Mean Ghouls (10 page)

When the “Aloha” song ended, Mr. Jones got up onstage. The spotlight hit him in the belly, making him look bigger than ever.

“We have a special presentation for you all this afternoon,” Mr. Jones said. He'd cleaned the bloody ooze from the sides of his mouth. Megan was glad — she didn't want her parents to be frightened. The whole zombie-school thing was hard enough to deal with. She glanced up at them. They were actually handling everything very well.

“Today, some of our students have prepared something very special for you.” He looked directly past Megan to set his eyes on the Yevermans. “I am proud to introduce to you the world of the Zom-Bs:
Brenda, Betsy, and Brooke, along with their designer, Henrietta Yeverman!”

The crowd went wild. Shrieks of “Uhhhh-uhhhh” filled the room along with the traditional “Woo-hoo” from the non-zombies.

Zach was filming everything. He had his camera glued to his eye.

Megan had known there'd be a time when she'd have to sneak away. And this was it.

When the lights dimmed, Megan made her move. She pressed through the crowd closer to the front of the stage.

She'd been exercising in the library every night, getting in shape. Staying calm and keeping her legs limber were the most important things Megan could do to prepare for this moment. After a few knee bends and a few deep breaths, Megan felt ready.

Brenda carried out a small podium and stood behind it. She'd changed into a gauzy fuchsia and green prom dress. Her neck scarf was orange and there were yellow bows in her hair.

“Being a zombie is a way of life,” Brenda read from a prepared note card. “Not only for those of us
here at Zombie Academy, but soon, for everyone. Everywhere!”

Ha!
That's what Megan thought. The Bs were going to make sure everyone stayed at ZA! It sounded like they were going to try to turn other people into zombies, too. Megan's eyes scanned the stage. “The cure has to be here,” she muttered. “Where is that crate?”

“Announcing the Zom-B collection.” Brenda reached over with one hand and pulled a cord.

The curtain at the back of the stage parted to reveal Rachel, walking down the catwalk like a model, with one hand on her hip. Rachel wore a prom dress like Brenda's, but cuter. It was lilac with a sky blue bow at the waist. Her shoes had matching purple bows above the same-colored blue buckles.

When she reached the end of the stage, Rachel blew a kiss at Megan and mouthed the word
Surprise!
She waved and then rotated on her heel, and turned back down the catwalk.

Next out was Brooke. She was wearing a tight white mummy-gauze dress. There were rhinestones glued all over the gown. It sparkled in the spotlight. Brooke had clearly used spray-on tan, which made her skin look a little less see-through.

Betsy came out arm in arm with Brett. They were wearing casual school clothes. Megan had to admit that Brett looked good in a black T-shirt and jeans. His shirt said
BEAB
in bold red letters across the front.

Betsy was wearing the same shirt with lace leggings.

At the end of the fashion show, Brenda announced that Happy had helped them with the clothing. Happy came out for a bow, but she didn't look happy.

She took the microphone from Brenda and said, “Hey, Mr. Franko.” She squinted into the crowd. “Wherever you are — I did what you asked. I better get an A.”

Everyone laughed, though Happy clearly didn't mean it as a joke.

The kids thought the clothing was terrific, but the experts, well, they weren't wowed by their daughter's first fashion show. Mr. Yeverman was checking his e-mail, and Mrs. Yeverman was yawning. Megan could only imagine the pressure they were going to put on Happy to do better next time.

It was beginning to feel like Megan had been wrong all along. Could it have been that the Bs were
not planning to destroy the cure, they'd only been planning a fashion show?

Megan was confused. Her detective skills were strong. She knew what the clues meant. Plus, she'd seen that locked crate. She knew they had it. Why had they written
Destroy
on the calendar otherwise?

So many unanswered questions. Her head was beginning to hurt. She wanted that cure!

And then, the lights went out again.

“We have one last surprise!” Brenda announced. “Destroy!”

