Chapter One

Ashley sat up in bed. Something was wrong. She licked her lips. “Oh no.” Cupping her hands she raised the pink flesh to her face and blew. Her nostrils flared at the foul odor. “Poisoned!” She flung her hand up to her forehead and collapsed back into the pillows.

“It's a tragedy,” she moaned, “to die at such tender age, To have never built my dream tree house or have a mohawk. Who could have done such a thing?”

Ashley whipped her head around and glared at what her mother called Count Malodor, a dark teddy bear who continually reeked after having milk split on him. “This was your work, wasn't it Count? These teeth were brushed, clean, and fragrant right before bed.” she wrinkled her nose, “Now, they smell like sour old baloney.”

Ashley smacked a tiny fist into the bed. This made her mess of curly brown hair fall over her eyes like a veil of thick vines. She gazed through the strands, glaring at the cold remorseless eyes of the stuff scoundrel. “You haven't won yet.”

She chewed her bottom lip. What was the answer to this problem. Clearly, the poison had not fully kicked in. If stinking is the side effect . . . maybe brushing them is the antidote.

She jumped out of bed and ran as if charging into battle. “To the bathroom!”

Ashley nearly screamed as she bounced into the kitchen. “I concurred the poison.” After four leaps she launched herself into her seat, claimed the largest spoon at hand, and started wolfing down a bowl of cereal.

“The poison?” Her mother said handing her a glass of orange juice. With practiced ease she untied her apron, folded it neatly into a perfect square and placed it back in the drawer.

“That's right! It's in the past now. One more fiendish plot of the counts destroyed.” Ashley raised her glass of OJ and chugged half of it.

“You’re as bad as your father,” She shook her head, “always in a rush. You can slow down; no one's going to steal your breakfast.”

“Maybe they are. That could be Count Malodor next plan, cereal theft.” Ashley laughed through a mouth now filled with shredded wheat. “Cereal killers have to start somewhere.”

Her mother chuckled. Across the table she noticed Ashley’s half empty glass of OJ and the two pale pills resting next to it on a napkin. “Sweetheart, you know you need to take those with food.”

“Sorry,” Ashley forced down a large gulp of cereal, “I just didn’t want to spoil the first few spoon fulls. I’ll try not to forget again.”

Ashley shoveled in the last bite of cereal and jumped from her chair.

“Ashley...” her mother stretched the two syllable word into an entire pamphlet of motherly threats. “You still forgot to take your pills.”

Ashley stared at the two tablets for a moment. They sat there like pale mouse droppings; a sign of a complete infestation of disease carrying worries nibbling away at the homes foundation. With a flick of her wrist and a small frown Ashley snatched them up. Into her mouth they went with the last of the juice, swallowed in exaggerated gulps.

“Those are for your own good. We want you to be able to pay attention in class and not have another episode like yesterday.” She walked over with a comb and carefully attempted to untangle Ashley's wild curly hair. Her own hair was just as curly, yet to Ashley's amazement she somehow managed to keep it under control.

From the hallway, her father cursed. “Dang it! Where are they?”

Her mother sighed. “Go get your jacket, Ashley. I'll see what's wrong?”

“Morning, Dad.” Ashley gave him a kiss and hurried to the closest at the top of the stairs.

“Morning, darling,” Richard mumbled as he flung his un-tucked shirt aside to once again check his pants pockets. He savagely tugged pulling them inside out, as if punishing the pockets for not holding his keys. “This makes no sense.” He ran a hand through his short dark hair as his other hand searched the hooks on the wall, the only other place the keys should have been. The hooks clung to the wall but did not supported his keys.

“Of course, that would be too easy” he grumbled, slid his glasses back up his nose while bending his lanky body over to rip through the junk drawer. He flung aside a bundle of pens and called out, “Martha, where are my keys?”

Ashley's mom forced a smile on her face, straightened her crisp floral blouse and called out from the kitchen, “Just use the spare.”

“I can't,” Richard shoved the drawer back into the small table, “I lost it. Last week. Now I can't even find the spare I made of the spare!”

Ashley giggled from the landing. She could see the local locksmith tirelessly making mounds of the same key for her father who lost them as quickly as he handed them over.

Martha took a deep breath, wiped off the counter and walked over with his travel mug, “Richard, honey, stop for a second, you've got to calm down.”

