The Unbreakable Code

Emily and James head to school after the holiday break. Emily worries that she will receive the kind of excessive attention experienced at the book party. James shows Emily an article about a couple who found a rare Gold Rush–era bottle in their wall and sold it for $5,000. She wonders if she could find any similar artifacts in their house.

At school, Emily feels silly for worrying; nobody says anything at all about her Poe discovery. She feels both relieved and disappointed. During lunch, Vivian, the class president, solicits volunteers for an upcoming dance. Emily signs up to volunteer, wishing to become more involved in the school. James begrudgingly agrees to help, too. As they leave the cafeteria, they run into Mr. Quisling and notice his notebook full of attempts to crack a code.

In class, Emily runs into Maddie Fernandez. Maddie has always held a grudge against Emily for no clear reason. Emily and James privately refer to Maddie as “royal fungus” due in part to her mushroom haircut. Emily notices that Maddie has changed her hair and compliments her new hairdo. Maddie in turn compliments Emily on finding the Poe book. Maddie adds that she would’ve found the book faster if she had entered the competition.