All Shook Up (From the Files of Madison Finn, 22) (3 page)

“Thanks,” Madison said awkwardly. It often felt more awkward but somehow more satisfying when a teacher (or, in this case, a librarian) gave her a compliment. Usually Mr. Books was growling or chasing the kids out of the library for talking too much, and Madison tried to avoid him wherever possible.

But today, Mr. Books was actually being friendly.

He walked away with a smile on his face, and Madison couldn’t help thinking that there was something strangely significant about that moment.

Something big
was
about to happen.

Madison just couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

B
Y THE TIME MADISON
returned home from school, her brain was whizzing with all of the things she had to do. First, there was math and reading homework. Then there was Internet research on Punjab—just to impress Madhur. Then she needed to log on to TweenBlurt to check e-mails, and then she had to see if anyone had posted something interesting on The Wall. After that, she needed to—

Madison stopped short on her porch. A note was taped to the door.

Maddie,

Had to dash into the city for a MAJOR meeting with another film co. This is a really big deal, honey bear. Dad is picking you up for dinner. Told him to call you after 4. Sorry for the short notice! Use your spare key to get inside. Phin is down the street w/ Blossom and the Gillespies, so you don’t have to worry about him.

Love,

Mom

Madison dropped her orange messenger bag on the porch and sat down. Mom had to work
again
? Outside, the sky began to darken, and there was a chill in the air. She fished around in the pocket of her bag for the spare house key. It wasn’t there; it wasn’t wedged in between two books; it wasn’t anywhere! Even after Madison had dumped out the entire contents of the bag, including her laptop computer, a collection of Hello Kitty! pencils, a half-eaten granola bar, a package of pink-polka-dotted tissues, a stick of gum, several pennies, and her math textbook, she still had not located the key.

She didn’t even have the sound of Phin barking at the front door to comfort her. Madison was all alone out there.

Just then she remembered where her spare key was—upstairs on her dresser. She’d left it there by mistake when she last cleaned out her bag.

“But there’s another one!” Madison said aloud. She remembered the
spare
, spare key Mom hid in the garden.

She scrambled to her feet and went over to the windowsill. A row of violets in yellow ceramic pots sat there. Madison lifted each pot, one by one.

Dirt. Pebbles. No key?

What was Madison supposed to do now? She briefly entertained the idea of running next door to her neighbor Josh’s house. She had a little crush on Josh, a ninth grader from FHJH, and he was always very nice to Madison.

But on second thought, Madison decided that facing him would be too embarrassing. So she stayed where she was on the porch. She’d wait there until Dad showed up. It was a little after three o’clock. Madison could wait for an hour, couldn’t she?

Madison crossed the porch to the wicker sofa and took a seat, placing her laptop in her lap. Luckily, her battery was fully charged and her wireless connection working, since she
was
practically inside the house. As she curled up in a ball and logged on to TweenBlurt, Madison heard the familiar
ding!
telling her there was mail in her e-mailbox.

FROM          SUBJECT


GoGramma      Thank you, dear


Dantheman     Clinic R.I.P.


BoopDeeDoop   Account Info Please


Rainbowz Inc. Make Money FA$T


Bigwheels     Where have u been???


Madison clicked on the e-mail from Gramma Helen. She knew it was a note of thanks for Madison’s homemade card and gift.

She was right.

From: GoGramma


To: MadFinn


Subject: Thank you, dear


Date: Wed 23 Sept 12:12 PM


My dearest Madison,


I opened my mailbox this morning and found your lovely package. I was flat-out floored, my dear. You outdid yourself for my birthday this year. I particularly loved the copy of the photograph you found showing me and your grandpa together on our honeymoon. Wherever did you find that one? Needless to say, I ran right over to the framer. It will hang in my front hallway and I will think of you every time I see it. I am getting choked up just now thinking of it. You are a love. What is the e-mail chat symbol for happy tears?


