Ada Lace and the Impossible Mission

by Emily Calandrelli

  For the kids who let their curiosity get the best of them—it will create the best in you

  —E. C.

  For Keith Zoo, my partner in crime

  —R. K.

  Chapter One

  OUT OF THE CLINK

  Ada Lace. It concerns me to see you in detention,” said Ms. Lily. “I know you love science, and your curiosity is admirable. But it has its limits. You can’t just help yourself to school equipment after hours. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Yes, Ms. Lily,” said Ada.

  “The rules are for everyone to follow. You don’t get special treatment because your dad’s a teacher here.”

  “I know, Ms. Lily. I didn’t mean . . .” Ms. Lily held up her hand, and Ada closed her mouth. She’d always gotten along well with her principal. It didn’t feel good to be in trouble with her.

  “I know you know. But it doesn’t hurt for you to hear it from me. Now, let’s make sure we don’t meet like this again, okay?”

  “Okay, Ms. Lily.”

  • • •

  Milton was waiting outside. They had been on opposite sides of the room in the same detention.

  “How come you didn’t have to talk to her?” Ada asked.

  “Aw, they’re used to seeing me here. Stick with me, kid. They’ll get used to you, too.”

  “No, thanks,” said Ada. Ada and Milton hadn’t been doing anything bad. Not really. They had just found a weird bug after school, and they used the science lab to dissect it. Ada had permission to be in the art room after school, with her dad, or outside, but all the other classrooms were off-limits.

  “I never thought Ms. Azalea would turn us in. She’s usually so nice!” said Ada.

  “Yeah, but the risk is half the fun, right?” said Milton.

  “Speak for yourself,” said Ada. They got to the west entrance, near Mr. Lace’s room. Milton was supposed to meet his mom outside.

  “Wanna hang out later?” Milton asked.

  “Nah, I have homework,” said Ada, “and I’m not allowed to hang out today anyway.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “If Nina can come too.”

  “I guess,” said Milton. Ada kept hoping that Milton and Nina would start to like each other more. It hadn’t happened yet.

  • • •

  The worst part about trying to hang out with Nina and Milton at the same time was that they could never agree on anything. But Ada was determined to make it work. Usually that meant waiting until Nina and Milton both got tired of arguing, and suggesting something that they could agree on. Unfortunately, neither of them was that excited about the compromise. Ada suggested a movie instead of a water balloon toss (Milton) or creating a Juniper Garden swap shop (Nina). They agreed, and Ada was relieved. Then she realized they also had to agree on which movie to go see.

  “But you’ve seen that Wizards of Weird movie,” said Milton.

  “I know! But it’s totally rewatchable,” said Nina.

  “How do you know?” said Ada.

  “I’ve seen it twice!” said Nina.

  “Okay. Why don’t we start with stuff we haven’t seen?” Ada suggested.

  That left Teeny Tiny Kitten Frenzy, which was too cute even for Nina, and Mission Probable. Usually Ada didn’t like heist movies, but she decided to give it a try. Ada’s mom brought them to the theater, and while Ada, Nina, and Milton watched their movie, Ms. Lace, Elliott, and Jack went to see Teeny Tiny Kittens.

  “You guys are making such a big mistake,” said Elliott. “Do you know how many kittens there are???”

  “Uh, a lot?” said Ada.

  “Five hundred and twenty-three!!!” said Elliott.

  “Well, give me your review afterward, Elliott. Maybe I’ll see it next time.”

  • • •

  Ada was surprised at how much she enjoyed Mission Probable. It was pretty easy to figure out what was going to happen next. In fact, Nina kept leaning over to whisper to Ada what was coming up. But there was technology Ada hadn’t ever seen in a movie before. It was all kind of rough and homemade looking, which made it seem like a lot of it could be created at home. And some of the ways the thieves navigated the security were different from what she had seen in other movies. For example, instead of slinking around the security laser beams like ninjas, they used mirrors to divert the security beams around them. Nothing looked like it was something from the future. Instead, all their tools looked like something Mr. Peebles might be able to put together. It totally captured Ada’s imagination.

