Yikes, thought Aru.
That’s so cruel, said Mini. Poor Wifey….
Aiden walked past the pretty reflecting pools holding white and pink lotus blossoms and went straight to the Fountain of Compliments. Aru didn’t think it looked very impressive. It was about ten feet high and carved out of marble. A stream of water gently arced from its plain spout and splashed into a circular basin.
Aiden had only just sat down on the edge of the fountain when the water began to froth.
“Hello!” said the fountain.
“Gods, not again,” said Aiden, dropping his face into his hands.
“My, you are gorgeous!” said the fountain. “It’s so wise of you to come to our spa to take care of your mental and emotional needs. Treat yo’self, am I right?”
Aiden looked at the fountain warily.
Rudy stepped up and peered into the water.
“Gosh, I love that outfit on you!” said the fountain.
“Really?” said Rudy, plucking at his shirt. “I was kinda on the fence about it….”
“Oh no, you definitely pull it off.”
Aiden pushed himself off the fountain’s edge and went to stand by the wall.
Aru didn’t know why he was so annoyed. After all the yelling and shouting and other awfulness they’d experienced on this quest, who couldn’t use a compliment to perk up their spirits?
Brynne approached the fountain next.
“You’re so strong!” said the fountain. “I admire that. I bet people look up to you all the time.”
Brynne grinned and stood a little straighter.
Mini joined her.
“I love those glasses on you—so chic.”
Mini touched her frames self-consciously, a small smile on her face.
OKAY, MY TURN, thought Aru as she strolled up to the fountain’s edge. She waited expectantly, but the fountain only gurgled a bit.
“Oh, wow,” it finally said. “You’re really brave…to wear those clothes!”
Okay, that was technically a compliment.
“That’s it?” she said.
“Clearly you don’t care what other people think about you! I wish I had that confidence!”
Aru frowned. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“You haven’t peaked yet!” said the fountain. “So there’s still time!”
“Time for what?” asked Aru.
The water seemed to be churning a lot faster, as if getting more nervous.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the Fountain of Compliments?” demanded Aru.
“I’m trying!” said the fountain.
“Wow,” said Aru.
“Aru, did you break the fountain?” asked Brynne, roaring with laughter.
In the distance, Aiden was laughing, too. This was not the way she’d imagined making him smile.
“Maybe there were just too many people!” said Mini, moving in front of Aru.
“Has anyone ever told you your smile is somewhat above average?” returned the fountain.
“Thanks,” said Mini flatly.
“Okay, that’s it,” said Aru. “I hope people throw dirty pennies in you!”
The fountain splashed Aru, and she spluttered as the water hit her face.
At that moment, the silvery doors swung open. The cloud attendant had returned. Beyond her, the pattern of glass walls and reflective pools continued.
“Lady Menaka will admit three people only,” said the attendant.
“I’ll stay here,” said Mini. “I might mess something up again, like when I touched the door.”
Mini, that wasn’t your fault, said Aru.
Anyone would’ve made the same mistake, said Brynne.
But you guys didn’t, said Mini. I’m staying behind. Please don’t ask me again.
Mini drew up a wall in her mind. When Aru tried to say something else to her, she got an instant headache. Ouch.
“Me too!” said Rudy, beaming at Mini. “I’ll stay!”
From the cloud bank, a low marble table appeared. It held platters of cut-up mangoes and guavas and slices of banana dipped in chocolate. There were pitchers of sparkling fruit juice, too. A pair of plushy robes and slippers peeled off the cloud bank, along with two reclining chairs.
“Oooh…hello, spa day,” said Rudy, rubbing his hands together.
“Kindly follow me,” said the attendant to Aru, Brynne, and Aiden.
As they followed her down the cloudy pathway, Brynne kept trying to catch Aiden’s eye, but his gaze was fixed ahead.
Do you know anything about Aiden’s grandmother? Aru asked Brynne through the mind link.
Superpowerful, super-old apsara, said Brynne. And really strict. But that’s about it.
Old and powerful and mean. Great, thought Aru. None of these family reunions ever seemed to go well. And yet the name Menaka tickled something in the back of Aru’s head. She felt as if she’d heard it before, but she couldn’t remember when.
Before long, the cloud attendant stopped in front of a pair of golden doors. They were engraved with scenes, and when Aru looked closer, she saw that the pictures actually moved. Beautiful apsaras danced before a host of gods. In another image, an apsara flew down to earth toward a sage who was deep in meditation. In the stories Aru’s mom had told her, every time a man renounced the world and began to perform a lot of religious rites, he gained power. Sometimes too much power. In that case, the gods would send a heavenly nymph to distract the sage.
When Aru was younger, that part had always confused her. “What do you mean ‘distract’?” Aru had once asked her mom. “Did she start blasting music? Throw water in the guy’s face?”
At that, Krithika Shah grew deeply uncomfortable. Like she’d stepped on an anthill and still had to continue with polite conversation. “Not exactly…”
The cloud attendant knocked lightly on the golden doors. They swung outward, revealing a dimly lit room.
“The Lady Menaka will see you now.”
As they stepped inside to meet Aiden’s grandmother, Aru felt a lump in her throat. She’d never met her own grandparents. Krithika Shah’s family had cut them off before Aru was born, and by the time they were willing to reconcile, Aru was six years old. She remembered getting all dressed up and waiting for her mom at the bottom of the staircase. They were supposed to go on a four-hour drive to meet them.
While she waited, Aru had imagined what her grandparents would be like—all crinkly smiles and pockets full of candy, and milk and cookies at night with a bedtime story, the way it looked in movies. It was almost two hours later before Aru learned she wasn’t going to meet them after all. Her grandfather had suffered a stroke and her grandmother didn’t want any visitors that day. When Krithika got the news, she’d been so upset that she forgot about Aru waiting for her downstairs. Krithika had felt awful about it and had apologized a thousand times. Aru had forgiven her, of course, but she’d never forgotten that awful plunge from hope to disappointment.
Hope hurt.
Aru felt each one of her hopes as if it were a fresh bruise. She hoped she could earn back her lightning bolt. She hoped she would make the right choices. She hoped there would be a light at the end of the darkness.
Maybe it would start with Menaka, she thought. Maybe Aiden’s grandmother would be like the crinkle-eyed, smiley ones in all the stories….Maybe it would be okay.