Sylvia shrugged another apology and they both went back to work to finish the volcano. When it was done, they had dinner to let everything dry.
As they ate, Grammy asked, “Is there a presentation that goes along with the model?”
“Yes,” answered Sylvia. “If it’s okay with you, Megg, I’ll talk about how volcanoes are formed and you can talk about how they erupt.”
“I find the study of science to be of no use to the future Queen of Aerianna. And quite frankly, if I fail this course, it would mean nothing to me.” That actually wasn’t true. The Princess very much wanted to make the dean’s list. “So, if you would be so kind and do the entire presentation, I would be grateful.”
“Well . . . I’m not sure.”
“My mother would take it as a personal favor. She would be eternally grateful.” Evoking Dazzle every chance she got was just another of the Princess’s irritating behaviors.
“I guess I can’t turn down a Queen.”
“Thank you. Shall we go test our model?” She was anxious to see if it really would erupt.
“Is that okay, Grammy?” asked Sylvia.
“Of course. But, let’s put the dishes in the sink first. Then I want to watch.”
Megg pretended she had to go to the bathroom . . . and only finished when Sylvia and Grammy had completed cleaning the table.
They tested the model . . . and it worked perfectly.
*****
They brought the volcano to school and placed it in the classroom. Everyone else had done the same.
Megg looked at all the other projects and smiled. As far as she was concerned, hers was by far the best. She would definitely get an A if Sylvia didn’t mess up the presentation.
The Princess then spent the entire day hounding Sylvia whenever she got the chance. “You are prepared?” she kept asking.
“Yes. For the hundredth time . . . yes.”
“Do not fail me.”
“It’s OUR project.”
“Of course. But do not fail me.”
“Megg . . . take a deep breath and chill.”
*****
“Okay, our next presenters are Sylvia and Megg.”
The girls walked to the front of the room. The Princess was smiling while Sylvia looked incredibly calm. But, if you knew her really, really well . . . you would have noticed a twinkle in her eyes.
“Mr. Starr . . .,” said Sylvia, “we would like to present our working model of a volcano. This one resembles Mount Saint Helen . . . before it erupted, of course. So, the first thing we would like to share with you is how volcanoes are formed. There are actually three ways . . .”
And for the next ten minutes, Sylvia did a wonderful job explaining the three basic ways that the earth formed these pyro-technical wonders.
When she finished, she asked, “Any questions?” There were none.
“Okay, next we would like to explain the different types of eruptions. At the end . . . we’ll see if this (she pointed at her model) will do the same. So, Megg . . . it’s all yours.” And Sylvia stepped back.
Megg looked at Sylvia still smiling . . . until she realized what the girl had just said. Then her eyes went wide and she started to blush.
“Megg . . . don’t be embarrassed. We’re not here to judge you on how you speak . . . only on the thoroughness of your facts,” said Mr. Starr helpfully.
The princess began to panic. She tried to access her crystals . . . but there was no scientific information in them. She turned to Sylvia with a pleading look in her eyes. Sylvia just smiled . . . much like a shark who was about to have dinner.
“I . . . well, I . . . uh . . . I . . . that is to say . . .,” but she had nothing to say.
No one had ever seen the Princess like this.
And, as kids sometimes do, they laughed.
Megg turned lava red then erupted in anger and pushed the volcano off the table. She strode from the room trying her best to maintain her dignity.
Chapter 10 – . . . Comes Around
Principal Knotworthy explained to Megg that such displays of temper were unacceptable. She tried to argue that it was all Sylvia’s fault, but her arguments fell on deaf ears. Realizing she needed to cut her losses, she apologized with, “I do believe I was treated unfairly, but I accept the fact that I must abide by your rules.”
By the time she left the office, school was over. So she collected her books then went to find Grammy. She got in the car and slammed the door.
“Oh, my. A bad day, dear?”
“That treacherous little wench . . .”
“Who would that be?”
“Sylvia.”
“Sylvia? What happened?”
“She promised me that she would give the entire presentation. But she lied. I was humiliated.”
“I’m so sorry, dear. But I can’t imagine that Sylvia would do something like that on purpose. Why would anyone mistreat another person for no reason? Surely if the girls have learned anything from being around someone like yourself . . . a person of nobility . . . they would have learned what you obviously have known from birth.”
Megg had no idea what the old woman was talking about. “What have I known since birth?”
“That when a person is in a position of power . . . like being a Princess, or like Sylvia was in your presentation . . . that to abuse that power to hurt another is a sure sign of being unworthy. The mighty should never hurt the meek . . . don’t you agree?”
“You are speaking nonsense.”
“I am? Why?”
“Those in power should always use it to put those less worthy in their place.”
“Oh. So, then Sylvia was right to do what she did? Obviously, she had the power of being prepared and taking the assignment seriously. And, of course, you didn’t.”
M’egg-Alynnia glared at Grammy . . . but said nothing.
