Chapter 5
Charlie was so eager to see Bumblebee that she woke up before her alarm clock went off. She pulled on her bathrobe, grabbed her toothbrush, and squeezed a dollop of toothpaste onto it. She brushed her teeth as she ran down the stairs to the kitchen. She bounded past Otis, who was pouring himself a large bowl of cereal, and Ron, who was on his way out the front door. “Mornin’,” Charlie said as she yanked the toothbrush out of her mouth. “See you later.”
Ron said, “Where are you off to so fast?”
“Nowhere. Have a nice day!” She spat toothpaste into the sink and smiled at Ron and Otis before she sprinted for the door to the garage.
Otis said, “What’s wrong with her?”
Obviously believing his present to Charlie must have had a very positive effect on her, Ron smiled and said, “Sometimes, all you need is the right advice.” He held his head high as he left the house.
Still carrying her toothbrush, Charlie entered the garage and said, “Mornin’, Bumblebee. How do you—?”
Charlie froze. Bumblebee wasn’t in the garage.
“Bee? Where are you?” Charlie walked in a circle, searching the garage’s walls, shelves, and storage bins for any sign of the shape-shifting Beetle. She found nothing. Her toothbrush fell from her hand. She started to panic.
She ran out of the garage and into the front yard. She’d hoped to find Bumblebee parked on the street, but he wasn’t there, either. Looking up the street, she saw Ron driving away in the station wagon.
“Oh, Bumblebee,” Charlie muttered, “where did you go?” She was so preoccupied with her search that she didn’t notice a dark-haired boy emerge from the house next door. The boy was Memo, who still had yet to successfully introduce himself to Charlie. He was holding a superhero comic, but when he saw Charlie, he tossed the comic into a nearby bush so she wouldn’t think he was a nerd.
Charlie ran back into her house. Frantic, she entered the kitchen, saw her brother eating his cereal, and said, “Otis, have you seen my car?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Otis said between mouthfuls, “and my eyes are still scarred.”
Charlie resisted the urge to scream. “Have you seen my car today?!” She gestured to the door to the garage. “It’s gone. Someone stole it.”
“No, idiot,” Otis said. “Mom took it. She had to take Conan to the vet. He ate a rubber glove or something, and Ron needed the station wagon.”
Realizing that no one had stolen Bumblebee, Charlie exhaled with relief and said, “Oh, thank goodness.” But then she considered what Otis had said about their mom taking the car, and she said, “Wait.”
And then she realized waiting was a bad idea.
With her bathrobe flapping at her legs, Charlie ran out of the house again and jumped onto her moped. Memo walked over to her and said, “Hello, me again, we never officially met. We just moved in, and I wanted to—”
“Nope. Yep. Okay.”
Memo sadly watched Charlie speed off on her moped.
Seated behind the wheel of the yellow Beetle, Sally Watson drove through a Brighton Falls neighborhood, trying to soothe Conan, who groaned as he lay on the back seat.
“I know, buddy,” Sally said. “Hang in there. You can’t eat everything you see. This is a good life lesson for you.”
If Sally had glanced in her rearview mirror, she might have seen Charlie on her moped, racing to catch up with Bumblebee. But Bumblebee somehow spotted Charlie traveling behind him, and he extended his robot arm to wave at her.
Conan looked out the window and started barking.
Approaching an intersection, Sally began to slow down, and Charlie was able to pull up beside the Beetle. Sally looked out her window. Seeing Charlie on the moped, Sally jerked back against her seat and said, “What are you doing, Charlie?”
“Mom, you have to pull over!”
Sally noticed that Charlie was wearing a bathrobe. “What’s going on?”
While Charlie seemed to struggle for a good answer, she pointed to the curb and said, “Park there.”
After Sally pulled over to the curb, Charlie got off her moped and leaned on her car. She whispered just loud enough so Sally couldn’t make out her saying, “Stop it. Put your robot stuff away.”
Charlie pushed her moped up onto the grass beside the curb. As Charlie walked back to the driver’s side of the car, Sally said, “You gave me a heart attack. I thought I was being carjacked! I’m taking Conan to the vet.”
“I know,” Charlie said. “Otis told me. And I… I want to go with you.”
“What?”
Charlie looked to the back seat. “I… I’m worried about Conan. He’s my dog, too.” She looked back at her mother. “I should be there!”
Sally pursed her lips. “You really want to go to the vet with me?”
“What, I can’t love my dog? Sue me for having a big heart. Get out; I’ll drive.”
