The Town That Smelled Like Coconut Shampoo

Bloomberg was the kind of town where even the pigeons had good hair.

No joke. Every person on Maple Row walked out their door looking like they'd just stepped out of a magazine. The hairdressers here were famous — six girls who ran the snappiest little salon on the block, called "Shear Perfection." Sweet as lemonade, every one of them. But mess with their scissors and they'd give you a look that could freeze a volcano.

And then there were the kids.

Six of them. Wild-haired, loud, and absolutely untameable.

Ollie, Remi, Mike, Jacob, Carson — and Jackie.

Jackie had long black hair swooping past her back, red streaks through it, and bangs so long they basically covered her eyes. She wore her red-and-black striped skull shirt every single day, ripped jeans, and her shark-tooth necklace like armor.

She looked tough.

She was not tough about one specific thing.

But nobody knew that yet.

The Announcement on Maple Row

Monday morning hit Bloomberg like a bucket of cold water.

Jackie was sitting on the kerb outside the corner shop with Ollie, Remi, Mike, Jacob, and Carson. They were passing around a bag of salt-and-vinegar crisps and arguing about whether a pigeon could beat a crow in a fight. Normal stuff.

Then Mrs. Patty walked out.

Mrs. Patty was a funny old woman who ran the corner shop. She had enormous round glasses and always wore mismatched socks. She also had a habit of shouting things that were nobody's business.

"Saturday's the Bloomberg Beautification Festival!" she announced to absolutely no one in particular, hands cupped around her mouth like a megaphone. "Shear Perfection is doing FREE haircuts for every kid in town! Mandatory!"

The word landed like a rock in a puddle.

Jackie's crisp stopped halfway to her mouth.

Ollie made a sound like a deflating balloon.

"Mandatory?" Mike whispered. "That means they MAKE you go."

"I know what mandatory means," Carson hissed.

Remi had already gone pale.

Jacob looked at Jackie. Jackie looked at Jacob.

Nobody said the real reason nobody wanted to go.