  • • •

  “That was so cool, wasn’t it?” said Milton.

  “A little on the predictable side, don’tcha think?” said Nina.

  “Oh, like seeing W of W for a third time?” said Milton. Nina rolled her eyes.

  “Well, I thought all the tools were cool,” said Ada.

  “Yes! Exactly!” said Milton. “It makes heists look fun.”

  “Too bad they’re so illegal,” said Nina.

  “Yeah,” said Ada. “It is kind of too bad.”

  • • •

  They met Elliott, Jack, and Ms. Lace outside the bathrooms.

  “How was it, Ell?” Ada asked.

  “A little disappointing,” said Elliott. Ada was surprised.

  “Why?”

  “Well, first of all, there were only four hundred and ninety cats. I’m pretty sure they used some of the cats over again,” said Elliott.

  “And they weren’t nearly as fuzzy as I was expecting,” said Jack.

  “So, thumbs down?” said Nina.

  “Just wait for it to stream,” said Elliott.

  • • •

  Later that night in bed, as Ada drifted off to sleep, she imagined she was scaling an unbelievably tall building using gecko gloves. She got to the top floor and looked in the window to see Milton. He smiled and waved. Then he opened the window, which tilted outward, and Ada was sent plunging down to the street below. She woke with a gasp. The noise woke George, who instantly played a lullaby. Ada drifted off to sleep again.

  • • •

  The next day in class, the students were assigned a social studies project. They were studying industries in the Bay Area, and the teacher had them work in pairs.

  Their usual teacher, Ms. Grunflecker, was out on family leave and had been replaced by a substitute, Mr. Parable. He was okay, but he tried way too hard. It was amusing the first day when Mr. Parable wore a tie shaped like a slice of pizza. And then maybe the second day when he wore a fish tie. Then, on the third day, he moved on to a baseball bat tie. And after that they just kept rotating: pizza slice, fish, bat, pizza slice, fish, bat—always in that order. It took all the whimsy out of it.

  He also had a parrot named Ferris Bueller in the classroom. That was fun at first too, but it got annoying really quickly. Every time Mr. Parable asked a question, the parrot would shout, “I know! I know!” And Mr. Parable would say, “Bueller,” then the bird would say, “I don’t know.” It was clear that Mr. Parable and Bueller had only ever taught for a week at a time. They ran out of material by the second week.

  Even worse, if you left your desk to sharpen your pencil, the bird would say, “Have a seat! Have a seat!” And Mr. Parable would always take the bird’s side!

  Nina was much more tolerant of the sub, but even she started to complain when Mr. Parable assigned partners and she got Milton.

  “I was that guy’s biggest champion,” said Nina, “and he sticks me with Milton? Doesn’t he know who his friends are?”

  “Oh, come on! Milton’s not so bad,” said Ada.

  “You’re just saying that
because you guys are buddies now.”

  “Yeah, but doesn’t that count?”

  “I guess. . . .”

  • • •

  At dinner Ada complained to her mom about the parrot.

  “His name’s Ferris Bueller?” said Ms. Lace, laughing.

  “Yeah. Why is that funny?”

  “Oh, it’s just from this great movie from the . . .”

  “The nineties?” said Ada. She was usually interested in her parents’ lives before she was born, but she was sick of Bueller.

  “From the eighties, actually, Ada,” said Mr. Lace. “And it wasn’t that great a movie.”

  “Oh, come on! It’s a classic!” said Ms. Lace.

  “Citizen Kane is a classic,” said Mr. Lace.

  “Well, the parrot is annoying,” said Ada.

  “I have to agree with you there,” said Mr. Lace.

  • • •

  That night, just as Ada was falling asleep, Milton called her on the ham. Ada’s parents had rules about this: no calls after 8:30 p.m. She tried to ignore him, but Milton was persistent.

  KD8PKR. KD8PKR. This is KD86E. Over.

