Box Set #4: Sisterhood's End: [The 3 book 4th adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  “Sorry, kiddo, we both know your mother’s the boss of the family.”

  “Don’t put this on me, you coward.”

  And so went the evening. Egg’s parents finally went home. Sylvia, Egg and Tee’ka were going to have a slumber party . . . they needed to bring Syl up to date on all the news and to decide how to rescue their sisters. That left Mr. and Mrs. Hightower (and Max) in the living room to review the day’s events.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” said Grammy.

  “Your granddaughter jumped out of a plane to rescue her friend. I can’t tell you how much that impresses me. If I thought she was extraordinary before as the leader of the Sisterhood . . . I am now in awe. Make that shocked and awed. El, she really is a superhero. She needs to be Flying Girl again. From now on, I take her side in this argument.”

  “No need. I had the same epiphany earlier today.”

  They cleaned up and went to their room. As the door was closing, the last thing anyone could have heard was Ezra repeating what he had said earlier, “. . . jumped out of a plane to save her friend. Nobody does that. Nobody.”

  *****

  Up in the spare bedroom that was Egg’s whenever she spent the night, the three girls were in pajamas sitting on the bed. The first order of business was to bring Syl up to date on all the news of the sisters.

  “Okay, I got it. Dazzle replaced Violetta, Meggy’s the Queen, Soo’s married, Tee is now a citizen of Zynn-Zaz’zia, she and Bree are on the Council of Equals as is Spirit, Aeri’elle and Serenity, Bl’azzz was dating the new king but now is back with her old boyfriend, Bl’udd is now a policeman, the Sisterhood’s been reinstated, everyone knows it wasn’t Dazzle’s idea to disband it, and . . . and . . . wait . . . oh yeah, Serenity is now Lady Serenity.”

  “Very good. And the Seven?”

  “The Seven picked up shadow things when it came out of hyperspace so to save Earth from becoming a planet of Zombies, which I think is totally freaky, Serenity had to blow up the ship . . . and the sisters escaped using emergency pods.”

  “And now you know as much as we do,” declared Egg.

  “Have either of you tried the communications crystals?”

  “Yes but no luck. Either they’re too far away, there’s too much interference or . . . or they can’t answer,” replied Tee’ka.

  “Well, other than Serenity, none of them are going to pass for earthlings. We got a fire breathing dragon . . .”

  “No we don’t. Bl’azzz now takes pills. No more gas.”

  “Ahhh. That’s great.”

  “Concentrate people,” urged Egg.

  “Right. Anyway, we have a dragon, a sea serpent, a girl with wings, a morphing Shamie and a telepathic girl who is definitely alien looking. If someone finds them, my guess is that it’ll make the news.”

  “Is that good?” asked Tee who wasn’t quite sure what ‘make the news’ meant.

  “Yes, it’s very good. One of us . . . probably me . . . needs to surf the net trying to find a reference to one of the girls.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Tee, the net is short for internet. Almost all computers on this planet are wired together and share information. If anyone spots a dragon, chances are very good it will make it to the internet . . . either Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or a thousand other places.”

  As far as Tee’ka was concerned, all she heard was gibberish. “Egg, I think Syl’s translation crystal is broken.”

  *****

  The next morning, Sylvia tapped away at a computer while she and the others munched on breakfast.

  “Grammy, may I have some more coffee.”

  “Tee’ka, I’m so glad you like it.”

  “It makes me very alert.”

  “That would be the caffeine.”

  Before the girl could ask what that was, Sylvia yelled “Bingo.”

  “What is it? Or should I say who is it?”

  “It’s gotta be Soo. Listen. . ‘A fishing trawler has captured what they are calling a prehistoric sea monster. The unidentified creature is being brought to the Seaside Sea Aquarium for study.” And . . . yup, here’s her picture.”

  They all looked. It was definitely Soo.

  “Where’s this aquarium?” asked Egg.

  “It’s in New Orleans . . . right on the Gulf of Mexico.”

