Modelland (45 page)

“That wasn’t nice,” Tookie said, blushing.

“Oh no … it was.” Bravo was the one to swoon this time. “It really was.”

They were silent for a moment. Then Tookie swallowed. “So why are you stalking me? I mean, we’ve had a few nice conversations, but what do you
really
know about me?”

“Well, let me see.” Bravo paused as if he was trying to recall a list. “You hate chocolate with a vengeance. You’re always hungry. You appreciate things that aren’t conventional.”

“Correct. And how do you know that?”

“The friends you keep. That unusual flower you wear. It holds tasty things. But it’s hiding something too, isn’t it? I saw a piece of it when you were getting patched up at the FEDS. So what’s under there?” he asked, trying to move the brooch aside.

Tookie swatted his hand away, afraid for him to see the
T O OKE
pin. “That’s none of your business.”

“Well, it’s right over my heart,” Bravo said, completely earnestly.

Tookie’s jaw dropped. “YOUR heart? Since when has my body become yours?” Then she laughed. “And come on! That is such a line.” But in truth, she loved that he’d just said that. It made her heart beat at warp speed.

Bravo smiled sincerely. “You’re a good girl, Tookie, and I respect you. I guess it’s just wishful thinking, the wanting-your-heart thing.…”

Tookie blinked at him. All of a sudden, she felt the urge to laugh—or maybe cry. She remembered what she looked like, and all the insults that had been hurled at her by her family, Zarpessa, Gunnero. And here was this faultless specimen of malehood, a guy prettier than Myrracle, wanting to spend time with her. She just couldn’t understand it.

“Are you kidding me?” she blurted out. “You want
me
. Seriously.”

Bravo didn’t break his gaze. “These other girls here, they chase after me like I can solve all their problems. It’s always been that way for me, not just here, and it sucks. I open my mouth to say hi and women damn near pass out or wanna marry me, and I’m not even old enough to get into a club in LaDorno.”

“Oh, the trials and tribulations of the exquisite male. I’m so sorry for your pain.”

“I know, I sound ridiculous. Like a conceited egomaniac.”

“
You
said it.
I
didn’t.”

“But I’m serious, Tookie,” Bravo went on. “You’re … different. You could care less about my outer shell, this thing I had absolutely nothing to do with creating.” Then he shifted his weight. “I wanna tell you a story.”

“A story?”

“Yeah, about somebody I know. Will you listen?”

“Of course. Who doesn’t love a good story?”

“Man oh man, where do I start?” He shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets, exhaled deeply, and then said, “Okay, here goes. More than anything, a little boy named Deco wanted to be an architect. When he was six years old, other kids were drawing two-dimensional houses and stick figures, but Deco was building three-dimensional cities with discarded pieces of junk. But no one paid much attention to Deco’s beautiful work because there was something that was more striking than his creations: his
face
.

“No matter where he went, people would stop in their tracks when they saw him.”

Sounds like Myrracle
, Tookie thought.

“Two years later, the conductor of the prestigious Philharmonic Orchestra spotted Deco and his parents at a music street festival. The composer convinced Deco’s parents to allow him to compose a whole symphony dedicated to Deco’s face.”

“Really?” Tookie interrupted. “That’s just plain weird.”

“I know. But just listen, okay?” Bravo pleaded. Tookie nodded.

“On opening day,” Bravo continued, “Deco stood on the concert hall stage as the musicians stared at him. But he wasn’t miserable. ’Cause from where he stood, he had a perfect view of the entire hall. The swaying walls, the building’s undulating curves. He was transfixed by the scale and scope of the place and how, if given the chance, he would design it differently. He resketched and redesigned the space, all within the confines of his eight-years-young head.”

Tookie pictured the young boy and softly smiled at the
thought of him getting whatever pleasure he could from such an odd circumstance.

“When Deco reached his teen years, the attention he received from the opposite sex was startling. One young lady actually fainted when she saw him on the first day of school. Deco wasn’t interested. He concentrated on his architectural career instead. He tried to sell his ideas to multiple architectural firms. They were always impressed with his skills, but his face stole the show and the conversations soon turned to the beauty of his visage, not his designs.

“So what happens to a child whose true gift is ignored, forgotten, looked over? What becomes of a boy people don’t listen to, only stare at?”

