Beauty Queens

Page 121

“I think I see something,” one of the black shirts said, and Nicole, too, closed her eyes.
Shanti and Nicole pressed their hands together tightly. A wind soft as a warm breath blew across their faces. It left them and turned fierce, stripping leaves from trees and pulling the dirt from ancient earthen walls. Like an angry fist, it pushed the black shirts from the temple, forcing them back into the jungle. They shouted as sharp grit attacked their eyes and mouths relentlessly. The wind howled with such force that Shanti and Nicole could almost hear something human in its cries. The agents were forced to retreat, chased by the sirocco. Once they were gone, the wind died down. Shanti and Nicole were alone. They did not know what had caused the sudden windstorm.
“Could have been anything,” Nicole said.
“Yeah, anything,” Shanti agreed. “Atmospheric pressure.”
“Sudden tornado.”
The totems did not give any answers. Shanti bowed to the now quiet land. “Thank you.” “Thank you,” Nicole said.
The wind responded with a light flutter of contentment.
Mary Lou and Tane had managed to avoid a direct hit, but the other ship fired again, narrowly missing them. They were on the run in the heavy fog.
“Can we fire back?” Mary Lou asked.
“Dunno. I just figured out how to steer this thing,” Tane answered. “Here. You take over and I’ll take a peek at the control panel.”
They switched places and Mary Lou put her hands on the wheel. She’d driven a car and a tractor, but this was something else entirely. It had the feel of destiny to it. “Man, I could get used to this.”
Mary Lou squinted into the fogbank again just as the ship emerged. She had to shift quickly into reverse to avoid colliding with it, and both she and Tane had to hold on tightly to keep from flying against the yacht’s custom teak cabinets.
“Whoa!” Tane called from the floor.
“Sorry!”
The enemy ship passed with only feet to spare. Mary Lou peered through the windows at it and broke into a huge grin. “I don’t believe it.”
A cannonball narrowly missed the yacht, soaking the bow and sending them wobbling like a toy again. “Tane! Take over!”
She took the spiral staircase at a clip and raced onto the upper deck. “Ahoy there, mateys!” she yelled, waving her arms wildly.
In the fog, she could hear Sinjin St. Sinjin’s order. “Cease your bloody fire, mates! Can’t you see there’s a hot bird ahead?”
Miss Ohio had taken her troops to the trees. “Shooters ready? New Mexico?”
“Ready,” Miss New Mexico answered. The arrows were laid out on the tray in her forehead, ready to go.
“Montana?”
Miss Montana held up her bow. “Check.”
“Arkansas?”
In her good hand, Miss Arkansas held a small coconut. “Oh yeah.”
“I guess we’re good to go,” Miss Ohio said. The footsteps were coming closer. “See them, New Mexico?”
“Not yet, Miss Ohi — do you think we could just call one another by our names?”
Miss Ohio nodded. “Sure thing, Caitlin.”
“Thanks, Caitlin,” Miss New Mexico answered. “Caitlin, I see them. They’re coming from your right.”
“Which Caitlin?” Miss Montana asked. “Me or Caitlin Arkansas?”
“Um, Caitlin Montana.”
“Ugh. That just made me sound like a  p**n  star,” Miss Montana complained.
“Do you have a middle name? Maybe that would make it easier?”
“Yeah. It’s Ashley,” Miss Montana said.
“That’s my middle name, too,” Miss New Mexico said.
“And mine.” Miss Arkansas shrugged apologetically.
“Mine’s Ashlee with two e’s,” Miss Ohio offered.
Miss Montana nodded. “Right. What do you see now, New Mexico?”
“They’re almost here.”
Three black shirts moved through, guns drawn. Miss Ohio used her fingers to count down.
“Now!” she shouted. The arrows zipped down through the growth, clipping fronds whsk-whsk-whsk. One found its mark in a guard’s thigh. His AK-47 went off as he fell to the ground, grabbing at the thin stake of wood.
“Reload!” Miss Ohio shouted, ducking.
A second hail of arrows arched out in a flawless display. It was like the opening number of the Miss Teen Dream Pageant with every girl knowing her steps, every girl in perfect sync with her sisters. Miss Arkansas launched her coconut at a guard’s head and he went down hard.