Chapter One:
There Has to Be a Part Two
Wordgirl sighed and wiped a mixture of sweat and sour milk from her face. Upturning one of her boots and scowling at the cascade of dairy splashing to the floor, she turned to face the captured Dr. Two-Brains, who watched her smugly while standing ankle-deep in a pool of half-formed cheese curds.
"So, what's next?" She asked drily. Two-Brains feigned a shocked expression as he leaned against the smashed remains of his latest goop ray.
"Whatever do you mean, Wordgirl?" He said in a sing-song voice that gave Wordgirl the feeling he knew exactly what she meant. Shrugging, he continued, "You foiled my evil scheme, fair and square! Yup, you really knocked it out of the park!" He blinked innocently, but that in itself was a blatant giveaway that he was lying. Huggy squeaked from across the warehouse before collapsing in exhaustion from the recent battle.
"You're right, Huggy, I don't believe that for a second." Wordgirl stopped wringing out her cape and gestured to the complete mess of his warehouse, sending a few droplets of milk flying from her gloves. A huge vat lay toppled on its side, partially gooped earlier by Two-Brains in an attempt to surprise Wordgirl with one big wave of coagulated milk. The debris from Two-Brains' goop ray were scattered across the room, pieces sent flying after Wordgirl "disabled" it with a single punch. The pungent odor of foul dairy permeated her nostrils, making her nose scrunch up whenever a draft carried the smell in her direction. It was much too early in the morning for this.
"No blueprints, no henchmen, no cheese?" Wordgirl was incredulous, but Two-Brains seemed unusually accepting about his current circumstance. She threw up her hands. "And why so early in the morning? All you did was steal expired milk from the grocery store, and if you had simply waited until opening hours, none of this would even have warranted my intervention in the first place! At least, not if you hadn't turned so many things to goop along the way! This isn't like you at all, Doc! Where are the diagrams, the detailed charts— the unnecessary complexity? It doesn't add up; there has to be a part two to this plan."
"Hey! I'll have you know that the cheese-making process is an incredibly complex and beautiful art form that requires expertise and talent. Besides, my henchmen took the day off, which is why they couldn't stick around to help out. And then you stopped me before I could actually make any cheese. So there's nothing more to it than that; I guess I'm just having a bad day." Two-Brains rocked back and forth on his heels and started to hum.
"Hmm, I still don't buy it." Wordgirl said. She flew around the warehouse once more to see if she missed anything. It just didn't feel right. Usually Two-Brains would be frustrated to have his master plan thwarted. But there he was, calmly—even happily— watching her look for clues to a bigger plan that apparently didn't exist! But there didn't seem to be any hidden traps, hostages, or stolen goods. Maybe he was telling the truth.
Finding nothing more to support her hunch, she scratched her head thoughtfully, trying not to get distracted by how drenched and smelly and tired she was, how she still had to finish up her math homework before school in a few hours, and how maybe just this once Two-Brains was having an off day.
Huggy lay sprawled on top of a floating piece of scrap metal, nauseous from drinking so much sour milk during their prior battle. Wordgirl quickly consulted with him, though in his current state she was talking to herself more than anything.
"If only the narrator wasn't on vacation—he could tell me if the episode was over and I'd know if we were done here or not," she muttered. Quickly collecting her thoughts, she pointed an accusatory finger at Two-Brains.
"Y-you're really not trying to dupe me, then?"
Two-Brains put on a puzzled expression. "Boy, if only I knew what 'dupe' meant. Why don't you define it for me, Wordgirl, and, uh, take your time. Uh, and be thorough! I could use an example or two."
"Oh, um… okay?" Wordgirl couldn't resist. "To dupe means to trick! You see, when you dupe someone, you fool them or get them to fall for a trap. Granny May often dupes citizens into giving up their money by pretending to be a harmless old lady. Or, when Lady Redundant Woman made a clone of me and caused the public to think I was committing crimes, she duped the public. Or if, I don't know, you happened to get a trick question wrong on the art quiz because you're not that great at art, you could say you were—"
"Duped, yeah, I get it. Hey, look at that, the police are here!" The flashing blue and red lights of police cars signaled their arrival. Two-Brains began walking towards them—willingly, much to Wordgirl's surprise. "Well, Wordgirl, it's been great chatting with you," he called behind him, without looking back. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Any crimes to fight? There's definitely no need at all to follow me." He laughed cautiously.
Wordgirl's confusion was interrupted as her super hearing honed in on the sound of her bedroom alarm clock ringing from across town.
"Uh-oh, you're right! Come on, Huggy, we'll be late for…that…thing!" With a flash, she zipped across the warehouse to grab her sidekick. On her way out the door, where she could see the officers escorting the villain into a waiting car, Wordgirl made her first and second fingers into a "V" shape; she pointed at her own eyes, then at Two-Brains', and flew off into the distance, leaving a streak of light in her wake.
In almost the same amount of time it took for Wordgirl to defeat Dr. Two-Brains, Becky had gotten ready for school. Two showers, a math worksheet, and a quick breakfast later, Becky met Violet and Scoops partway to campus like they did every morning. Violet waved as Becky caught up to them, but Scoops recoiled, pinching his nose.
