Chapter 7

7 "Time to go overboard!" said Dr. Crisp. They had reached the middle of the lake. "But, Dr. Crisp," said Violet, "we don't have bathing suits!" "I'll take care of that!" Dr. Crisp laughed. Then she said into her watch, "Maker Maze, activate swim gear!" Nothing happened. "Oh, fiddle flasks," said Dr. Crisp. "I need a new watch." She repeated the command.

BOOM! SNAP! WHIZ! ZAP! Suddenly, Pablo, Violet, and Deepak were spinning. They spun faster and faster until they could barely see the lake! "Whoaaaa! What's happening?" Pablo shouted. Then they came to a sudden stop. "I think I'm going to be sick," said Deepak, grabbing his stomach. Violet giggled. "Let's do it again!" "Look!" said Pablo, pointing at Violet and Deepak. They were all wearing wet suits. With flippers. And scuba gear!

"Okay, hop to it!" said Dr. Crisp. She showed the trio two small buttons on the side of their Magnificent Maker Watches. One was for scanning, and the other was for talking to one another underwater. Then she gave them one last tip. "Remember, living things live close to what they eat. That's why it's called a food chain. Everything in an ecosystem is linked together by food." She winked. "Good luck, Makers!" Violet wobbled to the edge of the boat.

Pablo laughed. "You're walking like a penguin!" "Let's see you try it!" Violet called back as she hopped overboard. Deepak followed her. Pablo dove in. He swam to the bottom of the lake. It was covered with mud, twigs, and rocks. Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a little lobster. But there weren't any lobsters in Newburg Lake. He swam closer. It was a crayfish! SNAP! Yikes! Pablo thought. The crayfish tried to pinch him! He backed off. Pablo waved to Violet and Deepak as he pointed at the feisty creature. They smiled through their scuba gear. Pablo aimed his watch at the crayfish. Out blasted a purple laser! It scanned the crayfish, and his watch vibrated. A large check mark appeared on the screen. Pablo's stomach felt bubbly with excitement. The trio celebrated with high fives. A flashing arrow blinked on Pablo's watch. He swiped it. The word producer appeared. He

swiped again. Consumer. And finally, scavenger. "Which one is it?" asked Violet into her watch. Pablo knew the answer. Back in Puerto Rico, the stream that ran behind his house was full of crayfish. He loved watching the crayfish scuttle around. His mom called them the basureros del arroyo, the stream's garbage collectors. They ate rotting leaves and twigs. They also ate dead fish. One time he saw a crayfish eating a minnow's head! "Crayfish are scavengers!" Pablo said. "That's why you find them in the mud. I bet they eat all the dead stuff that falls to the bottom of the lake."

Deepak shook his head. "We had a pet crayfish in my class last year," he said. "The teacher would feed it tiny fish. And the crayfish would hunt them. That means crayfish are consumers." "Nope," said Pablo. "Crayfish are scavengers." "Guys, we're scientists. We can figure this out," said Violet. Pablo's nostrils flared. "I know the answer!" "We should make sure we're right," said Violet. "Deepak has a point." Pablo's excitement was turning into bubbles of anger. He faced Deepak. "You think you know everything! But you don't. You don't know anything. The only thing you know is how to steal best friends!" Pablo shouted. He swam off. Violet called out to him to wait. But Pablo was already far away.