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Nobody quite understood the huge blowup between Alicia and Moira that had caused the former to resign from the pantomime. It had been over such a silly thing too: Alicia’s demon king costume.
It began when Alicia came on stage, chanting her ridiculous demon chant. Everyone began giggling, and those giggles turned into gasps and squeals of delight and wonder – for Alicia wasn’t wearing her school uniform; instead, she had a tight, red costume on. It was beautifully made, with red and orange beads on it which caught the light in a way that made it look as though there were little sparks of fire covering her. Janet had truly outdone herself, all the girls thought!
“Say, Janet – did you make that costume?! It’s super!” exclaimed the girls. The small, shy girl turned red with pleasure, beaming.
“Yes – I did expect you all to see it at the show, but Alicia rather ruined the surprise,” she replied in her quiet, demure voice; however, her pleased expression showed that she didn’t mind at all. She was just happy that everyone liked the outfit she had been working on for so long.
“Sorry to ruin the surprise, old thing! But once I saw it, I just had put it on! Makes me feel real demon-like,” drawled Alicia. She then continued chanting, making wild gestures and ridiculous poses, sending the girls into fits of giggles again. They hooted and whistled, clapping loudly when she threw three balls up in the air and began juggling.
One person, however, wasn’t giggling, or whistling, or hooting.
That was, unsurprisingly, Moira.
“All right, that’s quite enough!” she snapped loudly, banging her hand down on the table. Everyone fell quiet – disliked as she was, Moira had that effect on people when she shouted - and scowled. Really, Moira was such a spoilsport.
“You’re just as bad as Gwendoline, preening about with a curtain on her head,” she continued, her expression a mixture of contempt and something else. “You look ridiculous. Take that off at once.”
Everyone fell silent. Janet’s face fell, and Moira winced inwardly despite herself. She hadn’t meant to make Janet feel bad – she could tell the outfit was very well-made, and those beads surely must have taken hours to sew on – but something about it, about Alicia in it, made her feel irrationally angry. It was the way she captivated everyone’s attention with a simple gesture and ridiculous poses, whereas Moira had to shout and bang on tables to get attention. It was the way she insisted on that stupid demon chant, even after Moira had told her repeatedly to drop it. It was the way she made everything into a joke; the pantomime, her performance, and now the outfit.
It was also, if Moira was being honest with herself, how she looked in it, and how it made Moira feel.
Alicia snorted and changed her pose back to normal, crossing her arms.
“Say, what exactly is it you have a problem with now? The demon actually looking demon-like?” asked Alicia smoothly. “First it was the demonic chants, now the demonic costume…maybe you’re confused and think I’m supposed to be playing an angel, and want me to wear a white tunic and sing hark the herald angels sing-”
Irene and Bill snorted and a few girls let out giggles, which were immediately drowned out by Moira, who once again began to speak loudly, interrupting Alicia’s mock-singing.
“The problem is that you’re wearing an outfit that you’re supposed to wear for the pantomime, for rehearsals. I never authorized you to do that. I never even authorized that costume in the first place!” she snapped.
Alicia let out a disbelieving laugh. “Authorized? I’m sorry – I didn’t realize every single move we made has to be authorized by the great Moira!”
The girls shifted uncomfortably, and the giggles that had been drowned out by Moira’s voice subsided as they realized a serious fight was brewing. Alicia’s voice was getting smoother and more and more scathing with each word, and Moira’s face was getting whiter and whiter with rage. Moira’s rage was different from Darrell’s; Darrell’s was a red-faced rage, quick and blunt and over in seconds. Moira’s was a white-faced rage, frightening and cold and long-lasting. It made them all feel very uncomfortable indeed.
“Seeing as I’m the director of the play, yes, I have to authorize everything. The music, the sets, the script, and, yes, the costumes.”
“And…do you not authorize it, Moira?” asked Janet shyly, her eyes wide and anxious.