“Calm down? If I’m late for work again…” His words trailed off. Ashley knew he was imagining his irritated boss waiting for him, a memo in hand and clicking his pen in frustrated repetition. Click, grumble, Click, grumble….Her dad loved to imitate him around the dinner table. He shook his head and snatched his tan jacket from the wall tearing through each pocket.

Martha grabbed his hand. Her touch was soft but firm. “Did you ask Ashley?”

“It wasn’t me,” Ashley chimed in. She leaped down the steps two at a time with a light red jacket in her hands. Her pants were rolled up, freeing her skinny tanned legs to kick out. This also displayed knees that were skinned so frequently it seemed like she had scabs tattooed on their boney surface. To her it was a mark of pride, a sign of adventure. In the entire middle school she knew no other girls with scabby knees, besides the ones who nicked their legs when trying to shave for the first time.

“Check your shoes Dad.” Ashley offered as she jumped down the final three steps her curly brown hair trailing behind her as if it were a parachute slowing her decent.

“That’s ridicules.” Richard peered into his shoes. The loafers were shinned, though slightly scuffed, and sitting in the left shoe was his keys. His brow furrowed in confusion, “Why’d you put them there?”

“Didn’t,” Ashley gave him a kiss, skipped over to the table and grabbed a pare of gloves, “I saw them while I was coming down the steps.”

“They must of fallen off the hook and landed there.” Martha scooped them up. She re-tucked in his shirt and had him bend over so she could try and flatten his dark straight hair. Whenever he was frustrated it seemed to stick out, like an irritated porcupine. Finally she handed him an omelet, wrapped in tinfoil and a napkin.

As he rushed out the door, he gave his wife a kiss and called out, “Bye Ash, and try to be good at school today.”

“Bye,” Ashley waved him off, hoping her smile would keep her from having to vocally consent to good behavior for the day.

Martha zipped up Ashley’s jacket, “I don’t want to get any more phone calls.”

Ashley shrugged. “Then unplug the phone.”

“You know what I mean.” Martha yanked the zipper up the final four inches.

“Ah mum, for the millionth time it wasn’t my fault,” Ashley protested. “Valerie-”

“Should have gone to the principal!” Martha shook her head and handed Ashley her lunch. She walked her to the door and continued, “I’m glad you stood up for your friend, but that’s not how a civilized lady should act. Speaking of which, would you please unroll those pants.”

Martha sighed, bent down and unrolled each pant leg. Ashley hated the jeans. They were stiff, far too tight and made it hard for her to do more then, ‘Walk like a Lady”, meaning no skipping or jumping.

But Ashley couldn’t complain. Not after being let of the hook for what happened yesterday.

With her pants unrolled, Ashley kissed her mom and jumped out the door. Her best friend Valerie was waiting for her at the side walk, nervously shuffling her feet. Beneath her head of orange hair was a giant grin plastered between chubby cheeks. Ashley relaxed, she must not of gotten in too much trouble either.

Ashley carefully walked down the steps. She could feel her mother’s eyes blazing upon her back like a snipers laser scope. Now was not the time for skipping. She waved bye to a worried, but smiling mother and hurried off with Valerie.

“By the look your mom was giving you, I assume you didn't get in too much trouble.” Valerie's spoke so fast Ashley wondered if they should walk quicker to keep up with her voice.

“It was nothing too bad.” Ashley shrugged as they turned the corner and got safely out of site. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the gooey, bitter, remains of her pills. She kept them stuffed under her tongue each morning, until she was out of her mother’s sight. The pills made her feel like a tree stump, as if the best part of herself was cut away and she was left lifeless and unmoving. She hated them, even if they would help her “fit in with the other kids.”

Like every morning Valerie was ready with a water bottle to wash off the acidic sludge.

“Thanks,” Ashley smiled at her best friend. It was Valerie's idea to stuff the pills into her cheek and pocket them when her mom wasn't looking. Valerie was great at that kind of thing. It was another one of Valerie's plans that helped get Ashley out of trouble for what happened yesterday.

“So how did things go?” Valerie asked.

“Just like you said it would,” Ashley smiled. “I made sure to use the buzz words you told me too. I said I was standing up for you like a good friend and proper lady should. She was glad I showed character. I don’t think my mom would care what I did as long as I was ‘lady like’.”

The two girls smiled and instantly matched pace, like a miniature marching band. They began their walk to school humming a silly tune that included belly slapping percussion and a puckered lip raspberry solo. It was perfectly unladylike.

