Mare holds it up. “I did it for you.”
“You did?”
She smiles her Mare smile. “Well, actually, I did it for the poodle.”
THE FLAGS
We stand together outside le Stadium de Creativite. The campus is buzzing with sounds of hundreds of kids and their preceptors waiting to get inside the back entrance. I smooth out my poodle skirt and pull my ponytail tight.
“Be careful, Kia!” shouts Jillian. “You’ll squish your bow!”
I adjust the scarf around my neck and make sure the knot is on the side. “I am being careful, Jillian.”
She scratches her forehead underneath her sparkly headband. “Gosh, this thing is itchy!”
“I thought you always said, ‘Glamour may be painful, but it’s a necessity’?”
“I never said that, but that’s good, Kia. I’m stealing it from you.”
Ander saunters over to us, wearing his leisure suit from the 1970s. “Like the purple shirt?”
“Definitely,” I say. “You can’t even see the pins.”
“And how about my man, Jax, here? Nice wig, huh?” Jax stands tall wearing a striped poncho, a long wig, and a headband tied around his head. I stifle a laugh and tell him how awesome he looks.
Mare smirks. “I could totally rock the 80s style.” Her hair is teased so big I hardly recognize her, and her sweatshirt, ripped at the neck, is hanging off one shoulder. “Like my fingerless gloves?”
“I love your whole outfit, and Seraphina, I love your dress!” says Jillian. “You look so pretty.”
Ander extends his arm to Seraphina. “I agree. Do you need an escort, Madam?”
Seraphina laughs. “Ander, you’re from the 1970s. You weren’t even a thought in 1910.”
Gregor strolls over to us in a pin-striped gangster suit, white-and-black shiny shoes, and a fedora. He tips the fedora and says, “Now, these shoes, my friends, are called chaps. Watch and learn.” He spins on his heel and bows.
Ander steps back. “Whoa, Gregor, I’m impressed!”
“Now, listen up everyone,” says Seraphina. “When the Opening Ceremony procession begins, all the teams from around the world will be walking into the stadium single file. You’re going to be walking with the other kids from the United States. You’ll march in order of the time period you were assigned. The Pennsylvania team will go first, dressed in costumes depicting the 1700s. They will carry the American flag. Next will be the Idaho team dressed from the 1800’s. You’ll follow them in your costumes from the 1900s. The Texas team will follow you dressed like people who lived in the 2000’s, and the Michigan team will bring up the rear wearing costumes of the future, the 2100s.
Jillian’s eyes get big. “I didn’t know we were all dressing in a different time period. This is beyond fabulous.”
While we wait for the doors to open, Maelle rushes over to me. “Kia! I was hoping to see you, to wish you luck!”
“Thanks! You too.”
“I know our chances are not very good. There are so very many teams competing tomorrow. But I really hope that if our team does not win, then yours does.”
“You do?”
“Yes, because then we will see each other again. If we win, we can see you when we visit the United States of America. And if you win, we can see you when you visit us in France!”
“You’re right!”
“So I will be wishing for your team to do well.”
“Okay, I’ll be wishing for that also.”
She hurries back to her team as the doors open. We inch our way into the tunnel of le Stadium de Creativite, and there must be a million people inside. We search for the other American teams and find the Michigan team first. My teammates glance at me. I feel like I made some progress with Martina this morning, but I’m not sure the rest of them are ready to forgive her. She smiles and says, “Wow, you guys look really good. What century are you?”
“We’re the Twentieth Century,” says Jillian. “1901 through 2000.”
“That’s so cool. We’re from 2101 and up.”
“How did you know what costumes to make, since that’s in the future?” I ask.
“We had to brainstorm.”
“How did that go?” asks Mare. “Did you make Simpson over there do it for you?”
We look at Simpson standing with the other boys. Strange, he’s not off by himself this time. They look like a team of the future wearing colorful, shimmery space suits.
