The Good, the Bad, and the Accidentally Evil!

by Mark Young

  “Yes, Ms. Mumtaz,” Shelly replied quietly.

  Mumtaz stormed away, and Newton gave his friend a sympathetic look.

  “I’ll help you get these guys back to the basement,” he said.

  Shelly nodded. “Thanks, Newton.”

  Shelly was unusually silent as they walked through the fairgrounds back into the school. In the rescue lab, Shelly set Peewee down on a table and sighed.

  “I know you miss me, Peewee, but you can’t just teleport to see me whenever you feel like it,” she scolded in a kind voice. “And why did you bring your friends with you? I’m going to be in so much trouble.”

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Newton said. “The founders are going to be fine.”

  “But the ceremony was ruined,” Shelly said. “And Mumtaz is not going to like that one bit.”

  Newton couldn’t argue with that. He stayed with her and helped her give the animals water and food until it was time to go see Ms. Mumtaz.

  “Well, it was nice knowing you, Newton,” Shelly joked when they got to the office door. “Tell Theremin and Higgy I’ll be thinking of them when Mumtaz tosses me into a black hole.”

  “Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Shelly,” Newton replied, but he wasn’t entirely sure.

  Shelly turned away from him to open the door, and Newton thought fast. He closed his eyes.

  Camouflage! he told himself.

  When he opened his eyes, he was the same pattern as the lockers behind him. He quickly and quietly followed Shelly inside.

  “Take a seat, Shelly,” Ms. Mumtaz said, and his friend obeyed.

  She hasn’t seen me, Newton realized. The camouflage is working!

  “Shelly, I will get right to the point,” the headmistress began. “What happened today was unacceptable. After Phlegm revived the founders, they demanded a full account of the incident, and we explained to them about you and your rescue lab for animals and monsters. They demanded that we expel you from the school.”

  Shelly’s eyes got wide. “I’m expelled?”

  “I talked them out of it,” Ms. Mumtaz said. “But we all agreed that we must shut down your animal rescue operation.”

  “No!” Shelly cried. “Why would you do that? The animals didn’t do anything wrong. And Peewee wouldn’t have gotten out if his box was working properly.”

  “Yes, I talked to Professor Leviathan about that,” Ms. Mumtaz said. “She said you had plenty of time to fix the box before Founders’ Day, Shelly. I told you that you could keep Peewee here if you promised to keep him out of trouble, and you broke that promise. Peewee must be returned to his natural habitat, and the animals must be set free on the other side of the island. It’s best this way, to keep the school safe.”

  “Are you KIDDING me?” Shelly yelled. “We have lockers with black holes, and Professor Leviathan making monsters in the basement, and all kinds of things. And you’re worried about some helpless wildlife?”

  “I’m afraid this is how it has to be, Shelly,” Ms. Mumtaz said. “And I suggest that you leave my office now, before you raise your voice again at me.”

  Newton, still camouflaged, moved out of the way as Shelly angrily marched past him, with tears filling her eyes. He followed her out and undid his camouflage as she disappeared around the corner.

  Poor Shelly, he thought. Ms. Mumtaz was probably just angry about what happened at the ceremony. Maybe she’ll change her mind.…

  Newton wanted to run after her, but he didn’t want to confess that he’d been spying. He typed a message to her on his tablet.

  How did it go with Mumtaz?

  But she didn’t respond. He didn’t see her again until dinnertime, when she approached him, Theremin, and Higgy at their table. Her eyes were red from crying.

  “What’s the matter, Shelly?” Higgy asked. “You look sad.”

  “I… I need to tell you guys something,” she said. “Because of what happened earlier today, Mumtaz is making me shut down my animal rescue lab. I’ve got to release the animals onto the island and send Peewee back to my parents.”

  Theremin’s eyes flashed red. “That’s not fair!” he said, standing up. “I’m going to go give Mumtaz a piece of my processor right now!”

  Shelly put a hand on his arm. “Don’t do it, Theremin,” she said. “I mean, it’s nice, but Mumtaz is in a terrible mood. There’s no point trying to reason with her.”

