Wattys shortlist 2021. One morning the sun rises a few hours early, striking levitating skyscrapers in Soliara ahead of schedule. People in the streets stop to look up at the sky and then down at their watches. Most of them, puzzled but disbelieving...
High off her success, Frost wanted to show she could uncover spells with her unique talent, and Fog wanted to catch up and discover the mind-reading spell.
The mirror twins sifted through the mind's detritus and intruded on the shifts of another day, the gathered memories' impact on motivations for the present moment.
When Frost got to mind-reading class, her favorite, the pillow under her didn't feel so heavenly-cloud-like when she paired not with Kudzu but with a girl named Heaven. One of the conceited-code-name clique. One who gave herself a halo that glowed around her blond cherub curls just because she could.
Kudzu was absent Thursday (Thursdays are for strings practice, he had said).
Heaven, showing no appreciation for Frost's deft, surgical skill, only scowled each time she guessed such original messages as "One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven," and "Isn't Willow the nicest teacher?"
Every time Frost got it, her eyes would narrow like cat's and she took fifteen minutes or longer on her turn, grumbling in frustration all the while. She complained and made excuses. "I could do it last week. Is it possible to un-discover a spell? Maybe I have amnesia."
The message she made available to Frost on her next turn was not kind. "You're not all that, you know. You're nothing special." Right at that moment, Willow, sweeping the room in an earth-toned kimono, clapped her hands and said, "Everyone, change partners."
Half the class rose from their seats like ballerinas from a plié and circled to a new partner, Heaven as gracefully as any other and looking back with a mean goodbye wave.
"Every mind is different," chanted Willow. "The mind softens between those who have built rapport and gained familiarity. No pairing with best friends or sisters." Her eyes caught not only on Frost and Fog but on others who partnered together all the time. Groans arose from students who wanted to work with their besties.
A similar noise arose from the girl who floated down onto Heaven's cushion seat and introduced herself, "Divine." It must take effort for every student in Oz not to roll eyes at a girl who would call herself Divine. No halo, just a princess whose name might as well be "hot shit," whose natural waves, if spell-enhanced, fell all the way to a trim waist revealed by her crop top.
Not wanting to repeat the message out loud when 'Divine,' with an angelic smile on her lips, projected, "No one likes you, no one likes you, no one likes you, showoff," Frost wriggled and tried to get comfortable, poker face in place as if she couldn't hear, and while she decided how to answer, she ended the spell, the only way to mute the recitation, and restored the blessed silence of the focus in the conclave of mind-readers as she pretended she couldn't guess Divine's thoughts.
Buying herself some time, she weighed her choices.
Option one, run out the clock, while glaring death at Divine and refusing to guess. Option two, take a deep breath and meditate, letting it all go, allowing her thoughts to wander wherever she wished as she paid no attention to the mean girls.
Option three . . . Mere seconds passed before words erupted out of her mouth without her awareness of making any choice. Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head to the side and said, "Now, that's not a very nice thing to say to someone."
Divine allowed herself a head tilt of her own, and a smile, and said, "What isn't?"
A growl converted just barely into words. "We both know what the message says."
"You must be reading it wrong." She sounded so sweet. "I don't know what you mean. Maybe you aren't as skilled at this as you thought." Almost like a friend offering advice. "Have you considered that Kudzu has been pretending you get it right every time?" In her head, she elaborated. Her lips plastered together, a voice in her head said, "It's obvious that wired Asian boy likes you." Her lips didn't move except to turn her smile mean.
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Dianthea, codename Frost, is having a bit of trouble getting along with the kids at school. I'll let you in on a fun fact: as she makes fun of a teenager who would name herself Divine, Frost's real name, Dianthea, means the exact same thing. Divine.
Have you ever known someone with a strong personality who doesn't get along with people who are a lot like them? I have a friend like this. When she meets a person with a personality just like hers, she doesn't like them. It's very amusing. She's still very lovable.
Divine, however, reveals herself to be a real mean girl by the end.
What did you think of the chapter? It's a short one, so I'm adding another today! Please leave a star as you continue on to the next. Thanks for reading!!
