Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker

by Shelley Johannes

  It was time to find her friend.

  Classroom 3B was dark and empty when Beatrice slipped inside. The screaming sounds of recess seeped through the windows. Beatrice lifted up the blinds, and Lenny’s glasses, to get a better view.

  Second recess was in full swing. If she hurried, she could still get to Lenny with enough time to properly kick off Operation Upside.

  Beatrice found the door and pushed her way outside into the light.

  A kickball flew past her head.

  A rush of teammates trampled in front of her, shouting, “Get it! Get it!”

  Beatrice weaved through the chaos to the tree line. She scrambled up the first trunk and charted her path to the back of the playground. Just as she was about to make her first move, a crisp breeze swept through the trees, rustling the leaves and sending a chill down her spine.

  Beatrice froze. She held her breath and gripped the trunk, hoping it was nothing.

  A branch snapped beneath her.

  Then came the voice.

  “Where do you think you’re going in that getup?”

  It was not nothing.

  It was Evelyn Tamarack.

  Her teacher scowled up at her, whistle in her mouth, at the ready.

  Beatrice stared down at Mrs. Tamarack’s blurry face.

  She needed to stay calm.

  She needed to stick to the truth. Ninjas did this kind of thing all the time.

  “I’m on my way to see Lenny,” she stated. “It’s important.”

  Mrs. Tamarack nodded. She circled the tree, her whistle still between her lips. “I have a message for you—from Ms. Cindy.” Reaching into her pocket, she extracted a slip of paper and snapped it open. The note flapped in the breeze.

  Beatrice closed her eyes and braced herself for the impending doom.

  She should have waited in the office.

  She should have waited for Ms. Cindy’s permission.

  Mrs. Tamarack cleared her throat. “Ms. Cindy wanted you to know that she talked to your mother,” she said. “Apparently she was on her way to school with another outfit, but Ms. Cindy let her know that you already found a change of clothes.” “Oh.” Beatrice exhaled into the tree trunk. “Okay.”

  “Ms. Cindy also said to thank you for delivering Eleanor’s glasses.” Mrs. Tamarack paused over her words, like it was difficult to say them. “She said you were very helpful.”

  Beatrice lifted her head and nodded at Mrs. Tamarack. “Please tell Ms. Cindy I was happy to accept the mission.”

  Mrs. Tamarack narrowed her eyes. Her whistle shrilled a little.

  Beatrice steadied herself on the branch.

  “You’ll get to tell her yourself if you’re not more careful up there,” Mrs. Tamarack scolded. “Is something wrong with the ground?”

  Beatrice peered down at her teacher. Her eyes shifted across the field to the wooden playground tucked in the back. From her perch, Beatrice could see exactly where she needed to go. Everything seemed possible. She grasped the trunk tighter and shrugged. “I just like the trees.”

  Mrs. Tamarack’s whistle wiggled between her lips. Her hands clenched on her hips.

  “I’d better go,” Beatrice said quickly. She pointed at the glasses on her face. “Lenny needs these.”

  Mrs. Tamarack pinched the bridge of her nose. “Make it quick, Miss Zinker. Recess is almost over.”

  When Beatrice reached the play structure, something was different. A paper sign hung above the open doorway. Masking tape held it in place. Thick black letters spelled out the word VET.

  It was official. Chloe’s clinic had staked its claim to the best spot on the playground.

  Staring at the sign, the loss bothered Beatrice less than it did earlier. If things didn’t work out, Operation Upside would find another headquarters.

  Some losses were worse than others.

  A secret base was replaceable. Lenny Santos was not.

  Dropping onto the roof, Beatrice shrugged her backpack off her shoulders and prepared to make her entrance. She began with Lenny’s glasses. The world crystallized as she lifted the frames from her face and slipped them into her back pocket to keep them safe.

  The hat came next. She stuffed it into the bottom of her bag, next to the folder marked CONFIDENTIAL. Flipping her head upside down, Beatrice parted the tangle of hair. Her fingers spun each handful into shape and secured both sides with elastic.

