21 Quite a Sight!

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Quite a Sight! Magnetic Field (noun). An area where an object has the ability to have an influence on something else, which it can repel or attract. Think of it like how if you held up a lollipop, you'd attract your friend. And if you held up a dead fish, they'd probably turn and run the other way. THE WILD REEF WAS AMAZING. Especially the zebra sharks. I couldn't take my eyes off them. They were all stripes and spots and swam around so elegantly. They live in tropical waters around reefs. Tala was especially taken with what looked like an eel tucked into some tunnels. She said he was like a magnet, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. We passed by Memito's grandmother followed by Elijah, Memito, Rory, and Jeremy. Amazingly, Jeremy said he'd gotten the best super-duper fact about a parrotfish. "It's the coolest 'cause it covers itself in slime to go to sleep. Like snot pajamas." "That's gross," said Memito.

"No way! They do it for protection from parasites," said Jeremy. "It's awesome!" What was also awesome was the Great Lakes exhibit and the jellies, which looked like they were dancing and doing ballet. Those were Birdie's words, of course. But most of all, I couldn't wait to see my rockhopper penguins. I followed the signs, and sure enough, there they were. "Look! Look!" Behind the thick glass, there were so many penguins busy swimming in the water or waddling around. The aquarium had two kinds: Magellanic and rockhoppers. The Magellanics were black and white and had such a cute waddle. And they were about a half a foot taller than the rockhoppers. The rockhoppers had orange beaks and little yellow tufts above their eyes and hopped and bounced around. The water was so clear and blue, and the penguins had all kinds of nooks and crannies to hang out in.

"I wonder if they play hide-and-seek," mused Tala. "Girls, look," said Mom. "That penguin is following the other one. Kate, it reminds me of you and Liam when you were younger." Birdie whipped out her phone to take photos for me. "Kate, I'll send you the pics when we get home. You've got to remember this cuteness." "Isn't this the best?" I shouted to Julia, sure that she would be happy. But instead she was intently reading everything. And looking glum. As Mom moved farther down the exhibit to check out some diving penguins with Tala, I noticed that Julia was definitely frowning. "What's the matter?" I asked her. "I know everything," she said. "What do you mean?"

"We were supposed to find three super-duper facts. Something new that we learned at the aquarium. But with my research, I've already learned everything here." She pointed to the information on the signs posted around the exhibit. "Are you sure?" She started listing facts. How penguins have fused bones. How they sneeze to get rid of salt in the water that they drink. How Magellanic penguins can swim fifteen miles per hour. How the rockhoppers make nests out of rocks. Wow. She really had done a lot of research after all. I was impressed that she knew way more than she used to back when she wanted penguins to be magenta. She started to pace. "What am I going to do?" she asked. "How am going to get my presentation done?" "Well, I know lots of facts about penguins," I said. "I could tell you some facts and—" Julia shook her head. "No," she said. "Those aren't the rules. We're supposed to learn something new at the Shedd." I sighed. "But you're learning from me, and we're at the Shedd." Julia folded her arms. "I don't think that's a good idea." "You're not being flexible," I said in a voice that maybe was a little too sharp.

"Neither are you," she said. "You've been mad at me ever since I picked penguins as my sea creature to study." "That's not—" "It is," she said. I hung my head. "You're right. It's true. It's just that I love them so much. I even have posters of rockhoppers up in my bedroom." "Well, I didn't know anything about penguins. And I wanted to learn." "That's actually really cool," I admitted. "I've enjoyed learning about sea lions, to tell you the truth. I'm sorry if I've been grumpy. And I'm sorry that you're having trouble finding your super-duper facts." Then at that moment Shanice walked by with her crackling walkie-talkie, and I had an idea. "The emcee said we're supposed to be sea curious and to ask a staff person our questions. Let's ask Shanice." We both raced up to Shanice and asked her if she knew any more information about penguins. A huge smile stretched across her face. "I do," she said. "But I know someone who knows even more than me. They are going to be feeding the penguins in about twenty minutes. But the trainers like to get to the exhibit early. Since you all missed that penguin show this morning, I can introduce you to the trainers and you can ask some questions."

"Really?" I asked. "Yes," said Shanice. "See, here they come." And sure enough, she pointed to a couple of trainers starting to enter the exhibit. I stared at the trainers with their buckets. Getting to talk to them would be so awesome. "Girls," said Mom. She looked at her phone. "We better leave now if you want to get anything at the gift store. We have less than twenty minutes before we have to board the bus to go home." "Already? Wow. I feel like we just got here," said Tala. "Me too," said Birdie, looking at her sketchpad. "But I definitely want to get some souvenirs." "Same," said Tala. "I actually wanted to get a penguin T-shirt," admitted Julia. "There won't be time to talk with the trainers and go to the gift store," said Mom. "As a group we're going to have to choose one or the other." "Then I pick staying with the trainers," stated Julia. Mom glanced at Shanice, and then she studied her phone. "I'll tell you what," said Mom. "I'll stay here with Julia, and whoever wants to go to the gift shop can go. It's right around the corner, and Elijah's mom just texted me that her group is there."