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    UnEnchanted
    UnEnchanted
    UnEnchanted
    Ebook228 pages3 hours

    UnEnchanted

    By Chanda Hahn

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated, that is until she saves her crush's life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her new found fame brings misfortune in the form of an old family curse come to light. For Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her its next fairytale victim.

    To break the fairy tale curse on her family and make these deadly occurrences stop, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChanda Hahn
    Release dateDec 29, 2011
    ISBN9781465939425
    Author

    Chanda Hahn

    Chanda Hahn is a New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author. She uses her experience as a children's pastor, children's librarian and bookseller to write compelling and popular fiction for teens. She was born in Seattle, WA, grew up in Nebraska and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their twins.

    Read more from Chanda Hahn

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    Reviews for UnEnchanted

    4/5

    256 ratings36 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Great book for those who love fairytales! Suitable for younger teens and tweens. Still trying to figure out how I missed this when it first came out.
    • 2/5
      Don't get noticed. Don't be special.Mina Grimes grew up believing she should never stand out in the crowd. Instead, she made sure she was as unremarkable as possible. It helps when you are the unluckiest girl in the world. Whether it was ripping her backpack, or being constantly late for school, Mina is always running into bad luck. Until the day she saves Brody from a fatal accident. Suddenly, Mina is in the spotlight for the first time. And she knows what this means. Her mother will pack up the family and move on to the next city. She's done it before and she will do it again. But Mina is done moving. Taking a stand, Mina demands they stay. It's then her mother breaks down and tells her the reason behind their constant moves. Mina is in danger. She is the next family member to be caught by the Grimm curse. A curse that has plagued their family for generations and cause the death of Mina's father. If Mina is caught by the curse, she must survive every single Grimm fairytale that comes her way. Determined to beat the curse and prevent it from passing onto her younger brother, Mina accepts her fate and begins to face off against the fairy tales.One of the minor mysteries in this novel involved Mina's younger brother. It was mentioned many times that he never spoke, yet the reason why was never revealed. It was frustrating to have the author make a big deal out of his unwillingness to talk, and never provide a resolution to it. In this way, it felt more like filler, or a convenient way out of creating dialogue for a character.Mina's mother was also surprisingly immature. Her dialogue was childish and hurtful, with no regard to how it would affect her daughter. She never seemed to know the appropriate time to explain anything. Instead, she tried to cover up and avoid whatever she could, which only put Mina in danger. Having lost her husband, I can understand wanting to protect her daughter, but as a mother she was horrible.Parts of this story moved forward too quickly as if the author didn't know how to write certain scenes and jumped ahead. Mina somehow figured out information on a character, without any prior knowledge of the legends surrounding them, or even really interacting with them. I could understand if she had studied the fairy tales, but this story is specifically about her lack of knowledge and how she struggles with each one. Development of the character and Mina's relationship with them was required in order for her to draw conclusions about them.Mina was also too much of a damsel in distress. It was a promising start when she put on a brave front to save her brother from the fairy tales. But then she always ended up crying for help, because she never thought before doing anything. Half the situations she ended up in, could have been prevented if she was even the slightest bit cautious. Ok, she has bad luck, but apparently, she lacks any common sense too.While I enjoyed the originality of the story, there were grammatical areas and plot development that needed help. There was so little interaction between Mina and the other characters. You rarely see her with her family, unless there is a crisis or some part of the curse that needed explaining. With all the build up on Mina getting teased and bullied in school, it's barely seen after chapter one. Even if a student is seen as the school hero, it doesn't completely change how everyone acts towards them.Not a series I will be continuing.
    • 4/5
      Talk about unfortunate, I feel really bad for the path Mina's life as to take. Her ancestors the Grimm Brothers were cursed about two-hundred years ago and wasn't able to break it, so now their future kin as the bad luck to carry on their mission of breaking the fairy tale curse. Mina's mother for years tried to prevent her from triggering the curse but Mina inadvertently triggered it on a class trip when she saved her crush Brody Carmichael's life. When Mina finds out about the curse she steps up to the plate, she accepts her fate with confidence and determinedness.This curse has made Mina it's bitch, she never knows what's real or just a part of the story she's currently in. Her life is either a fairy tale or some kind of huge farce. Every now and then she feels the urge to just run and I guess she can't be faulted for having those feelings with death staring her in the face on a daily basis.

