Join Me

We were in 7 of Ala’s 10 extra My Little Pony sleeping bags, feet kicking against the carpeted floor of Ala’s flower-obsessed bedroom. Some girls still had a hankering for the M&M brownies. Ala and her best friend, Candace, were running around, daring each other and everyone else to go down the magical spiral staircase. 

Everyone except me. And another girl.

One of them stopped, smirked and turned to this loner. “Truth or dare?”

“Uh…dare?” 

“Do you ever go down the stairs? Because you’re going to. I dare you to hike all the way down those steps. I have.” Candace looked slyly around at the girls, who giggled and laughed. Some had brownies in their mouths. But when Candace ensured they were listening, they bobbed their heads.   

I so wanted to leave. Take the brownies and hightail it out of here. It was so stupid—all these girls were my classmates, but none my friends. I didn’t have any except Cameron. His younger brother, Bennett, was also my friend, but Cameron was the best guy friend. Bennett was…a little weird. Good-natured, but dressing up as Puff the Magic Dragon every Halloween spoke more words than was necessary.          

I pretended I was in Cameron’s basement. We were playing our usual ping-pong competition. I swung my paddle, the ball— 

“Carly!”   

I jumped. “We still playing the game?”

“Ye-ah!” Some girls stared at me like I got off a spaceship. I was always in my own little world. Because the thing happening was way less cool than the time Cameron and I—

“Carly! We’re playing a game, and—”

“You know what!” I threw up a non-manicured hand. “I’ll go downstairs. You’re obviously scaring--”

“Poor Pepper.” Candace mocked.

“So I’ll go.”

“We’ll both go.” Pepper whispered loudly. But her cream-of-wheat face told me otherwise. Still, she could benefit from a little adventure. These girls just cared about hair and nails. I wanted to have some fun.

“Let’s go.” I got out of the boa constrictor of a sleeping bag that was suffocatingly ugly to begin with and waved Pepper on. She freed herself and joined me. Some girls whispered about us, but Pepper asked whether we had to obey Candace.

“It’s just a game. Besides,” I rolled my eyes, “we’re not going to be playing it forever.”  

Pepper really surprised me by exhaling dramatically and widening her almond-shaped eyes. “It’s not like it never ends.” I studied her as we went down and down, curving to the right. Was Pepper just scared of Candace, or was she actually an extrovert around just one person? I asked. 

She explained that when they had moved from Mumbai, India to Statesville, North Carolina, everyone at this party ridiculed Pepper because she wasn’t very talkative at all. Besides, she had come from a place with the word mum in it. Her beautiful dark olive skin, pretty eyes and fair black hair would’ve won her a beauty pageant. I told her, and she smiled self-consciously.    

“Aw, come on! It’s a compliment.”

“This staircase is pretty long. It just keeps going and going!”

I too looked down after joining Pepper at the banister. “Yeah,” I muttered, “it is.” I asked whether she wanted to keep going. She bobbed her head. “Okay…”

We hiked some more, and then cake and ice cream and presents came to mind. I said that we were having cake and ice cream and presents late tonight. Pepper scrunched her eyebrows at me and tilted her head. “What? We just ate five pieces of cake each! Besides, that ice cream came from Mars or something, because it tasted like soap. Maybe the ice cream man slipped into the soap department and stole one of their trucks.”

I laughed. Pepper was leaning way over, her eyes squeezed shut. When she inhaled really hard, I started laughing again. Soon, we sat on the steps, our backs against the wall, she one step above. I looked up, telling her we would have to keep going. She sighed, and picked at her sequined shorts. They looked more like sports shorts with the sequins just glued on. Pepper caught me looking at them. I strived to mask my embarrassment, but she shrugged.    

“It’s okay. They’re just my sister’s. I found them while cleaning my room. She’s such a mess.” Pepper got up, and I folded my legs so she could get by. “Come on! I’ll tell you about my move the summer before coming to this school.”

“So you were here last year? Fifth grade was a blast, huh?”

She rolled her eyes, too. “Yeah—especially because I only spoke Hindi to my parents in the mornings and late afternoons. I jammed my hands in my pockets, wishing I could just melt into the sidewalk crack in front of me. But as the days went on, I became grateful that some of the other kids were Indian, too. Everyone really liked the fact that I immigrated from Mumbai.” She laughed. “Get it? Mum—bye!”

I didn’t share in the humor. 

She looked at me, stopping. “Come on. It’s funny!”

“All last year, you barely said two words—”

“Well, that’s because I had just moved halfway across the world! Carly, I’m sorry, but what would you do if you were the new kid in the classroom?!”

I raised my eyebrows, my mouth hanging open. Then I shook my head, my braids’ fuchsia and violet beads clacking together. “Pepper—”

Pepper turned and started climbing over the balcony. I widened my eyes and tried stopping her, but she clawed my hands away. 

“What are you doing?” I asked. 

“I’m finishing this stupid dare and then going back up to prove myself! We made it this far. It should be fine—”

“I don’t think it ends.” I swallowed, and hugged myself. “Pepper, we better head upstairs again, telling Candace she lied. She’s never been down here.”

