Lights Out!
Authors: Laura Dower
From the Files of Madison Finn, Book 12
Laura Dower
For Helen Perelman Bernstein
Editor, friend, and uber-babe
T
HE CLOCK ON MR. SWEENEY’S
classroom wall buzzed like a wasp. For the first time this spring, the room was hot. Madison picked at a plastic tab on her math notebook and stared at the clock’s hands, praying for them to turn ahead. Could one long and steady glare move time forward?
Nope.
Instead, the minute hand clicked backward.
Madison blinked, but it was truer than true. She was trapped in a math-class time warp, and there was nothing she could do about it!
Mr. Sweeney had his back to everyone. He was drawing geometric shapes on the blackboard and asking for class participation. The only kid who answered him was Wayne Ennis, math superwhiz.
But Mr. Sweeney was looking for
other
volunteers—like the kids who weren’t paying attention.
Madison tried to avoid his darting eyes. Head down, she traced a few words in the margin of her notebook.
Jasper Woods. Field Trip. Wow.
She couldn’t get her mind off the seventh-grade field trip that would be starting the next day. All the kids were traveling overnight to Jasper Woods, a camp located about two hours from Far Hills. It was a very big deal. Principal Bernard explained to students that the trip was for “personal growth and community experience,” but Madison thought differently. It was a chance for boys and girls to be out of school for two days.
As she doodled hearts around the edge of the page, Madison daydreamed about what she and her best friends, Aimee Gillespie and Fiona Waters, would do together on the field trip. She wished they were in class right now to swap ideas, but unfortunately her BFFs were in a different math section.
“Maddie!” Egg whispered from the next row. He was Madison’s best guy friend at Far Hills Junior High. His real name was Walter, but no one really called him that except for his mother and a few teachers, Mr. Sweeney included. Egg had just been transferred into Madison’s math section.
“WALTER DIAZ!” Mr. Sweeney barked, facing the class. “Since you’re so eager to speak, why don’t
you
do this problem on the board for us?” he asked.
Egg sank into his chair and turned crimson. He glanced back at Madison, who looked immediately to her right to keep from laughing.
From a seat behind, one of Madison’s classmates, Lindsay Frost, snickered. “Looks like Egg is in trouble again,” she said.
Madison quietly and carefully tore an edge off her notebook page and scribbled a secret note back to Lindsay.
Are you packed 4 tomorrow?
What r u wearing?
Write back now or l8r.
She leaned over and tossed the note onto Lindsay’s shoe. Fortunately, Mr. Sweeney missed the toss. He was too busy torturing Egg up at the board.
After a few more problems, math class finally ended. Egg grabbed his books and hustled out without glancing back. Madison headed for the door with Lindsay.
Near the exit, Ivy Daly and her drones, Joan and Rose, otherwise known as Phony Joanie and Rose Thorn, stood blocking the way.
“Look who’s standing by the door,” Lindsay said.
“Yeah,” Madison whispered into Lindsay’s ear. “Just waiting to ambush Mr. Sweeney on the way out. Pathetic. They’ll do anything for a good grade.”
As they approached, Madison heard Ivy and her friends gabbing about the field trip.
“I have to bring my new camera to Jasper Woods.” Ivy snorted. “And my hair dryer, of course.”
Her drone Joan snorted right back. “And don’t forget the curling iron, too, right? You wanna look good for you-know-who.”
Madison knew who “you-know-who” was. Hart Jones, the same seventh grader Madison liked.
“Um…you guys?” Madison said. Even though she shouldn’t have been listening, Madison couldn’t resist interrupting. “We’re sleeping in a cabin. I don’t think they allow hair dryers in the woods, Ivy.”
“Of course they allow them,” Ivy said with a huff. “They have electric sockets in the Jasper Woods facilities. And you would know that if you read your permission slip. Duh. Who invited you into our conversation, anyhow?”
“Yeah,” Joan piped up. “No one invited
you
.”
“Whatever,” Madison said. She whirled around and grabbed Lindsay’s elbow. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t forget to pack your teddy bears,” Joan taunted.
“Yeah, you don’t want to get homesick or anything,” Ivy added, cracking herself up.
Madison wished she could haul off and sock Ivy in the jaw, but she kept her cool. Thankfully Mr. Sweeney walked over before the drones could say more.
“They make me so-o-o mad,” Madison grumbled as she and Lindsay walked away.
“Yeah, me too,” Lindsay agreed.
“They treat us like idiots!” Madison grunted.
“Yeah,” Lindsay said with a sigh.
But Madison had to admit: there was some truth in what the enemy said. Madison had never been to Jasper Woods or any other woods, for that matter. She’d never even been away to summer camp. Sure, she’d been traveling with Mom, a film producer for Budge Films. And in fourth grade she’d won a pink ribbon from Camp Chipachu, but that was just a day camp. That didn’t count. Madison had never been to real sleep-away camp like all of her friends had.
