CHAPTER 11
Doomed?
The next morning, Mom popped into Ellie’s room. “Time for school, superhero!”
Ellie pulled her blanket over her head. She didn’t want to face anybody, not after making a super blooper of herself the day before. “Can I stay home?” she croaked. “I can clean up the finger paints in Cyclops’s tank. He wants to start a new hobby . . . knitting.”
Mom peeked at Ellie under the blanket. “I know you’re worried about yesterday, but give your friends some credit. They like you, super skills and all. Besides, you belong in school. What if a mutant cheeseburger attacks the cafeteria?”
Ellie cracked a smile. Her mom knew just how to lift her spirits.
“Oh! That reminds me,” Mom added. “Your tutu is all clean. I’m glad Dad and I got the Ultra Washing Machine working again. Blob gunk is hard to get out!”
* * *
When Ellie arrived at school, Mr. Cleveland was waiting at the main entrance. He greeted her with a serious face instead of his usual smile. “Ellie, I need to speak with you in my office,” he said firmly.
Ellie’s stomach dropped as she followed him inside. Going to the principal’s office was like stepping into a super-villain’s lair. She doubted Mr. Cleveland had any giant hairy spiders hanging around, but it still made her worry.
“Do you know why you’re here, Ellie?” Mr. Cleveland asked as he sat down behind his desk.
Ellie shook her head. She’d been too nervous to read his mind and find out.
“I heard what happened in Miss Little’s classroom,” Mr. Cleveland began. “Blobs have never visited Winkopolis Elementary School, and I hope they don’t again. Their visit was extraordinary. It surprised your teacher and classmates, but they were more surprised by your behavior. I heard it was also quite extraordinary.”
Ellie’s worries doubled. The blobs were extraordinary, and Mr. Cleveland didn’t think they belonged in school — which was true. Did he also feel that way about third-grade superheroes?
Mr. Cleveland continued: “Because of your extraordinary behavior, I need to give you this . . .” He reached into a folder and pulled out a piece of paper with a bunch of words on it.
Ellie scooted to the edge of her seat and scanned the certificate. It read:
Ellie couldn’t believe it. She was getting an award for being a superhero! Her eyes lit up as she read the certificate over and over.
“Every school needs a hero,” Mr. Cleveland said with a smile, “and we’re happy to have one who’s as super as you. Now, if you’ll follow me, your class has something to say to you too.”
Ellie stood up and followed Mr. Cleveland down the hallway. She beamed at her award the whole time. As she stepped inside the classroom, applause filled the air. Miss Little and the kids crowded around, cheering, “YAAAY for Ellie! YAY!”
Ellie was stunned. “You’re happy to see me?” she asked. “But aren’t you mad about your projects? The blobs ruined your things, and it was all because they were looking for what I had. I messed up everything.”
“I can always make another picture,” Payton said, patting Ellie’s shoulder. “My mom found more yarn.”
“And besides,” Owen added, “those blobs wanted to take over the world. If you hadn’t stopped them, they would’ve turned us all into space pets — not just Dex.”
Everybody looked at Dex. At his desk, he was making his rottenest face yet.
Ellie rolled her eyes. The least he could do was be nice to her. After all, she’d rescued him! But when did a super-villain ever thank a superhero? Never, the last time she’d checked.
Hannah wrapped her arms around Ellie. “You’re not just a superhero — you’re a super friend!” Hannah said. “A real super friend!”
Ellie’s heart leaped higher than a kangaroo on a jet-powered pogo stick. She felt super. Actually, she felt more than super. She was their friend, and that felt extraordinary.
That day, everyone got used to having extraordinary Ellie around. During math, the class learned how to round numbers to the nearest quadrillion. When they ran relay races in gym, Ellie helped her team win — again and again.
That afternoon, when Joshua couldn’t find Mars from his solar system model, Ellie scanned the classroom. Her X-ray vision solved the mystery of the missing planet. Mars was in the Mystery Box!
“Have a super weekend!” Miss Little told her students at the end of the day.
“I hope it’s not too super,” Ellie said. “Farmer Cyborg’s chicken-bots keep showing up, and they’re getting mechanical feathers all over the place!”
Miss Little looked like Ellie had laid a chicken-bot egg. Then she replied, “I bet those villains are no match for Ellie Ultra.”
Ellie smiled. For an ordinary teacher, Miss Little is pretty super, she thought.
* * *
When she got home, Ellie flew like a whirlwind into her parents’ lab. At their worktable, Mom and Dad were drawing up plans for a new invention. The rush of air sent their drawings flying.
“Look at what I got!” Ellie shouted. She held out the certificate as papers rained down.
“Good work, Super Student!” Dad said.
Ellie dug the Ultra Remote out of her backpack. “Turns out, you were right. I don’t need the remote,” she said. “The kids like having a superhero around!”
Mom put her arm around Ellie. “They like you because you’re a super kid, powers or no powers.”
“That award would look great in your room,” Dad added. “Right next to your Most Helpful Citizen ribbon.”
“Super-genius idea!” Ellie exclaimed. She raced upstairs and plucked a pushpin from her bulletin board. After pinning up the certificate, she stepped back to admire it. It had been extraordinary to share her super self, but the truth was, her friends didn’t seem to care about her powers one way or the other. They liked Ellie for Ellie. And that was the most extraordinary thing of all.