The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

  The rest of the day went pretty much the same way, Emma pretending to be asleep when the others came in. But by suppertime, Martha had had enough. Emma hadn’t had a thing to eat all day. She really was going to be sick if she continued avoiding everyone. Choosing a time when she and Emma were in the room alone, Martha decided it was time to talk.

  “Emma, I know you’re not asleep. You’ve got to eat something, or you’ll make yourself sick,” Martha said firmly. She waited, and when Emma still didn’t respond, she sighed loudly and said, “Look, I don’t blame you for being mad. I’m so mad at Doug. I’d just as soon hit him as look at him. And I haven’t said a word to that selfish twit Clarice all day. But you can’t hide in this room for the next seven months. You’re going to have to go to class tomorrow.”

  Giving up the pretense, Emma rolled over and looked at Martha. “I know you’re right, but you didn’t see my eyes this morning. I wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of knowing they’d made me cry,” Emma said angrily.

  “Who are they?” Martha asked, looking closely at Emma. Her eyes were no longer red or swollen, but they looked weak.

  “All of those rich snobs that wouldn’t dance with me because I’m ugly and poor,” Emma said emphatically, dismayed to realize she was on the verge of tears again.

  “Is that what you think?” Martha asked incredulously.

  Emma nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  Martha had known Emma was upset, but she hadn’t realized just how much. She also hadn’t realized how mistaken Emma was in her thinking. Emma was anything but ugly. In fact, she’d been a little jealous of Emma when it had seemed that Doug liked her. She could definitely eliminate Emma’s appearance as being the cause of her lack of dance partners, but as to the poor family part, Martha wasn’t so sure. It was true that some of the kids at Dinswood were snobs, but she didn’t want to believe that they would snub Emma just because her family wasn’t rich. Doug had had plenty of dance partners, and he wasn’t from a rich family.

  Martha was at a loss to explain what had happened to Emma at the dance, but she could at least reassure Emma about her looks, and she hastened to do just that. “Emma, you are very pretty. It wasn’t your looks that kept the boys away. You know how funny boys are. They’re scaredy cats when it comes to asking a girl to dance. They’re afraid of rejection, so they usually only ask when they’re sure the answer will be yes. Not too many boys here really know you. That could explain why no one asked you to dance.”

  “Do you really think that could be the reason?” Emma asked hopefully. What Martha said made sense, but it didn’t really explain why Doug hadn’t asked her to dance. She was about to say as much to Martha when she noticed that Martha was studying her with a curious expression.

  “You know, Emma, I think you should do something different with your hair. It’s such a pretty color, but the braids don’t really show it off.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Emma asked cautiously, not at all certain that she wanted to do something as drastic as change her hairstyle.

  “I was thinking we could cut and shape your hair so that it frames your face. We’d make it a little shorter on the sides and taper it down the back, so it would hang a little past your shoulders. With your heart shaped face, I think that would be really cute.” Warming up to the subject, Martha began to talk faster with an animated expression. “You know, Emma, I could cut it for you. I’ve done it before lots of times for girls from my last school. They were all really happy with the way their hair turned out. Mom says I have a knack for it.” Then laughing, she added a little self-consciously, “It must be the artist in me.” She paused and looked hopefully at Emma. “What do you say? Will you let me cut your hair? It’ll be great, I promise!”

  Emma found herself getting caught up in Martha’s enthusiasm. Besides, what could it hurt? If she didn’t like the new hairstyle, it would grow back eventually. Maybe it was time to get rid of the braids in favor of a more sophisticated and fashionable hairstyle. Before she had time to change her mind, she found herself nodding her agreement.

  Martha began jumping up and down and clapping her hands. “Oh, this is going to be great! Nobody will recognize you tomorrow. Doug will be sorry he didn’t ask you to dance.”

  “I’m not doing it for him,” Emma declared firmly. “I’ve just decided it’s time for a change.”

  Martha wasn’t convinced, but she was too excited to care why Emma had agreed. “Listen, I was just going to get something to eat. How about if I bring you back a plate and then we can start on your hair? I’ll give you the whole treatment. We can cut it, and then I’ll wash it with my color enhancing shampoo and show you how to dry and style it. You just wait right here, and I’ll be right back.”

  Before Emma could say another word, Martha had gone. For the first time since the dance, Emma began to feel her spirits lighten. Doug had really hurt her, but it was time to put that behind her and move on. After all, she hadn’t come to Dinswood Academy to meet boys. She had come because of the top-notch education it offered, and she had to admit the scenery wasn’t too bad either.

  True to her word, it wasn’t long before Martha returned with a plate piled with enough food for the both of them. Emma pulled another chair up to her desk so they could use it as a table, and she and Martha shared what was on the plate. While they ate, Martha explained that she had real professional beautician scissors. Her mother had gotten them for her from a beauty supply shop. When they had finished eating, Martha put a towel around Emma’s shoulders, and after combing out Emma’s braids, she began to cut and shape the long honey-colored hair. Next she washed Emma’s hair in the bathroom sink and dried it with a blow dryer. Then she took her curling iron and used it on the ends of Emma’s hair so that it curled gently under. The final result was amazing. Just as Martha had promised, Emma’s hair now framed her lovely face.