“Charlie—”
Charlie opened the driver’s door and gestured for her mother to move. Flustered, Sally got out of the car. She went around it and got into the front passenger seat while Charlie settled in behind the wheel. Sally said, “You weren’t wearing your helmet, by the way.”
After the vet took care of Conan and patched him up, Charlie drove Sally and Conan back home. Charlie kept the Beetle’s engine running while Sally carried Conan into the house. “Love you, Conan!” Charlie said as she blew a kiss to the dog.
Sally looked at Charlie. Charlie knew her mother was suspicious—Charlie had never been overly fond of Conan before. Charlie waited for Sally to shut the front door, then said, “All right, Bee, we need to go over a few things.”
The Beetle responded with a clanking noise, and then they drove off. They traveled to the outskirts of Brighton Falls and then onto a series of back roads. They turned onto a dirt lane bordered by tall trees with sunlight shafting down through the leaves. Charlie thought Bumblebee’s engine sounded better, almost as if it were producing happy noises.
They arrived at a secluded beach cove and came to a stop. Large rocks bordered the sandy parking area. Charlie got out of the Beetle, walked across the sand, and looked around to make sure that she and Bumblebee were alone. Turning back to the car, she said, “Okay, all clear.”
Bumblebee changed so rapidly from a car into a robot that he accidentally kicked up sand, which showered down on Charlie. Charlie’s mouth fell open with surprise, and she immediately regretted it. As she spat out sand and began brushing more sand off her head and shoulders, she said, “I’m rethinking the beach.”
Seeing that Charlie’s hair was still covered with sand, and looking eager to help, Bumblebee reached out to push his large metal fingertips through her hair. Unfortunately, he only managed to tangle her hair more.
Charlie tried to block his fingers and said, “I’m good, I’m good.”
Ever helpful, Bumblebee wrapped one hand around Charlie and picked her up, lifting her off the ground so he could try shaking the sand off her. Charlie gasped and said, “This is really becoming overkill.”
Bumblebee put her back down. As Charlie brushed off the remaining sand, she said, “Look, this is serious, Bee. Humans aren’t cool about things they don’t understand. If they find you, they’ll probably lock you up in a lab and cut you into little pieces. The only person you can show yourself around is me. Okay?”
Bumblebee nodded.
“So let’s practice. Are you ready?”
Bumblebee nodded again. Charlie took a few steps back to give him some room. “Okay,” she said. “If you see anyone besides me, what do you do?”
Apparently very eager to demonstrate he understood Charlie, Bumblebee jumped as he shifted and clicked his robot body back into the form of the Beetle. He landed in the sand and bounced on his tires.
“Good, perfect,” Charlie said, stepping back again to put some more distance between her and the Beetle. “Okay, you can change back now.”
Again, the Beetle’s parts slid back and returned Bumblebee to robot form.
“That was good,” Charlie said, “now if we—” She glanced over her shoulder, as if she were gazing past the rocks that surrounded the parking area, and then she said in a loud whisper, “Oh no, someone’s here. Hide!” She darted behind a rock and ducked down behind it.
Bumblebee looked at a nearby rock, then mimicked Charlie’s action. He jumped over the rock and crouched on the other side of it.
Charlie stood up, looked at the rock that Bumblebee had selected, and then looked at Bumblebee. She could see him clearly. The rock was only a few feet high and did not even begin to hide Bumblebee’s massive body. Charlie put her hands on her hips and said, “Seriously?”
Apparently realizing his mistake, Bumblebee immediately changed back into Beetle form.
“Too late,” Charlie said, “you’re already dead.”
The Beetle’s parts shifted and slid back until Bumblebee again appeared before Charlie as a robot. He hung his head low and shook it, looking more than a little ashamed.
“It’s okay,” Charlie said as she walked toward him. “That’s why we’re practicing. You’ll get the hang of it.” She reached up and patted his head. Bumblebee’s eyes glowed brighter, and Charlie was pretty sure he was smiling.
Charlie smiled, too. She hadn’t felt so happy in years.
She heard a distant noise, the sound of a car’s engine, and then she realized the noise was getting louder.
Without hesitation, Bumblebee changed back into a car. Charlie got behind the wheel and made a mental note to pick up her abandoned moped on the way home. She started the engine, and they drove off, leaving the beach. As they traveled back up the dirt road, they saw a green sport-utility vehicle coming from the opposite direction. As the SUV passed by, Charlie glanced at its occupants and guessed they were a family heading for the beach.
She began to wonder how long she could keep Bumblebee a secret. She was certain that if others learned about him, they would try to take him away from her, and maybe even destroy him. She promised herself she wouldn’t let that happen.