mind drifted to the people she liked best at Landmark School, like Abby and Rosa and Ms. Carter and Emily. What traits did she admire about them? Well … they were friendly, always ready to help, encouraging when she was down. None of those traits, Jeri realized, had anything to do with looks. Not a single one. Abby and Rosa were definitely cute, but that wasn’t what Jeri valued about them.
Jeri rolled over, throwing her arm over her eyes. What was taking Rosa so long in the bathroom? Probably telling her story to every girl who came in there.
Each time Jeri closed her eyes, she pictured the high school boys harassing Rosa, or Nikki being taken to the infirmary, or the girls refusing to eat Abby’s brownies, or Claire claiming Sierra would win the scholarship.
Jeri tossed back and forth. By the time Rosa came back, Jeri was wide awake. Just minutes later, Rosa was sound asleep, hugging a stuffed bunny. Jeri stared at the patterns of shifting light on the ceiling made from trees outside swaying in the breeze.
The giant red numbers on her digital clock changed, slowly but surely. Mentally she reviewed the order of events. Saturday night—just five nights ago—Abby fixed the birthday supper and five girls (including herself) got sick. Nikki spent the night in the infirmary. Monday night she found Brooke sick again in the restroom. After breakfast on Tuesday, some girls and Miss Barbara were sick, and Abby went to the infirmary. Tuesday evening Emily, Brooke, and Nikki watched the movie together, ate trail mix, and got sick—with Emily landing in the hospital. Jeri had learned from Mr. Petrie that some common plants were poisonous, so the poisonings could have been accidental. But could so
many
incidents be accidental?
But if it was on purpose, why?
With so many getting sick, it was impossible to tell who was targeted. Was one girl the intended victim, and the rest of the girls poisoned to confuse everyone? It did make it look more like a virus that way.
Jeri went over the possibilities in her mind. Nikki could be the target. She got the sickest after the birthday dinner, putting her in danger of not being able to compete on Saturday. Then she got sick again on the trail mix. There
were probably several girls besides Janeen who needed to win that horse show scholarship.
Or had Nikki simply made someone mad enough to take revenge? Nikki could be more abrasive than sandpaper on an open sore. An angry girl might not fight back directly, since Nikki was bigger than most everybody. But poisoning the food would certainly be great revenge.
Jeri flopped over on her stomach. It might not be an angry
girl
either. It sounded like Mr. Petrie and Nikki had an argument when Show Stopper got loose, and Nikki even complained to the Head about him. What had Brooke overheard him say when he delivered the flowers?
What goes around, comes around?
That might have meant nothing, but it could have been a threat.
Jeri curled up in a ball, disturbed by the direction of her thoughts. She
liked
Mr. Petrie. But other ideas crowded in. Like he grew some of the vegetables they ate. Could Mr. Petrie have slipped some poison foods into the basket that Scottie delivered when he brought the daffodils for Abby’s party? Jeri hated to believe such a thing.
Dear God, what is the truth here?
Jeri tossed and turned, stirring up more questions than finding answers.
Finally she gave up trying to sleep. For one thing, her stomach was growling. She needed something to eat.
She tried Rosa’s snack box first. Empty wrappers were mixed with dead ants. Shuddering, she dumped it in the wastebasket. It was way past eleven—the official stay-in-your-room hour—but she was starving. She’d be quick.
Jeri tiptoed down the carpeted stairs in the dimly lit hall, feeling like a burglar. In the kitchen, she flipped on the overhead light and squinted till her eyes adjusted to the brightness.
What did she want? Cereal or graham crackers, she decided, if she
Jeri rolled over, throwing her arm over her eyes. What was taking Rosa so long in the bathroom? Probably telling her story to every girl who came in there.
Each time Jeri closed her eyes, she pictured the high school boys harassing Rosa, or Nikki being taken to the infirmary, or the girls refusing to eat Abby’s brownies, or Claire claiming Sierra would win the scholarship.
Jeri tossed back and forth. By the time Rosa came back, Jeri was wide awake. Just minutes later, Rosa was sound asleep, hugging a stuffed bunny. Jeri stared at the patterns of shifting light on the ceiling made from trees outside swaying in the breeze.
The giant red numbers on her digital clock changed, slowly but surely. Mentally she reviewed the order of events. Saturday night—just five nights ago—Abby fixed the birthday supper and five girls (including herself) got sick. Nikki spent the night in the infirmary. Monday night she found Brooke sick again in the restroom. After breakfast on Tuesday, some girls and Miss Barbara were sick, and Abby went to the infirmary. Tuesday evening Emily, Brooke, and Nikki watched the movie together, ate trail mix, and got sick—with Emily landing in the hospital. Jeri had learned from Mr. Petrie that some common plants were poisonous, so the poisonings could have been accidental. But could so
many
incidents be accidental?
But if it was on purpose, why?
With so many getting sick, it was impossible to tell who was targeted. Was one girl the intended victim, and the rest of the girls poisoned to confuse everyone? It did make it look more like a virus that way.
Jeri went over the possibilities in her mind. Nikki could be the target. She got the sickest after the birthday dinner, putting her in danger of not being able to compete on Saturday. Then she got sick again on the trail mix. There
were probably several girls besides Janeen who needed to win that horse show scholarship.
Or had Nikki simply made someone mad enough to take revenge? Nikki could be more abrasive than sandpaper on an open sore. An angry girl might not fight back directly, since Nikki was bigger than most everybody. But poisoning the food would certainly be great revenge.
Jeri flopped over on her stomach. It might not be an angry
girl
either. It sounded like Mr. Petrie and Nikki had an argument when Show Stopper got loose, and Nikki even complained to the Head about him. What had Brooke overheard him say when he delivered the flowers?
What goes around, comes around?
That might have meant nothing, but it could have been a threat.
Jeri curled up in a ball, disturbed by the direction of her thoughts. She
liked
Mr. Petrie. But other ideas crowded in. Like he grew some of the vegetables they ate. Could Mr. Petrie have slipped some poison foods into the basket that Scottie delivered when he brought the daffodils for Abby’s party? Jeri hated to believe such a thing.
Dear God, what is the truth here?
Jeri tossed and turned, stirring up more questions than finding answers.
Finally she gave up trying to sleep. For one thing, her stomach was growling. She needed something to eat.
She tried Rosa’s snack box first. Empty wrappers were mixed with dead ants. Shuddering, she dumped it in the wastebasket. It was way past eleven—the official stay-in-your-room hour—but she was starving. She’d be quick.
Jeri tiptoed down the carpeted stairs in the dimly lit hall, feeling like a burglar. In the kitchen, she flipped on the overhead light and squinted till her eyes adjusted to the brightness.
What did she want? Cereal or graham crackers, she decided, if she
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