Part 7 (2/2)

”Oh, come on now,” Abigail pleaded. ”You can't keep saying things like that. It's not reasonable. Don't you remember how Lola acted when she said it? She hated the whole idea! She's not going to go and start doing it right away.”

”How come you're always defending her?” Oliver asked Abigail suspiciously. ”You know what she's really like. Why do you have to keep questioning it?”

”But Oliver. I don't understand. You keep contradicting yourself. I mean, it was practically your whole idea that the machine wants us to do something else now. But just a minute ago you said it was only a coincidence.”

”So what? I can say whatever I want. I don't have to account to you for what I say. And I think Blossom's right about her, too.”

”Listen,” Blossom said. ”I hear footsteps. They're coming back.” And now, for the first time, Blossom herself felt curious about what Peter and Lola had been up to, rather than just irritated. Obviously they had been together, for they arrived on the landing at the same time: Lola first, loose-limbed and self-conscious, and Peter, rather hunched, behind her.

”Uh, listen,” Lola said, after a moment, when no one had greeted her. ”Uh, Peter and I ... we've been talking about some things, and-”

”Yes, we figured you must have been,” said Oliver venomously. ”We figured you were probably up there planning and-”

”Please,” Lola said. ”Please, this one time, try to forget all that c.r.a.p and believe me. Please believe me, this is too important to mess up.” She was twisting her hands together and there was a hoa.r.s.e earnestness in her voice. ”Listen, this machine, it's ... whether you admit it or not, you know know what it's doing now; it's trying to turn us all against each other. And listen, I was thinking up there, there's probably what it's doing now; it's trying to turn us all against each other. And listen, I was thinking up there, there's probably people people behind the machine, and they must be watching us, or else they wouldn't know when to turn it on and off. And we can't let them control us like this, and make us do terrible things. If we go along with them now, there's no telling behind the machine, and they must be watching us, or else they wouldn't know when to turn it on and off. And we can't let them control us like this, and make us do terrible things. If we go along with them now, there's no telling what what they will make us do next.” She looked from one of them to another. There was no response. She took a deep breath. ”So Peter and I ... we decided we're not going to go along with it. It was his idea as much as mine. And if we all stand against the machine together, then they'll see they can't control us. They'll give up, and we'll be the winners. But if anybody, even one person, stays with them, and goes along with the machine, then they'll probably keep trying and trying to get us all, and we won't have much of a chance. So, please fight it with us.” She sighed, lifting her hands; and then, tilting her head to the side and biting her thumbnail, she waited. they will make us do next.” She looked from one of them to another. There was no response. She took a deep breath. ”So Peter and I ... we decided we're not going to go along with it. It was his idea as much as mine. And if we all stand against the machine together, then they'll see they can't control us. They'll give up, and we'll be the winners. But if anybody, even one person, stays with them, and goes along with the machine, then they'll probably keep trying and trying to get us all, and we won't have much of a chance. So, please fight it with us.” She sighed, lifting her hands; and then, tilting her head to the side and biting her thumbnail, she waited.

”But how?” Abigail said. ”How can we fight it? What can we possibly do?”

”Well,” Lola said, with an uncomfortable little cough. ”That's the hard part, of course.” She paused for a moment. ”All we can do is just refuse to do what it wants, just refuse refuse to do it. And of course, that means for a while we won't get much to eat, I guess, but-” to do it. And of course, that means for a while we won't get much to eat, I guess, but-”

That was all Blossom needed. Not be able to eat? How intolerable! She had to stop the idea; to do something that would put herself in control again. And she found it quite easily. She began to giggle.

Lola stopped in the middle of her sentence and spun toward her, blus.h.i.+ng; Abigail, Oliver, and even Peter stared at her in surprise.

”Oh, I'm sorry!” Blossom gasped, letting her giggle expand into laughter. ”Oh!” She swayed back and forth, wiping her eyes. ”Oh, my!” She hiccuped, put one still-plump hand over her mouth, and let her eyes slide from side to side. ”I'm sorry,” she said at last, finally getting her laughter under control, ”but I just couldn't help it. The way she's trying to sound so brave and self-sacrificing, and yet what she's really doing is so obvious. And she thinks we're going to fall for it, that's the funniest part. Oh! And her hair all sticking up like that, and her trying to seem like a heroine, with that hair! It's too much.”

She had never seen Lola look so defeated. Lola reached up and touched her hair with one hand, then walked to her stairway and sat down without a word, giving Peter a meaningful glance. Blossom didn't like that glance.

But Abigail was talking to Blossom now. ”What do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about.” She seemed terribly confused and upset; and Oliver was obviously trying to keep his feelings under control. ”What do you mean, 'What she's really doing'? Why don't you believe her?”

