“Yes, please!” I say, and devour half of it in three bites. Mmmm. “Thank you. It’s amazing.”

“Hurrah,” she says, beaming. “Now, if you didn’t come in for cheese, why did you come in?”

I lick a stray piece of melted cheddar off my fingers. “I’m looking for someone. She’s about sixteen or so. I think her name might be Beauty? Do you know her?”

The girl smiles. “Beauty! Of course I know Beauty! She’s … well, she’s beautiful! She has the most amazing hair. And skin. Invisible pores. And she’s such a good person,” the girl goes on. “Always doing things for other people. She was a few years behind me at school. I was in her older sister’s class.”

“Great,” I cheer. “Do you know where I can find her?”

“Not too far. She lives in a cottage about an hour outside of town.”

“Oh,” I say. Another hour of riding Pony? At least I have some strength after eating.

“But you know what?” the girl adds. “I bet you can find her at Soup Kitchen. She volunteers there at least twice a week. Or maybe she’ll be at Orphanage. She reads to the children every morning. Or maybe at Garbage Dump? She helps with the recycling.”

“Wow, she does a lot of good stuff,” I say. I can’t help but feel jealous. Beauty sounds like the type of person who would never ruin someone else’s painting.

So now I’m jealous of someone because they’re nice? What is wrong with me?

I am a green-eyed monster. I am more monsterlike than Mr. Beast!

The girl nods. “She does do a lot of good stuff. She’s really beautiful inside and out.”

“She sounds amazing,” I say. I should really do more volunteer work. Maybe I should have a bake sale. Or a car wash. I want to read to orphans. Where can I find orphans?

“Oh, look! There she is now!” The girl points out the window. “She’s helping Grumpy Great-Grandma with her groceries!”

“Someone’s name is Grumpy Great-Grandma?” I ask.

“Yup.” She shakes her head. “She is very, very grumpy.”

I laugh. “What’s your name?” I ask.

“Freckles,” the girl says with a smile.

I spin around to face the window and immediately spot Beauty. How could I miss her? She is, indeed, gorgeous. She has long black curly hair and big brown eyes, and she is wearing a white dress that perfectly shows off her dark brown skin.

I’m not the only one who notices her. Every man, woman, and child on the street has stopped moving to stare at her. She’s like a movie star.

Not that she notices. Beauty is carrying six grocery bags, and a very old woman is holding on to her arm. This woman looks old enough to be Mr. or Mrs. Butler’s grandmother. She’s hunched over and using a cane.