Chapter 7

Chapter 7 "METAMORPHOSIS? IS A BIG WORD THAT MEANS &CHANGE." LET'S JUST HOPE IT'S FOR THE BETTER.... After school, Jodi made her way to the butterfly sanctuary, previously known as the computer lab. When she opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face. "Baron Sweetcheeks!" she said. "What are you doing here?" The class hamster squeaked as if to say hello. He had been put into a plastic hamster ball, and he rolled right up to Jodi. She picked him up, ball and all.

Harper poked her head out from behind an elephant-ear plant. "I brought him along," she said. "I'm on hamster duty this week, and I thought he could use some exercise. He seems to like it here. It's almost like being outside." "Yeah, what happened to the air-conditioning?" Morgan pulled at his sweaty shirt. "It's sweltering in here. Like it's an actual jungle!" "That's on purpose," said Harper. "Doc was keeping all the caterpillars in a terrarium so she could control the temperature and humidity levels for them. But now…since they escaped…" "This whole room is the terrarium," said Morgan. "Got it."

"We just have to take some measurements," said Harper. "We'll report back to Doc, and she'll figure out if she needs to bring in more plants or adjust the thermostat or anything like that." "I hope these little guys appreciate all this," said Morgan, squinting to get a good look at a cocoon. "I'm sure they do!" said Jodi. "When they hatch, they'll know we took good care of them. Like the baron here." She placed the hamster ball back on the ground, and Baron Sweetcheeks resumed rolling around the room. "It's weird, though," said Morgan. "These things were caterpillars less than a week ago. And

they're going to be butterflies?" "That's right," said Harper. "They're going through metamorphosis—which is a fancy word for 'change.'" Morgan frowned. "I feel like we're all going through metamorphosis. Nothing is the same as it was before." Jodi patted her brother on the back. "Nothing is ever the same as before," she said. "Change is constant." She looked over her shoulder. "I just wish we would sprout wings. That's a change I could really enjoy!" Just then, Harper's backpack chimed. "Ooh!" Harper said. "That's my phone." She rummaged around in a pocket. Then she pulled out the

phone she had once upgraded with some of Doc's old equipment—to strange results. "It's a video call," Harper said with a grin. "From our old friend—" "Ash!" cried Jodi. She squeezed in close to Harper so that she could get a better look. "How are you? I like your hair! What's the weather like over there?" "Hi, Jodi," said Ash. "Everything's good here, but I miss you guys." "We miss you, too," said Morgan. He squeezed in on Harper's other side. Baron Sweetcheeks squeaked at the sound of Ash's voice, and Harper laughed. "Baron Sweetcheeks says hi. Either that or he's asking for dinner." "Baron Sweetcheeks is the best," said Ash. "My new class pet is a snake, you guys. A snake! It gives me the creeps." Baron Sweetcheeks squeaked in agreement. "Aw, snakes are all right," said Jodi. She wouldn't mind having a snake, if only she could find one that didn't eat cute little rodents. Were there vegetarian snakes? She made a note to look that up next time they were in the library. "Are we playing Minecraft tonight?" asked Ash. "I'm finally free!"

"Bad timing," Harper said glumly. "We're helping Doc with a project. And Po's got a club meeting." "Aw, too bad," said Ash. "I keep missing you guys. But we'll find time soon, I'm sure." "I hope so," Morgan said. "It's not the same without you. Theo is super annoying." "Yikes," said Ash. "That's pretty harsh, Morgan." "It's the truth!" he said. "I don't understand his jokes. He's a terrible team player—he just always acts like he's in charge, and then he gets in the way. He likes to tell us he's some sort of coding genius, but I'm beginning to think he couldn't hack his way out of a paper bag." "Ouch," said a voice. Jodi's heart sank immediately. She knew whose voice that was. They turned to see Theo standing in the doorway. He was holding a pizza box and wearing his Blockheadz shirt. And he looked utterly, completely heartbroken. "I was just…I thought you guys might want some pineapple pizza, but…"