Extraordinary

Chapter 31: Retaliation

And so, Reece's plan came together. On Monday, we all came with purses and Reece with our costumes, which she said she'd give to us at lunch (she said her orphanage manager could sew SUPER fast, especially when she's stressed), and I came with the programmed radio, which was really easy to get, since I snagged a cute little portable radio from my dad's office. 

The programming was nothing. Just a few tweaks, and soon I was able to hear the police. Piece of cake!

So, all day, I was concentrating on the radio. It was a little hard to focus on two things at once, but after a while I got used to it, and then became a pro. 

No crimes, though. A policeman's day off. 

At lunch, everyone came anxiously over to me. 

"Nope," I said, when Reece opened her mouth to ask me. 

She looked taken aback, but sat down all the same, slumping her shoulders. Flora, Fauna, Isabella, and Tempest mirrored her.

"Why does it have to take so long? If this is what is going to happen every day, then I don't want to be a superhero," she says, half-throwing her lunch box onto the table. I see a flash of orange in her eyes that almost immediately goes away.

Reece is going to have to learn to control her anger.

"You don't really mean that, do you? You're really good in combat," I say, even though I know she doesn't mean it. "Your flour sacks become burnt bread once we're done with practice!" 

Reece grins at this and takes out a bag from under the table. "So, how does everyone like their costumes?" she says, handing each of us our suits.  "Pretty cool, right?"

Everyone explodes. "Oh my gosh, they're AWESOME!!" Fauna squeals once she receives hers. Our costumes are made of shiny material, and they're the exact color that Flora drew them in. 

"And look at the tags!" Reece says excitedly, bouncing in her seat and glancing at Flora.

I scramble to seize the little piece of white material in the back. I flip it over, and it says, "Designed by Flora" in curly purple letters. 

Flora cracks the biggest smile I had ever seen her make as she looks up from her costume. I thought that maybe she was a little light headed, her smile was so big.  

Then, she runs over to Reece and gives her a huge hug, murmuring, "Thanks!" under her breath as she does this. 

"No problem," says Reece, beaming. "There was a tag customizer at the kiosk, and I thought I'd give it a whirl."

"Well, it seems we're pretty official," I say.

"Are you kidding? Of course we are!" Reece says, putting her hand in. 

We all do the same. "1, 2, 3," I shout, "The Extraordinaires!"

We then all start jumping up and down and squealing, but our celebration was interrupted by a voice teeming with sarcasm.  

"What was that, a geek squad chant?" Clarissa sneers from behind me. 

Tempest and Flora are shocked, and are half-hiding behind me, Reece, Fauna, and Isabella, who have whirled around with defiant looks on our faces. 

As usual, Clarissa is in the front of a group of girls, in designer clothes and wearing the same sneer as her. Some of them are giggling. 

"Hello? Are you going to answer me? Or are you all so excited with your new princess costumes that you're speechless?" she says, gesturing to our suits on the table. 

This remark is followed by a wave of giggles. If only she knew what those were for...

 I glance nervously at Reece, who is breathing heavily and looks ready to pounce on the girls in front of her. Hopefully she remains calm. 

"It's none of your business." snarls Reece in a low voice. 

"That's right," Fauna says, crossing her arms. 

"Anyway, it seems that you're more excited about your new blouse than getting a 65 on the science test," I say, stepping forward, my voice shaking. 

My friends all snort at this. 

Clarissa looks shocked, but recovers quickly. "At least I'm excited about things that matter," she says anxiously, looking around nervously for an escape. I notice her friends aren't laughing anymore. "Come on, girls. We shouldn't have interrupted the Geek Squad meeting." And with that, she sashays away, her friends trotting behind her. 

That's a first. For both me and Clarissa. 

As soon as she's out of the cafeteria doors, my friends all shriek with glee and high five me. 

"How'd you know that?" Fauna says, once we've sat down and are eating lunch. She takes a bite of her sandwich. 

"Sitting next to Clarissa in every class has its good sides, I guess," I say, shrugging. "Also, that's a good time to be able to mind-read."

"That was awesome!" Reece says, leaning over her taco to high five me again. 

"And it's so true," Tempest says, chewing on her gummy bears in thought. "She does like her clothes. Definitely better than her grades." She turns to me. "I just had an idea. It's okay if you don't want to," she says quickly, "But I can dye your hair. To match your costume, I mean. Only if you want to," she repeats nervously. 

Is she kidding? Of course I want my hair dyed! Tempest's hair is amazing!

"Oh my gosh, yes!" I say. "Of course! Thanks so much, Tempest!" 

She looks surprised. "Really?" she says.

"Totally!" I reply. 

"As a matter of fact, could you dye mine?" Isabella asks.

"And mine?" Fauna adds. 

"And mine?" Flora chimes in softly. 

Tempest looks taken aback by all these requests. "Um, sure, I guess," she says, breaking into a smile.

We all look pointedly at Reece, who stares back. "What?"

We all glare at her. Doesn't she want her hair dyed?

"Oh, that. I'm red headed. My hair's got enough color as it is. So, thanks, but no thanks, Tempest." she says, flipping back her flaming red hair. 

"That's okay," Tempest says. "So, what colors do you guys want?"

"Purple," I say immediately. 

"Silver," Isabella says. 

"Pink," Flora murmurs.

"Turquoise," Fauna says. 

"Okay then," says Tempest as the bell rings to signal that lunch is over. "So, buy those dyes, but non permanent. And ask your parents first," and she goes to throw out her garbage. 

New hair and a new attitude. 

Cool.