Part 6 (1/2)

For a long moment Blossom stared after her, her lips quivering, as a bright spot of color appeared on each sallow cheek. She narrowed her eyes and turned to the others. ”I've been saving this up for a long time, maybe too long,” she said. Her voice was crisp, but shaking slightly.

”The thing you were going to tell us, about Lola?” Oliver asked in an excited whisper.

Blossom nodded. ”Only it wasn't one thing, it was more than that. It was what she said about everybody. Including you!” she added suddenly, turning to Peter. ”You never want to say anything against her, but you know what she said? I'm just telling you for your own good. She said it was real depressing at first, when she thought you were the only other person here, because you were such a 'helpless simp-'”

But why is she doing this? Abigail wondered, watching Peter apprehensively to see the effect of Blossom's story. As usual, his face had no expression, but he seemed to slump down a little more with each vindictive word. Abigail wondered, watching Peter apprehensively to see the effect of Blossom's story. As usual, his face had no expression, but he seemed to slump down a little more with each vindictive word.

”-and all you'd do was slow her down. Isn't that disgusting? You'd think she would have wanted to help you, but all she thought about was herself.”

”But,” Peter protested feebly, his eyes moist, ”but she-”

”I don't care what she did, or what she said to you. All I know is what she said to me.” She turned to Oliver. ”And you!” she went on with hardly a pause. ”What she said about you! How even though you never knew what was really going on, you still pretended to be this 'big, tough-guy leader,'” she mimicked Lola's sarcastic voice. ”And how you made her think of a girl when you were singing the first time she saw you-”

Abigail felt her face flush. What Blossom was doing was incomprehensible to her-telling people mean things that someone had said about them. Talking behind someone's back was different, of course, everyone did that, and as long as the person in question didn't find out there was nothing wrong with it. But to actually tell tell people these things! It was like a nightmare. people these things! It was like a nightmare.

”Like a girl!” Blossom spat out the words with relish. ”And that she typed you as a phony from beginning to end. She said you were only pretending to be brave, but were really scared to death, and that the only reason you could act tough was that there was only Peter and some girls around, you were just trying to impress Abigail, and if a real real guy had been here he would have had you under his thumb in a minute. And you,” she continued, turning to Abigail, leaving Oliver shaking with rage behind her. ”And you, why she said she was sure that you would fall for Oliver, that you were too dumb to see through his phony games, that you were spineless enough to let him use you and do anything he wanted with you-” guy had been here he would have had you under his thumb in a minute. And you,” she continued, turning to Abigail, leaving Oliver shaking with rage behind her. ”And you, why she said she was sure that you would fall for Oliver, that you were too dumb to see through his phony games, that you were spineless enough to let him use you and do anything he wanted with you-”

Abigail was shaking her head miserably. It was hard to believe that Lola would have said that to Blossom; but again, Abigail found herself believing every word, every word like a knife twisting inside her. Blossom was so definite, so convincing, so reasonable reasonable in some absurd way that it was impossible to discard what she said. As the first tears began trickling down her cheeks, Abigail felt an unthinking rage against Lola growing inside her. in some absurd way that it was impossible to discard what she said. As the first tears began trickling down her cheeks, Abigail felt an unthinking rage against Lola growing inside her.

”That you acted so sweet and nice to everybody, so simpering, and then you would just let Oliver walk all over you because you were so spineless that you were hardly a person at all, just this blonde, empty-headed thing thing who only cared what other people thought about her-” who only cared what other people thought about her-”

Blossom stopped suddenly and took a deep breath. ”Now do you see what I mean about her? I'm just telling you this for your own good, so you'll know what she's really like.” do you see what I mean about her? I'm just telling you this for your own good, so you'll know what she's really like.”

”She....” Oliver, his face red, seemed to be having trouble getting the words out. ”She seems to think ... that b.i.t.c.h seems to think she knows more about us than we do. If she was a boy I'd beat the p.i.s.s out of her!”

”But how could she say say that?” Abigail was weeping openly now, her hands over her eyes, not only miserable, but furious as well. ”How could she that?” Abigail was weeping openly now, her hands over her eyes, not only miserable, but furious as well. ”How could she say say things like that?” things like that?”

There were quick footsteps above them. ”Shhh!” said Blossom. ”Here she comes.”

Abigail hastily wiped her eyes and pushed her hair back out of her face. She didn't want Lola to know she had been crying, and turned her head away as Lola stepped lightly down to the landing.

Lola didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong. ”Look,” she said to Blossom in her ordinary voice, ”I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know that kind of thing bothers you, but you know what I'm like, how I talk. It doesn't mean anything.”

Blossom was smirking slightly. ”Yes, I know,” she said. ”It doesn't matter.”

