Part 3
"And then he said I had the *best* dress, and the colour really brought out my eyes. He knows Ezelda herself and said he can get her to design me a special dress just for me to wear to the prom."
Alexandra wasn't really listening to Sophie's story about her date on Saturday. She'd lost interest more or less after Sophie had opened her mouth. Sophie had been yapping about her date with Ray Maxton-Winston III all week, and the new silver dress from a hot new designer all week. She was like a kid at Christmas.
Normally it was the type of thing Alexandra loved to hear about, gossiping about the town's new hot designer, and a date with a sexy heir to a family fortune. What would be more dreamy and romantic? Lately, though, she had just lost interest. She and Sophie were sitting outside in bright warm sunshine at a new coffee shop that had opened that morning in their exclusive town. One of those designer communities, perfect places for perfect people. Nothing but the best. Alexandra twirled the straw round in her vanilla Frappacino, her red nails glinting in the sunlight.
"What's it like in the planet you're on?"
"Huh?" Alexandra blinked, pushing her shades up on her nose. "Oh. Shut up."
Sophie's delicate eyebrows rose, her hazel eyes boring into Alexandra as if she were trying to see into her mind. Then she shook her head, tossing her curly blonde hair over her shoulder. "You've been weirding out on us all week. You know, Ray said his cousin Andrew is coming into town next week. He's getting almost as big an inheritance. I can see about getting you guys set up."
Alexandra shrugged. "Don't bother." A date wasn't going to cheer her up. Maybe she was just sick to death of her routine perfect life. She'd seen the same faces every day almost all her life. Her own friends were getting so predictable. Later that afternoon she and Sophie would go to the mall. They'd find Marissa in DKNY or Gucci, Marissa's weird cousin Jenna would stand around sulking, until they'd finished buying everything they looked the like of, then Jenna would drag them round Hot Topic and Sam Goodies. Then they'd hit the shoe shops, then the perfume and makeup counters at Sephora, finishing the day with a snack in the food court. It was what they did practically every time they went to the mall.
But Alexandra didn't feel like shopping that afternoon. She didn't know what she felt like. "I'm going for a walk."
"Walk? Are you nuts?" Sophie squeaked.
Alexandra waved dismissively, smoothing down the skirt of her short black dress. She walked away from the coffee shop, in no particular direction. She wandered along knowing Sophie of course, would go blabbing about her weird behaviour, and they would either come up with some absurd scheme to fix her, or snub her for being strange.
Alexandra was almost hoping they'd snub her, at least then she might get some peace. Looking around she found herself surprised to find she had walked into an area of the town she had never known was there before. The streets were shaded by large trees, the houses in long rows, small and compact. How could she get lost in a planned community where she'd been all her life?
She turned corner after corner finding the houses and thinned out and a wood was surrounding her. ~Woods~ she thought, shaking her head in confusion. ~This is getting nuts.~
A hand fell on her shoulder. She screamed and whirled around. To her horror, two trees near by burst into flames.
"Nice trick," said an unfamiliar male voice, with an unmistakable tone of amusement to it.
Alexandra frowned at the boy. He was tall and thin, kind of lanky. A mop of unbrushed brown hair was close cut around his ears, short in back, long over his forehead. He was dressed in unremarkable jeans and a white t-shirt.
"Trick?" Alexandra echoed. She stared at the flaming trees in disbelief. "There is no way in hell that *I* did that."
"Well, I know I didn't," The boy said. He looked at her for a few seconds. "You're from Golden Leaf." The amusement in his voice had changed into distaste.
Alexandra was still frowning. "I still *am* in Golden Leaf," she pointed out. The boy shook his head. "This used to be Springdale. Then those idiots knocked most of it down to become that snotty Golden Leaf place."
Alexandra just looked at him. "Oh."
Her eyes moved constantly to the flaming trees. She didn't know how she had managed to, or even if she believed that she was the one who had set them off. "Shouldn't we do something about them?"
"Stop them. You stared it."
Alexandra's eyes filled with frustrated tears. Her make up was just going to be ruined. "I didn't do it. I don't know *how* to stop it! I couldn't even if I wanted to." As if powered by her words, the fire stopped. The trees remained blackened and scorched, but the flames were gone.
"Quite a talent," the boy commented. "Come on. Golden Leaf's back this way. We don't need a search party tearing the place apart."
Alexandra paused as the boy started walking off. Could she trust him to lead her back? She hadn't exactly worked out how she felt about him yet. He glanced back at her. "If you're going to stand there like an idiot, be my guest." He continued walking.
Annoyed, Alexandra hurried after him. Her new mules were going to need replacing after this trip. She followed him in silence as the woods became streets again.
"Keep going and take the next right. Then you'll find yourself in Golden Leaf."
Alexandra looked where he was pointing. "Thanks, I guess."
He rewarded her with a surprisingly attractive smile. "Any time."
"Who are you, anyway?"
But he'd gone. Alexandra shook her head, hurrying back to safe and familiar territory. Though she couldn't help a small smile as she made her way home. An odd power she couldn't explain, and a strange but cute guy. Her day had turned out better than she had been expecting.
