for homecoming king!” Oliver said earnestly.
“Oh boy. Here we go,” Zee thought, rolling her eyes. She and Oliver were in drama club together—and DRAMA followed Oliver wherever he went.
“There are many, many reasons why you should elect me your homecoming king. There’re my good looks, my undeniable charisma, my winning nature, my flawless smile, my aquiline nose, my assertive and dry handshake, my so-called gift for gab, my perfect elocution,” Oliver told the crowd, counting the reasons on his fingers.
“How long is this going to go on?” Diana whispered to Zee.
“How many fingers does he have?” Zee replied.
“I think he’s running out,” Babs said, looking at her own fingers and trying to keep track with Oliver.
“But he has toes!” Kara pointed out.
The rest of the students didn’t seem to notice. This was their first glimpse of the campaign to come, and they were riveted.
“…and my strong, stunning profile,” Oliver continued. “But I want you to know that I’m more than just a pretty face. I’m a candidate of substance and unparalleled leadership ability, unlike some sleight-of-hand charlatans I know.”
Zee’s eyebrows drew together. She knew an insult when she heard one. It seemed as though their ongoing competition was still on.
When Oliver finished his speech and stepped down from his stack of books, he walked straight toward Diana, Zee, and the other girls. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“I didn’t see your name on the list of nominees,” Oliver said smugly to Zee.
“I prefer to work my magic behind the scenes as Diana’s campaign manager,” Zee told him. “She’s one hundred percent the best woman for the job!”
“And Zee Zatara is one hundred percent my charlatan of choice!” Diana said enthusiastically.
“Fair enough.” Oliver chuckled. “Let the games begin!” He and Zee glared at one another for just a moment, and then Oliver turned and walked off down the hall.
Diana watched him go, then turned to Zee. “It appears that this homecoming is serious business,” she said.
“That’s right,” Zee replied. “And there isn’t a moment to lose! We’re not going to rest until that tiara is on your head!”
At the same time across town, there was one girl not in school. Selina Kyle hadn’t been nominated for homecoming queen, and that was just fine with her. Being queen didn’t interest her, but rare jewels did—and the Star of Andromeda was certainly a rare jewel.
Selina slipped stealthily into her secret hideout. It was the place where she kept all her treasures. Moments later, she found what she was looking for: a beautiful jewelry box. Slowly, Selina lifted the mirrored lid and pulled out the velvet-lined trays. Each tray held a priceless gemstone that she had “borrowed” from another home, a jewelry store, or a museum.
“Hello, my beauties,” Selina said, greeting her jewels. She lifted a sparkling necklace dripping with diamonds from the box. This was Selina Kyle’s deepest, darkest secret. When she wasn’t skipping class or faking permission slips, she was the notorious cat burglar known as Catwoman.
Selina slipped the diamond necklace over her head and admired her reflection. “It’s true what they say about diamonds,” she whispered. “They really are a girl’s best friend.”
She returned the necklace to its tray, only to pick up a glittering ruby the size of an egg. “Remember when I liberated you from the museum, my precious?” she told the gem. “That mean old Batman tried to keep us apart, but we make purr-fect companions.”
The ruby seemed to wink at Selina in the sunlight. When it came to jewels, she just couldn’t resist. “Soon, you’ll have another little friend, my kitties. Very soon,” she whispered to her gems.
Selina carefully returned the ruby and closed the jewelry box. It was time to set her plan in motion. It was time for her campaign for the tiara to begin.
* * *
Larry Stinson Jewelers was located in one of Metropolis’s poshest neighborhoods. Selina could smell the fancy a mile away, and she wasn’t disappointed when she stepped into the store’s interior. Rays of sun filtered through a beautiful stained-glass skylight in the ceiling, and sleek glass cases filled with expensive jewelry lined the walls. Customers spoke with sales associates in hushed tones, while classical music played softly in the background.
Gold glittered and diamonds twinkled. It was almost too easy for Selina to be distracted by the sheer number of precious gems, but she kept her focus. She walked straight to the rear of the store, where a lone display case sat in a pool of light. The tiara was perched on a pillow behind the glass. The blue sapphire in the center of the tiara was enormous! The Star of Andromeda reflected and refracted the light, bathing Selina’s face in a cool blue glow.
“Can I help you?” asked a friendly salesperson.
“Yes. I couldn’t help but notice this beautiful tiara,” Selina said. “I was wondering if you could tell me about it.”
“Certainly,” said the salesperson, eager to please. “The Star of Andromeda is one of the largest star sapphires ever found. It weighs in at eight hundred carats!”
“Really?” said Selina, pretending to be impressed. The truth was she already knew all about the Star of Andromeda. She’d done her homework. She was only here to find out what she didn’t know—where they kept the tiara at night.
“That’s right,” the salesperson said. “You know, this stone has an interesting history. Some say it once belonged to a famous warrior queen. Her king perished in battle. But she wished upon the sapphire, and it brought him back to life!”
“That’s incredible!” Selina purred.
“Isn’t it? They say the stone grants wishes.” He chuckled. “You wouldn’t believe the things we have to do to protect it.”
“Like what?” Selina asked innocently.
“I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but we’ve got all sorts of security,” the salesperson explained. “There’s the vault at the back of the store, and then there are the motion detectors. Every door and window is wired! The only way in would be that skylight. But let’s face it, that’s so high up, no one could get to it.”
“Hmm,” Selina murmured thoughtfully. “That does sound like a challenge.”
“Even if someone did get into the store, we keep this beauty in the vault at night.”
“This tiara certainly is well protected,” Selina said slyly.
“Is there anything else I can help you with today, miss?”
“Just one more thing. How long will the Star of Andromeda be on display here?” Selina asked.
“Probably for another week or so. Then Larry Stinson is lending the tiara to Metropolis High for their homecoming dance,” the salesperson said. “One lucky student will get to wear it for a few minutes. Say, you aren’t one of the students in the running for the crown, are you?”
“Well, I really shouldn’t tell you this,” Selina whispered conspiratorially, “but let’s just say I have no doubt that this crown will end up on my head.”
“Good luck, then!” said the salesperson. He waved pleasantly to Selina as she left the store. He was completely unaware that he had just given valuable information to one of the most notorious cat burglars in all of Metropolis.
As an Amazon princess, Diana loved to train. The Amazons were brave warriors who practiced their battle skills regularly. They scaled mountains and swam rivers. They did not, however, plié in dance studios.
“Are you sure this is the appropriate training for a queen?” Diana asked.
Zee, Kara, Karen, Babs, and Jessica had all gathered in the school’s dance studio to help Diana prepare for her campaign. Not only would she have to make speeches and shake hands, but she’d also have to learn the duties of a homecoming queen. One of those duties was dancing.
“Trust me, Diana. The homecoming king and queen always kick off the first dance,” Zee explained. “You’ll have to follow my lead.”
“But I have excellent leadership abilities!” Diana said. “Did I ever tell you of the time when I entered the Tournament of Athena and Aphrodite, endured the Twenty-One Challenges, and earned the right to the title of ‘Woman’?”
