Zuri and Alyssa's Big Zoo Trip

Zuri sat at his desk in Mrs. Pruneda's class. His legs went tap, tap, tap on the floor. He could not sit still. Today was the big day! The class was going to the zoo!

"Big Z, can you stop that?" Alyssa said. She sat next to him, her left hand busy with a paint brush. "I am trying to finish my cat."

Zuri looked at her painting. It was a big orange cat with green spots and three tails. "That does not look like any cat I have ever seen," he said with a laugh.

"It is a magic cat," Alyssa said. "It can fly and talk and make ice cream."

"Cats can not do that," said Zuri.

"This one can," Alyssa said. She added more green paint to the cat's spots.

"I can not help it," said Zuri. "I am so glad we get to go to the zoo! I want to see the big cats and the snakes and the—"

"Class," said Mrs. Pruneda, "it is time to get in line for the bus."

Mrs. Pruneda, or Ms. G as the kids called her, had on a bright red scarf that day. She had a big cup of hot coffee in her hand. It was her third cup that day.

"Do not forget your lunch bags," she said. "The zoo trip will be long, and we will need lots of snacks."

Alyssa got up fast from her desk. Her foot hit the leg of her chair. Down she went with a big thud.

"I'm okay! I meant to do that!" she said with a grin. She got up and brushed off her pants.

Zuri, or Raul as some kids called him, just shook his head. His pal Alyssa was the most clumsy kid in class. She fell at least five times each day.

"Did you bring your lunch?" he asked her.

"Yes, my mom made it," said Alyssa. "She is the best mom, even if she is a principal."

The kids got in line. Mrs. Pruneda did a quick count.

"We have all ten kids," she said. "Let's go to the bus."

On the bus, Zuri sat with Alyssa. He could not stop talking.

"Did you know that cats at the zoo are not like the cats at home? My dad told me that. He said zoo cats can eat you up!"

"My mom has three cats," said Alyssa. She was chewing on a bit of her hair as she talked. "Lola is the boss cat. She is so sassy! Then there is Luna who has extra toes. And Pulguita is the only boy cat. The girl cats pick on him all the time."

"I have a dog," said Zuri. "His name is—"

Just then, the bus hit a big bump. Alyssa, who had been rocking in her seat, fell right off and hit her head on the seat in front.

"Stop the bus!" yelled Mrs. Pruneda. The bus came to a quick stop.

Mrs. Pruneda ran to check on Alyssa. "Are you okay?"

Alyssa sat up and rubbed her head. "I'm okay! I meant to do that!"

But Mrs. Pruneda was not so sure. She had the bus driver call for help. A doctor came to check on Alyssa.

"She will be fine," said the doctor. "Just a small bump."

What no one knew was that the bump had given Alyssa a very odd gift. She could now read minds! But she did not know it yet.

Back on the bus, Alyssa sat very still. Her head felt funny.

"Are you sure you are okay?" asked Zuri.

"Yes, but I feel odd," said Alyssa. Then she looked at Zuri with big eyes. "You are thinking about the hot dogs at the zoo! You want to get two!"

Zuri's jaw dropped. "How did you know that?"

Alyssa put her hands to her head. "I can hear what you are thinking!"

By the time they got to the zoo, Alyssa knew that Mrs. Pruneda was worried about the small space in the reptile house. She knew that Zuri was planning to run to the tiger pit first. She even knew that the bus driver was thinking about his lunch break.

"This is so cool!" she said to Zuri as they got off the bus.

"Class, stay with your buddy," said Mrs. Pruneda. "We will go to see the big cats first, then the snakes, and then have lunch."

The kids walked in a line. Alyssa kept hearing all the thoughts around her. It was a bit much.

"Zuri, you are thinking about running ahead," she said. "Don't do it. Mrs. Pruneda will get mad."

Zuri looked at her with big eyes. "Stop that! It's weird!"

