Once I shooed Linus, Lucy, and Hobbes back to their apartment, I went to look for Pandora.

Luckily, green-headed people are easy to spot.

“Yeah, I saw her,” Julius said. “She ran right out the lobby door just a few minutes ago. She was headed in the direction of the playground.”

“Thanks!” I said and ran toward the door, too. Behind me I could hear a rustle of plant leaves and the sound of Potted Plant Guy laughing.

“Heh, heh, heh.”

Pandora was in the playground. Well, not exactly in the playground. She was about a foot above the playground. Riding on my hovercraft!

“Hey!!” She waved to me as she zoomed by. “Did you know this thing flies?”

It was flying really well, too. She zipped around the monkey bars and leaned to the left to make it swoop back toward me. I have to admit it … she could ride that thing like a pro.

I had a big smile on my face. Because now I was pretty sure that my hovercraft could win the contest. I didn’t know what Sid’s entry was going to be, but I doubted it would be anywhere near as cool as what I had built.

As soon as I thought that, guess who comes walking into the playground?

That’s right.

Sid Frackas.

“HA!” I said to Sid. “Looks like you wasted your money on those spinning lollipops. My hovercraft is alive and well”—Pandora did a figure eight—“and totally awesome.”

“How disappointing for me,” Sid said while watching Pandora on the hovercraft.

But he didn’t look disappointed. That should have been a tip-off, but I was just so excited about my hovercraft, I didn’t think about it. Suddenly, Sid whipped a walkie-talkie out of his pocket, turned around, and whispered something into it.

In a matter of seconds, about a dozen Tidwell Towers kids came rushing into the playground, including Cat, Perry, and Boris. The strange thing was, they were all wearing yellow raincoats. On the back of the raincoats the words “Bubble Blaster Jackets” was crossed off in magic marker. In its place someone had written ANTI-ALIEN PATROL on each jacket.

“What did you do, Sid Frackas?” I demanded.

“I just sealed your doom,” he said coolly.

“There it is!!!” Boris shouted. He was pointing at my hovercraft.

“LET’S GO GET IT!!” shouted Cat, and held up a bow and arrow.

“No! Wait!” I yelled. “That’s for the Lego contest!”

“Who cares about a Lego contest!” Myra said. “We’re trying to get the alien on that flying saucer!”

I looked at Pandora. And her crazy green hair. And her silver cape. Floating a foot off the ground.

Uh-oh.