  KD8PKR! Psssstttt! Ada? It’s Milton.

  Milton. What do you want? I’m trying to . . .

  I have some great ideas for a heist!

  Okay, well, good luck to you. I’m not a thief, and I’m not supposed to be . . .

  Of course, it was then that Mr. Lace came in.

  “Ada? What did we say about the radio? Good night, Milton,” he said into the mic and clicked it off.

  “I was trying to tell him, but . . .”

  “You shouldn’t even have the radio on after bedtime,” said Mr. Lace.

  “I forgot! I’m sorry.”

  “Next time, you’re going to lose it for a week.”

  “It wasn’t my fault!”

  “Good night, Adita.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You know, I’m glad that you and Milton are getting along better, but you may want to set some limits for him.”

  “Yeah, I know,” said Ada. “I can already feel the trouble starting to rub off on me.”

  “Well, we can’t have that,” Mr. Lace said as he closed Ada’s door.

  • • •

  The next day during social studies, Ada’s partner was missing. Mr. Parable told Ada that Pixie had strep throat and might not be in for the rest of the week.

  “How about you work with Milton and Tina?”

  “Nina!” both Ada and Nina said at the same time.

  Ada was more annoyed by this name confusion than Nina was. Probably because Nina was relieved not to be working alone with Milton. Ada was concerned though. If she was trying to spend less time with Milton, this was not going to help.

  Chapter Two

  AND INTO THE GARDEN SHED

  Milton! We’re not putting dead canaries in the mine. It’s gross,” said Nina. “And mean!”

  “They wouldn’t have to be real, Nina. Sheesh!”

  They had been working on the project at Ada’s house for two hours already, and three arguments had broken out. First Ada had to convince Nina that fortune-telling couldn’t be considered a real industry in San Francisco. Then Milton suggested something that Ada thought was probably illegal. Finally they agreed to build a silver mine like the one at the Comstock Lode. It was in Nevada, but it sparked the silver rush and was a big part of San Francisco’s development. Ada thought that she would have finished more of the project if she had been working by herself.

  “She has a point, Milton. And Mr. Parable is clearly a bird lover. It could backfire on us.”

  “I’m just trying to give our viewers a sense of authenticity!” said Milton.

  Ada knew what that meant. “Well, the miners had to go to the bathroom. Let’s just put in a latrine. Is that authentic enough for you?”

  “Now you’re talking, Lace! I like how you think. I do, I do, I do!”

  “Why do you encourage him?” asked Nina.

  “It’s called compromise, Neens.”

  It frightened Ada a little that she seemed to now understand how Milton’s mind worked. But her strategy paid off, because the work went smoothly after that. They had built a replica of one of the mills, and, using Popsicle sticks, they had even re-created some of the square timbering developed by mining engineer Philip Deidesheimer. Nina came up with the idea of adding glitter to the miners’ picks and lanterns. Even Milton was forced to agree that it was a nice touch. Despite their slow start, the project was coming together. Then Nina had to go feed her new pet rat, Templeton. When she was gone, Milton asked Ada if she wanted to learn some new heist skills.

  “I learned how to pick a lock with two bobby pins. It’s so fun! I could teach you,” said Milton.

  “This is totally going to get me in trouble,” said Ada.

  “No, no, no, absolutely not. I know just where to practice it,” said Milton.

  • • •

  A little later Ada found herself with Milton at the shed in Juniper Garden. She was still not convinced it was a good idea.

  “I don’t know, Milton. The garden shed? I don’t think the neighbors will like it,” said Ada.

  “It’s no problem! My dad’s stuff is in there. He’s on the garden committee. I even have the key with me, just in case. But, you know, that would kind of defeat the purpose.”

  “Yeah, I get it.”

  Milton showed Ada how to insert two picks into the lock. One would start to turn the lock while the other would press against the little pins that kept it from turning.

  “You just push against the pins inside until you find the sticky ones—the ones that don’t want to move easily. Then you push those up until they click.”