Grey brick buildings and dark speeding traffic swarmed all around the girls. Corner stores cleaned their side walks with roaring leaf blowers that would shift the leaves one way and the wind would toss them right back another. The girls found it all very amusing.

They turned off the main road, away from the chorus of morning machinery, and onto the quiet street which lead to the school and metro parks. Most adults didn’t care about either of these places and so the noise was far quieter, consisting of laughing children, the screams of a few frustrated parents dropping off their kids and chirping birds. Ashley appreciated the similarity between these noises.

“So what happened with your parents?” Ashley asked.

“They were real mad.” Valerie kicked a stray rock off the sidewalk and into the gutter. “I was able to calm them down, but they're talking about driving me to school from now on and having me join an after school sport.” At the word sport Valerie’s round pale face twisted into a tight grimace. It was a look that Ashley thought only her sour pills could achieve.

“You know that won’t happen Val. Adults are too busy, especially your parents.” Ashley knew they were just trying to make Valerie feel good by offering to drive her. In the three years Ashley had known Valerie she had only seen her parents a handful of times. They were both dentists and ran a very busy private practice. They rarely made it home until well after supper. None the less, she would have to try to keep Valerie out of trouble.

“Besides,” Ashley continued. “I think he’ll leave us alone. Bullies are just cowards and he won’t forget what we did to him.”

“What you did to him,” Valerie interrupted. “You embarrassed him, in front of everybody, even his goons! He’s going to want payback and he knows I’m scared to death. He’s an animal.”

“And so am I!” Ashley roared and jumped in mock pounces until she brought a smile back to Valerie’s face. “We’ll teach him that when someone messes with you they’ll have me to answer to.” Ashley pointed to her chest with a skinny thumb.

Valerie chuckled. Ashley was the boniest, knobbiest kneed girl she’d ever known. But, she was also Valerie's champion friend, who would stand up for her no matter the odds and that made Ashley ten feet tall in her eyes. “Thanks Ash.”

The two friends resumed their humming and finished their walk to school.

The wide brick building that was their school stretched before them. Each dark tinted window seemed to stare out. To Ashley they looked like a hundred glistening black eyes of a giant insect. There was also a small playground that had barely been used in years. Swings, slides and monkey bars stood lifeless without children, like the shedding of a snake's skin, forgotten and discarded yet still a testament to past life.

They’d arrived five minutes early. The crowd of kids waiting to get in was rapidly growing. Children piled out of cars and buses scurrying like hens let out amongst grain. In the middle of the chaos of running screaming kids Valerie noticed a young boy gawking at them.

“This is all we need.” Valerie said. “Attention equals detention.”

“I'll take care of it.” Ashley turned to the boy, “What is it?”

“Um, sorry...It’s just....you’re that girl who stood up to Sid.” The young boy gulped, “He’s been stealing my lunch for years.”

Ashley looked him up and down. He was almost spherical in shape.

“You don’t look like you’ve been missing those lunches.” Ashley winced, instantly regretting the mean remark.

“I bring a spare,” the boys face turned red as he spoke and he shuffled his feet back and forth. “I just wanted to say…thanks.”

The boy hesitantly smiled and shuffled off, disappearing into the crowd.

Ashley smiled. “I'm glad he feels like we helped him.”

“Yeah, but I wish he'd of stood up to Sid yesterday too.” Valerie frowned. “If more kids would have joined you I think Sid would have backed down.”

Ashley raised one of her tiny fists, “What you don't think I can take Sid on my own.”

Valerie shook her head, “I don't think a steamroller driven by a rhinoceros could. Let all of his goons.”

“And their horrible B.O.” Ashley feigned terror and acted like she was being murdered with the fowl odor.

Valerie giggled. “In a few minutes we’ll be safely inside and won't have to find out.”

Ashley raised her eyebrows, “I never thought I’d actually want school to get started.”

Someone shrieked from within the crowd. The girls quickly stopped laughing. They couldn’t see a thing. The older kid’s towered above them. All they could do was listen as a pleading voice squealed, “Please, just take it and leave me alone.”

Who ever it was cried out in pain as several gruff voices laughed. The child from just moments before came running through the crowd, tears dripping down his cheeks and a massive red welt quickly forming on his arm.

Ashley was pretty sure who gave that boy his bruise. She clenched her fists.

Sid and his goons forced their way through the crowd. Besides the whole wanting to kill you part, they would have looked comical. All of them were too large, puberty making limbs seem longer then necessary and with that growth came a forest of pimples. The acne was white against their tanned faces and looked ready to burst. Ashley feared they might pop and ruin her jacket.

