Part 5 (1/2)

'Lecky, that's mean,' I say.

Cinnamon is so used to put-downs that she swallows her sadness, then jams it in her locker with a slam. She turns into the conversation and I wink at her. It's unusual for Elecktra to be at my locker asking me for help. I'm enjoying this.

'Was there anything else, Elecktra?' I ask.

'Yes. Well.' She flicks her eyes around and lowers her voice. 'I've come to realise that we're sisters.'

'Duh.' I roll my eyes.

'I mean, there are things I can do that you can't do. Like text while showering and cry about celebrity breakups. And there are things that you can do better than me,' Elecktra says.

I sense Jackson rolling his eyes behind Lecky's hair.

'Like what, exactly?' I ask with a sneaky smile.

She shakes her hands in front of her face, the bangles on her wrist chiming. 'I don't know, like kick and fight and know what to do when stuff happens.'

Jackson pokes his head around Elecktra's shoulder and narrows his eyes. He doesn't know about the samurai motorbike attack in broad daylight.

'Is English her first language?' Cinnamon asks me.

We laugh. Lecky glares.

'Spit it out, Elecktra,' I say.

'I want to start training, you know, like you?'

Jackson's surprised face appears over Elecktra's shoulder again. 'You? Train? You wouldn't last a nanosecond,' he says.

'I don't know what a nannasecond is, but it sounds cute and I bet I can dominate it,' she retorts. 'And we made a deal, Rox. You would help me with my training and I said I'd be your life coach. My first piece of advice is to take off that pumpkin jumper.' I look down at my orange knit. 'It's very year 2000,' she says and walks off.

'What's with her lately?' Jackson asks. 'The fruit thing with no hands and hanging out with Hero's clan?'

'Lecky's going through a lot at the moment,' I say.

'Did her favourite boy band split up?' Jackson jokes.

'I'm serious. She needs our help. Training will be the best thing for her. She needs the focus.'

'That's nice of you to help her,' Cinnamon says. 'Lecky never helps anyone else.'

'Well, we're sisters,' I say.

'She doesn't act like it,' she says quietly.

'One day it will pay off.' I cross my fingers behind my back. I'm hoping that Lecky's new powers will bring us closer together.

Jackson escorts Cinnamon and me to cla.s.s. As I walk down the corridor, I imagine walking arm in arm with Elecktra through Gate One, with matching red boxer shorts poking out from under our school skirts.

Riding on the bus with Elecktra is interesting. I thought people would think she looked crazy, in her cape sequined with rainbow stripes, but instead they look at her admiringly, as if she is wearing a designer piece straight off the runway. She's so pretty that I don't think people's eyes even register what she is wearing. The cape only illuminates her natural beauty: the colour in her hair and cheeks, the gold sparkles in her brown eyes.

We arrive at an office building. Elecktra sees a man entering it and chases after him.

'I'm here for the casting of the magician in the Natural Glow Vitamins commercial,' she says.

I cringe. I can already tell this is going to be embarra.s.sing. The man tries to speak, but Elecktra cuts him off.

'I haven't seen the previous ads. I'm on TV more than I watch it,' she lies.

The man's gla.s.ses fog a little. He's carrying a clipboard and a pen and wears a thin tie that seems to strangle his triple chin. He clears his throat.

'Lecky, I don't think he is the person -'

'You're probably wondering why I'm wearing this elegant cape?' she continues before the man can speak. 'As well as being gorgeous and talented, I'm also a future-Merlin-Award-winning magician.'

The man is now slightly amused. I doubt he knows about the Merlin Awards, or even cares. Lecky's dream has been to win a Merlin since she was six. They are the Oscars of the magic world, the highest prize for any magician or illusionist. I always believed that Lecky could win because I'd never met someone more out of touch with reality than her.

'I have a blog. It's going to make me famous. Blame my inner pop star.' She shrugs, then looks around. 'No compet.i.tion today? My show reel is doing its job!'

The man says nothing, now entertained by Lecky and her cape.

'I'm available to shoot immediately. I'm a size zero, with a one in front. Check this out,' she says, 'I can even do Ninjutsu.' She performs a series of percussive strikes Mum taught her, finis.h.i.+ng on a double body block to the man's nose. He flinches.

'As you can see, I'm fit. That's what vitamins are all about, being fit on the inside,' she boasts. 'I can make any disease disappear with a flick of my cape.' She smiles. 'Cla.s.sic me, talking about myself. Who are you?'

'I'm -' the man begins.

'I'm the face of s.h.i.+mmer Shampoo,' she interrupts.

'No, you're not,' I say. An elbow lands in my gut.

'Would you like to see my surprised face?' she asks the man, then, without waiting for a reply, she opens her mouth and cups her cheeks with her hands. 'I'm so surprised right now,' she says with taut cheeks.

'Great acting,' I mumble, beyond embarra.s.sed.

'We sell tyres here,' the man finally manages to say.

Elecktra frowns. 'You sell tyres?'

He pushes his gla.s.ses up his nose. 'Yes.'

'I thought you were a casting director,' she protests.

'No. No, I'm not,' says the man.

Elecktra stamps her foot. 'This is totally the second time this has happened to me,' she says, then points a finger at the man. 'Lucky you.'