The Hollywood Mission

by Deborah Abela

  ‘It wasn’t the machine’s fault, it’s brilliant.’ She paused. ‘Like you.’

  Ben smiled. ‘We’ll be there soon.’ He rubbed his arm where Max had pinched it. ‘You’ve sure got some grip.’ He ruffled her hair, put on his headphones and began flicking through the channels on the screen in front of him.

  Max felt the pouch in her bag for the hundredth time since she’d left home to make sure the original Time and Space Machine Ben and Eleanor had given her was still there. A voice then announced they were beginning their descent. Ben grabbed Max’s fidgeting hand to reassure her that everything was going to be okay but also to stop her from picking the end of her jumper to bits. She’d already pulled a packet of tissues apart which lay around her feet like a mini paper snowstorm.

  Before much longer, they were in the terminal of the airport being pushed around by waves of people frantically moving in all directions. Eleanor and Ben grabbed Max’s and Linden’s hands and made their way to the luggage carousel. After they’d piled their bags onto trolleys, Max and Linden stood on a seat and searched the crowd for Max’s dad.

  ‘What’s he look like?’ Linden asked.

  Max fished a photo out of her pocket. ‘It’s a bit old but he probably hasn’t changed much.’

  The terminal was a frenzy of announcements, flight calls, trolleys of food and luggage, and all sorts of people from footballers to holidaymakers, businesspeople and a group of Tibetan monks.

  ‘Is there anyone not in this terminal today?’ Linden shouted to Max over the noise, but then he noticed a man caught in a tangle of schoolkids who had flooded around his legs. ‘Is that him?’

  Max looked to where Linden was pointing and saw the man dancing through the kids as if they were baby chicks he was trying not to squash.

  ‘That’s him,’ she breathed.

  The man looked up, stopped dancing and let out the same big smile Max remembered. He wore a floppy jumper, baggy trousers and his hair fell in mismatched waves above red-rimmed glasses.

  ‘Max!’ he called out above the chaos.

  Max had pictured meeting up with her dad so many times that now it was really happening it seemed so … so … normal.

  He ran towards her, scooped her off the seat and swung her through the air like he did when she was a kid. Linden stood back as two men in business suits ducked and scowled, only narrowly avoiding being slugged by flying shoes. Max held onto her dad so she wouldn’t fly into the crowd but mostly so she could make sure he was real.

  He stopped twirling and pulled her in tight. ‘Boy, have I missed you.’

  ‘Ahem,’ Ben interrupted after even more hugging. ‘When you two are finished, we’d like to say hello as well.’

  Max’s father laughed and put her down. The two men threw their arms around each other so vigorously it looked as if they were going to wrestle each other to the ground. He then hugged Eleanor whose face creased into a half smile, half frown.

  ‘Still as beautiful as ever,’ Max’s dad said. ‘Beats me how you got stuck with Ben.’

  ‘She could have done worse,’ Ben shot back. ‘She could have married you.’

  The two men laughed while Eleanor lit up in a bright blush. She wriggled out of the hug and placed her handson Linden’s shoulders. ‘And this is Linden.’

  Max’s dad’s smile got bigger. ‘You have no idea how this lot rave about you.’

  Linden looked away self-consciously. ‘I have a rough idea.’

  Max nervously scanned the area around them. Her dad instantly knew who she was looking for. ‘Mee Lin had to work today and will join us later. For now, let’s go home and start the party.’

  He gripped Max’s hand tightly as he led them to his chauffeur-driven car. ‘Don’t worry,’ he whispered so no one else could hear. ‘She’s going to love you.’

  In the car, Max’s dad, Ben and Eleanor chatted noisily about lots of old and mostly funny times. Max and Linden listened and laughed at their wild stories as they crisscrossed LA through a labyrinth of highways and flew past its billboards and people and music and traffic. They didn’t notice any of it.

  The city fell away into the background as the car threaded its way along a winding, tree-lined road and when the house finally appeared, it was as if they’d all been driven into a movie.

  Linden stared at the multi-storeyed mansion. ‘If I open my eyes will I wake up?’

