Ann Martin - Dawn's Big Move

We all have titles and duties, like a company. Kristy, of course, is our president. She runs the meetings and thinks up brilliant ideas, such as the record book (which I'll explain later) and the notebook, in which we write about each sitting job. Writing in the notebook is kind of a pain, but it's helpful to read about how other sitters have solved prob-

lems with certain kids. (Also, some of the entries are really funny.)

Kid-Kits are another patented Kristy idea. They're boxes filled with old games, toys, and books — basically stuff we found lying around our houses. Sounds boring, huh? Well, kids don't think so. They absolutely adore Kid-Kits. Only Kristy could have thought of that. Her brain is so crammed full of stuff, sometimes words just come spilling out of her mouth before she can think. (I guess that's a nice way of saying she can be loud and bossy.)

Guess who's best friends with Kristy the Great and Powerful? Mary Anne the Shy and Meek. They've known each other since they were in diapers. Actually, they sort of look alike. Both are on the short side (Kristy's shorter), and both have dark brown hair and brown eyes. But there the similarities end. Kristy's very athletic. Mary Anne practically breaks out in hives if you mention the word gym. Mary Anne's style of dress is neat and preppy. Kristy's style is super-casual and down-to-earth — jeans, T-shirts, sneakers. And that style didn't change one bit after she became rich.

No, she didn't win the lottery. Her mom married this millionaire named Watson Brewer. You see, Kristy grew up across the street from Claudia in a normal, non-rich

house. She has two older brothers named Charlie and Sam. When her younger brother, David Michael, was born, her dad took a hike. I mean it. 'Bye-'bye, I'm history, don't-call-me-I'11-call-you. Talk about thoughtless. Well, Mrs. Thomas did a fantastic job raising the kids and working full-time. Then she met Watson and — whoosh! — off went the Thomas family to live in a mansion. I'm serious, that place is huge. Now it's also pretty crowded. Watson has two kids from his previous marriage (Karen and Andrew), who live there on alternate weekends. Then there's Emily Mi-chelle, an adopted Vietnamese girl. Kristy's grandmother, Nannie, lives there to help run the house, which includes caring for all the pets.

Kristy lives across town now, so her brother Charlie has to drive her to meetings. He always gets her there on time. Kristy is extremely punctual, and Charlie knows enough to stay on her good side.

"This meeting will come to order!" Kristy announced as the clock by Claudia's bed turned to 5:30. "Any new business to discuss?"

"Yes," Claudia said. "I made a major discovery." She ran into her closet and disappeared behind a very full rack of clothes.

Mallory Pike gasped. "Uh-oh, a secret

world. Like the one in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

No such luck. Claudia emerged holding two huge bags that said "Holiday M&M's," decorated in green, silver, and red. "Ta-da!"

"But those are from last winter!" Kristy said.

"So?" Claudia replied. "Chocolate doesn't spoil."

I should explain something. Claudia Kishi lives for junk food. She thinks the four food groups are candy, chips, pretzels, and popcorn. If I ever invited her over for Tofu Garden Delight, she'd turn blue and faint. Honestly, I don't know how she stays healthy. And guess what? She has a fabulous figure and her skin doesn't even have the slightest hint of a blemish.

To tell you the truth, Claudia could probably be a model. She's Japanese-American, and she has the most gorgeous almond-shaped eyes and silky black hair. She also has style with a capital S. She can throw together funky bargain-basement clothes and look sooooo cool.

How someone so stylish can live in such a pig sty of a room is beyond me. There are clothes all over the place. Plus she is an excellent artist, so here's what else is lying around: easels, poster board, jewelry-making tools, paints and brushes, markers, sketch paper, and plaster of paris. Not to mention Ring

Dings, Chunkies, pretzels, Milk Duds, and chips. Claud's room is like a junk food Where's Waldo? Her parents are strict about good nutrition and fine literature, so Claudia has to hide all her junk food and her Nancy Drew mysteries (she's addicted to them, too). She pulls them out from between sweaters, under her bed, inside shoes, everywhere. So it's no surprise that she sometimes loses track of things, like the holiday M&M's.

How do we fit in Claud's room? She manages to shove everything away before meetings. (If she didn't, Kristy would probably nag her forever.)

Anyway, so there we were in Claud's room. Most of us were popping red and green M&M's into our mouths and getting into the holiday spirit about three months early (or nine months late). But not Stacey McGill and me. However, being a a very thoughtful person, Claudia had squirreled away some sesame crackers for us.

No, Stacey's not on a diet. She's also not a health-food fan like I am. She has diabetes, which means her body can't control the level of sugar in her blood. If she ate too many candy bars she could end up in the hospital. Every day she has to take injections of something called insulin. Can you imagine?

Like me, Stacey moved to Stoneybrook per-

manently grade after her parents divorced. Also, like me, she's blonde (although a darker shade). Other than those things, we're pretty different. Her clothes are cool and sophisticated (mine are more casual). And she is super-smart in math (I'm not).

The math part is the reason Stacey became our club treasurer. She collects dues from us every Monday and puts them in our official treasury (an old manila envelope). Dues are the only bad thing about the BSC, but they're necessary. They help pay Claud's phone bill and Charlie Thomas's driving fee. They also buy supplies for Kid-Kits, and pizza for us (if there's a surplus).

Stacey grew up in New York City. I don't know how she did it. The last time I visited I was petrified to leave the apartment I was staying in. I was convinced I'd be mugged, flattened by a falling brick, or attacked by an army of giant cockroaches. Well, somehow Stace lived her life there and turned out pretty normal. After moving to Stoneybrook, her family actually moved back to NYC (both moves were because of her dad's job). That was when her parents divorced, and she and her mom moved back here.

I'm so happy Stace is in the BSC. She's easy to talk to, and she's the only member who understands what a divorce feels like. But I

have to admit I envy her sometimes. She's only a short train ride away from her dad.

"Urn, Jessi?" Mary Anne said after carefully swallowing her M&M's. "Did you say you were going away?"

"Oh. Yeah/' Jessi replied. "I'm going to Oakley this weekend to visit Keisha." (Oakley is where Jessi grew up, and Keisha is her cousin.)

"That's great," Claudia said. "You haven't been back in — "

"Months!" Jessi was smiling so hard I thought her cheeks would break. "I am totally excited. I can't wait to see Keisha, and I'm going to try to see some of my friends. I'm dying to visit my old ballet school, too. My teacher's going to be shocked to see me."

Mary Anne was entering Jessi's trip in the BSC record book, in her neat handwriting. She's the club secretary, which is the hardest job. She keeps track of our sitting schedules, making sure to remember all our conflicts — doctor and orthodontist appointments, ballet classes, and after-school activities. Plus she constantly has to update our client list, complete with current rates (they vary from client to client). On top of that she keeps a detailed description of the likes and dislikes of all our charges.

Know how many mistakes she's made? Zero. And knowing her, she probably never will.