      One of the concepts I like about this story is the Fey/Fae lore. I've read a few books about Fae that uses a similar concept about these tricky creatures, the idea that they look deceptively beautiful and mesmerizing, can't lie, but can manipulate the truth, this depiction of the fae really makes them a more intriguing supernatural being. It adds an element of mystery to this story and makes me wonder if Mina can trust anyone from the fae world that claims to want to help her. For now I will say yes (about a specific someone), but only time will tell.

      The entire concept of the story is very intriguing and with the way it ended I wouldn't be surprised if Mina either gives up and die or ends up and a complete mess. If she has to constantly go through this kind of emotional rollercoaster I don't know what it will do to her. It was such a evil thing for her to experience but also a really smart idea for a story. Very Very interesting retelling of Fairy Tales.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book.
    • 5/5
      This was the first story I read by Chanda Hahn. I instantly fell in love with the characters and plot, not to mention the fun quirkiness throughout the tale. I knew after reading this, that I would buy and read all of Chanda's other stories---none of them disappoint. I love a good spin on fairy tales.
    • 3/5
      Honestly, when I started reading this I really thought I wasn't going to like it. It started very slow and very generic for me but I was pleasantly surprised as I got further along. I found that I read through it faster than I thought I was. I figured I was about half way through and then boom.. finished! And I had a WTF moment. I want more! I like that it made me think, it kept me guessing. When I thought it was going to go one way, it flipped and made me re-think my theory. All in all, it was pretty good. I'd like to continue Mina's story.
    • 3/5
      The story is a good one. The writing - not so much. This could simply be that the audience was meant to be young teenagers and I am far from being one. There was too much girly teenage thoughts and predictable teenage romance in this for my enjoyment. There were definitely parts about the story that I really liked but overall the voice of the story ruined it for me. I didn't hate it by any means, but if it had been twice as long as it was, I might not have finished it.
    • 3/5
      This book has a really cool idea. Unfortunately, the writing is not up to par with that idea. There are numerous typos, which doesn't hold too much weight for me considering this was a free ebook, however the writing was really very poor. There was pretty much no character development. It was very plot-centered and a few places seemed rushed, like Hahn wasn't sure what to do with the scene but needed it to carry on the plot. I hated all of the characters, because they were stock characters and caricatures of people (the hot jock, the unpopular girl, the perfect girl, ect.). Really the only thing this book had going for it was that Hahn came up with an original and unique idea. While I hated the writing and the slightly Twilight-esque moments, I still would like to read the rest of the series, because I love the backstory so much.
    • 3/5
      Interesting concept of a Grimm's descant. Mina has to live out various storyline's, something that her father was not able to do.I enjoyed the book at the beginning, lost me about mid-way through. Books does need work in some areas; however, I'm curious to read more from Chanda Hahn. Decent effort.
    • 3/5
      Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated; that is until she saves her crush's life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her new found fame brings misfortune in the form of an old family curse come to light. For Mina is a descendant from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her it's next fairy-tale victim.To break the fairy tale curse on her family and make these deadly occurrences stop, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end
    • 2/5
      Struggling to finish this. Decent storyline that made me want to read it but very weak in places in terms of dialogue and narrative. These let down the plot twists and character development of the central figures.
    • 4/5
      Fun, YA take on Grimm's fairy tales with all the trials and tribulations of a kid in high school
    • 4/5
      Talk about unfortunate, I feel really bad for the path Mina's life as to take. Her ancestors the Grimm Brothers were cursed about two-hundred years ago and wasn't able to break it, so now their future kin as the bad luck to carry on their mission of breaking the fairy tale curse. Mina's mother for years tried to prevent her from triggering the curse but Mina inadvertently triggered it on a class trip when she saved her crush Brody Carmichael's life. When Mina finds out about the curse she steps up to the plate, she accepts her fate with confidence and determinedness.This curse has made Mina it's bitch, she never knows what's real or just a part of the story she's currently in. Her life is either a fairy tale or some kind of huge farce. Every now and then she feels the urge to just run and I guess she can't be faulted for having those feelings with death staring her in the face on a daily basis.