  ‘It’s not as big as it looks,’ Max’s dad said modestly as he showed them inside.

  But it was. Set on a hill surrounded by a forest of trees, flowers and fountains, the house had twelve bedrooms, five bathrooms and a garden with a lagoon and waterfall nestled in the middle.

  Linden whispered to Max, ‘Are you sure this is your dad?’

  Max looked admiringly at her father as he laughed with Ben and Eleanor. ‘Yep. I’m sure.’

  ‘Excellent,’ Linden replied thankfully. ‘I was worried that someone would tell us we’d been picked up by the wrong guy.’

  There weren’t many things that could do it, but the sight of Linden’s room made him go completely silent. He looked at the enormous bed, the windows overlooking the lagoon and his own bathroom with spa. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

  ‘You’re welcome, Linden.’ Max’s dad smiled. ‘It’s great to finally meet you.’

  Max was shown to her room last. Before he left her to settle in, her father squatted in front of her. ‘I’ve been looking forward to this for so long I was beginning to think it would never happen.’ His eyes moistened as if he was about to cry, something Max usually ran from, but as he gently pulled her in for another hug, she could have stayed there forever.

  ‘I’ve got to do some work for tomorrow’s shoot.’ He strode towards the door and turned. ‘I want you to treat this as your home, Max. I’ll be in the study if you need me.’

  He raised his fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss. Max caught it and put it in her pocket, just like she used to do when she was a kid.

  ‘For later,’ he said and gave her a wink as he turned away.

  Max sank onto her bed, her body a mixture of tingling and fatigue. Her dad could always make even a normal day seem like a party. When they lived together, the house was always full of people and even when they’d just moved into a new house, it’d be filled that evening with music, food and new neighbours. The parties ran long into the night, while Max lay on the lounge slipping in and out of sleep. She’d refuse to go to bed in case she missed the fun, but every time she’d wake up in her dad’s arms as he carried her to her room. Her mother would complain about the chaos but secretly Max could see she loved it. Her dad would grab her and twirl her and within seconds her parents would be laughing and kissing like two people who would always be in love.

  ‘Must be hard having your parents live so far apart.’

  Max sat up. It was Linden. He had this ability of always knowing exactly what she was thinking. She looked away as she realised there were tears on her face.

  She was about to give him a well-crafted and witty reply but something caught in her throat and she couldn’t say anything. Linden saw her reddened eyes and knew exactly what she needed. ‘Swim?’

  Max nodded.

  ‘Excellent. The lagoon’s heated and has a slide and a floating stereo.’ Linden grabbed Max by the hand and pulled her to a standing position. ‘We’re only here for a short while so we can’t waste a second.’

  Max smiled. It wasn’t every day you met people like Linden, and even if he was a little pushy, life always seemed so much better when he was around.

  ‘Max.’ Her dad rubbed his hands together, both nervous and excited. ‘I’d like you to meet your stepmother.’

  He stood aside from her bedroom door like a gameshow host revealing the major prize. Max straightened her clothes and pushed back her hair for the millionth time.

  A long, slender hand appeared from around the door frame decorated with rings of gold and diamonds. Suddenly what Max was wearing felt all wrong. She
wanted to run to the bathroom and pretend she wasn’t there, but it was too late. The woman stepped into the room. A golden light surrounding her tall, elegant body. Max felt like a fish pulled out of the sea. She gulped and gawped and wished someone would throw her back. How could her dad have had a daughter with so little charm, so little elegance, devoid of any skerrick of style? A fashionless, bumbling …

  ‘Max?’

  Her eyes flicked open and she tried to focus on where she was.

  Big bed. Fluffy pillows. Strange room.

  ‘Max, are you awake?’ A voice came from the other side of the door. Then she remembered. She was at her dad’s home in America and she’d fallen asleep on her bed.

  She sat upright and wiped the line of dribble from her mouth. ‘Come in.’

  Her dad poked his head in and offered her a giant grin. ‘I thought it’d be nice if you two met before everyone else.’

  Max felt as if she was about to meet the prime minister and had forgotten to put clothes on. She wanted to warn her dad that it’d be better if the whole plan were aborted. She could already imagine the disappointment on her stepmother’s face as she took one look at her dishevelled excuse for a stepdaughter.

