The changing of Winter | ✔

|14| - Exposed

(A/N: Short chapter alert.)

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I had to get that notebook back. I had no choice. Inside those pages were my notes about the cure, my friends at home, and every-day I've been at ZBS-Academy. It would be embarrassing if that stuff was made public. And I knew the Bs would relish any opportunity to humiliate me. There was no way they'd keep any of it to themselves. Especially when they'd discovered me investigating them.

Pushing all my fears aside, I dashed back out into the hall.

But I was too late. Brooke was already standing in the doorway of her room holding it. "Whose is this?"

"It's mine." I used my fastest soccer kick to knock the book out of Brooke's hand. It fell back to the floor, where Becky quickly scooped it up.

Imagining going after the ball, I stretched my leg forward the way I would for a penalty kick, and using the side of my foot, shoved the notebook hard. It slid under Brenda's bed.

I dove for it, but Brenda was closer. "What's your notebook doing in our room?"

"I---" I didn't have an excuse. If I accused the Bs right now, they might never let me go. I was in enemy territory. "I dropped it and accidentally kicked it under your door. I've been waiting for you guys to come back so I could get it. Can I have it back now?"

"I don't think so," Brenda said. "I'm going to read it."

"Don't!" I protested as Brenda opens the notebook.

On the first page, I had written a paragraph about meeting Jesse. To my horror, Brenda began to read it out loud.

"He's cute," she said, trying to imitate my voice. "In a nerdy kind of way .." She giggled.

"Noooo!" Using every ounce of energy I had, dove for the notebook again.

Brenda pulled it away at the last second, tossing the notebook across the room to Brooke. I was moving too fast to stop myself, and crashed. Hard. My head hit the side of Becky's desk. Blood dripped down my cheek. 'Head wounds don't heal,' I muttered as I closed my eyes against the pain. I needed a minute to get myself together.

"I invited Chiara to Visitors' Day," Brooke read.

"I know Chiara," Brett chimed in. "We do ..." He was struggling to remember. "An after-school activity together."

"I told Chiara to come to ZBSA early on Sunday," Brooke recited.

It's like my whole life is flashing before me, one page at a time.

"Hey, look Brett!" Brooke said suddenly. "Winter glued your old online profile in here."

I gasped as Brooke tore the page out of my notebook. "That's mine!" I pleaded. "Give it back."

"Let me see." Brett took the page from Brooke. "I have a sister. A dog." He pinches his lips together. "Yup, that's true. But what's this ... I act in theater? My favorite color is brown? I don't remember any of this."

"And you love pepperoni pizza," I added. "At least, you used to."

Brett folded the profile page in half. "It all sounds familiar. But I'm not that guy anymore." He waved the printed paper at me and then stuffed it in his pocket. "I'm a B now." He laughed.

The other Bs laughed with him.

"I want my notebook," I said.

"No," said Brooke.

"No way," said Becky.

"It was in our room," Brenda said. "Finders keepers."

"Give her back the notebook." Joy stood in the open doorway. The movie must have ended. "Now."

"Or what?" Brooke said.

"Or I won't do your project," Joy replied.

I looked at Joy, relived to see her. "I thought ..."

"I know what you thought. And if you think I'm so weak that these Ghouls can blackmail me, then you better rush down to the nurse and have your brain examined. I told you to do that, right?"

"Yeah. You did."

"Well? Did you?"

"No," I admitted.

"You should." Joy then turned to Brooke. "The notebook. Now." She held out her hand.

Roles had been reversed. The changes both Joy and Brooke had made when they came to ZBS-Academy no longer applied. In this moment, Joy was the tough, popular girl she'd been at high-school in New York.

"If you want your Visitors' Day surprise"---Joy stared at Brooke---you'll give her the notebook." When no one moved, Joy said; "You need me. I know what you're up to."

"How---?" Brooke really was scared of Joy. Her pale skin seemed more translucent than ever. "Who told you?"

"It all became clear once my parents informed me they were coming to the castle. I'm smarter than you think." Joy squinted. "Now, are you going to give Winter back her notebook, or should I tell Mr. Franko that I quit? You know I'm only helping you because it got me out of PE. I hate shuffle ball. I can ask Mr. Jones for a different project ..."

Glancing at her shoes, Brooke handed me my notebook.

"We're done here." Joy rotated and left the room. Without looking at the Bs or Brett, I clutched my notebook to my chest and followed Joy into the hall.

"I don't understand," I say. "After everything I said to you, you didn't have to help me."

"I know," she stared into my eyes. "Do you still think I helped them steal the cure?"

The vials were in a crate in the room next door. The Bs had definitely taken them, but I wasn't sure who else was involved. Was Mr. Jones? Was Joy? My hesitation was answer enough for Joy.

"That's what I thought." She said. "Have a pleasant night in the library."

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