Shane continued, “Let’s take a look around, shall we? Ooh, Miss Carver’s lunch bag. I wonder what’s in here. An onion sandwich? Wow. That is so gross and not surprising at all.”
Miss Carver threw a chair at the speaker. It hit the wall and clattered to the ground.
“Oh, look!” said Shane. “There’s a dartboard with all our pictures on it. Maybe Fatima could write an article about it for the school paper. I’m sure our parents would love to know about that.”
Everyone in the cafeteria was listening to Shane’s every word.
Over the PA system was the sound of a drawer opening. “What’s in here? Our disciplinary records? Well, these are going straight in the shredder. And what’s this? The control panel to the electronic sign in front of the school? I can write any message I want?”
By now, Miss Carver was practically foaming at the mouth.
“How about . . . ‘My name is Miss Carver and I’m the worst principal in the history of the world. And I smell like a corpse.’”
Miss Carver couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ll get you, you rotten little toad!” She ran to the door and put the key in the lock.
“Look out!” said Jaclyn.
Jaclyn, Paige, and Fatima rolled the volcano behind the corner and ducked out of sight just as Miss Carver burst out of the doors. In a blind rage, she tore off toward her office.
The coast was clear.
Chapter Nineteen
It’s Been a Long Time
Jaclyn, Fatima, and Paige pushed the volcano into the cafeteria. The whole place was in shambles. There was food everywhere. Teachers were yelling and students were fighting, destroying everything around them in the process.
“Where should we put this thing?” said Jaclyn. “We need the lava to hit everybody.”
Fatima pointed to the table in the center of the room. “How about there?”
It was the only table left upright—Zeke had flipped the rest. It was also the stage for Marina and Mr. Collins’s two-person show. They were still tap-dancing on the table. Marina was singing in her screechiest voice, and Mr. Collins was dancing next to her in his moose costume.
Jaclyn’s parents were still tied up on the bench in front of them, forced to be their audience. However, now they were also being forced to hold heat lamps from the cafeteria kitchen so Marina and Mr. Collins could each have a spotlight. Sweat dripped down Dad’s forehead.
“This is the worst show I have ever seen,” he said.
“Make it stop,” Mom cringed.
“This is a five-act extravaganza, and we’re only on the first scene,” Marina snarled at them.
“We’ve got to help them,” said Jaclyn.
They pushed the cart through the crowd as quickly as they could, but it wasn’t easy. Their deranged classmates were darting out in front of them from every direction, and they had to steer around benches and tables that were strewn everywhere. The wheels skidded on some spilled milk and the whole thing almost tipped over. Paige used all her strength to keep the volcano upright.
They were getting close to the center of the cafeteria when Todd leaped on Jaclyn’s back like a toddler who’d just eaten a bag of sugar for lunch.
Davis grabbed her arm. “Give me all your money!”
“I don’t have any money!” said Jaclyn, trying to buck Todd off her back while wriggling her arm free from Davis.
“Hey, maybe we can sell that volcano!” said Todd.
Paige stepped in front of the cart and held out her arms to keep the sixth graders away from the volcano.
Fatima ran over to Ryan Knowles. His ketchup-and-mustard painting now covered all four walls and much of the floor, but he showed no sign of stopping. Fatima snatched the ketchup and mustard bottles out of his hands and ran back toward Jaclyn.
“I’m not done yet!” Ryan called after her.
“Paige, catch,” Fatima said, tossing her the mustard bottle.
In perfect unison, Fatima squirted the ketchup into Todd’s face while Paige squirted the mustard into Davis’s. Todd fell off Jaclyn’s back and onto the floor. Davis turned around and ran straight into a wall.
Now was their chance. The girls zigzagged the rest of the way until they finally reached the table in the center of the room.
“Jaclyn, you’re back,” Mom said with relief.
“Middle school is so much worse than I remember,” Dad blubbered.
Jaclyn began untying her parents. Fatima unplugged the heat lamps.
Marina froze in the middle of her dance. “How dare you turn off my spotlight,” she hissed.
Paige jumped up and popped the moose head off Mr. Collins. “Hey, Zeke. Catch,” she said, hurtling the head across the room. Zeke caught it and grinned. Then he crushed it between his hands.
“No!” Mr. Collins cried. He hopped off the table and ran toward Zeke.
“Mr. Collins, wait!” Marina wailed, running after him. “The show must go on!” With the table now empty, Paige and Fatima hoisted the volcano on top of it. Jaclyn untied the last of the extension cord that was binding her parents to the bench. Mom and Dad leaped to their feet.
“You guys have to get out of here before the volcano erupts,” said Jaclyn. She turned to Paige and Fatima. “And you, too. The last thing I need is for my best friends to turn into monsters.”
Fatima and Paige shot each other a look.
“Yeah,” said Fatima dryly. “I wonder what that would be like.”
Paige and Fatima led Jaclyn’s parents toward the door, but before they could get out, Miss Carver burst in, pulling Shane by his ear.
“Get in here with the rest of the animals,” she screamed. Then she locked the doors behind her again.
