"Miss Donner?" he asked, "Is your life usually so... exciting?"

"No," I said. "Just since I came here."

"Hmm," he said. "If things keep up at this rate, I won't need to watch television any more."

Eden was fun. I liked her. She was an only child, like me, and had just moved to town, like me. Her father was in the Army, stationed in Pakistan.

She was in the middle of telling me about her move when the PA system clicked on. We both fell silent.

"Marcie Donner, please report to the Principal's Office. Marcie Donner, to the Principal's Office immediately."

My jaw dropped. Eden's did as well.

"What did you do now, Marcie?"

"I'll tell you if you come with me," I said.

Mr. Bryant was standing in the outer office. He was smiling.

"Forgotten me, Miss Donner? Too busy catching babies who fall off trains?"

"How do you know about that?" I asked.

He smiled and said, "I have my sources."

Denise coughed and smiled. "Oh," I said.

"Yes, 'oh'," Mr. Bryant said. "That's a nice outfit you're wearing. Now let's hear the dress code for girls and you can go about your business."

I rattled it off without a hitch.

"Miss Donner?" he asked, "Is your life usually so... exciting?"

"No," I said. "Just since I came here."

"Hmm," he said. "If things keep up at this rate, I won't need to watch television any more."

I didn't get it, but Denise laughed, and I ducked out to join Eden.

Eden was in my three morning classes, and the two of us hooked up with Carla in second period. I copied Eden's schedule, and found that either she or Carla was in every one of my classes, and the three of us were together most of the time.

"So, are we all going to sit together at lunch?" I asked.

Carla smirked and said, "I'm sitting with Pat."

"Okay," I joked, "Don't get too smoochy in the cafeteria, Carla."

She arched her eyebrows as if to say, You know I will.

Eden and I got our food and sat down together. I looked around the room and spotted Carla at a table with Pat and Jerry.

"Doesn't your boyfriend eat lunch with you?" Eden asked.

"I was just wondering about that myself," I said, but I was soon to find out why he didn't.

I was busy trying to catch Jerry's eye, so I didn't see Ms. Tandy approach. I jumped when she spoke.

"Hi, girls. Mind if I sit for a moment?" Without waiting for an answer, she sat down next to me.

"Marcie, I have good news for you," she said. "I talked to your conductor, and he confirmed your story. Out of curiosity, I called the baby's mother. She says you're a hero and an angel." She smiled.

"I couldn't talk to the little girl you were babysitting, so I talked to her mother." Her eyes twinkled. "You gave me these numbers yourself, so you can't blame me if I used them.

"Anyway, Mrs. Auburn had all sorts of nice things to say about you. You're in like Flynn there, girl."

"Um, is that good?" I asked.

She laughed. "Believe me, if your boyfriend's mother likes you, it's a good thing. You're lucky.

"About the doll," she said, pausing to build suspense, "The Little Railroad is going to pay to replace it. So you're off the hook there, too. Also, they're going to send you a lifetime pass to the Little Railroad for you and a guest, so you can go on catching babies as often as you like."

"What about my grade?"

"I looked at the recorder, and you're right. Except for the fall from the train, you did well. You were a little rough, but most of the girls were. If it was a real baby you would have realized it, so don't worry. It was the same for you, Eden, in case you wondered. You both did fine for the doll part of your assignment. I still have to grade the notebooks. That will take me a little longer." She suppressed a grin and said, "Marcie, I think I'll save yours for last."

I nodded and thanked her. There was one last little thing bothering me, though, so I had to ask: "Ms. Tandy? How did you know that Jerry is my boyfriend?"

"Oh," she said. "Did you think that was a secret? Look, Marcie, this is a little school; there aren't that many students. There are teachers all over the place, and we see and hear things. We compare notes, especially about students who stand out."

"Do I stand out?" I asked, a little afraid.

Eden burst into giggles. Ms. Tandy smiled. My jaw dropped.

"I was trying to keep a low profile," I said softly.

Ms. Tandy looked puzzled. "You were? Well, you're not doing a very good job. In fact, if this is you keeping a low profile, I'd hate to see what would happen if you cut loose."

Eden's giggles kept bubbling out.

"And why in the world would you try to keep a low profile, Marcie? Wait... don't tell me. You've made my head spin enough for one day." She stood up. "In any case, congratulations on catching that baby. It was the right thing to do, even if it wrecked the doll. A real baby is more important any time." She smiled at me and left.

As soon as Ms. Tandy was gone, Carla roughly pushed her tray of food onto our table. She sat down with a thump! and a sullen expression. "Stupid cafeteria monitors!" she muttered.

"What happened?" I asked.

"That witch standing by the wall told me I couldn't sit with Pat. She said we were too 'hot and heavy' and that it wasn't appropriate."

"Oh, Carla," I said sympathetically. I looked over at the other table and Pat shrugged.

"Listen, I'll be right back," I said. "I have to ask Jerry something."

"Good luck," Carla said.

In fact, before I reached the table, the woman that Carla called a witch stepped in my way.

"Miss Donner," she said, "I just sent your crony away. Do you think you have some special privilege? Boyfriends over here–" she gestured at Pat and Jerry's table "–girlfriends over there." She gestured at my table. Behind her, Jerry shrugged at me, just as Pat had.

I opened my mouth, but couldn't find anything to say.

"Go," the monitor told me. She took one of my shoulders and turned me around.

"What a witch!" I exclaimed as I sat down again with Carla and Eden. "And how does she know my name? I've never seen her before."

"It's Big Brother," Carla growled. "It's repression."

I saw Eden fight off some giggles, and it made me smile.

© 2006, 2007 by Kaleigh Way