They got to the big cat area. The lions were sleeping in the sun. The tigers were pacing back and forth.

"Look at the big cats!" said Zuri. "They are so cool!"

Just then, Alyssa heard a very odd thought. It wasn't from a person. It was from... a tiger?

"The tiger is bored," she said to Zuri. "He wants to run and play."

"You can hear animal thoughts too?" Zuri was shocked.

"I guess so," said Alyssa. "This is getting very strange."

They moved on to the zebra area. Alyssa was walking close to the fence when a zebra ran up and made a loud noise. It scared her so much that she fell back.

"I'm okay! I meant to do that!" she said. But when she got up, something was very wrong.

When she tried to walk forward and talk, no words came out. But when she walked backwards, she could speak just fine.

"Zuri! Help! I can only talk if I walk backwards!" she said, walking backwards next to him.

"What? That's so weird!" said Zuri. "Try walking forward and see what happens."

Alyssa walked forward and tried to tell him about the tiger's thoughts. But instead of speaking, she began to sing! "The ti-ger was so bo-ored! He wants to run and pla-ay!"

Mrs. Pruneda came over. "Alyssa, why are you singing?"

Alyssa tried to explain, but she could only sing when walking forward or speak when walking backwards. It was very confusing.

"I think that bump on her head did something weird," said Zuri.

While the class was trying to figure out what was happening with Alyssa, some of the boys decided to have a race.

"I bet I can run faster than you!" said one boy to another.

"No way! I am the fastest!" said the other.

Before Mrs. Pruneda could stop them, the boys took off running. They were not looking where they were going and—SPLASH!—they fell right into the tiger pit!

"Oh no!" cried Mrs. Pruneda. She ran to get help.

But then the strangest thing happened. Out of nowhere, a group of animals appeared. There was Lola, Luna, and Pulguita the cats. There was Ginny the Golden Retriever, Skittle the white puppy, Bella the Pitbull, and Lulu the Yorkie.

The pets jumped right into the tiger pit! The tigers looked surprised to see so many small animals in their space.

Lola, being the boss cat she was, stood up tall and meowed loudly at the tigers. It was as if she was scolding them like a teacher would scold unruly students.

Ginny the dog barked and jumped around, making the tigers back up. Skittle, even though he was just a small puppy, nipped at the tigers' paws.

The tigers looked confused. They backed away from the boys, who were huddled in a corner, very scared.

Zoo keepers came running, but they stopped in shock when they saw what was happening. The pets had formed a circle around the boys, protecting them from the tigers.

With the tigers distracted, the zoo keepers were able to get the boys out safely. Everyone cheered for the brave pets.

"How did our pets get here?" asked Alyssa, walking backwards so she could speak normally.

"I have no idea," said Zuri. "But they saved the day!"

Mrs. Pruneda was so relieved that the boys were safe, but she was also very upset with them for running off.

"As punishment," she said, "you will have to dance the Waka Waka at the school assembly next week."

The boys groaned, but they knew they deserved it.

After all the excitement, it was time for lunch. The class sat at picnic tables, eating their sandwiches and talking about the amazing rescue.

Alyssa was still having to walk backwards to talk or sing when walking forwards. And she could still read minds.

"Mrs. Pruneda is thinking about her husband, Farmboy," she sang as she walked forward with her lunch. "She wishes he could see all these animals since he grew up on a farm!"

Mrs. Pruneda looked surprised. "How did you know I call my husband Farmboy?"

Alyssa walked backwards to answer. "I can read minds now. It's from the bump on my head."

Mrs. Pruneda didn't believe her at first, but after Alyssa told her about the ten thousand books in her home library and how she sings in the shower, Mrs. Pruneda was convinced.

"This is very unusual," she said. "But maybe it will wear off."

After lunch, they visited the reptile house. Mrs. Pruneda stayed near the door since she didn't like small spaces.

"Mrs. Pruneda is claustrophobic," sang Alyssa as she walked forward. "That means she doesn't like tight spaces!"

