Muffy's mouth fell open. How could Marina not know her?
"I'm Muffy Crosswire," she said slowly. "I'm your friend. You've been torturing me all day."
Marina pulled her hand away from Muffy's. "I never heard of you," she mumbled.
Marina's father walked up to Muffy. "She doesn't remember us, either," he informed her. "We think she must have hit her head. They found her behind an old abandoned house."
"A doctor's on the way," said Marina's mother.
"It's dark in here," said Marina deliriously. "I'm scared."
Muffy grabbed her cell phone and dialed a number. As she waited for an answer, she plucked one of the reddish-brown hairs from Marina's overcoat and examined it curiously. "Looks like a dog hair," she muttered.
Then she heard a voice on the other end of the line. "Hello?"
"Prunella, come to Marina's house, quick!"
----
"She has amnesia," Prunella announced to her gathered friends. "She doesn't remember me, or Muffy, or even her own parents. And she's not telepathic anymore."
Arthur, Francine, Alan, Fern, George, and Beat absorbed this news with surprise and concern as they stood in the center court of Lakewood Elementary.
"Did she fall down and hit her head?" asked Arthur.
"I don't know," Prunella replied. "The doctor didn't find any evidence of head trauma. Nothing seems to be wrong with her, except she's really weak and she's lost her memory."
"If she lost her memory but she didn't hit her head," George observed, "that can mean only one thing. She found out about the aliens and they wiped her brain."
"Shut up, Buster," Alan snapped at him.
"She's blind," Fern noted. "How would she see the aliens?"
"They have an unmistakable smell," George answered. "They communicate by..."
"If it's only amnesia, I wouldn't worry," said Beat, interrupting George. "Most amnesia victims recover their memories over time."
"It's not just people she's forgotten," said Prunella. "She can't read Braille anymore. She's forgotten how to use her cane. It's like she's reverted to before she went blind."
"It's worse than that." Mr. Baker, the hippo who taught fifth grade, walked up and joined the group. "I visited the Messersmiths this morning. Marina can't spell simple words or do basic arithmetic. Mentally, she's at kindergarten level."
"That's horrible!" Francine exclaimed. "Where is she now?"
"Until we find a special teacher for her," replied Mr. Baker in his booming voice, "I've left her in some competent hands."
----
With one arm around Marina's shoulders, Mrs. Messersmith carefully led her daughter into Miss Cosma's kindergarten classroom. The blind girl held her cane in one hand, and from time to time her mother took her by the wrist and made her tap on the floor with the cane.
The kids in Miss Cosma's class--D.W., Nadine, Emily, Vicita, Dallin, and the Tibbles-- gasped and squealed with surprise at the sight of the young stranger.
"Kids, we have a visitor today," said Miss Cosma, who sat on the floor in front of her pupils, holding a cutout paper chain in her hands. "This is Marina. She's special because she's blind."
"What's blind?" asked Tommy as Marina's mother helped her into a sitting position between D.W. and Emily.
"That means she can't see, stupid," Nadine replied.
"What's so special about that?" said Timmy. Marina's mother stepped to the back of the room and watched with her arms folded.
D.W. looked at Marina. "How old are you?" she asked.
"I don't know." Marina turned her face in D.W.'s direction. "Where are you? I can't see you."
"I'm five years old," said D.W. "We're all five except for Vicita. She's four."
"My mom says I'm ten," said Marina. "But that's too old for kindergarten."
The other kids laughed. "She's funny," said Emily.
Miss Cosma set down the paper chain and rubbed her hands together. "Marina is going to lead us in one of her favorite songs," she announced.
"I don't know any songs," said Marina, glancing about nervously.
"Crazy Bus!" shouted D.W., a silly grin on her face.
"Crazy what?" Marina responded.
"I'll teach you," D.W. offered. She began to sing, accompanied by the other kids. Marina soon picked up the melody and lyrics, and started to sing along confidently. "Crazy Bus, Crazy Bus, riding on the Crazy Bus..."
----
At this moment Binky, wearing a brown parka, was walking toward the elementary school entrance when he saw Quinn Cooper's Buick parked at the curb. Odette was unfolding Van's wheelchair and setting it down on the sidewalk.
Binky approached her. "Hey, Odette, can I help?"
The swan girl raised her head. Binky could make out several faded black and blue marks on her face--indications of the treatment she had received at the hands of her captors.
"I'm fine, Binky," she said emotionlessly.
As she reached into the car and grabbed Van around the waist, Binky also stuck in a hand to support the boy's lower back. Odette let go of Van and pushed Binky away. "Please don't bother me right now," she grumbled.