I shoot Mare a dirty look, but she just shrugs.
“No, we actually all worked together. We didn’t want Simpson to do all the work. He’s done enough. I helped the boys make their costumes after we did the Human Pretzel. That was Kia’s suggestion.”
Her teammates walk over to us, and one of them says, “Are you guys the ones who play the Human Pretzel? That was kind of cool. We did crappy the first few times, but we got it after a while.”
My teammates look at me. I’m as shocked as they are.
“Maybe after the competition, before we all go home, we can mix up all the US teams and try it together,” says Martina.
Mare shrugs. “Yeah, okay.”
I smile at Martina. “I love your costume, by the way. You look like you might live on the moon!”
“My preceptor helped me find these old-fashioned hoola hoops. I used duct tape to hold them in place around my skirt. I feel like I could fly.”
Seraphina gathers us together. “Okay, listen up again, everyone! You’ll enter the stadium in a procession, but Master Freeman won’t be announcing your country. This isn’t very formal, it’s more of a celebration this time—a celebration of all your amazing ideas and of all of your hard work. So when the line starts moving, just follow the person in front of you. But stay with your teams, so we can keep track of all of you.”
Jax gets in line behind the last boy from Idaho. Mare steps in next, then Jillian, then Ander, then me. I guess I don’t mind going last. I like seeing my teammates in front of me, leading the way.
We walk into the music-filled stadium, which feels more like a concert than a ceremony. Ander turns around. “We’re here, KK. We’re really here. We made it to the Global Championships!” I smile and lean out to look ahead. The teams in front of us in the center of the stadium have created a swirl formation, almost like a carnival lollipop. Colorful flags from every country dot the stadium floor. And that’s when it really hits me that kids who’ve traveled here from all over the world are competing against us. We are definitely not guaranteed to place in the top three. Not even close.
We take our place at the end of the swirl and sit down. Ander is on one side of me and Becca from Texas is on the other. She looks nervous. I smile at her so she’ll know that all of this will be fine—that we won’t mess up our Global Solutions tomorrow and that we’ll solve the Swirl and Spark task easily, but I’m really not sure of that either. We could all totally choke.
Master Freeman walks up to a podium and I shove that thought out of my head. Grandma Kitty always tells me that worrying is just imagining the worst outcome. I definitely don’t want to imagine the worst outcome.
“Welcome to the 2071 Piedmont Global Championships!” A spotlight shines on him, and the whole place erupts. I look around at the thousands of people gathered. My parents are here somewhere. My sister is here. My brother is here. But Grandma Kitty isn’t. She’s not even awake. And I feel like a Thanksgiving wishbone, pulled in two directions. Being here at Globals is a dream, but I feel like I should be at the hospital with Grandma Kitty too, because if she heard my voice, maybe she would wake up. I just hope that while I’m here, she’s getting better.
“Parents, family members, teachers, judges, and members of le Universite de Creativite, we at the Piedmont Organization are honored to welcome you to our international competitive event. For the last two weeks, the world’s brightest chi
ldren have been working to solve the Piedmont Global Task. For the next two days, teams will present their solutions to our judging staff. They will also solve a mystery task in our Swirl and Spark Recall event. Those two scores, together with their scores from the Showcase Festival will be added together and then tallied. The winners, will be announced Saturday evening at the Global Stars Award Ceremony. Teams, we wish you the best of luck and look forward to bearing witness to your inspired ideas, boundless creativity, and unmatched imagination!”
With that, the music returns, and we march out of the stadium. When we get outside into the cool evening air, Gregor and Seraphina leave to get our competition times, and we look around for our families. Ryne taps me on the shoulder and yells, “Boo!”
“Nice costume, Kia,” says Malin. I turn around to see my sister smiling. “So, I saw all the boys here. Any cute ones to tell me about?”
“Still no, Malin. I’ve been busy solving my tasks.”