* * *
"And then he said I had the *best* dress, and the colour really brought out my eyes. He knows Ezelda herself and said he can get her to design me a special dress just for me to wear to the prom."
Alexandra wasn't really listening to Sophie's story about her date on Saturday. She'd lost interest more or less after Sophie had opened her mouth. Sophie had been yapping about her date with Ray Maxton-Winston III all week, and the new silver dress from a hot new designer all week. She was like a kid at Christmas.
Normally it was the type of thing Alexandra loved to hear about, gossiping about the town's new hot designer, and a date with a sexy heir to a family fortune. What would be more dreamy and romantic? Lately, though, she had just lost interest. She and Sophie were sitting outside in bright warm sunshine at a new coffee shop that had opened that morning in their exclusive town. One of those designer communities, perfect places for perfect people. Nothing but the best. Alexandra twirled the straw round in her vanilla Frappacino, her red nails glinting in the sunlight.
"What's it like in the planet you're on?"
"Huh?" Alexandra blinked, pushing her shades up on her nose. "Oh. Shut up."
Sophie's delicate eyebrows rose, her hazel eyes boring into Alexandra as if she were trying to see into her mind. Then she shook her head, tossing her curly blonde hair over her shoulder. "You've been weirding out on us all week. You know, Ray said his cousin Andrew is coming into town next week. He's getting almost as big an inheritance. I can see about getting you guys set up."
Alexandra shrugged. "Don't bother." A date wasn't going to cheer her up. Maybe she was just sick to death of her routine perfect life. She'd seen the same faces every day almost all her life. Her own friends were getting so predictable. Later that afternoon she and Sophie would go to the mall. They'd find Marissa in DKNY or Gucci, Marissa's weird cousin Jenna would stand around sulking, until they'd finished buying everything they looked the like of, then Jenna would drag them round Hot Topic and Sam Goodies. Then they'd hit the shoe shops, then the perfume and makeup counters at Sephora, finishing the day with a snack in the food court. It was what they did practically every time they went to the mall.
But Alexandra didn't feel like shopping that afternoon. She didn't know what she felt like. "I'm going for a walk."
"Walk? Are you nuts?" Sophie squeaked.
Alexandra waved dismissively, smoothing down the skirt of her short black dress. She walked away from the coffee shop, in no particular direction. She wandered along knowing Sophie of course, would go blabbing about her weird behaviour, and they would either come up with some absurd scheme to fix her, or snub her for being strange.
Alexandra was almost hoping they'd snub her, at least then she might get some peace. Looking around she found herself surprised to find she had walked into an area of the town she had never known was there before. The streets were shaded by large trees, the houses in long rows, small and compact. How could she get lost in a planned community where she'd been all her life?
She turned corner after corner finding the houses and thinned out and a wood was surrounding her. ~Woods~ she thought, shaking her head in confusion. ~This is getting nuts.~
A hand fell on her shoulder. She screamed and whirled around. To her horror, two trees near by burst into flames.
"Nice trick," said an unfamiliar male voice, with an unmistakable tone of amusement to it.
Alexandra frowned at the boy. He was tall and thin, kind of lanky. A mop of unbrushed brown hair was close cut around his ears, short in back, long over his forehead. He was dressed in unremarkable jeans and a white t-shirt.
"Trick?" Alexandra echoed. She stared at the flaming trees in disbelief. "There is no way in hell that *I* did that."
"Well, I know I didn't," The boy said. He looked at her for a few seconds. "You're from Golden Leaf." The amusement in his voice had changed into distaste.
Alexandra was still frowning. "I still *am* in Golden Leaf," she pointed out. The boy shook his head. "This used to be Springdale. Then those idiots knocked most of it down to become that snotty Golden Leaf place."
Alexandra just looked at him. "Oh."
Her eyes moved constantly to the flaming trees. She didn't know how she had managed to, or even if she believed that she was the one who had set them off. "Shouldn't we do something about them?"
"Stop them. You stared it."
Alexandra's eyes filled with frustrated tears. Her make up was just going to be ruined. "I didn't do it. I don't know *how* to stop it! I couldn't even if I wanted to." As if powered by her words, the fire stopped. The trees remained blackened and scorched, but the flames were gone.
"Quite a talent," the boy commented. "Come on. Golden Leaf's back this way. We don't need a search party tearing the place apart."
Alexandra paused as the boy started walking off. Could she trust him to lead her back? She hadn't exactly worked out how she felt about him yet. He glanced back at her. "If you're going to stand there like an idiot, be my guest." He continued walking.
Annoyed, Alexandra hurried after him. Her new mules were going to need replacing after this trip. She followed him in silence as the woods became streets again.
"Keep going and take the next right. Then you'll find yourself in Golden Leaf."
Alexandra looked where he was pointing. "Thanks, I guess."
He rewarded her with a surprisingly attractive smile. "Any time."
"Who are you, anyway?"
But he'd gone. Alexandra shook her head, hurrying back to safe and familiar territory. Though she couldn't help a small smile as she made her way home. An odd power she couldn't explain, and a strange but cute guy. Her day had turned out better than she had been expecting.
* * *