“Breaking news,”grumbled Aru.
“—but he had flaws, too. He could be prideful and insecure.”
That was unexpected. Whenever Boo told them stories about the legendary Pandavas, he pretty much stuck to all the happylook-how-awesome-you-used-to-beversions.
“When Arjuna was a student, he witnessed an incredible feat of archery,” her mom began. “It made him very jealous, and he got scared that he would no longerbe the best archer. His famous teacher, Drona, discovered that the impossible shot had been made by Ekalavya, the son of a tribal chief. Ekalavya asked Drona to train him in archery, but the teacher refused him because of his lower status. Ekalavya meditated on Drona anyway, and even went so far as to build a statue of him out of mud. This led Drona to demandguru daksina, a way of honoring ateacher. He asked for Ekalavya’s right thumb, so no one would be better than Arjuna, and Ekalavya agreed.”
Aru gagged. “One, that’s gross. Two, that’s awful. Why didn’t Ekalavya just say ‘no thank you’?”
“He was honorable, and he’d agreed to do anything his guru asked of him.”
“Mom, what’s the point of this story?” asked Aru, shuddering. “Don’t be insecure or someone will get their thumb choppedoff?”
Her mom sighed and put the backpack on Aru’s shoulders. “All I’m saying is that no one can take your place if you make room for them. Trust yourself more than you distrust others. Does that make sense?”
“I’m still thinking about how that guygave up his thumb.”
Hermom shook her head and hugged her, and Aru breathed in the smell of her jasmine perfume.
“You’ve got so much potential,”said her mom.
Aru cringed. Potential could go either way. Even now, Aru couldn’t forget what the Sleeper had said.You were never meant to be a hero…. What if she was more like him than like her mom?
“What if it’s the wrong kind of potential?” she asked quietly. “He said—”
Her mom pulled back immediately.
“I don’t want to hear abouthim,” she said sharply. “Forget what he said.”
Aru’s jawclenched.Every time.Every time she brought him up, she got shut down.
“I love you,” said her mom, pushing the hair back from Aru’s forehead. “Think about what I said, okay? And just know that I believe inyou, my Swedish Fish–eating, slightly bizarre child.”
“Love you, too,” said Aru, but she didn’t raise her gaze from the floor.
She hoisted the backpack higher, stepped into the portal ofthe elephant mouth, and waved good-bye to her mom. Magic from the Otherworld prickled over her skin, waiting for the command for where to take her. Aru breathed deep and said:
“Take me to the Warehouse of Quest Materials.”