  She took a deep breath and looked at her three friends. “I’d just… It would be nice if you could come with me before breakfast tomorrow, so I’m not alone when…” Tears began to stream from her eyes, and she wiped them away.

  “Of course we’ll be there!” Theremin said. “We’re with you, Shelly.”

  Shelly managed a small smile. “Thanks,” she said. “I’m lucky that you guys have my back.”

  “We’ll always have your back, Shelly,” Theremin promised.

  “Yeah!” Newton and Higgy chimed in.

  * * *

  They all met in Shelly’s basement animal rescue lab early the next morning. Shelly began putting all her animals into cages.

  “It’s too soon for them to be released,” she said sadly. “I need more time to help them adapt to the improvements that I’ve given them. I just hope they’re going to be all right.”

  The boys picked up the cages when Shelly had finished. She picked up the last one herself. Peewee’s cage was working properly again, fixed by Professor Yuptuka late the night before. The blue monster scurried back and forth, agitated.

  “I’m sorry, Peewee,” Shelly said. “But this is how it has to be.”

  They left the lab and went outside into the bright morning sunshine. Bugs zipped by and colorful birds flew overhead as the students crossed to the other side of the island.

  Shelly turned to her friends. “This is it,” she said. “All you animals, listen to me. You came to me hurt, but you’re all fixed now. This is your home, and where you need to be.”

  She opened Wingold’s cage first, and the parrot flew to a tree branch and perched there.

  “Sunny! Sunny!” he squawked.

  Shelly smiled. “That’s right, Wingold. This is real sunlight, not the artificial stuff you’ve been living with.”

  She opened the next cage. The frog with springs for legs hopped away. The turtle slowly crawled off, safe in her titanium shell. Soon, Peewee was the only one left.

  Shelly sighed and looked down at Peewee’s cage. “Now it’s just you, Peewee,” she said.

  She took a school brochure out of her pocket and folded it to create a portal. A hole appeared in the air.

  “Mom and Dad are expecting you, Peewee,” Shelly said. “Be good for them. And don’t try to find me here! I’ll come home soon and visit you.”

  The monster whimpered, and Shelly’s eyes filled with tears. Newton took Peewee’s cage from her.

  “Do you want me to do it?” Newton asked.

  Shelly nodded, and Newton took Peewee’s cage from her and held it in front of the swirling portal.

  “Good-bye, Peewee!” he said, and then he let go of the cage.

  Whoosh! The portal sucked it up, and then closed.

  Nobody said anything for a minute. Then Shelly spoke up.

  “Thanks, everyone.” Her voice sounded sad. But then, to Newton’s surprise, a determined look came over her face.

  “Don’t forget we have a newspaper meeting today after classes,” she said.

  “We could certainly take a day off, Shelly,” Higgy said.

  Shelly shook her head. “No way. I’ve got something important to write about now,” she replied. “In fact, I’m going to skip breakfast and start on it right away. I’ll see you later!”

  Shelly ran ahead of them.

  Higgy’s stomach rumbled. “Breakfast! I almost forgot to eat it. I’ll meet you there, guys!” And he hurried away faster than Newton had ever seen him move.

  Newton and Theremin walked behind him at a normal pace.

  “Poor Shelly,” Therem
in said. “This really stinks.”

  “It does,” Newton said. “Maybe when Ms. Mumtaz calms down, she’ll let Shelly reopen the animal rescue lab. I mean, Shelly really helped those animals!”

  Then the school building came into view, and Theremin started beeping.

  “Are you okay?” Newton asked.

  “I’m fine,” Theremin said. “Remember when I told you about the fluctuating gravity waves I was detecting? I set my sensors to go off if they detected any change in the school’s gravity. That’s what’s happening now.”

  “Why would gravity be fluctuating?” Newton asked.

  “I don’t know,” Theremin admitted. “I’ve also been recording some strange noises throughout the school. Something weird is definitely going on.” He paused. “Do you have your camera? I’m getting a really strong signal right now. We could follow it and see if we can find out what’s happening.”