  “Too bad I can’t fly. It would make it so much easier.”

  “Dear, remind me what the Myst Tree told you?”

  “When necessity demands it, that which sings true will tend to your needs.”

  Everyone was quiet, as they considered the riddle. Finally, Grammy asked, “Anyone want to take a guess?”

  “Still got nothing.”

  “Ditto that.”

  “No idea”

  “Now wait just a minute,” protested Ezra. “Let’s parse the statement. The first part seems pretty obvious – when necessity demands it. The Tree must be referring to the rescue of your sisters.”

  The girls looked from one to other and nodded their agreement. Grammy encouraged her husband, “Keep going, dear.”

  “Okay. The last part – tend to your needs – again seems clear. He’s referring to your suit. When you need it to rescue one of your sisters, it will be made available.”

  Egg nodded again. “Now it seems kind of obvious.” She turned to the other girls and teased, “My Feminion and BreeZee’s Feminion have failed me miserably. Ezra, how would you like to join the sisterhood? I think I need a new brain.”

  “I’m in.”

  Egg smiled at her grandfather then frowned. He wasn’t kidding. “You’re not a girl,” she pointed out.

  “Not my fault.”

  “If you two are quite finished,” asked Grammy with a smile, “what about the third part – that which sings true?”

  “Still got nothing.”

  “Ditto that.”

  “No idea”

  “Ezra, dear. You were doing so well. Care to take a guess?”

  “Hey, I got two out three. My job here is done.”

  *****

  The girls teleported to New Orleans . . . arriving just after daybreak to minimize the chance of being spotted.

  “What is this place?” asked Tee’ka – her eyes wide with wonder.

  “It’s called Bourbon Street . . . very famous.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why is it famous?”

  “Oh. Syl, tell her.”

  “First, we’re in the heart of New Orleans' oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter. There are a lot of famous food and beverage establishments, and it provides a rich insight into New Orleans' past.”

  “Geez, you sound like a travel guide.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Can we explore?” asked Tee’ka who was just loving her second visit to Earth.

  “Soo could be in trouble,” reminded her friend.

  “I forgot. Sorry.”

  “No worries. Let’s catch a cab to take us to the aquarium.”

  They hailed one, got in and drove off. Tee’ka was once again wide eyed. First, she had never been in a car, and second – the scenery that whizzed by was ever-so fascinating to an alien.

  By the time they got to their destination, it was eight thirty and the facility was just opening up. “Perfect. There won’t be anyone around.”

  They bought their tickets (which gave Tee’ka the idea that this was something they could use for the tourist trade back home) and walked over to a display that listed the attractions.

  “Nothing about sea serpents”.

  Syl offered, “Let me ask someone. I’ll be right back.”

  “Egg, after all this is over, could you give me a tour of Earth. It’s so amazing.”

  “It’s a really big place. It might take a few dozen years to see all the good stuff. But I’ll tell you what . . . I’ll get some travel guides for you to look at. Then you can choose the places you want to visit.”

  Tee’ka looked disappoi
nted. “I can’t see them all?”

  “Probably not. Sorry.”

  “Hey you guys, she’s downstairs in their biggest pool. Come on.”

  They followed Sylvia who at one point started to giggle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “They call her the Nellie, the Loch Ness Monster.” For Tee’s benefit, she added, “an old earth legend about a sea serpent that lives in a lake in a country called Scotland.”

  “Can we call her Nellie . . . I like that name.”

  “Oh, yeah. Nellie it is.”

  They finally came to their destination. As Egg suspected, at this early hour there was only one little boy looking through the glass at Nellie . . .

  Egg couldn’t help herself and she started to laugh. Sylvia had the decency to put her hand over her mouth.

  “She looks unharmed,” said Tee’ka.

  “I love her to death,” replied Egg “but that’s one goofy looking face.” Then she quickly added, “Don’t you dare tell her I said that.”

  “What should we do about the boy?”