Moira hesitated. She didn’t want to hurt Janet, and she knew the girls would despise her even more if she did. Janet was such a sweet, nice little thing, liked by everyone. Being mean to her would be rather like kicking a puppy with bystanders watching – every single one of them would rightly turn against her and think very lowly of her indeed. It was like two Moiras were battling in her head. Eventually, the harder side of her won, like it usually did; she was much too angry with Alicia and she figured as they all already hated her anyway, she had nothing to lose by giving way to her anger.
“I don’t,” she replied flatly, her face hard and unmoving.
Some girls groaned, others gasped in disbelief at this absurdity and at Moira’s sheer meanness.
“All right…I’ll just…I’ll modify it…” began Janet, looking hurt and dismayed.
“Why the hell not?” interrupted Alicia, putting up a hand in front of Janet, a gesture that made any girl who was talking shut up and listen. That was another quality that made Moira angry; she could never get away with doing that.
“I don’t need a reason. I simply don’t approve of it. Now go and change, so we can continue and get this rehearsal right for once,” snapped Moira, turning her back on the indignant girl.
“Let me remind you, Moira, that you’re not the only one in charge here! I’m executive producer, and so is Darrell, and Sally, and…” began Betty hotly, jumping in defense of her best friend.
“I’m head girl. If I don’t authorize…”
“You’re not in charge of the wardrobe! Janet is!” interrupted Alicia again, her voice getting louder.
“And thank goodness for that! Considering those ghastly trousers and shirts she wears on the weekends,” muttered Gwendoline to Maureen under her breath.
“Moira…come on! It’s a fine outfit, I don’t see what you could possibly object –“ began Darrell desperately, seeing that her beloved pantomime was turning into a ridiculous argument that was turning unsolvable.
“It’s much too tight!” exploded Moira. Everyone fell silent. She could feel her face turning red, and she cleared her throat. “It’s…indecent,” she muttered.
The girls looked at the outfit in uncomfortable silence. It was rather tight, certainly – but saying it was indecent seemed rather a lot.
“Nobody else seems to find it indecent but you,” Alicia broke through the silence smoothly. She locked eyes with Moira’s, her stare angry and defiant, and also…questioning, somehow; a curious glint in her eye that made Moira squirm despite herself. Moira didn’t fear anyone, and certainly not Alicia, but she was constantly perturbed by the girl’s uncanny ability to seemingly be able to figure people out, specifically their weaknesses. It was a glint that missed nothing. She seemed to notice even this slight squirm, for the slight question that seemed to be in her eyes vanished, and there was a glint of triumph, almost a mocking look in her eye. She suddenly smirked. “When only one person finds something indecent, usually it’s not the thing that’s indecent – it’s the person’s thoughts.”
Rage and something similar to panic flashed in Moira’s eyes, and something like immediate regret flashed in Alicia’s, but the latter quickly passed, since the girl was much too far gone in her own anger to be sorry about anything just then. Moira quickly composed herself before anyone could notice – apart from the hawk-eyed Alicia, of course - and jutted her chin out.
“If you don’t go and change, right now, I’ll –“
“You’ll what?” said Alicia, her voice dangerously smooth and almost mocking, her eyes a mix of amusement and anger. She fixed her eyes even more intensely on Moira’s, as though daring her to look away. She felt herself turn even redder, despite the anger that should have been turning her face white.
“I’ll find a replacement,” she replied, finally, her voice weaker than she would have liked it to sound.
“Moira, come on! You know nobody could replace Alicia!” blurted out Darrell, dismay written all over her face.
“Well, you’ll just have to. I’m resigning,” snapped Alicia holding her hands up in defeat, although to Moira it seemed more like a gesture of triumph. “I’ve had enough.”
“Alicia, no! Come on…you don’t mean that!” cried Darrell.
“I’ve never meant anything more in my life,” replied Alicia, her voice light and breezy, as she walked off the stage and began making her way towards the exit.
“Moira…please!” groaned Darrell, turning to Moira. Moira rolled her eyes.
“Alicia, don’t be ridiculous…” she began hotly.
Alicia swiveled around and put up a hand. Moira found herself falling silent, and cursed inwardly for letting herself be so easily dominated by Alicia; just like the others.