The other kids were getting used to Alyssa's singing and backwards walking. They thought it was fun.

As the day went on, Alyssa's mind-reading helped them avoid several problems. She could tell when a kid was about to wander off or when someone was feeling sick.

By the end of the trip, everyone was tired but happy. The pets had somehow disappeared as mysteriously as they had appeared.

On the bus ride back to school, Alyssa sat very still. Her head still felt funny, but in a different way now.

"Zuri," she said, "I think I'm back to normal! I just talked while sitting still!"

She stood up and walked forward. "And look! No singing!"

"Can you still read minds?" asked Zuri.

Alyssa concentrated hard, looking at Zuri. "You're thinking about... I don't know. I can't tell anymore."

"Good," said Zuri with a grin. "It was getting weird having you know all my thoughts."

When they got back to school, Mrs. Pruneda had them all sit in a circle to talk about their day.

"What did we learn today?" she asked.

"Don't run near tiger pits," said one of the boys who had fallen in.

"Don't rock in your seat on the bus," said Alyssa.

"And sometimes, weird things happen that we can't explain," said Zuri. "Like pets showing up to save the day, or being able to read minds, or having to walk backwards to talk."

Mrs. Pruneda smiled. "That's right. Life is full of surprises. The important thing is that we all look out for each other, just like those pets looked out for our friends today."

As they packed up to go home, Alyssa whispered to Zuri, "I kind of miss being able to read minds."

"Well, I'm glad you're back to normal," said Zuri. "Except for the falling down part. You'll probably still do that."

Right on cue, Alyssa tripped over her own feet and fell.

"I'm okay! I meant to do that!" she said with a laugh.

And everyone knew that some things would never change.

The End

---

One Year Later: The NASA Adventure

It was exactly one year since the famous zoo trip, and Mrs. Pruneda's class was buzzing with excitement again. This time, they weren't going to see animals—they were going to NASA!

"Big Z, can you believe we're going to see real spaceships?" Alyssa said, bouncing in her seat. She had gotten much better at not falling down, though she still had her moments.

"I know! My dad said they might let us see where they plan trips to Mars!" Raul replied, his legs doing that familiar tap-tap-tap under his desk.

At the desk next to them sat a new student with long, flowing blonde hair that she had braided with tiny unicorn clips. This was Avaleen Burris, the newest member of Mrs. Pruneda's OGP class.

"I've never been to NASA before," Avaleen said softly, adjusting her sparkly unicorn backpack. "Do you think they have unicorns in space?"

Alyssa and Raul looked at each other and smiled. Avaleen had only been in their class for two months, but they already loved her sweet, helpful nature—and her obsession with unicorns.

"I don't think so, but maybe we'll find some space horses?" Alyssa suggested kindly.

"Class," Mrs. Pruneda called out, "it's time to line up. And remember—" She paused to take a sip from her fourth cup of coffee that morning. "We have a special guest coming with us today."

Just then, the most enormous calico cat anyone had ever seen strutted through the classroom door. She had to be at least 20 pounds of pure sass, with orange, black, and white fur that seemed to shimmer with attitude.

"Everyone, meet Lola," Mrs. Pruneda announced. "She's my cat, and since my husband Farmboy is out of town, she'll be joining our field trip."

Lola sat down in the middle of the classroom and looked around with the expression of a queen surveying her kingdom. Her green eyes seemed to say, "I suppose you peasants will do."

"Why is your cat so... big?" asked one of the boys.

Mrs. Pruneda laughed. "Lola has a very healthy appetite and a very strong personality. Don't let her fool you—she's actually quite helpful when she wants to be."

Lola gave a loud "MEOW" that sounded more like "Obviously."

The bus ride to NASA was filled with chatter about rockets and space travel. Avaleen sat with Alyssa and Raul, her unicorn notebook open as she drew pictures of unicorns flying through space.

