by Megan Atwood
Ella swallowed. “I have to stay in my room all day?”
Her sort-of mother patted her knee. “Just until you decide to wear these beautiful clothes.” She smoothed Ella’s hair. “And maybe put a little flip in this hair of yours.”
Ella’s eyes filled with tears again. With another pat on her knee, Ella’s sort-of mom breezed out of her room.
The metal sliding sound jolted Ella into action. She’d sneak over to Jasper’s. Then she’d make amends and . . . and what? Besides the fact that Jasper ignored all her texts and calls, and she had no idea what he’d do if she showed up at his house, what could she and Jasper do?
Ella thought that maybe a plan of action would help smooth things over with Jasper. He could never resist a clandestine operation—it was so much like acting. Then she had it: she’d go to the town hall meeting, wearing her new clothes to fit in. Really, they were maybe one step more conservative than what Ella normally wore. Then maybe she could figure out what was going on with everyone in town. Hopefully, Jasper would be there and would join in.
With the new plan, Ella felt stronger. Once she had Jasper back, she was pretty sure they could do anything.
17
At six thirty Ella pounded on her door and yelled, “Mother!”
Her sort-of mom opened the door to Ella in her brand-new outfit, her brown hair flipped neatly at the ends. Ella’s mom went teary.
“Beautiful, dear, just beautiful.” Her mom put on a pouty expression. “But now I’m going to the meeting.”
Ella put on her best smile. “I was hoping to go to the meeting with you, Mother.” She kept her eyes wide open and innocent.
Her mom put her finger to her mouth, then looked Ella up and down again. She exhaled. “All right, dear, but very best behavior, please.”
“Yes, Mother. Best behavior, I promise.” Ella had to fight the urge to retch.
Her mom winked at her, then pulled out a bit of cookie from a hidden pocket in her skirt. “Cookie?”
Ella gritted her teeth, pasted on a smile, and shook her head. “More for me!” her mom said, laughing. Ella had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She so wished Jasper was here. She knew this would be the role of his lifetime.
Ella and her mom got into the car and drove to Bridgewater High, where the meeting would be taking place. Orderly lines of people streamed into the building, everyone in hats and heels, gloves, and coiffed hair. Murmurs of “How do you do?” “Fine night, isn’t it?” and “Pardon me” filled the air.
She and her mom found seats in the last row of the auditorium. The place was eerie. Each person sat straight as a board and stared straight ahead. They all wore interested, bright expressions like inquisitive mannequins. Ella’s mom leaned over to her and whispered, “Isn’t that your friend Jasper, dear?”
Ella leaned forward. Three rows down was Jasper’s head, his hair in a neat side part. He wore a tasteful sweater in beige—a color she thought he’d die before wearing . . . unless he was undercover like her. Her heart leapt. Of course he was undercover! They were best friends and thought alike. Her ally was only three rows down.
Principal Meyer came onto stage and introduced Mayor Wilkins. The auditorium was as silent as a graveyard.
“It has come to my attention that while our town is improving, we seem to have those who are less enthusiastic about fitting in. This meeting is to talk about how to persuade these people to try harder.”
Ella noticed for the first time that Marta from Marta’s Bakeshop was on the stage, sitting right next to Principal Meyer. She let a squeak of frustration slip, and her mom looked at her sharply. Ella turned the noise into a dainty cough. Her mom patted her knee and continued to pay attention.
Mayor Wilkins continued. “I propose instituting Difference Demerits for those who do not live up to our new code in Bridgewater. A first offense, or one demerit, will incur a warning, and a second offense, or two demerits,”—the auditorium silent—“will result in the death of the offender.”
Ella nearly gasped. Death? Suddenly, the auditorium filled with applause. Wide-eyed, Ella looked at her mother, who applauded as loudly as anyone else. Mayor Wilkins smiled and said, “I will take that as a yes. Excellent. The new rules will be enforced immediately.”
