Ann Martin: Stacey And The Mystery At The Mall

We glanced at Shannon. She had just gotten used to making time in her schedule for BSC meetings, and now Kristy was telling her that we wouldn't have time. Shannon smiled. "It’s fine with me," she said. "Maybe I can cover the phone on the days we aren't meeting. But tell me more about Project Work."

We spent the rest of the meeting — between phone calls — talking about Project Work.

Kristy thought it would be a good idea if we all worked at the Washington Mall, just so our schedules would be coordinated, and we started talking about which stores and businesses we'd like to work at. Even if only half of them had agreed to accept Project Work kids, there would still be dozens to choose among. The mall is absolutely huge. We weren't fantasizing anymore, but it was almost more exciting to think about what we really might be doing. I could hardly wait to get started.

Chapter 3.

Mr. Withum, my Project Work teacher, was a nice surprise. I'd never had him for a teacher before (he was new at SMS) so I didn't know what to expect. From hearing his name, I had imagined a kind of shriveled, gray-haired man. But he turned out to be "pleasantly plump," as my mother would say, with a big, round pink face and a cheerful smile.

After introducing himself, he explained in more detail how the class would work. All of the Project Work teachers had divided up the available jobs. We would be able to pick from the list he had made, which mostly included jobs in Stoneybrook and at the mall. I listened closely when he explained how, for the six weeks of Project Work, the kids who were working at the mall would be bussed to their jobs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons. I was just hoping I could find a

job I liked at the mall, so I could be on the

same schedule as my friends. "During school we'll meet three times a

week," Mr. Withum went on, "to check in

with each other and talk about how the jobs

are going." Then he handed a stack of job lists

to the first person in each row and told them

to pass the lists back. Austin Bentley raised his hand. "What if we

get fired from our jobs?" he asked with a grin.

"Do we fail the class?" I like Austin, but he

can be a wise guy.

Mr. Withum smiled. "This class is unfailable," he said. "If you got fired, which I

doubt would happen, I'd ask you to write up the experience in your job diary. And then I'd ask you to find another job. It would all be part of learning what it’s like to work in the real world."

Kara Mauricio, who was sitting in front of me, handed back the job lists. I took one and passed the rest of them on. Then I scanned the list, hoping I'd see the perfect job right away. There are some great clothing stores at the mall, and I'd been fantasizing about working at one of them. This one called Zingy's has very cool stuff, but I didn't see it on the list. I was disappointed. The class was buzzing as everybody looked

over the list. "All right!" said this guy named Gordon Brown. "Donut Express. That's for me!" Donut Express is a place just outside of Stoneybrook that sells — you guessed it — doughnuts. Ifs a great place to pig out, even though whenever I go there I have to limit myself to the bagels. "I love those chocolate cream-filled ones," Gordon went on. He looked hungry.

"This job at Bellair's looks cool," said Kara. "Women's accessories. I could get into that." "Dibs on the job at the bike shop!" yelled Austin.

"Okay, hold on just a minute," said Mr. Withum. "Let’s do this in an orderly fashion. I'll go down the list, and if I call out a job you want, raise your hand." He started reading out the names of businesses.

Meanwhile, I looked the list over more carefully. Zingy's was out, but there were several other choices at the mall. Then I saw it. “Perfect," I said. Near the bottom of the list was Toy Town, which is a terrific toy store. I've browsed through it plenty of times, looking for little items for my Kid-Kit. Toy Town carries all the regular toys, but it also has some really neat stuff that you can't get everywhere else, such as kits for bug-collecting, or a make-your-own kite package. I guess they're called "educational" toys, but they're not boring.

They're cool. Some of the kids I sit for have found great things at Toy Town. Charlotte Johanssen, my favorite sitting charge, bought a great stuffed dinosaur there.

Just as I was trying to remember what Charlotte had named the dinosaur (I think it was Jasper) I heard Mr. Withum call out, "Anybody for Toy Town?"

My hand shot up. I looked around nervously to see if anybody else wanted to work there, but my hand was the only one raised. Mr. Withum took down my name, and that was it. I had a job!

Once all the jobs were assigned, Mr. Withum told us we'd be visiting our new employers on Wednesday, for orientation, and that our jobs would actually start on the following Monday.

As soon as class was dismissed, I ran to my locker. As I'd hoped, Claud was waiting there for me. "Did you get a job?" she asked eagerly. I nodded.

"At Toy Town," I said.

"All right!"

"What about you?"

"I got the exact one I wanted," she replied. "At the Artist's Exchange."

I squealed and gave her a hug. The Artist's Exchange is this great art supply store where Claudia sometimes buys oil paints and special

markers and stuff. "You'll be perfect there," I said. "You know about everything they carry."

"Well, not everything," she said. "But I'll learn. This is going to be so cool."

As soon as I finished at my locker, we headed outside. I couldn't wait to find out what jobs everybody else had landed. The other members of the BSC were waiting by the fence, and as Claud and I crossed the parking lot, Kristy caught sight of us. "Did you get jobs at the mall?" she yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. I gave her the thumbs up sign, and she grinned at me.

When we joined our friends, everybody was talking at once, and at first it was hard to sort out who had gotten which job. "Hey!" yelled Kristy. "Order!"

"Kristy, this isn't a meeting," I said. "You can't call us to order."

"Oh, right." Kristy looked a little embarrassed. "I just wanted to hear about everybody's jobs," she explained.

"Me, too," I said. "How about if we take turns telling each other?"

"Great," she said. "As president, I'll go first." We laughed. "I have the coolest job," Kristy said, ignoring us. "Get this — I'm going to be working for mall security!" She swaggered a little. "I'll be on patrol, making sure the mall is crime-free."

Logan gave her-a high-five. "Sounds great," he said. "I got a job at Casa Grande's take-out counter in the food court. If we get any banditos over there, I'll know who to call."

"Casa Grande!" said Mal. "That’s my favorite place in the whole mall. I love their Super Burritos. I'll be stopping by on my break. I'm going to be working at the BookCenter."

"That’s perfect for you, Mal," I said. The BookCenter is a really nice bookstore, with a huge children's section. "I'll be down the hall at Toy Town."

"And I'll be upstairs from you both," said Mary Anne. "At Critters, the pet supply store. it’s on the third floor."

"Oh, I know why you picked that job," said Kristy. "You just want to scope out all the latest cat toys, for Tigger." Tigger is Mary Anne's kitten. She spoils him rotten.

Mary Anne blushed. "Well, that’s kind of true," she said. "But I also thought it would be fun to work at a place where people buy things for their pets. And I'm so glad it's not a regular pet store, with puppies and kittens crammed in those tiny cages." "I'll be working as an usher at the Cinema

World, way up on the fourth floor," said Jessi. "It wasn't my first choice, but I think it'll be fun. I guess I'll be able to see movies for free, anyway."