"My dad works at the library and he showed me books about space," Avaleen said. "Did you know that some people think unicorns might live on other planets?"

"Really?" Raul asked, genuinely interested.

"Well, that's what I think anyway," Avaleen admitted with a shy smile.

Lola had claimed the entire front seat of the bus and was sprawled across it like she owned the vehicle. Every few minutes, she would meow loudly, as if giving commentary on the trip.

When they arrived at NASA, a friendly tour guide named Dr. Martinez greeted them.

"Welcome, students! Today you'll see our mission control room, some real spacecraft, and if you're very good, we might even show you our Mars mission simulator!"

The kids cheered, and Lola gave an approving purr that sounded like a small engine.

Their first stop was the mission control room, where dozens of scientists sat at computers with multiple screens showing rocket data, satellite feeds, and what looked like a live stream from the International Space Station.

"This is where we monitor all our space missions," Dr. Martinez explained. "Every button and switch in here controls something very important in space."

Avaleen raised her hand. "Do any of the buttons help find unicorns?"

Dr. Martinez smiled. "Well, we haven't found any unicorns yet, but we're always looking for new forms of life in space!"

As they walked through the facility, Lola strutted ahead of the group like she was leading the tour. She seemed particularly interested in a room marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY."

"That's our Mars launch simulation room," Dr. Martinez whispered to Mrs. Pruneda. "We're actually running a practice countdown today for our real Mars mission next month."

"How exciting!" Mrs. Pruneda whispered back, not noticing that Lola had somehow managed to push open the door with her considerable bulk.

Inside the simulation room, computers beeped and screens flashed with countdown timers. A large red button sat in the center of a control panel with a sign that read: "MARS MISSION LAUNCH - DO NOT TOUCH."

Lola jumped onto the control panel and settled herself right next to the button, her fluffy tail swishing dangerously close to various switches.

"Lola, get down from there!" Mrs. Pruneda called, but Lola just gave her a look that clearly said, "Make me."

The tour continued to the spacecraft hangar, where the kids got to see real rockets up close. Avaleen was mesmerized by a shiny silver spacecraft.

"It looks like a unicorn horn!" she exclaimed, pointing at the pointed nose of the rocket.

"You know what," said Raul, "it kind of does!"

Just then, they heard a commotion coming from the simulation room they had passed earlier.

"Dr. Martinez!" a scientist called out urgently. "There's a cat on the Mars launch controls, and somehow the practice countdown has been activated!"

Dr. Martinez paled. "That's impossible. The system has fail-safes!"

They all rushed back to the simulation room, where they found Lola sitting proudly on the control panel. Somehow, her massive form had managed to flip several switches, and the main screen now showed: "MARS MISSION COUNTDOWN: T-MINUS 10 MINUTES AND COUNTING."

"This is just a simulation, right?" Mrs. Pruneda asked nervously.

Dr. Martinez was frantically typing on a computer. "Well, that's the problem. Lola seems to have connected the simulation to our actual Mars rocket on Launch Pad 39B. The countdown is real, and I can't stop it!"

"NINE MINUTES AND COUNTING," announced the computer in a cheerful voice.

"Can't you just press the stop button?" asked Alyssa.

"That's what I'm trying to do, but the system won't respond! It's like the computer thinks this is a real, authorized launch!"

Just then, who should walk through the door but Elon Musk himself, flanked by several NASA officials.

"I came to check on the Mars mission progress," he said, then stopped when he saw the chaos. "Why is there a cat on the control panel and why does the countdown show eight minutes?"

"Mr. Musk!" Dr. Martinez said desperately. "The cat somehow initiated a real launch sequence, and we can't stop it!"

Elon Musk walked over to the control panel and started pressing buttons and typing furiously. Lola watched him with interest, occasionally batting at his hands with her paws.

"This is... actually impressive," Elon admitted. "This cat has managed to bypass security protocols that took us years to develop. But even I can't stop this countdown now. The rocket is actually preparing for launch!"