The curtain flew back and Hailey Hansen came out onto the stage. She was smiling and pushing a cart with the crate on top.

THE CRATE!!

Dressed like a magician's apprentice in a flowing gown, Hailey held up a key, ready to pop the padlock and perform the Bs' most fantastic trick. The one, Megan was certain, that would ensure they all stayed zombies forever.

Hailey bent to unlock the lid, and that's when Megan leaped into action.

Just as the top slid open, Megan threw herself up and onto the stage.

“NOOOOO!” Megan shoved Hailey out of the way. Her middle-school classmate stumbled on a spiked heel and fell off the stage into the crowd.

Brenda, Brooke, and Betsy came rushing after Megan, but she was determined. Using every soccer move she knew, Megan kicked, swung, and head butted them away.

Reaching into the crate, Megan knew she'd find the vials from the research center. And she was right.

Megan grabbed a handful of the small glass tubes and rushed to the side of the stage. “It's the zombitus cure,” she told the one person in the room who she knew she could trust. “Don't let the Mean Ghouls get it back!” She gave Zach the vials and rushed back for another load.

Brett was on the stage now with Rachel and Mr. Jones. Even Dr. Shelley was trying to stop Megan.

“Uhhhh-uhhhh!” Megan groaned at them as she stormed past them toward the crate.

“I won't let you destroy the cure!” Megan shouted. She could feel all her remaining normal teeth sharpening at once. Her hair was bleaching itself white. The cut in her forehead burned.

Whirling and grunting and grabbing at anything she could, Megan tried to make a run for more of
the vials, but Brenda and Betsy blocked her way. “Uhhhh!” Megan screamed into Brenda's face. Her flailing arms ripped Brenda's Zom-B prom dress until it was a wreck like all her other gowns. Megan shoved Brenda to the edge of the stage. When she was about to fall, Brenda grabbed Brooke to stop herself. Brooke's gauzy dress tore like paper and they both tumbled over the edge onto Hailey, who was squashed beneath them.

“Uhhhh-uhhhh.” Megan dodged past Mr. Jones and slammed into Brett. The crate was behind Brett and when he fell backward, the box tipped over. Vials rolled across the stage. Megan flopped to the floor. She wanted to save all the little glass tubes, but there were too many.

Tons of them crashed off the stage and hit the ground with a
splat
. The ones that didn't break right away were getting crushed as visitors and zombie students stepped on them in an attempt to get out of the way.

With each vial that broke open, a scent began to fill the room.

Lavender and roses and orange blossoms.

Why was that smell so familiar?

Megan wished she had her notebook, but she'd dropped it when she first landed on the stage. She could see the red cover near the podium, but it was too far to reach.

Taking as many cure vials as she could carry, Megan made a break for the exit. Once she escaped the castle, she'd go straight to the nearest hospital and ask to be injected. Then, she'd go to the police to explain the mystery and how she'd solved it.

Everyone would be proud. She'd be on the nightly news. A hero.

Suddenly, two strong hands snagged Megan around the waist and pulled her through the curtain, out of sight from the confusion. Megan struggled against her captor, but she couldn't escape. Flopping like a fish, she tried to see who held her. It wasn't Mr. Jones or the Bs or Brett or her family. She knew they were still out there. She could hear them shouting.

The arms held her tighter and a voice said, “Megan, it's me.”

“Sam?” Megan stopped fighting for freedom and turned around in his arms. “I'm so glad you're here!” She hugged him tight and then apologized. “Sam, I'm sorry I haven't talked to you all week. But I was
right. The Bs took the cure. They were going to destroy it here onstage.” Her words were coming out race-car fast. “Please. Help me get the vials. Help me escape.” She said the next part in a whisper. “I want to go home.”

“I know,” Sam said, releasing her. “You have to calm down.”

“I can't,” she said. “I have to get as many vials as I can so the nurse can save the students.” She grinned at him. “We can all go home.”