As the applause died down, Ella gulped. A lone hand rose up. Squinting, Ella could make out the back of Rash’s head four rows down from Jasper. Her hair was unruly, her clothes baggy and worn-out. Ella’s heart sank. This was not going to be good.
Mayor Wilkins shielded his eyes and asked in a bewildered voice, “Yes?”
Ella looked out at the crowd and saw how they all leaned toward Rash with menacing eyes.
Rash stood up. “Excuse m-m-e, Mr. Wilkins.” Her face was bright red. “What exactly is a punishable offense?”
Mayor Wilkins looked surprised. Then he started to laugh. Soon all the people in the auditorium laughed with him. Ella pretended to laugh, too. She looked at Jasper and saw his shoulders shaking with laughter as well. She hoped he’d turn around and give her a secret look. But Jasper’s gaze seemed to stay firmly on Rash.
Well, he was a very good actor.
The mayor wiped his eyes and said, “Young lady, that right there is one punishable offense. One demerit. Consider this your warning.”
Ella’s mom leaned into her and said, “I’m so very glad she is not my daughter. She won’t last long here.”
But Rash wasn’t through. Ella stiffened in her seat as she heard the girl’s voice ring out again. It took all her strength not to climb down the rows of chairs and put her hand over Rash’s mouth.
Rash said, “But why? I’m just asking a question! How am I supposed to know what a punishable offense is?”
The audience seemed to gasp in unison. Mayor Wilkins stayed ramrod straight. With a glint in his eye, he leaned in close to the microphone.
He said quietly, “This girl has earned two Difference Demerits.” Then he hissed, “Get her!”
18
Ella gasped. Rash looked around as a roar traveled through the audience. Ella’s mother’s eyes had gone black; her expression was both gleeful and ugly. The audience seemed to stand up as one and move toward Rash.
OK. It was time for her and Jasper to come out of hiding. They had to help this girl.
Ella stood up with the rest of the crowd and almost knocked over the person next to her. Ignoring her mother’s calls, she elbowed her way through the sea of people, looking for Jasper while keeping an eye on Rash. The mayor and Principal Meyer grabbed hold of Rash’s arms, and Ella’s stomach clenched. Terror filled Rash’s eyes.
A chant rose up through the crowd. “Kill her, kill her, kill her . . .”
Ella felt sick. They were really going to do it. The mayor and principal moved Rash toward an exit near the stage. Ella continued to elbow her way through the crowd. She caught a glimpse of yellow tulle peeking out from behind the curtains, and she wondered again why Marta was here.
Then she saw them: the beautiful cowlick and the sweet eyes of her best friend. She pushed her way to him and pulled him to the side. “Jasper,” she whispered, “I’m so glad to see you. What are we going to do? We have to help her!”
Confusion spread across his face. “Golly, Ella, whatever are you doing?”
Ella grunted in frustration. No one paid them any attention; the crowd was too busy trying to commit murder. He didn’t need to act right now.
“Stop pretending, Jasper!” she whispered fiercely. “Nobody is paying any attention to us.” Then Ella said what had been weighing on her since the night of their fight. “Jasper, I’m sorry for being such a jerk yesterday. I love who you are, just as you are.” She leaned in closer. “I’m glad we had the same idea to go incognito. Now, how are we going to save Rash?”
Jasper’s face had gone white. “Why ever would we save her?” He backed away from Ella. “And I believe that gives you one demerit.”
Ella stared in disbelief. “Jasper?”
“Yes,
Ella?” Jasper’s eyes were cold. “Are you going to help dispose of Rachel or not?”
Tears rushed to her eyes and Ella swallowed, unable to speak.
Jasper grabbed her shoulders. Hard. “Well?”
Ella yanked away from him.
They had gotten to Jasper. They had taken her best friend.
Jasper stared at her, his eyes hard as marbles. Then a slow smile spread across his face. Ella could see the words forming on his mouth. “Two demerits.”
19
Ella turned and ran through the crowd. She made her way to Rash’s side just as the principal and mayor were walking her out the door.