"SEVEN MINUTES AND COUNTING."

"We have to evacuate the launch area!" Dr. Martinez announced. "This rocket is really going to take off!"

As everyone was running around trying to figure out what to do, Alyssa was walking backwards to get a better look at all the blinking lights. This was a habit she had kept from her mind-reading days—sometimes she still walked backwards when she was thinking hard.

"Alyssa, watch where you're going!" Raul called out.

But it was too late. Walking backwards, Alyssa bumped right into Avaleen, who stumbled forward toward the control panel. Avaleen reached out to catch herself and—SMACK—her hand came down right on the big red button.

"SIX MINUTES AND COUNTING. LAUNCH SEQUENCE ACCELERATED. T-MINUS TWO MINUTES AND COUNTING."

"Oh no!" cried Avaleen. "I'm sorry! I was trying not to fall!"

"It's okay," Alyssa said quickly. "I caused it by bumping into you!"

Elon Musk threw his hands up. "Now the countdown is accelerated! Even if I could stop it before, I definitely can't now!"

Lola, completely unbothered by all the chaos she had caused, began grooming her paws.

"ONE MINUTE AND COUNTING."

Everyone ran to the windows to watch Launch Pad 39B. Sure enough, there was a massive rocket with "MARS MISSION" painted on the side, steam billowing from its base.

"I can't believe this is happening," Mrs. Pruneda said, clutching her coffee cup. "Farmboy is never going to believe this story."

"THIRTY SECONDS AND COUNTING."

Avaleen started to cry. "I ruined everything! Now they can't go to Mars because of me!"

"Actually," Elon Musk said, looking at his tablet, "this rocket was scheduled to launch next month anyway. It's fully loaded with supplies for our Mars base preparation. The only difference is that it's launching a month early and... well, it doesn't have any astronauts on board."

"TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE... LIFTOFF!"

Through the windows, they watched as the enormous rocket blasted off into the sky, leaving a trail of fire and smoke. It was the most incredible thing any of them had ever seen.

But what none of them knew was that far above them, inside the speeding rocket, a small figure was pressed against the window of the spacecraft. Zurian, one of their classmates who had wandered off looking for a restroom, stared down at Earth getting smaller and smaller below him.

"Well," he said to himself, clutching his Megatron action figure, "this is definitely not the bathroom."

He had gotten lost trying to find a restroom during the tour and somehow ended up inside the rocket's crew compartment. When the countdown began, he had been too scared to move, thinking it was just part of the simulation. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late to get out. Now he was officially the first second-grade astronaut on a mission to Mars, launched by a cat and two of his classmates.

Zurian pulled out his phone and tried to call his mom, but all he got was a "No Service" message. He sighed and looked around at the supplies surrounding him, then at his Megatron figure.

"Well, Megatron," he said, "looks like we're going to Mars whether we want to or not. At least you're good at space battles."

He pressed Megatron's button, and the toy's voice echoed through the spacecraft: "DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!"

"Yeah," Zurian nodded, "that's about right."

Back on Earth, the room fell silent except for the sound of Lola purring loudly, clearly pleased with her work.

"So," Raul said slowly, "we just accidentally launched a rocket to Mars?"

"Appears so," said Elon Musk, who was now grinning. "And you know what? This is actually perfect timing. We'll get our supplies there ahead of schedule!"

Dr. Martinez was still staring at the computer screen in disbelief. "In forty years of working at NASA, I've never seen anything like this. A cat initiated a Mars launch and two second-graders completed the sequence."

"Will we get in trouble?" Avaleen asked, wiping her eyes.

"Are you kidding?" Elon Musk laughed. "You just helped us make space exploration history! We need to study that cat's technique!"

Lola meowed loudly, which everyone took as her accepting full credit for the achievement.

Mrs. Pruneda shook her head and took another sip of her coffee. "I should have known. Every field trip with this class turns into an adventure."

