Kiss Read online

  still playing persuasively, and all the r a t s tumble down down down in a squealing squeaking flurry and are all burned to a crisp. So the general stench in Glassworld is given an even more rancid reek of roasted r a t flesh, so the problem is even more dire, soooooo . ..'

  Carl looked at me. 'Come on, come on. I've been talking for ages. It's your t u r n now, Sylvie.'

  I sighed, trying to think. I didn't really want to carry on. I felt hypnotized like the poor rats. Carl hadn't been so inventive, so fired up, so totally involved in Glassworld for ages. I'd longed for him to play it properly, t h e way we did when we were little kids, but now I wasn't quite so sure. I was usually the one with the best ideas, the one who invented new characters and planned every aspect of the plot. I felt usurped, wrong-footed, left out. I couldn't get into the story. I was stuck in t h e hut, holding the paperweight in my hand, while Carl was inside Glassworld with his King and this new irritating Piper who seemed to have taken over, charming everyone with his ludicrous get-up and crude music. I wanted him out of Glassworld.

  'Queen Sylviana h a d not been idle when she was r a t h e r unkindly closeted in her bedroom, erroneously deemed mad. She sensed right from the beginning t h a t t h e Piper was a dangerous enchanter. He not only bewitched r a t s , he bewitched children, women, men – even kings.

  He was actually in league with the enemy spy who blew up the Glassworld sewers. It was all 84

  part of his dastardly plot to charm his way into the royal circle and eventually u s u r p the King himself.'

  'Rubbish!' said Carl. 'You're spoiling it.'

  'Look, it's my go now – you h a d ages and ages.

  I'm not spoiling it. I'll make it t u r n out right, you'll see. So, Queen Sylviana tossed a n d turned on her silk swansdown pillow, trying to think w h a t to do for the best. Her own magical powers were in decline, as she always sank into a terrible depression when she felt she was out of favour with the King. She thought h a r d of all the women in the world strong enough to play the Piper at his own game. She looked into her Glass world mirror, and every facet of the glass shone rainbow spectrums in her face. She closed h e r eyes, dazzled, and when she tried opening t h e m again she did not see h e r own reflection, she saw a plump and comely raven-h a i r e d e n c h a n t r e s s , Princess M i r a n d a r e t t e , playing with h e r potions in her Ice Palace in the Snowland Steppes. Queen Sylviana shivered, knowing Mirandarette's powers. She was the most ruthless of all the enchanters, showing no mercy, because she had a sliver of ice in her heart. She was h e r only chance.

  'Queen Sylviana s u m m o n e d up all h e r magical s t r e n g t h and sent a psychic message t h r o u g h t h e ether. Princess M i r a n d a r e t t e smiled. She donned her white fur robes, called for her reindeer sleigh, and set off across the night sky, travelling faster t h a n the speed of 85

  light to Glassworld. As her sleigh hovered over the beleaguered city t h e reindeer threw back t h e i r heavy antlered heads at the stench and trod thin air, not wanting to land in such a polluted place. Princess Mirandarette waved h e r moonstone sceptre thrice above h e r head a n d snow started falling, such thick, rapid snow t h a t Glassworld all b u t disappeared, j u s t the very pinnacles and spires sticking out of the all-enveloping snow blanket. She circled above, her sceptre flashing through the air, lowering the t e m p e r a t u r e so suddenly t h a t Mirandarette t u r n e d a ghostly shade of blue beneath her furs.

  Then her arm shot out and she summoned the s u n itself, a n d t h e snow melted almost instantly, taking with it all the stench and mire, miraculously cleaning Glassworld u n t i l it sparkled in the glorious sunshine. Princess Mirandarette sparkled too, a radiance glowing around her like an all-encompassing heavenly halo. King Carlo stepped out of his palace, w o n d e r i n g who h a d performed t h i s t r u l y miraculous feat, and saw h e r standing there, a n d he was dazzled by her b e a u t y — '

  'No he wasn't,' said Carl.

