8 VERY FISHY

VERY FISHY Ms. Aruba-Tate's class swarmed off the bus. They were proud. Their bus behavior had been excellent, if you didn't count Marga-Lee and Dusit. They stampeded up the stairs toward the aquarium's front door. Who would get there first? Who would be the best? "Boys and girls! Stop!" hollered Ms. Aruba-Tate. They stopped. Ms. Aruba-Tate didn't holler very often. "Boys and girls! Stay where you are! Don't move! Stay with

your buddy! Try to stay together!" The white marble patio outside the aquarium was full of hollering teachers and wandering kids. There were kids sliding down the handrail on the stairs. There were boys throwing their backpacks at each other. There were girls walking along the rim of the fountain. All the teachers were trying to get all the kids to stand still. What a nuthouse, thought Bean. "Boys and girls! Follow me!" shouted Ms. Aruba-Tate. "Stay with your buddy!" Linking arms, Ivy and Bean climbed the stairs toward the big golden doors. "Our new home," Bean whispered. They went inside. The aquarium was big and dim, with dark hallways like arms leading off in many directions. It was sort of greenish all over, and even with hundreds of kids wandering around, it was quiet.

"Okay," said Ivy, pulling out a list. "The first thing we do is find a good hiding place." But they couldn't find a good hiding place because Ms. Aruba-Tate was calling them over to the alligator pit. The second- graders clustered around the pit and stared down at the alligators.

"Look!" Bean nudged Ivy. "There's money in there!" Bright coins sparkled in the slimy alligator water. Ivy looked. "No way am I going in an alligator pit to get money," she said. "Oh. Right." Bean stared at the money. What a waste. The alligators seemed dead anyway. They didn't even move. Maybe she could just slip in and out. One of the alligators spread its mouth wide in a yawn. Maybe not.

"Stay together!" called Ms. Aruba-Tate, leading them from the alligator pit to a dark hallway. "Now we will see Coastal Zones." Ivy nodded at Bean. Coastal Zones sounded like a good place to make a getaway. "When do we eat lunch?" yelled Paul. "I'm starving to death." "Now," whispered Ivy. She and Bean started to walk backward. "There will be no eating inside the aquarium," said Ms. Aruba-Tate. "Ivy! Bean! Stay with the group!" "Boy, does she have sharp eyes," Bean muttered. Coastal Zones turned out to be tide pools. Tide pools were good because you got to stick your hands in them. Ivy and Bean decided to run away later. Ivy held an orange starfish, which was really called a

sea star and had eyes at the ends of its arms. Pretty neat. A sea anemone wrapped its soft tentacles around Bean's finger. She hoped it didn't hurt when she pulled her finger away. After Coastal Zones, there were penguins. Bean and Ivy liked penguins, but