  Ada crouched next to Milton as he worked. She heard a series of clicks as the lock released. He opened the door.

  “Wow! Can I try now?”

  Ada had to try a couple of times, with no luck. But by the third attempt, the lock released and she opened the door.

  “Hahahaha! That’s so cool! I feel like a master spy!” she said, jumping up and down.

  “What are you kids doing?”

  Ada turned to find Ms. Reed standing behind her.

  “I think you had better come with me,” she said.

  • • •

  Ada agreed to clean out the shed to make up for breaking into it. She knew better than to argue with Ms. Reed. But that night she made clear to her parents that she hadn’t done anything wrong—not really.

  “Milton has a key. We were just playing around,” said Ada.

  “It’s not that we don’t believe you, Ade,” said Ms. Lace. “I’m sure you weren’t going to steal anything. But you can’t just go around picking locks. It looks suspicious, and, as you can see, it gets you in trouble.”

  “Ada’s in trouble!” Elliott said excitedly. “Are you going to put her in the spanking machine?”

  “It hasn’t come to that yet, Ell,” said Mr. Lace.

  “Why don’t we ever get to use the spanking machine??!”

  “We can try it out on you, if you want,” said Mr. Lace.

  “Nooo!!” Elliott ran and hid. The spanking machine wasn’t real, of course—just a playful threat Ada’s father liked to use. But Elliott was both fascinated and terrified by it.

  • • •

  After dinner Ada went to her room to start a journal entry that was due in a few days, but she was too upset. She was beginning to wonder if a friendship with Milton was worth it. He wasn’t usually bad bad, but it was often too close for comfort. Ada had already gotten in trouble twice from hanging out with him. Just as she was about to turn off her ham radio, Milton came on.

  KD8PKR. KD8PKR. KD86E here.

  Sorry, KD86E, I’m out.

  Ada clicked off the radio. Mr. Lace came in.

  “Why don’t I just keep this in my office for you for now,” said Mr. Lace. “You can use it when you want, and then it won’t get you into trouble at bedtime.”

  “Okay,
Pop.” She was actually a little relieved.

  Chapter Three

  THAT OLD MILTON TOUCH

  They had just about finished the project when Nina and Milton got into another fight. This time they were at Milton’s house.

  “Just one miner,” said Milton. “It totally happened, Nina. It’s history!”

  “No. No dead things, Milton. It’s bad juju!” said Nina.

  “Ugh, not that hooey again,” said Milton.

  “You won’t be saying that when we fail,” said Nina.

  Ada didn’t want to agree with Milton out loud, but she totally agreed with Milton.

  “Milton, if we’re not going to get a better grade by including bodies, then we shouldn’t do it,” said Ada.

  “Fine,” said Milton.

  By the time they’d finished arguing, Nina had to go home to feed her rat.

  “We can get to school early tomorrow morning, and I can help you finish then,” said Nina. “I’m going to be in trouble if I don’t leave now though.”

  “Go ahead, Nina,” said Ada. “I’ll make sure Milton keeps dead things out of the mine. And there’s not that much left to do anyway.”

  “Are you sure?” said Nina. She was already shouldering her backpack on.

  After Nina left, Ada realized that she was late too. Since her detention, Ada’s parents had stricter rules about when she had to be home.

  “I can finish up,” said Milton. Ada was a little concerned.

  “You better not get me into any more trouble—not even just with Nina. Don’t hide a stink bomb in there or something.”

  “No. No. No. Ada, really. I feel bad that I got you into trouble. Let me finish up the project.” He seemed sincere. “I have an idea for how to do the square timbers quickly.”

  “Okay, Milton,” she said. But she was still wary.

  “I promise, no funny stuff. I just want you to know that you can trust me,” said Milton.

  That seemed particularly suspicious, but Ada was too late to argue.

  • • •

  The next day Ada met Nina and Milton a few minutes early for social studies. Milton brought the model. All the square set timbering had been finished, just as Milton promised.