“Don’t waste your breath. I’ve made my mind up, and it’s not going to change. Find a replacement. I’m not doing this anymore.”
Alicia walked out of the door, slamming it behind her.
Everyone was ecstatic when Alicia withdrew her resignation. Moira became respected after she saved June from being expelled, and rehearsals with the one and only Alicia as Demon King were back on.
“I’m so pleased you’re back, Alicia!” exclaimed Darrell warmly one evening in the common room, which finally felt free from the tensions that had plagued the fifth form since the year had begun. “Do you think you’ll get on with Moira better now?” she murmured in a low voice, after looking around to make sure the girl wasn’t around.
“I have to, after what she did, don’t I?” laughed Alicia. “Mind you, I’m not going to bow down to her just because she saved the Johns’ name from disgrace!”
“Was the Johns’ name ever not in disgrace?” remarked Betty coyly. The girls listening – Darrell, Betty, Sally, Janet and Daphne – laughed, and Alicia swatted her friend on the arm playfully.
“You’re one to talk, Betty Hill!”
“Say, Alicia,” piped up Janet unexpectedly. “Did Moira say anything about the costume? Should I alter it, or maybe make a new one completely?”
Alicia snorted. “Lord, I had forgotten about that fiasco.”
This wasn’t true; Alicia had not forgotten about the fiasco, as she called it, at all. She had been giving it rather a lot of thought, in fact. She scratched her chin thoughtfully.
“I should probably ask her about that,” she mused, almost more to herself than as an answer to Janet’s question.
“Oh, could you?” asked Janet, relieved. “I would ask her myself, but she rather scares me! And I do need to know as soon as possible what I should do about the costume…the pantomime is only weeks away, and if I have to make something from scratch, I really should begin right away.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll ask her tomorrow,” replied Alicia, still seeming to be lost in thought.
Darrell looked at her in surprise. The old Alicia would have told Janet to grow a backbone and ask Moira herself. Changes in character were happening at Malory Towers!
“So, if I’m back in the pantomime, does that mean I have to get rid of my incredibly obscene costume?”
Moira jumped at the sudden interruption of her thoughts. She looked up from her desk to see a grinning Alicia leaning against the door of her study. She inmediately regretted not closing the door the way she usually did; ever since the girls had started liking her more she had begun to leave it open now and then. She supposed it was a way to show she was trying to be less closed up. She didn't think she would ever be a friendly person, but leaving the door open seemed like a good way to start. She rolled her eyes and deigned to give the other girl a small, tight smile.
“I don’t think that was the word I used.”
“No…indecent, that was it,” Alicia chuckled, leaning against the door of the study. She looked around. “Catherine not in?”
“No, thank goodness,” replied Moira bluntly. Alicia grinned.
“Good to see your newfound kindness hasn’t tainted your ability to be a bitch,” she remarked, throwing her jacket on the back of the nearest chair.
“There’s the pot calling the kettle black,” retorted Moira dryly, putting down her pen and leaning back.
“So you find that stupid outfit indecent, but not a crass word? You’re quite a mystery, aren’t you?” drawled Alicia, in a tone that indicated she thought the other girl was anything but. Moira sighed and clicked her tongue.
“Have you come for something in particular? Or just to be exasperating?” she asked, her voice tinged with irritation.
“For something in particular,” replied Alicia, locking eyes with the girl and smirking in a way that made Moira feel the sudden urge to clear her throat. She rolled her eyes at the annoying girl, feeling her face flush.
“Well, what?” she demanded, her voice rather embarassingly high-pitched.
“Janet wants to know if she needs to alter the costume, or if she should make another one from scratch,” Alicia finally asked, her lips twitching with amusement.
Moira sighed wearily and got up, making her way towards the small kitchenette in the corner. She grabbed the kettle and began filling it up with water. She didn’t really fancy tea just then, but it was a good excuse to turn her back to Alicia and hide the tinge of red that appeared on her cheeks upon the recollection of the girl in said costume.
