She always did at least two or three things at once. It was a family joke how she couldn’t watch TV without reading and talking on the phone at the same time.
Tristan looked a lot like his mother. Both were tall and thin. He had her curly straw-colored hair. And her round blue eyes and short stubby nose.
She raised the remote and muted the TV sound. “Hi, Rosa. How come you two are so late?”
“Mr. Moon asked us to help with some science experiments,” Tristan answered.
“They were kind of interesting,” Rosa added. “So we lost track of the time.”
“Mr. Moon—isn’t that the new teacher?” his mom said. “I haven’t met him yet.”
“He’s okay,” Rosa said. “A little strange.”
Mrs. Gottschalk raised an eyebrow. “Strange?”
“Yeah, but it’s no big deal,” Tristan said. “We’re starving. Is there anything we can eat?”
His mother frowned at him. “It’s almost dinnertime. Rosa, can you stay for dinner?”
“No. I have to get home,” Rosa replied. “My aunt and uncle are visiting from California, and I have to baby-sit my little cousin.”
Tristan made his way to the kitchen to look for a snack. Rosa followed close behind. “My cousin Benny is an animal,” she said. “He’s four years old, and he still bites.”
Tristan reached into a cabinet for a bag of chocolate chip cookies. “Really? What do you do when he bites you?”
“I bite him back!” Rosa replied.
They both laughed.
Tristan handed Rosa a couple of cookies. Then, he popped a whole one into his own mouth.
Chewing noisily, he began to paw through the stack of mail on the kitchen counter.
He pulled out a square black envelope. The name and address were printed in orange ink. “Hey—this is for me,” he said.
Rosa examined the envelope. “Black and orange? It looks like a Halloween party invitation.”
“Weird,” Tristan said. “We don’t know anyonewho’s having a party, do we?”
He tore off the top of the envelope.
The envelope exploded with a loud pop .
Startled, Tristan dropped it to the counter.
And let out a scream as thick black smoke came shooting out.
3
Tristan’s heart pounded as he watched the black smoke curl up from the torn envelope. After a few seconds, it faded away.
Rosa laughed. “Whoa. Someone really wants to get your attention!”
Tristan’s mom came running into the kitchen. “What was that explosion? What happened? I smell smoke!” Her eyes were wide with panic.
“Just a trick envelope,” Tristan said. He picked it up carefully.
Would it explode again?
No. He pulled out a black-and-orange card. “Come to the scariest Halloween party ever!” he read. “You were right, Rosa. It’s a party invitation.”
“Who sent it?” Rosa asked.
Tristan gazed down to the bottom of the card. “I don’t believe this. It’s from Mr. Moon.”
“You’re kidding!” Rosa exclaimed.
“Let me see that,” Tristan’s mom said. She took the card from him and read it carefully. “Well, isn’t that nice? Your teacher is having a Halloween party.”
“Nice?” Tristan asked weakly. “What’s nice about it?”
“It’s horrible,” Rosa groaned. “We don’t want to spend Halloween with a teacher. We want to have fun and hang out with our friends.”
“He’s a new teacher,” Mrs. Gottschalk said. “He wants to get to know you kids.”
Rosa groaned. “I wonder if I got invited, too.”
She picked up the phone and punched in her number. “Mom, hi. It’s me…. Yeah, I’m at Tristan’s. Did I get a black envelope in the mail?”
Rosa groaned again. “I did? Oh. No—don’t open it. Mom, really. Don’t open it. I’ll be home in a few minutes.” She clicked off the phone.
“Mr. Moon probably invited all of his students,” Tristan’s mom said. “So it’ll be fun.”
“Thrills and chills,” Tristan said, rolling his eyes.
Rosa shook her head sadly. “Halloween with a teacher,” she said. “This is so not fair. And it’s our last year to
Tristan looked a lot like his mother. Both were tall and thin. He had her curly straw-colored hair. And her round blue eyes and short stubby nose.
She raised the remote and muted the TV sound. “Hi, Rosa. How come you two are so late?”
“Mr. Moon asked us to help with some science experiments,” Tristan answered.
“They were kind of interesting,” Rosa added. “So we lost track of the time.”
“Mr. Moon—isn’t that the new teacher?” his mom said. “I haven’t met him yet.”
“He’s okay,” Rosa said. “A little strange.”
Mrs. Gottschalk raised an eyebrow. “Strange?”
“Yeah, but it’s no big deal,” Tristan said. “We’re starving. Is there anything we can eat?”
His mother frowned at him. “It’s almost dinnertime. Rosa, can you stay for dinner?”
“No. I have to get home,” Rosa replied. “My aunt and uncle are visiting from California, and I have to baby-sit my little cousin.”
Tristan made his way to the kitchen to look for a snack. Rosa followed close behind. “My cousin Benny is an animal,” she said. “He’s four years old, and he still bites.”
Tristan reached into a cabinet for a bag of chocolate chip cookies. “Really? What do you do when he bites you?”
“I bite him back!” Rosa replied.
They both laughed.
Tristan handed Rosa a couple of cookies. Then, he popped a whole one into his own mouth.
Chewing noisily, he began to paw through the stack of mail on the kitchen counter.
He pulled out a square black envelope. The name and address were printed in orange ink. “Hey—this is for me,” he said.
Rosa examined the envelope. “Black and orange? It looks like a Halloween party invitation.”
“Weird,” Tristan said. “We don’t know anyonewho’s having a party, do we?”
He tore off the top of the envelope.
The envelope exploded with a loud pop .
Startled, Tristan dropped it to the counter.
And let out a scream as thick black smoke came shooting out.
3
Tristan’s heart pounded as he watched the black smoke curl up from the torn envelope. After a few seconds, it faded away.
Rosa laughed. “Whoa. Someone really wants to get your attention!”
Tristan’s mom came running into the kitchen. “What was that explosion? What happened? I smell smoke!” Her eyes were wide with panic.
“Just a trick envelope,” Tristan said. He picked it up carefully.
Would it explode again?
No. He pulled out a black-and-orange card. “Come to the scariest Halloween party ever!” he read. “You were right, Rosa. It’s a party invitation.”
“Who sent it?” Rosa asked.
Tristan gazed down to the bottom of the card. “I don’t believe this. It’s from Mr. Moon.”
“You’re kidding!” Rosa exclaimed.
“Let me see that,” Tristan’s mom said. She took the card from him and read it carefully. “Well, isn’t that nice? Your teacher is having a Halloween party.”
“Nice?” Tristan asked weakly. “What’s nice about it?”
“It’s horrible,” Rosa groaned. “We don’t want to spend Halloween with a teacher. We want to have fun and hang out with our friends.”
“He’s a new teacher,” Mrs. Gottschalk said. “He wants to get to know you kids.”
Rosa groaned. “I wonder if I got invited, too.”
She picked up the phone and punched in her number. “Mom, hi. It’s me…. Yeah, I’m at Tristan’s. Did I get a black envelope in the mail?”
Rosa groaned again. “I did? Oh. No—don’t open it. Mom, really. Don’t open it. I’ll be home in a few minutes.” She clicked off the phone.
“Mr. Moon probably invited all of his students,” Tristan’s mom said. “So it’ll be fun.”
“Thrills and chills,” Tristan said, rolling his eyes.
Rosa shook her head sadly. “Halloween with a teacher,” she said. “This is so not fair. And it’s our last year to
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