11. The Science Fair Disaster

THE SCIENCE FAIR DISASTER 11 Water poured down like in a hurricane! Smoke from a student's battery project had caused the sprinkler system to turn on.

Sam and his friends stared out at the huge room. It was madness! The lights flickered and the walls moaned. The floor rumbled and the bleachers howled. A chill ran down Sam's spine.

"We have to find my backpack," Sam said. "The book is in there!" He rushed over to his project. The volcano was flipped onto its side. He peeked over it. Sam smiled as he saw his backpack behind the table. But it was unzipped again. "No!" he cried, grabbing the backpack. The book was gone. "Find that book!" Sam yelled.

The friends searched the room. Their eyes looked over everything, but it was hard to see. Smoke filled the air. Water dripped from the sprinklers. Experiments bubbled over. There were big popping sounds and small snapping explosions. "There!" Lucy finally exclaimed, pointing. They all saw it. And they all gasped... The book was sliding across the gym floor, toward the center of the room. It was being moved by the power of Eerie Elementary.

Sam charged toward the book. "Come on, guys!" As they ran, the ground began to tremble and shake. "Another earthquake?!" Antonio shrieked. The large wooden floorboards began to shift. The floor started to split apart. Pipes and wires burst from below. "This is no earthquake!" Sam shouted. "It's a volcano!"