Operation Tenley (10 page)

A searing pain ripped through the back of her knee. She yelped and yanked up her robes to slap at the burn. A bee fell to the grass. She jumped away. “Why did you do that?”

But the bee didn’t respond. And without her tools, a bee couldn’t hear her.

Plus, she’d killed it. “Oh no. I didn’t mean—I’m sorry,” she whispered. It was said that Mother Nature kept tabs on each and every one of Earth’s creatures. She didn’t have control over the animal kingdom, but she held a grudge against anyone who’d harmed any animal in it.

Another buzz blew by. Pennie looked across the lawn.

Mrs. Tylwyth’s car was gone. Along the side of the house, Tenley’s old princess playhouse looked exactly like it had through the 3
^rd
i: dirty and abandoned.

Pennie placed her hands under the back of her knee, lifted her boulder/leg, and slung it forward. She did the same with the other leg until she’d walked out of the woods. A squirrel crossed the yard and stopped to stare at her.

“Hey, you furry thing.”

The squirrel cocked its head.

“I’ve just arrived here. My first time.”

The squirrel scurried away.

“Rude,” Pennie mumbled, struggling on. Tenley, as usual, had left the front door open. Which, today, was good news. Pennie stepped in and shut the door.

Everything was familiar. The 3
^rd
i, equipped with technology so advanced it had its own vocabulary, could see inside and under just about every spot on Earth. But standing
in
this place was so much different. The colors in the hallway looked rich enough to dip a finger into. And the smells. There was little to smell in Fair City besides rock and dust and Administrator contempt. In Tenley’s house, the smells were full of things that made you feel
alive
.

Pennie peeked into the kitchen. Her eyes fell to the clock on the wall: 1:25 p.m. She was five hours and twenty-five minutes into her mission. There was plenty of time to convince Tenley to stop using her element. Now she just needed to find her.

She turned for the door and stopped. Her robes.

By the time Pennie made her way up the stairs (sitting on each step for a good thirty seconds before starting up again) and into Tenley’s room, it was 1:40 p.m. The room was so pink she had to close her eyes and hold onto the wall to get her balance. The curtains, the walls, the bedspread, and even the chair were bright enough to feel the heat coming off them.

Pennie tripped over a (pink) high-top to get to the mirror. A kind of squeak fell out of her when she saw her reflection. She was a mess, worse than she’d imagined. Her long red hair had fallen halfway out of its tight bun, her usual ivory-white face was smudged with soot, dried tears had dripped out of her gray eyes and made a pathway down both cheeks, and her robes were so filthy she could have been mistaken for a sipLip.

In the bathroom (pink) she used a washcloth (pink) to clean up, and a brush (pink) to straighten down her red hair. Then she opened Tenley’s closet and stared at shoes and jackets, scarves, jeans, and dresses. She’d seen these all before, but the idea of
wearing
them? Never.

A few minutes later, Pennie was dressed in the only clothes that fit her small frame: a pink miniskirt, pink leggings, and a pink T-shirt under a pink hoodie, plus the partner to the pink high-top she had tripped over—which was at least three sizes too big.

After she put the other shoe on—so squishy and soft, so much better than her simple flat slippers—she came up with the perfect place to hide her grimy robes: the princess playhouse. She gathered the robes together. Something fell out.

Tink’s crystal eight.

Pennie slipped the necklace over her head and tucked the crystal under her T-shirt. The glowing crystal eight didn’t look anything human-made. She’d have to keep it hidden. She hurried out the door and over to the stairs, amazed at how much easier it was going down.

41:55:14

Hadley Beach

Pennie turned left at the end of the driveway and tripped. The shoes were huge on her. She heard a car and scurried behind the closest tree until it passed. As soon as she stepped out again, another car went by, and then another. No one seemed to notice her.

After yet another car whizzed by she realized why: there was nothing
to
notice. She looked like any other teenager, just pinker and smaller, heading for school. She tucked her red hair behind her ear and started down the sidewalk again. And tripped. At least Hadley Middle School was close.

***

“What is
that
?” a girl asked, looking out the classroom window.

Three heads turned to look.

“What is she wearing?”

“Seriously.”

“What’s with that hair?”

Outside, Pennie stopped to catch her breath.

