Eight weeks later, I was leaned against the wall. Deep in thought about the list of chemicals that Donnie and I had mixed together the night before, I almost missed Frankie's squeal. "OMG, Ange, we have a half-eaten box of cookie dough! We can make cookies!" I looked at the tiny, plastic container in her hands.
"It's not much... Maybe we could just keep it to ourselves?" I hated anything close to stealing or hiding, but cookies sounded way too good to miss out on.
"Aaron would kill us, but sure... It'll be our little secret."
I looked out the door. Brooklyn was sitting at the bottom of the stairs. She was one of the older leaders, but I had never heard her speak. She was staring at her feet and an idea popped into my head.
"Hey Brook!" I called. She looked up and said nothing. Her skin turned a few different shades lighter. I always thought her chameleon abilities were so cool. "You want to have a sleepover with Frankie and me? We have cookies!"
She kind of shrank down, but she half whispered, half squeaked. "Sure." I glanced back at Frankie and she half-smiled approvingly.
Looking back at Brooklyn, I nodded into the kitchen. "You can hang out with us if you want." She slowly stood and stepped quietly through the door. She settled gracefully onto a creaky, folding chair. Frankie set off on baking the cookies and I struck up a conversation. Frankie did most of the talking and when she wasn't looking, I made one of my hands 'talk' while I silently mocked her 'Blah Blah Blah'. Brooklyn put a hand up to her mouth and held back a giggle. Ah-Ha! Success!
-
45 minutes later, we three were in the room eating cookies. Brook had spoken hardly a word. Frankie stopped her jabbering for a moment to look at her and ask. "So you have chameleon in you?" I shot her a 'Come on, Man!'
Brook's eyes went big and I noticed that they were violet... Currently. She rubbed her arm, awkwardly but responded. "Yes. I also can glow, like a glow fish..."
Both Frankie and I let out a "whoa" in unison as her skin turned to a pattern of pink, blue, violet, orange, and black with white flecks. Then, she radiated a faint light that left Frankie and me staring wide-eyed. Bwaaagh! She's so friggin' AWESOME! I blurted out. "Aw Brook, that is amazing! You're so cool!"
"God, yes!" Frankie agreed. "Any other fabulous, hidden talents?"
After a brief moment of silence, she mumbled. "I can sing... Well, sort of."
We stared at her, waiting. She looked at each of us and then stammered. "Y-you want me to sing something?" We both nodded vigorously. She inquired. "What do you want to hear?"
We pondered the question and Frankie blurted out. "David Bowie's 'Moonage Daydream'!"
When she looked confused, I suggested. "Do you know any Taylor Swift?"
She nodded and then sang the most beautiful lullaby-sounding version of 'Our Song/Play It Again' that I had ever heard. Tears pricked my eyes when she finished and then played with her fingers awkwardly. Frankie broke the silence. "Wow... You've got golden pipes, Girl." Brooklyn gave a quiet 'thank you' and I looked at the clock. 9:48.
I suggested we play a game. Frankie drawled. "Truth... Or Dare, anyone?" Brook shrugged and I did, too. "Truth or Dare it is! I'll start. Ahem. Angie, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Wimp." I glared at her. "Okay... Which do you like better, reading nerdy books or hanging with me?"
"Oh... Reading, definitely..." I smirked at her. "Brook, truth or dare?"
"Um... Dare. But be nice."
I raised my eyebrows and said. "I dare you to throw something at Slick." Her mouth dropped open and I laughed. "I'm just kidding. I want to do that one. Hmm... I dare you to... umm." I thought for a kind dare. "I dare you to tell me the honest truth." Frankie scoffed. "Do you have a crush on anyone in the hotel?"
"No." She said simply.
"Honest?"
"Honest. I don't know anyone here well enough to like them that way... Frankie, truth or dare?"
"Dare me."
"Hmm. I dare you to let me have the last cookie."
Frankie gasped. "There's a cookie left? Aw no! That's not fair!" She groaned in agony as she passed the plate to Brooklyn, who took the last cookie and ate it in two bites.
The game went on for three more hours, taking place both in the room and on trips to the bathroom for a cup of warm water and to Slick's room. Mwahaha! All too soon, though we got tired and fell asleep on the floor of our room.
-
Early in the morning, I woke up to my back hurting. Moaning and groaning, I managed to stand up and hobble over to my bed. Flopping onto it, I heard my joints crack everywhere and I moaned and groaned some more.
Later in the morning, I woke up again to find Frankie in her bed and Brooklyn gone, probably back in hers. I rolled over and stared at the ceiling for a while before I jumped out of my skin when a hard knocking rattled the room. Frankie's head jerked up and then dropped down again. She groaned. A voice shouted. "Angel! Open the door; I know you're in there!"
I held back a giggle when I opened the door to see Slick there. Rage was written all over his face and I grinned ever so smugly and leaned on the doorframe. "Had a little, 'accident', last night?"
His eyes almost bulged out of his head and his voice shook with fury. "If you do anything like that again, I swear I will kill you, Angel."
I pinched his 'nose' and giggled. "If I do anything like what, exactly?" He growled, an amazing feat for a fish, and stomped off.
Frankie was chuckling into her pillow and I shut the door. "It was a good idea to invite Brook over, Ange. I had so much fun." Frankie folded her arms under her chin and looked up at me. I rubbed my eyes.
"Agreed. We should hang out with her more often."
Frankie sat up. "Just promise you won't realize that you're both way more skilled and talented than me and then become best friends with her, leaving me behind."
I plopped down beside her and wrapped my arms around her. My head on her shoulder, I said. "No way. You're stuck with me, Bestie."
Frankie chuckled and then twitched. Suddenly uncomfortable, she groaned. "Sorry to break up our little moment here, but I think Mother Nature just decided to make my day... Or week, miserable."
"Wha-? Ohhhh..." Understanding, I let her go. "Poor baby." She grabbed her Happy-Week bag and left for the bathroom. I stayed in the room and looked out the window. "Hmm." I smiled, thinking about Donnie. "What am I going to do today?"