Most of the goons had hair gelled up in the front like a ramp off their forehead, wore overlarge shirts and carried more lunches then they could possibly eat in one day. In the middle was the biggest kid in the entire school, Sid. Sid's real name was Nathan Sidney. But everybody, even the teachers, called him Sid. It did seem more fitting. He was too twisted to be a Nathan.

It was rumored his uncle had one of those giant factory farms and Sid got into the growth hormones they give the cattle. That’s why he was built like a bull, and why he was so mean. Teenager hormones were crazy enough. Add bull hormones and you have a monster that no after school special could handle.

A short kid, playing a video game, absentmindedly bumped into Sid. With wide eyes he looked up to see the bully glower down at him. Sid's massive meaty hands shot out and grabbed the boy by his curly hair. The child screamed as Sid forced his face into the pavement. The other goons laughed. It made Ashley sick.

Valerie snatched Ashley's hand. “We can't help him.” she whispered, “If you do anything now it will only makes things worse.”

“Get behind me Val,” Ashley said. “I don't want you getting in trouble, but I won't hide either.”

The curly haired boy cried out, Sid only pressed harder. Eventually the boy stopped screaming and settled into horse racking sobs. It was then Sid let go. As the boy got to his feet he handed over his launch money. Sid didn't have to say a word.

Ashley could see brothers forcing their younger siblings behind their back. Like sheep they huddled together and between their ranks walked a pack of children as wolfish as any group of feral dogs.

Sid draped his arm around Trisha, a tall girl wearing a tight tank top. The skimpy shirt revealed far more than she had to display. They both had long blonde hair and wore matching triangular shapes on a chain necklace. They were all older than Ashley, at least thirteen she guessed.

The boy grinned confidently at all the eyes that were fearfully upon him.

Ashley squeezed her friends trembling hand. “If someone doesn't stand up to them they’ll never stop.” She whispered.

Sid broke off from the group and swaggered straight at Valerie. Ashley stepped forward, glaring at him. A cocky one sided grin pulled across Sid's face. Lazily he brushed his hand through the air expecting Ashley to move aside like an annoying fly. Ashley knew he wasn't as confident as he acted. He stood much farther back than he would have yesterday. He wouldn’t underestimate her again.

Sid tucked a strand of his long blonde hair behind his ear, “Move aside maggot.” He pointed over Ashley’s head. “I have unfinished business with her.”

“No.” Ashley’s squeezed Valerie hand harder.

He looked down at the thin girl standing in front of him. “Trying to stand up to me again?”

Ashley squinted her eyes in a look she hoped was menacing. “I did more then just ‘try’ last time.”

Someone chuckled causing Sid to spin around and glare into the crowd. The kids shuffled back, as if his attention alone would cause a bruise.

“I hear you almost got expelled.” Sid turned back to her, trying to frown but instead laughing. “That would have been a pity.”

Ashley shrugged, “They tend to get upset when you attack someone with scissors.”

More kids snickered remembering yesterday’s fight. Sid had taken Valerie’s lunch money. Ashley walked right up to him, in the center of all his goons and demanded he give it back. The goons were dumbfounded, no one had ever dared try something like that. Sid knew she had to pay. He grabbed her, lifted her right off the ground, and began shaking her as if she was nothing more then a carton of juice. Ashley screamed, it felt like he was going to snap her neck. Sid pulled one arm back, preparing to knock her across the face. Leave her with a bruise big enough she wouldn't try something like this again. In a panic Ashley grabbed the only thing on her, her art pack and pulled out her scissors.

They were blunted safety scissors, the kind that made cardboard seem impenetrable. None the less, she was still able to snip a large chunk from the long blonde hair Sid treasured. Outraged he tossed her to the pavement and she kicked him right between the legs. With a gasp he fell and the moment Sid hit the pavement Ashley jumped onto his chest like a wild animal, demanding the money back. Everyone was watching. Seconds later a teacher rushed forward and broke it up. They were both dragged to the principals office. But the rumors was, Ashley made him cry.

Sid eyed the two girls. “What do you think boys, should we teach them a lesson?”

“Yeah, lets get um,” one said.

“I think we should lop off their hair. See how they like it Sid.” said another.

The goons began to come forward, eyes sparkling with glee. Valerie grabbed a fistful of her orange hair as if she could protect it. She almost collapsed, but Ashley held her up.