  “Nothing. Soo’s going to have to surface so I can jump on her back. He won’t see anything. Even if he did, what’s he going to do . . . tell people a girl made the big green sea worm disappear?”

  “True,” replied Sylvia. “But let’s make this memorable for him. Let’s give him a chance to talk to her. Come on.”

  They walked over to the boy and Soo looked up and smiled. “Hey, girl . . . whatcha you doing,” asked Egg through her communications crystal.

  “EGG-O, SYLVIA, you guys are a sight for sore eyes. Hey Tee, thanks for bringing them.”

  The little boy’s mouth dropped open.

  Sylvia knelt down and said to him, “Say hello to Soo. She’s our friend.”

  “Really?”

  “Yup. What’s your name?”

  “Bobby.”

  “Hey Soo, say hello to our new friend Bobby.”

  “Hi, Bobby. Be honest, am I the cutest sea serpent you ever saw?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “There you go . . . you sweet talking, pocket sized, little man.”

  Bobby turned to Sylvia. “Does she do tricks?”

  “Absolutely. Wait right here and she’ll disappear.”

  “Really.”

  “Really.”

  And twenty seconds later, she did.

  Chapter 5 – Swamped

  She couldn’t pass through the back door . . . after all she was a sea serpent and most houses on earth never planned for such guests.

  “I’ve got an idea. Syl, Tee – get Ezra to move all the furniture in the living room off to the side.”

  When they were gone, Egg asked, “How did they treat you?”

  “Well, for one thing, they looked at me like I was some kind of a monster. Geez . . . how much more loveable could I be?”

  “Yeah . . . it boggles the mind.”

  “Oh, and they shot me.”

  “What? Where? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Whatever it was, it just made me sleepy. I was still awake but just barely.”

  “It’s called a tranquillizer gun . . . they shoot wild animals so no one gets hurt.”

  “Hey, do I look like a wild animal?” It was hard to say if the serpent was kidding or insulted.

  “Did you really want me to answer that?” teased her friend.

  “I think you just did. Anyway, did you do something to your hair?”

  “You like?” She gave her head a swish.

  “Egg, honestly, all human hair looks like seaweed. But on you, it looks less stupid.”

  The girl smiled. “Oh my gosh, how I’ve missed you.”

  “Does that mean you’re coming back with us?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “In that case, I love your hair. It’s epic,” and they both laughed.

  Syl came out. “Okay.”

  Egg put her hand on the serpent then touched her ring. Less than a moment later, they were in the living room. “Ta da.”

  “Ta who?”

  “Never mind.”

  “Hello Soo. I’m so glad you’re alright. You are, aren’t you?”

  “I’m great, Grammy. Sorry about the furniture.”

  “It’s no problem at all, dear.”

  “How the heck did K’ssss ever fit in here?”

  “She never fully exited the portal.”

  “Oh.”

  “Hi, Soo.”

  “Hi, Ezra.”

  “Can I get you . . . any of you . . . something to eat or drink before we discuss the other girls?” Ezra had every intention of participating.

  Everyone was fine except Tee’ka. “May I have another cup of coffee?”

  Grammy decided the girl had had about enough. “Would you do me a favor and try another beverage. It’s called hot chocolate.”

  “Is it better than coffee?”

  “Egg and Sylvia think so.”

  *****

  "Before we get started, I have to tell you guys something.”

  “What’s that?” asked Egg.

  “When they were examining me, one of the humans told the others “look at this” and they all looked at a screen with some fuzzy image. I had no idea what it was until a female human said, “She’s pregnant . . . and she’s having twins.”

  We can pause the story here for a moment as Soo’s three friends and Grammy went nuts . . . each screaming their joy and hugging the serpent. When the excitement finally settled down, it was Ezra who suggested, “Egg, you or Sylvia should take Soo back to Aerianna. The sooner the better.”

  “Dear, that’s an excellent suggestion. Soo, I have no idea about sea serpent pregnancies but having your own doctors examine you would be an excellent idea.”