  Emma studied her reflection and couldn’t have been more pleased. She would be turning thirteen in a couple of weeks, and now she had a hairstyle more in keeping with that of a teenager. Braids were for kids, she thought to herself. Then she happened to catch Martha’s anxious expression in the mirror. “Oh, Martha, I love it!” she hastened to reassure her.

  “Are you sure?” Martha asked, still uncertain.

  “Are you kidding? I think it looks great. I can’t wait till everyone sees it.” The truth was she couldn’t wait until Doug saw her. She hoped he’d be sorry he hadn’t asked her to dance. Sighing, she determined to put Doug out of her mind.

  The rest of the evening was spent trying different eye shadows, lipsticks, blushes, and foundations on Emma. It seemed once Martha got started on a project, she saw it through to the end. By the time she climbed into bed later that evening, Emma was happy but exhausted. She found herself looking forward to what tomorrow would bring. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how thankful she was that she had a friend like Martha.

  The next morning Emma was up bright and early. Martha got up early as well and helped Emma fix her hair. Clarice and Susie were still in bed when Martha and Emma left to go to breakfast. They were earlier than usual, so when they arrived in the dining hall, it was practically empty. Emma was glad; she didn’t want to run into Doug. She had decided yesterday that she would avoid him from now on. Of course, that would put a crimp in their treasure hunt, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, they’d already done everything the riddle had said and still hadn’t had any luck. They needed to look for more clues, and Emma figured she and Martha could do that just as well by themselves.

  Emma hurried through her breakfast. She wanted to be gone before Doug and Sebastian came in. Sensing her friend’s urgency, Martha ate quickly too. They were finished and gone before anyone else appeared. Now the question was what to do until classes started. They still had forty-five minutes to kill. The library wouldn’t open until eight. Emma didn’t really feel like sitting under the watchful eyes of Mr. Hodges anyway. She and Martha didn’t want to go back to th
e dorm either, so they made their way to the lounge instead. Someone had started a fire in the fireplace to ward off the morning chill. As it was still early, the chairs next to the fireplace were vacant, so Emma and Martha quickly made their way over to them. Emma sat down in a large soft-cushioned armchair and tucked her legs up under her. Martha sat next to her in a similar looking chair. They sat for a while in silence, basking in the heat from the fireplace. She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, the large clock on the mantle was chiming the quarter hour. Emma looked over at Martha; it was obvious from her befuddled expression that she had fallen asleep as well. It was now a quarter to eight. They just had fifteen minutes to get their books and head to class. Yawning, Martha stood up. As they’d had no homework over the weekend, all of their books were in their lockers on the second floor.

  “Well, I guess we’d better get our books,” Martha said in between yawns.

  Emma nodded her agreement, and they headed off to class. Fortunately, they didn’t run into Doug or Sebastian. As Emma sat down at her desk in Mrs. Perkins’s English class, she let out a sigh of relief. Now she didn’t have to worry about seeing Doug until lunch. The bell rang signaling the start of class. Mrs. Perkins stood before them in a floral print dress that was stretched a little too tightly across her ample bosom. In crisp tones, she informed the class that this quarter they would be allowed to choose their own reading material. She spoke with her hands clasped in front of her, and every now and then she would raise her elbows in a manner that reminded Emma of a bird about to take flight. After handing out a list of books from which the students could choose, Mrs. Perkins gave them an assignment from their grammar book and retreated to her desk. Emma quickly scanned the reading list and was excited to see that J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was among the books listed. It was the library book she had begun yesterday, so she already had a head start. Smiling to herself, Emma set to work on her grammar assignment, and before she knew it, the bell was ringing once again, this time to signal the end of first hour. As the students filed past Mrs. Perkins, she asked them what book they had chosen for their reading assignment and wrote it down in her grade book. Emma was surprised to see that she was the only one in the class that had chosen The Hobbit.

  Mathematics with Mr. Godfrey was next. As they entered the room, Mr. Godfrey peered at them through the thick lenses of his glasses. The lenses were so thick they made his eyes look huge, like the eyes of an owl. Mr. Godfrey didn’t even wait for the tardy bell; as soon as everyone was seated, he told them to open their books. After a brief lecture, Mr. Godfrey worked several sample problems on the board and asked if there were any questions. When no one spoke up, he gave them their assignment. Emma looked around to where Sebastian was sitting. Usually, he had at least one question to ask. She’d seen him come in at the beginning of class but hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to him. She was going to make a point to speak to Sebastian, so he wouldn’t think she was mad at him too. Just because she was upset with Doug didn’t mean she had to take it out on Sebastian. With that decided, Emma set to work on the math assignment in the hopes that she could get it finished before the class ended. She was just finishing the last problem when the bell rang. At least she wouldn’t have homework in math tonight.

