Recipe for Rebellion (Zodiac Girls) Read online

  “Is that my lunch?” I asked in my best grown-up voice.

  Joe nodded. He sat down opposite and put a steaming bowl of casserole in front of me. It smelt wonderful, of sausages and herbs.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been miserable,” he said. “Is best when everyone is happy. And I don’t hate you. Not everybody hates you. Perhaps…”

  “That was a private phone call,” I said again in my grown-up voice.

  Joe got up. “Of course. None of my business. So eat. Enjoy. Tomorrow may be better.”

  I kept my head down and began eating. It was the most delicious food I’d had in ages. Even better than Mrs Wilkins used to cook and she was good. Joe was still standing there watching me.

  I glanced up at him. “What?”

  “I meant it when I said that tomorrow may be better. Life, the universe, your experience of it,” said Joe. “Everything changes. Nothing lasts forever. Things will get better.”

  “Whatever,” I said.

  “Whatever,” he smiled back.

  With that, he went over to his counter then came back with what looked like another leaflet for the shop as it was covered in the same planets and stars.

  “Got one,” I said through a mouthful of food.

  “No?” said Joe looking down. “When?”

  “Um, juggler this morning in the square where I live.”

  “You mean Uri from the party shop. No. That leaflet was for my café to bring you here. No, this is different. Look again.” He pushed the leaflet back in front of me.

  This time I had a proper look. It was for a web site. Something to do with astrology.

  “Check it out,” said Joe. “It will be good for you. Make you happier.”

  “Mmff,” I said as I finished my lunch. I wanted to be left alone. I didn’t want anyone sitting too close in case I cracked in front of them and they saw that I wasn’t hard, without a care in the world. I wasn’t as grown-up as I acted. Inside I was lost and sad and lonely. “I will, I will.” I was quite interested in astrology. Back home Fran, Annie, Jane, Bernie and I used to read our horoscopes regularly and it wouldn’t do any harm to check out what the stars had in store for me here in my new life.

  “You make sure you do,” said Joe then he began to sing. “Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. I think I’ll go and eat worms. Big ones, fat ones, short ones, thin ones, see how the little one squirms.”

  I almost laughed.

  Chapter Four

  Site for sore eyes

  As soon as I got back to the flat in the early evening, I went into my routine.

  Put on the lights. “Let there be light. Ta daah.”

  Put on the TV. “Let there be sound. Ta daah.”

  Checked the answering machine. “Let there be messages for me from friends in the great big world.”

  There was one: “Hi Danu. Esme here. Look sorry about this morning. Hope you haven’t been sitting in all on your own. Be back as soon as I can. Oh got to go, other line’s going…”

  I felt bad I’d given her such a hard time earlier especially as I’d had such a good day. She’s not so bad really and she had taken me in at the last moment. It can’t have been easy having a teenage girl move into your personal space.

  Checked my emails: Inbox: (4)

  One from Fran:

  Watcha wombat. Hope you’re hanging well. Notalot to report. School muchos dulloss. New teacher for anglaisie who is mega allergic and keeps sneezing. Don’t think she’s going to last long. Asnuh, asnuh, achooo. Miss you missmostmuch.

  One from Bernie:

  Hi Dee hi, hi dee hoh. Um. Don’t know what to write today. Got a spot on my chin. Put toothpaste on it. Stings a bit. Um. That’s all.

  One from Jane:

  Come home now. All is forgiven and we miss you. I so wish we could find somewhere for you to stay. If I killed my brother, you could have his bed but he refuses to drink the poison.

  One from Annie:

  Hey Dee. What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Hope you’ve settled in some more as you sounded majorly down last week and I hate to think of you being mis and lonely. Stay in touch. And hopefully we can come visit or you can come here. Been keeping an eye on Spot and he looks fine. Rosie Peters from Year Eleven has been riding him so he’s okay and getting exercise. And I dropped in to see Snowy and Blackie and they’re both A-OK. I also saw Mrs Wilkins in the village yesterday and she said to pass on her best love. Wish you were still here. It’s weird without you. Loads of love.