“I don’t know,” Tookie answered. “What happens to him?”

“That was a rhetorical question, Tookie.” Bravo smiled. “Deco had been approached countless times to attend Bestosterone, but the very idea turned his stomach. One day he overheard a conversation between his heroes, two leading architects. The men spoke in hushed tones about the rumored gravity-defying, stupendous architecture and design of Modelland, and about how they were going to Pilgrim up the mountain to view it for themselves. Just one week later, Deco read a headline on the front page of his local newspaper about two missing architects. All that was found of them in the Diabolical Divide were their bloody, torn clothes and an architectural drafting kit. The media was stumped that two grown male architects had attempted to Pilgrim, a Modelland first. They speculated that the men had caught the first cases of the Pilgrim Plague for men. But only Deco knew the real reason for their fatal excursion.”

“This is so intense,” Tookie whispered.

“From that day forward, Deco became obsessed with the reason why his two favorite architects would risk their lives to see Modelland’s structures with their own eyes. Their obsession, even in their deaths, became Deco’s. But he wasn’t willing to risk his life for a viewing. His safe way up the mountain …?

“Bestosterone,” Bravo and Tookie said at the same time.

Bravo exhaled deeply, like a huge weight had lifted off his chest. Tookie touched his arm. “Hi, Deco.”

“Hi, Tookie,” Bravo replied. His eyes were glassy, and Tookie wondered if he was holding back tears. “Thanks for listening.” Then he leaned toward her. “You have a hair that’s about to go in your eye. Let me get it.”

Tookie remained very still. He licked his thumb and then brought it to her eyebrow, slowly smoothing the unruly hairs down as he smiled into her mismatched eyes.

Tookie stared deeply into his caramel ones, and her knees felt like they would buckle. She sensed a gentle burning inside her stomach, and her hips felt like they were being tickled, even though Bravo’s hands were nowhere near them.

Bravo put his hand on the side of Tookie’s face. The warmth from it felt like sweet tea pouring into her mouth. He whispered straight into her ear, his lips brushing against her earlobe.

“I really like this, Tookie. It feels … right. I know I have to get out of here before you get in trouble, but … I don’t want to leave.”

His words felt like maple syrup coursing through her veins. “And I don’t want you to,” she replied. “You make me feel …” A single tear fell from her brown eye. “… like … like a … Rememba-Girl.”

“Really? A remember girl? What’s that?”

“What I have always wanted to be. Someone … beautiful.”

“You
are
beautiful. On the inside
and
the outside.”

Tookie wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

“You really are, Tookie. Beautiful. In a special, unique way. You’re so different, and you deserve someone who will treat you like the unique princess you are. And that’s me. Tookie, I don’t want
anybody else
to have you. I guess you can say I’m selfish. I want you all to myself. Your first time should be special and tender. And it should be with me.”

“That’s awfully bold of you!” Tookie pulled away from him. “I’m just getting to know you! You’re claiming my first time already?”

“Yes, Tookie. Your first time. Your first … kiss.”

“Ohhhhh … sorry.”

Tookie’s cheeks flushed. Her mind spun.
He wants to be my first! ME? The expando-mode six-headed Forgetta-Girl? Is he sight-impaired? But he’s looking right at me. CLOSE UP! Oh God, I promised myself to Theophilus. Have you no loyalty, Tookie?

Then Tookie calmed down. “You can be my first.”

Bravo ducked his head. “I feel like a charity case.”

“No, no, no … I didn’t mean it like that. How’s this: I
want
you to be my first.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“And what about the being-my-girlfriend part? Being my, ummm … my lady.”

Tookie couldn’t believe her ears. “Yes to that part too.”

“For real?”

“For real, Bravo.”

They fell silent for a moment. Tookie ducked her head. “I can’t
believe I’m about to say this, but I can’t wait to lose my … lip virginity to you.”

He smiled his luscious crooked smile. “Have you ever thought about what your first kiss might be like?”

Tookie’s heart stopped.
Only a million times
, she was tempted to say. “I guess so,” she said instead, trying to sound nonchalant. “But I’ve always wondered—will people
know
, afterwards? Will they be able to tell that I’ve
done it
?”

“Well, maybe not.” Bravo smiled. “But
you’ll
know.”

“And … will it … 
feel
weird?”

