by Betsy Haynes
THE FABULOUS FIVE #13
THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN
BETSY HAYNES
A BANTAM SKYLARK BOOK®
NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • SYDNEY • AUCKLAND
RL 5, 009-012
THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN
A Bantam Skylark Book / November 1989
Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1989 by Betsy Haynes and James Haynes.
Cover art copyright © 1989 by Ralph Amatrudi.
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Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CW 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
For Rosemary Johnasen, the world's greatest animal lover
CHAPTER 1
"Come on, guys. Help me think," Melanie Edwards pleaded with her friends Katie Shannon, Jana Morgan, Christie Winchell, and Beth Barry. The Fabulous Five were seated in a corner booth at Bumpers, the favorite after-school hangout for kids from Wakeman Junior High. "I want a puppy for Christmas so badly. I'll die if I don't get one."
"Why won't your parents let you have one?" asked Beth, fingering an earring shaped like a miniature Christmas tree.
"They say it will have to be housebroken, it will howl all night, and it will need a lot of taking care of. I told them I'd get up with it when it made noise, take it for walks, and do everything for it." She twisted a strand of her reddish-brown hair between her fingers as she talked.
"What did they say to that?" asked Christie.
"My mom just gave me her all-knowing smile, and my dad stuck his head back into his newspaper."
"Why don't you get a cat, Mel?" asked Katie. "Our cat isn't that much trouble. Libber just sleeps all the time."
"I don't want a cat. I want a puppy," insisted Melanie, scrunching her eyebrows together in a determined frown.
"I remember when we first got Agatha," said Beth, referring to her family's old English sheepdog. "Boy, was she ever a pain. She howled all night and ran around the house breaking things. She even knocked down the Christmas tree. Twice. Come to think of it, she really hasn't changed that much. She knocked it down again yesterday. But in my family, she just sort of blends in."
"You're no help," Melanie said, sighing.
"Shane Arrington's sitting over there. Maybe if you asked him, he'd get Igor a wife and you could have one of the baby iguanas," suggested Jana.
"Gross!" squealed Melanie. "You're no help at all. You don't understand how badly I want a warm, furry puppy. I'd give anything for one. I'd even give up going to school for a year, if I could have one."
"Wow! What a sacrifice," said Christie with a grin. "The next thing you know she'll be willing to give up baby-sitting her little brother."
"I'll bet there's one thing she isn't willing to give up, even for a puppy," said Katie.
"What's that?" asked Jana.
Melanie slid deeper into the booth. She knew what was coming next.
"Boys!" Katie said. "There's no way she'd ever give up flirting with boys."
Melanie made a face at Katie, but deep down she wasn't really angry. Her friends teased her all the time about how much she liked boys. But when she really needed The Fabulous Five, they always came through for her. The five of them had been best friends ever since they all went to Mark Twain Elementary School together.
"Hey, Melanie, there's Mona Vaughn with Matt Zeboski," called out Beth. "She goes to the animal shelter all the time to play with the cats and dogs. I'm sure she'd have a good idea about how you can get a puppy."
Melanie watched as Mona and Matt joined the line of kids waiting to order food. Mona had been visiting the animal shelter three times a week for over a year. She had once told The Fabulous Five that her family couldn't afford to have a pet of their own so she made up for it by going to the shelter to lavish her affection on the unwanted animals who lived there. Sometimes she even brought liquid bubble-maker and blew bubbles into the cages to entertain them.
"Right," said Jana. "Maybe you could get one for free."
"And you could make your mom and dad feel bad for not wanting to help a poor, little, homeless animal right at Christmastime," said Christie. "You know, peace on earth, goodwill to dogs."
Melanie's spirits leaped at the suggestion. "Sure, and if I pour it on heavily enough, it might work."
"I'll give you some acting tips, if it will help," volunteered Beth. "You can even borrow my makeup to help you look really sad."
"She doesn't want to overdo it the way you did when you tried to get your parents' attention by making yourself up to look as if you were injured," said Katie to Beth. "All that got you was grounded."
"Let's call Mona over," said Christie, waving to get her attention. Mona saw the signal and headed for their booth.
"Hi," she said when she reached them.
"Melanie has a problem," said Katie, "and we wondered if you could help us."
"Sure," said Mona, her face brightening. "You know I'll help you guys do anything if I can."
"I want a puppy for Christmas and my parents don't want to get one for me. You go to the animal shelter all the time, and we wondered if they have any cute puppies and what it costs to get one," said Melanie.
"Oh, they've got lots of cute puppies and kittens, but I don't know what they cost. I'm going there right after I leave here, though, and I'll ask."
"Can I go with you?" pleaded Melanie. "I'd love to see them."
"Me, too," said Jana. "Why don't we all go? Would they let us in?"
"Sure. There are always people there looking for pets. I'm leaving in about twenty minutes. I'll stop at your table on my way out."