“Those are ginger extensions, totally.”

“Gingers can’t grow their hair that long.”

“I know, right?”

Tenley, out of her paper tutu and back in her regular clothes, sitting a row back from these girls, leaned forward. “Who are you talking about?”

“Her.” One of the girls pointed out the window.

Tenley smiled. “I’ve never seen her before. Who is she?”

The girls shrugged.

“I bet she’s here to see me. I bet she’s come to see the Ginger Ninja!”

The girls sneered at Tenley.

Mr. Peddle pointed his chalk at them. “Quiet down, girls,” he warned from the blackboard.

As soon as he turned back to the board, the girls pulled out their phones and started texting each other.

“Is she for realsies?” one of the girls whispered, glancing back at Tenley.

“A ginger ninja. What does that even mean?”

“She’s such a loser,” another one of the girls whispered loud enough for Tenley to hear.

Tenley looked down at her schoolwork and pretended to take notes.

“Omigod. It’s
her
,” one of the girls said, texting it at the same time.

Everyone in the room looked over at the door.

“Can I help you?” Mr. Peddle asked.

Pennie could only pant.

“Freak,” someone mumbled.

“Maybe she’s escaped from a pink ginger prison or something,” one of the girls whispered.

“Are you looking for the principal’s office, young lady?” Mr. Peddle asked, putting down his chalk.

Tenley stood. “Mr. Puddle, I think the ginger is looking for me, Tenley T., Ginger Ninja.”

Pennie beamed.
Tenley
. Her client. Standing right there!

“
Peddle
. I’m going to have to call the office.” Mr. Peddle picked up the classroom phone.

Tenley waved Pennie over. Pennie shuffled her way through the classroom, panting and sweating, pushing off desk arms and unsuspecting shoulders, while the students mocked her behind her back.

When Pennie reached Tenley, she threw her arms around her.

Tenley Tylwyth
.
Her
Tenley Tylwyth.

Tenley peeled Pennie off. “It’s overwhelming to find someone who will finally speak for you, ginger. I can see that. But maybe, can you take a step back. Or two?”

Pennie stroked Tenley’s blond hair. The class broke out in fits of laughter.

“All right, you two,” Mr. Peddle said. “What’s going on back there?”

“Sorry, Mr. Piddle,” Tenley said.

“
Peddle
, Miss Tylwyth. And who are you, Miss—”

“Pennie. My name is Pennie, um,
one
.”

“Okay, Miss One.” Mr. Peddle pointed his chalk at her. “I’m going to have to ask you to go to the office and get a visitor’s pass. End of the hallway, first right.”

Not wanting to make more of a scene, Pennie gave Tenley a last look and panted her way slowly toward the door.

Mr. Peddle turned back to the board. “The rest of class, we’ll get back to the War of 1812. Can anyone tell me when this war took place?”

One of the girls twisted around to Tenley. “Hey, Tylwyth, why didn’t you tell us you had a ginger sister?”

“I don’t,” Tenley said, watching Pennie struggle along with everyone else.

“Cousin?” one of the other girls asked.

“No,” Tenley shook her head.

“So why is she wearing your shoes? You wrote on them, remember?”

They all looked at Pennie’s shoes before she stepped out of the room.
Vote for Me, Tenley T!
was written along the sides of both soles. Tenley’s mouth dropped open.

41:50:53

Hadley Beach

“What did you do with my mother after you broke into our house and stole my clothes?”

“She wasn’t even home.”

“So you
were
in our house.” Tenley slapped her hand over her mouth.

“Yes, except I promise. I’m not here to hurt you or your mother. I’d never hurt your mother. She’s the sweetest woman on the planet, from what I can see.”

Tenley glared at Pennie “You’ve been watching my mother?”

“Only when she’s with you.”

“I’m going to call the police.” Tenley started through the crowded hallway to her locker.

Pennie pushed herself off the wall where she’d stayed hidden, waiting for the bell to ring. “Wait,” she said, following as fast as she could.

At her locker, Tenley pulled out her cell phone.

“Please just listen to me,” Pennie panted. “I’ve come to help you.”

Tenley lowered her phone. “With the auditions?”

“No, not exactly. I need you to sign a form.” Pennie caught her breath. “A short hologram form.”