"Whew, Becky! You smell like bad cheese! Nothing—" he suddenly went quiet and looked around before continuing. "—nothing villainous happened, right? You're supposed to let me know right away so I can be the first reporter on the scene!"
Becky hesitated before answering. "Actually, I did have a little run-in with Dr. Two-Brains earlier this morning but his scheme was so pathetic I didn't think it was worth it to wake you up."
Scoops was visibly disappointed, but shrugged it off. "Don't worry about me, Becky. We've been through worse, you know. Consider me your side-side-kick!"
Bob chirped appreciatively (always glad to be acknowledged), giving Scoops a thumbs up. Violet stopped to pick a dandelion from a crack in the sidewalk and held it up to the sky.
"And I'll be your side-side-side-kick!" She nodded sagely to herself. "You don't have to fight alone anymore, Becky."
"Violet is right," Scoops added. "We've got your back now."
Shifting her backpack uncomfortably, Becky carefully considered which words would be best to tell her friends she didn't want their help. Maybe it was just habit or stubbornness, but the thought of Scoops and Violet tagging along on city patrols and dangerous confrontations didn't seem very enticing. Or safe, for that matter.
Becky stopped walking, and her friends turned back to look at her. "Thanks, guys. I mean it, really. Having two of my best friends know about everything takes a huge weight off my chest. But I've been going solo—"(angry monkey squeaks interrupted her) "—I mean, I've been teaming up with just Huggy for so long, I guess it'll take time for me to get used to having more allies. And until I do, I just want a little room to myself—to keep working like I used to. Alone." (More squeaks) "Yes, I mean you too! Listen— Violet, Scoops— I'm seriously glad you two are worried about me, but…don't be. Bob and I are capable of handling anything these villains throw at us."
"Cape a… bull?" Violet repeated, already inspired to create some form of art.
"Oh no, capable. It means you can handle something, that you're able to do it. Like how you're capable of painting beautiful pictures!"
"Ohhh, I see," Violet said. But nothing more was spoken between the three friends so the trio walked on in silence, letting Becky's entire confession hang in the air like a thick cloud.
It wasn't until they got to the school parking lot that they noticed several police cars pulled over outside the main entrance.
"That's weird," Scoops said, breaking the silence. "I wonder what's going on."
"It doesn't have anything to do with Wordgirl, does it?" Violet wondered.
"No, I didn't hear about any ongoing crimes. Look! There's the Warden! And my mom?"
Becky ran up to the two adults who were conversing as they exited the school. Upon seeing her daughter, Mrs. Botsford waved enthusiastically.
"Oh, hey Becky! How's my little early-bird? I heard you getting ready for school extra early this morning, good for you!"
"Mom, what's going on? Why's the Warden here?"
"I'll tell you why I'm here," he announced through his thick moustache and lilted accent. "We're starting a new villain reformation program and if it doesn't work, I'll eat my hat!"
"But, but," Becky interjected. "Did anyone ask Wordgirl about this? Remember what happened with Chuck when he tried to take a job as the lunch lady? Maybe it's not a good idea."
Mrs. Botsford waved her hand dismissively. "It's only for a day, sweetie. And the job is only a temporary position as a new substitute teacher, so you probably won't even run into him."
"Sorry, run into who?" asked Scoops, as he and Violet caught up to Becky.
The Warden checked his wristwatch, and started heading back to his police car. "Time's a-wasting, so I'd better be on my way, kiddos. Stay out of prison, now!"
At the mention of the time, Mrs. Botsford jumped a bit. "Oops! Looks like I'd better get back to the office, too. See you later, Violet, Scoops—" she gave her daughter a big hug as she cooed, "And Becky! You have your lunch? That's my girl! Bye-bye now!" As she walked into the parking lot, they heard her say to no one in particular, "What smells like an old grilled cheese sandwich?"
"What was she talking about, Becky?" Violet asked.
"How I smell," Becky quipped, frustrated. Then, relenting, "Sorry, I know that's not what you meant. Apparently, there's going to be a villain working at school today, but she didn't say who. I doubt it's for our class, anyway. Mr. Dudley hasn't missed a day of school since my dad substitute taught a couple months ago."
"I hope it's Mr. Big," Scoops said. "He's so eager to be interviewed, which makes my job a lot easier."
Bob chirped.
"You're right, Bob, we should be on guard. But I'm always glad to give villains a chance to reenter into civilian life." Yet, underneath her confident front, Becky wasn't so sure. The school bell rang, prompting all the students to start filing into their classrooms. Becky took a moment outside to part ways with Bob, and suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, shoot! Scoops, Violet, go on without me! I forgot my math homework—I'll go home and grab it! It'll be just a minute." She ducked out of sight and flew back to her room where she found the hastily completed worksheet on her desk. For Becky, the trip was only a slight detour that took a little less than 30 seconds, but timing was not on her side and she heard the late bell ring as she landed back in front of her classroom. When she opened the door, a familiar voice stopped her dead in her tracks, filling her with a sense of dread.
"Oh, goodie! A straggler!" Two-Brains said from behind the teacher's desk. "I was hoping I would get to mark someone late."
Uh-oh. Becky was starting to get an idea about part two of his scheme.