      One of the concepts I like about this story is the Fey/Fae lore. I've read a few books about Fae that uses a similar concept about these tricky creatures, the idea that they look deceptively beautiful and mesmerizing, can't lie, but can manipulate the truth, this depiction of the fae really makes them a more intriguing supernatural being. It adds an element of mystery to this story and makes me wonder if Mina can trust anyone from the fae world that claims to want to help her. For now I will say yes (about a specific someone), but only time will tell.

      The entire concept of the story is very intriguing and with the way it ended I wouldn't be surprised if Mina either gives up and die or ends up and a complete mess. If she has to constantly go through this kind of emotional rollercoaster I don't know what it will do to her. It was such a evil thing for her to experience but also a really smart idea for a story. Very Very interesting retelling of Fairy Tales.
    • 3/5
      Pros:
      * Fun read
      * Interesting premise
      * Fairy tales

      Cons:
      * eek...no editing
      * soon to be outdated pop culture references
      * needed a bit more information in places

      I read this on a flight from Minneapolis to Dallas, and still had almost an hour of time left after I finished. It's a quick, fun read.
    • 3/5
      Unenchanted, the first of a ya series, is an interesting take on the classic Grimm's fairy tales. It isn't perfect (what can you expect from a kindle book priced 0.00), but still enjoyable and I actually what to find out what happens next.
    • 3/5
      I give this 3 stars for the story. Definitely not for the writing and grammar. If you can get past the many grammatical errors and bland writing, you can see some real potential in the storyline. I will most likely read the next in the series because of this potential and keep my fingers crossed that someone else edits it.
    • 3/5
      A spinoff from the Brother's Grimm fairytales. Mina is a descendent of the brothers and has been running from her destiny all her life. She finally understands that she can't run anymore when her life begins to mimic stories and begin to involve those around her. Someone could get hurt and Mina doesn't want that. So she must rely on a fairy and the grimoire to get her through these tales alive.
    • 3/5
      The idea for the story would be 4 stars, but the writing was just 2. It needed a lot of editing.
    • 5/5
      Very well written

      Very well written

      I've always loved a good fairytale and though I was sceptical when I purchased this book, l was pleased to find myself turning the pages eagerly. I will be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series.
    • 3/5
      Mina is a descendant of the Brothers Grimm, and her family is cursed. They must make it through all the fairy tales successfully, but everyone in her family has succumbed to the curse. Now it's up to Mina's turn.This story started out pretty slow and didn't pick up the pace much. There was quite a bit of back story to get through before you get to the meat of the story. The premise is good, but the story felt uneven. I will probably read the next one to see what happens.
    • 3/5
      UnEnchanted
      3 Stars

      Wilhelmina "Mina" Grimm is not your typical teenager. She is a descendent of the Brothers Grimm and the latest in a long line of family members who must survive a curse that forces them to relive the tales collected by their ancestors.

      An intriguing premise very similar to the TV series Grimm but the writing is simplistic and would have benefited from a professional editor.

      That said, the story itself is engaging and Mina is a sweet albeit clumsy heroine dealing with the trials and tribulations of being a social outcast at school as well as the dangers associated with the family curse, i.e. an abundance of fairy tale characters coming to life and threatening her family and friends.

      Overall, not too bad even if the ending is open ended and disappointing.
    • 3/5
      I read this book in an airplane, and at first I only kept reading because there was nothing better to do. I thought it was a cute story but nothing extraordinary. There were a bunch of typos that were significant enough to pull me out of the story. I also felt like there were characters that just popped up out of nowhere. However about half way into the story Chanda Hahn seemed to hit her stride and the story became rather interesting. It hooked me enough with the plot line, and with the characterizations of Nan, Mina, Jared, and Brody that I am going to read the next book in the series.
    • 5/5
      Sometimes it's great fun to step back and read books intended for a teenage audience, UnEnchanted creates one of those times. You will cringe, laugh, be very glad you are no longer a teen and then hand this off to your kids with a grin.
    • 5/5
      wow!this book is epic..who thought things would turn up to be such a twist...im so happy,n i love this website\app..scribd is amazing!!!!!!!
    • 5/5
      I was reading this book everywhere I went; on the train, in the car, in the parking lot while groceries spoiled in the trunk. I could not put it down.This was a fun take on the idea of fractured fairy-tales. The heroine Mina (Wilhelmina) discovers she is related to the Grimm family and must live through every fairytale in order to break the curse placed upon her family. Chanda Hahn weaves a believable tale of magic and young love, allowing Mina to deal with not only the angst of growing up, but the adult responsibilities she must take on to protect her family.Bravo. I cannot wait to read the second book.
    • 5/5
      As a book I found free on ibooks I didn't give it much though and I didn't have any high expectations. Then I started to read, and WOW! How wrong was I.