  “Yeah . . . no. I’m not leaving until we all can leave. But thanks for thinking about my well-being.”

  “Is there anything special you need?” asked Sylvia.

  “Well . . . um . . . it would be better if I could stay in water. But, if all this rescuing is only going to take a few days, I’ll be fine.”

  Grammy harrumphed. “Nonsense. We have a fairly large lake at the back of the property. You can spend your time there.”

  “How perfect is that?” quipped Egg. “That’s the place where I had the dream that led me to you in the first place. I saw a tidal wave but Dazzle said the correct word is tsunami . . . which on Aerianna might refer to Soo’nami. Then I went to Nau’tika and found you selling sea shells.”

  “Geez, don’t remind me of that. Anyway, I like it. But, if I’m needed on a rescue, don’t you dare leave me out. Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “So, what’s next?” asked Tee’ka.

  “Well, I need to continue to search the internet for any news items that might lead us to one of our sisters.”

  “Syl . . . can you get Zack to help you?” Her boyfriend was a computer whiz . . . a nerd of the first magnitude.

  “Good idea . . . if I can think of a cover story.”

  “Ezra . . .”

  “Yes, Egg?”

  “Do you think you can plot the paths of the escape pods? We know where the Seven was when it blew up. We know where Soo landed. Any chance of figuring out the flight paths of the others?”

  “That’s an excellent suggestion. However, there are way too many variables to get it exact. But, we can probably narrow down the places we need to look.”

  “Okay, then here’s what we’ll do. I’ll take Soo to the lake. Syl will recruit Zack to help her scour the internet. Ezra and I will work on the flight paths. And Grammy, you’re going to volunteer to take Tee’ka shopping and do some local sightseeing.”

  “Really?” asked the girl with a big smile.

  “Yup. You might learn something that will be useful in your tourist business back home. Besides, until we have an idea where to look, there really isn’t anything for you to do.”

  “Can I get new clothes or a new hairstyle . . . maybe like yours?”


  Everyone laughed. “I’ll leave that to you and Grammy.”

  *****

  The Everglades, Florida

  It didn’t work.

  After listening to Serenity, Jynx figured the best way to get to her companion or to the pod with the wheelchair was to morph into an alligator. Since that creature was apparently the most fearsome in the swamp, nothing would try to bother her.

  Very logical but with one fatal flaw. The Shamie could assume the shape of almost anything . . . but it could not duplicate that animal’s smell. What that meant was she would look like an alligator . . . but to the other alligators, she would not exude the right odor. As far as they were concerned, Jynx was just a big piece of meat that looked vaguely familiar.

  And they would not hesitate to attack.

  Jynx could probably fight off one gator . . . but that would be all. If she had to fight for her life against two or more, she couldn’t win.

  She shape-shifted and left the pod which triggered the warning message, then the beeping. Serenity had the Shamie on one of her screens while continuing to search the database for any other useful information. And she found it.

  “OH NO,” she cried when she discovered that the gators had an excellent sense of smell. Realizing how vulnerable that left her friend, she started to pound away at her keyboard trying to figure out how she could help.

  “JYNX,” she screamed. “JYNX, get back in the pod. Hurry.”

  The beeps were slowing down in frequency, which meant that the pod was close to self-destructing. On the other hand, since it was making less noise, the Shamie was able to hear her friend on the internal speakers.

  “JYNX,” she screamed again. “JYNX, return to the pod. Hurry.”

  “Grrrrrrr.” She shape shifted back and re-entered the pod causing the self-destruct sequence to abort.

  “Jynx, you can’t go as an alligator . . . it won’t fool them. You have to go as this,” and she flashed the image to the Shamie’s screen. “The bigger the better, okay?”

  “Grrrrrrr.”

  “Good girl. Go ahead.” She was hoping that the abnormally large size of the predator would offset the lack of whatever odor they gave off and scare away anything that might want a quick meal.

  Jynx morphed into the image . . . into a giant, way-bigger-than-normal python.