  She hooked her backpack on a nearby branch, setting it aside for later.

  Following the clamor of animal noises to the back of the building, she crawled to the edge of the roof and peeked below. Inside were plenty of pretend pets, and plenty of pretend pet owners, but Lenny was nowhere in sight.

  Unfazed, Beatrice crept to the front and checked the window by the door.

  Bingo.

  Lenny and Chloe were huddled together, debating who would diagnose a sick hamster and who would help a husky with a broken leg.

  Beatrice rapped on the wall. “Knock, knock.”

  Chloe looked up. Lenny turned around. When they saw her, Chloe folded her arms and Lenny frowned.

  “Please tell me you are not a bat,” said Chloe.

  Beatrice shook her head. “I’m done with that. But I do have a new idea—if you’re ready?”

  Lenny and Chloe looked less than ready.

  Beatrice filled her lungs and proceeded anyway.

  “So…what if this place looks like an ordinary vet clinic to the average eye, but—in reality—it’s the headquarters of a top-secret organization?”

  “Beatrice…” Lenny groaned.

  “What?”

  Chloe sighed. “There are two things you should know.” She held up her index finger. “First of all, this is no ordinary facility. We are world renowned.” Another finger joined the first. “Second—we do not participate in illegal activities.”

  “What if it’s legal—good, even?” Beatrice lowered her voice. “Just a secret?”

  “We’re just a nice, normal clinic, Beatrice,” said Lenny.

  “Exactly,” said Chloe. “I don’t like secrets.”

  With that, she spun on her heel and walked away. She headed out of the room—toward the hamster, the husky, and all the other pets who needed her attention. Beatrice waited until Chloe stepped out of earshot, then she motioned Lenny over to the window.

  Lenny took two steps forward, her whole face a frown.

  “Don’t worry,” said Beatrice. “I have a back-up plan.” She rubbed her hands together with anticipation. “Want to hear it?”

  “I don’t know, Beatrice.” Lenny kicked the dirt with her toe. Dust billowed in a cloud around her. “I’m still a little mad.”

  Sunlight snuck through the wood slats of the structure, covering Lenny in stripes. Her sparkly sweater flashed at Beatrice, each flicker an accusation.

  “I’m sorry,” Beatrice told Lenny, shielding her eyes. Her voice got quiet. “I didn’t mean to ruin your moment.”

  “It’s okay,” said Lenny. Her eyes floated to Chloe in the distance. “You didn’t. Not really.”

  “So do you want to hear my idea?”

  “Fine,” Lenny sighed. She didn’t look excited, but she wasn’t frowning anymore.

  Beatrice nodded toward Chloe. “What if we let Chloe be Chloe—a normal medical professional, just like she said?” Beatrice leaned forward, her eyes glowing. “But what if you—Lenny Santos—are undercover? You could be a secret agent disguised as a veterinarian. You could be the secret eyes of our operation.”

  Lenny glanced back at Chloe and fought a smile.

  “You’ll need a code name. And we need an emergency signal and a password as soon as possible. You should also brush up on your Pig Latin and your decoding skills, of course.”

  Lenny laughed. “I didn’t say yes yet, you know.”

  “I know.” Beatrice reached into her pocket. “But, either way—you’ll need these.”

  Stretching her arm, Beatrice held out her hand. Her fingers unfolded like
a flower. Lenny’s bright green glasses rested in her palm.

  “Hey!” Lenny grabbed her specs. “Where did you get these?”

  “They turned up in my travels.”

  Lenny slid her glasses over her ears.

  “Better?” Beatrice asked. She reached over and pulled the veterinary sign off the doorway. “Can you read this?”

  She flipped it around. “What about now?”

  Behind her glasses, Lenny’s eyes grew.

  Her mouth fell open.

  “It says my name.” She grabbed the paper from Beatrice’s fingers. “How’d you do that?”

  “I don’t know.” Beatrice studied the letters. “I think it’s a sign.”

  “Well, duh,” said Lenny.

  “No, I think it’s trying to tell us something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Maybe that it’s okay to be more than one thing?”

