Sylvia didn’t even bother to answer. She turned to Zack and hissed under her breath, “What is she doing here?”
Zack looked at her and shrugged helplessly, “What could I do?” he said pleadingly.
“You could have told me.”
“Then you wouldn’t have come.”
“You’re darn right I wouldn’t have.”
“Are you two getting in? We’re going to be late,” called Mrs. Z from the driver’s seat.
“Come on, Syl. Please.”
If his mom weren’t there, Sylvia would have turned and walked back into the house. But, she was embarrassed to do that in front of Mrs. Zambroski. It would be too hard to explain. So, reluctantly she climbed in . . . and sat next to the Princess.
“Is something wrong?” asked Meggy innocently.
Mrs. Z knew exactly what was wrong and came to Sylvia’s rescue. “Hey, it’s way too crowded back there. Sylvia, come sit by me.”
“Thank you . . . that would be great,” and she gave Meggy the evil eye as she moved to the front.
As they drove away, the van was filled with a deafening silence. Afraid that Megg would say something that would cause his girlfriend to go nuts, Zack leaned over the front seat and turned on the satellite radio to one of his favorite stations. When he finished he tried to squeeze Sylvia’s hand . . . but she moved it away pretending like she was fixing her hair. He sat back down and muttered, “I’m going to kill him,” under his breath. The ‘him’, of course, was Zeke.
Mrs. Z flipped a control and put the music on the rear speakers so that she and Sylvia could talk quietly. “I take it my son didn’t warn you about Zeke’s date?”
“No.”
“Don’t be too hard on him; he was just trying to help out his brother.”
“What am I supposed to tell Egg?”
“The truth. She’ll understand.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Sure she will. I’m just sorry that she’s not here right now. I prefer her company to . . . umm . . . well anyway, I’m very unhappy she and my son are no longer dating.”
“He was such a jerk.” Then realizing who she was talking to, she said, “Sorry.”
Mrs. Z smiled. “I love him to death; but sometimes he just acts like a thirteen- year-old boy. Which, of course, is what he is.”
Sylvia looked at Mrs. Zambroski and shrugged. There really wasn’t anything to say.
“Anyway, I just wanted to say that I’m so very happy that Zack and you are dating. Truth is, I think you’re both too young to be going steady. But, if it has to be someone, I’m glad it’s you.”
It was a really sweet thing for Mrs. Z to say. But at the moment, Sylvia was more inclined to agree that she was too young for all this boy stuff. However, all she said was, “Thank you.”
“Cheer up . . . everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.” That actually got Sylvia to smile. It was something that the Myst Tree at Sighing Whorl might have said.
*****
The movie was the typical middle-earth type story about witchcraft and fire breathing dragons and an incredibly handsome young hero and an equally breath-taking heroine.
There was the usual fighting and screaming and daring rescues; and the special effects were particularly spectacular.
M’egg-Alynnia and the boys loved it. Sylvia, who was in a foul mood anyway, thought it was boring since she had personally fought battles much tougher than the ones in the story.
When it was over, Zeke said, “Let’s go get a coke or something.”
“I have to get home,” declared Sylvia.
“My mom won’t be here for another hour . . .,” and Zack cringed when he said it.
“Oh, do come along, Sylvia. It will be wonderful to chat about the movie. It did remind me so much of home.”
Sylvia gave the princess a look that said “shut up,” while the boys looked at her with interest.
“Don’t tell me they have dragons back home in England,” said Zeke.
“Or witchcraft and magic,” added his brother.
M’egg-Alynnia gave one of her best royal smiles, “Oh, do not be silly. Of course, there is no magic. At least, not since the Crystal Egg was destroyed.”
“MEGG”.
“Oh, Sylvia. It is just an old wives tale. Surely you do not believe it ever existed?”
Sylvia obviously couldn’t answer . . . so she just glared.
“Of course, you do not,” answered the Princess for her. “But, come, let us find a warm place to sit and I will tell you the story. Then you may decide for yourselves.” The twins were hooked.
Sylvia was livid.
*****
Egg called early the next day. “How was the movie?”
“Okay.”
“Wow, high praise, indeed.”
“Ummm . . . I have to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Promise you won’t get mad?”
“Syl . . . just tell me. Never mind, let me guess. Zeke went with you.”
“Yeah.”
There was a few seconds of silence until Egg asked, “Did he have a date?” With a sinking feeling, she knew what the answer was going to be. Her heart was pounding pretty hard as she waited for Sylvia’s reply.
“Yeah.”
How strange. He wasn’t even her boyfriend anymore; but she was still finding it a little hard to breath. She forced herself to take a deep breath and asked, “Who?”
Sylvia was actually shaking when she answered, “Megg.”
Egg felt like she had been punched in the stomach. “You double dated with her?” and her eyes began to tear.
“Egg . . .”
“How could you do that to me?” and she began to feel nauseous.
“Egg, listen to me . . .”
“I thought you were my best friend?” and she started to cry.
“Egg, I didn’t . . .,” but the rest was cut off.
The phone had gone dead.