      I had it read in less than a day, I was that impressed and just, hooked really.

      Sure the grammar was off, and not right in some places, but at the time this book came as a self-published. Compared to the other self-published books I had at the time, this blew them out of the water.

      So original, so captivating, and not at all what I expected.

      It made me a little sad that even though she got her crush, he ended up forgetting everything once she "finished" the story.

      Give this book a chance and don't nit-pick, most times you know what the author is saying.

      I really want this as a hard cover, but you can't get it in Canada yet :(... unless I order online. Hmmmm, you know what? My birthday was two weeks ago, time to give myself a gift. lol.

      Happy reading



      Emily
    • 4/5
      Interesting premise. Fun story. Unpredictable and believable twists and turns along the way. Would read again.
    • 5/5
      The book was so interesting and cant wait for the others.
    • 5/5
      The fact that the story red riding hood was in this book makes me so happy I could cry! I love red riding hood and this was an amazing rendition of the story!
    • 5/5
      This is one of the first indie fantasy books I ever read and I was curious to see if it still held up. It absolutely does.Mina is a descendant of the Grimm Brothers and has inherited their curse. She must complete all of the stories in order to break the curse. There are several complications, however. One, the previous attempts to break the curse have been made by adults and they have all failed. Two, Mina just wants to be a normal teenager, especially now that her long-time crush is finally paying attention to her. And three, she she has no idea who she can trust and what she will get when she asks for help.The setup was fantastic. The characters were great. There was the right amount of teen drama interspersed with plenty of fantasy. And I love how the fairy tales were dragged into and reinterpreted as part of the modern world. Very clever. Very cool. The characters did seem a little young, but I think that was because a lot of YA fantasy makes characters seem too old rather than being an actual fault of this book. I was entertained and kept finding excuses to keep reading, which is definitely the mark of a good book. I also read one of her newer books several months ago, so this was a fun look at the evolution of a writer. Chanda's ability has obviously improved since this book, but her gift to spin an enchanting tale was there from the start. It's a great book and I recommend it to, well, everyone.

    Book preview

    UnEnchanted - Chanda Hahn

    Chapter One

    Today I saved Brody Carmichael’s life! Mina penned the jubilant words into her blue spiral notebook with her favorite ballpoint pen. She faithfully used the same pen when writing all of her entries in the hope that it would change her luck and she could write something good in her notebook—like today. Mina stared at the words written before her in her sloppy script and felt a pang of guilt. She started to close the notebook but paused in thought. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t seem… truthful. With a heavy hand and a heavy heart, she added in parentheses next to her previous entry:

    (Today was also the day I almost KILLED Brody Carmichael).

    Feeling slightly better about telling the truth, she closed her notebook, titled Unaccomplishments and Epic Disasters, and tucked it in her dresser drawer with a sigh.

    Nothing in the world ever went right for fifteen-year-old Mina. She was always late for class, her homework usually looked as if it had spent the evening being a chew toy for a pit bull when she didn’t even own a dog, her long-time crush didn’t know she existed, and she frequently spilled chocolate milk on herself whenever she became nervous. Mina was certain it was because she was the magnet for all the bad, terrible, and so-so luck that existed in the world. So she kept a notebook hidden in her unorganized sock drawer to prove it.

    All of these events had turned her into a cynic, especially since yesterday morning had started out like any other event-filled, disastrous day.

    She dreamed she was flying. She was much more graceful in the air than on the ground where her feet always seemed to be tripping her up. But her peaceful dream was interrupted by the loud banging and crashing of thunder. She was no longer flying… but falling.

    Ouch! What the…? Mina cried out as she landed painfully on the mismatched oak floor of her bedroom. She had fallen out of bed. Struggling to untangle herself from her sheets and comforter, Mina saw a pair of feet poking out of blue Toy Story pajamas next to her head.