Binky stared incredulously as Odette lifted Van into his chair. She then climbed into the vehicle and closed the door, and Quinn started to drive away.
Van swiveled his wheelchair to face Binky. "Sorry about my sister. She's been really grumpy ever since she was rescued."
"I wanted to ask her if she was going to the recital on Saturday," said Binky, a hint of discouragement in his voice.
"I doubt it." Van turned his chair and started toward the handicapped ramp. "I think she just wants to be left alone."
As Van disappeared into the school building, Binky shook his head sadly. A moment later he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Couldn't help but notice." Binky turned his head and found that Molly was talking to him. "Bad luck with the girls?"
"That's rough, dude," remarked Rattles, who was standing next to Molly.
"What do you guys want?" asked Binky contemptuously.
"Well, less homework for starters..." said Rattles before Molly jabbed him with her elbow.
"We just want to offer our sympathy," said Molly, removing her hand from Binky's shoulder.
Binky walked sadly up the stairway toward the school entrance, while Molly and Rattles followed close behind.
"You gotta give her some time, man," Rattles advised him. "Being kidnapped is very...uh, dramatic."
"You mean traumatic," Binky corrected him.
"I can see it in her eyes," said Molly as the threesome entered the building. "Something happened to her that she doesn't want to talk about. She was married to a guy with four wives, you know. When a girl goes through something like that, it changes the way she looks at boys."
Binky stopped walking. "Fine!" he blurted out. "I'll give her all the time she needs. I can wait."
"She's too old for you, anyway," Rattles commented. "There's plenty of girls in this school who have the hots for you, man."
"Rattles speaks the truth," said Molly. "I mean, what girl could resist your handsome face and bulging muscles? Well, besides me."
Binky looked at Rattles. "Prunella told me the same thing. She said there are lots of girls who like me, but I think she was talking about herself."
"Dude, stay away from Prunella," Rattles warned him. "That girl's, like, totally psycho."
"Yeah, I know," said Binky. "But how do I find out what girls like me? I can't just go up to them and ask them."
"You don't have to." Rattles yanked off his backpack, reached inside, and pulled out a tape recorder. "We put a bug in the girls' bathroom."
As Binky's mouth fell open in surprise, Molly pulled her ears down over her eyes and walked away, muttering, "I hear nothing...I see nothing...I know nothing..."
(To be continued...)
"I'm Muffy Crosswire," she said slowly. "I'm your friend. You've been torturing me all day."
Marina pulled her hand away from Muffy's. "I never heard of you," she mumbled.
Marina's father walked up to Muffy. "She doesn't remember us, either," he informed her. "We think she must have hit her head. They found her behind an old abandoned house."
"A doctor's on the way," said Marina's mother.
"It's dark in here," said Marina deliriously. "I'm scared."
Muffy grabbed her cell phone and dialed a number. As she waited for an answer, she plucked one of the reddish-brown hairs from Marina's overcoat and examined it curiously. "Looks like a dog hair," she muttered.
Then she heard a voice on the other end of the line. "Hello?"
"Prunella, come to Marina's house, quick!"
----
"She has amnesia," Prunella announced to her gathered friends. "She doesn't remember me, or Muffy, or even her own parents. And she's not telepathic anymore."
Arthur, Francine, Alan, Fern, George, and Beat absorbed this news with surprise and concern as they stood in the center court of Lakewood Elementary.
"Did she fall down and hit her head?" asked Arthur.
"I don't know," Prunella replied. "The doctor didn't find any evidence of head trauma. Nothing seems to be wrong with her, except she's really weak and she's lost her memory."
"If she lost her memory but she didn't hit her head," George observed, "that can mean only one thing. She found out about the aliens and they wiped her brain."
"Shut up, Buster," Alan snapped at him.
"She's blind," Fern noted. "How would she see the aliens?"
"They have an unmistakable smell," George answered. "They communicate by..."
"If it's only amnesia, I wouldn't worry," said Beat, interrupting George. "Most amnesia victims recover their memories over time."
"It's not just people she's forgotten," said Prunella. "She can't read Braille anymore. She's forgotten how to use her cane. It's like she's reverted to before she went blind."
"It's worse than that." Mr. Baker, the hippo who taught fifth grade, walked up and joined the group. "I visited the Messersmiths this morning. Marina can't spell simple words or do basic arithmetic. Mentally, she's at kindergarten level."
"That's horrible!" Francine exclaimed. "Where is she now?"
"Until we find a special teacher for her," replied Mr. Baker in his booming voice, "I've left her in some competent hands."