Chapter 9 – What Goes Around . . .
M’egg-Alynnia couldn’t have been happier with how her plans were working out . . .
Not only had she caused the break-up of Egg and Zeke . . .
. . . after their double date, Sylvia had ended her relationship with Zack.
. . . and Zack was so mad at his brother that they were no longer speaking.
. . . but best of all, Egg no longer considered Sylvia as a friend.
Now, all that was left to do was to find a way to get Egg and her grandmother angry at each other.
Then, she could leave this dreadful planet and return home to where she belonged.
And resume her rightful place as Princess of Aerianna.
But one thing did bother her . . . This was all too easy. In fact, it could hardly be called a challenge.
And that reinforced her belief that all the adulation given to the Hameggattic Sisterhood . . . and especially to Egg . . . was all seriously misplaced. There was no way that she and Sylvia could have ever done all the things that the history books gave them credit for. Obviously, her mother was using the Sisterhood to deflect attention from herself. She was always too modest.
When she was Queen, M’egg-Alynnia would have the history of the Quest re-written. All the glory rightfully belonged to her mother and her family, and she would eliminate any mention of these two earthlings.
She would also instruct the scientist of Aerianna to terminate the gateway to this planet . . . and to find a way to neutralize the rings that allowed Egg and Sylvia to travel to her world.
*****
It was the most important game of the year . . . the Athenian girls’ volleyball team against their hated rivals — Marathon Middle School. The winner would go to the district finals. The losers . . . would go home.
Since the game was at Athenian, just about everyone from the school was there . . . including Egg and Sylvia. It had been almost two weeks since that fateful double date and the girls had yet to make up. In fact, they hadn
’t said a word to each other. Well, that’s not entirely true. Sylvia did try to talk to her friend but she got as far as, “I’m sor . . .,” before Egg turned and walked away.
Sylvia had even tried to talk with Grammy about what had happened. But when she called, Megg had answered the phone . . . so she hung up.
The last time the girls had fought was maybe three years ago. She and Egg were on their way home from seeing a Peter Pan play. Sylvia had made fun of Egg who thought that having the ability to fly would be really neat. Since Sylvia didn’t know at that time that her friend was Flying Girl . . . she poo-poo’d the idea. And that made Egg so mad that she ended their friendship right then and there.
But they had eventually made up . . . with a little help from a mutual friend. Unfortunately, this time felt different. This time the pain was much deeper.
And Sylvia blamed herself. She should have had the courage to turn around and not get into the van that horrible night. But she did get in . . . and now she was without her best friend.
She felt dreadful. It was like a part of her was missing . . . which, in way, it was. Egg was her idol. That girl had changed her life in ways no one in the entire world could ever understand. And they were more than friends, even more than ordinary sisters . . . they were Hameggattic Sisters. They had been to the other side of the galaxy, fought evil, and beat it. They had braved incredible dangers and in the end, they saved a world and all of its people.
Egg had been Flying Girl and she had been her Feminion.
They were the Heroines of Aerianna . . . and best friends.
Then M’egg-Alynnia had purposely and maliciously ended all of that.
But Sylvia wasn’t about to let the Princess have the last laugh.
*****
It was an exciting match. Athenian won the first game; Marathon the second. The scoring in the third game went back and forth. But it was now 20 to 19 in favor of Athenian. They only needed one more point to win the game and the match . . . and to advance to the finals.
Izzy served and number 14 from Marathon did a great job to dig it out. Then number 10 set the ball to number 5 who spiked it over the net.
The not-too-bright Dora handled the ball for Athenian and passed it to Megg. But instead of setting it up for Izzy to spike, M’egg-Alynnia slammed the ball over the net for the game winning point.
And the crowd began to chant “Meg-E; Meg-E; Meg-E.”
But Izzy was livid. By all rights, Megg should have set her up and she would have been the one to win the game. She couldn’t confront the girl with everyone watching; it would have looked bad. So . . . Izzy bided her time.
“Nice one,” she said with feigned sincerity.
Unfortunately, M’egg-Alynnia’s response wasn’t quite what it should have been. “Yes, it was. I do think that the person with the superior skills should take the shot when the opportunity presents itself. Do you not agree?”
“What?”
“I did not set you up because, as the better athlete, it was my responsibility to do what I do best . . . for the team’s sake, of course.”
Izzy used every ounce of self-control to resist from scratching Megg’s eyes out. “Whatever,” and she turned and walked away.
*****
Sylvia had watched the last point with interest. She knew that basic volleyball strategy called for a pass, a set-up and a spike whenever possible. And on that last point, instead of doing what was best for the team, Meggy had decided to take all the glory for herself.
She watched as Izzy and the princess exchanged words, and then the older girl stormed off.
The seeds of an idea began to sprout in her mind. Maybe Grammy was right when she said that sooner or later, M’egg-Alynnia would start to show her true colors. As the idea began to take shape, she began to think that maybe, just maybe, she could help speed up the Princess’s education. So far, Sylvia admitted to herself, it was Megg who was teaching she and Egg how a Royal Pain in the Butt could make life miserable.
