Ch9-Think! Think!

CHAPTER NINE Think! Think! "Where's my backpack?" Jack yelled to Annie. "What?" Annie said. "My backpack!" said Jack. "Don't worry about that now," said Annie. "We have to—"

"The wand! The wand!" Jack interrupted her. "Oh!" said Annie. "The wand!" "We have to find my pack! Fast!" said Jack. Jack and Annie pushed past the sailors crowding the railing. They ran across the deck. "Did you bring it in the rowboat?" yelled Annie. "Yes! No! I don't know!" said Jack. "I can't remember!" "Think! Think!" said Annie.

Jack tried to think as they ran around the upper deck of the ship. Did I have it in the row-boat? What happened in the rowboat? I felt sick in the rowboat! I hugged my backpack in the row-boat! "I remember!" Jack shouted. "I was holding on to it when we first came aboard!" "Then it's here somewhere!" said Annie. "The wardroom!" said Jack. "Hurry!" cried Annie. Jack and Annie raced down two flights of steps. They looked in the wardroom. Jack's pack wasn't there!

"Henry's lab!" said Annie. "Yes! Yes! It's in there!" Jack cried. "I remember now! I left it on the table. I put it down when I looked through the microscope!" Jack and Annie ran up one flight of steps to Henry's lab. They tried to open the door, but it was locked! "We need Henry!" said Jack. "We don't have time!" said Annie. "We don't have a choice!" said Jack. Jack and Annie charged back up the stairs to the upper deck.

The crew was still gathered at the end of the deck, yelling and shrieking about the octopus. Henry was coming toward them! "Henry, help us!" said Annie. She raced to Henry and grabbed him by the arm. She pulled him toward the stairs. "You have to unlock your lab! We have to get Jack's pack! It's life or death! Hurry, hurry!" "Why? What?" sputtered Henry. "We'll explain later!" said Jack. "Just hurry!" said Annie. Henry looked baffled, but he walked quickly and led Jack and Annie down

the stairs. They nearly pushed him across the hall toward his lab. The scientist pulled out his key and unlocked the door. Jack and Annie burst into the lab. "Yay!" said Annie. Jack's pack was on the table! Jack grabbed it and tore it open. He pulled out the Wand of Dianthus. The silver spiraled wand gleamed in the dim light of the room. "What is that?" asked Henry. "We'll explain later!" said Annie. "Come on, let's go back up!" said Jack.