by Martha Hynson
Chapter Three: Bella
Macy skipped to her classroom and snuck the eggs into her desk. She did not want Samantha to see them.
Miss Snow stood in front of the class. She pointed at the calendar. “Today is the first day of spring,” she said. “You’re almost first graders! Remember to make good choices and earn tickets. You need twenty tickets to be a teacher’s helper.”
Samantha waved her hand in the air. “You can’t be a teacher’s helper if you don’t follow the rules. Right, Miss Snow? Macy is not following the rule that says look at you when you are talking. She’s writing in her book. I always keep my eyes on you.”
Macy bugged her eyes out at that girl. “You aren’t following the rule that says do not tattle. And you are wrong. I am following the rule. I can write without looking.” Macy closed her eyes and wrote in her book. She held it up. “See? I wrote what you said, Miss Snow. That way, I won’t forget. I want to help in art.”
“Grownups will be trying to catch you making good choices.” Miss Snow looked from Macy to Samantha, then at the rest of the class. “That will help you all remember.”
Everyone sat up taller and put their hands in their laps. Except for Jonah. He never sat still.
“What excellent listeners!” Mrs. Catz, the principal, stood at the door. Her fingernails were long like a cat’s. If Macy had fingernails like that she would use them to climb a very tall tree.
“This is Bella.” Mrs. Catz put her arm around a girl with beautiful curly hair standing next to her.
The brown egg would be exactly perfect. It was the very same color as Bella.
Macy took both eggs out of her desk as Beautiful Bella sat down beside her.
“I like your dress.” Samantha clapped her hands together. “I have one just like it. Mine has a matching bow. Let’s wear them the same day and be twins.”
Macy looked from Samantha to Bella. They could not be twins. Bella had dark curly hair. Samantha’s hair was yellow and flat.
“I like your dress, too.” Macy started to clap her hands like Samantha. Oops. She was holding the eggs. She held one out to Bella. “I brought this for you. It’s fresh from the nest.”
“But it’s not cooked.” Jackson’s eyebrows bunched up like he was thinking hard.
“I told you it doesn’t matter.” Macy looked from Jackson to Bella. “This egg came out of my pet chicken ready to eat.”
“Okay.” Jackson gave his shoulders a shrug.
“Miss Snow.” Samantha waved her hand in the air. “Macy is trying to trick Bella. She brought her a not-cooked egg. It’s going to make a big mess all over her beautiful dress.”
Everyone looked at Macy. Macy looked at Miss Snow. “I ate an egg right out of the nest this morning.”
“It must have been cooked first, Macy.” Miss Snow smiled but her eyebrows bunched up just like Jackson’s.
“It wasn’t.” Mama had not cooked the pink egg. She said it was fresh from the nest. It was even warm because it had come right out from under a chicken.
“She’s trying to trick Bella,” Samantha said again.
“I am not!” How could she show them it was not a trick?
“Watch this.” She lifted the eggs and banged them against her head. The shells crunched. Yellow goo oozed between her fingers. It ran down her face. It dripped on her pants. And one drop plopped on her lucky sock.