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  Skye wished Charlie’s look had been more reassuring, or at least friendly. When would Charlie get over her plateau pout?

  “So,” Two-Braids finally said. “Let’s begin.”

  To Skye’s left, Allie let out an incredulous snort. “Great. Are we on Survivor? Where are the torches?”

  Skye giggled, but the Scouts didn’t seem to get the joke.

  Two-Braids-One-Eyebrow stood up and began to pace in front of Allie, Skye, and Charlie.

  “I don’t remember there being a tribunal badge in the Girl Scouts,” Charlie said icily.

  Skye nodded in agreement, planting her feet in second position, her eyebrows raised in expectation.

  Two-Braids shot Charlie a stern look, took a deep breath, and began to explain. “We have no affiliation with the Girl Scouts. We consider them an inferior organization. We are part of a vast worldwide community started in Norway in 1991 called Wilderness Girls. We train long and hard to survive in the harshest conditions. Our team has successfully completed wilderness challenges in Greenland, Antarctica, Peru, Mongolia, and the slopes of Kilimanjaro. We can ice-fish, scale cliff faces, spelunk into underground caves, white-water raft on class-four rapids, and survive for weeks in the wild by hunting our own food and purifying our own water. We like to show up in a wilderness area and build a campsite from natural materials, then live off the local flora and fauna.”

  Skye’s aqua eyes rolled skyward at this speech. She was so tired of people bragging about their abilities. She got enough of that at Alpha Academy, and definitely didn’t care what these Xena warrior princesses did with their time. When was Two-Braids going to get to the part about how much they loved to hunt innocent human beings and hold them hostage?

  “Thanks, profile page,” Charlie snapped, saying exactly what Skye was thinking. “But considering we’re being held hostage, maybe you could skip some of the details about how ah-mazing you all are and get to the point.”

  Two-Braids stopped pacing and turned to stare solemnly at Charlie, letting out a short sigh. “We have a moral code. This code is the foundation of everything we do.” She whipped around and addressed her troops, waving her LeBron James–sized hand in the air to signal them. “Wilderness Girls!” she yelled. “What is our code?”

  All thirty Wilderness Girls sat up straight and shouted the motto in unison. “TEAMWORK, TOGETHER, TODAY!”

  “Must sound better in Norwegian,” Allie whispered, and Skye burst out laughing for a second before managing to paste a solemn expression back on her face.

  “Teamwork. Togetherness. That’s what we strive for in all that we do. Without it, we would be helpless in the hands of nature. Which brings us to you.” Two-Braids had a really commanding, projecting voice, Skye noticed. The other girls clearly idolized her. Weirdly, Skye felt herself growing the tiniest bit jealous of this intense, ungroomed girl and her faithful army. She had complete control out here—as long as she could build a fire and hunt, she was the best. Totally unlike the uber-sheltered life Skye had led at Alphas, and even back home in Westchester, when her every moment was ruled by the demands of school or dance. But just when Skye found she was looking forward to hearing more from Two-Braids, Side-Braid stood up, thanking her fellow wilderness wacko.

  “My name is Ember, and that’s Tiger Lily, who you just heard from. And over there”—she pointed a skinny, freckled arm at the olive—“is Mountain.”

  “Mountain?” all three Jackie O’s asked.

  Ember rolled her eyes. “A lot of us have hippie parents. Anyway, as Tiger explained, the WGs are committed to the principle of teamwork. We have been tracking your movements for the past twenty-four hours. Your survival rating is a two percent. Combined. Abandoning your people to face the elements alone is the exact opposite of what we believe in. We had to seize you before you infected our team with your rogue ways. ”

  “Understood,” Charlie said, all business. “Now, will you help us get out of the desert? We kind of have to be somewhere.”

  Ember walked over to Tiger and Mountain. The three WGs put their heads together for a whispered conference. After a minute, Ember sat down on her stump. “What are your feelings on teamwork?”

  Charlie pulled her chestnut hair behind her shoulders and began to make their case. “We go to Alpha Academy, the school started by Shira Brazille.” She paused, searching their faces for recognition. If they had heard of the Brazillionaire, they weren’t letting on. “Anyway, it’s very competitive but the three of us believe in teamwork more than anyone—”

  “Used to, you mean,” Skye blurted. Charlie had been such a team player, until yesterday on the plateau when she left her two best friends to get pecked to death by rabid buzzards.