A little while later, Mona led the way as they all filed into the foyer of the animal shelter. A Christmas tree stood in one corner. Melanie smiled as she looked at the decorations on it. There were squeak toys, rubber balls, dog biscuits, and an assortment of other colorful playthings hanging among the branches. She could hear yelping and barking in another part of the building. Suddenly she felt sad. Christmas was less than two weeks away, but it didn't make any difference to the animals. Most of them would probably still be stuck in their cages at the shelter.
"Oh, hello, Mona," said the heavyset lady at the desk. "Is it Wednesday already?"
"Yes, Mrs. Graham. I was wondering if it would be all right if my friends went back with me to see the animals?"
"It sure would. Maybe they would each like to take one home with them."
"Don't I wish," said Melanie, sighing deeply.
The six of them trooped through the door behind the desk, and the barking immediately became louder. Melanie opened her eyes wide at the sight. Chrome-wire cages, with green plastic garland hanging along the tops, were stacked double along the concrete-block walls. The bottom cages had larger dogs in them and the upper ones had smaller dogs. In the center of the room w
as a double row of stacked cages. Most of them contained cats of assorted colors and sizes. A young man wearing a baseball hat sideways was scrubbing the tiled floor with a bucket of water and a broom.
Melanie had never seen so many cats and dogs at one time, and many of the dogs were pawing at the bars of their cages as if they wanted the girls to come to them. There were large dogs with loud, deep voices and small dogs with chirpy little voices that bounced around like squeak toys. There were long-haired dogs and short-haired dogs.
There were lots of kittens, too. Some were gray, some were black, others were calico, and there were even a couple of expensive-looking Siamese cats. They all turned and looked silently at the girls as they walked by. One kitten stuck its paw through the bars and swatted at Melanie's finger when she pointed at it.
"Oh, I love every one of them," cooed Melanie.
"Me, too," Mona agreed. "That's why I come to play with them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after school."
"The puppies are so adorable," said Jana. "How could anyone bring them here?"
"They are cute," said Mona. "But I like the older dogs and cats, too. They get neglected sometimes, and I can hardly stand the looks on their faces." Her own face brightened. "Let me introduce you to my favorite."
Mona walked to the end of the row of cages on the right. In the very last one on the bottom was a multicolored dog that lay with its chin resting on its paws. Its fur had blotches of brown and white and black, and there was even some red. When the dog saw Mona, it sat up and its tail swept back and forth across the floor of its cage like a whisk broom.
"Hi, Rainbow. How are you today?" Mona asked the dog sweetly, sticking her hand in the cage to be licked.
"I call her Rainbow because of all her colors," she said. "She's been here for a long time, and we've become very good friends. If my mother would let me, I'd take her home."
Melanie looked at the dog's large brown eyes. They seemed so calm and accepting. She reached into Rainbow's cage and stroked her head. Her hair was soft and fine.
"I wonder how much they charge to take one home," Melanie mused.
"Adopting an animal costs twenty-five dollars."
Melanie and the others turned to the young man in the baseball cap who had spoken. He was leaning on his broom watching them. "That goes to pay for all of the shots and things we give them here."
"Are many people taking them home for Christmas presents?" asked Melanie.
"Yeah, about four or five animals are adopted each day," he answered. "But if you want that one, you'd better get her real soon."
"Why?" Mona asked, her voice quivering.
"Because on Christmas Eve day they're going to put a bunch of the older animals to sleep. As you can see, we're completely filled up, and nobody comes in after Christmas wanting a cat or dog, but the animal-control warden keeps picking up strays and bringing them in. We'll need the space for the new ones. I expect she'll be one of the ones that gets put to sleep."
The Fabulous Five and Mona stared speechlessly at the man as if he had just pronounced their own doom.
Finally, Melanie broke the silence. "No!" she cried, pushing out her chin.
"No, what?" the man asked, looking at her with surprise.
"No, we're not going to let anybody put them to sleep," she answered defiantly.
"Do you have the money to adopt them, or homes for them?" he asked.
Melanie's back stiffened. She looked at the faces of her friends, and they all looked as horrified as she felt.
"We'll find a way," she said with conviction. "Come on, gang, let's go to my house and have a meeting." She'd find a way to save the animals before Christmas Eve if it was the last thing she ever did.
CHAPTER 2
"Okay, what are we going to do?" asked Melanie after The Fabulous Five and Mona had gathered in the Edwardses' family room. Her six-year-old brother, Jeffy, under strict orders to mind his own business, had planted himself directly in front of the television. He was watching a cartoon Christmas special with the sound turned low.
"You're the one who said we were going to do it," said Beth. "There must be forty or fifty dogs and cats at the shelter. How in the world are we going to save all of them? It would cost at least a zillion dollars."
"We don't have to save all of them," responded Katie. "Just the ones they're going to put to sleep."
"I can't stand the thought of their putting Rainbow to sleep," said Melanie, looking at Mona. "She's so sweet."
