by Mikey Brooks
“I must caution you that I will only allow girls that are interested in becoming fantastic dancers to be a part of the instruction, but you are free to invite them. Only your closest friends, mind. I do not need to go through the channels to schedule a class for just everyone to dance—only those with a gift.”
Emmy felt her cheeks flush with heat. A gift! Miss LeBeau says I have a gift! Emmy felt herself standing taller. She beamed at her new teacher. Today was turning out to be the best day ever. “I’ll let you know. Hopefully we can start tomorrow.”
“That would be fantastique!”
Emmy smiled and raced out the door to find her friends.
***
“Miss LeBeau has agreed to be our ballet mistress!” Emmy whispered as they took a seat around the lunch table. Hannah’s face glowed with excitement. Madison and Abigail exchanged a knowing look, then grinned back at Emmy. “The only thing she asks is that we take our craft seriously. We have to be totally committed to learning the art of ballet. Oh, and I’ll need one of your moms to give me a ride home.”
“Just imagine, our own dance teacher,” Madison awed.
“She prefers us to call her a ballet mistress, Madam LeBeau—but only if we’re in class,” Emmy corrected. Madison smiled and repeated the proper title.
“You can get a ride home with me, Em,” Hannah offered. “My mom would love me to be more involved with after-school activities. I’ll talk to her tonight.”
“This is great!” Abigail said through a mouthful of triple cheesy pizza.
“I know! We’ll finally be on our way to becoming real ballerinas!” Emmy put a hand to her chest and imagined herself on stage with hundreds of single roses being tossed at her feet.
“I mean this pizza!” Abigail said. “Oh my goodness! You should really try some, Em.”
Emmy had to admit that the pizza smelled mouthwatering. She had noticed it the second she stepped out into the hallway. It was like entering a pizzeria. She caught a glance at the new lunch ladies. They looked like they belonged in the window of some high fashion department store, not slaving away in front of ovens. They encouraged the kids to take as much pizza as they wanted. They seemed to have more than enough for everyone. Most kids ditched their home lunch and scooped up fat slices with greedy hands. Emmy was half-tempted to toss her mom’s sandwich in the trash and delve into the triple cheesy pizza, but she felt bad when she saw Ethan biting into his sandwich.
“I agree. This is better than the place my dad gets pizza!” Madison moaned as she sank her mouth into the cheesy goodness. Emmy’s stomach rumbled. She tried to pretend her turkey sandwich looked better than it did.
“You can have some of mine, Em,” Hannah offered. Emmy smiled and shook her head.
“Thanks anyway. I kinda gave my mom a hard time yesterday for forgetting to pack my lunch. I feel like I owe her.”
“If the new lunch ladies plan on serving awesome food like this, you should tell your parents to rethink the whole bring-your-own-bag.” Madison licked her lips and began eyeing Hannah’s half eaten slice. “Are you going to—?”
“It’s mine!” Hannah snapped.
Madison pulled back. “Geez. Okay, okay, Hannah.”
“Come on, we’re about to become ballerinas!” Emmy cheered. The girls giggled. Hannah returned to her triple cheesy pizza, and Emmy swallowed a bite of her tasteless turkey sandwich.
Chapter Four: Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls
Ethan had spent three days trying to find information on Transylvania with no luck. He asked Mama J, but she avoided the conversation by changing the subject. He tried searching his text books. That gave him absolutely nothing. Not even a mention of vampires, werewolves, or witches. Obviously, they aren’t going to teach important stuff like that in the fifth grade. Ethan even asked Mrs. Burton. She told him to go to the school library—gross! He opted to do that if he got really desperate—really, really desperate.
“Dude, what’s wrong? It’s Friday. We get out early today.”
Jax tossed Ethan the basketball. He put it up. It slapped against the backboard and then pinged off the rim. Jax grabbed the ball before it hit the ground. The net whooshed a split second later. “Score!”
No one was bothering them on the blacktop today. Robbie Maser hadn’t shown up for the past few days. Ethan was beginning to think the kid had been suspended. The basketball swooshed through the net again.