However, for her plan to work, she was going to need help. And who better to start with than dear old mom.
And if that went well, she would call Grammy.
But what was she going to do about Egg? Her best friend hated her . . . and not without cause. That might be a problem.
All in all, it was going to be a busy weekend.
*****
It was Thursday, a week after the volleyball game and Megg and Grammy were driving home from school.
“So, did you spend any time with the girls today?”
“Normally, I hardly see either one . . . except during class. And, we never talk. But strangely enough, Sylvia volunteered to be my partner on a science project.”
“I believe you once said that science wasn’t your favorite subject. I’m sure she did it as a courtesy to you . . . or maybe to your mom.”
“Perhaps,” said the Princess not fully understanding how Sylvia could ignore everything she had done to her.
“Should I invite her over tomorrow night so the two of you can work on it?”
“That would be satisfactory. May I suggest that you also invite your granddaughter?” This wasn’t what it seemed; the Princess was just trying to implement the next part of her plan.
“That won’t be possible. I believe you are aware that the girls had a small disagreement.”
“They share nothing of their personal lives with me. With the exception of this science project, they are intent on ignoring me. Since we spend virtually no time together, then my stay on earth serves no purpose. No doubt, my mother would agree. So perhaps you would be so kind as to take me home.” (She, of course, was referring to Aerianna).
Now M’egg-Alynnia knew that wasn’t going to happen. So poor Grammy was going to have to find a way to get Egg to do what she absolutely didn’t want to do . . . talk to her — and to Sylvia. This was going to be such fun.
“You are my guest until school is out in June. But . . . you are correct. Your visit will be wasted if you don’t spend more time with the girls. When we get home, I’ll give them a call.”
“That would be delightful. You are such a gracious host,” said the Princess with a voice that was dripping with sarcasm.
*****
When they got home, Megg excused herself and climbed the stairs towards her bedroom. Grammy watched her go then went into the kitchen to call her granddaughter. It was a call that she had rehearsed in her mind a number of times.
Megg stopped at the top and waited to hear the kitchen door open and close. She then tiptoed downstairs and over to the door so she could eavesdrop on the conversation. She grinned in anticipation.
“Hi, dear one.”
{response from Egg}
“Are you doing anything tomorrow night?”
{response from Egg}
“Egg, sweetheart, I think you and Sylvia need to come over for dinner. You, two, have spent so little time with Megg.”
{response from Egg}
“But, love, you made a promise to the Queen.”
{response from Egg}
“Egg, I know it’s difficult for you. But it is your responsibility.”
{response from Egg}
“Please don’t talk to me that way.”
{response from Egg}
“Egg . . . you’re being childish.”
{response from Egg}
“Egg . . . Egg . . .,” but her granddaughter had hung up.
Grammy stood there staring at the phone. After a moment she replaced the receiver and said, “Oh, dear. Oh, dear.” Egg had never, ever hung up on her before.
M’egg could hardly keep from laughing.
*****
The next day, Grammy picked up both Megg and Sylvia.
“Is not Egg going to join us?” asked the Princess innocently.
“Umm . . . she couldn’t make it,” answered Grammy uncomfortably.
“How very sad.”
Ignoring the insufferable girl, Grammy asked Sylvia, “Do you have what y
ou need for the project?”
“No. Could we go to the crafts store by your house?”
“Of course.”
“Sylvia . . . I was so pleased you volunteered to be my partner. But, in truth, I am surprised. After our double date, I had the distinct impression that you held me responsible for subsequent events.”
“I overreacted. Sorry.”
“Your apology is accepted,” said the Princess graciously (and not just a little obnoxiously).
*****
“Exactly what do you propose to create for the project?”
“A working volcano.”
“And how, may I inquire, do we do that?”
“It’s actually kind of simple. We’ll use the plaster of Paris to make the volcano and mount it on this board. When it dries, we’ll paint it.”
“But does it not need to erupt?”
“Sure. That’s actually pretty easy. Inside the model, we’ll put this soda bottle with the top cut off. Inside the bottle will be water, soap, red food coloring and vinegar. Then we’ll put baking soda in a tissue. When we drop the tissue into the bottle . . . it’ll erupt.”
Though Megg was impressed, she pretended otherwise. “Of course. I thought perhaps you had a way to do it more realistically.”
Sylvia ignored the comment. “Okay, let’s start by preparing the plaster. I suggest you take off your jewelry otherwise it might get damaged.”
“Without my ring, I will not be able to understand you.”
“No big deal. This is what we’re going to do . . .,” and she explained the process. “It’ll only take a few minutes.”
So Sylvia took off her ring . . . and the Princess did the same.
And they prepared the plaster of Paris.
When they finished, Sylvia reached for both rings. She slipped hers on . . . but dropped Megg’s. She bent down and fumbled with it . . . then stood up and gave it to the Princess.
“Sorry.”
Megg examined the ring to make sure it was undamaged. “Do be more careful,” she said huffily.
Box Set #2: Zynn-Zaz'Zia: [The 4 book 2nd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood] Page 9
