Georgia's Greatness by Lauren Baratz-Logsted Page B

think you're evil."
    "You don't?" Georgia asked.
    "No," Pete said. "In fact, I think you're grand."
    Georgia blushed.
    "Now get to bed, you girls," Pete said as he rose to leave. "School in the morning!"
    He paused with his hand on the doorknob.
    "And you say," he asked, "that this Crazy Serena person is some sort of relative of yours?"
    Eight heads nodded.
    "Huh," Pete said. "The missus and I have a few like that in our families too. I suppose all families have them."
    And then he was gone.
    Pete had said that he and Mrs. Pete had a few relatives like Crazy Serena in their families? And we hadn't even known Crazy Serena was our relative, not until that day.
    It was awesome to think that we might have other relatives we didn't know about yet, loose out there somewhere in the world.

CHAPTER TWELVE
    The next day—Tuesday, March 18—when we arrived at school, it was as though none of the events of the month had happened. Crazy Serena was gone, no one was even talking about the parade anymore—it is amazing how quickly things become old news—and the McG was at her desk, looking down her long nose at us as though she smelled something bad.
    In fact, we'd almost begun to doubt that any of it really had happened, but then—we swear!—the McG winked at us before calling the class to order. If that weren't proof enough that the universe had tilted strangely, nothing ever would be.
    And there was more universe-tilting!
    Right after the first class, the McG ordered us to take an early recess outside because it was the nicest day we'd had so far all year.
    So we raced to the jungle gyms, where, hanging upside down and such, we filled Will in on all that had happened.
    "You mean Ms. Harkness really was A Bad Person?" He was stunned. "But no one guessed at first, except for Mandy."
    This was true. Georgia had guessed only later; it was Mandy who knew from the start. We realized we owed her an apology. And we also owed her something else.
    "Thank you, Mandy," we said, having found her playing in a corner of the playground all by herself. "Thank you for telling our friend Mr. Pete when Crazy Serena took us away in her car."
    "Mr. Pete?" she said. "I thought that man was your uncle!"
    Oh, dear. We hadn't meant to let that slip out.
    So then, of course, since Mandy had done us such a good turn and proved herself to be A True Friend, we thought we should tell her, you know, everything.
    But as we opened our mouths to speak, she stopped us, just like the McG had done the night before.
    "I don't want to know," Mandy Stenko said. "Or perhaps I should say, I'm not ready to know." Then she paused before adding, "But I'm glad, really glad, that you're all okay."
    And then we all played together.
    Will Simms and Mandy Stenko and the eight of us.
    ***
    We arrived home that day with backpacks crammed full of homework assignments. The McG may have winked at us that morning, but she was definitely making up for lost time.
    "Homework before anything else!" Annie commanded.
    "No," Georgia said.
    "What do you mean, no?" Annie asked.
    "I need to find my gift," Georgia said.
    "But it's not the right time for the return with the elixir yet," Jackie said. "That always happens at the very end of the month. I told you."
    "I don't care," Georgia said. "Everything that's supposed to happen has already happened. I've discovered my power and I've even used it wisely to get us all out of trouble. Now I want that gift! "
    Nothing could persuade Georgia differently, so we all sat back and watched as she spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening tearing the house and grounds apart.
    "Did you check the mailbox?" Petal suggested.
    "Yes," Georgia said.
    "Have you tried summoning a pigeon to help you find it?" Zinnia said.
    "No," Georgia said, "and I won't. I will have no stinking pigeons helping me this time. I want to find it myself!"
    "Can I make you a cup of tea?" Durinda offered. "Perhaps that will help you focus on where it might be."
    "No," Georgia said.