”I was just worried about the machine not working, that's all.” Lola sat down on her stairway. ”Anyway, I've been thinking about what you said,” she said to Oliver. ”And I guess it does make sense. It's the only explanation. The machine was trying to teach us something by offering the food first, but this time changing the dance wasn't what it wanted us to do. It wants us to do something else, like you said.”

”Mmm,” said Oliver, avoiding her eyes.

”Well?” Lola said. ”Hey, what's with you guys, anyway?”

No one answered her.

”Did I say something wrong, or something?”

”Oh, no, no,” Blossom said lightly, folding her hands in her lap and pursing her lips.

”Yeah, well look, we've got a lot of thinking to do. It's not gonna be easy figuring out what this d.a.m.n thing wants us to do now but-” She stopped suddenly, leaning forward in her seat and looking around at all of them. ”Hey, come on now, something's up. Peter, what's going on here? Why won't anybody look at me?”

Peter slumped in his seat, looking down. ”Nothing ... its....

”What were you guys talking about just now, anyway?”

”Oh, nothing really,” Blossom said. ”Just chatting.”

”Yeah,” Lola said. ”Well, big deal. Whatever the h.e.l.l is wrong with you, we've got something really important to think about now, and pretty soon you'll all be hungry enough to go along with me. Now, what I think we should do is-”

”Well, maybe we just don't care care what you think we should do, you smart-a.s.s b.i.t.c.h,” said Oliver, his voice rich with contempt. what you think we should do, you smart-a.s.s b.i.t.c.h,” said Oliver, his voice rich with contempt.

”Huh?” Lola said, squinting at him, too stunned by his sudden outburst to know how to respond.

”He's just tired of you thinking you're better than anyone else, and always bossing us around,” Blossom said sweetly. ”Just like we all are.”

”Hey, now wait a minute,” Lola said slowly. ”Who's bossing everybody around? All I was-”

”Yes!” said Oliver. ”Tired of you and your whole stinking att.i.tude. Tired of your lousy p.r.o.nouncements, tired of what you think we are and the dumb, stupid things you say about us!”

”Oho,” said Lola, standing and stepping down to the landing, her fists clenched. ”Oho, now I think I'm beginning to understand.”

”Good!” Oliver shouted, and Abigail began to sob miserably. ”I've sat here listening to you pretend you're the leader long enough. Now we can see through you, you lousy b.i.t.c.h, and we're all sick of you. Do you understand?”

”Yes, I do understand!” Lola said, moving threateningly toward Blossom. ”You were telling them things about me, weren't you? Telling them everything I said, and probably a lot more besides. No wonder you were so fawning and sweetsie that day, why you ripped that dumb skirt; so you could get me to talk, and then distort it and tell the others. And you're crazy; it's insane, it's completely insane!” She shook her open hand at her. ”Don't you realize what you're doing? Don't you know that you're hurting them them just as much as me? You're just just as much as me? You're just using using them to get back at me! You're going to ruin everything! It's inhuman!” Suddenly her voice dropped and she took a step closer, shaking her head back and forth. ”You don't give a s.h.i.+t about another living thing, do you? All you care about is your own fat self, and so you go around in this inhuman way them to get back at me! You're going to ruin everything! It's inhuman!” Suddenly her voice dropped and she took a step closer, shaking her head back and forth. ”You don't give a s.h.i.+t about another living thing, do you? All you care about is your own fat self, and so you go around in this inhuman way betraying betraying people, you-” people, you-”

”The dish ran away with the spoon,” said the voices to Abigail, and in an instant they were all on their feet, dancing frantically.

At the first repet.i.tion there was a whir and a click and a pellet on the floor. Changing nothing, filled with fear and hope, they repeated the dance exactly. And there was another pellet, followed by a general gasp of confusion and surprise.

And as she danced, and the pellets kept coming, Abigail tried to understand what had made it work. She remembered the premonition she had felt just a short while before, the chilling premonition, and for a moment she wondered if the answer lay there. But suddenly she was afraid to think about it. She wanted to lose herself in the dance, to dance and dance; and then to eat, and forget.

Chapter 13.

”But what did we do that made it work?” said Blossom.

Oliver had no idea what the answer was. He was still furious at Lola. He felt stubborn and ornery, and wanted to make Blossom's question seem trivial and unimportant. ”It just decided to work again, that's all,” he said, shrugging.

”No, that can't be it,” said Lola, chewing on her nail. ”There's got to be a reason for it. This G.o.ddam thing has a reason for everything.”

”You ... you're right,” Abigail said hesitantly. ”It always does.”

”Oh, why the h.e.l.l do you always think she's right?” Oliver snapped at her. ”Didn't you hear what Blossom told us about her? Why do you pay any attention to the dumb b.i.t.c.h?”