CHAPTER ONE Lab Disaster Paisley Atoms slid into her seat just as the bell rang She stuffed her books into her desk wiped her forehead with the back of her arm and inhaled several deep breaths Paisley hated being late to Mrs Beaker’s science class Luckily Mrs Beaker was still shuffling papers at her desk What’s the matter Atoms Whitney-Raelynn said Whitney-Raelynn had perfectly smooth blond hair perfect style and a perfectly horrid attitude Forgot to set your alarm 6
Of course not Paisley huffed I had a small malfunction in my lab Wait what happened to your eyebrows Paisley touched her eyebrows They felt crispy What do you mean Whitney-Raelynn started laughing They’re singed Paisley Atoms did you almost burn off your eyebrows They are kind of black Paisley’s friend Arjun said Paisley shrugged I might have accidentally blown up my basement laboratory this morning I was trying to replicate Thomas Edison’s original carbon filament lightbulb invention for the science fair It worked for a second Then I accidentally knocked over some chemicals and everything exploded Arjun leaned forward and handed Paisley his water bottle You’re lucky you’re alive Just don’t get your germs on it I heard the black plague is back Arjun was so over-dramatic He was basically a human Chicken Little What are we going to do for a lab now Ben 7
Striker asked Ben was Paisley’s best friend next-door neighbor and fellow scientist-in-training He loved astronomy clocks and creepy crawly creatures He kept ant colonies and worm farms in his closet instead of clothes The science fair is only a week away Why bother Whitney-Raelynn said You’re going to lose anyway Mrs Beaker made her way to the front of the classroom She clapped her hands Good morning class Let’s have our moment of science Mrs Beaker loved science puns She had the students remain absolutely silent for thirty seconds at the beginning of every class Excellent class Let’s discuss electricity What did the mommy lightbulb say to the baby lightbulb Rosalind asked She was the class clown I love you watts and watts Very funny Rosalind Mrs Beaker said But before we begin I want to introduce you all to our new student Veronica Stone will you please stand up Everyone turned to the back of the class Veronica 8
Stone stood up as gracefully as a ballerina She looked like someone out of a teeth-whitening commercial Her hair spilled like a glossy waterfall to her waist Hello everyone she said Even her voice sounded like ringing bells Arjun’s mouth fell open Wow Sumi said 9
