1 CHAPTER 1 Mum always turns everything into a game Even boring outings to the theater When the play starts Mum says count the number number of times the cast say Rapunzel's name Apparently they say it seven times in the first seven minutes She pauses looking between me and my best friend Elle We glance at each other and frown Seven Mum repeats like this should mean something to us The witching number She looks disappointed Oh never mind I can't help but laugh Mum's games don't always make sense because her brain works in mysterious ways We're at a coffee shop next door to the theater having having cake and hot chocolate while we wait to watch the afternoon performance Fine You think of a better game to play while we watch she says chucking her napkin at me and grinning We could just watch the play I offer Mum shakes her head Boring
2 Okay fine I think for a moment How about we count the number of times the cast says hair I suggest Isn't that what the story is about It's Mum's turn to laugh Rapunzel isn't about hair she says I've never heard something so ridiculous It's about freedom and independence and exploring the world While Mum talks I look up a line from the story on my phone and read it out smirking Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair You have to admit Mum it does seem to be about hair Cheeky Mum says taking a sip of her coffee Anyway what about you Elle What do you think we should count Elle who's been watching us talk back and forth like she's a referee at a tennis match chimes in We've been doing Shakespeare at school this year and apparently whenever anyone performs Macbeth it's bad luck to say his name in the theatre before the play Mum looks genuinely interested Yes I have heard this But also did you know And soon enough Mum and Elle have launched into a conversation about different traditions in the theatre something I could never talk about Elle's like a chameleon she always knows what to say She changes personalities depending on who she's around and can talk to just about anyone like Mum I'm just a plain old lizard darting into the corner of every room I enter
3 While they talk I get distracted by the countdown on my phone Fifteen minutes That's when tickets to the biggest video gaming convention convention of the year are released Dad promised he would go with me if I could get us both tickets I've been saving up my birthday money for it The thing is they can sometimes sell out in minutes so you have to be quick Hurry up Safiya Mum calls I look up and find her at the door of the coffee shop tapping her feet impatient impatient to leave Mum and I look so similar we could almost be twins apart from our hair and my glasses We both have olive skin and brown eyes Except Mum has black curls that float down her back whereas my hair hangs by my waist in limp waves Mum the play doesn't start for another half hour I protest Secretly I want to stay here long enough to buy the tickets before we go inside But if I tell Mum that she won't understand I want to find our seats early get comfortable And that takes half an hour Mum sighs opens her mouth to retort and then storms out of the coffee shop I can't help but roll my eyes Mum can be so hot and cold sometimes like a sunny winter's day Things can be going really well and then suddenly everything everything changes
4 The truth is even though Mum and I look alike we're not very similar in other ways Often it's like we're on different pages of the same book always just missing each other as the page turns Come on Saff Elle says reaching for my hand She's used to mine and Mum's bickering now When we get into the theater foyer it's packed and I walk with Elle until we find Mum outside the auditorium auditorium tickets in hand She hasn't seen us yet Elle says she's going to pop to the restroom quickly so I stop for a moment and watch Mum standing there alone Her eyes are far away like they're in a different world entirely Mum's been so intense about this show more than I've ever seen her before You'd think we were going to the West End in London not the local theater in our tiny town A staff member approaches her and Mum's eyes focus again No thank you she says when the woman asks if she needs any help I'm just waiting for my daughter and her friend She comments on how lovely the woman's woman's earrings are and her face lights up as she tells Mum that she made them herself Soon enough they're in a full blown conversation about jewelry making even though Mum knows nothing about it Mum's good at talking to people Being a lawyer She knows exactly what to say at all times I'm different different I only know how to express myself in video games Instead of words I use spells and incantations