  They’ve been good mates and made a real effort to stay in touch because they all knew that one of my biggest fears was that we’d drift apart because of distance. I don’t believe the saying that goes “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. I think absence makes the heart forget. Like Dad does about me when he goes off on one of his digs.

  I was about to close down the computer when I remembered what Joe had said about trying his website. He was a jolly old soul, if a bit mad but then I liked mad people usually, they made life more interesting. I found my jacket and rooted around in the pocket for the leaflet then took it back to my desk. I logged onto the web and typed in the address.

  It took a moment for the site to download and slowly the screen began to fill with the image of a night sky full of stars and planets. Soft spacey music began to play.

  As I waited, I decided that I’d find my horoscope, (Sagittarius) and maybe the other girls (Fran/Taurus, Bernie/ Cancer, Annie/ Virgo, Jane/Capricorn) and send them theirs as a surprise. Fran would like that as she’s really into astrology.

  I looked for the list of the twelve signs that are usually on astrology websites but there was only a form to fill in. Ah well, why not? I thought. I’d had a good day after having met Uri. Why not see where this led as well. I began to type in my details.

  Name: Danu Norwan Harvey Jones.

  My dad chose my names. Danu after a West European goddess. It means great mother. Norwan is a Northern American goddess and the name means dancing porcupine. Annie, Jane, Fran and Bernie are the only other people in the whole world who know the origin and meaning of my names and they were sworn to secrecy in a ceremony performed when we were nine years old. We each put our biggest secrets on a piece of paper in a Chinese box and buried it in a secret place in the woods near our old house. That was the day that it was decided that from thence on, I should be called Dee but no-one remembers to call me that apart from them. Not even Dad or Luke and I’ve told them a million times.

  Birth date and place. December 18th, Dorset, England.

  Time: 7.45pm. Luckily I knew my time of birth as my dad told me that he thought I was very considerate being born when I was. I was a home delivery and there was a programme he wanted to watch about Egyptian mummies on the telly at eight o’clock and he was worried that he was going to miss it because Mum was still in labour. Then out I popped, just in time for him to make Mum, himself and the midwife a cup of tea and settle down to watch his programme (even then he was more concerned with old bones than new).

  As soon as I’d completed the form on the screen, it swirled away as if evaporating. Then suddenly the computer screen began to flash on and off like a strobe light at a disco. I thought something was wrong and it was going to blow up or crash but the screen soon cleared and up came the words CONGRATULATIONS in red and gold accompanied by a drum roll crescendo and a blast of trumpets.

  The words YOU ARE THIS MONTH’S ZODIAC GIRL!!!!!!! flashed across the screen. I chuckled to myself. Hey Joe, do you think we’re all stupid out here? I thought. This month’s Zodiac Girl? Yeah right. Me and a million others. D’er. I’m Sagittarius. Anyone born from November 23rd to December 21st is this month’s Zodiac Girl. No big deal. Someone must have persuaded Joe to use astrology as a promotion for his business. Maybe one day, I’d pop into the deli and tell him that the site only stated the obvious. Shame that was all there was, I thought, as I switched off the computer and went to do some homework before Rosa arrived with my supper.


  Just as I was settling down to watch telly, I heard a knock at the door.

  “Won’t be a mo, Rosa,” I called out thinking that she was early with my supper tonight.

  I went to open the door and found Sushila standing there. She thrust a padded envelope at me.

  “You left your phone in the café in Osbury,” she said. “Joe asked me to give it back to you.”

  “Oh! I never even realized,” I said as I took the package although I could have sworn that I had it with me when I left the deli. “Er… thanks.”

  I was about to close the door but she was still standing there.

  “Sorry. Was there something else?” I asked.

  “Not very friendly are you?” she asked.

  I shrugged. I’d learnt that it was best to stay neutral in my new life. No expectations, no disappointments. I was a new girl in a school where all the friendships had already been established. I’d learnt to keep my head down, keep myself to myself. That way, I wasn’t let down.

