Oona Wong

I watched the front door of the temple with great anticipation. As it opened, I caught a quick glimpse of a mammoth golden Buddha that crouched at the end of a dark room and glittered alluringly in the morning sunlight. A stunning girl emerged wearing a silk dress embroidered with emerald chrysanthemums, her hair pulled back in a prim bun. She caught sight of Kiki and made a beeline for her across the street . . .

"I wanted you to meet someone."

"I know who she is," said the girl, giving me a brisk once-over. "I have better things to do than hang around with Atalanta girls."

"Do you?" asked Kiki knowingly, and the girl softened. "Anyway, I wanted you two to meet in person. This is Oona Wong," she said to me.

"Nice to meet you," I said. "How do you know who I am?"

Oona finally cracked a smile and winked at Kiki. "I once made an ID card for someone who needed access to Atalanta. I had to go through the picture files on your school's computer to find a reasonable match. I never forget a face."

"Oona's the best hacker in Manhattan," said Kiki.

"And forger," added Oona proudly . . .

I wanted to give you something.” Kiki calmly retrieved a small golden envelope from her bag. "Since you don't have a permanent mailing address, I had to hand deliver it."

"Are you having a party or something?" asked Oona.

"Or something," said Kiki. "I thought you might be looking for new ways to pass the time now that you’re no longer welcome in the Girl Scouts." She handed the envelope to Oona.

"Come on, Ananka. We should go," she said to me.

We walked away as Oona impatiently tore open the envelope. We were almost to the end of the block when we heard Oona's voice calling out through the crowd.

"I'll be there!" she yelled.