13 STERMONT EIEMENTARY

CHAPTER 13 STERMONT ELEMENTARY BATTLE STATION! Eep!" Mr. Hoarsely jumped up from beneath the principal's desk. "You're alive!" He squeezed Ms. Vanderpants. "No time for hugs," said Ms. Vanderpants. "We must activate the battle stations. Would you enter the code?" Mr. Hoarsely typed into a control panel on the desk.

VWHOOP! VWHOOP! Screens and electronic gizmos dropped down from the ceiling. The radar map lit up with dots. Monsters appeared on every screen. That chill-billy has already destroyed the cafeteria!" cried Nikki.

Ms. Vanderpants stepped forward. "I designed this building to fight every kind of monster." She pointed to a screen labeled GYM. "See that balloon goon?" Alexander could see a balloon goon sucking the air out of basketballs. Ms. Vanderpants held a silver bell up to a microphone. LING-A-LING-A-LING! A moment later, a forkupine spun into the room, scratching up the gym floor. "This is what I have been training him for!" said Ms. Vanderpants. The goon frowned when it saw the poky monster. The forkupine leapt onto the goon, bursting it instantly. BLAM! "Pop goes the monster!" cheered Rip. "Now find your battle station!" shouted Ms. Vanderpants.

BATTLE STATIONS RIP 1. Planetarium light-cannon. (Not just a star show!) Blasts any monster that he's light. NIKKI 2. Gym floor-waxer. Mops up dirty, stinky monsters. MR. HOARSELY 3. In charge of snacks. MS. VANDERPANTS 4. Heavy-duty apple peeler in the kitchen. Shreds plant and veggie monsters. 5. Paint mixer in the art room. Shakes the shells of a marred monsters. 6. Laser-guided pencil sharpeners in the library. (All-purpose attack.)

"Where's my station?" asked Alexander. Ms. Vanderpants for the first time Alexander could remember laughed. "You, Mr. Bopp, are in charge. This is what you've been training for. To lead the S.S.M.P.'s biggest battle EVER!" "You'll need this, Salamander," said Nikki. She pulled the notebook from her hoodie pocket, and tossed it to her friend. Alexander's heart leapt. It felt good to have the notebook back... like a missing part of him had been returned. He flipped it open and started calling out commands to his team.

"Rip! Blind that blinker!" "Nikki! Soak that trash-squatch!" "Ms. Vanderpants! Bash that bumble-beaver!" "Careful we've got pool sharks in the toilets! A rust-buster is swallowing saxophones in the music room! Oh, and there's a megaworm in the courtyard!" Before long, the S.S.M.P. had defeated every monster in the school.