CHAPTER 9

Ellie Ultra

After Payton had rounded up the last bouncy ball, Miss Little put the lid on Owen’s collection. His shoe box was now sitting quietly next to Dex’s shareable item, a remote-controlled Action Smash Truck, on the teacher’s desk. All through morning announcements, Dex had smashed the truck into Ellie’s chair. Ellie had been close to melting it into a plastic lump, but Miss Little had gotten her hands on it first.

When everyone else had finished presenting, Miss Little gave the truck back to Dex. “It’s your turn to present,” she said. “You can show us how your item works. Just remember to be careful around the art caddy and storage baskets — and the flowerpot.”

Dex smiled wickedly, rubbing his hands together like the evil mastermind he was. Obviously, he was plotting something. Whatever it was, Ellie knew it meant trouble.

On the floor, Dex built an obstacle course. He stacked books and arranged crayon cups. Then he set down his four-wheeled fiend. “I know everything about Action Smash Trucks,” he said. “This one is called Goliath, and it can knock down anything. If you don’t believe me, watch.”

The class leaned forward as Dex pulled a remote control out of his hoodie. Ellie edged closer to get a better look too.

Oddly enough, Dex’s remote looked just like the Ultra Remote. The only difference between the two was the Action Smash stamp on the back of Dex’s.

With a click, Goliath’s headlights flashed on. With two clicks, it lurched forward. Down went the books. Down went the cups. Dex stood over his minion’s mess, grinning approvingly.

As Goliath trampled some crayons, Ellie turned away from the motorized mayhem. Her super ears had caught wind of a familiar noise outside. It whirred like a fan, coming closer and closer and . . .

CRASH! Out of nowhere, a spaceship crashed into the room. It circled slowly above the class, its lights flashing this way and that.

It was Captain Blob and the Goo Crew!

Ellie blinked as the saucer floated overhead. Was her super sight playing a trick on her? Last week, the aliens had tried to drop in on her house. That she could believe. If they wanted to control the universe like her mom had said, they’d need an Ultra invention. But why would they come to school?

She gasped. The Ultra Remote! Opening her desk, she quickly grabbed the remote and hid it in her sock.

The spaceship settled onto the United States of America rug, taking up all fifty states, including Alaska. The top flipped off, and a group of blobs wiggled out. Each one stood no taller than the average third grader and had a body that jiggled like a mound of jelly.

“I ampptth Captain Blob,” announced the jiggliest of them all, his tongue spitting green goo. “My crew and I have comepptth for the Ultra Remote. With it, we will take over the planet. Then . . . THE UNIVERSE!”

Miss Little shrieked. Payton and Owen’s mouths hung open. Hannah hugged her dance scrapbook. Dex stared blankly as Captain Blob oozed forward.

The captain swiped Dex’s remote away. “At last, the Ultra Remote is ours!” he said triumphantly.

Captain Blob raised the remote like it was a trophy for World’s Worst Super-Villain.

Ellie shook her head. Super-villains were like that, always celebrating for a no-good reason. If I’m lucky, Captain Blob will think Dex’s remote is the real thing, she thought. Then he’ll take his goopy friends and go.

Unfortunately, luck was not on Ellie’s side.

Turning over the remote, Captain Blob eyeballed it suspiciously. “Hmmpptth?” he said, spotting the words ACTION SMASH. “This isn’t an Ultra invention! The real remote must be hiding somewhere.” He flung a pointed finger at his crew. “Find it!”

The other blobs gave a slimy salute and then split up to search the classroom. One blob yanked the yarn out of Payton’s picture. Another one left green smudges all over Amanda’s journal.

“Give that back!” Joshua shouted as a blob picked apart his solar system model. “Do you know how long that took to make?”

Ellie watched in horror. The blobs weren’t just hunting for the remote. They were messing up everybody’s projects! How could she stop them? Using her powers would make her stick out again. The only other solution she could think of was handing over her parents’ gadget.

Maybe an intergalactic takeover wouldn’t be that bad, Ellie thought. There might not be any more homework . . .

“No!” Hannah cried.

Ellie turned around just as a blob snatched Hannah’s scrapbook. The blob peeled off a picture of Hannah, who was dressed like a tap-dancing ice cream cone. It opened wide, then swallowed the picture whole.

Hannah needed help. So did the rest of Ellie’s friends. How could she sit there and do nothing? That would be really un-super of her.

Across the room, Dex and Captain Blob were going head-to-head in a tug-of-war over Goliath. “That’s my truck!” Dex shouted, trying to pull it away.

With Dex keeping the captain busy, Ellie decided to make her move. She blinked and turned herself invisible. Then she snuck past the blobs, heading for the window.

As she passed Captain Blob, her curls accidentally tickled his nose.

“Ah . . . ah . . . ,” the captain sniffled.

He was going to sneeze! Ellie ducked out of the way.

“Ah-CHOOMPPTTH!” Captain Blob let loose a shower of blob boogers.

Dex let go of his truck. “GROSS!” he yelled. His hands were dripping with green goo.

Ellie felt bad for Dex, but she couldn’t worry about him getting slimed. She had a much slimier super-villain to worry about. How could she get rid of Captain Blob? She needed a super idea from something that was equally super — her comic books!