  “What?” Charlie spun around, her cappuccino-brown eyes widening at Skye.

  “You used to believe in teamwork. Until yesterday. Remember? You gave up on the Jackie O’s and went off by yourself.”

  Charlie’s face flushed redder than her already-sunburned nose.

  “We aren’t as bad as you said we were yesterday,” Allie added, her voice husky with emotion. “I know, sometimes it might seems like we’re just boys and drama, but we want to win every bit as badly as you do. Right, Skye?”

  “Yeah,” Skye nodded. “Of course we do. But Charlie knows that. And she still left us there,” she pointed out, as much to Allie as to the WGs, who sat watching the discussion as if it was an episode of Hannah Montana.

  Charlie squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath in, then out, like they did at the end of their Alpha Power Yoga sessions. Was she blocking out Allie and Skye, traveling to a more peaceful place? Or was she actually digesting what Skye said?

  Charlie’s eyes fluttered open. “I know you do. I just—I got tired. Tired of being the leader. Tired of the complaining and the negativity. But mostly I was tired of being the one that was supposed to know the answers. Because I don’t. I have no idea how we’re going to get back.”

  As Charlie talked, Skye thought back to all the drama that her friend had helped Allie get through. There was the time Allie had a crush on Darwin, or when Allie needed to find her passion or risk being expelled. And Charlie had forgiven Allie for faking her way into the Academy by posing as Allie J. way before anyone else. She had helped Allie get through weeks of being hated.

  Skye had relied on Allie to help her get away from Syd, and had come rely on Charlie for masterminding tons of late-night parties and schemes. Suddenly, Skye felt a pang of guilt slice through her chest—Charlie was right. She and Allie had always come with an excess of drama. There wasn’t room for Charlie’s problems when those of the other Jackie O’s were always so pressing.

  “You’re right,” Allie sighed. “I showed up at Jackie O with a ton of baggage, and the AJ thing has made it so it’s been all about me for way too long. But, Charlie, I swear, I’m done. I’ve put AJ behind me. I’m going drama-free,” Allie promised.

  Where was AJ, anyway?

  “What’s done is done,” Charlie said after a beat of silence. “And anyway, I definitely gave us some unnecessary drama yesterday. Can you guys forgive me?” Charlie’s worried eyes looked from Allie to Skye and back again. She bit her lower lip and flashed them a shaky grin.

  “Yeah,” Skye said. If they didn’t have each other, what did they have? Not the boys, not a ride home. Her friends were all she had on Earth right now. She wasn’t going to stay mad at them.

  “Uh huh,” Allie echoed. “Just don’t freak out on us again until we’re home, okay?”

  Charlie grimace-grinned. “Okay. Promise.”

  “Wait. Who’s AJ?” Tiger asked from her stump-seat.

  Allie giggled nervously. “AJ’s the reason we crashed our plane in the desert. We all split up on the plateau and I haven’t seen her since then…”

  “There’s another girl out here?” Mountain grabbed her clipboard and a pen and started scribbling while Allie, Skye, and Charlie spelled out the whole sordid tale, starting with the paddleboard race, the
n backtracking to how Allie borrowed AJ’s identity to get into the Academy, then moving on to their not-so-brilliant plan to win the airplane challenge.

  Charlie explained the part about the boys running onto the peanut blimp.

  “… and that’s when we got the text message from Shira Brazille, saying we needed to get back to Alpha Island in twenty-four hours. Or else.” Charlie’s eyebrows shot skyward as she shot the WGs a look that implied what or else might mean.

  “Interesting challenge,” Tiger said, her chin resting in her sizable hand.

  “We’ll help you,” Ember said quickly. “Right, WGs?”

  The other two Tribunal judges nodded. Mountain spoke next, reading from her clipboard. “You’ve proven you’re capable of amazing levels of teamwork, in spite of going to school in an environment that promotes individuality, competition, and ruthlessness. But before we help you, we need to find AJ.”

  “Do we have to?” Allie asked.

  Tiger shot her a stern look. “You can’t leave a girl behind. It goes against everything the WGs stand for.”