"I wonder if they would give us a group rate?" mused Christie. "You know, half price if we take so many."
"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Melanie. "Let's ask."
"The first thing we've got to find out," injected Jana in a practical tone, "is how many animals we're talking about. That man said they were just going to put some of the older ones to sleep. Does that mean ten? Fifteen? Twenty?"
"They probably won't know for sure until they find out how many animals are adopted before Christmas," said Mona. "I could ask Mrs. Graham. She might be able to give us an idea about approximately how many there will be."
"Why don't you call her now and find out?" suggested Melanie. "You can use the phone in the kitchen."
"While Mona's calling," said Katie, "why don't we talk about what we'll do with them if we're able to get them."
"Give them to kids at Wacko as Christmas presents?" suggested Beth. "I'd give one to Keith if he didn't already have a dog."
"Maybe he'd like a cat," said Christie.
"I think that's a good idea, but Randy has a dog, too," said Jana. "And Heidi's been around so long that she'd probably be jealous of a new animal."
Katie looked at Beth. "Couldn't you use your stage makeup kit and dress them up like kids and enroll them at Wacko?"
Beth laughed. "Now that's not a bad idea."
"We could tell everyone that they're Laura McCall's friends," said Christie, throwing her head back and laughing. "They've just gone to the dogs."
"No," protested Jana. "I don't think we should let the poor animals keep such bad company. It wouldn't be good for them." Everyone went into fits of laughter, and Melanie hung on to Christie, she was laughing so hard.
Laura McCall was the leader of a rival clique that called themselves The Fantastic Foursome. Laura and her friends had given The Fabulous Five trouble from the first day they had started seventh grade at Wakeman Junior High.
"What about asking kids at school if they want one?" asked Melanie, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Maybe some of them have already asked for pets for Christmas. All we have to do is convince them to have their parents get them from us instead of the pet store. I'll bet once they understand, lots of them will do it."
"We can ask," agreed Jana. "I'll check with Mom and see if she'll let me have a kitten."
"Mrs. Graham says there will probably be about fifteen," said Mona, coming back into the room with a sad face.
"Fifteen," said Christie quickly. "Fifteen times twenty-five dollars is, let's see . . . that's three hundred and seventy-five dollars."
"Oooh," moaned Beth, slapping her hand to her forehead. "That's a lot of money."
The group went totally silent. For a moment they just looked at each other.
"Do you suppose we could get a bank loan?" asked Melanie softly.
"No way," said Katie. "What could we use for collateral? The bank always wants to know what they can have if someone can't pay them back."
"We could all put up our bicycles," suggested Beth.
"I don't think any bank would go for that," said Christie. "Besides, mine's not even worth ten dollars. It belonged to both my older brothers before I got it."
"Did you ask Mrs. Graham if they give discounts if you take a lot of animals?" Jana asked Mona.
"She said she didn't know. No one has ever asked that question before. It costs the shelter more than the twenty-five-dollar adoption fee to give the animals shots and take care of them. The rest of the shelter's money comes from donations. She'
d have to ask her board of directors if they could give a discount."
They looked at each other. Melanie had run out of ideas.
"We could baby-sit and pool our money," said Beth, sitting up quickly.
"That would take forever," said Christie. "We've only got until Christmas Eve. Besides, I still have more presents to buy."
"And there are only ten more shopping days until Christmas. That means we've got nine days between now and Christmas Eve day," said Jana. "What we need is a way to earn a lot of money really fast."
"Let me think," said Katie, chewing on her lower lip. "I don't know the exact figure, but three hundred and seventy-five dollars is between sixty and seventy dollars each for the six of us. None of us has had that much money at one time in our lives."
Gloom settled back over them.
"I've got it!" yelled Melanie, jumping up. "You're absolutely right," she said, pointing at Katie. "That is a lot of money for just the six of us. But it would be less for each person if there were more of us." The others stared at her.
"Don't you see? If we ask some of the guys such as Scott Daly, Randy Kirwan, Keith Masterson, Shane Arrington, Tony Calcaterra, Jon Smith, and Matt Zeboski to help out, we could get the money a lot faster."
"I noticed you only mentioned boys," said Katie. "We do have some girlfriends who might help, too."
Melanie put on her most innocent expression. "We can ask girls if you want to, Katie. I just thought we'd start with the people that would be most fun. Don't tell me you'd mind having an excuse to be around Tony."
Katie's face turned beet red, and she didn't reply. Melanie knew Katie was totally embarrassed at the mention of Tony. Katie pretended she didn't have a crush on him, but everyone knew she did.
"That's a great idea," agreed Christie. "And I'll bet if someone asked the principal, he'd let us put up a table in the cafeteria to collect money for the animals."
"Would you do it, Christie?" asked Melanie. "You've got an in with him." Melanie cringed the moment the words were out of her mouth. Christie hated to be reminded that Mr. Bell and her mother were good friends because they both were school principals.