  Newton nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been carrying it everywhere with me lately,” he said.

  Theremin opened up a compartment on his chest and pressed some buttons. The beeping became a steady tone.

  “All right. I’m locked in on the signal,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  Newton followed Theremin into the school, down one hallway, then another, and then another. Finally Theremin stopped in front of Professor Flubitus’s classroom.

  “Flubitus!” Newton cried. “Figures he’s got something to do with this.”

  Newton peeked inside the classroom. He didn’t see Flubitus, but there was a green, glowing light coming out of the supply closet. Theremin saw it too.

  “Let’s check it out,” Theremin said in a low voice.

  The boys quietly entered the classroom. They stood on either side of the supply closet door and tried to take a peek at what was happening inside without being seen.

  The closet was no closet—it was a secret room! Inside the room was a giant, green, glowing hoop crackling with energy.

  “What is that?” Theremin wondered.

  Newton activated the camera, whispering, “Click!”

  The camera hovered and whirred as it took pictures of the strange, green hoop. And while the camera was photographing, something even stranger happened.

  Professor Flubitus stepped out of the hoop, his hair standing on end, and his whole body sparking with electricity!

  CHAPTER 8 The Flubitus Factor

  Frightened that Flubitus might see them, Newton grabbed the camera and ran out of the classroom, followed by Theremin.

  “What the heck was that?” Theremin wondered.

  “I’m not sure,” Newton admitted as they walked to their lockers. “We know Flubitus is from the future. Do you think that’s a time machine?”

  “It could be,” Theremin agreed. “But if that’s the case, then this story is dead. We’re not supposed to let anyone in the school know that Flubitus is a time traveler, right?”

  Newton stopped. He suddenly had an idea. “Maybe not,” he said. “But you know, if the story came out, then Flubitus would have to start explaining himself. And explaining about the future…”

  “I thought you were done trying to find out what Flubitus is up to?” Theremin asked.

  “I was—I am,” Newton answered. “But you’re a reporter, and you caught Flubitus in the act, fair and square, right?”

  It was the perfect solution. If the whole school finds out, there’d be no point in wiping out my memory, he thought.

  “Let’s ask Shelly at the newspaper meeting later what she thinks we should do,” Theremin suggested.

  * * *

  When they got to the newspaper lab that afternoon, Shelly was feverishly typing on a laptop.

  “Shelly, we—” Theremin began.

  “Just a few minutes, Theremin,” Shelly said. “I’m almost finished with my masterpiece.”

  Newton and Theremin exchanged looks. Mimi, Higgy, Odifin, and Rotwang entered the lab.

  “What’s up with Shelly?” Mimi asked.

  “Shhh,” Theremin said. “She’s about to reveal her masterpiece.”

  Shelly stood up. “I’m done!” she said. “Let me know what you think.”

  Then she began to read aloud:

  Who Are the Real Monsters?

  An Opinion Piece by Shelly Ravenholt

  Some of you know that until recently I ran an animal rescue lab in the school basement, using science to help injured animals and monsters to heal and become even stronger and better.

  Headmistress Mumtaz has decided that it’s not “safe” to help these helpless wild creatures in our school. Yet, at the same time, Professor Leviathan is creating new monsters right here in the school!

  This doesn’t make any sense! There are real monsters in the world who need our help. Why can’t we help them here at the school, instead of bringing new monsters into the world?

  I think the reason is that the real monsters in the school are Ms. Mumtaz and any professor who doesn’t think that the most important thing mad science can do is help the helpless. The real monsters are those who turn their backs on the weak and defenseless, and who only want to use mad science for profit!

  I will not go to a school run by monsters. That is why I, Shelly Ravenholt, am leaving Franken-Sci High.

  Shelly stopped reading.

  “Shelly, no!” Theremin cried. “Are you serious?”

  “You can’t leave!” Newton said.

  Shelly nodded. “I can’t stay here, Theremin,” she said. “I’m going to go home to my parents and Peewee, and continue my work with creatures there. Mom and Dad said they’d homeschool me.”