“I hope it will feel amazing,” Bravo said. “And I know the perfect place our first kiss can happen.”

Our
first kiss. That sounded so good. “Where?” Tookie whispered.

“I’ll sweep you away, where no one at Modelland can see us,” Bravo said. “We’ll go on a magical ride down a secret ZipZap that we hid under the new 7Seven stadium and land in the most beautiful fountain in LaDorno.”

Tookie tried her hardest to keep her face tempered and non-reactive, but inside, her stomach twisted. Bravo knew where the emergency exit to LaDorno was hidden?

“I can make it happen after ManAttack tomorrow.”

“Wait.” Tookie frowned. “A ManAttack? When?”

Bravo looked caught. “Bestosteros aren’t supposed to tell any Bellas about the ManAttack challenge before it happens, but you’re my lady now, so I don’t think there’s any harm. It’s happening tomorrow. It’s a big challenge. For us, it’s to measure Bestostero Intoxibello potential.

“Only a few of us every five years or so have Intoxibello powers,”
Bravo said. “The ManAttack is an early indication in determining which of us boys just might have the magic touch. It’s ridiculous, if you ask me, but if participating allows me to build more Modelland buildings
and
to be around you every day, sign me up!” Then he moved closer. “You’re one of the competitors, Tookie. But all Bellas and Bestosteros are going to watch.”

Tookie’s heart pounded harder and harder.
You’re one of the competitors. All Bellas watch. A secret ZipZap. Through the 7Seven stadium …

This was the Unicas’ chance—maybe their
only
chance.

Tookie cleared her throat. “Um, Bravo. Can you show me where that secret ZipZap is?”

He blinked innocently. “Before we go tomorrow? Why?”

Tookie swallowed hard. She couldn’t look him in the eyes and blatantly lie, so she stared at his chipped nails instead. “I, um … I’d love to see the thing that will, um … lead us to our first kiss.” The words came out in a messy jumble. Tookie was almost certain Bravo could smell the guilt wafting off her skin.

But he smiled brightly. “Of course, Tookie. I’ll show you the ZipZap tonight.” He gave her a warm smile, which just made her feel worse.

Too much
worse. She couldn’t do this to him. “Uh, Bravo?” she said, peeking at his eyes. “There’s something I have to tell you.” She had to tell Bravo the truth, even if he wouldn’t like it. He’d just poured his heart out to her; he deserved honesty in return.

“What is it?” Bravo asked gently.

Tookie breathed in. “It’s about me and my friends. We’re—”

“What in the hell is a Bestostero doing in here?”
a voice boomed through the door, interrupting them. Suddenly, Ci~L appeared.
The Unicas tumbled in after her. Ci~L’s eyes were on Bravo, and her face was bright red.
“Get out!”
she screamed at him. Then she glared at Tookie. “Do you know what happens to girls like you who break the rules? Do you know how much I want to
kill
you right now?”

Ci~L raised her arms in the air and fabric covered in fire shot from her fingertips. Everyone screamed. Ci~L advanced toward Tookie and Bravo, her shape shifting and twisting with the power of Chameeleoné. Her face morphed from a mixture of Gunnero’s and Applaussez’s to a gory combination of Chaste’s and Zarpessa’s. It then shifted to a mishmash of Dylan’s, Piper’s, Shiraz’s, and Tookie’s faces, her skin melting, her tendons popping, her eyes blazing bloody red. Steam puffed from her nostrils. She bared sharpened teeth and extended her hands toward them, her razorblade claws extended.

The girls backed into a corner. They held on to one another for dear life. Shiraz started praying in Labrian. Dylan began reciting all of her brothers’ and sisters’ names, saying “Goodbye, I love you” after each name, and then she fainted. Piper closed her eyes and leaned her head back as if she had accepted her fate and just wanted whatever pain was approaching to be over quickly.

This is it
, Tookie thought.
She’s going to kill us all now!

“Ci~L!” a voice screamed behind them. Persimmon stood in the doorway, her mouth in a tight line. “What in BellaDonna’s name are you doing?” She grabbed the Intoxibella’s arm and dragged her out of the room. As she was being pulled away, Ci~L glanced over her shoulder at the girls. When she shook her finger at them, her nails were still long and pointy talons. “I should just burn you alive,” she hissed.

Over my dead body
, Tookie thought.