“What
form
? Are you trying to get me
not
to do the auditions? Listen, person. There can only be
one
Hadley Beach nominee for America’s Next Most Inspirational Teen. And that nominee stands for gingers and does nail art tutorials. Not wearing weird amounts of pink and panting.”

“I’m not trying to get nominated for anything, Tenley.” A hurried boy bumped into her, throwing Pennie off balance. He mumbled a “sorry” and kept going.

Tenley considered her. “Do you have a ginger problem I can help you with?”

“No. It’s nothing like that either.”

“So you’re just a stalker?” Tenley lifted her phone again.

“I’m not a stalker.”

The next bell rang.

“I have class. Why don’t you go back to whatever hospital you ran away from? Leave my mother and me alone.”

Tenley started down a different hallway. It was getting harder for Pennie to keep up. Every time she stopped, gravity caught up with her, making it even more difficult to get going again.

“Tenley, please.”

Tenley frowned back at her. “What’s the matter with you? I know gingers can’t run as fast as normal people, but I mean, seriously?”

“I’m a little jet-lagged.”

Tenley spotted Dan Ringer coming toward her.

“Hey Danny,” she slowed. “What are you doing here?”

Dan ignored her and stared at Pennie instead. He stared so hard, in fact, he walked straight into a girl carrying a stack of books.

“I’m sorry,” Dan apologized, collecting the books. He handed the girl her pile and disappeared into a wave of students.

“Do you
know
who that was?” Tenley asked Pennie.

“No.”

“Dan
Ringer
. He’s in high school. He’s so hot.” Tenley started down the hall again.

“Hey! You two! Just where do you think you’re going?”

It was a PE-looking teacher, tall enough to hover over both of them.

Tenley straightened her sash. “To PE. I don’t want to be late. There’s a mean sub today.” She walked away quickly.

“Me neither,” Pennie said, feebly shuffling after Tenley. There was no chance of catching her, though. Exhausted, Pennie watched Tenley slip through a doorway.

Pennie stumbled. Her vision began to blur. She needed to sleep. Just a little nap, she thought, slumping back against the wall. Something pinched her ear.

“Ow.”

“You must be the one waiting for new PE clothes. I don’t understand how you girls can lose your clothes so often.” The teacher yanked Pennie by the ear and pulled her over to a closet door. “Used to be, kids, they kept their clothes for the entire school year.”

She unlocked the door with a jumbled set of keys and flipped on the light. “Go on in and get your size. Speedy quick.”

Pennie blinked at her.

“Can. You. Hear. Me?” the teacher asked with a sudden flash of concern.

Pennie nodded.

“Then you got a problem with me or something? I might be a sub, but this coach doesn’t take any you-know-what from any kids. And I know exactly where the principal’s office is. I even know where the
assistant
principal’s office is. So get your clothes. Now.”

Motionless for too long again, Pennie clenched her teeth and fought her way through gravity and into the closet. She grabbed a pair of extra-small shorts and a shirt, and shuffled her way out. “Not much of a sprinter, I see,” the teacher clucked before pulling the door shut and starting down the hall. Pennie grabbed onto the wall.

“Did you hear me?” The teacher turned around at the girl’s locker room. “I said you’ve got three minutes to get changed and be on the court.” She pulled open the door. “Maybe I’m not Coach Stevens. But I
am
Coach Lesnit.”

Inside the locker room, a few of Tenley’s classmates were climbing into their PE clothes. Pennie smiled. They whispered. Through the gym doorway, Pennie spotted Tenley. Her sash was cinched across her PE shirt.

Pennie found a corner to slip the clothes on and a few minutes later, swimming in the T-shirt and shorts, she walked out into the gym. Coach Lesnit’s back was turned to her. Tenley and the rest of the girls were scrimmaging on the court. Pennie dragged herself up to the top of the bleachers.

“Pass it to me, Makayla.” Tenley flagged her teammate. “Look. I’m open!”

Makayla did look, but handed the basketball off to another player instead, who had it quickly stolen by her opponent, who scored.

Tenley glared at Makayla. “I told you, I was
open
! I need an action shot.” She pointed to a girl on the bleachers holding up her phone, ready to take a photo.