We hiked up the stairs, but the more we climbed, the more I wondered whether we were going to make it. Ala’s door was up there, but it just kept staying there, never getting closer. I ran, and Pepper jogged. I felt like we were training for the Olympics the way we were sprinting up and up. We never reached the door.   

Pepper and I stopped. “There’s no point.” I realized. “We’re stuck here. I don’t know if this is some kind of trap, but I think Candace is behind this. We’re never going to prove ourselves.” I sat down, telling Pepper to relax, too.

She too realized what Candace was playing at. We were the misfits of the party, and we knew it—so why not stay down here where we belonged? I sighed. Pepper looked at me. “Carly, what are you doing? You know Candace—”

“What’s the use, Pep? We’re here—”

“But not forever.”

I looked at her a minute. She kept switching her eyes from the balcony to me. “Let’s go.”

“Jump?”

“Yeah!”

Before I could stop her, both Pepper’s legs were over the side this time. Then she released. But she wasn’t screaming or anything. She was just a body in the middle of a spiraling staircase. She kept her arms up. I felt like I was watching Alice fall down the rabbit hole. Pepper never hit or fell onto anything. Down and down she went, falling but never landing. Weird. 

“Come on, Car! It’s fun!”

“Um…” I hesitated, even more spooked at how I could still see her as clear as day, hear her perfectly and yet, she was falling. Oh well. I fell above her. I moved so I was falling opposite her. This reminded me of Junie and Carmen from Spy Kids when they were falling into the volcano. Then, when all was about to get frustratingly weirder, we both landed!

“Wow.” Pepper dusted herself off, and looked around. “Guess we need a little change for once, huh!”

“Yeah…” I looked down, seeing we were on a new carpeted floor—the floor of a library. I looked over—a door assumedly lead out to Mrs. Fred’s hardwood foyer floor. I studied the spiraling staircase above us. It was hovering. Or floating. Or something. Whatever. I wondered why we couldn’t just finish our descent. But Pepper insisted.

I looked back at her, saying we were in a library—

“Shush!”

We both spun to see a librarian. Where the heck did she come from? Oh—wait—I mentally slapped myself. We’re in a magical library. I went to ask whether she came from inside one of the books behind her on the shelf. The librarian put a finger to her tight, thin lips and leaned over. “Speak in a whisper!”

I looked around. “No one’s here!”

She pointed at herself. “I am, so respect me.” Then she laughed at her own joke.

I didn’t.

I told Pepper we’re leaving. She stood there like she did when she had had no idea where any classroom, let alone the cafeteria, was back at school. I grabbed her, storming towards the door. “We’re getting out of there, hiking those stairs and telling Candace we went to the bottom. Then we’re telling her to do the dare, too, since she should prove herself, right? She’s the queen of the night.”             

“Wait!” Pepper yanked away from me, though we were halfway out the door.

“You have a better idea?”  

Pepper glared at me, her eyes hard. “I thought we were friends!”

“I never asked or agreed to go to this stupid party—”

“Stop complaining, Carly! You’ve had a sour attitude all because Cameron’s not here. Well, I never wanted to leave India, either.”

“I’ve really just been your friend to get you up and going. I really didn’t want to take you. You were just a shy little thing in the sleeping bag, and I felt bad. Like Katniss when Primrose was selected as tribute.”

Pepper stomped off, and started talking to the librarian. I really just wanted to have an adventure and go on a little trip down comeback lane. I mean, what was the harm in standing up to your bullies when you know you should? Pepper should.

The woman removed her shawl to reveal a deerskin dress. Then I saw the headdress. A big deer antler chiseled down to a wearable size—did I say big? Maybe heavy—hung from her decorated neck of beads. Sabertooth lion teeth and shark teeth were stringed along with the beads. Maybe she was from Ice Age. No, she wasn’t animated. I walked over, gazing at her necklaces.

“You interested in our conversation, Carly?”

I jumped and nodded. “Yes, ma’am!”

“Well…” The woman reached behind her and grabbed a book off the shelf. She read some pages, and I spun around, gazing in astonishment as a large camping tent suddenly sat behind us, waiting to warm us with real sleeping bags. I went to investigate, but the Native American called me back. “You must first apologize to Pepper. You really hurt her.” 

I looked back at Pepper, a tense smile on her face. But I saw an innocence I hadn’t noticed before. Her soft eyes and beautiful Indian features told me I wasn’t really much different than she. Since I was black, I was part of a race where I could endure segregation and discrimination for my skin color. I looked at the Native American. She said her people still basically sweated bitterness even while talking about the Trail of Tears. Assuming we were Americans, she said she didn’t even want either of us saying the g word, or government.

“We’re all alike, in some way. I don’t want to hear about how you,” she nodded towards me, “were nasty to Pepper. What’s the difference between Candace telling you to get lost and you, Carly, telling Pepper to get lost?”