Love,


Gramma


Madison e-mailed Gramma Helen right away with the symbol she was looking for.

:~…)


Next, she opened the e-mail from Dan Ginsburg. He’d sent it from the animal clinic where Madison and he volunteered. Madison sensed right away that it was bad news.

From: Dantheman


To: MadFinn


Subject: Clinic R.I.P.


Date: Wed 23 Sept 2:33 PM


Maddie I got here after school b/c my mom called me and I have REALLY bad news 4 u. REALLY Bad.


Those kittens we brought in last week, the ones that were really sick, well all of them died except for one and Dr. Wing says he’s not doing good at all. I am so so bummed out. I thought we might even keep one and I know u wanted to ask ur mom 2 keep one 2.


I guess they had some kind of infection b4 they were even brought in here, that’s what doc says. So, I was hoping maybe u would come in help me 2morrow b/c I wanna bury them out back. Can u? Lemmeknow @ school. Bye.


Now Madison really wanted to cry. Not only was she locked out of her house, but Gramma Helen had gotten all e-mushy on her, and now Dan had this terrible news. Everything felt all shook up.

Madison sent Dan an instant reply. She told him she would come to the clinic to help out. She owed the clinic a volunteer visit anyway. It had been more than a week since Madison had been in to clean cages or help feed the animals or even help Dan’s mom, Eileen, organize files in the front office. Madison did all sorts of odd jobs when she was there—anything to be a little bit closer to the animals she loved so much.

Overhead, the sky boomed with a clap of thunder, and the sky appeared to darken even more. Madison knew the rain was coming now for sure. It was nearly three thirty. Thankfully, Dad would be there soon to pick her up. Madison thought she heard a phone ringing inside, but she couldn’t know whether it was Dad. She figured he would just come over when she didn’t pick up. Dad was smart about that kind of stuff. Wasn’t he?

She turned her attention back to the laptop.

The next e-mail looked familiar; a promotion from Madison’s favorite online store, Boop Dee Doop. She opened it to find an odd note from the store manager asking Madison to provide her personal and credit information, because it had been lost during a computer upgrade. Madison paused to examine the note more closely. Something about it seemed funny. Upon closer examination, Madison realized that the e-mail wasn’t from the store at all. The address was different—off by one letter. She quickly hit
DELETE
. She deleted the next e-mail, too. Nothing more than spam. It was a good thing that Dad had taught Madison to be such a careful e-mailer.

Fortunately, the last e-mail in the mailbox was A-OK. Madison grinned as it opened up onscreen.

From: Bigwheels


To: MadFinn


Subject: Where have u been???


Date: Wed 23 Sept 2:58 PM


I am so bored that my brain has cobwebs—I swear. I am sitting here in the media lab @ school waiting for my teacher to come over & look @ our assignments that I finished 10 million hours ago. Ugh. Sometimes tech class is so cool and other times people r sooooo slow and I am … well, cobwebby, like I said.


But enuf about MOI how R U??? How is the HART MAN? LOL That sounds kind of like some dorky superhero.


I have cool newz, which is that my school decided @ the last minute to host this history conference and I am going to be 1 of 7 presenters 4 the middle schoolers. Cool right??? I think so. My mom and dad told me they were so proud that they might even buy me an iPod. I told them that was totally materialistic and I couldn’t accept.


LOL!!!! Of course I will accept it if they give it. Wouldn’t u? I’ll tell u more about the conference when I find out more. Right now I’m kinda in the dark.


OK the teacher’s coming. Gotta dash.


Yours till the iPods (of course!!!),


Vicki aka Bigwheels


p.s.: I almost 4got to tell u that I got this really cool new feature on my e-mail that lets me attach pics and little videos. I hope I can send u something soon.


Bye.


The sky rumbled again. Like Bigwheels, Madison felt kind of in the dark herself.

Ding! Ding!

The e-mailbox beeped again. She glanced down. A brand-new e-mail flashed. She opened it.