  Sushila was still standing there. “So… gonna invite me in?”

  “In? Er… yeah. If you like.”

  “Great,” said Sushila stepping inside. “I’ve always wanted to look in one of these flats.”

  I led her through to the sitting room where she took in the sparse decor.

  “Wow,” she said. “You only just moved here?”

  “I’ve only been here a short while,” I explained. “It’s my Aunt Esme’s place. She’s lived here for a few years but she uses it like a hotel.”

  “A few years? Really? You wouldn’t think so. It feels like it’s brand new. Like it’s picture perfect but unlived in.”

  “Exactly my sentiments,” I said as Sushila nosed around a bit more and looked at the non view out of the window.

  I began to feel like an estate agent showing a prospective buyer around as I led her through the rest of the flat.

  “And this Modom, is our small but efficient kitchen. As you’ll see all mod cons in order to cut down cooking to a minimum. Microwave, kettle, fridge.”

  Sushila didn’t comment just nodded and poked her nose into a couple of cupboards.

  “Where’s the food?” she asked when she saw that most of them were empty.

  “Aunt Esme hardly ever eats at home,” I explained and led her out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom.

  “Next is the bathroom, size of a cupboard I know but then it probably was a cupboard.”

  “Yeah, not bad,” said Sushila as she took a quick peek, then I took her into Aunt Esme’s room which, like the rest of the flat, was painted white and had the minimum of furniture. I opened her closets to reveal rows of colour co-ordinated clothes. Not that there were many colours to co-ordinate: black, grey, navy, beige. I couldn’t resist opening her drawers too.

  “Woah!” said Sushila when she saw the rows of neatly folded knickers. “Looks like she irons her underwear.”

  “She irons everything. That is when she’s not dusting. I think she’s one of those obsessive compulsive people. A major control freak.”

  Sushila went back into the corridor so I followed after her.

  “My room,” I said when she stuck her head in the last door.

  “I gathered that,” she said. “It’s the only room that looks lived in. Although you haven’t unpacked all your stuff.”

  I stepped over the boxes she was looking at. I hadn’t unpacked everything partly because there was nowhere to put things and partly because I was hoping that I wouldn’t be staying too long.

  “My room back home was four times the size,” I said.

  “So what are you doing here?”

  I shrugged. “I stare at walls a lot. Watch telly…”

  “No. I mean, what are you doing here?” She gestured the flat.

  “Existing. Breathing. Same as everyone else.”

  Sushila sighed. “I meant, where’s your mum and dad?”

  I led her back into the sitting room and so that she couldn’t see my face, I explained on the way. “My mum died when I was three and my dad’s gone off on a job somewhere in the mountains of Peru.”

  “What does he do?” asked Sushila.

  “Digs old bones up.”

  Sushila laughed. “Sounds like our dog. He does that. Bet he never thought of it as a job!”

  I laughed with her. “Dad writes about them and puts them in museums.”

  “Cool.”

  “Is for him.”

  “Ah. You don’t want to be here?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “I’m sorry your mum died.”

  “So am I.”

  “Got any brothers or sisters anywhere?”

  I nodded and almost laughed. She reminded me of me. Always asking questions, no matter how awkward. “Luke. He’s at university in Brighton.”

  Sushila glanced at her watch. “Oops, got to go. It’s my birthday today and Mum’s cooking something special. You eaten?”

  I shook my head. “I have my supper delivered.”

  “Delivered? Wow. By who? Take away?”

  “My aunt’s cleaner cooks for me.”

  “What? Every night?”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “You mean you can’t cook yourself?”

  “No. So?”

  Sushila shrugged. “So nothing. So. Want to come and eat with us?”

  I shook my head. “Nah. Not hungry,” I said. It wasn’t strictly true but I knew that Sushila had friends and if it was her birthday they’d probably be there at her house and I’d end up feeling spare or saying something stupid and putting my foot in it. “So no thanks.”

