2 SLIME TIME

CHAPTER 2 SLIME TIME Is the monster gone?" asked Dottie. Rip stuck his head through the giant hole in the wall. "No sign of it!" he said. "Come on," said Alexander. "Let's see how bad this looks from the outside." "I'll use our new emergency exit!" said Rip. He jumped through the hole, hitting the ground with a SPLAT! Alexander, Nikki, and Dottie used the door. "Are you all right, Rip?" asked Alexander.

Nikki started laughing. Rip was lying in a pool of drippy green slime. "Join me for a swim?" he asked. "Bleccch!" said Dottie. "Slime is everywhere! And it ruined the flowers!" "The monster with the horn must have made this mess, right?" asked Nikki. "Yes," said Alexander, quickly unzipping his backpack. He paused. And then re-zipped it. "Crud! I keep forgetting the notebook was stolen!" "Stolen by our teacher," added Dottie. "Dr. Tallow was no teacher!" said Rip. "She was an evil, shape-shifting blob!"

"Yeah, and she gave our notebook to the boss- monster," said Nikki. Alexander sighed. On his first day in Stermont, he had uncovered an old notebook full of monster facts. It had helped the S.S.M.P. defeat tons of monsters but now it was gone. "We've got to get the notebook back," said Alexander. "How?" said Rip. "We don't know who the boss- monster is." Dottie gasped. "Could the boss-monster be the thing that just rammed our headquarters!?" "Maybe," said Alexander. "Let's write down what we know about this caboose-crasher." Alexander scribbled some notes on a scrap of paper.

"Not much to go on, is it?" said Nikki. Rip flung slime at Alexander." Sounds like this meeting is over," he said. "Let's break for dinner."

"Wait! I almost forgot," said Dottie, opening her bunny backpack. "You're invited to my birthday party!" She handed out colorful envelopes. "Thanks!" said Alexander. "Pirates?" said Rip. "ARRRR-some!" "Can't wait, Dottie!" said Nikki. "See you guys tomorrow!"