Chapter Eight
The following day, Sonia, Pandora, the Geckolings and Kemeko sat in the Playroom in a circle, they were excitedly talking about their Halloween trip topside.
Tyroth, Leonardo, Sephie, Monalisa and Raphael had planned to talk to the kids seriously about what they expected of them, as well as give them clear instructions of how to behave topside and not to draw attention to themselves.
Sonia had a leaflet on the table showing all the Halloween entertainment that was being held in the city.
"…And here they're holding a Halloween Talent Show!" The chameleon pointed at the information "And there's an under-eighteen's disco, and as I mentioned before, there's the Navy Pier Funfair!"
"Oh yeah baby!" Pandora cheered "A talent show! I think we should take part!"
The Geckolings looked at the Hybrid.
"Take part in the talent show?" they asked together.
"Why not?" Pandora asked "I think we should! Just for the fun of it! Not to win!"
Sonia and Kemeko crossed their arms and looked at Pandora.
"What ideas have you got for the talent show then?" Kemeko asked smirking and raising an eyebrow.
"Sing a song!" Pandora grinned "And I think I know the best song!"
"Yes?" Sonia asked.
"'Kidnap the Sandy Claws'!" Pandora cheered "If any of you want to join me in singing the song?"
The Geckolings looked at each other and smirked as a thought crossed their minds.
"That's not a bad idea!" Loki quipped "We could have some fun with that!"
"Yeah!" Freya agreed 'We could play the parts of Lock, Shock and Barrel from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Film!"
"Totally!" Pandora cheered "We could have some fun!" she then turned to Kemeko.
"You know Kem!" she said, "You could show off your talents with your contortion skills!"
The Geckolings and Sonia's eyes widened as they realised and looked at the Japanese girl.
"Pandora's got a point!" Sonia agreed "You could put on a good show with your skills!"
Kemeko was quiet for a moment as she thought hard.
It was true what her cousins and honoured sister said, she had a real talent in contortion and was as flexible as one would wish to be, yet she was always training to use it for when she became a fully trained ninja, never really for performing, and when she did, it was for fun.
"You okay Lotus?" Sonia asked softly.
The other three mutants looked at Kemeko in confusion as well as concern.
"I don't know." Kemeko confessed "It's just… as much as I love and appreciate my talent, I feel I should only use it when needed, not to show off."
Pandora groaned.
"Oh boy…. using the whole righteousness path and honour crap, huh?" she said then winced as she felt Loki nudge her in the chest.
"Quit it, Pandora!" he scolded.
Pandora frowned at Loki and put out her tongue.
"What's the point of having a talent and not showing it off?" Freya asked, even though she agreed with Pandora, she was a little less rude about Kemeko's thoughts on the matter.
"Freya's right!" Sonia added "You're amazing with your flexibility!"
Kemeko rubbed her chin as she thought for a moment.
It was true, she was very proud of her flexibility and the fact she could contort her body and fit into tiny spaces.
She remembered an incident when she was a young girl and Leonardo had been trying to help her overcome her fear of the dark, they were topside on a building doing their exercises and they had been pounced on by the Venomous Five, Leonardo had told her to flee, and she had managed to crawl into a vent and escape.
It hadn't been a fun experience, but Kemeko had taken pride in the fact her flexibility worked to her advantage, and she was always studying contortion artists to get ideas of positions she could get herself into as well as spaces she could hide in.
In fact, she sometimes loved scaring her family by hiding in the laundry basket, in tiny cupboard or in suitcases if she was in a mischievous mood.
"You know what?" Kemeko said at last.
"What?" the other kids asked looking at their human cousin.
"I think I will!" Kemeko grinned "I'll enter with my contortion talents!"
"Yay!" Pandora cheered "That's my cousin! Living a little!"
The Geckolings clapped happily and Sonia grinned.
"Okay then!" she said "Lets add that to the activities topside! I'll send details to secure a couple of places!"
"Nice!" Pandora grinned then turned to the Geckolings, "Shall we practice then?"
"You betcha!" Freya and Loki cheered together.
Meanwhile, a few hours had passed, and Tania stood in her salon and ticked off a list of everything she had ordered and what she had ready for the day everyone was to get ready for Halloween.
With the help of Jake, she had managed to get everything she needed, the cash that the Chicago Knights had swiped from the thugs they had fought and defeated had given her the funds she needed to buy the products she needed, and she was so excited to work her magic on her clients, yet between now and then she was looking forward to a rest.
Taking a deep breath, the Panda carefully put her list down and walked to the entrance of her salon before placing a sign next to it saying 'Closed'.
"If anyone's got a bad hair day." She muttered "They'll have to wait till tomorrow!"
Yawning, Tania wandered towards the centre of the sanctuary where she saw many of the Mutopians were gathered for leisure time before they retired to bed.
She saw a few of the Chicago Knights socialising with drinks by the canals, she smiled softly as she gazed at everyone talking excitedly about the upcoming activities ahead.
