in front of the Hummer, and it rolled over his leg as if it were a skinny speed bump.
Cornelia hit the brakes again and turned off the engine, leaving the can man writhing in pain in the gap between the front and rear tires. She climbed out of the Hummer yelling, "This is not my fault!" She checked the damage done to the left front of the vehicle and then the damage done to the can man. Once she determined that he was alive, and likely to stay that way, she yelled down at him, "You do not belong here! Most of you people have gotten the message! Why do you keep coming back?" Cornelia turned and hurried into the building.
Pogo jumped up and down in front of Kate, waving her arms frantically, a look of desperation in her eyes. Kate took charge. "There was a phone in that Protein Lab, wasn't there?"
Pogo nodded, still bobbing crazily. Kate pointed to the writhing can man. "You stay with him. I'll go call nine-one-one."
Kate sprinted back through the hallway to the Protein Lab. She snatched the phone off the wall, dialed, pleaded for an ambulance, and ran back to the loading dock all inside of one minute.
Pogo was cradling the can man's head in her lap, rocking him back and forth. Kate watched from the vantage point of the loading dock, praying that the ambulance would arrive before any "help" from inside.
It turned out to be a tie. The ambulance rolled into the parking lot just as Dr. Cavendar emerged from the building with his medical bag. He gestured to Pogo to get out of the way. She lowered the can man's head onto the asphalt and ran up the side stairs of the loading dock. Dr. Cavendar then gestured to the paramedics to drive away, but they would not. Instead, they hopped out of the ambulance and ran toward the can man.
"His color is good," Dr. Cavendar announced to all. "He is making good, strong sounds. I do not believe he is injured at all. It is probably an insurance scam."
The paramedics rolled their eyes at each other. One of them said, "Nice to see you again, Dr. Cavendar." They brushed past him and loaded the can man onto a stretcher. They gently slid the stretcher into the ambulance, hopped inside, and drove away.
Dr. Cavendar shook his head, as if completely puzzled by their behavior. He then climbed into the seat of Cornelia's Hummer H2, pulled it slowly to her parking space, and walked back into the building.
Kate turned to Pogo for an explanation and got back another stare. But this stare was not merely curious. It was intense. As intense as the fire from a welding torch.
Pogo then spun away and jumped down from the loading dock, her black dress billowing outward. She began to collect aluminum cans, piling them first into a fold in her dress, and then into the battered shopping cart. Kate watched in silence for a moment. Then she jumped down, too, and started to pick up the far-flung cans.
14. The Juku Warriors
Near the end of fourth period, Science 8 handed Kate a note instructing her to report for her after-school job as "personal assistant to Miss Heidi Whittaker Austin."
Before the watchful eyes of the boy with the big feet, she crumpled the note, popped it into her mouth, and chewed it slowly, like a belligerent cow. The boy's jaw opened and stayed open.
When the bell rang, Kate stood with the other students and gathered her belongings. The students filed out in order of their test scores, meaning that Kate left last. She took out the soggy wad of notepaper and tossed it across two rows, creating a wet thump in the trash can.
Kate followed the Mushroom Children upstairs, but at the entranceway, she detoured and walked into the lobby. She spotted Heidi at a table in front of the library office. Heidi was dressed, as always, in a white crinoline dress with puffy sleeves. Her golden ringlets ran down both sides of her head like thick ropes.
Kate stood in front of the table while Heidi wrote in a notebook As she waited, Kate noticed an announcement taped to the office window: "Dr. Austin has
Cornelia hit the brakes again and turned off the engine, leaving the can man writhing in pain in the gap between the front and rear tires. She climbed out of the Hummer yelling, "This is not my fault!" She checked the damage done to the left front of the vehicle and then the damage done to the can man. Once she determined that he was alive, and likely to stay that way, she yelled down at him, "You do not belong here! Most of you people have gotten the message! Why do you keep coming back?" Cornelia turned and hurried into the building.
Pogo jumped up and down in front of Kate, waving her arms frantically, a look of desperation in her eyes. Kate took charge. "There was a phone in that Protein Lab, wasn't there?"
Pogo nodded, still bobbing crazily. Kate pointed to the writhing can man. "You stay with him. I'll go call nine-one-one."
Kate sprinted back through the hallway to the Protein Lab. She snatched the phone off the wall, dialed, pleaded for an ambulance, and ran back to the loading dock all inside of one minute.
Pogo was cradling the can man's head in her lap, rocking him back and forth. Kate watched from the vantage point of the loading dock, praying that the ambulance would arrive before any "help" from inside.
It turned out to be a tie. The ambulance rolled into the parking lot just as Dr. Cavendar emerged from the building with his medical bag. He gestured to Pogo to get out of the way. She lowered the can man's head onto the asphalt and ran up the side stairs of the loading dock. Dr. Cavendar then gestured to the paramedics to drive away, but they would not. Instead, they hopped out of the ambulance and ran toward the can man.
"His color is good," Dr. Cavendar announced to all. "He is making good, strong sounds. I do not believe he is injured at all. It is probably an insurance scam."
The paramedics rolled their eyes at each other. One of them said, "Nice to see you again, Dr. Cavendar." They brushed past him and loaded the can man onto a stretcher. They gently slid the stretcher into the ambulance, hopped inside, and drove away.
Dr. Cavendar shook his head, as if completely puzzled by their behavior. He then climbed into the seat of Cornelia's Hummer H2, pulled it slowly to her parking space, and walked back into the building.
Kate turned to Pogo for an explanation and got back another stare. But this stare was not merely curious. It was intense. As intense as the fire from a welding torch.
Pogo then spun away and jumped down from the loading dock, her black dress billowing outward. She began to collect aluminum cans, piling them first into a fold in her dress, and then into the battered shopping cart. Kate watched in silence for a moment. Then she jumped down, too, and started to pick up the far-flung cans.
14. The Juku Warriors
Near the end of fourth period, Science 8 handed Kate a note instructing her to report for her after-school job as "personal assistant to Miss Heidi Whittaker Austin."
Before the watchful eyes of the boy with the big feet, she crumpled the note, popped it into her mouth, and chewed it slowly, like a belligerent cow. The boy's jaw opened and stayed open.
When the bell rang, Kate stood with the other students and gathered her belongings. The students filed out in order of their test scores, meaning that Kate left last. She took out the soggy wad of notepaper and tossed it across two rows, creating a wet thump in the trash can.
Kate followed the Mushroom Children upstairs, but at the entranceway, she detoured and walked into the lobby. She spotted Heidi at a table in front of the library office. Heidi was dressed, as always, in a white crinoline dress with puffy sleeves. Her golden ringlets ran down both sides of her head like thick ropes.
Kate stood in front of the table while Heidi wrote in a notebook As she waited, Kate noticed an announcement taped to the office window: "Dr. Austin has
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