Chapter 3

"No, Zack," Carrie sighed. She was sitting on the couch in their suite, and Zack was standing in front of her. Cody was at the island in the small kitchen, fixing his lunch for school tomorrow. He listened in as he worked. He had a good reason to.

"Please, Mom? It's a not a big deal you know, just a little color..." Zack trailed off, attempting to persuade his mother. Carrie shook her head and looked directly at him.

"Dying your hair is a sign that you're a rebel. I don't want people thinking I'm a bad parent," Carrie said in an authoritive tone. Zack tilted his head. Cody knew that tilt. Zack was going to think of some way to slip through the cracks again...

If no one else can do it, you can do it, Zack, Cody thought.

"What if we just dye...a teensy bit of it?" Zack said, his tone inquisitive but a little derisive beneath. Cody looked at Zack out the corner of his eye. Carrie had perked up.

"Well, I guess it's alright. You won't dye your whole head, now will you? So how will you dye it?" Carrie asked Zack, looking at him. Her eyes looked glazed, as if she were thinking hard. Zack and Cody almost smiled at the same time.

"Streaks?" Zack suggested?

"No."

"How about the tips?"

Carrie opened her mouth as if she were going to say no. Both the twins tensed up. Then Carrie shut her mouth slowly.

"Well, tips won't stand out that much. Just don't go dying it all colors of the rainbow," She said, looking back down at a novel she was reading.

"Yesss," Zack whispered loudly. He went over to Cody and gave him a high five, then grasped his brother's hand and pulled Cody's head towards his.

"Great idea, man. I didn't expect that out of you though," Zack whispered in Cody's ear. Cody only nodded. He felt his heart beating fast.

Later, in the lobby of The Tipton Hotel, Moseby stood at the candy bar along with Maddie and another girl, who looked a bit younger than Maddie. The twins came in running through the door, their hair now dyed. Zack had dyed the tips of his hair red, and Cody had his dyed black. They jumped over the stairs into the lobby, going straight to the candy bar. Mr. Moseby turned and gave them a caustic look.

"Please boys, I'm running a hotel here, not a playground. Don't just come galumphing in here," Moseby said in an agitated tone, reprimanding the twins. He directed their attention to Maddie with a wave of his hand.

"As you can see, Ms. Fitzpatrick is leaving her job here at The Tipton. And Miss Mahina will be taking her place at the candy bar," Moseby said, pointing to the girl.

She was Polynesian, dark brown curly hair partly covering her face. She wore a light blue dress with tropical flower designs. Most of all, she had green eyes. She faintly smiled at the twins, looking a little nervous. Zack sighed, sad to see Maddie go, but Cody smiled back at Keilani. Maddie smiled too.

"This is Keilani Mahina, guys. She's from Hawaii. She left her parents to come up here and live with her uncle. She's a pen pal of mine, and she's been waiting to take this job position. She also wanted to see what America really looks like. Keilani, this is Zack and Cody," Maddie explained. Keilani only looked down and smiled. She was a bit shy.

Zack looked at Keilani. She was cute, but not as cute as Maddie. He sighed again. He looked up at Cody. Cody was also looking at Keilani, but he looked at her like the way he looked at a good book. Zack fell like falling into a void of never ending darkness.

Mr. Moseby looked back and forth from the twins to Keilani. He then broke the silence.

"Would anyone mind giving Miss Mahina a tour of the hotel?" He said in a low voice.

"I wouldn't mind, Mr. Moseby," Cody said, perking up. Keilani's head soon lifted up, fully showing her face. She was very pretty indeed. She bowed slightly to Cody.

"Mahalo. Thanks. I'd enjoy a tour of an American hotel," she said quietly. Her voice was like a small stream gliding over rocks. It had a soothing tone. Cody smiled. Zack just turned away, appearing to be interested in some newly arrived guests. Zack felt someone nudge him. He turned around and looked at his brother.

"Don't be so sulky. Maddie will come back to The Tipton for visits, you know," Cody whispered, trying to comfort Zack. Zack only nodded.

But Maddie's departure was not the reason for why he was so sad.