I struggled to keep up with his long stride. Thankfully, my sparkly ruby shoes were pretty comfy. We passed a bunch of other teams, some walking as fast as we were, others running. I caught a quick glance of Brianna and Leo. Leo barely looked at me, too busy listening to Brianna who was yapping about something. How had we gone from almost kissing, to barely looking at each other? Jealousy, obviously.
“So, Ace. I wanted to talk to you about something,” I started, slightly breathless.This was as good a time as any. “I was trying to remember something about Haley’s case, and for the life of me, I just can’t remember… I was wondering if you could…”
He turned to me, still walking at a brisk pace. I had to hop once in a while to keep up with him. “You want me to put you under, love?”
I found his words amusing for some reason.He sounded like a sexy British anesthesiologist.Yes, please, let’s count from one to ten, backward. “Yes, I thought you could do that thing you do, and bring me back… and maybe I could remember.”
“My pleasure. Tomorrow good for you?”
“Uh… sure. The sooner the better.”
“I’ll call you,” he said as we neared the media room.
“Sure… wait, how do you know my extension?”
He turned to me. “I don’t. You’ll have to give it to me.”
The media room was packed. There was a bunch of people hanging over a bright orange bin in the middle. When they skittered away, I saw the pile of VHS tapes, destined for the recycling bin. AnotherHelp Yourselves! sign.
Ace picked one up. “Just like in the film,” he said. “How old are these bloody things? Sixties? Seventies era?”
I smirked. “They’re from the eighties.” I shook my head and I threw one in our bag and scribbled,The Ringon our sheet. “I actually used to watch these,” I told him, “Disney movies my mom would buy at the thrift store.”
“How very retro of you.”
“Says the boy who dresses like he belongs in the fifties.” I secretly liked it, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
Flowers, tiaras, and party dresses. Don’t dare mess with this prom queen.
For some reason, I drew a blank.
“Sounds a bit like that Stephen King novel… the one with the girl with the telekinetic powers, with the crazy mum.”
“Yes,” I cheered. “Carrie! Good job.” It had been a while since I’d seen that one. I was so little -- I remember, I’d slept in Kylie’s room that night. That Carrie girl was so crazy. I thought about Leo, who was telekinetic, too. I wondered how strong his powers were. I shook my head.I was not going to think about Leo Estrada.
“So, you like Stephen King?”
He nodded. “I do. Creepy bloke. I’m a huge fan.”
I laughed. “He’d fit in well here.”
“Definitely.”
“So… where do you think we should head now?” I asked as I studied the clue. Before he could reply, I had already answered my own question. “I think we should take a look at the theatre room… backstage.”
He nodded. “Yes, loads of tiaras and posh gowns back there, I’m sure.”
We raced down the halls until we got to the theatre. We spotted a few kids wearing white masks on their faces. I followed Ace close since he knew exactly where he was going. He led us to aBACKSTAGEsign and double doors. We swooped in, and I spotted Kendra and Alicia wearing tiaras. Kendra shot me a smile, and Alicia looked at me with a confused expression on her face.
There, amongst the sparkly gowns and costumes, on a purple chaise longue, sat a huge bright orange basket full of tiaras. I bounced a little when I grabbed one. I turned to Ace. “Can I wear it?”
A playful smile slowly traced his lips. “For sure. It suits you, princess.”
I blushed again. He was such a flirt. I couldn’t keep my gaze to his, and quickly looked down at the game sheet.
The elusive muse can drive a writer mad. A ruby glass of rum might be in order.
“What?!”I was clueless.
