That morning the diner was extra busy. Ally, Flo, and Barry dashed from table to table taking orders, and Randy and Ray cooked nonstop in the kitchen.
"There are so many unfamiliar faces in here," Ally said to Flo. "Are they all bird-watchers in town to look for the whoopers?"
"They don't look like bird-watchers to me," Flo replied. "They'd have binoculars and field guides."
"Maybe there's a convention," Ally said. "I'll ask those people at table five before I take their order."
"Hi, folks, welcome to Ray's," Ally said. "What brings you all to town?"
"We're here looking for a scoop," a tall man replied.
"Oh, so you want ice cream for breakfast?" Ally asked. "We have vanilla, chocolate . . ."
"No!" The man laughed. "We're reporters, so a scoop for us is a big news story. We're here to cover Lainie Polk's P.O.D. launch."
"The rumors are true? Lainie Polk is launching her P.O.D. from Sandville?" Ally could hardly contain her excitement. "Do you know when? How many passengers can she take?"
"Hold up! We're usually the ones who ask the questions!" the reporter said. "Sorry, that's all the information we have right now. But if Lainie Polk does show up in town, we'll be standing by, waiting to cover the story."
Ally had trouble concentrating as she worked. All she could think about was getting back to a planet in her own solar system. "As long as we land on an inhabited planet, I'll find a comm device and call my parents. Gosh, I have so much to tell them. I won't even know where to begin."
"Excuse me," a customer at the counter called. "Do you have any cupcakes today, or did they all fall on the floor?"
Ally was confused until she recognized the customer. It was the woman from the other day, the one who'd caught the tray of cupcakes.
"Oh, hi again." Ally smiled. "Are you in town for Lainie Polk's announcement too?"
The customer shook her head. "It sure seems like everyone else is, doesn't it?" She looked closely at Ally. "Are you interested in space travel?"
"Yes!" Ally exclaimed. "It's the only way I'll ever get home again!"
She gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth. "Why did I say that out loud?" she thought. "It's almost like that customer made me say it!"
That's when Ally remembered the difference between Carparians and Camparians.
"Carparians are shape-shifters," Ally's teacher had explained. "They have the power to make others tell the truth just by looking in their eyes. But Carparians are very different from Astralians. They are an aggressive species who enjoy creating mayhem, not peace, on other planets."
"Um . . ." Ally gulped and avoided making eye contact with the customer. "I think I hear Ray calling me in the kitchen. I'll be right back."
Ally scurried into the kitchen and grabbed Barry. "I have to make a phone call. Can you please take the order of that customer at the counter?"
"Sure thing," Barry said.
Ally ducked behind the door and watched as Barry took the customer's order. "If she is a Carparian," Ally thought, "maybe she'll make Barry blurt something out too!"
But the customer simply gave Barry her order and then went back to reading on her phone.
Ally sighed in relief. "There was nothing strange about her interaction with Barry," she told herself. "My imagination is working overtime again."
Ally headed back into the dining room. Ping! Ping! Ping! Just then all the customers' phones began pinging. Everyone, except for the woman at the counter, got up and rushed for the door.
Ally stopped the tall reporter on his way out. "What's going on?"
"Lainie Polk is holding a press conference at the UFO Museum in an hour," he said. "I knew she was in Sandville, and I'm never wrong!" He rushed out the door.
"In one hour?" Ally thought, looking at the clock. She still had three hours left on her shift, but she had to get to that press conference.
"Flo, can you cover for me for a few hours?" Ally asked.
Flo shrugged. "No problem. We were really busy before, but now this place is practically empty."
"Thanks, I owe you one!" Ally took off her apron and ran outside to call Mateo. Before she could dial his number, her own phone rang.
It was Mateo. "Meet me at the museum—as fast as you can!"