Lindsay said good-bye quickly as they exited the classroom. She had to get to a photography club meeting. Madison dragged herself down the hallway toward her locker. She hoped to find her BFFs waiting there. Maybe they could all walk home together.
Fiona leaned up against the wall with arms crossed, tapping her foot.
“I am so stressed!” Fiona cried when she saw Madison approach. “Egg just ignored me. He raced by and wouldn’t even stop when I called after him. He won’t talk to me!”
Madison sighed. Fiona always acted like a worry-wart when it came to Egg. She’d been crushing on him since the start of seventh grade. Sometimes it felt weird to be friends with people who liked each other like
that.
Fiona rolled her eyes. “I just don’t understand him,” she said.
Aimee appeared at her side. “You don’t understand
Egg
?” Aimee said with a chuckle. “Nobody understands Egg, Fiona. Except maybe Madison….”
“Yeah, but—” Fiona started to say.
“Be quiet, you guys,” Madison said. “He’s coming.”
Egg strutted back toward them, and he wasn’t walking alone. Right behind him were Drew Maxwell, Egg’s best pal; Chet, Fiona’s twin brother; Dan Ginsburg, Madison’s pal from school and the animal clinic; and Hart.
Madison bit her lip. Hart was wearing a rugby shirt with blue and gold stripes and khaki pants. She noticed how his brown hair was getting long on top. It whooshed over his forehead. She wished she could touch it—just once.
“Hey, you dorks!” Chet called out, ruining Madison’s daydream.
Fiona turned in toward the locker. She pretended to be rifling through her bag for a pen.
“Hey, Finnster,” Hart said, giving Madison a little punch on her shoulder. She blushed. Only Hart called her by that nickname.
“Hey, yourself,” Madison answered.
“You guys psyched for the trip?” Aimee asked the group.
Fiona turned around meekly, eyes on Egg.
Egg didn’t seem to notice.
“This trip is so lame,” Chet declared. “Hanging around in some cabins…what’s that?”
“I think the trip will be fun,” Dan said.
“Well, we don’t have classes,” Aimee said.
“Maddie, are you bringing your laptop?” Egg asked.
“We can’t bring laptops! You know that,” Madison said.
“Yeah,” Fiona added, trying to get into the conversation—and to get Egg’s attention.
“I have to get to my ballet class,” Aimee said, checking her watch. “Want to walk out together?” she asked Fiona and Madison.
“I don’t know. Maddie, are you going home?” Fiona said, stalling to see if maybe Egg was doing something interesting.
Madison shrugged. “I guess,” she said, anxious to see what
Hart
might be doing next.
“I’m out of here,” Egg said, giving Hart and Drew both high fives. “I have to go meet my mom.”
Egg’s mother, Señora Diaz, taught Spanish at Far Hills Junior High. Some days she gave Egg and his friends a ride home. Drew and Hart asked if they could get a lift today, and Egg agreed. They wandered off down the hall together.
Fiona stared down the hall until Chet smacked her on the back.
“Fiona!” he cried. “Let’s get going. Dad is picking us up out front, remember?”
“Don’t
hit
me!” Fiona barked, smacking Chet right back.
Madison wondered why Egg hadn’t stopped to talk to Fiona like he always did. Was their crush crushed? Was Hart acting hot and cold, too?
“I’m sorry, Maddie,” Fiona said, changing her tone of voice. “I’d give you a ride, but Dad is taking us to Tech Shack.”
“No problem,” Madison said. “E me later.”
Aimee slammed her locker. “I’m so late!” she said, spinning around. “I’ll e you both after ballet!”
Waving good-bye, Madison watched Aimee twirl down the hall and through a set of swinging doors. Fiona and Chet disappeared right after her.
At the other end of the hall, Ivy gazed into a mirror on her locker door, brushing her long red hair. Madison couldn’t help but stare.
Surviving
inside
school was tough enough. How was Madison supposed to deal with surviving the enemy in the middle of Jasper Woods? She slung her orange bag over one shoulder and headed home.
“Yoo-hoo, Maddie, is that you?” Mom called out.
Before Madison could answer, her pug, Phin, came running, claws clicking on the bare wood floors. He slipped and slid his way to the front door, attacking Madison with a hundred little wet doggy kisses. She wiped her face. No matter how bad things seemed at school or with friends, Phinnie could always cheer Madison up instantly.
“I’m in here, Mom,” Madison said, giggling.
“Your father called. He can’t have dinner tonight,” Mom said as she entered the hallway. “He’s sick, apparently.”
Ever since the Big D—the divorce—Mom and Dad had been sharing Madison for dinners and weekends.
“Sick? How?” Madison asked, lifting Phin up off the floor. “I just talked to him last night.”
“A twenty-four-hour bug,” Mom said. “How was school? Everyone ready for the trip?”
Madison shrugged. “I guess.”
“You guess?” Mom said. “You don’t sound so enthusiastic, honey bear.”
“No, I am,” Madison said. “I just don’t like the idea of bunking with Poison Ivy and her drones.”
“You and Ivy still haven’t made up?” Mom asked.