“Quick—over here,” said Fatima. She and Paige pulled Jaclyn’s parents into the kitchen. They all crouched behind the counter, holding cafeteria trays above their heads for extra protection.
Miss Carver’s eyes narrowed at Jaclyn, who was standing on the table next to the volcano.
“What are you doing?” she barked.
“Don’t worry, Miss Carver. I’m going to fix everything.”
She arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Everyone in here got poisoned with Perfection Potion, and it’s all my fault.” She held up the beaker full of lava and cider. “This will change everyone back to normal.”
“No, don’t do that!” Miss Carver snapped.
Jaclyn looked at her with utter confusion. “Why not?”
“Because—” Miss Carver’s expression shifted. Her scowl vanished, and she spoke gently. “Because you’re perfect just the way you are, Jaclyn.” She took a step closer. “Why don’t you put down that beaker and forget about it.”
Jaclyn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Why would I do that?”
Miss Carver forced a cloying smile. “I’ll make you the star of every play.”
“You chained the doors of the theater shut.”
Miss Carver held up her key ring. “I’ll unchain them. And I’ll make you star artist of the week. Or better yet, star artist for life! And guess what? You’ve won the science fair.”
“But it hasn’t even started . . .”
“Who cares? Look at that magnificent volcano—I can tell you deserve first prize.” A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. “I’ve got the ribbon in my office. Just put down the beaker.”
Jaclyn looked at the mixture in her hand. Then she looked back at Miss Carver.
“Come on, Jaclyn. I’m offering you everything you ever wanted.”
Jaclyn shook her head. “I don’t want it anymore.” She uncorked the beaker. “Miss Carver, stand back.”
Miss Carver’s nostrils flared. She charged at Jaclyn like a bull all the way across the cafeteria, releasing a thunderous shout of anger. She reached up and grabbed Jaclyn’s wrist, her nails digging into her flesh. “GIVE ME THAT PERFECTION POTION.”
Out of nowhere, Paige came flying through the air and crashed into Miss Carver, tacklin
g her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her.
“You really should let me be on the football team,” said Paige.
“Now!” Fatima shouted to Jaclyn from behind the counter.
Jaclyn poured the mixture into the volcano, and it began to bubble.
Paige rolled under the table and grabbed Miss Carver by her legs, pulling her to safety as Mount Vesuvius exploded with spectacular inaccuracy. Cider and lava rained down on the cafeteria, splattering onto every student and teacher in the room. Now everyone resembled the painted figurines at the base of the volcano as they ran in all different directions.
Then, all at once, everyone stopped in their tracks. A sound rippled through the room like a massive exhale as the monstrous alter egos dissolved. Limbs untwisted. Bodies returned to their normal sizes. The toxic green in everyone’s eyes faded away.
Jaclyn looked down at her hands. They were soft and smooth, her nails no longer sharp. She felt her pigtails, which were neatly combed without a single frayed hair.
Fatima, Mom, and Dad crawled out from behind the counter. Paige popped up from under the table. When they saw Jaclyn, they all beamed.
“Welcome back,” said Fatima.
Suddenly, they heard a howling scream. Miss Carver was writhing on the floor, a drop of lava dripping down her cheek.
“Oh no,” said Jaclyn.
“I tried to pull her out of the way,” said Paige.
Miss Carver clutched her chest and her eyes went wide. “Jaclyn! What have you done?” She writhed around, twisting in agony.
Fatima went pale. “Miss Carver is going to turn even more evil.”
“How is that possible?” Paige said, horrified.
But then, Miss Carver’s hunched back straightened. Her long hair broke free from the tight braid and sprang into bright red curls. Her permanent scowl melted into a warm smile.
As she stood up, Jaclyn instantly recognized her. “Greta Goodman?”
The woman walked over, took Jaclyn’s hands, and looked her right in the eye. “It’s been a long time since anyone has called me that.”
Chapter Twenty
The Happiest Moment
Jaclyn walked into the crowded lobby of the Fog Island Playhouse. It was December now, and the fog outside was crystalizing into a thin layer of frost.
“There you are,” said Fatima. “I was worried you were going to be late.”
Jaclyn checked her watch. “I would never be late to the professional premiere of Fog Island: The Musical.”
Fatima smiled. “Well, it wouldn’t be happening without you.”
Jaclyn had felt so terrible about ruining the school’s production that she had taken it upon herself to submit the script to the community theater. They had accepted it right away.
Henry and Greta Goodman walked through the theater’s front door arm in arm. Greta was wearing big snowflake-shaped earrings that sparkled against her red curls. Henry had on a fresh pair of overalls.
“There’s our star writer!” Greta said, handing Fatima a bouquet of purple flowers.
“Technically, I’m only the cowriter. But I’ll take all the flowers anyway,” Fatima said.
Greta gestured around the lobby. “Isn’t this amazing? Just one more reason to be proud of my students.”
“They really are a remarkable bunch,” said Henry, looking at Jaclyn with a twinkle in his eye.
