CHAPTER 14

The Robot

“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present—L.I.L.Y. Bot!” Lily announced as she walked into Classroom 13. She’d spent weeks making her costume. Using boxes and foil and LED lights and magnets, she’d made herself a robot costume. Using an app on her smartphone, Lily could change her voice. She had different lights and flashlights in the arms. She even had roller skates on so it looked like she was hovering above the floor. She’d thought of everything.

“Best. Costume. Ever!” Fatima said. Everyone agreed.

Of course, like the other students, Lily ate some of the candy when she got to class. She placed the candy in her mouth slot and said, “Beep-boop. L.I.L.Y. Bot declares confectionary sustenance is electronically pleasant.” This was just fancy robot-speak for “This candy is delicious.”

But as soon as the cherry-flavored gumdrops touched her tongue, Lily began to transform into a real robot. Her brain changed into microchips and her skin turned into solid steel. Instead of thinking in human language, she began to think in 1’s and 0’s.

“0101010111010101010100101010011,” she said to Olivia.

“Oh no, not you, too,” Olivia said.

“Translating from binary code into language: English,” the robot said. “L.I.L.Y. Bot has become real. She is no longer a human child but a powerful robot. This unit feels—magnificent!”

“Good for you,” Olivia sighed. Things were getting worse by the chapter minute.

“Cool! A robot!” Mason said.

“Not cool,” Olivia said. “We need to stop what’s happening to our classmates!”

“Maybe Mr.—uh, I mean—Miss Robot can help,” Mason said. “L.I.L.Y. Bot, you’re super smart now. Can you help us?”

“Negative. This unit has always wanted to go to outer space. Now that I am no longer a fragile fleshy thing, I can. L.I.L.Y. Bot will begin computations to launch through planetary atmosphere and travel to the moon.” Then she started writing out long mathematical equations on the chalkboard.

“Awesome,” Olivia said sarcastically. “We’re going to have to figure this out on our own. Thanks for nothing, Lily.”

“You are welcome,” said the robot, continuing her space-travel math.

Later, Little Linda Riding Hood tapped L.I.L.Y. Bot on the shoulder. “Excuse me, Ms. Tin Man? I’ve heard a story of your helping lost little girls find their way through the woods. Would you help me?”

“Does not compute,” said L.I.L.Y. Bot.

Little Linda Riding Hood knocked on the robot’s metal plating. “You are the Tin Man, aren’t you? I’m lost in the woods and I need your help finding Grandmama’s house.”

“Are you referring to movie designation: Wizard of Oz?” L.I.L.Y. Bot asked.

Little Linda Riding Hood knocked on L.I.L.Y. Bot’s head. “Sounds like tin to me,” she said.

“Incorrect! Be gone, fleshy thing. I have equations to solve if—beep boop boo—error!” L.I.L.Y. Bot froze.

“Ms. Tin Man?” Riding Hood asked.

But the robot’s lights dimmed. Her limbs fell to her sides. She could not move. L.I.L.Y. Bot realized that her batteries had died. When Lily had made her costume, she had thought of everything—except the possibility of becoming a real robot and needing a cord to plug in.