Sam reached out and lightly touched her arm. “The Bs aren't destroying the cure.
Destroy
is the name of the Zom-Bs' new perfume. To go with their fashion line.”

“No.” She didn't believe him. But as his words sunk in, the scent of perfume filled the room. Even without her notebook, Megan suddenly remembered where she'd smelled it before. The package of flowers in Brooke's drawer. “Oh,” she said.

Megan had one last thought before Mr. Jones and the Bs burst through the fashion-show curtain.
I am in so much trouble.

Megan sat in the same chair in Mr. Jones's bungalow she'd sat in the night she'd solved the Missing Cure Mystery. Which she now knew, she hadn't solved at all.

Her parents were in the next room with Mr. Jones and Dr. Shelley, discussing what to do about the situation.

Megan knew she'd be punished. She assumed she'd be sent away, maybe to the Zombie Academy in Siberia. She'd need a heavier coat.

This was the end. She'd never see her parents again. Or Rachel. Or Dana Point Middle School. She'd never play soccer again either, and with her legs stuck straight, she'd be one of those kids in shuffle ball who ended up falling down a hole all the time.

Megan was going to be a zombie forever. It wasn't even worth looking in the mirror. She'd bitten her tongue enough times to know what had happened to her out there onstage. She was one step closer to full transformation. It wouldn't be long before she craved brains.

Zach could make a movie all about her….

“Hey, sis.” Just as she was thinking about him, Zach walked into the room.

“How'd you get in here?” Megan asked, glad to see someone who didn't hate her.

When Mr. Jones took her out of Room 601, the Bs had made it clear how they felt. Brett snarled at her; his one fang had turned into two. Hailey pointed and laughed. Totally embarrassed, Rachel stared at her shoes.

The only one who wasn't mad was Happy.

“You go, girl,” she cheered as Megan was escorted away. “That was hysterical!” Happy clapped and then started to laugh. Really laugh. As in holding her belly, falling to the floor, eyes watering laughter.

Megan didn't have time to talk, but she was pretty sure she and Happy would be friends again.

She hoped Happy would send her postcards in Siberia.

Zach sat in Mr. Jones's chair. The seat was so big, his feet didn't touch the floor.

“You've been away a few weeks,” Zach told Megan. “You've changed.” He pointed to her zombie hair and teeth. “But Mom and Dad are still the same.”

“Great parents, terrible hall guards?” Megan said with a small smile.

“Exactly.” Zach swung his feet. “Here.” He tossed her notebook to her. “I grabbed it before anyone else could.”

“Thanks,” Megan said, holding her memories on her lap.

“I read the whole thing,” Zach admitted.

“What?!” This was as bad as the time he'd read her diary. “You little —”

“You missed some clues,” Zach told her. “You almost had the answer, but then … you got distracted.”

“Obviously,” she said. “I destroyed
Destroy
and now I'm going to be a zombie forever.” Then, realizing what he meant, she asked, “Wait. You think you might know where the cure is?”

“Yes.” Zach nodded. “And who took it, too.”

“Don't just sit there. Tell me.” If Zach had solved
the mystery, she'd be a lot less mad that he'd read her journal.

“You already know.” Zach pointed at the notebook.

“I don't,” Megan started to argue. But then, she took a big breath and calmed herself down. There was no point in letting Zach make her zombie symptoms any worse. She wouldn't give him the honor.

Instead, Megan opened her notebook. Slowly, she read each page, looking for clues. If the Bs and Mr. Jones and Happy didn't take the cure, who was left? And what reason did they have to take it?

“Zach,” she said at last. “It's so obvious! I can't believe I missed the biggest clues of all.”

“You've got zombitus,” Zach said with a grin.

“Oh yeah,” Megan said, slapping her forehead as if that was another thing she'd forgotten.

Zach laughed.

Megan said, “I know who the thief is, but to get out of here unnoticed, I'm going to need your help.”

“I don't think so,” he said. “I've already helped you plenty.”