After the lava explosion had turned her back to normal, Greta had run all the way to Enfield Manor to find her estranged husband, Henry. She’d told him that years earlier, she had discovered that Dr. Enfield was working on a Perfection Potion. Even though she knew she was a good principal, she had always thought she could be better. She thought she could be perfect. Secretly, she took some of the Perfection Potion for herself. She knew right away that she’d made a mistake, but she couldn’t figure out a way to reverse it. It didn’t take long for Miss Carver to take over her body entirely. Without Jaclyn, she would have stayed that way forever. The letter Henry had found saying Greta was leaving him was really written by Miss Carver. Greta had never wanted to leave Henry. When she returned and explained it all, it was the happiest moment of Henry’s life.
“Oh good—I made it! Practice went long,” said Paige, running into the theater. She was wearing a big puffy coat over a mud-caked football uniform. She had joined the team as a linebacker just in time for playoffs.
“You ready for the big game this weekend?” Greta asked.
Paige smiled wide. “We’re going to crush ’em, Mrs. G.”
Shane’s voice cut through the crowd. “Five minutes until curtain!” He flickered the lobby lights on and off.
Jaclyn hurried over to him. “Hey, Shane. Have a great show. It’s so cool that you’re the assistant stage manager.”
“Thanks. They have a much bigger budget than at school. I’m in charge of six different fog machines!”
“I can’t wait to see it,” said Jaclyn.
“You won’t be able to see much.” He grinned. “It’s going to get really foggy in there.”
Jaclyn laughed. “Will you tell Marina ‘break a leg’ for me? She must be so excited to be in her first professional production.”
“I’ll tell her as soon as I see her. I think she’s still getting into her tree costume.” He looked at his clipboard. “I’ve got to run. I still have some props to set.” He hurried backstage.
Jaclyn turned around and saw Mr. Hanh at the concession stand. Todd and Davis were behind the counter.
“These are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten!” Mr Hanh exclaimed.
“We couldn’t have done it without Jaclyn,” said Todd. “She gave us the recipe for Grandma Hyde’s Chocolate Delights.”
“We’re raising money to start a whale-watching club,” said Davis.
“I hope you’re not planning to buy an actual whale,” Jaclyn joked.
“We hadn’t thought of that,” said Todd.
Davis tapped his chin. “How many cookies do you think we’d have to sell?”
Fatima and Paige walked over and each put an arm around Jaclyn.
“Come on, let’s get some good seats,” said Paige.
“Excuse me,” said Fatima. “I’m the coplaywright. It’s all taken care of.”
The girls went into the theater and made their way toward the stage. They waved to their parents, who were all sitting together, laughing and talking. Then they took their reserved seats in the front row next to Mr. Collins.
“This is so thrilling!” he exclaimed. “Everyone is going to love act three.”
“Act three?” asked Jaclyn.
“I added a whole section about Enfield Manor,” said Fatima. “I couldn’t let all that valuable research go to waste. Plus, we needed to put in the moose dream sequence.”
Jaclyn and Paige looked at her in surprise.
She leaned over to them and whispered, “It means a lot to Mr. Collins—and it honestly turned out pretty great.”
Mr. Collins clapped his hands. “I’ve never been more excited for anything in my life!”
Jaclyn spotted Greta and Henry across the aisle. “I forgot to say thank you for the lab equipment.”
After Greta and Henry had reunited, they’d decided to move from the small cottage on Dr. Enfield’s estate into the manor. They cleared out all the cobwebs and dusty furniture and gave all the lab equipment to Jaclyn.
“Of course,” said Greta. She tapped her forehead. “A powerful young mind needs some powerful lab equipment.”
“I’m already putting it to good use. I’ve made some major improvements to the lava formula.”
“Jaclyn!” Paige exclaimed. “You already won the blue ribbon.”
Mrs. Goodman had awarded the volcano project first place in the science fair. Even though it technically hadn’t erupted during the science fair, it was by far the most life-changing science project in the history of Fog Island Middle School.
Fatima shook her head. “You still want to make
it more realistic?”
“Nope,” said Jaclyn. “I want to make an even bigger explosion!”
Jaclyn had found that once she wasn’t worried about being perfect anymore, she had a lot more energy to focus on what she really cared about. She was most happy experimenting with her chemistry set and dreaming up new ideas. Once she was happy with the lava formula, she planned to move onto her next invention: edible wood chips for Charles.
As the lights dimmed and the musicians played the opening notes of “This Land Is Fog Land,” Jaclyn smiled at her two best friends. Maybe she wasn’t perfect, but this moment certainly was.
About the Authors
© Jackie Rodman Photography
ANNABETH BONDOR-STONE & CONNOR WHITE are the authors of Time Tracers: The Stolen Summers and the Shivers series. Their work has been translated into multiple languages and featured on the Chicago Public Library’s Best Fiction for Young Readers list as well as the Huffington Post. After graduating from Northwestern University, Annabeth and Connor moved to New York to eat huge slices of pizza, then moved to Los Angeles when they got full. Now they travel to schools across the country using comedy to inspire kids to read and write. You can follow them on Twitter @ABandConnor or follow them around in person if you live in LA. Find out more at www.annabethandconnor.com.
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Copyright
JACLYN HYDE. Copyright © 2019 by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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