Chapter 14
‘So, where do we start?’
We arrived at Mirrorball with little to no trouble. The crowds were thankfully quiet due to the early start – most festival-goers are still sleeping off their Saturday morning hangovers.
I’m even starting to become more accustomed to the stares from passers-by now. For a second I wonder what they’re staring at until I remember the drumstick swinging at our sides.
We stand at the entrance, studying the cosy interior of Mirrorball with hesitation.
‘Good question,’ I say, pulling my phone out of my pocket to re-read the prompt.
All the numbers will be reversed.
Elliot’s head hovers close to mine to read it. ‘He’ll give his answer before eleven… At least we have a bit of time, it’s still ten forty-five.’
I turn to Elliot. ‘Okay, so. “Ask what you will”… that’s a lyric from the song “2005”, so I’m guessing it must be a code. If we reverse it, that gives us “5002”. That might be something?’
Elliot’s eyebrows shoot up. ‘Fast work, princess.’
I can’t suppress my satisfied smile in response. My inner competitive goblin seems to be coming out in full force.
A small group of girls, all adorned with crowns and tiaras on their heads, make their way inside. One of them eyes me with mistrust, her gaze pointing at my own tiara.
‘It seems like word has spread,’ Elliot murmurs.
‘We should probably get searching,’ I say nervously.
‘So we’re looking for what – a guy? Who do we give the code to?’ His eyes calmly scan the tent.
I shrug. ‘Let’s see what we find in there that might give us an idea.’
Alarmingly, there are a couple of small groups looking just as out of place as us. A few people are scoping out the area, looking under cushions and tables whilst others are having quiet discussions hunched together.
Elliot comes to an abrupt stop, forcing me to a halt.
‘Hey, our barman is here,’ he notes.
My head whips to the bar and, indeed, he is. But he doesn’t seem at all perturbed by the sudden appearance of numerous lost fans gathered here. He continues to type on his phone, relaxing back against the counter behind the bar.
‘We’ve got fifteen minutes till eleven. No harm in telling him the code to see if he’s the right guy, right?’ Elliot asks, leaning close to me so as not to advertise his thoughts too loudly.
‘Could it be that easy?’ I whisper, a little distracted by his proximity.
‘Why not? Let’s try,’ he replies, walking confidently to the bar and pulling me behind him.
The barman’s head flicks up, his brows lifting in surprise as he takes us in.
‘My little drumsticks,’ he says, opening his arms wide in a welcoming gesture.
‘Hi!’ I reply brightly. I have to restrain myself from screaming the suspected code without warning into his face.
‘You haven’t declared a winner for that yet, I see,’ he remarks, his eyes landing on the drumstick we still share.
‘Nope, not just yet,’ Elliot says dryly.
‘We were actually hoping that you might be able to help us with something,’ I cut in desperately.
He entwines his fingers together and rests them on the bar in front of us. ‘Ask away.’
‘We have a… code. I don’t know if you’re the right person to say this to, but… does 5002 mean anything to you?’ I lean forward on the bar, my fingers nervously tapping the surface.
His eyes flick between Elliot and I before reaching into his pocket. My heart pounds as he passes a slim strip of paper over the bar. I grab it and cradle it against my chest like it’s my lifeline.
‘Thank you!’ I whisper gratefully. He nods as he crosses his arms again.
‘Good luck,’ he says with a light smirk.
‘Thanks,’ Elliot replies.
As we turn away to leave, the barman speaks again. ‘Out of interest, whose drumstick is that? What band, I mean?’
‘Queen Ego,’ Elliot and I reply in unison.
His eyes light up as he booms with laughter, tapping the bar with delight. ‘Of course it is. Well, Godspeed. Hopefully you’ll have a winner by Christmas.’
Elliot rolls his eyes and raises a hand in goodbye. ‘Cheers.’
‘Thank you!’ I call again as Elliot pulls me away.
‘We got it!’ I hiss, raising the clue above my head in victory. His hand flies to it and pushes it down gently.
‘You might not want to advertise that, princess,’ he murmurs as he looks pointedly at my fellow Queen Ego fans still looking for clues. A collection of them send fierce glares in our direction.
‘Yikes,’ I whisper, picking up the pace as we exit the tent.
Elliot pulls out his phone to inform the group of our success as we leave Mirrorball behind us. The greater the distance we can make from it, and its inhabitants, the better.
‘That seemed almost too easy?’ My voice is light and slightly breathy from the adrenaline still rushing through me.
‘For now… we’ve got five clues to go. What does the clue say?’ he asks as he types. I look at the small, tidy script on the paper.
Whatever direction,
East, North, or West,
Look out for a sign of me, the one I like best
I begin to frantically loop the keywords over and over again in my mind, thinking about any potential lyrics they could be linked to. But my mind goes blank.
‘Must be The Lakes,’ Elliot says with confidence, referring to one of the areas we haven’t seen yet.
‘What? Why?’ I demand.
‘What’s that song… “Ready Now”, I think? There’s that lyric… “you’ll find me at my favourite spot, the lake in my hometown… the one you forgot,”’ he says, shooting me a look that dares me to disagree.
A small but unmistakable feeling of resentment worms inside me that he reached the solution before me. And his answer definitely checks out.
‘Impressive work,’ I admit. ‘Maybe you’re Queen Ego’s biggest fan now?’
‘I don’t believe I ever said that.’ He raises his hand in defence. ‘I wouldn’t dare,’ he adds quietly.
‘How far are The Lakes from here? We could just go straight there and meet the others,’ I suggest, keen to make a move and stay ahead of the competition now that I’ve seen it.
‘Sounds good, let’s get moving.’
We leave the Light Teller’s area in tandem, our pace quicker than earlier. The crowds have started to build up slightly, and I can’t deny that walking bound together with Elliot is a huge comfort as we navigate our way around swarms of people.
My arm brushes against his countless times as I instinctually lean toward him for security. He leads the way for both of us without hesitation, patiently pausing every now and then when I need it so I can breathe in greedy lungfuls of air.
We follow this pattern soundlessly, and I make a small note to myself to thank him later.