15 On the Table

CHAPTER FIFTEEN On the Table The Periodic Table (noun). A chart listing elements in order of their atomic number. The atomic number is the number of itty-bitty particles called protons in each atom. And just like fingerprints are unique to each human, the atomic number is unique for each element. A VOICE I ASSUMED WAS ROSALIND FRANKLIN'S was whispering in my ear. But no, it couldn't be. Because the voice coming from the handset sounded creepy and said, "Hellooooo. I must warn you there's a ghost. A ghost in the WC. Be very careful." I set down the receiver. My heart beat a million times per second. "So?" asked Phoenix. "Did you hear anything?" "Something that could help?" asked Birdie. "Not to me," I stated. "Figures," said Jeremy. Then I motioned Phoenix and Birdie to follow me over by the corner. "Look, I heard a voice on the phone. A really spooky one," I whispered. "And it gave me the creeps. But I think that was the only point." "What did it say?" asked Phoenix.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "That there's a ghost in the lab. And for us to be very careful. Actually, it said the ghost was in the WC." I shrugged. "Whatever that is. I bet the idea was just to scare Dragas. You know, that bad guy." "But what's a WC?" asked Birdie. "That's what people in England call the bathroom," said Phoenix in a loud dramatic whisper. "It stands for water closet!" Jeremy stomped over to us and stopped in front of Phoenix. "I heard everything you all were saying," he said. "Me too," said Elijah, and his voice sounded a little hurt. Memito nodded. "You shouldn't keep secrets," said Elijah. "I think Kate should be the one to go into the haunted water closet," said Jeremy. "To check it out." "Fine," I said, but I didn't feel fine. My heart was pounding. And my mouth felt dry. "I'll go with you," whispered Birdie, who could obviously tell I was just a little freaked out. A moment later, we creaked open the door to the water closet. Birdie shone a light so it wouldn't be so dark. "I hear something," I said, whirling around.

"It's called pipes. It's normal," said Birdie as she flicked on the light switch. The cramped WC remained dark. "Of course there's no light bulb," I said. "The idea is to completely terrify us, so our brains don't work. Birdie, I'm so glad you're with me right now. I hope you're no longer mad at me." "Me mad at you? What gave you that idea?" "You've just been so quiet and acting a little different." "Because I'm afraid of small spaces," she whispered. "And we're locked in an escape room." "Then why are you here with me right now?" I asked. "The WC is extra small." "Because you're my best friend and you're afraid of ghosts. And we've got to catch one in here." "Aw, Birdie," I said, giving her a hug. "You're the best, seriously." "Thanks, Kate. Right back at you. If anything, I thought you might be upset with me." Birdie opened the drawers under the sink. "It's probably dumb to look since Elijah and Memito were already here." She shrugged. "But they might have missed something." I shone the light over a roll of toilet paper that was randomly covered in plastic wrap. "So please

explain why you think I might possibly be mad at you?" "Because I'm the one who got us in trouble. I spent all the time picking out colors and got us behind during the Fall Science Challenge. If we hadn't been behind, then you wouldn't have gotten in a mood and done the tug-of-war with Jeremy—" "That's ridiculous. You're not to blame." I tapped my chest. "Me. I'm the one. I totally forgot the most important rules in a lab: be careful, and no fighting. I have to learn to be patient." I wiped my forehead. I was actually sweating as if I had been running. "I'm really nervous," I admitted. "Me too," said Birdie. "That's because you believe in ghosts." She shook her head. "No, because I was worried about... us." I put my arm around her shoulders. "No way. We're best friends and—" "What's that?" asked Birdie, pointing to a small gray appliance sitting on a shelf across from the faucet.

I strode over and cautiously picked it up. "Looks like a cross between a hair dryer and a watering can." Running my fingers along the base, I found an on-off switch. "I wonder what it does?" "I'm not sure. "It looks familiar. And yet not so much." Birdie snapped her fingers. "It's a steamer. My nani uses it to quickly dewrinkle her clothes when she travels for work." Nani is Birdie's grandma on her mom's side. She's an economist and sometimes travels to conferences. Economists use numbers to predict trends in the economy, like sales. Right now, if I had to make a prediction based on numbers, I'd say things were looking shaky. And then Memito shouted, "Fourteen minutes!" That didn't give us much time to figure things out!