“Well, I saw cute boys in the crowd. They were probably from Mexico, Italy, Australia . . . ”
My dad and mom jog over, and I hug them both. My mom checks out my costume. “Oh, Sweetie, I missed you so much. You look so pretty dressed as a 50s sock hop!”
I grin. “I made the poodle skirt myself—well, with a little help from a Costume Copier—and Mare.”
“That Opening Ceremony was impressive,” says Dad. “Even more so than the one at Camp Piedmont. Seeing the flags from all over the world. That was really great.”
Gregor and Seraphina drive up in the aero-cart. “Hi everybody. We have your competition times.”
“Oh, what are they?” I ask.
“I’m not sure this is what you would have chosen, but you have both task assignments tomorrow. You have Swirl and Spark Recall in the morning and your Global Task Presentation in the afternoon.”
“Oh man,” says Ander. “No break tomorrow, huh?”
“What time do we need to wake up for Swirl and Spark Recall?” asks Mare.
“Fairly early,” says Seraphina. “We need to report at nine o’clock, so as soon as we get back to our tree suite, off to bed you go!”
“Then that’s our cue to leave,” says Dad. “Good luck, everyone. We’ll be cheering for you!”
I hug my family and jump into the aero-cart with my team. We fly back to our tree suite and get ready for bed. How in the world am I going to fall asleep tonight?
THE SWIRL AND SPARK CARDS
We stand outside the Swirl and Spark task room, waiting like statues. I take a deep breath, like the kind Grandma Kitty always tells me to take. And then I do it again. I hear a beep coming from my watch, then more beeps coming from my teammates’ watches too.
I look at mine and there’s a message from Principal Bermuda.
“Good luck, team. The town of Crimson Heights is rooting for you. When you solve your tasks remember that NEW YORK is number one. Make sure you put it on top.”
“Ugh,” says Mare. “It’s him again.”
I click off my watch because I can’t throw it across the room. “And now I’ll be thinking about him when we’re supposed to be solving our task.”
Ander shakes his head. “Leave it to him to mess with our heads right before we walk into the room.”
“He can’t hurt us here,” says Jax. “Just forget about him.”
“I just want to get this over with,” says Jillian.
Me too. But I have a bad feeling about Principal Bermuda.
Our team is called by a judge with a jester hat almost like the one Ander wears in our play. Ander grins. Maybe it’s a good sign. We walk silently into the room and take our places around a tall table which sits on a raised platform. The oval platform is surrounded by tables of judges, all staring at us with their computers and buzzers ready.
“Good morning, New York. Welcome to Swirl and Spark Recall. As you have been instructed, your job is to solve this task as a team. I will read the task to you, and the other judges will be looking to see that as you solve this task, none of the rules are broken. If you hear a buzzer sound, that means you have broken a rule and been assessed a penalty. Do you understand?”
We nod.
He nods back. “Your two-part task is as follows: There are many teams here at the Global Championships and you have met many children from all over the world. As you’ve learned about these different places, you may yearn to travel to one of them, or even yearn to travel back home. First, name the place your team would most like to travel to. You must agree on what that place is, and then, as a group, tell a story about that place. You’ll also nominate one team member to begin the story.
“The procedure for completing this task is as follows: The first part, where you decide on the place, must be done in complete silence. If anyone speaks, your team will be assessed a penalty. You each have blank cards in front of you and a pencil. You will take turns suggesting places to travel to by writing one word on the card and placing it into the center, forming a pile. You may only add to the pile on your turn. You will take turns doing so in a clockwise fashion until you have all agreed on the same place. You will then do the same thing for which team member will be starting the story. Remember to choose a place you can tell a creative story about, and lead with the person you feel will get you started in the right direction. When you are satisfied that you have agreed upon a place and on a person, one teammate will ring this bell. Please be aware that the more time it takes you to ring the bell, the lower your score. When time begins, I will say go.
