Chapter 23

Ugh. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I guess that’s what happens when you stay up half the night trying to figure out a way to sneak seven classmates into your parents’ top secret laboratory. Especially when one of them sloshes around in a giant goldfish bowl. And the worst part is what I came up with—which is nothing. Zip. Zippo. Zilch. Nada. Well, unless you count synonyms for “nothing.”

I walk into Ms. Gassias’s math class. She’s not here yet. Good. Maybe I can catch a minute or two of shut-eye. Then again, maybe not. Luna is sitting in the middle of the classroom, and there’s a seat open right behind her. Here’s my opportunity! I quickly make my way over to the open desk.

What is it with this guy? What did I ever do to him? Well, the seat next to him is open. I guess I’ll just take that one and hope he doesn’t decide to cram me into my backpack.

“Sorry again, brainiac, but that’s my right foot’s seat.”

Dorn puts his foot on the desk. I see that the desk next to him on the other side is open. I may not be a Mighty Mega Supergenius—yet—but I’m smart enough to know where this is going.

“Let me guess—you’re using that desk, too, right?”

“Nope.”

“Really? I… uh… I guess I’ll just sit over there, then.”

“But my left foot is.”

Wow. Dorn may be a jerk, but I’ve got to give him credit for being flexible. Although I doubt he can fit his whole body into a helmet, like I can. Anyway, there’s another seat open in the back, next to Rand-El. I sit down without a hitch. Dorn is eyeballing me, but apparently, he isn’t quite that flexible.

As I’m taking my book out of my backpack, I hear a deep, growling sound from the other side of the room. It’s getting louder. It’s Grimnee, and she’s clomping her way toward the center of the room. She doesn’t look happy.

Yikes! Zot wasn’t kidding. Grimnee really doesn’t like bullies! She rolls Dorn out into the hallway, closes the door, and sits back down. Her desktop is missing a large, hand-shaped chunk.

Rand-El leans over. “So, Kelvin, how are we going to get into that lab?”

Gee, I thought he’d never ask. “I don’t know yet,” I tell him. “We need to use one of my parents’ key cards, but if they find out I took it, I’ll be toast.”

Rand-El looks disappointed. “I already talked to the rest of the group, and they all think they can sneak out of their LIV spaces tonight. This might be the only time everybody can make it.”

“Well, my parents are going to Bula’s art fair tonight, and they’ll have their key cards with them. But I’ll see what I can do. By the way, why do you sit way back here? I can hardly see the screen.”

“Not a problem,” Rand-El says. “My top set of eyes is great for long distances. I can read a textbook from five hundred feet away.”

I’m confused. “Then why do you wear glasses?”

“Because,” he says, “they look cool. The top ones don’t even have lenses in them.”

Ms. Gassias enters the room.

She’s a cloud of gas, although she won’t tell us what kind. I can tell you this much, though—she’s definitely not odorless.

“Kelvin, would you do us the honor of coming up and solving today’s first problem? I’m sure this all seems too simple for a young man of your cognitive abilities, but it would help the rest of the class to see it done correctly.”

Man, I cannot catch a break at this school! I was able to do most of the homework, but Ms. Gassias always puts the hardest problems up on the screen. And they’re usually waaay over my head.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to hog the best problems, Ms. Gassias. Why don’t you go ahead and let somebody else give it a try.”

“Nonsense, Mr. Klosmo. Stop being so modest and come on up here. I’m hoping to learn something myself.”

All right. Here goes nothing. I can’t see the screen from back here. Maybe it’s not too tough of a problem after all. Maybe I’ll luck out and I can fudge my way through it. I get up and slowly walk to the front of the class. As I get closer, the screen comes into focus.

Wait! I know this one! I can do this! Prepare to be impressed, Luna. Ol’ Kelvin is going to strut his stuff. I grab the stylus and begin to write, pausing a couple times to stroke my chin so everybody thinks I’m a real thinker.

Wait a minute. Why is everyone laughing? Oh no—please don’t tell me I got it wrong. I’m positive that’s right! Well, almost positive.

“Funny as well as brilliant, I see, Mr. Klosmo. That problem, of course, was left on the screen from some tutoring I was doing with a third grader this morning. Here is your problem.”

Yikes! Is that a math problem or a secret launch code? I don’t hear any fire alarms going off, either, so I’m toast for sure this time. Maybe I can talk Mom and Dad into homeschooling me so I never have to come out of my room again.

Or not. Okay, this is getting weird.