Author's note: I've changed my mind! The next episode I do will either be "Malled" or "Here Comes The Sun", depending on whether I can get the latter taped when it airs on Wednesday. It's Saturday now. Problem is, we're going to be in New York for spring break.
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Chapter 2: Samnesia -
"Okay, contestants," Wink finally declared, "it's Do or Die time. Here's the question. In order, what are Earth's four chronological eras?"
Sam buzzed in. "That is so easy. I just answered this in science class today."
We heard this one. "She's going to get this one for sure!" Clover said.
"I know she messed up the others," I added, "but if she blows this one, I'll eat my hat!"
"Totally," Alex agreed. "Science is her best subject!"
You guessed it! Something happened, and all of a sudden Alex didn't know the answer. "It's, um … okay, the first, um … the first … it's … it's …"
BZZT! "Margie?"
"Okay. You got your Precambrian era, you got your Paleozoic era. Okay, there's another era. It's at the tip of my tongue."
Alex and Clover hung their heads. Clover handed me a fork.
10:32 AM - BEVERLY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
The next day, the girls and I were walking down the hall, discussing what had happened.
"It was so weird," Sam explained. "Wink would ask a question, and I'd know the answer, but when I buzzed in, I just totally blanked."
"Don't fret," I assured her. "That happens to me all the time in the classroom."
"I agree with Leo," Alex added. "Probably just a bad case of stage fright, or in Leo's case, classroom fright."
(I wanted to sock Alex for that one, but I didn't.)
"Yeah," Clover agreed. "Either that or the buzzer sucked out part of your brain."
Clover, Alex, and I shared a short laugh. Sam wasn't amused. "Ha ha. Now, if you're through with the fun-at-my-expense-fest, I believe we're due for our mid-morning makeup check."
We immediately stopped laughing as Sam started walking to the door to the boys' bathroom.
BOYS' BATHROOM?
"Um, is it me," Clover commented, "or is she a little off course?"
"No, not off course," I topped, "she's off beat."
"Off beat?" Alex added. "She's off her rocker! Come on, we've got to stop her!"
Clover grabbed Sam's wrist in the nick of time. Sam didn't understand. "Hey! What are you doing?"
Alex was the one who replied to this one. "How about saving you from total humiliation? This is the boys' bathroom!"
Sam glanced at the door. "Oopsie. Guess I wasn't paying attention. Ah, forget the makeup check. Let's just get our books and go to class."
Sam walked off, leaving us somewhat confused.
A little later, Sam was struggling with her locker. "Come on, you dumb locker, open up!"
"What's the matter?" Clover asked. "Did you forget your combination?"
Sam hardly blinked. "Forget my combination? That's, like, the dumbest question ever, Clovis!"
"Clovis?"
"Uh, Sam," Alex interrupted, "her name is Clover."
"That's what I said, Allegra!"
I was the next to speak. "Allegra? Sam, is there a problem?"
"Of course not, Leroy. Does it look like there's a problem to you?"
"Okay," Clover interjected, "I was just kidding about the brain-sucking thing before."
"Sam," Alex inquired, "are you okay?"
"I am fine! Gosh, if I could just figure out why there's no smoothie stand at this mall."
"Probably because this is no mall," I suggested.
"Okay," Clover decided, opening her compowder, "this just went from mildly amusing to 911 call Jerry quick! Serious!"
BEEP! Some lockers slid aside, and we were sucked into a hole, down a tunnel, and onto the usual cushion. I spent a few seconds looking for my pencil, which I had lost during the ride, and found it lodged in Alex's hair.
"Hello, ladies, and Leo," Jerry greeted us. "What seems to be the problem?"
Clover answered this one. "Sam's the problem. Ever since she was on that Brain Buster show, she's been acting tray-bizarro."
As she said this last part, Clover made a motion with her fingers that I couldn't decipher. She displayed her index and middle fingers on both hands and moved them down and up. I made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"Yeah," Alex added. "Forgetting things, and spacing out, and stuff. She practically walked into the boys' bathroom at school!"
Sam spoke up at this point. "But Clovis, Leroy and Allegra saved me."
"You see?" I finished. "She's even forgotten our names!"
Jerry walked up to Sam and put his hand on her forehead. "Yes, I'll have WOOHP run some tests right away. In the meantime, you three should check out Brain Drain's ex-contestants; see if anyone else is having … forgetfulness problems like Sam."
"Brain Buster," I corrected.
"We're on it, Jer," Clover said confidently.
"Not just yet. There's still the matter of the gadgets."
Jerry pressed a button and booted up a computer monitor. "Today we have X-ray sunglasses, lipstick lasers- Leo, you'll get a ball-point pen laser instead- mini smoke bombs, and some newly modified nuclear-powered jet boots."
Some WOOHP men put the boots on us. Alex wasn't quite satisfied. "What's-"
I interrupted Alex. "Uh, Alex, I wouldn't ask that if I were you."
Alex silenced me with a glare, and continued asking her question. "What's newly modified about them?"
Jerry was happy to answer. "Glad you asked. This." He pressed a button, shutting off the monitor and blasting us off through a trapdoor in the ceiling.
I had time for just one sentence before our departure, and I made it good: "I told you not to ask that!"
Sam was left behind. Jerry looked at her thoughtfully. She didn't seem to notice anything.
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Yeah, I know, I chose a lousy chapter title, but a title is a title is a title.