“When you have finished, I will check both your piles. I’m looking to see the place that is on top of the first pile, and the team member that is on top of the second. I will also check to see that all five of you have selected the same ones. Now please prepare to begin.”
We pick up our cards and pencils.
“Go!”
We scribble places on our cards. Mare slides hers into the center first. It says New York. Of course it does. Mare is obsessed with New York City. Jax is beside her so he goes next. He crosses out Texas and writes New York too. Okay, I get this. We have to agree really fast so we’ll all just pick New York. Ander gets it too. He crosses out Switzerland and writes New York. Jillian makes a mad face, crosses out Paris, and writes New York. Ander is bouncing in his seat. I’ve already crossed out Australia and written New York. I’m about to place my card on the pile, but something feels wrong. We’re putting New York on the top of the pile. I think of my watch—the messages we got on our watches! Principal Bermuda! Wait a minute . . . Is it possible he knew ahead of time that we’d have this question? If he did, then we can’t use New York. That would be cheating. If the Piedmont people are tracking his messages, they’ll see that he signaled us and that we used New York anyway. I know we’d get disqualified. But how do I tell my team?
They’re all staring at me, pleading at me with wide open eyes. I scribble out New York and hope that they get what I’m trying to say.
Bermuda.
They stare at me like they can’t believe I’m messing this up. Mare glares. I know she’s wondering why I would write that. I silently plead with her. She crosses out New York and writes Bermuda. My teammates all do the same, and on their turns, they place their cards on top of the pile. Then when it gets back to me, I write Kia and start the second pile. I need to be the one to start our story, to explain why we’re picking Bermuda. I don’t think my teammates will be able to start the story I’m thinking of. They each quickly write Kia, and on their turns, each of them places it on top of mine. Ander reaches across the table and slams the bell.
The judge picks up our cards. “Okay, New York. It looks like your place is Bermuda and your story will begin with Kia. You have one minute to tell your story. Your story must include a beginning, middle, and end, a problem and a solution. It must also contain the name of the place you chose and the name of the person you chose.”
>
Ding!
I sit up straight. “Once upon a time, a little girl named Kia traveled to a beautiful place full of sunshine, pink sand, and pastel-colored roof tops, where her pen pal was waiting to meet her for the first time. But as she traveled the sandy path to her house, a very bad man popped out from behind a large rock. He had a plump belly and greasy, slicked back hair.” I turn to Mare so she can go next and hope that she can think of some way to continue the story.
“The man tossed a marble to the girl and told her that the marble was magical and would lead her to a place where she would be famous and have all the gold and silver in the world.” Mare turns to Jax.
Jax sits up straight. “But Kia tossed the marble back to the man and said, ‘I don’t want to be famous or have silver or gold. I want to meet my friend.’”
Jillian continues. “The man wouldn’t give up though. He stood in her way and waved the marble in front of her. Finally she said, ‘Sir, you can’t spoil Bermuda for me. My pen pal has told me so much about its beauty and culture. I want to learn it from her—first hand.’”
Ander continues speaking as quickly as I’ve ever heard him. “So you can keep your marble and offers of riches and fame. Offer it to someone else. I came to Bermuda for adventure and friendship. That’s all. The End.’”
Mare smashes the bell. Done!
I let out a breath.
The judge dismisses us and we file silently out of the room. Jillian squeals. “Oh my god you guys, that was hard!”
“KK, what was up with that?” asks Ander. “We wasted all those seconds when we switched to Bermuda. We lost points for not using New York!”
“I think Principal Bermuda may have gotten the question ahead of time. I think he was trying to give us a clue when he sent us that message on our watches. He was trying to help us cheat!”
Jillian gasps. “He said be sure to put New York on top.”
“I don’t know about that,” says Jax.
“Kia might be right,” says Mare. “There is a chance he was trying to signal us. Why else would he have sent that message right before we walked in the room? If the Piedmont officials suspected he was, we would have been disqualified.”
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