5 A TON OF BRICKS

CHAPTER 5 A TON OF BRICKS Alexander stood inside, catching his breath. The school was perfectly quiet, and all the lights were off. Daylight came in through the door behind Alexander, casting long shadows down the hallway. "Hello?" he called out. "Hello?" said his echo. Alexander clutched the straps on his backpack and started down the dim hallway. He passed several classrooms, all empty. "Anyone there?" Alexander tripped over something brown with white stitches. A flat football... he thought.

CRASH-BLASH KER-SMASH! A brick wall collapsed in front of him. A cloud of dust filled the passage, covering Alexander like a powdered donut. Alexander looked through the broken wall and saw a giant yellow claw— a wrecking crane! He had to get out of there. He climbed over the smashed bricks, which was tricky with just one shoe. Then he spotted something rectangular in the rubble, wrapped in a dusty scarf.

Alexander unwrapped the object. It was an old notebook. Initials What could S.S.M.P. stand for? Skull on the cover Neat! SUBJECT DOOM! First page ripped out Probably nothing important Last few pages still blank Unfinished? He flipped to a page in the middle.

PLAYING MANTIS A huge green bug monster. About as tall as a giraffe (minus the neck). HABITAT All playgrounds-at schools, public parka, etc.

SNIFF! Rainy days make the playing mantis sad. DIET Regular-size bugs. (They spit out the shells.) BEHAVIOR These giant bugs love playground equipment, but they play too rough. If you notice a dent in the slide or see a swing with one chain shorter than the other, then there's likely a mantis nearby. WARNING! The only way to avoid a playing mantis is to sit quietly against the wall during recess.

Alexander shivered. He thumbed through the book and saw page after page of monster drawings. "HEY!" a voice shouted from down the hall. Alexander stuffed the notebook into his backpack. A woman was storming toward Alexander. She wore a gray shirt, gray pants, gray shoes, and gray glasses. Her hair was in a long braid, coiled on top of her head like a snake. "Why are you playing in a construction site?!" she demanded. "I wasn't playing! This is my school. I'm a