  “Huh,” said Lenny, flipping the paper back and forth, contemplating the changing words.

  “So what say you, Lenny Santos?”

  The corner of Lenny’s mouth turned up. “I say maybe.”

  “Maybe’s good,” said Beatrice.

  Maybe was very good.

  “I’ll be in contact,” Beatrice told her. “Expect me when you least expect me.” She gave Lenny a thumbs-up. “And that’s a promise.”

  Beatrice taped Chloe’s sign back in place above the door and disappeared into the trees.

  Mrs. Tamarack’s whistle rang across the playground.

  It was the warning call.

  Recess was winding down. Beatrice had five minutes to complete her task.

  Whether Lenny was officially in or officially out, Beatrice was determined to deliver the document in her backpack. Even after the day she’d had, Beatrice believed in the magic of Operation Upside.

  Executing the entire plan would take weeks, maybe months. If they spied on everyone, it might last all year. But, today, Beatrice would make the first move.

  Balanced high in the bough of her favorite tree, she reached into her backpack and grabbed the confidential folder. She lifted the cover and studied the crisp piece of paper inside.

  It shimmered in the sunlight like Lenny’s new sweater.

  The rightness of it filled her chest. Like that special piece of a puzzle, it was a perfect way to begin.

  Far below, Lenny stood outside the wooden doorway of Chloe’s clinic, smiling. With her hands in her back pockets, she studied the VET sign.

  Her hair was still curly. Her sweater was still sparkly.

  But Lenny looked like Lenny again.

  Maneuvering through the branches, Beatrice dropped down next to her friend.

  “One more thing, Lenny.”

  Lenny spun around with her hand on her chest. “Beatrice!” she screamed. “Are you crazy?”

  “I warned you to expect me when you least expect me.”

  Lenny looked into the leaves above her head. “But you just left.”

  “Exactly,” said Beatrice.

  Lenny grinned. “I guess you win, then.”

  “Actually you win,” Beatrice said. “That’s why I’m here.” She pulled the folder from behind her back and presented the award to Lenny. “Today I realized the first UPSIDE had to go to you.”

  Lenny looked up at Beatrice, then down at the paper in her hands. She adjusted her glasses as her eyes moved over the words, tracing and retracing the gold letters.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  Beatrice knew exactly how Lenny felt.

  Three months ago, standing in the gym with her own award, she felt the exact same way.

  “I know we planned to pick people together—and after this we will—but if anyone deserves to know how great they are, it’s you.”

  Beatrice reached behind her.

  “Hold on,” she said. “There’s one more part.” She dug the ice cream out of her backpack. “We need to do this right.”

  She ripped the plastic wrap with her teeth and aimed the cone at Lenny.

  “Lenny Santos, how does it feel to be an award winner?”

  “Kind of amazing.” Lenny grabbed the mic and took a giant melty bite. “Really, really great.” She couldn’t stop smiling.

  Beatrice tore the wrapper on the other microphone. “What do you think of the name Operation Upside?” she asked Lenny.

  Lenny took another bite, considering. “I think it’s perfect,” she decided. “But if you pick the name—I get to pick the password. And maybe sometimes you could be a cat?”

  Beatrice laughed and bonked her cone on Lenny’s. “Deal,” she said. With a mouthful of ice cream, Lenny leaned against the tree and looked around. “So who gets the next one?”

  “Well, we still need to do a lot of reconnaissance, but I think the next play should be up to you.”

  Lenny glanced back into the veterinary clinic where Chloe was giving orders. She bit her lip, hesitating. “What about an edge piece?”

  Beatrice followed Lenny’s eyes. “Chloe?” Beatrice turned the idea over in her mind and smiled. “I like it.”

  Chloe had single-handedly started a world renowned veterinary clinic on her first day at a new school. It was hard not to like that, at least a little bit.

  “You do?” Lenny said.

  “I had a lot of time to think today. Just because I’m upside down doesn’t mean everyone has to be. Isn’t that the whole point?”

  Lenny borrowed Beatrice’s word. “Wow,” she said.

