Thank youthank you for the reviews! this chapter is longer than the others have been, but not much happens. it's dedicated to Jason (if he ever reads it), my best friend who invented the character Chives. SilverWurm: and here's what happens next! Raven's Girlfriend: I like your name... bit forward aren't we? "the next episode is called bunny Raven... sounds promising, even if she doesn't join playboy" someone ages ago anyway... lol thank you for the fanastic review! I'm glad you're reading. Capitaine Cartoon: thank you so much for reading my story! and for the great review!those are the sort that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, especially coming from such a fantastic author as you! I'm seriously honored. Inspector Brown: I found out she was Spanish about two days after I posted the story, I gues the reason I didn't check was because I like her being Russian instead. Shhh...on an unrelated note, I read your bio and respect your style of reviewing. people shouldn't get glowing reviews all the time. Kung Pow Kitty: Yikes, thank you so much! wow. I might explode.
"Of course I would never condescend to doing something like that… the sheer classlessness of it!" Ugly-Beautiful girl was speaking. "I can't even imagine who would stoop so low as to swim in a public pool." And she absolutely would not stop. "I can only imagine the human filth and, and putrid grime festering in that disgusting thing they call a 'pool' cesspool is more like it." Good manners dictated that I smile and nod, "Oh no, you would never catch me dead there, and besides, I don't think I could handle the way all those boys would admire my near-naked body."
Unfortunately, something told me that regardless how thoroughly I could explain myself to the judge he would fail to agree that this was justifiable homicide. Besides, good manners kept me from doing such things. She let out a put-upon sigh. "I'm sure you understand what I mean. It sure is difficult being an icon of beauty. Never had I so despised my good manners, the very same that kept me safe from doing any of the truly drastic things I imagined doing. But instead of acting, I simply smiled and nodded my way through a good three hours of the flight. Or so I thought.
"Jesu Christus!" the girl started at my exclamation as though just then realizing the thing she had been speaking to could articulate just as well as she.
"What is it?" She asked worriedly.
"It's barely been an hour!" I said breathlessly, tapping my old faithful pocket watch, hoping desperately that it had chosen this odd moment to stop working. Honestly, I could have cried.
"Of course silly. How long did you think it had been? I know how you feel, time really does fly." She gave another one of her insincere smiles. "By the way I don't think I caught your name…?" I looked out the window and bit the inside of my cheek.
'Deep breaths, Lika' I told myself, 'deep…breaths…' I turned back to her and smiled. "My name, is Anzhelika." I said with a tiny flourishing hand movement.
"Really, that's… interesting. My name's Angelica."
"Oh." There was a vaguely awkward silence during which I prayed that the girl would fail to discover the obvious. But alas, it wasn't long until I saw the gears working furiously behind her lazy pale eyes. She tucked a wisp of brown hair behind her ear, "Hey," she said in slow bemusement, "isn't that like… the same name, except in different languages?"
"Yes it is." I winced as I said the words, knowing what was coming next. She smiled again the happiness shining behind her eyes.
"This like, makes us a pair! We have to stick together once we get to Prague!" she grinned again, proud of her clever deductions. What to say? What to say? I had to think of some clear way to let her know that I was not going to be her friend.
"I'm actually here on business, so I probably won't have spare time for leisure." She looked confused, so I simplified it for her, "I have to work." Understanding dawned on her face.
"Oh me too!" then she looked confused again and asked me conspiratorially, "Are you a business woman?" this time I could not hide my scathing look of condescension.
"No, I'm a model!"
"Wow. Um, you'll think I'm making this up, but… so am I!" there was a moment of silence while I regarded her.
"I'm actually not surprised." I said finally. A smile lit Angelica's face as she flipped her hair vainly.
"Really?"
"I mean, I've seen enough models in my career to know how they…" act, I desperately wanted to say, how they act so air headed and stupid, even if they're not. What I said instead was, "how they look, and, um… dress." I laughed quietly to myself, and she smiled indulgently.