  “Shelly, I think Mumtaz is going to come around and let you help animals again,” Newton said. “If you publish this, you’ll only make her more upset. Why don’t you stay, and wait and see what she does?”

  “It’s too late, Newton,” Shelly said. “I’m going home tomorrow.”

  Mimi raised an eyebrow. “I have to say, Shelly, what you’re doing is pretty brave,” she said. “But I don’t agree with you. There are lots of applications for mad science. It doesn’t always have to be helpful. Mad science can make life easier, or more fun, and so what if it makes a profit? It should make a profit. Diamond-cut lasers and antigravity chambers don’t grow on trees.”

  “That’s not the point,” Shelly said, agitated. “Shutting down my rescue lab was wrong. Plain wrong. And people need to know that!”

  “I like what you wrote, Shelly,” Odifin chimed in. “But I wish you wouldn’t leave the school, just when we’ve become friends.”

  “Yeah, don’t go, Shelly,” Rotwang echoed.

  Higgy approached her. “I’d give you a please-don’t-go hug, but I know you’re not a big fan of goo on your clothes.”

  “Listen, you guys are all my friends—well, maybe not you, Mimi.… Sorry,” Shelly replied. “But I’ve made up my mind. And you can’t change it. The Franken-Sci Herald is yours. Print my opinion piece, or don’t. I don’t care!”

  She stormed out, and Newton started to go after her, but Theremin put a metal hand on his shoulder.

  “Let her go, Newton,” Theremin said. “I’ve known Shelly longer than any of you have, and when she makes up her mind, it’s hard to get her to change it. Especially when she’s angry! Give her a chance to cool down.”

  Newton frowned. “There must be something we can do.”

  “I have an idea,” Higgy said. “What if we hurry and put out a special edition of the paper with Shelly’s opinion piece in it? Maybe instead of making Ms. Mumtaz angry, it will get students to take sides with Shelly. If enough people speak up, Mumtaz might change her mind about the animal rescue.”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” Odifin agreed. “I can have my report on the latest chrono-chess-ball match ready early.”

  “I’ve always got gossip to share,” Mimi said.

  “What about you, Theremin?” Higgy asked. “Have you uncovered any interesting surprise stories around campus?”

  Theremin looked at Ne
wton. They both knew that Mimi didn’t know about Flubitus being from the future.

  “We have a lead,” Newton said. “We’ll get on it.”

  “Excellent!” Higgy said. “I think I can get the hang of the layout program pretty quickly. I’ll get started on putting together the issue.”

  Newton and Theremin left the lab.

  “What now?” Theremin asked.

  “Now we confront Flubitus with the photo,” Newton said. “Maybe it’s not a time machine, after all. Maybe it’s something cool we could use for a story.”

  A few minutes later they found Flubitus at his desk, with his head down and fast asleep.

  Theremin leaned into his face. “PROFESSOR FLUBITUS!”

  The professor sat up, startled. “CHOCOLATE PUDDING VOLCANO!”

  “Chocolate pudding volcano?” Theremin asked.

  “Sorry. I was dreaming,” Flubitus replied. “How can I help you boys?”

  Newton took out the camera and showed the professor the image they’d taken of him stepping out of the hoop. The professor anxiously began to twirl the ends of his mustache.

  “Theremin traced some gravitational waves or something to your classroom, and we found you coming out of this hoop this morning,” Newton said. “We want to run this picture in the newspaper, but we thought we’d give you a chance to explain.”

  “Is it a time machine?” Theremin asked.

  Professor Flubitus chuckled. “Dear boys, do you really think I would keep something as important as a time machine in my supply closet?” he replied. “This is simply a demonstration I’m putting together for my Dimensional and Interdimensional Teleportation class.”

  Newton and Theremin looked at each other.

  “Really?” Newton asked.

  “Of course,” Flubitus said, rising from his chair. “Now, I am hoping to surprise the class with this, so if you wouldn’t mind keeping this out of the paper, I’d appreciate it.”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, but gently pushed them out the door.