“I haven’t come up with anything on Transylvania.”
“By the time you find something your parents will be back.”
The mention of his parents made Ethan angry. He’d been trying to focus on this whole Transylvania thing to get his mind of the fact they hadn’t called or anything. How hard was it for someone to pick up a phone and hit a few buttons? He was tired of coming in second to his parents’ work. Ethan shrugged the anger off and tried for another hoop. The ball bounced off the rim again.
His thoughts went back to Transylvania. Maybe if he figured out what connected his parents to it, he’d find out what they did and why it was more important than their kids. “Maybe your dad will let us use his computer?”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask. We can tell him we’re searching historical Halloween costumes—Transylvania style.” Jax put up another perfect score.
Ethan clapped his hands. “I thought about looking through the house. I’m sure they left something out that will give us a clue.”
“They haven’t before.” Jax tossed him the ball and Ethan put it up. This time it hit the rim hard and bounced far off into the grass.
“I’ll get it,” Ethan called as he ran off.
The ball rolled against the back wall of the cafeteria. The window was cracked open and the smell of another tantalizing lunch wafted out. Ethan’s stomach rumbled and before he knew it he was drifting closer and closer to the window, his mouth watering.
“It needs a bit more of the secret ingredient, Griselda,” came a muffled voice through the window.
“Nonsense, too much and the kids will pass out.”
Pass out? What were the lunch ladies putting into the food that would make kids pass out? Ethan tilted his head. He heard the clamor of dishes, and muted voices arguing. Ethan stood on his tiptoes. He caught a glimpse of one lunch lady mixing something into a bowl. Her striking red hair was pulled into a hairnet. Her beautiful face was scrunched in frustration as she vigorously mixed.
“Dude, what are you doing?” Jax called.
Ethan fell against the window. The lunch lady caught his eyes with hers. They flashed bright blue. Ethan stumbled backward, tripping over the basketball. In an instant she was at the window, her exotic face welcoming him with a dazzling smile.
“Are you all right?” she asked. Ethan immediately recognized her voice as the one that had asked Griselda about the secret ingredient. Ethan stared at her, shock-faced. “Well, are you? Has a cat got your tongue?”
“I tripped,” Ethan mumbled. “I tried to get the ball, and I tripped.”
“You should be more careful,” the super-hot lunch lady said through a gleaming, white smile. “As long as you’re all right, I have to get back to work. We’re making scrumptious cinnamon rolls to go with your lunch today—with ooey-gooey frosting to go on top!”
Ethan uncontrollably licked his lips. She gave a wink and pulled the window shut. Ethan sat there for a moment almost in a daze, as if the smells coming from the kitchen were hypnotizing him—or maybe it was the lunch lady herself. She was beautiful. Her eyes, he swore they’d lit up for a second when she turned around. Maybe it was a trick of the light?
Jax came over. “Dude, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ethan shook the stupor from his mind and he recalled them saying something about kids passing out and a secret ingredient. Were the lunch ladies drugging the food? He started to tell Jax what he thought he’d heard, but the recess bell rang. The kids in the playground moaned and dragged themselves toward the school. Jax re
ached a hand to help him up. They joined the crowd and headed in.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. They turned in their art projects. Jax’s falcon had truly turned out to be a work of art. Ethan made a mosaic of a boat oar coming up out of water. It wasn’t nearly as cool as Jax’s. As he handed it in, he swore it resembled a large wooden spoon—a spoon like the one the lunch lady used to mix in her secret ingredient.
Ethan had to admit there was a greater enthusiasm to get to lunch these days. Not only were the new lunch ladies extremely hot, but apparently they cooked like famous chefs. It had only been three days since their arrival, yet nearly all the kids who normally brought their own lunch had stopped. Ethan had even considered asking Mama J to let them buy lunch at school.