”Because I just don't,” said Blossom. She was furious now. Lola's glance couldn't have said more plainly that she had expected Blossom to respond this way all along. It was a conspiracy between Lola and Peter against her. ”Didn't you hear what she just said? She thinks the machine wants us to hurt each other, and that's what she's trying to do. She's trying to trick us, so she can prove how stupid and gullible we are. And then laugh at us, make us starve ourselves because she says so, and then laugh. Don't you see?” Blossom's voice grew shrill with urgency. Both of them, even Oliver, who was usually on her side, looked doubtful. They must have believed Lola! And now Lola had Peter; she couldn't let her get Oliver and Abigail too. She reached for the only weapon she had. ”Don't you remember what I told you about her? How she said Abigail was a simpering, empty-headed thing, and how Oliver was only pretending to be brave to show off but really-”

”Yes, yes, I remember,” Oliver interrupted quickly. ”I remember enough not to pay any attention to anything she says. What the h.e.l.l do you think you're going to do, anyway?” he asked Lola belligerently. ”Not do the dance anymore?”

”That ... that was the general idea,” she said rather stiffly.

Oliver snorted. ”Sure you are! I'd like to see you try try not to dance when that light comes on.” not to dance when that light comes on.”

At that moment it dawned on Blossom what Lola really meant, and what she could do; and the terrifying consequences and sudden emergency of the situation threatened to send her into total hysteria. For, even deserted by them all, Lola still had the power not to dance, and keep them from eating. Blossom had to prevent it. But at the moment she didn't know how, and tried not to let the fear show in her voice. ”And Peter won't be able to keep from dancing either,” she said. ”He's too weak to do anything.”

”Yes, I know,” Oliver said, staring at Peter without expression.

”But Oliver!” Peter cried out.

And then Lola was on her feet. ”You know something?” she said to Blossom. ”You are really amazing. A phenomenon. Do you realize they were about to go along with it? And you ruined it, you ruined all our chances of getting through this thing without being-”

”Without being what?” Blossom demanded. ”You don't even know what you're talking about. You say say you won't dance, but you will.” Lola had to be weakened, she had to be convinced that nothing she did would make any difference. It was the only thing Blossom could think of doing. ”You might as well give up right now. Even if you could keep from dancing, your little plan would never work because you won't dance, but you will.” Lola had to be weakened, she had to be convinced that nothing she did would make any difference. It was the only thing Blossom could think of doing. ”You might as well give up right now. Even if you could keep from dancing, your little plan would never work because I I won't let it. Do you understand? No matter what you do, I'm going to ruin it, I'm going to ruin won't let it. Do you understand? No matter what you do, I'm going to ruin it, I'm going to ruin everything everything you try!” you try!”

At that moment the light and the voices began, and before they knew it they were all dancing. And Lola and Peter were dancing too.

Blossom felt a surge of happiness and relief as the pellets began rolling out. Lola, for all her big words, wasn't going to interfere after all! Blossom couldn't control herself. ”See?” she crowed with delight. ”See? Lola and her big mouth is dancing too.”

”No!” came a strangled cry from the stairway. ”Don't, Lola! Stop! We've-” Peter came lurching toward her. The food stopped.

Lola blinked, and stood still, as Peter grabbed her. ”Peter!” she said. ”I-”

”Stop it! Stop it!” Blossom shrieked in terror. ”What are you doing? Dance, dance, you've got to keep-”

Lola turned on her, her face alive with anger and determination. ”No! No! No!” she shouted, and she put her hands over her ears. ”Peter, hold your ears! Don't look at that light! Come on, up the stairs, follow me!”

”No!” Blossom wailed, grabbing Lola's shoulder and trying to pull her back into the dance. ”You can't do this!”

”Oh yes we can!” cried Lola, and shoved Blossom to the other side of the landing. She grabbed Peter's arm, the other hand still over her ear, and began leading him, stumbling, up the stairs, away from the light. They moved in slow motion, with tremendous effort, as though fighting a powerful current. But the higher they got, the faster they began to climb, until at last they disappeared in the tangle of stairways above.

”Food will be coming soon,” the voices murmured dully to Blossom as she danced helplessly, beginning to sob. ”Food will be coming soon. Food will be coming soon. Food....”

Chapter 17.

Abigail was the first to come.

When they caught sight of her, far below, they both hoped for a moment that she might be joining them. But as she approached they could tell, from something abject in the way she was trudging up the steps, that she was not coming over to their side. And they were right.

”Please come back,” she said, practically wringing her hands. Her face was very pale, except for the darkness underneath her eyes. ”Please, we're all so hungry.”

”We're hungry too,” Lola said.

”Oh, and it's so awful down there! Both of them, they're ... when they're hungry they can be so....”

”They're taking it all out on you, aren't they?” Lola asked her. ”And they made you come up here and beg because they knew you were the only one I'd pay any attention to, right?”

Abigail nodded mutely.

Lola sighed. ”Listen, Abigail, why not just forget about them and stay up here with us? You won't be any hungrier up here than you are down there, and we'll be decent to you.”

”But if I didn't go back, Oliver would be so angry. He'd hate me, he really would hate me.”

”So? So what if that b.a.s.t.a.r.d hates you? You know he's not worth it.”

”But ... but maybe she'd rather be with him anyway,” Peter said softly, looking away.

”Oh, I don't know, I don't know,” Abigail moaned, twisting her hands. ”But now ... now I have to go back. Are you sure sure you won't come with me? Don't you want to eat?” you won't come with me? Don't you want to eat?”

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