Out of breath, she tried to think of a way to grab Rash and run before Jasper-who-wasn’t-Jasper turned her in. Rash turned miserably toward Ella. It was all she could do to not grab her and run right there.
Smiling sweetly, Ella said, “Mr. Meyer, may I please walk with you? Rash and I were good friends, and now I want to help dispose of her.”
Rash hiccupped a strangled sob. Ella ducked her head and pretended to cough. She managed a wink at Rash, who immediately grew quiet.
For an agonizing minute, Principal Meyer looked approvingly over Ella’s outfit. “What a change! Very good. You are quite the success story.”
Ella heard a rumbling through the crowd. She could hear murmurs of “Kill her too!” She knew they were meant for her. She forced herself to smile sweetly at the mayor. “May I have the honor of escorting her to her execution, sir?” Ella reached out her arms for Rash.
The mayor thought for a moment. The crowd grew louder and louder. Ella could hear her mom’s and Jasper’s voices above the fray. Any minute now, word would get to the mayor and the principal that she had two demerits. Ella blinked her eyes wide, looking as innocent as she could.
Finally the mayor said, “I think that’s an excellent idea. Take her to the center of town. We’ll do it there for everyone to see.”
Meyer and Wilkins let go of Rash’s arms.
Ella quickly yanked the stunned girl through the door. As the door shut behind them, she heard a wild, inhuman cry go through the crowd. She pulled Rash faster and they tripped down the street.
After two or three blocks, Ella looked over her shoulder and saw that no one was following them. They must have taken the time to put on their coats, since it wouldn’t be proper to be seen without one. A coat, Ella thought as the cold caught up to her, would be great about now. Snow was coming down hard now, and the wind was picking up.
When they made it to a park on the outskirts of town, Ella turned to Rash, who was holding her sides and trying to catch her breath. Snowflakes froze on her eyelashes, and her eyes were open wide. “What . . . the hell . . . just happened in there?” she panted.
Ella shook her head. “Something’s happened to our town.”
Rash rolled her eyes. “Ya think?”
Ella chewed on her lip as she tried to work out a plan. She mentally took stock.
1. The people in the town had turned into crazy, cardigan-wearing murderers.
2. Her mother hated her.
3. And the clincher: she’d lost her best friend.
She made a decision and squared her shoulders. “I’m going back into town to find out why this is happening.”
Rash’s eyes got even wider. “Are you crazy? They’ll kill you for sure!”
“Not if I don’t get caught.”
Rash stared in disbelief. “But why would you even try? Let’s just get out of here!”
Ella shook her head firmly. “I may have been a little too worried about what people thought before. . . . And I may have tried my whole life to not get noticed. . . . But Rachel, when someone messes with my mom and my best friend, I have no problem diving into the mess to save them!” Ella stared hard at Rash and said from her gut, “I have to do something.”
20
Rash decided that the best thing to do was to leave town. Ella helped her sneak back into her house and pack a few belongings. Then she waited with her at the bus stop.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Rash asked as the bus pulled up. Ella shook her head.
“Thanks. And good luck, Ella,” Rash said, looking forlornly over her shoulder.
As the bus pulled away, Ella’s mind spun. She headed into downtown Bridgewater. With each stomp, Ella felt stronger and full of purpose. She could learn to color outside the lines if it meant saving Jasper and her mother.
When she reached Main Street, she stopped suddenly.
She realized she didn’t have a plan.
Who could she run to? It seemed everyone had been at the meeting, including Sheriff Brady. The police wouldn’t be of any help. All the so-called important town figures had been there, in fact. Who else could she run to? She mentally replayed the events at the high school.
Then, Ella stopped. It hit her with a shock— Marta. Somehow this all had to do with Marta. Why had she been sitting up on stage? Why had she been in Principal Meyer’s office?
Ella needed answers, and the bakeshop was as good a place as any to start. She walked briskly through the cold and rounded the corner by Marta’s Bakeshop. Then she stopped short: outside the beautifully decorated window, a long line snaked its way through the street, reaching almost to the theater.
She clenched her fists. Really? The cookies were that good?
