As the evening of the reception approached, the time drew near to pay our way. But how should we even get there? We bickered for days - rough days and smooth, in the privacy of our cabin.
"We will have to go along with the heylin we came with," Kimiko said. "After all, they're on the guest list. And even with disguises we can't just sashay up there, we might be figured out."How sure Kimiko was. How annoying.
On the afternoon the invitations arrived, the air was rent by Heylin screams, echoing along the corridor and far out to sea.
Mostly from Jack Spicer.
"He invited me? Chase Young?" he shrieked, dithering. "What in the world could I bring him to prove that I'm worth him! A heylin prince!"
"What indeed?" Kimiko remarked from the doorway where she peeked into the corridor to hear better. "I shudder to think."
We all did.
"I will go with Katnappe to the reception, it will seem more natural if we go with heylin 'dates'," Raimundo decided.
"I don't mind going with Pandabubba," Kimiko said, "He's always been sort of dull."
And so, for once, Kimiko wasn't the problem.
Evidently I was.
"Guys," I said, "I'll go with Jack."
On the night of the reception we dressed for hours on end, making sure to look decent and concealed. At last I sent the maids away and examined myself in the mirror. And I must say, I looked nice.
My dress may have been all wrong, but it was a pleasing pink, girlish like I seem. Around the waist I'm only a big as a minute. I'm quite dainty.
I dabbed toilet water behind my ears and plucked at my cheeks. My sweet-sixteen pearls nested in the hollow of my throat. On my shoulder was a corsage of two white orchids sent by Clay from the ship's florist. Two white orchids tied up with ribbon.
I drew on my white gloves and masquerade mask and reached for my evening bag, contained with a single shen gong wu in cases that I should be figured out.
In the corridor I hurried to catch up with Jack and my teammates. Nobody talked but fear like a fog rose from all of us before those mighty doors. We were flanked by two big footmen in dark clothing. Guardians of the Heylin Gate.
The doors fell open. An English voice blared and echoed:
ALICE
KIMMY
RAI
CHRIS
JACK
KATNAPPE
PANDABUBBA
DYRIS
And into the Royal Presence we went, all four of us, and all uncertain of our fates, all but the heylin 'dates' who scattered away. There was no time to dawdle.
The English voice was announcing the next guests behind us:
WUYA AND HANNIBAL ROY BEAN
Oh, how hard it is to make sense of a social occasion from behind a mask. It was warm in here: the cackling fire, the blazing candles. Time wasn't just running out; it was galloping like a mad horse and the room was full of evil, and no good at all.
VOUS LISEZ
Everyone Ages (XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN)
FanfictionA Private Affair tells the story of a brave xiaolin warrior and her friends embarking on a desperate and stormy journey, fighting against love and other enormous forces that the Heylin side has thrown at them. My current wattpad user: @ThingMaker (...