“I thought you said that you didn’t need my authorization on that matter,” she said, turning off the tap.
“I don’t. Janet does. She’s rather scared of you, it seems,” replied Alicia.
“Maybe you confuse fear with respect,” said Moira dryly. “Well, I suppose it would be rather imprudent to make such a change only weeks away from the show. Tell her it’s fine as it is.”
Alicia rolled her eyes at the word imprudent.
“That’s settled, then. I’ll tell Janet.”
“Good,” she replied shortly. She put the kettle on and turned to face the girl, who looked uncharacteristically hesitant.
“Anything else?” asked Moira, raising an eyebrow.
“I wanted to…just to say thank you. Again. For saving my cousin. June…she…” Alicia trailed off, biting her lip. “Well, it would have been awful had she been expelled.”
“That’s all right,” muttered Moira gruffly. “I – I’m thankful to you too – for withdrawing your resignation. And – I’m sorry. I know I was being rather ridiculous about that whole costume situation…” she stopped abruptly, finding it difficult to find the words to say.
“It was rather strange the way you seemed so…perturbed by a costume,” said Alicia after a moment’s silence.
“Well…it had more to do with me than it had to do with you,” replied Moira, rather wearily.
Alicia smiled a triumphant yet strangely gentle smile. “I figured as much,” she murmured. “I was right, wasn’t I? It was your thoughts that were indecent – not the costume.”
“Alicia, don’t,” muttered Moira, looking down.
“What were they, exactly?” she pressed on, smirking in a way that made Moira want to either throttle her or do other things she couldn’t allow herself to think about.
“Stop!” snapped Moira. “Must everything be a joke to you?”
Alicia’s grin wavered.
“Moira…”
“Get out. Please,” she snapped, sounding more pleading than she would have liked.
Alicia took a step closer.
“Please.” Moira’s voice had fallen to a whisper now, and she felt her throat closing up. She looked down at her feet, which felt rooted to the spot, completely frozen. She could feel her hands shaking slightly.
“It’s all right. You can look,” whispered Alicia, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “You can have…indecent thoughts.”
“Stop it,” muttered Moira, her voice hoarse.
Alicia took her hands in hers and placed them on her waist. Moira’s breath hitched.
“You can touch,” she murmured.
Moira couldn’t bring herself to look up, afraid of seeing the smirk on the other girl’s face, the taunting laugh in her eyes. Somehow, she felt that would be even worse than the universal disgust and contempt she knew the world held for people like herself.
“Look at me,” muttered Alicia.
She looked up. There was no trace of laughter on Alicia’s face; no smirk, no grin. No disgust or contempt either. In fact, her face was flushed, and her eyes were glazed over.
“Is this what that costume does to you? Make you want to touch me?” she murmured.
“I –“ Moira’s throat was dry. No words came out, and all she could do was nod. Alicia smiled then, gently, almost nervously; a smile Moira had never seen before. She guided her hands down to her hips, and that’s when Moira’s senses clouded over. Her lips crashed against Alicia’s, and suddenly all she could feel was Alicia’s tongue in her mouth, Alicia’s hands tugging at her hair and her fingers pressing against Alicia’s hips. She pushed the other girl against the door, and her hand began making her way up the other girl’s leg.
Alicia pulled away and shoved her hand away, tutting. She pushed the other girl back and for a moment Moira’s stomach twisted and her heart sank, until she saw a teasing smirk on the infuriating girl’s face. It was the first time that smirk had ever given her a sense of relief.
“It’s rehearsal time. Let’s save this for after the show, shall we?”
She walked over to the mirror and smoothed her ruffled hair. She then picked up the jacket she had thrown on the chair and walked over to the door. She turned and winked at Moira, her expression cocky and confident as ever, but tinged with something that assured the other girl that she wasn’t the only one left wanting.
“Besides, I’ll be wearing that indecent outfit you hate so much then.”
With that, she walked out and closed the door.
For once, Moira didn’t despise that drawl, or that smirk. And for once, she didn’t feel ashamed that her thoughts right then were anything but decent.