The Town That Smelled Like Coconut Shampoo

Bloomberg was the kind of town where even the pigeons looked well-groomed.

Every shopfront gleamed. Every hedge was trimmed into neat little cubes. And every single person in Bloomberg walked around with hair so perfect it practically had its own theme song.

Every person, that is, except six.

Jackie spotted Ollie first, lumbering down Maple Street like a sheepdog who'd lost his owner. His hair flopped over his face, past his chin, and somehow also sideways. It defied all known laws.

"Oi," Jackie called, flicking her own long black fringe out of her dark eyes. The red streaks in her hair caught the afternoon light.

Ollie squinted through his curtain of hair. "Oh. Hey, Jack."

"You look like a coconut," she said.

"You look like a haunted coconut," he shot back.

Jackie grinned, showing the gap where her left tooth used to be. She touched the shark-tooth necklace at her throat.

Down the street, a brand-new sign swung above a pink-and-chrome shopfront.

The Sign That Screamed First

The sign above the pink-and-chrome shop read: SHEAR PERFECTION — BLOOMBERG'S FINEST CUTS.

Underneath, in smaller letters: *Walk-ins welcome. Wild hair especially.*

Jackie squinted at it. "That last bit feels personal."

"It IS personal," said a voice.

A girl leaned out of the shop doorway. She had a pair of scissors tucked behind one ear and looked about twelve, maybe thirteen. Sharp eyes. Sharper expression.

"You're the second wildest head I've seen today," the girl said. "First one ran."

Jackie blinked. "Who ran?"

The girl pointed down the street.

Way at the end of Maple Street, a blur of overgrown hair was sprinting around the corner. Ollie. Absolutely legging it.

"He saw the clippers in the window," the girl said flatly, "and just went."

Behind her, two more girls appeared in the doorway — one holding a comb, one holding a spray bottle — both trying not to laugh.

Jackie looked at where Ollie had vanished.

Then she looked at the clippers gleaming on the counter inside.

Her stomach did something unpleasant.