Page 59 (2/2)

“Miss Congeniality is an ambassador of smiles,” Mary Lou said in a choked voice

“It’ll be okay,” Adina said, even though she was pretty sure that this was the textbook definition of so not okay “I think we should find everybody else”

Mary Lou wiped her nose on the torn chiffon of her sleeve and followed Adina along the crescent of beach The air s lay on the sand Sparkly evening gowns floated on the tide like jellyfish skin, the shininess attracting the curiosity of the seagulls ooped over theht Girls in various states of bedraggled dotted the sand like exotic, off-course birds The contents of opened suitcases and flung purses were strewn across the beach A red-white-and-blue, fringed baton-twirler’s dress hung froy beauty whose sash identified her as Miss Ohio stu up water and bile

“Ohhere; she just couldn’t remember what The Corporation’s Miss Teen Drea them to Paradise Cove for the Forty-first Annual Miss Teen Dreaeant They were to film some fun-in-the-sun promotional pieces, ride the waterslides, and practice their perforht before, and that irls in outfits adorned with so emblematic of their states had boarded the plane Adina had wanted to put New Hampshire’s famous poet Robert Frost on her outfit, but her es, and now her dress had an ied disastrously across her 36DDs She’d sat on the plane, her ar that she’d been talked into wearing it Then ca, the exit doors opening, the sensation of tu in a mound of warm sand How many had made it out? What had happened to the pilots, the chaperones, the Corporation film crew? Where were they now?

A voice with a strong twang rang out “All right, Miss Teen Dreaers for y’all’s attention! Could y’all come on over here, please?”

The waving goddess stood outlined by the s as if she were a e She was tall and tanned, her long blond hair fraly white Across the midriff of her dress was a sheer irls wandered over, drawn to the command her beauty bestowed ER ONE

“Are you all right?”

The voice was tinny in Adina’s ears Her head ached, and she et She re, the s

“A over hers The face had apple cheeks and was fralossy black curls

“No”

“Are you dead?” Adina asked warily

The face above her shook from side to side, and then burst into tears Adina relaxed, reasoning that she had to be alive, unless the afterlife was a lot more bipolar than she’d been led to believe She pulled herself to a sitting position and waited for the wooziness to subside A gash on her knee was caked in dried blood Another on her arhtly scorched and she wore only one shoe It was one half of her best pair, and in her state of shock, finding the other became important “Can you help me find my shoe?”

“Sure I saw soirl said in an accent flat as a just-plowed field She had huge, blue, anime-worthy eyes “I’m Miss Nebraska, Mary Lou Novak”

“Adina Greenberg Miss New Ha out toward the sea “I don’t see it”

“That’s a shame It’s a real nice shoe”