*****
The next day in history, Mr. King told the class they were going to play a version of twenty-questions. It was a scheduled event and no one was surprised by the announcement. He broke the class into three teams led by the Princess, Egg and Melody. Everyone wanted to be on Megg’s team because she knew everything there was to know about history. Mr. King put the kids with the worse grades on her team. They could use the extra points they were going to win.
“Whichever team has the highest score will get ten extra points added to their grades. There’s a buzzer attached to a light in front of each of the captains. A wrong answer is minus a point, a right answer is plus a point. So talk it over before you buzz in. Ready? Okay, here we go . . .”
“The war ended with what battle? Megg . . .”
“Bunker Hill.”
“Wrong. Egg . . .”
“York Town.”
“Correct. The first battle of the war was . . . Megg?”
“The Boston Tea Party.”
“Wrong. Egg . . .”
“The battles of Lexington and Concord.”
“Correct.
And at the end of thirty minutes, Egg had personally answered every question correctly while Megg had answered every question incorrectly. Melody and her team never even buzzed in.
“Congratulations, Eloise. That was an amazing display of knowledge.”
“Thank you. And I apologize to my teammates for hogging all the answers.” But her team just cheered her.
“Megg . . . what happened? Bit of a brain freeze?” That got everyone, but her teammates, to laughing.
“I . . . I . . .,” but she was too stunned and embarrassed to offer an explanation.
“That’s okay,” said Mr. King trying to be supportive. “It happens to the best of us.”
The class ended and Megg walked away dazed. She kept looking at her ring with the crystals but could see nothing wrong. But obviously something wasn’t working correctly. When she got back to Aerianna, she would find the person who made the ring and have them exiled to earth. That would teach them to be so careless.
With her mind so preoccupied, she nev
er heard Angela, Melody and Presley whispering and giggling. They were surprised and a bit disappointed to find that the great and wondrous Princess was not so perfect after all.
Of course, they also mentioned that know-it-all show-off Egg. Apparently, even stupid people could get lucky.
*****
It was the night of the big volleyball championship and Megg was looking forward to the game. She needed an opportunity to reassert her position with her followers. The fiasco in science and in history had spread up and down the student body and she thought some of the kids were actually laughing at her behind her back.
That just frosted her. If she were back on Aerianna, she would have every one of these peasants tossed out of school. They weren’t worthy to be anywhere near her . . . let alone in the same classroom.
“Remember everything that got us here,” said their coach, Miss Payne.
And the girls all answered in unison, “TEAMWORK.” Megg didn’t actually say the word, she just mouthed it.
“Okay . . . relax and play your game. You’re good and we’re going to win.”
“And, don’t forget to set and spike” Izzy reminded everyone while looking at Megg.
The Princess just smiled.
And game one of the three game set began . . .
Athenian won easily; 21 to 15.
The second game was much closer . . .
17 to 17, all tied
18 to 17, Athenian
19 to 17, Athenian
19 to 18, Athenian
And now, Megg thought, it was time to shine. And just like in the previous match, she failed to set to Izzy and instead spiked the ball.
It hit the net and bounced back . . . and the serve went over to the other team.
“Stop doing that,” Izzy hissed.
“Play your game, and I shall play mine” snarled the Princess.
On the next play, Megg did it again. And the results were the same.
19 to 19, all tied.
Not one to give up on her plans, Meggy did it twice more . . .
And Athenian lost 21 to 19.
The team went off to their side for a five-minute water break.
“Okay, guys. We’re still better than they are. Same game plan. However, Jenny . . . I want you to play for Megg. She needs a breather.” Miss Payne was a good coach and her belief in team work was unshakeable. Megg was playing for her own glory and not the teams. That was unacceptable.
“I am fine. I will play this last game.”
“No you won’t. Jenny . . . get in there and play well.”
And the teams took to the court.
And Jenny played well.
And Megg watched from the sidelines.
And the team won the game, the match, and the district title.
And they went nuts . . . jumping and screaming along with their fans.
And in the confusion, Megg slipped away and went home.
*****
After a quiet dinner, Megg excused herself and went up to her bedroom.
Grammy knocked on the door and said “May I come in?”
She was in no mood for whatever this old woman had to say . . . but decided against her better judgment to be polite. “The door is unlocked.”
“I brought you a cup of hot chocolate. It will help calm you.”
Meggy loved hot chocolate. She considered it one of the finest inventions of earth . . . next to cereal. Without thinking, she smiled and said, “Thank you.”
Grammy placed the cup on the nightstand, then sat uninvited on the edge of the bed. “Did you know that you look incredibly beautiful when you smile?”
Megg was surprised by the compliment. “Thank you, again” and like the smile, it was sincere.
“You’ve had a rough time of it at school. Would you like to talk about it?”
Now the woman was stepping over the line. Who ever heard of a commoner asking such personal questions of a Princess? “I have nothing to discuss with you” she replied in her usual churlish way.
“I understand. But before I go, I would like you to consider an earth saying . . . what goes around, comes around.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that what you do to others, will sooner or later be done to you. Now, enjoy your chocolate while it’s still hot. Pleasant dreams.” She stood up . . . then bent down and gave the Princess a kiss on her forehead.