  “Of course,” Charlie hurriedly agreed. “We would never leave her here.”

  “Hang on,” Skye spoke up, suspicion clouding her clear blue eyes. Nobody was asking the most important question of all. Charlie and Allie might be eager to get home, but why should they trust these girls, who a few minutes ago had the Jackie O’s scared out of their minds? “Why would you help us? I mean, what’s in it for you?”

  After a beat of contemplative silence, Tiger answered. “Because that’s what WGs do. It’s part of our code. And besides,” she added, a half-smile forming on her almost-Angelina lips as her brown-black eyes looked Skye, Charlie, and Allie over with interest, “there is something you can do for us.”

  “Can we eat something first?” Allie asked.

  “That’s probably best,” Tiger said. “You’re going to need all the energy you can get.” She exchanged a look with the other girls and giggled. There was something in their laugh—like an extra dash of sugar—that made Skye uneasy. Like meat that had been over-seasoned to cover up a bad taste. Not that she cared. At this point, meat was meat, no matter what it tasted like or how much it cost.

  17

  THE MOJAVE DESERT

  WILDERNESS GIRL CAMP

  NOVEMBER 4TH

  8:00 A.M.

  “Let me get this straight,” Allie said, rubbing her full belly. “You guys want a makeover?”

  “Not all of us,” Mountain surveyed the crowd of WGs before turning back to face Allie, all the while tugging anxiously on her pigtails. “We just want a few examples. Once you do a couple of us, we can show the others. We’re fast learners.”

  Tiger and Ember nodded in agreement, eyeing the three Alphas nervously. All of a sudden, Allie realized, the hiking boot was on the other foot. Now the Alphas held the cards, and the WGs were the frightened ones. Just thinking about it, Allie instantly relaxed. Because if there was anything she was the undeniable expert on in this crowd, it was beautification.

  “There must be more at stake here than a fashion statement,” Charlie’s curious brown eyes darted over the three head WGs, searching for clues. “Why would you need make-overs out here in the desert?”

  “It’s obvious-leh a boy,” Skye piped up, grinning knowingly while stretching her arms in wide circles now that Mountain had untied them.

  When Tiger blushed, Allie knew Skye had guessed her secret.

  “Okay, fine. It’s a boy,” Tiger boomed, her commanding presence still impressive to Allie. Even while awkwardly revealing embarrassing personal details, Tiger’s confident, all-natural demeanor was impressive.

  “May as well explain,” Ember chided, placing her freckled hand on Tiger’s back to prompt her to elaborate.

  Tiger sigh-groaned, her eyes flitting over the Jackie O’s as if trying to gauge whether or not she could trust them. “Okay,” she said at last. “My best friend—besides the WGs, of course—is this guy named Wyatt Yellowstone. He’s the head of the strongest pack of Eagle Scouts in the Southwest. He’s so… capable.”

  “And gorgeous!” Ember interjected.

  Tiger shrugged her off, continuing. “And I can match him in any outdoor activity, so he’s always been impressed with me. But lately, it seems like stir-frying beetles isn’t enough.”

  Ew!

  “Enough for what?” Allie interrupted, gagging a little at the image of fried beetles.

  “Enough to keep his attention on me. Which is where I want it,” Tiger admitted, blushing a deep purple under her tan.

  “You mentioned earlier that you turned your boyfriends into girls for the PAP race,” Mountain reminded them, flipping the pages of her clipboard to review her notes. “So we WGs must have a shot at looking more… girly.” Mountain smiled at Allie, her brown eyes twinkling with hope.

  Allie side glanced at Skye. Good luck with that!

  Skye side glanced back. And then some.

  Charlie shot them both a look. They’re hairy but they’re not stupid. Stop being so obvious!

  “We know it seems weird,” Ember conceded. “We believe a girl should be able to survive out in the wild, to build her own shelter and kill her own food. We’ve always believed that. But we’re starting to feel like our skills in the area of boys are… insufficient. Shouldn’t a girl be able to track a prairie dog, wrestle it, kill it, cook it, eat it, and have a boy want to hold her hand at the campfire? Can’t we have it all?”

  “I get it,” Allie said, nodding furiously. “You want to start the fire and light a fire. I’m with ya.”

