by Sarah Cannon
Cayden told his parents how Greeley had been drugging them and why. He took them to the co-op, where they talked to Raymond’s mom (and Scoby, after some initial shock) about natural detox protocols. Now they drink kombucha instead of Signal Boost.
I’m not sure that’s an actual improvement.
But it turns out that when they’re not being drugged, Cayden’s parents can be reasoned with. So Cayden gets to stay, Xerple gets to keep his person, and we definitely have more bars on our phones, as long as we’re not calling long distance. We might even get high-speed Internet, if Cayden’s parents can convince Splint to put them in charge of the project.
The other aliens have relocated to the Murphys’ house, for the most part. There’s an infestation of monkeys with typewriters over there, which they find amusing, and of course it’s total chaos. The zombie rabbits have sort of adopted Xerple as one of their own, which makes everything much easier. Pearl and Snooks are still fighting for possession of her bedroom. He locks her out pretty regularly, so it’s a good thing Daddy moved the trellis.
Last night, it was warm enough to sleep with my window open a little, and I thought I heard the Blurmonster growling in the distance, but I can’t be sure.
Lying in the yard with my friends, my sister, and our toothy little minions, it’s hard to worry about it.
I hear Badri’s truck doors slam down on the street, and Mason comes bounding up. He grins at us, raising his arms over his head.
“BOOM! SPLAT!” he yells, obviously thrilled to be one degree of separation from Pizzapocalypse.
We cheer.
“You still running deliveries for me tomorrow?” Bets asks Cayden, as she and Badri arrive more slowly. Badri has his arm around my aunt’s shoulder. She’s got her capris rolled up, and her blades are as elegant as the legs of a crane.
“Bright and early,” agrees Cayden. He eats a lot better, working for Bets. She makes sure of it.
“What’s for dinner?” asks Pearl. It’s Badri and Bets’s turn to cook. I’m stuffed, but my sister is still making up for a year in the puppet junta pokey.
“What is for dinner?” repeats Badri, with great enthusiasm. “We are going to have some curry, and I am going to teach you amateurs to eat soor. Get on in here and roll up your sleeves. I need sous chefs.” He’s still talking as he enters the house. I hear Bets and Mama calling out to each other, and Stella slamming my closet door in greeting.
“Curry sounds gooood,” says Pearl, getting up and reaching down a hand for me. I grab it, and let her pull me to my feet.
Snooks makes a run for the house. “I’ll be in my bedroom!” he shouts.
“Stay out of my hat pins!” Pearl says, taking off after him.
Down at the Murphys’, there’s an explosion. The tiny aliens cheer. The monkeys scream. A smoking typewriter lands in our yard with a crash.
It’s going to be a great summer.
Acknowledgments
Just as Oddity’s strength lies in the bonds between members of its community, so, too, does mine. There are far more people to thank than I could ever name here, but I’ll do my best.
To my agent, Brooks Sherman. You are exactly what I believed you’d be: my toughest critic and staunchest advocate. You impose order on my chaos while somehow managing to be utterly subversive the entire time. I’m forever grateful, super-agent. If we’re someday attacked by zombies, I promise not to leave you … but I’ll be watching you like a hawk.
To Holly West, editrix extraordinare, geeky fangirl, and cosplay goddess. Our very first conversation was a lightbulb moment for me, and I knew right then that you were the perfect editor for Oddity! Working with you is a delight. Thank you so much for making this dream a reality.
To the amazing team at Macmillan, including Ilana Worrell, Melinda Ackell, and Liz Dresner. You put so much work into making this book shine (and had to ask some really weird clarifying questions, because … me). Thank you!
Thanks are due to both Bridget Smith and Laura Biagi, who may be surprised to discover they share a brain. I’m eternally grateful for your generous (and spookily similar) feedback.
Many thanks to the members of Working Title, my first and most precious critique group, to Katie Glover for bringing us together, and to Robots & Rogues/Main Street Books, for hosting. To my Midwest Writers family: thank you so much for our big, friendly clan, a gold mine of shared knowledge, and the opportunity to meet talented and savvy professionals, my agent included! Carmel-area writers, you give amazing shop talk and feedback, and are my favorite reward for writing.
In a household as bustling as mine, the best way to write is often to leave. And so, to Robin Raabe at the Tramontane Cafe, Colleen Mathews at Fuel Coffee, and all the good folks at Star City and Greyhouse, thank you for filling my cup, both literally and figuratively.