    Charlie, what are you doing? she mumbled, still wrestling with her sheets.

    Charlie, a young and solemn boy of eight, pointed toward her clock, which was blinking 12:00 p.m. In his hands, he held a pot and a wooden spoon. The power must have gone out again, which was a regular occurrence for their city block.

    What time is it? she asked, feeling dread build, knowing that today she was going to be late… again.

    Charlie held up one hand, pinching his ring finger and thumb together to sign the number seven.

    Charlie, how could you have let me sleep in so long? I’m going to be late!

    Charlie answered by shrugging his shoulders and banging on the pot with his wooden spoon. She knew that it wasn’t Charlie’s fault; she was a very deep sleeper. Her mother, Sara, said that she was harder to wake up than Sleeping Beauty. In Mina’s case, though, there was no Prince Charming to rescue her from her snoring, and with her horrible luck, there never would be.

    Jumping up, Mina grabbed what she hoped was a clean pair of jeans from the pile of clothes that littered her floor and slid into them. Silently she thanked her mother for never giving in to her request for skinny jeans; otherwise, her dressing time would have doubled. Next, she shoved her feet into her favorite Converse All Stars, bending the backs in the process.

    She picked up a blue zippered hoodie and gave it a cursory sniff before deeming it clean enough to wear. She ran her fingers through her long brown hair, attempting to tame the stray locks, which were the same boring color as her eyes. She tried to force a winning smile onto her face, but it slid into an awkward grimace.

    Giving her brother a quick kiss on the head, she ran into the small and dated kitchen, and grabbed her backpack from the breakfast table. Turning, Mina heard a rip as the backpack clung stubbornly to the back of the chair. The chair won, and the shoulder strap ripped off the back of the bag, causing all of her books to crash to the floor in a heap.

    Sighing, she threw each book back into the bag and did her best to hold it shut while she scoured the kitchen drawers for safety pins.

    Sara Grime walked into the kitchen with a quizzical look on her face. She was dressed in her work clothes, tan pants and a blue polo with a stitched outline of a feather duster and smiling mop. Sara worked for Happy Maids, cleaning homes so she could afford the tuition to send Charlie to a private school. Their mother worked long hours without ever complaining, which was why Mina never allowed her mom to enter her pigsty of a room.

    Mom, did you sign my permission form?

    What permission form? Sara asked distractedly, sliding a raspberry Pop Tart into the toaster.

    For today’s field trip. To Babushka’s Bakery, remember? I gave it to you last week.

    Oh, honey. Sara wrung her hands. Don’t you think it would be better if you didn’t go on the field trip? You know how clumsy you are. What if something should happen to you?

    Mom, I have a paper to write on today’s trip, and it’s worth a quarter of my grade. Mina had finally found a few safety pins in a junk drawer and was fumbling with them to reattach the strap to her backpack. She knew they didn’t have enough money to buy another one. She would have to make do with a quick mend.

    Well, maybe you could do some extra credit instead? Sara asked.

    Mom, I’ll be fine. I’ll stick to Nan like glue, and you won’t have to worry about me. It’s just a boring bakery tour. What could possibly go wrong, other than death from boredom? Mina saw the look on her mom’s face and knew that she had won the argument… barely.

    Going to a stack of mail by the fridge, Sara sifted through it until she found the folded yellow permission form. Signing it, she handed it to Mina with one last warning. Just promise me you’ll be careful.

    I will, Mina promised, knowing it was a half-truth. She would be careful, but bad luck had a habit of following her everywhere.

    Charlie shuffled into the kitchen still wearing his pajamas, plus a striking pair of bright yellow galoshes. Sitting on a slightly dented chair, he pulled one of the boxes of cereal toward him and began his morning routine of combining random cereals into one bowl. Today he chose only Franken Berry, Cheerios, and Grape-Nuts, a far cry from his normal combination of at least five cereals. Watching him mix cereal every morning made her stomach drop in disgust, which was why she preferred Pop Tarts.

    The toaster released her Pop Tart and Mina grabbed it in midair, wishing she hadn’t as she began tossing it back and forth in her hands until it cooled. Once it had cooled enough, it went into her mouth while she slipped on her temporarily fixed backpack and darted out the door to grab her bike from the landing.