  “She can’t know it was us, so we still have a lot of planning to do.” Beatrice reached into her backpack and pulled out the third cone. “But for now, do you think she’d want some ice cream?”

  Lenny lifted her eyebrows. “You brought her one?”

  “Everyone likes ice cream, right?” Beatrice shrugged her shoulders. “And someone told me it’s not easy to be the new girl.”

  “You heard it here first,” Lenny announced into her cone.

  Mrs. Tamarack’s final whistle echoed through the trees.

  Beatrice looked into the branches above her head. “Think Chloe will go back to class my way?”

  Lenny laughed. “Not a chance in the world.”

  “I didn’t think so.” Beatrice flipped to the ground. “Okay,” she said, “we’ll do it her way.”

  Lenny leaned into the clinic. “Hey, Chloe—want to walk back with us?”

  Chloe appeared in the doorway.

  Beatrice held up the cones. “I brought ice cream.”

  “I see that.” Chloe looked confused. “Where’d it come from?”

  Lenny turned to Beatrice and pointed at their cones. “Yeah—where did you get these?”

  Beatrice smiled mysteriously, handing Chloe her own cone. “Sorry,” she said. “Some secrets are just meant to be enjoyed.”

  With the treetops shading their way, they headed back to class, enjoying every bite.

  Beatrice evaded her sister after school. She wasn’t ready for another lecture, so she lingered at the back of the bus until Kate and her friends hopped out. Then she crossed the street and took the scenic route.

  The long way home went right by Mrs. Jenkins’s house. As usual, her neighbor was sitting on her front steps, reading to her cat. As usual, Scrappy was drinking tea and listening attentively.

  “Hi, Mrs. Jenkins.” Beatrice waved, walking over.

  “Hello, dear.” Mrs. Jenkins patted the spot next to her. “Tell me about your day,” she invited. “You look like you have a story—and you know how I love stories.”

  Beatrice dropped her backpack and plopped down with a sigh. “It was a weird day.” She paused, deciding how to talk about her day without revealing top-secret information. Finally she started with, “Remember Lenny?”

  “Of course I remember Lenny! I want to steal those green glasses of hers.”

  “Me too,” said Beatrice, glad she got to try them out. “Lenny was gone all summer, so I was really excited to see her. But everything was different.
<
br />   “She forgot to wear her ninja suit and only wanted to play veterinarian with this new girl, Chloe.

  Then I was a bat and got a bloody nose and spent half the day in the office.” Beatrice took a deep breath and scooped Scrappy into her lap. “But it’s okay now—we worked it out.” She buried her face in Scrappy’s soft fur. “I should have known we would.”

  “Life’s like that.” Mrs. Jenkins nodded her head knowingly. “It’s always shifting and changing. That’s why most friendships last only for a season. But occasionally you find a really special one—and you grow with each other, instead of apart.”

  Beatrice hoped her friendship with Lenny was the unusual kind.

  Mrs. Jenkins lifted a pitcher of golden liquid. “Want some tea?”

  The brew glowed in the sunlight. Tiny ice cubes made music against the glass.

  “Yes, please,” said Beatrice.

  Mrs. Jenkins filled a tall glass from the bright green tray at her side.

  “Here you are,” she said.

  Beatrice lifted the glass to her lips. The tea tasted exactly like it looked—like Mrs. Jenkins had captured all the bittersweet beauty of the day just so she could drink it up.

  Down the block, Kate was standing at their door, saying good-bye to her friends. Everywhere she went, Kate had a lot of friends.

  Beatrice jiggled her ice cubes and stole a glance at Mrs. Jenkins. “Do you have a sister?”

  “Oh do I!” Mrs. Jenkins laughed and slapped her leg. “Drove her crazy for eighteen years—then she moved clear across the country. You can’t pick your family, can you?”

  Beatrice shook her head. You couldn’t.

  And they couldn’t pick you, either.

  Mrs. Jenkins nudged her elbow. “But you know what’s funny?”

  Beatrice shrugged. “Not really.” Nothing seemed particularly funny when Kate was probably in the house complaining about her right that second.