To all my Pitch Warriors, particularly the inimitable Brenda Drake, my mentors, Jaye Robin Brown and Cat Scully, and the Pitch Wars ‘14 crew (ToT). Your support and insight mean the world to me. To the many friends I’ve made as part of the 2017 Debuts: your pooled knowledge and enthusiasm have been so crucial to the transition from writer to author!
All my love to the writers who hold me up and keep me sane, especially Amy Reichert, Melissa Marino, Carla Cullen, Allison Pang, and Summer Heacock. To Chelsey Blair, a gimlet-eyed reader who did Oddity no end of good, and to those beloved friends who read Oddity and instantly “got it,” especially Nina Moreno, Angie Thomas, and Jess Walton. (Kayla Whaley, you did me such a solid by introducing me to Jess!) To any readers not already named or alluded to: I would not be here today without you. Thank you.
To all the hipmamas and rebelmamas, the fierce, brilliant, rowdy tribe of women who’ve been there from the beginning. I love you all.
To the many writers on Twitter who take on the often thankless tasks of education and advocacy: I learn so much from you. And many thanks to the authors further down the path who’ve shown me so much kindness over the years, especially Sarah Prineas, who gave me some of the best advice I’ve gotten (during my biggest crisis of faith), Sage Blackwood, who always takes the time to have a care for my career, Heidi Schulz, who distributes reassurance and spiders in equal measure, the wonderfully collegial members of the #Bteam, the darling Stephanie Burgess, and the delightful Tiffany Trent.
To my Lancaster mamas, Katye, Melanie, Kym, and Diana. Diana, we’ll miss you forever, and yes, this is the best day of my entire life.
Many thanks to my sisters and brothers (Jenny, Kate, Chrissie, Scott, Josh, John, and Matt), and to my parents and Bill’s. In particular, I have to thank my mom, Beth, who knew I would do this even when I did not, and my mother-in-law, Cathy, who is always ready with all the straight talk about the “work” of prioritizing my work.
Most of all, I owe eternal gratitude to my husband, Bill, and our kids, Will, Rosemary, and Graeme. Our family’s oddball sense of humor and general geekery underpin every word of this book, and it would never have been written without your unflagging support. You are the Swiss Army knife of families.
Thank you for reading this Feiwel and Friends book.
The Friends who made
Oddity
possible are:
Jean Feiwel, Publisher
Liz Szabla, Associate Publisher
Rich Deas, Senior Creative Director
Holly West, Editor
Alexei Esikoff, Senior Managing Editor
Raymond Ernesto Colón, Senior Production Manager
Anna Roberto, Editor
Christine Barcellona, Editor
Kat Brzozowski, Editor
Anna Poon, Assistant Editor
Emily Settle, Administrative Assistant
Liz Dresner, Senior Designer
Ilana Worrell, Production Editor
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About the Author
Sarah Cannon has lived all over the US, but right now she calls
Indiana home. She has a husband, three kids, and a misguided dog. Sarah holds a BS in education. She’s a nerdy knitting gardener who drinks a lot of coffee and eats a lot of raspberries. She is probably human. Visit her online at sarahecannon.wordpress.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1. Safety Drill
Chapter 2. Scary
Chapter 3. Tagalong
Chapter 4. The Sunset Six
Chapter 5. Crash
Chapter 6. Close Shaves
Chapter 7. Sweepstakes Time
Chapter 8. Pole Sitting
Chapter 9. Punkball
Chapter 10. Signal Boost
Chapter 11. Hunting
Chapter 12. Flamed
Chapter 13. Butterfly Wings
Chapter 14. The Queen of Shenanigans
Chapter 15. Unwanted Guest
Chapter 16. Zombie Rabbits
Chapter 17. Schnoz
Chapter 18. Shiny
Chapter 19. Who’s Fooling Who?
Chapter 20. Hide-and-Shack
Chapter 21. Night, Gunnar
Chapter 22. Spang in the Middle of It
Chapter 23. The Pits
Chapter 24. Pearl
Chapter 25. Flight
Chapter 26. Fist Bumps
Chapter 27. Faults
Chapter 28. Deserter
Chapter 29. Party Crasher
Chapter 30. Scoby
Chapter 31. Plotting
Chapter 32. Outburst
Chapter 33. Inevitable Betrayal
Chapter 34. Mama
Chapter 35. Cavalry
Chapter 36. I Hate Puppets
Chapter 37. Venting
Chapter 38. Splinters
Chapter 39. In One Piece
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by Sarah Cannon
A Feiwel and Friends Book
An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
mackids.com
All rights reserved.
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at [email protected].
First hardcover edition 2017
eBook edition November 2017
eISBN 978-1-250-12329-9