Of course she was popular, the Golden Girl, always with a group of other girls around her chattering happily. They had not seen her yet so Pinky dug a pit in the gravel with her heel and raced back round the corner of the building right into the arms of Petal Mara.

"Petal!" she said breathlessly. "I was just looking for you. Walk with me a moment," and she linked her arm in hers.

"We were in the same class a second ago," the other reminded her a little sullenly, "but you ran off."

"Well, I've run back," she retorted cheerily. "Let's go this way," and she manoeuvred the girl round the corner again and checked to see if Zephany and her friends were still in the area. It was a place where gravel paths divided small green spaces overshadowed by great oleander bushes and fir trees so it was easy to lose sight of someone who might be close by. Pinky listened for the sound of gravel and voices and was rewarded by the sight of the Golden Girl sat upon a shaded bench, her shimmering clutch bag on her knees as she talked and gestured to the two girls either side of her while idly opening and closing the clasp.

"Coo-ee!" she suddenly heard shrieked beside her and realised Petal Mara had also seen the second year girls and was saluting them. Pinky ducked her head and tried to walk briskly by, shooting an admiring glance amid her blushes at Zephany. Petal however dragged her back a little and she could see the others had ceased talking and were looking curiously in her direction. Petal waved.

"We should try to make friends with other years," she said with enthusiasm.

"And you think shouting coo-ee would do it?" Pinky muttered through gritted teeth.

"I say, that pink girl, she must be a Perfectine," one of the second years said.

"Possibly," came the soft voice of Zephany. "There's a certain style about her." Hearing this from her heroine made Pinky Ponsonby swell with pride.

"You there! Come speak with us a moment," the third girl gestured for Petal and Pinky to come over. Already only a year into their tenure at Miss Plazenby's and these girls behaved with imperious superiority. Pinky wondered if a year from now she would be summoning new girls to the school in such a commanding way too. Almost tripping over the gravel, the two first years pranced up to where the taller girls lounged on the bench and stood before them like pets awaiting treats. They were asked their names which they duly provided.

"Ponsonby?" Zephany pondered the name a moment. "Of the Textile Circuit in Brandhaven?" She named one of the three great connurbations in which nearly all the inhabitants of Perfecta Winkel lived. They were placed centrally within the thousand mile square, creating a triangle of parklands and pleasure resorts, whereas the outer zones of the land were wild and barren places rarely visited by the consumer obsessed population.

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"My family own a part of that Circuit," Pinky said quietly.

"A part?" came a slightly scornful comment from one of the other girls and she laughed lightly.

"A very large part," Petal jumped in, nodding and clutching Pinky protectively, at which all the second years including Zephany smiled.

"To own and run even a part of one of the great fashion outlet Circuits in Perfecta is a major accomplishment for any family, believe me girls," Zephany then said, "and Textile is one of the cool ones." The other two girls were not from Perfecta of course and knew little of the great emporiums and walkthroughs that dominated society from that Winkel. Pinky however was a born and bred Perfectine and Zephany could not help but acknowledge that.

"See here," she continued, holding up a bangle that shone and tinkled before everyone's mesmerised gaze. "This comes from Shard and Razor. At first it appears a mere bijoux item," and as she flexed her wrist so that it trembled with impossible colours Pinky thought it was anything but a mere thing, "yet there are subtle layers of significance in the play of light and colour that affects sensitive natures."

"Ooh," Petal drooled and Pinky gave her a shove.

"Snap out of it," she whispered through the side of her mouth.

"Ahem," Zephany brought the attention back to her with a smile. "This is the latest in accessories, something not found in the whole of Brandhaven, nor indeed in the rest of Perfecta," and she flourished it again.

"That's not possible, surely?" Pinky countered, bemused at the idea another creator existed outside of Perfecta who could have produced the exquisite item so fetchingly worn on Zephany's slender wrist.

"Shard and Razor are based in Mapenza," one of the other girls pointed out. "That's in Frangea I think."

"It's all so true," Zephany declared, looking at her friend. "It's what I was telling you earlier Beverley. Doctor Dazzle has created a whole new line of distracting accessories that have transcended by appreciation of fripperies. See these two here, quite entranced aren't they?"

Petal was swaying a little as she took in the details of the Golden Girl's jewellery up close and Pinky admitted if she were to stare at some of it for too long she would walk away with a headache. Yet here she was, actually talking to and listening to Zephany Ildorim herself, imbibing her theories on how to impress and awe lesser mortals. Suddenly she felt like the Octora girl in botany and was seized with an urge to get pen and paper and start scribbling notes for all she was worth.

"Well it was nice to meet a Perfecta girl just starting out here," Zephany said pleasantly. "Run along now for we have matters to discuss," and she shook her golden hair and laughed in tune with the melodious tinkling that broke out with the gesture. Thus dismissed Pinky and Petal crunched away on the gravel with slow dignity, trying to hide the thrill of meeting with these impossibly popular and trendy girls for whom everything seemed to be perfect.

However as she walked away she heard a profound sigh from the Golden Girl.

"These fripperies are simply not enough," she said impatiently. "I need something more intense, more distracting, more dazzling."

Pinky was amazed at how demanding the girl appeared to be. She herself would be satisfied completely with such a look and style but then she was not Zephany Ildorim.

"What did Doctor Dazzle suggest?" one of her friends asked in sympathy.

"Something rare and exquisite of course. I can't imagine what it might be. Something called the Golden Rose of Winter Vale."

When Pinky overheard this she gulped and abandoned the dignified walk. She simply ran for it dragging a protesting Petal Mara along with her.