M’egg-Alynnia was too surprised by the act of tenderness to say anything. She just watched the old woman . . . Eloise, she corrected herself . . . leave the room.
Fighting back tears, she did as she was told and drank the hot beverage. Then she turned off the light and went to sleep.
And she dreamt . . .
It was that old dragon, Storm and he was with a young girl.
To her surprise, the girl was her mother.
And the dragon said to the young Dazzle “To be a great Queen takes a weapon of enormous power.”
“Like the Crystal Egg?”
“No . . . not the Crystal Egg.”
“What then?” asked the young girl.
“Kindness. It is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.”
“What of love and loyalty and selflessness?”
The dragon laughed, “Those are also great weapons. Put them all in your arsenal . . . and the world will be yours to command.”
*****
The next day in English, the class was to discuss the book they had been reading . . . the one Egg and Sylvia (as well as everyone else) had written a book report on. That, of course, was Where the Red Fern Grows.
Ms. Pigfurd smiled at the class then called on the Princess. “Would you give us a quick summary of the book, Megg?”
“Of course,” and she stood up. Like any good speaker, she looked into the eyes of all the students before she started to speak. The only one not looking back at her was Sylvia who was pretending to be busy with a piece of jewelry pinned to her blouse.
“Where the Red Fern Grows is a story about a boy and two dogs that he really wants but can’t afford. It’s during the great depression and his ma and pa are as poor as dirt. They can’t afford money for no fool thing like dogs that Billy Coleman just has to have.”
She stopped because her voice sounded strange . . . and because everyone was staring at her.
“That’s very clever, Megg. But just use your own voice.”
“What’ya talking about?” That didn’t sound right either.
Ms. Pigford was trying to be nice. “Please, dear. Just summarize the story without the theatrics.”
“I ain’t talking no different then I usually do.” But now she was sure that she was. It must be those stupid crystals again.
“Okay, Megg. That’s enough. Please sit down.”
Megg slinked back to her desk, desperately trying not to blush.
“What’s with your voice?” whispered Angela.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with my voice.”
“If you say so,” and she turned to Melody on her other side and made a goofy face.
*****
By lunchtime, everyone in the school knew that the Princess was no longer talking like one. In fact, she sounded more like a country bumpkin then royalty from England.
“Do you think it was all just a put-on?” asked Presley.
“I guess,” said Melody as bewildered as everyone.
“To think we’ve been sucking up to her since she got here,” added an indignant Angela.
“They even took her out of the volleyball game 'cause she kept messing up.”
“Yeah. What a loser.”
“Shhhh . . . here she comes.”
“Could I sit with you guys?” and the Princess could only hope that she wasn’t still talking weirdly.
“Umm . . . sorry. All the seats are taken,” replied Angela.
Megg looked at the four empty chairs. “Sure,” and she walked to a table over by the trashcans and sat down by herself.
A little while lat
er, Izzy and her cohorts came by to empty their trays. They looked at Megg then turned away . . . without saying a word. Obviously, she would no longer be part of their eighth grade ‘in’ crowd.
*****
She managed to get through the rest of the day without talking to anyone. When the final bell rang, she ran to her locker, got her books and went to look for Grammy. When she got in the car, she began to cry.
To her surprise and disappointment, Grammy didn’t say a word . . . she just drove home.
When they got into the house, Megg was still crying. And she desperately wanted Grammy to say something encouraging.
“Megg . . .”
“Yes” answered the Princess hopefully.
“I want you to read something.”
That wasn’t what she was hoping to hear. “What?”
“This is Egg’s diary. You can read the whole thing . . . but I really want you to read the pages I marked. Please do that now.”
“I don’t understand?”
“When you finish, come down and we’ll talk. Please.”
So Meggy took the diary and went to her room and read . . .
. . . and she learned of the flying suit and how Egg became Flying Girl.
. . . and how she had discovered the power of the jewelry
. . . and how Dazzle asked her to help her fight Mobius
. . . and how she recruited Sylvia and the other sisters
. . . and how they made it through K’actus Kiln, the Colorless Wood, Switch Swamp, AyBee Sea, the Crystal Forest, the Maze of Forever and the Never ‘glade.
. . . and how Egg recovered Dazzle’s body
. . . and how she helped Prince Storm see his old friend (Megg’s mother) before he died.
. . . and how she almost single-handedly beat Mobius
. . . and restored her mother to power.
. . . and in the end, she willingly gave up being Flying Girl so that everyone on Aerianna could be free.
And M’egg-Alynnia cried. She had read most of this before in her history books. But to have a first-person account . . . to see the struggles as Egg saw them . . . was something entirely different.
Her mother was right . . . Egg and her sisters were the Heroines of Aerianna.
And she was just a spoiled brat . . . a make-believe princess who could never have done what these seven did. And she was so ashamed.
Box Set #2: Zynn-Zaz'Zia: [The 4 book 2nd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood] Page 10
