"I've finally done it!" said Pao Ting with a smirk. Before her, the Tickler 10000 beeped and clicked, exploring her cluttered desk with its four long tendrils. "With this, I will finally crush my rival, Summer Salt! And then, everyone will realize my superior genius!"
"Pao honey!" The chinese girl winced as her mother banged on her door. "Are you ready? We're leaving soon!"
"Coming Ma!" Pao sighed and opened the door. "What are you wearing?" Her mother asked, exasperated at the geeky science T-shirt and baggy jeans her daughter habited. "Put on your outfit quickly and we'll do your makeup in the car. Oh and..." Pao gasped as her mother plucked her glasses off. "Contacts for the festival. They didn't have metal glasses in ancient China, remember?"
Pao barely had a second to stuff her gadget into her pants before being whisked away.
Genius had its downsides and one of those was always being surrounded by inferiors. The Chinese New Year celebration took up main street, bustling with people, lights, and laughter. All things Pao could do without. Worst part was she was in the center of it.
"This outfit is freezing!" She complained, waving her bare arms.
"You loved the cheongsam when you were little!" Her mom said, hands on her hips, admiring her finished product. The nerdy girl wore a bright red cheongsam that was admittedly now a tad too small, dramatic dark eyeshadow and black dress shoes with a dark coif of shiny black hair. "Now remember. Smile for good luck!"
The last phrase was echoed in the glassy plaque beside the gaudy chinese temple Pao Ting stood next to. People could make a small donation and earning them a smile and a thank you in chinese. When she had been 10, this had been cute and fun; now Pao could care less.
Pao flashed a sarcastic smile, tossing her glossy black hair. Later, a few passerbys smiled and dropped a dollar in the box. "Xia Xia," the chinese girl said, waving.
As the minutes dragged on, Pao shivered, rubbing her bare arms. She had a dreadful itch on her right sole. Reaching down, she felt the Tickler 10000 shift in her sleeve. "Summer Salt detected," it droned. Pao followed its gaze to a random blonde girl nearby who was definitely not Summer.
"No, stop," said Pao, panicked, as it tried to squirm out of her sleeve to attack. "As your creator, I order you to stop!"
Relentlessly, it crawled out, long tendrils extending. To Pao's horror, it grabbed her wrists and forced them behind her back. Tendrils slid into her skin tight cheongsam, searching for her ankles. "No NOT ME!" Pao hissed, struggling.
A blonde boy came by and dropped two dollars. "Oh hey," He said. "Everything ok?" "Yes!" Pao gritted, twisting like an eel. "Xia Xia!"
"I didn't see a smile."
Pao tossed a sarcastic smile and said a string of curses in mandarin until he left. Then the Tickler 10000 clasped her ankles, and forced her to walk towards the box. "Noooo," said Pao knowing her fate. "Stop, I order you!"
"Bad girl, obey," droned her invention. Tendrils snaked out and stroked her exposed armpits. Pao Ting shrieked, biting her lip. A few people walked by, giving her odd looks. "Bad girl will be punished until she acknowledges her master, Pao Ting."
"I AM Pao Ting!" Pao Ting said. Struggling, she was forced to lie down on her back on the table next to the donation box. Despite her slim stature, she had to dangle her arms and legs off the table where Tickler 10000 joined its tendrils binding her ankles and wrists. "ughh no!" Pao gasped.
Realizing her situation, Pao glared and blew a lock of black hair out of her face. "This sucks."
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