18 An Unexpected Move

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN An Unexpected Move Energy Transfer (noun). This is a process where energy moves from one spot to another. So it would be like if you raced around the corner and accidentally slammed into another person. Your energy would transfer to them and send them flying backward. Oops! WE ALL CHEERED as the aquarium came into view. The enormous building sat right on Lake Michigan, and the Chicago skyline was nearby. I glanced at my watch. It was 10:58 a.m. "Did we make it in time for the show?" I asked. "I don't know," Birdie admitted. "I hope so," Julia said. We pulled into a bus turnaround area between some orange cones. The bus screeched to a slow stop. The doors opened, and an aquarium staff member, a tall woman holding a clipboard, climbed onto the bus and greeted us. "Welcome to the Shedd," she said "I'm Shanice. What school are you with?"

"We're from Franklin," Mrs. Eberlin practically yelled as she frantically told Shanice about our 11:00 a.m. reservation. "Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to get you guys to the eleven a.m. show in time," Shanice stated. "The amphitheater is at least a five-minute walk from here." There were some groans, including from me. Birdie looked like she was going to cry. "Hmmm," Shanice said. "Let me see what I can do." She stepped off the bus and grabbed her walkie-talkie off her hip. We watched her in silence, trying to pick up bits and pieces of her conversation through the closed bus windows. I had never heard this many fifth graders be this quiet for this long in my life. Even Jeremy was remaining silent. All of a sudden, Shanice shrugged, turned around, and walked back onto the bus. We studied her facial expressions for any hint or clue. And then Shanice smiled. "Good news!" she squealed. "Luckily, we can squeeze you into the eleven thirty aquatic show. We had some cancellations. Will that work for you guys?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Eberlin, who had made her way to the front of the bus. But Shanice could barely hear our teacher's answer over the cheers. "Will there be penguins?" I asked. "Well, each show is different," said Shanice. "We like to give the animals a break. The show you will be seeing might feature different animals." "So no penguins?" asked Julia in a quiet voice. "There might be," said Shanice. "But no promises." My heart sank. I glanced down at my watch. It was now 11:06 a.m. "Well, at least we can see penguins at their exhibit," said Birdie. "It's not like they'll disappear." "True," I said. And that made me think about energy transfers in chemistry. When something moves from one place to another. Those penguins in the 11:00 a.m. show would just be moving back to their exhibit, and other animals would take their place in the show. And then I remembered what my dad said about his mindfulness talk. You were supposed to notice the feelings in your chest. And just observe them. I noticed that everything felt tight, so I took a long, deep breath. "It's all going to be so much fun," said Mom, who had walked to the middle of the bus.

"Yes," I said cheerfully, as I grabbed Birdie's hand. All around me kids were chatting about what they wanted to visit first. Stingrays, sharks, the touch tank. The beluga whales. Outside, staffers wearing navy parkas and white caps pushed blue and yellow bins, and gathered all of our lunches. As we hurried out of the bus, they handed us maps. I took another breath as we strolled past a fountain with a statue of a man holding a giant fish. I was finally at the aquarium with my best friends and my mom. It was going to be awesome.