"Well, I figured you were a model too." I raised an eyebrow, "the tomes of headshots in your bag were a dead giveaway." She explained. Tomes? I didn't have more than five or six in there, just in case, but her point was made.
An eternity later, only another hour had passed.
Then another.
Then another.
Noiselessly, tediously, sleepily, the hours slipped by. It was like waiting for very cold jell-o to melt off an equally cold spoon. I felt I would go insane if I stayed in this place anymore, and just as I was convinced that my trusty pocket watch actually had stopped and was forlornly returning it to my pocket, I gasped and stood up, knocking over my orange juice and bumping into the chair in front of me.
I had experienced something I had never felt before: a sharply distinct feeling of danger, in the near vicinity? Future? I didn't know, but it was indeed near. I could only assume that the feeling had something to do with my powers, but why I had never noticed it before now…
Soon as I had calmed my panicked breathing, I looked down at Angelica; she glared at me suspiciously, (which was understandable seeing at I had not only succeeded in upsetting a sizeable portion of the cabin, and two flight attendants, but also my orange juice) and continued scribbling in her diary. The warning shock disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, and I sheepishly sat down, feeling more than a little silly.
"So…" I said, "What are you writing about?"
"Oh. Um. Just about what's happening right now. The plane. You." There was another warning flare, a shadow of the one I had had just moments before "the E. Mode show I'm going to be doing…"
"'E. Mode?'" I asked in shock, "as in Edna Mode's new dazzlingly futuristic clothing line 'E. Mode'?" The girl nodded happily. And I stared blankly forward at the back of the seat in front of me.
'Fate hates me.'
Prague, the city of a hundred spires, most of the buildings here were built long before Columbus even thought to explore the ocean blue. It is said that years ago someone sat on a tall hill and counted over three hundred spires. He tried to correct the mistake, but "the city of over three hundred spires" doesn't sound nearly so classy. Prague, a city that has centered endless uprisings, clashes and rebellions, a city of beauty, fashion, architecture, tourists, and mean locals. A city that manages to bustle busily but still feel sleepy all the time. This is where we were dropped by the plane, and left to discover the next bit of our lives. Fate seemed to have ordained that Angelica and I stick together, and seeing as I knew no one else in the city, I grudgingly gave in to that cruel mistress Chance. Besides, she seemed safe enough, and even if she was mentally unstable, it wasn't in the dangerous way.
The moment we emerged from the plane it occurred to us that we had no idea where to go. So naturally we had no choice but to follow the rest of the crowd down the weird retractable staircase and watch forlornly as families rushed off to begin their vacations, locals hugged loved ones, and touring choirs practiced their songs. I walked past these strangers with Angelica like a puppy on my heels, the two of us gazing at the forest of signs until one caught my eye.
It was held by a petit man wearing formal butler's clothing and said "ANZHELIKA & ANGELICA." I pointed it out to the other girl.
"That must be for us." We walked closer to the man, but strangely enough, the closer I got the more I questioned whether this man was… well, a man at all. He was wearing a coat with tails and hair slickly tied back; he was facially androgynous, yet she had eyes, which bore a distinct feminine beauty. We stepped up to the Butler who looked a tad surprised and looked around as though wondering from whence we had appirated.
"Oh. Miss's Anzhelika Verunya, and Angelica Hope, I presume," s/he (?) said softly, leaning back slightly so as to see our faces without having to crane his neck. "I am to be called Chives, if you need anything, I am the one to whom you must take your request, only request sparingly, as I am a very busy…" oh please say man or woman, I thought desperately "person. Now, follow me."
Chives led us to a small black car and opened the back door for us to get inside. I could see that this chives character was a very politely impatient person, and that s/he wouldn't have any problem disliking us, and would in fact find any excuse to do so. After Angelica safely secured herself into the car and smiled campily at Chives, Chives sarcastically returned the smile tipped his smart little bowler hat, and slammed the car door.