Page 79 of No Ordinary Girl
“We strive for excellence, here at the Renaissance Academy of Mentalist Studies,” she carried on, “and we have many rules, and I know we work you students very hard. You’ve all been doing a wonderful job.” She splayed a hand over her heart. “I’m so very proud of all of you.”
The crowd roared again and a tingle traveled up my spine. She often spoke to us like we were little children, toddlers learning to walk properly, not so steady on our feet, discovering the world. And in many ways, we were exactly that. It was somehow not condescending, everyone knew that that was just her way. I think everyone loves Simone. She’s glamorous, smart and unlike any other adult I’ve ever known. I think that most of us girls aspire to be just like her.
“Tonight, you can go a little crazy,” she continued, “and enjoy your wonderful friends, and eat as much junk as you can.”
More cheers from the crowd. I wondered how many kids would be suffering from sugar hangover the next day.
“I have a little something special planned tonight,” she added with a playful wink, “like I always do.”
The crowd went wild. Roars surrounded us, and gave me goosebumps.
“Tonight’s special game is a scavenger hunt. Don’t you all just love scavenger hunts?”
The crowd went even wilder.
“She does this every year,” Alicia screamed in my ear, struggling to be heard over the noise. “The winners get amazing prizes. Baskets of chocolate, gift cards, even a freakin’ iPad.”
I got excited. I’d always wanted an iPad. I suddenly became very interested in the proceedings.
“Philippe will be handing out sheets to everyone. The theme of the hunt is ‘Classic Horror Movies.’ Each sheet contains eight clues. Each clue will lead you to a secret spot around campus where you will collect an object. Tonight, everyone will have access, but don’t do anything crazy. You need to collect all eight objects, and jot down the eight movie titles. As soon as you’re done, you run back to Philippe's table,” she pointed to the quiet corner with the table, “and hand him your sheets and bags. The deadline is eleven o’clock. The volunteers will go over the sheets, and we’ll be handing out the prizes at midnight.”
It was all so exciting. Alicia, Kendra and I were all giddy.
“We’ll be gathering in teams of two,” Simone went on. “Philippe and our volunteers will be handing out game sheets, pens and bags.”
She paused for a moment and handed out a stack of sheets to Philippe and a few students including the joker in my Energy Fields class. She turned to the crowd again. “Good luck to you all!”
Philippe and the volunteers scampered around the crowd. I turned to Alicia just when Kendra asked, “You wanna be partners?”
She wasn’t looking at me. She was looking at Alicia. Alicia’s gaze darted to and fro. She didn’t really want to team up with Kendra. “It’s okay,” I assured her. “I’ll go look for Leo.”
“Oh… okay,” she said quietly. I knew she was disappointed.
“Yay! It’s you and me,” Kendra cheered.Obviously, she hadn’t noticed Alicia’s expression.
Suddenly, I felt as awkward as I used to back at my old high school. I was the loser without a partner. I scanned the crowd for Leo, and my heart did a little skip, but then it crashed and burned when I saw him smiling and talking to Brianna. She was dressed as a pirate wench.They made quite the attractive couple, I couldn’t deny. A boy dressed as a court jester handed them a sheet.
I was devastated.
Ace was heading in my direction when a girl in a smutty fairy outfit stopped him. They exchanged a few words, and she cocked her head with a put-upon expression. Whatever he said absolutely destroyed her–heartbreaker.
When he got to me, he grinned. “How about you and I, Dorothy?” It was an invitation. “Dorothy and tin man go together like peanut butter and jelly, don’t they.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Do they? I can’t remember.”
“I haven’t a clue,” he confessed. “I never saw the film.”
“You’ve never seen the movie? It’s a classic. Have you been hiding under a rock all your life?”
“What can I say? My mum isn’t a huge fan of the telly, or films. Schoolwork, reading, piano, art, cricket and chess were all a much better use of our time.”
Seriously? “You poor soul.”
The boy in the jester costume handed us a sheet, pen and bag; an orange bag with a black pumpkin on it, the kind toddlers carry for trick or treating.
“So what do you think? You reckon we’d make a good team?”
I winced a little. On the one hand, I had no other options. On the other, he would probably not be very good at this game. But then again, it might give me the opportunity to speak to him about Haley. And then there were those eyes,those eyes that drew me in. They made me want to follow him anywhere.How did he keep doing that? “Sure, sounds great,” I heard myself say–my voice sounded uncharacteristically peppy.