Sid raised a hand and the goons stopped.

“Nah,” He said, “I have a better idea.”

Sid looked from side to side, smiling at all the children watching them. Half were wishing they weren’t there and the other half were hoping to see a fight. The boy continued. “I was thinking about yesterday.”

“I’m sure you were.” Ashley looked at the uneven chunk taken out of his hair. He had obviously been to a barber who tried to disguise the chop job.

“Yes,” he continued while still seeming to measure her up. “You’re little, but tough…and quick. So I’m going to make you an offer. We’ll be leaving the middle school soon. Someone like you could run this place when I’m gone. Work for me or else I'll pound you and your chubby friend.”

The crowd stared at her waiting to see what she’d say.

“Do what you say OR ELSE. Join you OR ELSE.” Ashley spit out the words while looking at the kids around her. “You better be careful how many people you ‘or else’. There are a lot of people getting tired of you.”

“So how about this,” she continued. “Leave us alone or ELSE all of us will show you what we think of bullies.”

The goons fell into each other laughing.

Sid smiled, displaying his dark red braces. “None of them are going to help you, they're scared worms. Anyone who does,” he glared at the crowd, “Will be signing up for plastic surgery when I’m done with um.”

Most of the crowd began to shuffle and shift their eyes from Ashley. She knew she was on her own today. Sid pointed at the two girls and demanded, “From now on your lunch money is mine.”

Valerie glanced at Ashley.

“No,” Ashley said and scowled up at him.

Sid grabbed Ashley by the collar causing her to drop her sack lunch. He lifted her off the ground and glared at her. “You don’t have any scissors this time. Now tell your pudgy friend to hand over your lunches!”

Ashley kicked out, but her little feet didn’t cause Sid the slightest pain, it only made him laugh harder. She had nothing. Ashley braced herself for the pounding that was to come.

Instead Ashley heard a scream. Valerie threw herself at Sid. Her green eyes were wide with fear as she lunged at his waist. She didn’t knock the giant boy over, but it did make him drop Ashley.

Valerie gasped, “What am I doing?” She then seemed to come to her senses, “Ash, get a teacher!”

Ashley looked around. There was no time. The horde of kids around them would slow her down too much and Valerie would get hurt. She looked down at her empty hands and the ground around her. She needed something to stop him.

She saw her lunch lying several feet away. There was no time to grab it.

In a blink of her eye the lunch bag was open and a banana was in her hand. Her mouth fell open in shock. There was no time to question how it happened, she had to act. With wide eyes she jumped to her feet.

“You want my lunch?” Ashley screamed.

Sid turned from Valerie. As he did, Ashley dove onto him, shoving the banana into his face. The bruised produce burst sending pale yellow goo into his eyes.

Laughter erupted from the crowd sweeping over Ashley like a breeze of released tension. The morning bell cut through the chaos, startling the kids from of the fight into a stampede toward the school. In the rush Sid got knocked to the ground. Ashley watched the rotund kid with the bruised arm rush over, reclaim his lunch money, and hurry off into the flood of children.

“Who was that!” Sid roared. By the time he got to his feet and wiped the goop from his eyes, Valerie and Ashley were gone. Only his goons remained.

“Why didn’t you stop them!” The girls heard him scream as they too hurried through the doors.

“Ash, hold up.” Valerie was bent over struggling to catch her breath. “I...can’t...believe I attacked him! And how did you get that Banana? Your lunch was almost five feet away. It was like magic!”

“I don’t know . . . it was all happening so fast.” Ashley wiped the banana off her hands. What did happen? She wondered. It was like magic, or fruit . . . magnetism. She shook her head. “The banana must of fallen out of my bag.”

“It must have.” Valerie shuffled her feet. “What are we going to do? He’ll be waiting for us after school.”

“And I’ll just have to be ready.” Ashley tried to say bravely.

“I don’t want you getting hurt Ash. This is all getting pretty crazy.” Valerie squeezed her into a soft hug. “I’m going to the principals office.”

“Val, wait-,”

“No, we shouldn't have to handle this.” Valerie hurried down the hall. “It's best to let an adult know.”

Ashley frowned. To her a few bruises and detentions were worth stopping this bully. But she knew Valerie wasn't used to all this...adventure. To Valerie studying was an adventure. This violence was too much for her and her parents would be furious.

The tardy bell echoed down the nearly empty hallway. Ashley rushed off to class. She had no idea that by tonight bullies would be the least of her worries.