Page 5 of No Ordinary Girl
“It still smells like taco,” Kylie pointed out. My mother swiped the bottle of Febreze from under the sink, and sprayed feverishly into the air.
“Not too much.” I stopped her. “I don’t think taco and lavender makes a good fragrance mix.”
“I saw her photo on the internet,” she said. “I don’t think Simone Adler has taco night… more like filet mignon night. Must be nice.”
My dad smiled. “What are you complainin’ about? Last week you were a vegetarian.”
Kylie laughed. “That didn’t last long. We went to McDonalds, and she caved and had a Big Mac.”
My dad pulled Kylie’s earlobe, and she giggled like she always does. “You’re a bad influence.”
My dad is a funny guy. He doesn’t have special powers like me, but he is kind of strange. He calls me Punky Brewster. I don’t really know who that is, apparently some star from an 80s sitcom. I Googled her once. She has brown hair and freckles like me. I suppose there is a bit of a resemblance. My dad is a hippie like my mom, and works in construction, and when he’s not at work, he likes to play bluegrass on the banjo. I fiddle with the guitar and play with him but I’m not a great musician. I do everything okay, but I don’t excel at anything.
I didn’t want to go. I did and I didn’t. On the one hand, I was kind of an outcast at school, and couldn’t wait to get out of there. But I figured it might be just the same at the new school – if I got in. And I knew I was going to miss my family something fierce, and Oreo, too. That’s my cat. He’s black and white, and sweet as a cookie.
Why can’t this freak school just be around the corner? Why does it have to be twenty hours away?
The doorbell rang. We all froze and looked at each other, wide-eyed. My heart hammered against my ribcage – I wasn’t sure I could do this.
My mom lifted her chin, and smoothed down her hair. “I’ll go get the door.”
We all nipped at her heels like eager little ducklings. She swung the door wide open, a little too enthusiastically.
“Hello,” my mom cheered. “I’m Colette!” She tends to be overly friendly when she’s nervous. I’m the opposite – I get really shy and awkward.
They stole my breath away as soon as I saw them standing on my porch. They were both larger than life, dressed in black from head to toe. He was about seven feet tall. My eyes practically bulged out of my head when I spotted the fancy black car on the curb, a small limousine-like car.
“Please do come in,” my mom offered. “It’s our pleasure to have you.” Somehow in the last minute, my mother had morphed into the Queen of England. She was totally weirding me out.
Mrs. Adler and her giant sidekick grinned at me kindly. I attempted a smile but I couldn’t even make eye contact.
“Wow,” Simone cheered. “What a beautiful family… and such a lovely… house.” She was lying – she thought our home was dreadfully small, and wondered how four people could share such a small space. That’s the fun thing about being a mind-reader – I can read facial expressions like a pro. But she did think the place was charming. She liked my mom’s painting; an Andy Warhol-like rendition of the neighbor’s cat.
My mom led them to the living room and urged them to take a seat. Oreo was tucked in the corner, sleeping soundly. I was sure they would leave with white cat hair all over their fancy black clothes. I slowly took a seat across them, and didn’t know what to do with my body – I’d never been so aware of my limbs. I crossed and uncrossed my legs, and crossed my arms but then I unfolded them instantly. I didn’t want to appear closed off. I wanted to seem like a perky friendly gal. Finally, I settled on playing with my heart necklace, rubbing the smooth stone between the pads of my fingers and thumb.
The room suddenly seemed so small and stuffy. And hot. I wanted to tear my shirt off, but I knew that wouldn’t go over too well. I hadn’t expected two people. I knew she would be there but I had no clue who he was. They both looked completely out of place in our shabby living room, like Kings and Queens at some grungy bar, the kind with peanut shells littering the floor.
“Thank you so much for having us,” Simone said. “It’s lovely to meet you all and have a chance to chat with Annabelle.”
Annabelle. Yes, that’s my name. I share a name with that psycho doll in the scary movies, and the worst part is that I do look like her a little. But in my defense, I’m pretty sure I came first.
Giant man hadn’t uttered a single word yet, but I was fascinated by him. He had jet black hair and alabaster white skin, a widow’s peak and a neatly trimmed dark beard. He wore a black suit, a black shirt and grey tie. He was so intense. He didn’t strike me as the type who watchesModern Familyon Wednesday nights. There was something else about him, too…
“Can I offer you both something to drink?” my mother asked. “I have coffee, about fifty kinds of tea, juice...” She turned to the giant man. “Uh… beer and libations…” Her voice trailed off.
I’d never heard my mom utter the word ‘libations’. I wasn’t even sure what it meant, and made a mental note to Google it later.
“I’ll just have a glass of water, please. Bottled if you have it,” Mrs. Adler replied.
She seemed a bit high maintenance but I did like her – she had a nice green aura about her. This told me that she was generous and kind, and a no-nonsense kind of woman. My mom has a green aura, too. She’s one with nature and the world, and has a very kind heart.
I was thankful that she was taking charge because I was pretty useless. I was still trying to process it all.
Kylie and Dad were still slack-jawed. Geez, it was like they’d never seen other humans in their house before. I might not have known what to do with my limbs, but at least my mouth was closed.
“I’ll have a glass of water as well, Mrs. Jenkins,” giant man said. He spoke in a low monotone voice, and it was somehow hypnotizing.
“My apologies,” Simone piped up. “I have yet to introduce my colleague… this is Cedric Black. He is the headmaster at RAMS and oversees all operations at the school. He was kind enough to join us today.”
