first-graders.â
âFirst-graders without their mothers,â added Tyler.
Posey let out a little squeak. The boys fell against each other and laughed. They thought they were the smartest boys in the whole world.
It made Posey mad.
âHow come the monster didnât get you?â she asked.
âIt did,â said Nick. âDidnât it, Tyler?â
Tyler nodded. âWe donât have blood inside,â he said.
âEveryone has blood,â said Posey.
âNot Tyler and me,â said Nick. âWe have ink. Look.â
The boys held out their wrists. Posey stared at their blue veins.
âBlood is red,â Nick said in a spooky voice. âInk is blue.â
Posey knew Nick was trying to scare her. But what if what he said was true?
There was only one way to find out.
Posey picked up a stick and jabbed him.
CHAPTER FIVE
NO SNAKES, NO MONSTERS
G ramps came over to take Posey for a ride after dinner.
She was quiet when he pulled out of the driveway.
She was quiet when he tooted his horn two times to say good-bye to Danny.
âCat got your tongue?â Gramps said. âYouâre mighty quiet tonight.â
Posey shook her head. She didnât say a word.
âYour mom told me about Nick,â Gramps said. âI guess you got him pretty good.â
Posey stared out the window.
âWant to tell me about it?â Gramps asked.
Posey told him all about the Monster of the Blue Hall.
And the snakes.
And the first-graders without their mothers.
The tight feeling in her chest got looser as she talked. Gramps reached over and patted her knee when she was finished.
âThey were pulling your leg, Posey,â he said. âBlood looks blue until it hits the air. Then itâs red. They were trying to scare you, thatâs all.â
Posey looked at her arm. Her veins were blue, too. âThereâs no monster, is there, Gramps?â she said.
âNope. No snakes, either. That school has been around since your mom was a little girl. No one has seen a monster yet.â
It made Posey feel better to hear Gramps say it. But thinking about school still gave her a funny feeling in her stomach.
âWhat do you say we stop at Hankâs and get an ice cream?â said Gramps.
He swung his truck into the dusty parking lot in front of a small store. He and Posey went inside.
âYou go pick your flavor,â said Gramps. âI want to pick up some milk.â
Posey ran to the back of the store. She slid open the lid of the ice cream freezer. When she was too small to reach it, Gramps had to pull a wooden box over for her to stand on.
Now she stood on tiptoe and looked in. There were cherry, orange, and grape Popsicles. Posey picked cherry and slid the lid closed.
She started back to find Gramps.
Halfway down the aisle, Posey froze.
Miss Lee, her very own first-grade teacher, was standing at the front of the store. Posey saw her when she visited Miss Leeâs class last year.
Seeing her in Hankâs made Posey feel shy.
CHAPTER SIX
A MOUSE COULD HIDE
P osey wished she was a mouse so she could hide.
What if Miss Lee saw her? What if she talked to Posey and asked her questions?
âPosey,â called a loud voice. âOver here!â
It was Gramps. He was in the line next to Miss Lee.
Posey ran and hid her face against his shirt. She felt his strong arm wrap around her.
âWhatâs all this about?â said Gramps.
Before Posey could answer, she heard another voice.
âHello, Posey.â
Posey looked up.
Miss Lee was smiling at her.
âIâm Linda Lee,â she told Gramps. âPoseyâs first-grade teacher.â
âWhat do you know about that, Posey?â said Gramps. âYour teacher shops at Hankâs, too.â
All Posey could do was nod.
CHAPTER SEVEN
POSEYâS IDEA
â Y ouâll like having Posey in your class,â Gramps said. âSheâs a good girl and a