End of My World 2
I was seething. "I can't believe you."
"Can't belie...
I was seething. "I can't believe you."
"Can't believe what, honey?" She said without a hint of caring in her voice.
I slammed the door shut. "I can't believe that you turned up in one of my most attention grabbing cars! Isn't the point of this whole stupid idea to give me a chance to get away from the spotlight. How can I possibly do that with you wanting to show off every single cent I've made."
My breath was coming in short gasps. And my mother, a once beautiful black and white husky with a love for all things Woodstock, glared at me.
"How dare you accuse me of something so stupid. You are not the only one who has worked hard for us to be here. I have followed you all over the planet and I have put up with all your other diva tantrums exactly like this one you're having now." She whispered menacingly. "Just because you aren't getting your way don't take it out on me. I deserve some rest too and I won't get that driving the boring little Lexus you bought to blend in."
I was speechless.
"I'm calling Mr. Harrington." I pull out my custom chrome-plated iPhone and tap his contact profile to call. It only rang once before the big badger picked up.
"Maser? Is everything okay?" he said with concern.
"Yes, as a matter of fact something IS wrong" I reply. "Mother is making an effort to make sure everyone knows exactly who I am."
"Surely its not that ba..." He starts to say but I interrupt.
"She turned up in my rolls" I say bluntly.
"Oh." He said nothing for a few seconds. "Mase," he said gently. "Put me on loudspeaker." I happily oblige.
"Hope, I know you may have meant well but we have to be careful about everything we do for a while. You both need the break and it's not going to happen if anyone finds out who you are." Mr. Harrington said this firmly, but with compassion. "Mase, How about you drive yourself to school from now on. You can go and get any car you want, that way we can avoid this."
"Fine." I said
"Yes, Shane." Was my mother's response.
I had a sudden thought about the glee club.
"Mister Harrington, may I ask you something?" I asked
"Yes of course" he replied with a hint of curiosity
"Well today my home room teacher suggested I join the glee club. I don't think she knows who I am, she only told me that I moved like a natural born dancer." I told him what happened. "You know I love to perform and It would be a shame if I were to fall out of practice."
He considered my proposal for a moment.
"No."
"What! No! That was the part where you were supposed to say this" I put on a deep voice. "Why of Course Maser, that would be a fantastic idea. I can't see the harm." I went back to my normal voice "Please Mister Harrington, I promise I won't sing any of my songs and my disguise is pretty good."
"Maser." He sounded annoyed.
"Please, please, please?" I begged .
"Fine." He conceded. "But make sure to keep your cover. This is almost exactly why you are mad at your mother so if you blow your own cover its your own fault.
"Thank you Mister Harrington" I said with an earnest smile.
"Be careful Mase, Bye. Hope, I will speak to you later" He hung up with a click.
I lock my screen and slip the phone back into my pocket.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper, mom." I say quietly
"No, Mase. I'm sorry. It was selfish of me to drive this car. I still love the attention it draws and the fact that I am lucky enough to drive a Rolls Royce." She sounded truly remorseful.
She stopped the car outside of the ornate wrought iron gates surrounded by high hedges that marked the entrance to our drive way and pressed a button on a small remote. The gates parted and opened smoothly and silently. With a gentle press of the accelerator the Rolls Royce coasted through the newly opened path and after the tail lights cleared the closing radius of the gates the button on the small remote was pressed again, closing the gates and hiding us from the prying eyes of the outside world.
My mother stopped the big, red luxury car outside of the understated single story house. The exterior of the house was rustic, with concrete and natural stone walls covered with ivy and shaded by the deep green leaves of the tall trees clustered thickly around the cobbled driveway and the house itself. We had researched the area and the surrounding real estate thoroughly to find the most private and hidden house possible. This small house was perfect. Surrounded by the tall trees and thick hedges on all sides, I had the freedom and privacy to write lyrics, compose music, design costumes, anything. All I needed was the inspiration and I had a good feeling that some time away from the spotlight as well as the ability to maybe spend some time with other musically-minded teens would produce results.
I swung open the door of the car and stepped out onto the deep brown cobbles of the driveway. I reached up my paw and ran my fingers through the short, fluffy white fur and I had an odd desire to grow it long... and dye it an eye catching colour. Something I had never wanted to do before. I held onto the Idea as I followed my mother up the small flight of stairs and through the sturdy dark wood and stained glass front door and I started to play around with styles and colours in my mind. I said nothing, withdrawn in my thoughts as I made my way quickly through the lounge and down the short hallway to my bedroom. My mother recognised my withdrawn behaviour and said nothing. She knew I was deep in thought and playing around with an "artistic" idea. This was how I usually was before I launched into a new project and my mother knew better than to interrupt me and destroy the inspiration I had. As she made her way into the kitchen to make me an after school snack, she wondered exactly what was running through my mind and what I was going to do with my latest small act as London. But then she had some inspiration of her own. Maybe my latest idea wasn't a London idea at all. She played with the small glimmer of hope that maybe I would start an evolution of Maser Rose Ayell, and I think she was on to something.