  'Yes, yes, he fell passionately in love at first sight, though he claimed indifference to her. He did not even t h a n k h e r very graciously—'

  'Utter bilge! Shut up, Sylvie!'

  'Not not not bilge, it's beautiful storytelling.

  Now listen, I have a cunning plan, it's all part of t h e plot—'

  86

  'I'm not listening,' Carl said childishly, putting his h a n d s over his ears.

  'Listen to me!' I grabbed his h a n d s and pulled them away. I wanted to spin out the story but now I could see I h a d to blurt it out. 'King Carlo fancies Princess Mirandarette because she's enchanted him, it's not his fault, but then she sees this Piper person and he plays his silly old fluty t u n e and suddenly she's the one who's helplessly e n c h a n t e d . She follows h i m as blindly as all those awful r a t s and he charms her away to wherever he came from. So they're both gone for ever and King Carlo and Queen Sylviana b r e a t h e t h e cool cleansed air of Glassworld and gaze into each other's eyes, all e n c h a n t m e n t s over, a n d t h e y r e n e w t h e i r wedding vows and live happily ever after,' I gabbled, still holding onto Carl's hands.

  Then I stopped. Carl stopped. We looked at each other. We were gazing into each other's eyes. It was the perfect moment. I waited. I waited a n d waited. Carl didn't move towards me and kiss my lips. He looked past me, over my shoulder, at the Glass Boy poised on t h e shelf.

  Lucy was still sulking on Monday b u t M i r a n d a was surprisingly friendly. She came r u s h i n g up to me at lunch time, giving me a hug, as if we'd been best friends for ever.

  'Hey, Sylvie,' she said. 'Let's slope off somewhere by ourselves. You haven't h a d lunch yet, have you? Shall we slip out t h e back way a n d go and get chips?'

  We were strictly forbidden to leave t h e school premises at lunch time. I was usually a timid little goody-goody – b u t I nodded yes. I tried to act as if it was no big deal b u t my h e a r t s t a r t e d thumping as we walked round t h e back of t h e canteen, ducked behind a delivery v a n a n d t h e n r a n out through t h e t r a d e entrance. We carried on r u n n i n g to t h e end of t h e road a n d t h e n slowed to a stop, laughing.

  88

  T h e r e ! I knew it would be easy-peasy,' said Miranda. 'Come on, let's find the chip shop.'

  'So you've never done this before?'

  'Never.' She smiled. 'You're obviously a bad influence, Sylvie. You're leading me astray.'

  'Yeah, like I'm the really bad n a u g h t y girl,' I said.

  'You are, you are. Look at you on Friday night, snogging my boyfriend.'

  'What?'

  'Andy kept going on about you after you left.

  He really fancies you.'

  'Rubbish! And Andy isn't your boyfriend. You were snogging my boyfriend.' I swallowed.

  'Miranda, was it a proper snog?'

  Miranda peered at me. 'Hey, you didn't really mind, did you? It was j u s t a silly game. I didn't mean to upset anyone. I get crazy sometimes, I always p u s h things too far. I could have kicked myself when Carl walked out like t h a t . It was j u s t m e a n t to be a laugh.'

  'Oh well,' I said lamely.

  'Carl isn't still m a d at me, is he?'

  I shrugged.

  'You're so lucky having a boyfriend like Carl.

  He's so interesting. Most boys are so incredibly basic. They j u s t w a n t to fool around all the time. Andy a n d Raj are OK, I suppose, b u t t h e y get on my nerves. Would you believe they started up a farting competition after you left?

  I was glad you guys weren't there to witness it.

  It was so irritating. Alice a n d I left t h e m to it.

  89

  We w e n t up to my bedroom and played music.

  Alice danced around for a bit. She watches pop videos compulsively a n d she's perfected all t h e s e little routines. It's kind of pathetic.

  Although Alice is one of my totally-for-always best friends I often find h e r irritating too. Is t h a t awful?'

  'Well. I suppose I find my best friend irrit