He didn’t know why he was letting it bother him in the first place. So what? The food was a million times better than it used to be. Kids other than Jax were eating it! Plus, he knew chefs liked to work with their own set of ingredients. Maybe that’s all this secret ingredient was, a blend of special spices? But then again, Griselda had said too much of it and the kids would pass out. What was that all about? What exactly was in that secret ingredient, and was it safe for kids to be eating?
Jax nudged his shoulder. “Dude.”
“What?”
Jax nodded toward the front of the classroom. Mrs. Burton stared him down with her arms crossed. “Umm, sorry. I didn’t hear the question.”
“You kids need to pay more attention,” Mrs. Burton said with a harrumph. “It’s getting worse every day, especially around lunch. I swear you are all zoning out on me. We were talking about what inspired our art projects. Ethan, care to share what inspired you?”
“Umm . . . I made a spoon—I mean an oar.” A few kids snickered and Ethan felt his cheeks flush with heat. “Umm . . . Jax gave me the idea.”
“I see.” Mrs. Burton gave an eye roll and turned her attention to Jax. “Jaxson, I can see you spent a lot of time on your project, what inspired you?”
“I saw an actual mosaic of ancient Roman art in a museum once. I tried to replicate what I remembered seeing. I also saw one of a boat. It was kind of complicated and so I suggested Ethan just try to do the oar.”
“Teamwork is always the way to go.” Mrs. Burton beamed. “Thank you, Jaxson. How about you Amelia, what inspired you to create a lizard?”
“It’s actually a gecko, Mrs. Burton.”
Ethan gave Jax a half-smile and promptly zoned out of the conversation. His thoughts returned to the lunch ladies. Soon, the lunch bell rang. Kids charged the door. Many talked excitedly about eating.
“You think it’s kinda weird how everybody is actually looking forward to eating school lunch?” Ethan asked, as he and Jax walked slowly toward the cafeteria. A few stragglers pushed past them and ran through the double doors like their life depended on reaching the lunch line first. “See what I mean?”
“Well, you have to admit, these lunch ladies do know what they’re doing.”
Ethan stopped before they reached the cafeteria. Jax turned around and looked at him with skeptical eyes. “Dude, what’s going on? You’ve been acting weird since recess.”
“Do you remember me looking into the kitchen window?”
“Yeah.”
“I looked in because I heard the lunch ladies talking about putting something into the food.”
“Like what—poison?”
“They said a secret ingredient.”
“So what? My mom says she has a secret ingredient she puts in her cookies.”
Ethan grimaced. Maybe he should just keep his worries to himself. The more he thought about it the more it sounded stupid.
“Come on,” Jax said. “I can tell something’s bothering you.”
Ethan sighed. “One of the lunch ladies told the other not to use too much of the secret ingredient because it will make the kids pass out—like they were putting something bad in the food. I don’t know, it gave me a weird feeling.”
Jax shook his head. “Dude, have you seen the lunch ladies? They’re like, super pretty! They’re as far from putting something bad in the food as I am from acing math.”
“That’s not all,” Ethan whispered pulling Jax in closer. “I saw that lunch lady’s eyes light up when she looked at me.”
“What do you mean ‘light up?’”
“I mean they freaking flashed—like she had a light bulb behind them!”
Jax studied Ethan’s face. “You’re sure?”
Ethan slumped. Now he knew he shouldn’t have said anything. His best friend probably thought he was a quack job. Add my name to the list of friendless kids at school.
“Dude, if you say you saw it, I believe you. Just so long as you’re sure.”
Ethan stepped back, a little dumbfounded. “You do?”
“Sure, you’re my best friend and the smartest guy I know. If you said you saw her eyes flash, then they flashed. You say she put something in the lunch, then I believe you. The question is what are we going to do about it?”
Ethan glanced up and down the vacant hall. “We can’t tell anyone until we can prove it.”
“Maybe if we got a hold of the food we could see if we can figure out what they put in it?”
Ethan shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d know how to do that. I have a chemistry set but—”
“You’re smart. You can figure it out.”