  “Um, right.” Mountain nodded like she knew what Allie was implying, even though she probably didn’t. “So, will you help us?”

  “Of course,” Skye answered, pulling a loose wavelet of her platinum hair back into her bun. “We’ll scratch your back, and then you scratch ours. Can you get us home by sundown? That’s our absolute deadline.”

  Mountain, Tiger, and Ember leaned in for another whispered conference. Ember nodded, then pulled away from her fellow tribunal judges. “We’ll do everything we can to get you home in time. We have resources and manpower—er, womanpower. Once we find your friend AJ, we’ll do everything we can to get you home.”

  “Good,” Charlie nodded. “Then we have a deal. There’s one semi-major problem with this scenario, though.”

  Skye nodded. “We don’t have the right equipment.”

  “Equipment? Like what? We have a Norwegian Wilderness Knife with over three hundred mini pop-out tools.” Ember gave Skye a blank look.

  Allie giggled. These girls really were clueless about beauty. But luckily for them, they’d captured her, Allie A. Abbott; she may not know how to pitch a tent or find water in the center of a cactus, but she knew the elements of style and beauty like she was born in a salon.

  This was her biggest beauty challenge to date, though. How would she take three girls who’d never used a blow-dryer, and all without even the most rudimentary tools of the trade? Too bad there wasn’t a TV crew to document the transformation. Something like this would pull big ratings.

  “Tools are the least of it,” Skye informed the WGs. She began listing what they would need in order to make the Wilderness Girls into glamazons. “We need makeup. And hot wax. Deep conditioner. A sewing machine for your clothes, or better yet, new clothes. That’s just for starters.” As she listed out her requirements, Skye’s voice sounded more and more doubtful they could pull it off.

  And as Skye talked, the three WGs postures went from erect to abject. They slumped onto their tree stumps in defeat, their enthusiasm for Project Wilderness Makeover growing fainter by the second.

  Allie wracked her brain, flipping the pages of her internal grooming encyclopedia. Suddenly, she had it: a vision for each girl, and a plan to make it all happen.

  Allie drew herself up to her full height, feeling confident in front of the intimidating WGs for the first time. “Hang on, Skye. I’ve got this.” Allie cleared her thr
oat and raised her voice so the entire Wilderness Army could hear her. “I can make you all look your best, but only if you promise me you’ll always remember there’s more to life than looking hot.”

  Allie’s navy blue eyes scanned the crowd, as each of the seated WGs nodded in agreement. Satisfied, she turned to Mountain and motioned to her to get her pen ready to write.

  “Great. Mountain, for you, we’ll do a Natalie-Portman-meets-Lea-Michele look. Natural, fresh, but with an edge. Tiger, you’re a great fit for Angelina Jolie from her Lara Croft period. You’ve got her lips and her toughness. And Ember, you’re obvious-leh destined to look like pre-Botox Nicole Kidman, like maybe from Days of Thunder. But with the freshness of Lindsay Lohan from Mean Girls. You’re all going to look ah-mazing!” Allie clapped her hands together gleefully, channeling Tyra Banks during makeover week on ANTM.

  “But, Al. All we have to work with is, like, our own spit and some dish soap,” Skye pointed out.

  Allie shook her head, a wide grin spreading across her lips. “We’re going to make our own products. Here’s what we’ll need: eucalyptus leaves, bottled water, desert sand, cactus extract, the bone ribs from a small desert carcass, mud from under a boulder, preferably one infused with peat moss, and the saliva from a Western banded gecko.”

  Mountain scribbled furiously, nodding as she wrote, like it wouldn’t be a problem to find any of it.

  Charlie and Skye burst out laughing, amazed at what Allie had come up with.

  “Where did all that come from?” Charlie asked between giggles.

  “What?” Allie giggle-shrugged. “Am I the only one of us who reads Organic Style?”

  “You’ve been holding out on us!” Skye chortled, wiping a laugh-tear from beneath her eye.

  Allie laughed, too, reveling in the feeling of having her besties back. The only thing worse than going it alone in the desert was thinking her friends had given up on her. Now that the three O’s were reunited and on good terms, they’d hit this makeover out of the Mojave and show Shira they all deserved to be Alphas for life.