From: JeffFinn


To: MadFinn


Subject:


Date: Wed 23 Sept 4:03 PM


Honey I got an urgent message from your mother and I tried calling the house but I can’t get you. Where are you? Oh, honey, I am not even in Far Hills right now—I had to catch an afternoon flight out and I’m sitting on the runway at Logan Airport in Boston. And Stephanie is away in D.C. on a sales call.


I just called over to Aimee’s house and her mom says you should go over there as soon as you get this. I am SO sorry, honey. Call me when you get this. I will keep trying the house, too. I hope you aren’t sitting out on the porch waiting for me.


Love you,


Dad


Madison stared dumbly at the computer screen.

Dad wasn’t even in Far Hills right now?

Of course it wasn’t really a problem, Dad being in Boston. Aimee lived just a few houses down, and Phinnie was already there, and Madison was just fine on her own like this. After all, she was practically thirteen. Well, twelve and three-quarters, anyhow. She was old enough. She was responsible enough.

Madison hit a quick
REPLY
.

From: MadFinn


To: JeffFinn


Subject: Re:


Date: Wed 23 Sept 4:12 PM


Got ur messg. Dad. I am home but keyless. Dumb me—left my spare up in my room. Yeah, I know. So that means I actually AM sitting on the porch. Whoopsie. Total fiasco. Sorry u were worried :>)


Thanks for calling Aimee’s mom. I am going to head over there right now. I will call u from Aim’s house l8r on ur cell. ILYL&L.


xoxo


Maddie


Madison powered down her laptop and shoved everything back into her orange bag. She pulled out the yellow windbreaker that was shoved in a side pocket, too.

Bracing herself against the drizzle, Madison headed toward the Gillespie house. Maybe this would work out better. She’d be able to finish her homework with Aimee,
and
she’d see her beloved Phin. She and Aimee could walk their dogs together after dinner the way they had always used to do when they were younger.

It wasn’t raining very hard, so Madison looked up at the sky and stuck out her tongue, thirsty for a few droplets. She thought about what Gramma Helen would have said in a situation like this. She’d probably have said that this was one of those times where, “when life gives you lemons you need to make a big old pitcher of lemonade.”

And what was there
really
to be glum about anyway?

Madison made a new friend that day: Madhur.

She was on her way over to her best friend Aimee’s house.

And she was about to participate in a very special conference at her school.

Madison climbed up the steps to Aimee’s house and knocked three times.

Doug Gillespie answered the door with a grunt and swung it open so Madison could step inside. Aimee twirled out of the shadows, dancing, as she always did.

“I am so psyched! Mom told me you were coming!” Aimee cried, lunging forward to give Madison a hug. Then Phin scooted out from around a corner and jumped right onto Madison’s legs.

“Rowwooororooooo!”

Madison grinned.

“Lemonade,” she said quietly to herself. “Definitely lemonade.”

S
CHOOL ON THURSDAY SAILED
by with an uneventful sequence of classes. Poison Ivy wasn’t even around in Science to make things interesting. Madison set her sights on the one potential sweet spot of the day: the first big meeting to discuss the upcoming junior leaders conference. All participating students and faculty were getting together that afternoon in the music room.

After the final bell of the school day, Madison walked down the hall toward the meeting. Mr. Gibbons had hung up large posters all along the hallway announcing the event. Madison couldn’t help getting excited as she read a poster headline:
JUNIOR LEADERS WANTED!

As she stopped to read the rest of the poster, Madison felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Madhur.

“On your way to the meeting?” Madhur asked.

Madison turned and smiled politely. “Yeah,” she said. “What do you think a world nations luncheon is?”

“Um … Chinese egg rolls and french fries?” Madhur joked. “I can’t imagine this cafeteria doing anything more interesting than that. Although it would be way cool if they whipped up some traditional eats, like Thai chicken, or sushi, or something a little more diverse, doncha think? My mom could come in and make aloo gobi.”

“Aloo what?” Madison asked.