    The Grime family lived in a small rented apartment above The Golden Palace, a Chinese restaurant run by Mr. and Mrs. Wong. Mina loved living above the restaurant unless she forgot to close her window the night before; then all of her clothes would smell like peanut oil. To make up for it, Mrs. Wong gave Mina all the pot stickers she could eat.

    Mina carried the bike down the stairs to the sidewalk, nicking the paint from the wall on the way down. She had a love-hate relationship with the bike. Last year, on the eve of her fifteenth birthday, she thought she was being led outside blindfolded to be presented with a car. Instead, she got a red 1950 Schwinn. The bike was old and scuffed, and it needed new brakes, oil, and tires, but she didn’t care.

    Once she got over the disappointment and realized how unrealistic a car would be on her family’s budget, she began to love it. The bike allowed her some freedom. Besides, if Mina’s riding ability was any indication of her driving ability, then the world would have been in for a lot of dented mailboxes.

    Swinging her bike onto the sidewalk, Mina waved to Mrs. Wong and barely missed colliding into an old lady walking her gaggle of toy poodles. Sorry! she yelled, losing a chunk of the Pop Tart she was still holding in her mouth. She watched in disgust as the poodles, who only moments ago had looked cute and cuddly, morphed into snapping, sugar-crazed dogs. The lady stared in shock as she tried to get control of her wild, pampered babies. Mina shrugged apologetically in response.

    Ten minutes later, after cutting through two back streets and riding across three neighbors’ backyards, Mina arrived at a schoolyard that was devoid of human life, giving her the undeniable impression that she was tardy. She left her bike by the bike rack, but without a proper kickstand, it sagged pathetically to one side against the nicer, newer bikes.

    Running toward the bus barn, she was relieved to see the field trip bus was still there—until it pulled away from the curb.

    No! Mina yelled, running after the bus, trying desperately to catch the notice of the driver.

    A window slid down, and a familiar blonde head popped out with something silver in her hand. Mina, you really need to get a watch, the girl shouted.

    Nan! Tell him to stop! Mina cried, feeling a stitch begin in her side.

    And a cell phone! You really need to be brought out of the dark ages. I could have called you. The girl just kept talking, impervious to Mina’s desperation and waning stamina.

    "Nan! Snap out of it! Stop the bus!" she screamed, huffing and puffing.

    Oh, right! The blonde head popped back inside. A moment later the bus slowly decelerated and pulled to the curb.

    Out of breath and slightly limping from the side stitch, Mina finally boarded the first steps of the bus. The bus driver gave her an indignant look; this would probably delay their arrival, and he was a stickler for being on time. She ignored him and stepped to the front row, where her teacher was sitting, to hand him her permission form.

    You really should have been on time, Mr. West commented. His balding head glistened from the heat of the already too-warm bus.

    I’m sorry, Mina answered quietly. We had a power outage.

    Mr. West looked over her permission form and then nodded for her to take a seat. Walking toward the back of the bus was like being in a bad slow-motion dream. She had no choice but to be the recipient of twenty-some odd stares.

    Ducking her head and sliding into the seat next to Nan, Mina poked her in the side in revenge. That’s for making me run for so long.

    Nan grinned, showing perfect white teeth. Today she wore an I <3 Jacob Black shirt, skinny jeans, and black flats. Nan was the exact opposite of Mina in every way, which was why they probably got along so well. She got a kick out of Mina’s lack of knowledge in all things social and popular.

    Well, maybe if you got a cell phone, you could have texted me you were running late, Nan quipped, pulling out her latest iPhone, fingers flying over the touchpad.

    What are you doing? Are you chirping?

    Nan rolled her eyes and laughed. Really, Mina. It’s called tweeting.

    Okay. Are you tweeting?

    Of course. Nan smirked.

    Mina’s stomach sank. About what? She had a feeling she already knew the answer. She’d seen something in Nan’s hand when she had previously opened the window and leaned out.

    Oh, nothing much. I’m just tweeting the picture of you running like a madman after the bus to all of my followers.

    Followers made it sound like some sort of cult.

    Nan, how many followers do you have? She hoped the number hadn’t gone up.