  “Whatever. Later then…” She went towards the front door to leave.

  I wanted to kick myself. Why hadn’t I taken up her offer? Was I mad? Rosa wouldn’t know if I didn’t eat her meal.

  “Hey Sushila,” I called. “If today’s your birthday, you must be a Sagittarius like me right?”

  “Yeah,” said Sushila turning back. “Half man, half horse or something like that.”

  I nodded. “The archer with the horse’s body. Yeah. That’s the symbol for Sagittarians. Come and take a look at this… er that is if you’ve got time?”

  Sushila smiled. “Sure.”

  I led her back into my room and turned on the computer and went to the astrological website. I thought I’d been a bit prissy turning down her offer of a meal so in order to appear more friendly, I thought I’d print out the page that said “Congratulations, you’re this month’s zodiac girl” when it came up.

  The same night sky began to appear on the screen accompanied by the same spacey music then up popped the form.

  “You have to fill in your details,” I said.

  “Cool,” said Sushila sitting at my desk. She began to fill in her details. Date of birth, time, place.

  When she’d finished, I waited for the strobe lights and the trumpets but instead the screen simply cleared then gave her horoscope and birth chart. No fanfare.

  “Cool. Thanks. Can I print it out?” asked Sushila.

  “Yeah. Sure.” I pressed the print button and the papers began to swish out.

  “You look puzzled,” said Sushila. “What is it?”

  “Just… when I did it, it kind of went mad. Said I was this month’s Zodiac Girl. I thought it was because I’m Sagittarius, that all sagittarians are Zodiac Girls because it’s our month.”

  “So do it again,” said Sushila. “See if it does it again. It might have been that you were the thousandth person to enter the site or something and that made you Zodiac Girl or whatever.”

  “Oh yeah,” I said. “I never thought of that. That’s probably it.”

  I sat at the computer and went through the whole process of putting my birth date, place and time again.

  The computer began to vibrate and once again came the trumpet and drum roll. Really loud.

  Sushila laughed. “Wahoo. Hope you haven’t got neighbours who like it quiet!”

  “But what
does it mean?” I asked.

  “Dunno. You’re this month’s Zodiac Girl. Who knows? See if there’s an email address and you can ask whoever runs the site. Whatever. Look. Sorry. Got to go. People waiting.”

  I let her out of the flat and when I closed the door after her, I spotted the package from Joe in the hall. Good job he realized that the phone was mine, I thought as I ripped the package open. Anyone might have picked it up and gone off with it.

  Joe had wrapped the phone in bubble wrap and when I finally had it unwrapped, I realized that it wasn’t my phone after all. He’d made a mistake. It was a lovely looking phone, a deep red colour with an amber stone encased in it but not mine. I went to my jacket to check if my phone was in there. I felt in the pocket and there it was where I always kept it. I’d been sure I hadn’t left it in the café and I’d been right. Never mind, I thought. I could always take the red phone back to the deli one night after school and give it back to Joe.

  I put it on the hall table and was about to go back into the living room to watch some telly.

  Just as I put the phone down, it rang. It made me jump as it had a strange ring tone. In fact, hardly a ring tone at all. More like the trumpet fanfare that had announced that I was Zodiac Girl. At first I wasn’t sure what to do. It wasn’t my phone so I let it ring. Surely it will click onto voice mail, I thought and sure enough, after a few moments, the fanfare died down.

  Then it started again. A few decibels louder. This time there was a loud thump on the wall from next door. The phone ring was loud enough to wake the dead.

  Maybe I ought to pick up, I thought. Maybe whoever’s on the other end of the phone needs to get in touch with the owner of the phone so I ought to let them know that it has been misplaced in case it’s an emergency. And whoever was on the end of the phone would obviously know who they were calling so I could ask who it belonged to so I could tell Joe when I handed it in. Yes, I decided. I’ll answer the phone.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey Danu,” said a friendly voice.

  “How…? Who is this?”

  “Joe.”

  “Joe from Europa?”