  But then she walked into the room.

  Max tried hard not to stare and to keep her mouth from falling open. Her stepmother was tall with long dark hair and wore a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt.

  ‘Hello, Max. I’m Mee Lin. I am so excited to finally meet you.’

  She held out her hand. Max stared at her and said nothing. A few awkward moments passed where no one knew what to say. Finally her dad broke the silence.

  ‘Ah, Max? Are you okay, honey?’

  Her head jerked towards him and then back at Mee Lin. ‘What? Yes. Fine. I’m Max.’ She took Mee Lin’s hand and shook it vigorously.

  ‘Lovely to meet you,’ Mee Lin stammered as Max kept shaking.

  ‘I think that’ll be enough for now,’ her dad interrupted.

  Max noticed she was still shaking Mee Lin’s hand and instantly let go.

  ‘We’ll be leaving for the restaurant in about half an hour, but before we do that, Mee Lin has a present for you.’

  ‘It’s just something small.’ Her voice was like silk. ‘I hope you like it.’

  She held up a pink dress with embroidered flowers, a lace petticoat and matching bag. They were hideous. Max begged her face not to show it.

  ‘It’s great,’ she lied. ‘Really … great.’

  The only other time in her life she’d worn a pink dress was while working undercover during a Spyforce mission3, but then she had the excuse of saving the world. She tried to think positively. At least she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew.

  ‘We’ll see you downstairs in half an hour?’ Her dad kissed her on the forehead and they both turned to leave. Max smiled and waved but when they’d gone she slumped back onto her bed with the dress slouched across her lap like a piece of deflated fairy floss.

  ‘Why couldn’t I have acted like a normal person?’ she said out loud.

  ‘It’s part of your charm.’ Linden appeared beside Max and even though he’d just had a shower, his hair struggled not to look like the head of a toilet brush.

  Max held up the dress. ‘Could this be any more ugly?’

  ‘Only just, but look at it this way, you’ll only have to wear it once,’ he said encouragingly. ‘Shame it has to be in one of the glamour capitals of the world.’

  Max put as much scowl on her face as it could handle.

  ‘I’ll see you downstairs.’ Linden figured now was a good time to leave Max alone and left the room quickly.

  Max looked at the dress. It was awful, but it wasn’t the dress that she was worried about. Mee Lin was beautiful and had the elegance of a princess. Max sighed. She’d happily wear pink for the rest of her life if it meant she could get through the night proving to Mee Lin she hadn’t inherited the clumsiest stepdaughter in the history of the world.

  When they drove up the long, lamp-lit drive of the restaurant, which looked more like the rich home of someone very important, Eleanor leant into Max and whispered, ‘We were told about this place. It’s supposed to be one of the restaurants in LA.’

  ‘Great.’ Max slumped beside her aunt in her pink embroidered disaster.

  Valets slid through the night air as if they were on rollerblades, holding doors open, taking coats and parking cars.

  ‘Here we are,’ Max’s dad announced. ‘This place has food that’s a thrill ride for your tastebuds. Who’s in?’

  Everyone eagerly stepped out of the car except Max, who was busy trying to work out how to tell her dad she’d have more fun if she stayed where she was. Nothing came to her, so she dragged herself out and prepared to be as discreet as possible. She picked up the pink bag which snugly held the Matter Transporter and stuck close behind her dad, who, to Max’s horror, was just about the most well-known person there.

  ‘Hey, Bill, how’s it going?’

  ‘Bill, good to see you.’

  ‘Looking good, Bill.’

  Her dad smiled and said his hellos as Max did her best to become invisible. They wound their way through candle-lit tables, around bubbling water features and across a small wooden bridge over a gurgling stream.

  ‘Very famous people often come here,’ Ben said quietly in Max’s ear. ‘If you’re lucky you might see someone you recognise.’

  ‘Yeah, that’ll be really lucky.’ Max slouched even more.

  When they finally reached their table, Max leapt into a chair sheltered by an enormous palm. All she had to do now was hold off going to the toilet and hardly anyone else would see her.