    Well, after yesterday’s rant about the garbage they pass off as lunch, I’m up to about three hundred. She clicked Update and immediately chiming could be heard from multiple phones on the bus. Snickers and heads turned Mina’s way, and she heard whispers of "loser" and "nerd."

    Nan! How could you? Mina said, scrambling over Nan so she could be by the windows and out of direct line of sight for most of the riders. She pulled her backpack up over her head and hid behind the bag.

    Mina, you need to learn to laugh at yourself. I’m trying to get you noticed. Hardly anybody knows who you are.

    "I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be the center of that kind of attention. I certainly wouldn’t."

    Nan raised one eyebrow in disbelief. Nonsense. Everyone wants to get at least some attention. Well, except for you. Really, Mina, it doesn’t even matter whether it’s good or bad, true or untrue—everyone wants to be popular, to be part of some gossip.

    Nan was the friendliest and most outgoing girl in the school. Everyone seemed to like Nan, not because she was popular or smart, but because she was fun and real.

    Not me. Mina shrugged nonchalantly.

    So I guess in that case you wouldn’t care about the current eligibility status of a certain boy? Nan knew that her best friend had a secret crush on Brody Carmichael ever since her family moved here.

    Brody and Savannah broke up? Mina sat up straight in disbelief, knocking her backpack to the floor.

    Ah-ha! See, you are interested.

    No, I’m not, she said.

    Yes, you are, Nan taunted. She was right; Mina did want to know.

    Okay, fine… Did they? Mina felt a flower of hope start to bloom.

    No, but see! Wouldn’t you want to know if they did? That blooming hope shriveled up dead.

    I hate you, Nan Taylor! Mina shot out. "You’re a dream-killer, you know that right? Dream Killer."

    Gee, Grimy, keep it down, a male voice shot out from behind their seat.

    Her face flushed red. Mina hated her last name, an easy target for name-calling: Grime too easily translated to Slime, Brine, Grimy. She couldn’t wait until she got married and could legally change her name… if she could ever overcome her awkwardness and talk to a boy.

    Sitting back, she let Nan talk on about the latest episode of Glee and even sing a few bars from the new hit single she had downloaded on her iPhone. Mina didn’t even own an iPod; the closest thing she had was an old CD player. That was something else about Nan—she was addicted to Glee and every popular reality show on TV. Mina didn’t understand her best friend’s infatuation. Mina’s own life was already a reality show; why would she want to watch someone else’s?

    The bus reached Babushka’s Bakery, and all the weary and bored teenagers filed off and waited in groups. This was Mina’s chance to scan the crowd and find the tall blond-haired Brody Carmichael. Sure enough, he was standing next to Savannah White, who looked every bit a princess with her long white-blonde hair, porcelain skin, and big blue eyes. Brody seemed distracted as Savannah latched possessively onto his arm, marking her territory as only a female high school student could.

    Brody was every girl’s dream guy. He was a perfectly blended cocktail of aristocrat and jock. The Carmichaels prided themselves on family lineage and could follow their ancestors back to when they first came over on the Mayflower. They raised racehorses, owned a clothing company, and were by far the richest family in the state. Yet Brody never let it get to his head. He never raised his voice, never bullied anyone, and seemed completely oblivious to his social status and effect on girls.

    Her daydreaming was interrupted as a plump man hurried out of the gray brick factory.

    Welcome, children, we are so glad to have you here at the world famous Babushka’s Bakery. You can call me B.J., the man said, smiling and wiping what looked like leftover powdered doughnut from his face. Let me introduce your tour guide, Claire. She will take you around the factory and answer any questions you have.

    The tour guide, a striking blonde woman named Claire, walked out of the factory in a form-fitting white lab jacket, a yellow helmet, and goggles, which did virtually nothing to impede her leggy, model-like beauty. There were some obvious whistles and elbowing among the boys, and even Brody stood a few inches taller within her presence. She smiled warmly at them, red lips framing perfect white teeth, and motioned the class to follow her into the factory. Her hips sashayed, and her red heels clicked on the cement sidewalk to a rhythm that only she could hear.

    The boys followed like puppies, mere inches behind the tour guide, while the popular girls, including Savannah, hung back, shooting hateful glares toward Claire. A challenge had clearly been made without one spoken word,

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