Potions and Pageants Page 8

  Head Judge Alice looked at Headmistress Glory with some degree of consternation. Clearly she had not expected the headmistress to be such a glorious beauty herself. She probably sensed here was a woman more powerful than her, and she seemed not to entirely like it.

  “Welcome, Ms Evangelista” said Headmistress Glory. “It’s delightful to have you here, and so good of you to lend us your valuable time. The girls are excited, and the ticket sales are excellent. One glimpse of you in the flesh and I’m sure we will soon sell out.”

  Alice Evangelista looked pleased at this little speech. Headmistress Glory ushered her and the other two judges, a man and a woman, into the school, without giving them a chance to greet Nan and Mrs Gooding. Nan looked very disappointed.

  Percy, on the other hand, was not sure if she was pleased or offended with the way the headmistress had completely ignored her.

  Everyone trooped in behind them towards the impressively grand assembly hall. The floor was all dark wood. The vaulted ceiling towered above. The stage had been set up with a very attractive lighting effect. It had brand-new looking velvet purple curtains and raised seating for the panel of judges behind an elaborately decorated long narrow table.

  Percy had never been before to Humble High, and being here now, she wasn’t sure how she felt about attending. The place looked huge. So many teens in one place. So much potential for fun. So much potential for personal disaster. The whole thing seemed more than a bit daunting, as if it could easily end up being a nightmare.

  Rows upon rows of chairs had been laid out in the rest of the hall for the audience, and Percy was surprised to see several dozen students and parents sitting in the first few rows.

  “People’s families and friends wanted to come today,” said Nan. “And we thought that Alice Evangelista would enjoy having an audience.”

  This proved true. Alice beamed as everyone stood up to clap for her, and her smile widened when several photographers rushed forwards, begging for photographs.

  “We got the local paper interested,” said Nan, looking very pleased. “And the school paper too.”

  As the cameras flashed, Alice’s glimmering sheath dress, which was made entirely of tiny shining silver sequins, shimmered and sparkled. She arranged herself this way and that, and planted herself firmly in the center of the other two judges, a man and woman who Percy did not recognize, but who must have been somewhat famous by the way they were posing.

  “Emma Waters and Georgie Little,” whispered Nan excitedly. “Emma is Alice Evangelista’s personal assistant and a former runner-up local beauty queen herself, and Georgie was a guest judge once on a TV talent show that you might have heard of.” She named it, but Percy did not have a clue what it was.

  A few minutes later, Emma Waters wandered over to one side to have a very quiet word with Mrs Gooding.

  “Is she a witch?” Percy whispered to Nan.

  Nan nodded. “We thought it was best to have at least one witch in the judging panel. She’ll be keeping an eye out in case anyone tries to use lucky potion. Plus she’ll make sure that the succubae competitors don’t use their Allure to trick the judges into voting for them.”

  Percy was impressed. She had not even considered this. She had never seen a succubus or an incubus use their Allure, the power of making other beings irresistibly attracted to them.

  “Are baena students allowed to use their Allure in school?” she said.

  “Nope. It’s banned and the eldritch teachers keep a strict eye on it, but it won’t stop some of them from trying.”

  After everyone had finished welcoming the judges and having their photographs taken with them, Headmistress Glory led the judges to their seats up on the stage. The crowd of spectators took the hint and settled into their seats too.

  “I can’t believe she’s really here,” said Nan.

  “I didn’t take you for such a fan-girl,” said Percy, looking at celebrity Head Judge Alice.

  “I meant your other mother,” Nan hissed. “She doesn’t do anything without a reason. Are you going to speak to her and find out why she is here, or not?”

  Nan’s mum was waving her over and, spotting it, Nan jerked to attention. She hurried nervously up onto the stage, tapped the microphone, and then thanked the three judges for being here.

  When the applause died down, Nan announced each of the contestants one by one, and each went up onto the stage to shake Head Judge Alice’s hand.

