2. The First Sneaker

Chapter 2 The First Sneaker "Where's Goldi?" Bradley asked. "She was right there!" Brian said, pointing to the space on the workbench. "Her food is gone, too!" "What's this?" Lucy asked. She picked up a tiny sneaker from the workbench. The three-inch-long sneaker was bright green. There was an orange

lightning bolt on one side. The sneaker was attached to a chain with a key ring on the end. Bradley looked around the barn. Maybe Josh had moved the aquarium. He saw a lawn mower, two old tires, and a few rakes and shovels. He did not see a golden hamster with shiny black eyes. "It's pet-nappers!" Nate cried. "Search the barn!" Brian yelled. They all scattered, peeking in every dark corner. Bradley thought of Polly. He sprinted to the pony's stall. She was there, looking at him with big brown eyes. "At least they didn't take you," he said. Suddenly Pal let out a howl. He sniffed the barn floor and raced out into the yard. A minute later he came back. He sat under the workbench and whimpered. "Pal smells the hamster stealer!" Nate said. "Maybe whoever took the aquarium left this little sneaker here," Lucy said. "Dibs on the sneaker!" Brian said. He snatched the sneaker and attached it to his book bag. "The kids at school are going to hate me!" Bradley said. "I was supposed to take care of

Goldi!" "It's not your fault, bro," his twin said. "The crook must have come during the night." The kids walked to school. Bradley felt an ache in his stomach. He had been so happy about the first day of school. Now he felt rotten. They were all looking up at the leaves, which were starting to change to yellow and red. The sun behind them made their shadows long. When they got close to the school building, Bradley noticed something. A pair of green sneakers was hanging from a tree branch. They were normal size, like an adult would wear. Both sneakers had an orange lightning bolt.

"Look," Bradley said, pointing up at the sneakers.

Brian grabbed the little sneaker hanging on his book bag. He held it up. "They're exactly like this one!" he said. "Who put them there?" Nate said. "They look brand-new!" The kids heard a bell and ran toward the school. Mr. Dillon, the principal, stood on the front steps. He shook hands with each of them. "Welcome back!" he said. "You're second graders now, right?" "Yes, sir," the kids said. "Wonderful! Your new teacher is Ms. Tery," Mr. Dillon said. "I know you'll enjoy getting to know her. Now scoot along and have a great first day!" Bradley had seen Ms. Tery around the school last year. He hoped she was as nice as Mr. Vooray. The kids hurried into the building. It was noisy. Kids were trying to find their rooms. A few moms and dads stood around looking worried. One little girl was crying as her mother tried to take her into a classroom. Some older boys were yelling at each other. Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy headed for the second-grade classroom. They passed Mr.

Vooray's room. "You guys go ahead," Bradley said to the other kids. "I've got to tell Mr. Vooray about Goldi." "Not alone, you don't," Lucy said. "We're all going to tell him." Lucy pushed open the door to Mr. Vooray's room. Most of the seats were filled with first graders. They all stared at the four second graders. Mr. Vooray smiled when he saw Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy. "Hello there!" he said. "Your new room is next door, remember?" "We know," Bradley said. "But we have something to tell you." "Sure," Mr. Vooray said. He leaned against his desk. "I'm all ears." Mr. Vooray picked up a key ring from the desktop and attached it to his belt loop. Bradley stared. Dangling from the ring was a miniature green sneaker with an orange lightning bolt.