Ali was exhausted the next morning. She’d struggled to fall asleep, thanks in equal measure to her exhilaration about her new abilities and her dread about what would happen at school the next day. When she did sleep, her dreams were filled with dilapidated schooners and dead bodies. In the middle of the night, when Gigi’s grandfather clock chimed four times, Ali woke in terror, tangled in her bedsheets, certain she was about to be tossed overboard. It was impossible to sleep after that, so she spent the rest of the night trying to figure out how to convince her parents to let her stay home from school.
Digger was immune to her pleas. “You’ll have to face Cassie sometime,” he pointed out. “You might as well get it over with.”
“What am I supposed to say to her?” demanded Ali, nibbling at the piece of cold toast she’d nursed for the past half hour. “Do you expect me to lie?”
“Not lie,” said Digger. “Respond with creativity.”
Which, as far as Ali could see, was the same as a lie.
“Besides, aren’t you supposed to go to Emily’s after school today to work on your project?”
Ali had forgotten about her commitment to Emily. “Fine, I’ll go. But remember: if they arrest me at school, it’s all your fault.”
“Duly noted.”
She’d almost made it to homeroom when Cassie pounced on her and pulled her into the empty computer lab. Except Cassie wasn’t alone; Murray was waiting for them. He closed the door and the two of them faced Ali, who steeled herself for the worst.
“I owe you an apology,” said Cassie.
Ali flinched, then shook her head. “Wait—what?”
Murray gave Cassie an encouraging nod, and the girl continued. “I kind of freaked out yesterday. I shouldn’t have. I could tell you were upset, and after I told Murray—”
Ali’s eyes widened. “You told Murray?” This was worse than she’d expected.
Murray bobbed his head. “This is the biggest thing to happen at this school ever!”
Ali dropped into a nearby chair and put her head between her knees. On the way to school she’d played out possible scenarios. None involved Cassie and Murray acting thrilled.
Murray crouched down in front of her. “Was that the first time you ever changed? Did you know you could change?”
Cassie jumped in. “Could you hear what I was thinking? How did you change your clothes so they matched mine?”
“If I asked you to change into me right now, could you?” Murray asked.
The rapid-fire questions made Ali dizzy. Cassie squatted next to Murray and placed a tentative hand on Ali’s arm. “Sorry for throwing all this at you. We’re just trying to understand.”
Ali’s eyes filled with tears. “Well, that makes three of us,” she said, then groaned. She’d forgotten that she was supposed to deny everything. Digger would not be impressed.
Murray smiled. “It’s like you’re a superhero or something.”
“A superhero?”
“Sure. You are now the most interesting person at Princess Elizabeth School.”
In spite of her predicament, Ali smiled. She’d never been the most anything.
“You don’t drink something to make yourself change, do you, like Polyjuice Potion in Harry Potter, because if you do, could I try some?”
“No Polyjuice Potion.”
Murray’s shoulders sagged.
“Who else knows about your powers?” asked Cassie.
“Does Alfie?” added Murray.
“Just my family. Please don’t tell Alfie.”
“Why not?”
“My family doesn’t want anyone to know in case we’re subjected to weird experiments.”
Murray nodded. “Makes sense. Okay, no telling Alfie. Can you turn into something right now, before school starts?”
“Don’t turn into me,” said Cassie. “I mean, I think it’s cool and all,” she hastened to add, “but do Murray this time.”
The hall outside the classroom was beginning to fill with students. “I can’t. Someone might see two Murrays.”
Murray seemed disappointed. “You’re right. How about something small, like a mouse?”
Ali wasn’t a fan of mice. They were dirty and had the nasty habit of terrifying you when they darted out of places they had no business being in, like the cupboard under Gigi’s sink. But Murray and Cassie were being so nice that it seemed rude not to try. She pictured the mouse she’d seen in Gigi’s house last week, a fawn-colored thing with a tail twice the length of its body. Seconds later, she was perched on her hind legs, looking up at two gigantic faces.
“Wow!” whispered Cassie.
Murray was speechless.
Their gawking was interrupted by the morning bell.
“Change back!” whispered Murray. To Ali’s tiny mouse ears, it was like bellowing.
Panicked, Ali struggled to turn back. But the deafening noise of students outside the computer lab, coupled with the flustered looks on Cassie and Murray’s faces and her own inexperience as a Copycat, unnerved her.
ALI’S RULES ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULDN’T CHANGE AT SCHOOL
“Hurry up!” Cassie was halfway to the door.
“Can’t you change?” Murray asked.
A mortified Ali the mouse shook her whiskers.
“We can’t just leave her here,” said Cassie. “What if someone stomps on her?”
Without asking, Murray reached down, grabbed Ali by the tail, and with one swift move, tossed her into his shirt pocket. “Sorry,” he whisper-yelled at where a shocked Ali lay upside down in his pocket. “We’ll figure you out later. Can’t be late for class.”
Cassie’s monstrous eyes glanced in at where a squirming Ali tried to right herself. “I hope she can breathe.”
“She’ll be fine,” Murray said, which made Ali furious, because how could he know that?
Ali was pummeled and buffeted like an astronaut blasting off into space as Murray ran toward homeroom. Could mice throw up? Ali wondered. A moment later she discovered they could. At least none of it landed on her.
“Did you just pee on me?” Murray demanded, looking down at the small wet spot in the corner of his shirt pocket.
“I wish I had” was Ali’s angry retort, which came out as a squeak.
“Shh!” Cassie admonished. “We’re going into class.”
Murray took his seat, which was a relief to Ali’s seasick stomach.
Ms. Ryder began taking attendance. “Here!” Murray boomed. Why was he so loud?
“Has anyone seen Ali Sloane?” Ms. Ryder asked. “I was sure I saw her arrive at school earlier this morning.”
Ali held her breath.
“I don’t think she was feeling well,” Cassie called out. “Maybe she went to see the nurse?”
“Thanks, I’ll go check on her after class. Get out your books, everybody; we’ll get started right after morning announcements and the national anthem.”
Murray peered into his pocket and smiled. “Don’t change back,” he mouthed.
“Did you say something, Murray?” Ms. Ryder asked.
Then: the thwack, thwack, thwack of the teacher’s shoes coming their way, and the boom-boom-boom of Murray’s racing heart. The footsteps stopped.
“What do you have in your shirt pocket, Murray?”