“Maybe, but we’ll have to get a sample.” Ethan put a finger to his lips as the double doors opened and two girls stepped out of the cafeteria, licking icing off gigantic cinnamon rolls. They giggled as they passed Ethan and Jax. The cinnamon rolls smelled so good Ethan felt his stomach squeeze with anticipation.
“Maybe while we’re getting a piece, we should sample—”
“Are you kidding?” Ethan snapped, pulling Jax’s eyes off the girls’ cinnamon rolls. “If it’s got something bad in it, we shouldn’t be eating it.”
“You’re right, but they smell so good.”
“Man, a tiger might be pretty, but you don’t go petting one.”
Jax shrugged and they headed toward the cafeteria. As they went through the double doors, the normal sound of kids talking over each other was replaced with the sounds of smacking lips and gross chewing. Everyone’s mouths were devouring cinnamon rolls. Ethan and Jax exchanged glances and took a seat next to Tyler and Nick.
“Hey guys.” Ethan opened his lunch box.
“Mmm,” Tyler moaned.
“Mmm mmm,” Nick said, through a mouthful of icing.
If there was any doubt in Ethan’s mind that something was bizarre with the lunch ladies, it all disappeared. This is freaking weird! The kids weren’t talking, they were ahhing and oohing over their food. Even kids who normally brought their own lunches devoured cinnamon rolls. Ethan felt a strange tingling go up and down his spine. His stomach growled with anticipation. His mouth watered.
“Oh, looks like we have two boys who didn’t get a cinnamon roll,” a woman’s voice called from behind them. Ethan turned to see one of the beautiful lunch ladies signaling to a tall platinum-blonde woman behind the counter. Quick as lightning, she handed over two small plates with a large cinnamon roll on each. The lunch lady beamed, her perfect white teeth glistening. “You boys don’t want to miss out. We made enough for everyone in the school.”
She placed the ooey-goodness down in front of Ethan. His mouth watered. The smell alone was enough to drive him crazy. Something wet hit his hand. He looked down to see that he was drooling. The beautiful woman giggled with delight and tossed back her blonde hair. Ethan looked into her eyes, waiting for the brown around her iris to light up. It didn’t.
“Oh, it tastes better than it smells,” she said, dabbing a napkin to his chin. “Enjoy!”
She left Ethan and Jax to consume their confections, her red, glossy high heels clicking on the floor as she walked away. Ethan couldn’t take his eyes off his cinnamon roll. The rich cream-colored
frosting was piled on like they weren’t concerned with the sugar content at all. He reached his finger to lightly touch the frosting. A little taste wouldn’t hurt. He noticed Jax covering his own cinnamon roll with his napkin.
Remember, idiot, it’s got something bad in it! Ethan wiped his finger on his napkin and turned to Tyler and Nick, who were ogling his cinnamon roll with hungry eyes. “You going to eat that?” they asked in unison.
“I don’t think—”
They were splitting it apart before he even finished. They crammed the gooey mess into their faces, moaning as the frosting touched their tongues. Ethan was starting to feel sick to his stomach. He wanted to shout for them to stop eating. That the cinnamon roll was . . . was what? He’d look like an idiot if he told them it had a secret ingredient in it and to stop eating.
Tyler and Nick moaned with delight, licking every last bit of icing off their sticky fingers. They were acting like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. He looked up at Jax, who pulled off a portion off his cinnamon roll and wrapped it up in his napkin.
“You guys can have mine too,” Jax said standing up. “Come on, Ethan, let’s go shoot some hoops.”
Ethan thought he’d never ask. He closed his lunch box, no longer feeling hungry. His untouched lunch would probably taste like cardboard compared to the cinnamon rolls and he certainly wasn’t eating those. In no time they were out the double doors and away from the intoxicating smell of the lunch ladies’ strange food.
***
“I’ve got something you might be interested in reading.”
Miss LeBeau held up a thick book. The cover made Emmy’s insides flip over in delight. A pair of pink ballet slippers with the title The Art of Choreography shimmered up at her. “A little something for you to look at over the weekend.”