  Bella, of course, went first, followed by Blanche, and then Barbie. Head Judge Alice greeted them all coolly, seeming unimpressed by the triple shot of blond perfection. But when she met Nilgun shortly afterwards, a distinct look of interest came into her eyes, and she spent a couple of minutes chatting animatedly with Nilgun.

  The contestants who had already been introduced remained on display up on the stage, looking very pretty in their dresses.

  Percy saw Bella shoot Nilgun a poisonous look from across the stage. As Nilgun went to join Bella, Nilgun gave her an almost victorious little smile.

  While the rest of the students continued walking towards the judges in a long line, Bella and Nilgun stood side-by-side, discreetly elbowing each other and jostling for position directly under the spotlight at the center of the stage.

  As all of the handshaking went on, Head Judge Alice looked increasingly bored, but to her credit her professional smile stayed fixed on her face throughout.

  Percy took the opportunity to sidle up to Headmistress Glory and whisper, “So, what brings you here?”

  Headmistress Glory raised an eyebrow. “Cherub sent you over to ask, didn’t she?”

  “Nan,” said Percy. “She’s Nan now. She says you being here is not a coincidence. You never go anywhere without good reason.”

  “Clever little Cherub.”

  “Well? Are you going to tell me or not?” said Percy irritably.

  “Since when do you speak to your Mother like that?” Headmistress Glory raised one menacing eyebrow.

  “Listen lady, let’s get one thing clear. You are not my mother. Not anymore. All you are is Ruthless Glory now. Cool name by the way, but whatever you are playing at, I am not interested.”

  “Sadly you have little choice in the matter,” said Headmistress Glory out of the side of her mouth. “I’ve bought you here to keep an eye on things in this school for me. To be my eyes among the student population.”

  “You have got to be kidding me!” snapped Percy.

  “Now, now. That’s no way to speak to your headmistress.”

  “I’m not doing it.”

  “You are. Because unfortunately things in this place are about to take a turn for the worse, and you my dear might be the only person who can stop it.”

  “What do you mean for the worse?” demanded Percy, but there was no time for the headmistress to answer.

  Nan was calling out Percy’s name. It was Percy’s turn to shake the judges’ hands.

  “Run along now,” said the headmistress, giving Percy a cool smile. Percy went.

  Head Judge Alice frowned a little disapprovingly at her, but Emma Waters’s eyebrows shot up in amused delight as she looked Percy up and down in her black dress.

  “I do love a touch of the gothic,” she commented, the corners of her lips twitching. “But you seem to be missing a brooch.” She pointed to where Percy had torn the spider off.

  Percy touched the frayed threads. “A pity,” she said. “I suspect you would have liked it.”

  “One hopes you will wear something a little less interesting for the actual competition,” said Head Judge Alice rather stiffly.

  “One hopes,” Percy echoed, with a grin.

  She could not be certain of it, but she was suspected that she saw a gleam of amusement in Judge Emma’s sparkling blue eyes. With her ginger ringlets that were almost strawberry blond, this judge reminded Percy a little of Nan, and Percy liked her immediately.

  She wondered what on earth a witch like Emma Waters was doing working as an assist
ant for an insufferable Humble like Alice Evangelista.

  She didn’t have long to contemplate this because the dress rehearsal began in full force. Percy, who did not know what to do with herself, hastened to followed the line of girls off the stage, and then followed them back on again, one by one strutting their stuff, doing various dance moves in such a smooth sequence that it appeared as if they had rehearsed the whole thing.

  Percy felt extremely out of place, especially when everyone gathered together to do a group dance number. Percy made sure to stay right at the very back of the stage, behind the several rows of all the other girls, and did her best to wave her arms and shimmy her hips in tandem with everyone else.

  Shara Greyshale was beside her, and Percy was pleased to see that Shara was also a little clumsy and uncoordinated. Unlike Percy however, Shara was trying very hard to do a good job. It made Percy feel a little bad for bopping along carelessly.