I looked at the ground, folding my arms into myself, feeling the heat rise from my cheeks. I knew I was getting chastised for being a jerk. But why was I disliking one race when I was a certain race myself?

I looked at Pepper, and apologized. “I’m sorry, Pep. I’ll try to be kinder.”

“Thanks!” Pepper forgave me and then hugged me. I returned the gesture obligatorily. 

When we sat down, the Native American smiled and continued with the book, telling us we were meant to be good to others, especially those we didn’t like. I gave Pepper a sideways look, my beads clacking against each other. Cameron liked playing with them, but Pepper might enjoy decorating my hair. Maybe Pepper was more than a hermit crab hiding in her shell of a sleeping bag every holiday and summer since last. But she still kind of followed me around, like a lost puppy. It was annoying.

“Good!” She finished the story, and I hoped she didn’t quiz us. “You’ll hear more stories.”

I got up while she pulled out an enormous book. Pepper told her she’d stay, and that I could go back to Ala’s birthday party.

Ala’s birthday party was worse than this. But I didn’t want us sitting under a stranger, either. At least I knew Ala and her friends. And I wouldn’t have to protect Pepper anymore from any more dares. The story of Hansel and Gretel came to mind. Was this woman actually a witch like that deceptive blind woman from the tale? Would she make us listen forever? I wasn’t going to take any chances.

I grabbed Pepper, and we crashed through the stubborn door. Running for our lives.

Pepper shivered, squeaking that this woman lied to us—she was a witch! 

I shook my head. Candace lied to us. She said she went down these stairs, when she didn’t.

“What do we do?” Pepper panicked.

“We need to prove Candace wrong!”

I heard the woman ask us why we didn’t want to stay.

“Sorry—we don’t care for Native American legends!” Pepper reasoned.

I ordered Pepper to keep up. She did, and we soon emerged at Ala’s door. Suddenly, we spun around, and I grabbed the book, opened it and threw it at the woman. She disappeared into the story, but I told a horrified Pepper that we couldn’t trust a total stranger!

“I guess…” She lay down after knocking repeatedly to no avail, and I did, too. “We just wait.”

Pepper wanted to teach me Hindi. I laughed, asking whether she could repeat everything we said in her language. She punched me, and I giggled. After about half an hour, we were bordering on dehydration. Pepper reached over to knock again. Nothing happened. Since we are on a magical staircase, we’ll have to keep going to get to the top. So Pepper and I continued, soon huffing and puffing. “Water!” we cried over and over to anyone else on the staircase. But we were by ourselves.

Pepper wailed, curling into a fetal position. “I guess we’re just here to die.”

“No!” I insisted. “Let’s go.”   

Pepper reluctantly caught up with me. Soon, we were getting closer. Finally, the staircase’s top final step was before us. We pounded on this door, yelling that we needed water.

No one answered. I slammed my hand against it, croaking that we would have to turn around—Ala wasn’t here anymore. Pepper nodded. After reaching the wooden floor of the foyer, I looked up. The staircase only wound up one curl, meaning it wasn’t that big. But we had traveled up and down for so long. I demanded Pepper to ask the staircase for something to drink. She gestured for a water bottle, and there one was, on a step! I grabbed one after repeating my wish, and Pepper and I drank and drank.  

After the chugging, I turned to Pepper. “Yeah. I think we really are at the bottom. The bottom of the social ladder.” I sat down, and texted Cameron and Bennett’s mother to pick me up. She never answered. I called. Still no answer. I sighed. 

“I can continue teaching you.”

Soon, I was speaking mini paragraphs. But I wanted to get out of here. We weren’t just at a birthday party anymore. I told Pepper never to go to Ala’s house again. She agreed. When we were done with Hindi lessons, Pepper and I stood up, me relieved to see the kitchen. But, I realized, it was a mirage. We were trapped on this magical staircase. If Candace had actually gone down these stairs, she’d be trapped, too. We, Pepper and I, were going to go insane or get ourselves out.  

“Want to—”

“No. That Native American woman is weird. That tent was going to magically keep us there, having an eternal sleepover.”     

Pepper and I spoke Hindi until I was fluent. It didn’t take long, as I learned I had a knack for languages. But the more we stayed there, the more I itched to leave. Unlike Pepper, I didn’t want any magical food or entertainment. I needed Cameron. I urged Pepper to come with me again. Maybe we were dehydrated. We had climbed up before, so we could do it again.

No one answered. I curled my fists, hitting the wall behind it. I ordered Pepper to continue. She objected--the doors didn’t matter—they just tricked us. She lay down. I forced myself to join her, restraining any words of hatred and anger. Instead, I buried my head in my arms and knees.

“If we die, we will.” Pepper said.

We should be back in the room, with Cameron, eating cake and ice cream again—anything to prove we weren’t wimps!   

Pepper was the first to go. It didn’t take long before I closed her still eyes.

Before I died, I smiled—Cameron had come to take us to the hospital! We’d get better and then play ping-pong! 

He promised he’d see me after he dies.

I agreed, and then joined Pepper.