Once I entered my plain, undecorated room, I shoved my paws under my pillows and pulled out an empty sketch pad and a pencil and I flipped it open to the first page, threw myself to the grey, carpeted floor and poured my mind and soul onto the page. What flowed onto the paper without any conscious thought on my part was an image of myself. But not of what one would see if they looked at me now or what they would see looking at a paparazzi shot of London Aspire. This image was how I wanted to look right now. Not only would it fulfil the requirements of hiding my superstar life, it would be ME.
It seemed like moments to me but by the time I was finished hours had passed. I glanced at the small digital alarm clock on my desk and I realised it was almost time for dinner. And I was hungry. I closed the sketch pad and carefully slipped it and the pencil back under my pillows. I yawned and stretched, stiff after laying on the floor for such an extended period. I made my way back into the lounge where I could hear the television on low volume and I stealthily poked my head around the corner.
"You awake?" I asked
"yes, I am. Dinner is in the oven but be careful the plate may be hot." She said sleepily
"Thanks Mummeh" I said as I retreated to the kitchen.
I could feel faint traces of heat as I moved toward the oven. I grabbed the tea towel hanging from the handle and opened to oven. I was greeted by a basic, yet still appetising sight of a small bowl of chicken carbonara. I wrapped the outside of the bowl with the tea towel and I placed the meal on the round wooden table. I opened the cutlery drawer and selected a gleaming silver fork. This particular fork was rather thin and elegant. I had never seen another like it and it was by far one of my most treasured possessions. I know it may be a be a little strange that an odd little fork could be a treasure, particularly to someone who could afford almost anything but as I had started out with nothing even the tiniest most insignificant thing could mean the world to me.
I sat down and ate the creamy pasta dish, enjoying every single bite. As I ate a bright reflection bounced off my special little fork and danced over the bright crimson red enamel on our coffee machine. Something in my mind fell into place. That bright red was the exact colour I wanted my hair! I shovelled the last few mouthfuls into my muzzle and almost threw the empty bowl and my fork into the sink. I dashed to my room but stopped dead. How was I supposed to grow my hair long overnight. How could I have overlooked this detail. A single word flashed through my mind:
Extensions.
I thought about the possibility of extensions for only a second before making my decision. There was no way in hell I wanted extensions. I decided to just dye my short hair and continue to do so until it was how I wanted it. I walked to my desk, flipped open my laptop and ordered the perfect dye; Realm Hair Creations no. 23. The dye would arrive tomorrow and I slipped into bed thinking how much fun I could have with my true quirky style.
................................................................................................................................................................................
I woke to a buzzing alarm and a pounding headache. I stumbled out of bed and shut off the horrid noise. I shuffled to the main bathroom and turned the shower on. Hot. I slipped under the soothing jets of wonderfully warm water and leaned against the tiled wall. I felt like death. I went through my morning shower routine, shampooing and conditioning my thick white fur. Once I was happy with my fur I just stood in the water and steam wishing I felt better but the water did nothing to soothe the throbbing pain I felt. I turned the shower off and stepped out of the glass enclosure, wrapping myself in a gigantic white towel. I glared at the mirror, trying to blame it for the way I felt but of course that did nothing. I pulled on my uniform with a level of enthusiasm usually reserved for something like swimming around a pool filled with venomous snakes.
I slunk out of the bathroom and stalked through the rest of the house. I bypassed everything and headed to the garage. I headed purposefully to the black Lexus IS-F I had chosen to blend in better with the rest of the families and students that lived in the area and attended my new school. The key was already in the ignition and I pressed the engine start button bringing the snarling V8 burbling to life. I selected reverse and backed out of the garage. I then selected first and swung the car around, making my way up the drive to the gates. Pressing the button the gates swung open and I moved out onto the road. There were two ways to cure my headache, an asprin. Or this. I floored the accelerator and watched the needle of the tacho bounce off the limiter before tapping the paddle behind the wheel and taking off with a storm of wheelspin and tyre smoke. The Lexus may not have had the raw power of the Rolls Royce but the technologically advanced V8 and the fine-tuned performance settings did wonders for my condition. The endorphins from the rush of acceleration erased the throbbing from behind my eyes and I tapped the paddle a few more times to bring the car into a more appropriate gear and to cruising speed. I made my way through the quiet, sunny streets to my school and I parked in the lot that was almost deserted apart from the non-descript budget cars belonging to the teachers. I killed the engine and lay my head back against the black leather of the seat, closing my eyes. I hoped the reaction to yesterdays little Rolls Royce incident would be minimal but I knew it wouldn't be. Call it psychic intuition, call it whatever you wanted but from the day I was born I had always had a well-developed sixth sense and in the past it had served me well. Today would be no different.
*TAP TAP TAP*
A finger was tapping on my window.
And it begins I thought.
I opened my eyes and looked sideways at the one who had dared to distract me from my thoughts. I had hoped the dark tint on the windows would have hidden my identity but perhaps the combination of an unfamiliar car in the parking lot and the addition of a new student wasn't difficult to piece together. Even for the large, dreadlocked lion grinning at me from outside the car.