“Please,” Megan said.

“Oh, fine.” Zach made a deal. “I'll distract the adults and help you sneak away. But only if you
agree to make a zombie scene for my movie before you get cured.”

Megan reached out and shook his hand. “Deal.”

“Oh no!” Zach suddenly screamed, as he turned and burst into the room where the Murrys were meeting with Mr. Jones and Dr. Shelley. “I've lost my video camera. We have to search the castle!”

 

Megan found Sam in the passage under the tower.

“I knew you'd come sooner or later,” he said.

Megan sat down. “I'll always remember my first date,” she said with a smile.

“It was nice, wasn't it?” Sam smiled for a second. When it faded, he said, “So you figured it out.”

“Yeah.” Megan opened her notebook. “Zach knew first, but he wouldn't tell me. He made me reread my notebook and solve it for myself.”

“That's what makes him an evil genius,” Sam said, and Megan laughed.

“I think I understand why you took the cure,” Megan told Sam. “You don't want to be alone, right?” Sam nodded.

Just like in her dream. Megan was afraid of being alone, too.

“How old are you?” she asked Sam.

“I was born in 1886.”

“I should've known. You said no one comes to Visitors' Day — that's because they're all dead. Happy told me that when you started to become a zombie you blew out lamps — no electricity, eh? And you said you were one of the first students here — Mr. Jones started the school in 1908.”

Sam sighed at the memory. “Mr. Jones found me. He got me out of jail and brought me here.”

“Oh, right. I forgot, Taft let you come.” Megan shook her head. “Another clue that I missed. It took me until today to figure out that ‘Taft' meant President William Taft.”

“Friendly man,” Sam said. “Scared of zombies, though. He was glad to get me out of Seattle and let Mr. Jones be my guardian.”

“It must have been hard,” Megan said, imagining those first years.

“It was awful. My parents didn't get to say goodbye. They came every Visitors' Day until they were too old to travel. My friends all grew up and had kids and they stopped coming, too. When I got zombitus, I was twelve,” he said. “I'm still twelve.” Sam told Megan, “The first time the doctors discovered a
cure, I stole it. I'd been here so long already, I was worried that everyone would leave.” He shook his head. “What would I do? If they ever close the school, I won't have anywhere to go.”

“Mr. Jones wouldn't let that happen.” Megan was pleased to defend Mr. Jones. Turned out, he was a nice guy after all. He wouldn't let Sam be alone.

Sam shrugged. “It's better for me to stay here. I like it. I have friends. Then you came along and I didn't want you to get cured and leave either.”

“I don't belong here,” Megan told Sam. “I never did.”

“I think today you proved just how much you want to leave.” Sam couldn't hold back a brittle laugh.

Megan grimaced. “I added excitement to the welcome show, didn't I?”

“Better than any zombie movie I've ever seen.”

“Ha! It will be a zombie movie,” Megan said. “Zach filmed the whole thing.”

Sam laughed again, but this time he actually seemed pleased. When his giggling faded, Sam reached into his back pocket and handed Megan a vial. “Here's the cure.”

She wrapped her fingers around the small glass
tube. It felt like she was holding a magical elixir. In that tube was everything she'd wanted since she first came down with zombitus.

“I wish I'd told you the truth before things got so crazy,” Sam said.

Megan flipped open her notebook. “It says right here that you tried. I was already convinced the Bs took it. Nothing you told me would have changed my mind.” She tilted her head and smiled at him. “I'm stubborn.”

“Yes, you are,” Sam said. “I'll explain what happened to Mr. Jones and give him the researchers' notes. Hopefully, he won't punish you too badly.”

Megan stood up. “I was looking forward to Siberia,” she joked.

“Maybe you can come visit me there,” Sam said very seriously.

“We'll always be friends,” Megan told Sam. “Wherever you are, I'll visit.”

“Promise?” Sam took her hand.

Megan smiled. “Promise.”