The Monster Hypothesis by Romily Bernard

Author:Romily Bernard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2019-12-09T16:00:00+00:00

Mrs. Flagg swept through the classroom door. “Oh.” She stopped, spotting the girls. “Good morning, ladies.”

“Good morning!”

“You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!” the disks in Kick’s pocket hissed.

Kick winced. Sadly, a layer of canvas coverall did almost nothing to muffle the noise. They were busted. They were so busted.

“You’re here awfully early.” Mrs. Flagg’s voice was laced with suspicion.

“Excited to start the day,” Carolina said, smiling like she was innocent and perfect and not at all like she was lying.

Mrs. Flagg squinted at them. The squint might’ve meant Since when? But it could just have easily meant I am suspicious, and yet you sound so innocent I am suspicious of my suspicion. It was a lot to say in a squint, but somehow Mrs. Flagg managed it.

“You’re a monster!” the voice squealed. Kick shivered, peeking up at Mrs. Flagg and…

Mrs. Flagg’s expression hadn’t changed a bit. She didn’t seem to have noticed. How was that possible?

“Did you see anyone go past?” Mrs. Flagg asked Carolina, tugging at the classroom keys that hung on a lanyard around her neck. “Perhaps someone coming from the school’s rear entrance?”

“I didn’t think we were supposed to be back there.”

“Hmmm. Kick?” Mrs. Flagg’s attention switched to Kick. “You didn’t happen to leave a Bunsen burner anywhere, did you?”

Kick’s mouth went dry. “Oh, no, Mrs. Flagg. That would be dangerous.”

Mrs. Flagg’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s true,” Carolina said. “She would never do something like that—besides, she was with me this morning.”

“I see.” And honestly, Mrs. Flagg really did seem to see everything, but she still hadn’t acknowledged the whiny voice, so…

The classroom door swung open again, and Miss Welty appeared, holding up the remains of the Bunsen burner in her ink-stained fingers. “Nothing?” she asked Mrs. Flagg.

“Nothing,” Mrs. Flagg confirmed.

“Monster!” the voice squealed. Kick braced herself. Surely they had heard that.

But no.

Miss Welty and Mrs. Flagg chatted about how they hadn’t found anything aside from the burner and how no one had seen anything. Miss Welty disappeared down the hallway, taking the Bunsen burner with her, and Kick realized two things: The voice was so annoying her teeth were beginning to itch. And the adults didn’t seem to hear it. At all.

Mrs. Flagg turned for her desk, keys jangling. “Class will begin soon. Get your books out.”

“Yes, Mrs. Flagg!” But the girls didn’t. They watched their teacher instead. They watched her pick up papers. They watched her rearrange pens. They did not watch her wince because the world’s most annoying voice was trying to tunnel into her brain through her eardrum.

“You’re a monster! You’re a monster!”

“How can she not hear it?” Carolina whispered when Mrs. Flagg went to the bookshelf to rearrange the Princess Posey titles.

Kick had no idea. Eyes still on Mrs. Flagg, she eased back in her seat and pulled both disks from her pocket. The second one was upside down, revealing the tiny switch on its back. She dug her thumbnail into it and the switch slid down. Silence bloomed.

“Carolina?”

“Yeah?”

“I need to use your internet after school.

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