  During a twirl, Bella spotted Percy and glared. So Percy waved her arms more wildly and wiggled her hips extravagantly and blew Bella a kiss. A few people in the watching crowd giggled, and when Percy looked across, she was surprised to see Felix among them. Even he had a little smile on his face.

  Her eyebrows shot up. She had not noticed him here before. He was sitting in the front row next to raven-haired Octavia. Percy blew them a kiss, and she saw Felix’s eyes widen a fraction. Octavia glared.

  Percy was beginning to enjoy this whole thing very much indeed.

  The whole dance thing seemed to go on forever. Finally it ended and Nan came onto the stage again. Percy thought Nan was going to say today’s rehearsal was done, but Nan announced that it was time to take a short break before the talent segment.

  “Talent segment?” Percy groaned as she followed Nan off the stage. “You know I don’t have any talents.”

  “Not even seeing dreaded black clouds of doom where they don’t belong?” said Nan.

  “Oh shut up, Cherub,” said Percy.

  Drinks were being served in a backstage area where trestle tables had been set up. Many cups of lemonade and orange squash had been laid out on one, and several very large thermos’ containing hot water for tea and coffee were on the other.

  Nan hurried behind the tables, and assisted by two volunteers, she began to hand out the drinks. Percy went to help her.

  “I saw you talking to the headmistress,” said Nan in an undertone. “What did she say?”

  “That the end times are here,” said Percy.

  Nan looked alarmed.

  Percy laughed. “Okay, not that. But nothing good either. She’s just trying to get us under her thumb again. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  Percy couldn’t say much more. Eleanor had come over, still clutching her clipboard tucked under one arm. She busied herself preparing a tray of drinks.

  “Busy bee,” whispered Percy to Nan.

  Nan glared at her, the expression on her face telling Percy to shut up.

  “If the other three are the Queen Bees, then this one is the Busy Bee,” said Percy. She looked over at Delphine who was loitering near Bella, Blanch and Barbie. “And that one is the WannaBee.”

  Nan burst into laughter and quickly smothered it with her hands.

  Eleanor might have heard Percy because her lips puckered up a little in annoyance. She was done loading her tray and began to carry it carefully towards the screened area that had been set aside for the judges.

  Bella hastened to intercept her, snatched the tray from her, and carried it behind the screen herself.

  “See?” said Percy. “I told you that she’s trying to get the judges on her side.”

  “They’re professionals,” said Nan. “They won’t let stuff like that sway their decisions.”

  “Who do you want to win?” asked Percy.

  “No one!” said Nan. “I have to be impartial.”

  Percy poured a cup of orange juice and handed it over to Nilgun who had reached the front of the queue.

  “Nice dancing,” said Nilgun to Percy.

  “I try,” said Percy.

  Nilgun scooted to the side so that she wasn’t blocking the queue, and carefully placed her cup on the table. Reaching into her purse, she took out a little dropper bottle, from which she squeezed two drops of liquid into the juice.

  Percy had already started serving the next girl in line, but she saw a faint black haze from the corner of her eye. Whipping her head around, she saw that the haze was around Nilgun’s bottle, and it had now spread to the cup of orange juice that Nilgun was lifting to her lips.

  “What is that?” Percy asked sharply.

  Nilgun shrugged. “Echinacea,” she said. “I’ve had a terrible sore throat and sniffles this whole week.”

  “Don’t drink it,” said Percy.

  But it was too late. Nilgun had already tipped the glass of juice down her throat.

  “It’s only a herbal remedy,” said Nilgun. “Why?”

  “Nothing,” muttered Percy, feeling annoyed at herself for having felt so alarmed.

  Amateur witching dramatics — that is what this was. Or amateur succubus dramatics in this case.

  Teen witches and wizards pranked each other all the time. Percy had been the victim of these dramatics herself plenty of times at her mum’s parties. It looked like the eldritch kids at Humble High were getting in on some of that action.

  There was no way she was going to be able to explain what she had seen to Nilgun without sounding absolutely barking mad, so she just shrugged.

