Menace from the Deep by Michael P. Spradlin

Author:Michael P. Spradlin
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2013-06-19T21:00:00+00:00

EMMET HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED A FIRST DAY WITH A teacher like the one he had with Dr. Newton. Everyone sat at highboy lab tables in hard-back stools where they could conduct their experiments. Emmet wasn’t sure if he got off on the wrong foot with Dr. Newton or not. In fact, after about five minutes he wasn’t sure if even Dr. Newton knew where he stood.

But first, he was assigned a seat. His lab partner was apparently going to be a kid named Jimmy Johnston.

“Everybody calls me Double J,” he said as Emmet sat down on the stool next to him.

“My name is Emmet,” Emmet said, trying to get comfortable in the high-back chair.

“Cool. Where you from?” Double J asked.

“Moved here from Montana,” he said.

“You like science?”

Emmet shrugged. “I guess it’s okay.”

“I don’t,” Double J said. He was taller than Emmet, already close to six foot, which was tall for a sixth grader. He was about as big around as a #2 pencil and his long hair was an indeterminate brown color pulled back in a ponytail. The weather outside was already pushing eighty degrees, but Double J wore a thick leather jacket, blue jeans with a chain wallet attached to his belt, and thick black army boots.

“Oh, well. What classes do you like?” It was probably a good idea to try to be polite to someone dressed like a biker. Even if he was a sixth grader.

“Lunch,” Double J said, putting his head down on the table atop his crossed arms and falling immediately to sleep. Emmet jumped when Dr. Newton called his name.

“Emmet Doyle!” he said, from the front of the room.

“Yes … sir,” Emmet replied with hesitation.

“Class, meet our newest student, Emmet Doyle,” Dr. Newton said. There were a few muttered “hi’s” but the response was otherwise underwhelming.

Dr. Newton strolled up to Emmet’s table, giving him a good looking-over, like he might be buying a horse or something. He was medium height, a little on the heavy side. His long hair stuck out all over his head like he’d been shocked, and he wore a tweed sport coat over a green T-shirt that said I SUPPORT GREENPEACE in white letters. His new science teacher also wore Birkenstock sandals with socks. To Emmet, this made him immediately suspect.

“You’re from Montana,” Dr. Newton said.

Emmet wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement. So he just nodded yes.

“What did you do there?” Dr. Newton asked.

“Um. Snowboarded, went to school, I —”

Dr. Newton cut him off. “Snowboarded! You know, ski resorts are bad for the environment. They destroy the habitat. What do your parents do for a living? Do they work for oil companies?”

Emmet wasn’t sure what was going on. It felt like he was on trial.

“I only have my dad … he’s a scientist. He works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He’s here to work in the Everglades. He —”

“The Everglades. Pfft. The government is ruining the Everglades. They have no backbone. Won’t stand up to the corporations who’d just as soon pave over the Glades and build condos.

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