----
With one arm around Marina's shoulders, Mrs. Messersmith carefully led her daughter into Miss Cosma's kindergarten classroom. The blind girl held her cane in one hand, and from time to time her mother took her by the wrist and made her tap on the floor with the cane.
The kids in Miss Cosma's class--D.W., Nadine, Emily, Vicita, Dallin, and the Tibbles-- gasped and squealed with surprise at the sight of the young stranger.
"Kids, we have a visitor today," said Miss Cosma, who sat on the floor in front of her pupils, holding a cutout paper chain in her hands. "This is Marina. She's special because she's blind."
"What's blind?" asked Tommy as Marina's mother helped her into a sitting position between D.W. and Emily.
"That means she can't see, stupid," Nadine replied.
"What's so special about that?" said Timmy. Marina's mother stepped to the back of the room and watched with her arms folded.
D.W. looked at Marina. "How old are you?" she asked.
"I don't know." Marina turned her face in D.W.'s direction. "Where are you? I can't see you."
"I'm five years old," said D.W. "We're all five except for Vicita. She's four."
"My mom says I'm ten," said Marina. "But that's too old for kindergarten."
The other kids laughed. "She's funny," said Emily.
Miss Cosma set down the paper chain and rubbed her hands together. "Marina is going to lead us in one of her favorite songs," she announced.
"I don't know any songs," said Marina, glancing about nervously.
"Crazy Bus!" shouted D.W., a silly grin on her face.
"Crazy what?" Marina responded.
"I'll teach you," D.W. offered. She began to sing, accompanied by the other kids. Marina soon picked up the melody and lyrics, and started to sing along confidently. "Crazy Bus, Crazy Bus, riding on the Crazy Bus..."
----
At this moment Binky, wearing a brown parka, was walking toward the elementary school entrance when he saw Quinn Cooper's Buick parked at the curb. Odette was unfolding Van's wheelchair and setting it down on the sidewalk.
Binky approached her. "Hey, Odette, can I help?"
The swan girl raised her head. Binky could make out several faded black and blue marks on her face--indications of the treatment she had received at the hands of her captors.
"I'm fine, Binky," she said emotionlessly.
As she reached into the car and grabbed Van around the waist, Binky also stuck in a hand to support the boy's lower back. Odette let go of Van and pushed Binky away. "Please don't bother me right now," she grumbled.
Binky stared incredulously as Odette lifted Van into his chair. She then climbed into the vehicle and closed the door, and Quinn started to drive away.
Van swiveled his wheelchair to face Binky. "Sorry about my sister. She's been really grumpy ever since she was rescued."
"I wanted to ask her if she was going to the recital on Saturday," said Binky, a hint of discouragement in his voice.
"I doubt it." Van turned his chair and started toward the handicapped ramp. "I think she just wants to be left alone."
As Van disappeared into the school building, Binky shook his head sadly. A moment later he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Couldn't help but notice." Binky turned his head and found that Molly was talking to him. "Bad luck with the girls?"
"That's rough, dude," remarked Rattles, who was standing next to Molly.
"What do you guys want?" asked Binky contemptuously.
"Well, less homework for starters..." said Rattles before Molly jabbed him with her elbow.
"We just want to offer our sympathy," said Molly, removing her hand from Binky's shoulder.
Binky walked sadly up the stairway toward the school entrance, while Molly and Rattles followed close behind.
"You gotta give her some time, man," Rattles advised him. "Being kidnapped is very...uh, dramatic."
"You mean traumatic," Binky corrected him.
"I can see it in her eyes," said Molly as the threesome entered the building. "Something happened to her that she doesn't want to talk about. She was married to a guy with four wives, you know. When a girl goes through something like that, it changes the way she looks at boys."
Binky stopped walking. "Fine!" he blurted out. "I'll give her all the time she needs. I can wait."
"She's too old for you, anyway," Rattles commented. "There's plenty of girls in this school who have the hots for you, man."
"Rattles speaks the truth," said Molly. "I mean, what girl could resist your handsome face and bulging muscles? Well, besides me."
Binky looked at Rattles. "Prunella told me the same thing. She said there are lots of girls who like me, but I think she was talking about herself."
"Dude, stay away from Prunella," Rattles warned him. "That girl's, like, totally psycho."
"Yeah, I know," said Binky. "But how do I find out what girls like me? I can't just go up to them and ask them."
"You don't have to." Rattles yanked off his backpack, reached inside, and pulled out a tape recorder. "We put a bug in the girls' bathroom."
As Binky's mouth fell open in surprise, Molly pulled her ears down over her eyes and walked away, muttering, "I hear nothing...I see nothing...I know nothing..."
(To be continued...)
