The next morning, when Ally got to work, Randy and Flo were standing behind the counter speaking in low voices.
"Good morning," Ally said cheerfully.
"Oh, hi," Randy said.
But Flo barely greeted Ally before they both went back to work.
"That's odd," Ally thought, tying on her apron. "Are they mad at me? But why? Oh! Maybe Flo's upset that Ray went on vacation without her."
But that didn't feel right either. Flo and Ray hadn't been dating that long. Then it hit her.
"Flo is probably upset that Dawn is back," Ally thought.
Just then Jerry and Sally walked into the diner.
"Barry asked us to meet him here," Jerry said. "While we wait, we'd like to shoot some footage of the diner."
"No problem," Ally said. "Just don't film Flo."
Soon Barry arrived, grinning. "I came up with a new dish. It's guaranteed to be something no one else will have."
"You mean like Gorphelian Glug?" Ally asked.
Everyone gave Ally a strange look.
"Tee-hee!" Ally blushed. "Just kidding. What's your idea, Barry?"
"Crater Cakes!" Barry said proudly.
"What are those?" Randy asked.
"Peanut butter and marshmallow hand pies. I bet everyone else will be making main course dishes. While Rolling Ray's is the only one serving dessert!"
"That's a cool idea," Ally said.
"I'm going to the truck to make a test batch," Barry said.
"Mind if we come along?" Jerry asked. "We'd like to film you."
"Sure!" Barry said. "Let's go!"
At work, Ally didn't get a chance to ask Flo if something was wrong. As she walked into her room later, she told herself that she would try again soon. For now, she had to get ready for tonight's double date.
"Should I wear my hair in a ponytail or down?" Ally asked Alpha.
"Hair is for humans, not Astralians," Alpha said.
"I know, but I like having it." Ally started brushing her hair when a thought stopped her. "What if, once he gets to know me, Julius decides he doesn't like me?"
Alpha lit up. "That is in the realm of possibility."
"Alpha!" Ally said. "You're supposed to be nice to me."
"Nice does not compute. Truth does," Alpha said.
"Ugh!" Ally changed her clothes and tugged at her new outfit. "You're not really helping me with my nervousness."
"Nervousness is an irrational response!" Alpha snapped.
Ally frowned. "You know what? I think I'll leave you home tonight to charge up."
Before Alpha could reply, Mateo knocked on the door.
"Are you ready to head to the park, Ally?" he called. "Julius and Bethany are meeting us there with some picnic food."
"Yes," Ally called back. "I'll be ready as soon as I power down Alpha. She's acting glitchy again!"
On the way to the park, Mateo's phone pinged. He had a text from Barry: I spent three hours developing the recipe for the hand pies. They turned out fantastic!
"That's great," Ally said.
"It is!" Mateo said as he scrolled down. "Or maybe not. Look at this."
But then Jerry told me that the Food Dude announced they're serving chocolate-filled hand pies!
"Ugh," Ally groaned. "That's the second time another team came up with a dish that's just like ours." She halted and looked at Mateo. "Is it me, or does that seem really strange? It can't be just a coincidence, can it?"
"I was thinking the same thing," Mateo said with a frown. "Something fishy is going on around here."
"And chocolaty!" Ally said.
"I think there's a mole," Mateo said.
"What do moles have to do with this?" Ally asked. "Don't they live underground?"
"Not that kind of a mole," Mateo said. "I mean a mole, like a spy. Maybe someone is feeding information to the other teams."
Ally gasped. "I can't believe anyone would do that!"
"Me neither, but it's the only explanation," Mateo said.
Ally nodded. "We've got to figure out who it is, or we'll lose the contest before it even begins. But how do you catch a spy? We don't have them on Astralia."
"I guess it's hard to keep secrets when everyone can read minds," Mateo said.
"That's it!" Ally cried. "I'll read everyone's minds to find out who's spying on us!"
"Everyone?" Mateo gestured to the people who were pouring into the park to watch the eclipse.
"If that's what it takes," Ally said firmly, "that's what I'll do! And I'm going to start right now. Any one of these people here in Sandville could be the spy!"