  As Emma and Martha headed off to the ballroom for PE class, Emma became aware that she was getting some strange looks from the other students as they passed by her. She was about to ask Martha about it, when Martha forestalled her. “It’s your new hairstyle. You look so much older; everyone’s probably trying to figure out who you are.”

  Of course! Now it made perfect sense. Emma had been so busy and focused on schoolwork the last couple of hours that she had completely forgotten her new look. Just then, Bobby Wilcox and his cronies passed by. Bobby usually barely gave her a glance, but Emma watched as today he gave her his usual cursory look and then did a double take. It was obvious from his expression that he liked what he saw. Not that Emma was at all interested in Bobby Wilcox, but it was still very satisfying to be noticed, especially by members of the opposite sex. Briefly, Emma wondered if Bobby was still giving Doug a hard time over Saturday’s relay races.

  When they got to the ballroom, Miss Krum informed them that they would be having PE inside today as it was too cold to go outside. After the pleasant day they’d had Saturday, the temperature had begun to drop steadily, and the winds had begun blowing from the north. Winter was on its way. Emma looked forward to the first snow, and judging by the chill in the air, it wasn’t far off.

  The hallway seemed even more drafty than usual, as all the girls in Emma’s PE class hurried to the nearby restroom to change into their gym clothes. Not only did Dinswood not have a proper gymnasium for PE class, but it also lacked a locker room. Finding the treasure could change all that, Emma thought to herself as she snapped the front of her one-piece gym outfit. Martha must have been thinking the same thing.

  “I wish we had a decent place to change and a real gymnasium,” she groaned as she put on her tennis shoes. “I suppose we’ll spend the entire class doing sit-ups and jumping jacks. Just for once I’d like to play basketball or volleyball or anything!”

  “I know,” Emma sympathized, and then in a whisper she added, “If we could only find the treasure!”

  “I’m beginning to think it doesn’t exist,” Martha whispered back.

  “Don’t say that!” Emma said, shocked that Martha was ready to give up so quickly on finding the treasure. “The treasure is real. I know it is. We just need to keep looking. We must have missed some important part of the clue. Maybe tonight we can look at the riddle again and see if we can come up with anything.”

  “If you say so,” Martha said with a sigh. “What about Sebastian and Doug?”

  “We don’t need them just to look at the riddle,” Emma replied a little too quickly.

  Martha understood that Emma was still mad at Doug and wanted to avoid him, so she said no more. She just hoped Doug would find a way to make up with Emma so things could get back to normal. Sighing again, Martha wondered if reconciliation between Emma and Doug was even possible. Emma had been pretty upset after the dance. Oh well, there were other things to worry about right now, like how much torture Miss Krum was going to subject them to in the next hour.

  When they reentered the ballroom, they were informed that they would be doing aerobics. Miss Krum had a portable CD player plugged into the wall, and for the next forty minutes they exercised to the upbeat tunes she had selected. Well, at least it was better than just regular calisthenics, Martha thought as she stretched during the cool down. But she still longed for a good game of basketball.

  After PE, it was time for science class. Miss Jennings looked especially pretty in a green suede skirt and jacket that matched her eyes. She explained to the class in enthusiastic tones that they would be beginning a unit in meteorology. “Predicting the weather is a tricky thing, but with the proper equipment and knowledge it can be done,” she told them. “What we lack in equipment, we’ll try to make up for with knowledge,” she added with a smile. The next hour was spent learning about cold fronts. Emma found this especially interesting as that was precisely what they were currently experiencing. Again, she found herself looking forward to the first snow. All too soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Emma began to feel butterflies in her stomach. All morning long, she had managed to avoid Doug, but it was now time for lunch, and she was sure to encounter him in the dining hall. She was a little divided in her feelings. On the one hand she wanted to see Doug’s reaction to her new hairstyle, and on the other, she was still mad at him and didn’t want to talk to him. Maybe with Martha’s help she could do both.

  On the way to the dining hall, she and Martha devised a plan. She would walk by Doug and ignore him, and Martha would watch to see his reaction. Then they would sit at the opposite end of the table from Doug, and Martha would tell her every detail of his reaction. It was a simple plan, and it would have worked great
except for one thing, Doug wasn’t in the dining room when Emma and Martha entered.

  “Now what do we do?” Emma asked in a panic.

  “Calm down,” Martha said soothingly. “We’ll just sit where he’ll be sure to see us, but we’ll also pick a spot where there’s no room for anyone to sit by us. Then I’ll watch for him, and you can just eat.”

  “What if he tries to talk to me?” Emma asked, still worried.

  “I don’t think you need to worry. I’m pretty sure he knows you’re mad at him,” Martha answered.

  Emma wasn’t so sure, but she nodded her agreement to the plan, and she and Martha began looking for a place to sit. The tables were filling up quickly, and all the places near the doors were taken. They ended up squeezing in next to Reggie about midway down one of the long benches. Emma didn’t know if Doug would see her or not, but at least there was no chance that he and Sebastian would sit next to them. True to her word, Martha kept a lookout, and Emma picked at her food, too nervous to actually eat it. Reggie noticed her lack of appetite.