  After Nilgun had walked away, Percy said to Nan, “If they’re not getting it from your mum, they’re getting it from somewhere. Potions,” she added in a whisper when Nan looked confused.

  Nan shrugged. “Yeah, I heard some students have been buying stuff.”

  “They’re targeting Humbles! It sucks. I’m telling you something bad is going to happen.”

  “It won’t,” Nan hissed. “You know it’s illegal to sell magic to underage eldritch. It’s probably harmless fake stuff from some charlatan.”

  “Not this time,” said Percy. “I saw that black cloud again. Really faint this time. But I’m pretty sure it was there.”

  “You’re imagining things. You should let my mum check you out. Maybe you bumped your head worse than you thought in that car crash.”

  “Chill,” said Percy. “Or did you ask your mum to check you out when your memories of being Cherub came back? Are we saying that Headmistress Glory is a shared delusion too?”

  Nan glared, and for the rest of the break gave Percy the silent treatment.

  When the break was over, all the contestants gathered in a group and Nan handed out some sheets with the running order for the next part of the show.

  Scanning her eyes down the list, Percy noted that the talent portion of the rehearsal was to be conducted in reverse order from contestants thought to be least likely to win through to the top runners.

  “What do you reckon,” said Shara Greyshale to Percy. “Will it be you first or me?”

  “Too bad there’s not a big tank of water on stage,” said Percy. “Then you could show them what swimming really looks like.”

  Shara laughed.

  Percy’s name was called first. Percy winked at Shara. Then she grimaced, realizing that she had not thought up what talent she would perform.

  “Crappety crap,” she murmured, looking around backstage for something that she could use.

  She spotted a couple of long batons on the floor that Nilgun clearly planned on doing some fabulously amazing trick with. She grabbed them, whispering, “I’ll get them back to you in just a moment.”

  Before Nilgun could protest, Percy dashed out onto the stage, where she was met with an eye roll from Head Judge Alice, polite applause from the other two judges, and a chorus of jeers from several students in the audience.

  If Percy had been her mother Gwendolyn, she would have gone up to the microphone and charmingly shook her finger at them and laughingly told them that they o
ught to be cheering, not jeering. But Percy had never had her mother’s charm.

  So she looked the audience all in the eye, and bowed so deeply her head nearly touched the floor. It would be worth it if just one realized she was mocking them.

  “Music?” she demanded.

  It took a moment of shuffling behind the stage while Nan tried desperately to locate some music to play for Percy. She finally switched on a jaunty, dance tune with a catchy beat.

  Percy proceeded to do exactly five wobbly cartwheels across the stage and five even wobblier cartwheels back towards the judges. Then she picked up the batons that she had placed on the floor in front of the judges’ table and clumsily whirled them around in her hands.

  The jeers from the audience grew louder.

  She turned to face them, did another deep bow, and shouted, “Mosshead for the win!” and then pranced off the side of the stage.

  She was pleased to hear some of the jeers turn into chuckles as she headed backstage.

  Seeing the mortified look on Nan’s face, she burst into laughter. “Relax,” she said. “I’m sure none of the others will put you to shame.”

  “You are supposed to be proving to Councilor Strickt that you have a sense of responsibility,” said Nan through gritted teeth.

  “And I am,” said Percy with a straight face. “I’ve just fulfilled the responsibility of demonstrating to the judges that I have no talents.”

  The rest of the students had clearly practiced their talents all week, if not a lifetime. The various performances included the playing of instruments, the singing of songs, the dancing of dances, one very acrobatic cheerleading routine involving hoops and floaty ribbons on sticks by none other than Queen Bee Bella herself.

  Finally it was Nilgun’s turn. As the frontrunner, she went last.

  Holding her batons aloft into the air, her arms outspread like the wings of a graceful bird, Nilgun elegantly pranced out onto the stage amid a chorus of cheers. And promptly fell flat onto her face.

  She got up quickly, looking horrified, and hopping on one foot as she rubbed her right knee.