Chapter one
The yellow bus stop at the end of Nana’s winding driveway. Taking a deep breath of icy air, I climbed the bus steps and dropped into the brown padded seat three rows behind the bus driver. My sister slid in beside me,
Thirty pairs of eyes bored into us.” Who are they?” someone whispered.” “New kids.” “From Iowa!”
I pulled off my blue mittens and on the window I scratched a tic-toe broad. “Hey, Kianna, wanna play?”
“Nah.” When she removed her hat Kianna brown hair sprang up like cornstalks. She bent over her library book, “Secrets of the Solar System.”
“Could be a parallel universe out there,” she said. “Someday we could travel into another dimension of space and time.”
“Changing school is like entering a parallel universe,” I said, staring at the window and thinking of my old school and my friends Haley and Jessica.
The bus driver slowed to a stop and cranked the door open. I paused outside the brick building, reading the name: Edgewater Elementary. Kianna was already heading through the door. “C’mon Taylor,” he called. She’s only eleven months older than me.
Red and pink hearts decorated the hallway. Valentine’s Day is my favorite day of the whole year. It’s actually tomorrow, but our new teacher celebrates it today.
As Kianna headed off down the hall, I stepped through the doorway of room 106.
At the chalkboard, a man wearing a jacket, craning his head of thinning hair toward me.
“You must be Taylor Maxwell! I’m Mr. Brown. Everyone’s excited to have you here. Did you get the list I sent?”
I nodded. He’s sent a list of twenty-four names, so I would know everybody names and how many valentines to bring.
Right now he pointed to a desk near the door. “ in January, I let the class choose cluster partners.” He said. “There’s one open seat in table four.
“Okay,” I said, moving my things. I unpacked my button-decorated notebook and organized markers, pencils, pens, and crayons.
Three girls sauntered in and sat down at my table. I glanced up and smiled “hey” I said “I’m Taylor.”
No response, but the girl with long-brown hair offered me a half hearted smile.
As more students arrived whispers fluttered around the room.
“Un-oh”
“The new girl’s stuck with the queen bees!”
“You mean the Mean Bees,” someone whispered.
I tried again. “Hey I’m Taylor Maxwell.”
The three girls all wore ponytails, were bust talking to one another. My mother had always has a joke, so I tried “ hey , is it ponytail day?”
They glanced my way but shifted their back toward me.
Since they weren’t friendly, I studied the names on their desks: Dakota James, Makayla Matthew, and Ashley Johnson.
Lucky me, I just fallen into an unfriendly hive.