And then, like a puzzle that finally came together, like jujus and bees, the answer clicked in her head.
It was the cookies.
It all made sense. Rash couldn’t eat them because of her wheat allergy. And she and Jasper had boycotted them. And if she remembered right, Aaron Adler’s family was strict about being Jewish—he probably didn’t eat the cookies because they weren’t kosher.
Ella thought back on the events of the last week. When the cookies appeared in the lunchroom—that’s when everything started getting weird. Ella remembered Jamie walking in with no Mohawk, Ms. Jenkins and her tucked-in blouse. And her mother eating cookies nonstop. It all fit.
Then her heart sank. Jasper must have eaten a cookie, too. He’d been such a good friend; he’d resisted eating the cookies until she’d betrayed him. And now he was a zombie like the rest of the town.
But not for long. Ella needed to get into the bakeshop, stat. She had to find out what Marta was doing to the cookies.
21
Ella crouched down and ran to the alley behind Marta’s bakery. The recipe is probably 21/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, and 8 ounces evil, she thought. Shivering in the night air, she ducked behind a dumpster.
The shop’s back door was propped open. Warm air was streaming out and light shone on the snow. For a minute it seemed like no one was in the shop. Then a shadow darkened the door. Ella recognized the silhouette of a full skirt.
Marta.
The shadow grew larger. Ella ducked farther behind the dumpster and peeked around the corner, trying not to breathe out puffs of air. It was dark so she hoped Marta couldn’t see her.
Marta stood in the door, wiping her face and breathing out into the cold air. Ella covered her mouth.
Marta stopped breathing for a second and cocked her head to the side. Ella tried not to gasp. Had Marta seen her? Marta squinted into the night where Ella hid. Ella froze.
After what felt like an eternity, Ella heard a faint mumble from the shop. Marta didn’t say anything at first. Finally she yelled, “Coming!” With one last look in Ella’s direction, Marta disappeared back into the shop. Ella let out her breath in one long exhale.
Crouch-walking to the doorway, Ella peeked around the doorjamb and saw Marta in the kitchen with a sheet full of cookies in her hands. In a singsong voice Marta chirped, “Who wants a fresh cookie?” She pushed through the double doors and disappeared into the front of the bakeshop.
The back was empty. Ella sneaked in.
The back room was as neat and tidy as the front, each ingredient sparkling and clean and in its proper place. On an island in the middle of the room Ella saw a bo
wl full of icing and a rack of different food colorings, including a fluorescent pink. Jasper would have loved that color, Ella thought. What’s Marta even doing with a color like that? Looking closer, Ella saw that the food coloring was a package deal. She snickered. She imagined the horror Marta would feel at an empty spot in a package. No wonder she kept the bright pink.
A huge jar of tan powder sat next to the bowl. A new type of brown sugar? But why was it in a glass jar? Taking a peek at the double doors that led to the front of the shop, Ella saw the back of Marta’s head through the oval window. Other people’s heads came into view occasionally, and a constant murmur of voices hummed behind the door. Marta seemed to be serving cookies to some very eager customers, so Ella had time.
Unscrewing the lid on the jar, Ella opened it and licked her finger, sticking it into the mixture. She felt horrible—this violated so many health codes—but she told herself she was doing it for the greater good. Pulling her finger out, she smelled the mixture.
And recoiled.
It smelled burnt and rotten, like a combination of a campfire and a trash heap. Ella wiped the mixture off on her skirt.
Definitely not brown sugar. Turning the jar around, she found a neatly scripted label in the same handwriting as the Help Wanted sign she’d seen in the window.
Conformity Powder
Uses: To tidy up messy behavior and demeanor.
Warnings: May cause murderous rage and intolerance of difference. Highly addictive.
WILL BECOME PERMANENT WITHOUT ANTIDOTE IN 10–15 DAYS.
Ella finally had an answer—Conformity Powder. This must be how Marta hooked everyone! How she had turned the entire town into murderous crazies, including Ella’s mother. How she had turned Ella’s best friend into the same type of zombie.