As she joined the fray, a couple of Mutopians walked around with drinks, all including soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.
Helping herself to a glass of wine from one of the trays, Tania sat on a bench on her own and took a sip.
She couldn't wait to get started with her creations, and her make up magic, she was so excited to see everyone look overjoyed when they put on their costumes for the upcoming Halloween parties or activities topside, of course it was going to be a long day for her, but it was all going to be worth it by the time the parties started.
Taking another sip of wine, Tania closed her eyes as she remembered the day she had received the news she had gotten accepted into college for Fashion and Design.
Flashback
Natasha sat on the bed in her bedroom, brushing her long black hair and humming a tune to herself.
It hadn't been more than a couple of days since Prom and it had been such an unforgettable night, her dress was still hanging on the wardrobe where she had hung it after returning home.
It was a maxi dress with a winched in waist with fluttering short sleeves and a split down the side which showed off her very curvy figure, and coloured beautiful dark emerald-green with some sparkling detail.
She hadn't had a date for the prom, but rather went with her two friends Ashley and Lisa who also hadn't secured dates.
Natasha had been glad that her two best friends were there for her that night, especially since Sarah had taken the opportunity to be nasty again, saying how no boys would go out with a fat hippo whilst she swanned around in her golden gown with the captain of the High School Football team on her arm as well as the fact that Natasha would never be prom queen.
Natasha had the last laugh though, as a girl who had also been nominated for Prom Queen, the captain of the Lacrosse team and who a lot of people thought was rather butch since she never wore dresses and was often seen in sportswear and shirts and jeans, had won the crown instead, and had in her acceptance speech, personally thanked Natasha for advice on what to wear for the prom as this was the one night, she wanted to wear a dress and look pretty.
Natasha chuckled to herself as she remembered seeing Sarah's shocked face and how she was been in such a rotten mood for the rest of the evening, so much so, that her date had decided to abandon her and dance with another girl!
"Natasha! Honey?" her mother's voice brought her back down to earth and she looked up to see her mother appear at her bedroom door.
"Oh hey mom!" Natasha smiled.
"Hey sweetie!" her mother, a chubby woman with a large smile and her hair in a messy bun "There's a letter for you! And I think it's from that college you applied to!"
Natasha's eyes lit up.
"You mean the School of the Art Institute!?" she exclaimed as she took the letter and tore it open her heart beating like a drum.
Her mother stood silently as she watched her daughter tear open the envelope and read the letter.
'Dear Miss Kusman
Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that I inform you of your acceptance to the Fashion and Design program at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago! You have been given this opportunity in recognition of your personal and scholastic achievements.
We have enclosed a starter package with this letter so you can familiarise yourself with the campus and the opportunities and facilities we offer. Feel free to reach out to us at any time, and we would like to make the transition as easy as possible.
We look forward to having you at our institute this upcoming academic year.
Sincerely
Lacey Simmons'
Natasha was silent as she read the letter again and again as well as bit her tongue to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
Her mother stood there staring at her daughter.
"Well?" she asked anxiously.
Natasha looked up.
"It's a yes!" she whispered then spoke a little louder and shriller as she held up the letter.
'It's a yes! I've been accepted! I'm in!" she squealed.
Her mother gasped and clapped her hands.
"Oh wow!" she cried then dashed at Natasha before hugging her tightly "Oh my gosh! My darling Natasha! I'm so proud of you!"
Natasha hugged her mother back and grinned.
"It's a dream come true!" she cried "I've worked so hard for this! And it's finally come true! I'm so happy!"
"You deserve it baby girl!" her mother said, "I'm so proud of you!"
Natasha laughed and cheered, she couldn't wait to tell Ashley and Lisa the good news!
End Flashback
Tania sighed.
It had been one of the best days of her life, being accepted into college to study what she loved and work towards a promising career, and she was so excited about starting the semester, but sadly, it never came and that day her life changed still haunted her.
Hanging her head, Tania chewed her lip and looked at the ripples on the canal as she thought about that fateful day…
"Tania?"
The Panda looked around and she saw Monalisa leaning on the bench behind her.
"Oh hey!" Tania said blinking her eyes and Monalisa frowned cocking her head on one side.
"You feeling okay?" she asked.
"Oh sure!" Tania forced an upbeat tone, but Monalisa wasn't convinced and went to sit with the Panda.
"Is something on your mind?" the Lizard Lady asked, a sympathetic look on her face.
Tania looked to the side awkwardly, she wasn't sure whether to speak about her past especially since she never spoke about it fully to anyone outside Mutopia, but over the years she had known Monalisa, she felt she could trust her fully.
"I was just thinking." Tania said quietly "About my past and all."
Monalisa's face softened a little more.
"Is it anything you want to talk about?" she asked.
Tania was silent for a moment then took another sip of her drink as she thought for a moment….
To be continued...
So the kids are making their plans on what they're going to do topside, including taking part in a talent show!
And we've dived a little more into Tania's past! Next chapter, we'll learn about how Tania ended up in Mutopia! Coming soon!