All the Answers Read Online Free PDF Page A

took it, sat down, and wrote:
    Who is the first boy that Sophie Chafik is going to kiss?
    â€œWhat did it say?” Sophie was practically climbing onto the desk.
    â€œNothing.”
    â€œHuh. Do you think it only works if the question is about you?”
    Ava looked at the pencil. “I don’t think so. It told me how many fingers you were hiding.”
    â€œWell that stinks!” Sophie crossed her arms, then got a worried look on her face. “Ask it something else, okay? Make sure it’s not broken.”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œSomething easy. Like a math formula.”
    â€œMath formulas are
not
easy.” But Ava wrote:
    What is the formula for the circumference of a circle?
    The voice said, “Two pi R,” just as loud and clear as ever.
    â€œIt still works,” Ava said.
    â€œWell, why wouldn’t it tell you who I’m going to kiss?” Sophie glared at the pencil. “Ask it why it won’t answer my question.”
    â€œIt probably won’t answer that either.” But Ava wrote:
    Why wouldn’t you answer the question about the first boy Sophie is going to kiss?
    â€œBecause
that
is not a
fact
,” the voice said. It sounded cranky. “People have free will.”
    Ava carefully put the pencil down. She was a little worried that it was getting tired and maybe mad at them. And who knew what an angry pencil-genie might do?
    â€œDid it answer?” Sophie moved Ruffles the Owl aside and flopped down on Ava’s tie-dyed blue-and-green bedspread.
    â€œYeah. It said who you’re going to kiss first isn’t a fact, and that people have free will.”
    â€œOh. That must be one of its rules.” Sophie sat with her mouthscrunched up for a few seconds and then nodded. “I guess that makes sense. But it would have been cool if it told future stuff. We could have gotten lottery numbers for next week.”
    That felt like cheating to Ava, too, but she didn’t say so.
    â€œHey!” Sophie bounced up from the bed. “That means it might still work for me. Can I try again?”
    â€œGo ahead.” Ava traded places with Sophie. Then she remembered the pencil’s grumpy tone. “Be careful, though. I think it’s getting tired of us.”
    â€œIf it’s a genie, it’s not allowed to get tired of us.” Sophie picked up the pencil, then gasped and put it down. “But wait … what if it
is
a genie and it’ll only do a certain number of questions, like three wishes or something?”
    Ava thought about that. “It’s okay. You can try it.” Even if there weren’t many questions left, she’d want Sophie to have a turn. “What are you going to ask?”
    Sophie frowned for a second, then laughed out loud and reached for the pencil. “I’m going to ask it what color underwear Mr. Farkley was wearing today!”
    â€œSophie, no! That is the grossest question ever!”
    But Sophie was already scribbling. She finished and then doubled over in the chair laughing.
    Ava really didn’t want to know, but Sophie was laughing so hard she had to ask. “Okay, what? What did it say?”
    Sophie held up a finger and tried to catch her breath. “Green … with … with …” She started laughing again. “Yellow smiley faces!”
    Ava laughed, too. She couldn’t imagine how she was ever going to take a math test with a straight face again. How could someone so strict choose smiley face underwear?
    â€œAva, you girls okay in there?” a voice called from the hall.
    â€œWe’re fine, Mom.” Instinctively, Ava tugged open her desk drawer and brushed the pencil inside as her mom came in, balancing a cup of tea and a pile of folders, legal pads, and
Money
magazines in her arms.
    â€œWhat’s so funny?”
    â€œJust the usual girl stuff,” Sophie said, still giggling.
    Mom glanced at the schoolbooks on Ava’s