Sophie the Hero Read Online Free PDF Page B

would run up, grab Rumplesnakeskin, and save the day. Then she would be Ms. Moffly’s hero!
    It was simple!
    All Sophie had to do was tell the yard monitor that she had to go inside to use the bathroom. And she
would
go to the bathroom eventually (to wash her hands when she was done moving Rumplesnakeskin).
    “Okay, I’m ready! Let’s go,” said Kate.
    But Sophie shook her head.
    “You know only one girl can go to the bathroom at a time,” she told Kate. “If we both go, then people will know that something is up.”
    Kate nodded.“But what if I
really
have to go to the bathroom?” she asked. “Then what?”
    Sophie bit her lip. That was a good question. “I guess you’ll have to hold it,” she said.
    “I’ll
try,”
Kate groaned, trying not to smile.
    “Thanks.” Sophie knew she was very lucky to have such a good sidekick. “Okay, wish me luck,” she went on. “I’m going in.”
    Sophie got the bathroom pass from the yard monitor. Then she went back into school andhurried toward the bathroom … but she did not go in.
    Instead, she turned right and went up the stairs to Hayley’s classroom.
    Sophie slipped inside the room and sighed two big sighs. One sigh was because she had just run up three flights of stairs. The other was because no one had stopped her. Yay!
    Then Sophie looked around.
Wow. Poor Hayley,
she thought. Hayley always made fifth grade sound so cool. But it did not look half as much fun as third. For one thing, there were no games. Not anywhere. Not one. And no reading corner with a cozy rug. There were no self-portraits of each student. And no chart to tell you what special job you got to do that week.
    All Sophie saw were desks and chairs and maps and charts and boring posters with tons of words. And lots and lots of cursive writing all over the board. Plus thick books that looked like they had four pictures inside — at the most.
    Still, Sophie had an urge to sit at Hayley’s desk, just to see what it felt like to be her. But there were no name tags on the chairs to tell Sophie which one was her sister’s.
    Oh, well. That was okay. Sophie did not have time to sit. She had to find Rumplesnakeskin.
    It was not hard to find his tank at the back of the room. It was big and had a sign on the bottom with his name. But it was hard to find Rumplesnakeskin!
    All Sophie could see inside the tank were shredded newspapers, a shoe box, and a bowl of water. She could not believe it! Had someone stolen the fifth graders’ snake before she could?
    But then she saw something orange poking out from the shoe box.
    “Aha!” she said out loud. “There you are!”
    She lifted the top of the tank and carefully picked up the shoe box. Underneath was the snake!
    Wow! He’s so pretty!
Sophie thought. Rumplesnakeskin was bright orange and white andyellow. And he was all twisted up. He looked like a candy-corn rope. Almost.
    The snake’s eyes were open … but he was not moving.
    Maybe he was napping. Hooray! That was fine with Sophie. If the snake was sleeping, this would be even easier than she’d hoped!
    Sophie had never touched a snake before. She was a little nervous. But if her mom and Hayley could do it, so could she. It was in her blood!
    Sophie reached in and picked up Rumplesnakeskin. Hayley was right — snakes were not slimy. They were dry and smooth and scaly.
    Sophie held him up to get a closer look. Suddenly, his tongue flicked out.
    “Ah!” Sophie yelped. She couldn’t help it. His body began to move and twist and wrap around her arm.
    Sophie looked down at her new thick orange bracelet. Boy! The snake liked her—a lot!
    Rumplesnakeskin reached his head out. Then he flicked his tongue toward her shirt.

    Sophie looked down at the spot near her
H.
“That’s syrup,” she told him.
    Unfortunately, Sophie did not have time to stand around chatting with Rumplesnakeskin. She had to get back to room 10 and hide him before recess was over.
    But it was one thing for someone to see her