the note I'd found in the cookie crumbs on the bottom of my empty chow tin when Lisa walked in.
"Look at this!" I hissed, waving the note in Lisa's face. I felt hot from head to foot, and the paper shook in my hand.
Lisa took the note out of my hand and read it out loud: "'This chow has been taken as part of the payment for my unicorn. Hope it doesn't poison me. Sabrina Oats.'"
"Those turkeys!" she yelled. "That's stealing! Amy! Muthoni! Look at this!"
"I bet she knew we missed supper, too," I said. "Did she take Tianna's?"
Tianna's box was empty, too. Her note said, "The Bible says we should take care of our relatives. You just helped pay for my unicorn, which your cousin broke."
I slowly shut Tianna's chow tin and put it back. Amy, Muthoni, Lisa, and I just stood there staring at each other for a second. Then Lisa said, "I'm going to get Mrs. Jackson."
"That's telling!" Amy called after her.
"I don't care," Lisa called back.
We looked at each other uneasily. "Well, you don't have to go hungry, anyway," Muthoni finally said. "We snuck you some food."
She reached into her pocket and brought out a couple of hunks of bread with a piece of gooey meat in between. "Here," she said, handing it to me.
Amy took more bread and meat out of her pocket. "It's for Tianna," she said. "We prayed and decided to even let her into the fort."
Lisa, Muthoni, and Amy deciding to be nice to Tianna was the only good part of that whole evening. Tianna took one look at the gooey meat and bread they'd snuck out of the dining room for her and pitched it down the hill. Mrs. Jackson yelled at Sabrina Oats and told her to give the chow back. She said she'd eaten all of it. Ha!
We couldn't get Tianna to come in the dorm until Mr. Jackson practically marched her in for devotions. I forgot to tell her about her missing chow before we went to sleep that night.
Crash!
I sat bolt upright in bed.
The noise had come from the bathroom. It was the middle of the night and pitch dark. Somebody started swearing at the top of her lungs.
"Tianna?" I asked. It was her! "Tianna!" I yelled and started climbing out of bed.
Sabrina screamed and then yelled, "Stop it! Let go of my blankets!"
There was a thud, and Tianna hollered, "You thief! You'll find out you don't mess around with me!"
I started across the floor toward the light and tripped over something soft and lumpy. I was trying to get up when the light came on.
Muthoni was by the switch, blinking. Sabrina and Tianna were tangled on the floor in a blanket, hitting at each other.
I grabbed Tianna and tried to pull her away. Sabrina's nose was bleeding.
"What is going on here?" a deep male voice said. Mr. Jackson was standing there in his housecoat, glaring at us.
"She attacked me!" Sabrina yelled, pointing at Tianna. "She swore out loud and attacked me for no reason." Sabrina wiped at her face with her hand and then stared at the blood and started howling.
"No reason?!" yelled Tianna. "This creep stole my food!"
"I'll deal with these two," Mr. Jackson said, taking a step forward and grabbing both Sabrina and Tianna by the arm. "The rest of you clean up this mess and get back to bed."
Mr. Jackson left, taking Tianna and Sabrina with him. We stared at each other wide-eyed for a second. Everybody from both rooms was there. Then Amy went over and picked up one end of Sabrina's mattress, which was on the floor, and said, "Come on, you guys. Help."
Esther Miller grabbed the other end, and we got busy cleaning up.
Muthoni found Tianna's chow tin on the floor. One side was all dented in. She picked it up, turned it over, and said, "I bet she got up and took this into the bathroom because she was hungry. Then she found the note and got mad."
"Did she ever!" I said.
Just then Mr. Jackson marched Tianna and Sabrina back in. "Tianna," he said, "this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable here, no matter what the provocation. Is that clear?"
Tianna nodded and gave Sabrina a dirty look through her
"Look at this!" I hissed, waving the note in Lisa's face. I felt hot from head to foot, and the paper shook in my hand.
Lisa took the note out of my hand and read it out loud: "'This chow has been taken as part of the payment for my unicorn. Hope it doesn't poison me. Sabrina Oats.'"
"Those turkeys!" she yelled. "That's stealing! Amy! Muthoni! Look at this!"
"I bet she knew we missed supper, too," I said. "Did she take Tianna's?"
Tianna's box was empty, too. Her note said, "The Bible says we should take care of our relatives. You just helped pay for my unicorn, which your cousin broke."
I slowly shut Tianna's chow tin and put it back. Amy, Muthoni, Lisa, and I just stood there staring at each other for a second. Then Lisa said, "I'm going to get Mrs. Jackson."
"That's telling!" Amy called after her.
"I don't care," Lisa called back.
We looked at each other uneasily. "Well, you don't have to go hungry, anyway," Muthoni finally said. "We snuck you some food."
She reached into her pocket and brought out a couple of hunks of bread with a piece of gooey meat in between. "Here," she said, handing it to me.
Amy took more bread and meat out of her pocket. "It's for Tianna," she said. "We prayed and decided to even let her into the fort."
Lisa, Muthoni, and Amy deciding to be nice to Tianna was the only good part of that whole evening. Tianna took one look at the gooey meat and bread they'd snuck out of the dining room for her and pitched it down the hill. Mrs. Jackson yelled at Sabrina Oats and told her to give the chow back. She said she'd eaten all of it. Ha!
We couldn't get Tianna to come in the dorm until Mr. Jackson practically marched her in for devotions. I forgot to tell her about her missing chow before we went to sleep that night.
Crash!
I sat bolt upright in bed.
The noise had come from the bathroom. It was the middle of the night and pitch dark. Somebody started swearing at the top of her lungs.
"Tianna?" I asked. It was her! "Tianna!" I yelled and started climbing out of bed.
Sabrina screamed and then yelled, "Stop it! Let go of my blankets!"
There was a thud, and Tianna hollered, "You thief! You'll find out you don't mess around with me!"
I started across the floor toward the light and tripped over something soft and lumpy. I was trying to get up when the light came on.
Muthoni was by the switch, blinking. Sabrina and Tianna were tangled on the floor in a blanket, hitting at each other.
I grabbed Tianna and tried to pull her away. Sabrina's nose was bleeding.
"What is going on here?" a deep male voice said. Mr. Jackson was standing there in his housecoat, glaring at us.
"She attacked me!" Sabrina yelled, pointing at Tianna. "She swore out loud and attacked me for no reason." Sabrina wiped at her face with her hand and then stared at the blood and started howling.
"No reason?!" yelled Tianna. "This creep stole my food!"
"I'll deal with these two," Mr. Jackson said, taking a step forward and grabbing both Sabrina and Tianna by the arm. "The rest of you clean up this mess and get back to bed."
Mr. Jackson left, taking Tianna and Sabrina with him. We stared at each other wide-eyed for a second. Everybody from both rooms was there. Then Amy went over and picked up one end of Sabrina's mattress, which was on the floor, and said, "Come on, you guys. Help."
Esther Miller grabbed the other end, and we got busy cleaning up.
Muthoni found Tianna's chow tin on the floor. One side was all dented in. She picked it up, turned it over, and said, "I bet she got up and took this into the bathroom because she was hungry. Then she found the note and got mad."
"Did she ever!" I said.
Just then Mr. Jackson marched Tianna and Sabrina back in. "Tianna," he said, "this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable here, no matter what the provocation. Is that clear?"
Tianna nodded and gave Sabrina a dirty look through her
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