  After they’d ordered, Max’s father launched into another one of his stories that had everyone laughing and wiping their eyes and made Max momentarily forget her paranoia. Until she noticed Mee Lin staring at her.

  ‘Max?’

  Please can I say something intelligent, Max silently pleaded. ‘Mmmm?’

  ‘Can I tell you a secret?’ Mee Lin’s voice was low and dangerous. This was the part where she told Max she was a loser and that the only way to explain Max’s relationship with her father was that she was adopted.

  ‘I was so nervous about meeting you today. I’d heard so much about you and I worried that when you met me you’d be disappointed.’

  Disappointed? Nervous? Was she crazy?

  ‘Your dad thinks you’re perfect and he’s prouder of you than any dad I know.’ A warm smile spread over Mee Lin’s face. ‘He’s your biggest fan, and I’m afraid I’ve become one too.’

  Max blushed an immediate hot pink as her dad grabbed a glass and clanged his spoon against the side.

  ‘I’d like to make a toast.’ Her dad loved giving speeches. ‘This is one of the happiest days of my life. I have two old friends with me who I’ve waited far too long to see. I’ve met Linden who I’m told is one of the finest young men I’ll ever meet — and that must be true because he laughs at all my jokes — and I’m with Mee Lin, one of the kindest, gentlest, most talented people I know.’ Max saw her dad look at Mee Lin and soften.

  ‘But that’s not the best part. I’m one of the luckiest fathers in the world to have Max in my life. From the day you were born, I couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone more. You’ll always be the most important person in my life.’

  ‘To Max,’ Ben chimed in.

  Max shrank into her seat. She loved her dad but why, like Ben, didn’t he get that she hated having a fuss made over her? After the clinking of glasses had finished, her dad had something else to say. ‘Linden and Max, we need a few more extras in the film we’re making and I was wondering if you’d like to help out.’

  Max had just taken a bite of her bread roll. ‘Wou won uh woo aa in a wilm?’

  Her dad frowned.

  ‘Let me help,’ Linden offered. ‘You want us to act in a film?’

  ‘Yep.’

  Max finished the rest of her mouthful. ‘That’d be … I’d love … i
f you think …’ She tried to control her mouth but was failing miserably.

  ‘I think that means we’re in,’ Linden translated.

  Three waiters appeared beside them and began serving their food.

  ‘Your dad was right,’ Linden said to Max after his first bite. ‘This puts a whole new spin on the word taste.’ But just as he finished speaking, Linden thought he saw something strange.

  ‘Max?’

  ‘Mmm?’ Max was concentrating on her lobster claw that was slipping around in her hands.

  ‘I know this is going to sound weird, but I think there’s someone here you know.’

  Max’s eyes followed Linden’s finger as he pointed to a large fish tank and the wavering features of someone standing behind it. At first she thought it was just some kid with a fixation for teasing fish, until her brain kicked in and told her otherwise.

  ‘No. It can’t be.’ Her hands involuntarily squeezed the lobster claw so hard that it flew from her fingers and landed in the soup of a man sitting at the next table. He looked at Max accusingly.

  ‘Sorry,’ she winced.

  An immediate bustle of activity rose around them as Max’s dad and Ben apologised to the man and waiters instantly appeared to clean up the mess.

  Max looked back at the watery kid who was sniggering as Linden tried to come up with an explanation for what they were seeing. ‘Maybe it’s a leftover from the Nightmare Vortex and you’re just facing another of your fears.’4

  Max wanted to believe that, but the wobbling figure behind the fish tank motioned her over. ‘Wait until I get my hands on him,’ she simmered.

  ‘It’s your friend from Hollingdale, isn’t it?’ Linden asked.

  Max’s head ricocheted towards him. ‘He’s not my friend.’

  But Linden was right. As the others were settling down after the soup incident, the wavering figure of Toby Jennings poked his smirking face around the tank. Max desperately struggled to stay calm.

  She stood up and grabbed her bag. ‘I have to go to the bathroom,’ she announced a little more loudly than she intended. ‘Can you come with me, Linden?’