"Can we put our names on the rocket?" asked one of the boys.

"It's already in space," Dr. Martinez pointed out.

"Right, but the next one?"

As they finished their tour of NASA (with Lola now being treated like a VIP guest), Avaleen walked up to Alyssa and Raul.

"Thank you for not being mad at me for pushing the button," she said.

"Are you kidding?" Alyssa said. "We just launched a rocket to Mars! This is the coolest field trip ever!"

"Plus," Raul added, "now you're part of our group. We have a tradition of having crazy things happen on field trips."

Avaleen smiled. "Do you really think there might be unicorns on Mars?"

"Well," said Alyssa, "if there are, we just sent them supplies!"

On the bus ride back to school, Lola had claimed an entire seat again and was sleeping contentedly. Dr. Martinez had given each student a special certificate that read: "Honorary Mars Mission Assistant."

"Wait until I tell my parents," Avaleen said, admiring her certificate. "My mom is a therapist and my dad is a librarian. They're going to think I'm making this up!"

"My mom and dad won't believe it either," said Raul. "But we have proof!" He held up his certificate.

Mrs. Pruneda was on her sixth cup of coffee and was still shaking her head in amazement. "I think I need a vacation after this," she muttered.

"MEOW," said Lola, opening one eye to look at her, as if to say, "You're welcome."

As they pulled up to the school, Avaleen turned to her new friends. "This was the best day ever. Even if we didn't find any unicorns."

"The day's not over yet," Alyssa said with a grin. "With this class, you never know what might happen next."

Right on cue, as they were getting off the bus, Alyssa tripped over her own feet and tumbled down the bus steps.

"I'm okay! I meant to do that!" she called out from the ground.

Some things, indeed, never changed.

But now they had a new friend, a famous space cat, and the distinction of being the only second-grade class in history to accidentally launch a mission to Mars.

As Avaleen would later tell her older sisters, "School is way more exciting than I thought it would be."

And Lola? Well, Lola was already planning her next adventure. After all, she had a reputation to maintain.

Meanwhile, back at the zoo, Jake and Tommy were still talking about their unexpected adventure in the tiger enclosure.

"I can't believe we actually fell in there," Jake said, shaking his head. "When I saw that tiger coming toward us, I thought we were goners!"

"I know, right?" Tommy replied, his eyes wide with the memory. "But then Squeaky started squeaking so loud, and Lola jumped down like some kind of superhero cat!"

"Did you see how big Lola got? She was like a giant fluffy balloon!" Jake laughed. "And the way she scared off that tiger with just one 'MEOW'!"

Tommy nodded enthusiastically. "I never thought a hamster and a cat would save my life. Squeaky was so brave, running around and distracting everyone."

"We're definitely going to be more careful around railings from now on," Jake said sheepishly.

"Yeah, but it was kind of cool being rescued by our class pets," Tommy admitted. "Wait until we tell everyone at school. They're never going to believe us!"

"Good thing Mrs. Pruneda got it all on video," Jake grinned. "Proof that we have the most amazing pets ever."

Just then, they heard a commotion coming from the simulation room they had passed earlier.

"Dr. Martinez!" a scientist called out urgently. "There's a cat on the Mars launch controls, and somehow the practice countdown has been activated!"

Dr. Martinez paled. "That's impossible. The system has fail-safes!"

"This is just a simulation, right?" Mrs. Pruneda asked nervously.

"NINE MINUTES AND COUNTING," announced the computer in a cheerful voice.

"Can't you just press the stop button?" asked Alyssa.

"That's what I'm trying to do, but the system won't respond! It's like the computer thinks this is a real, authorized launch!"

Just then, who should walk through the door but Elon Musk himself, flanked by several NASA officials.

"I came to check on the Mars mission progress," he said, then stopped when he saw the chaos. "Why is there a cat on the control panel and why does the countdown show eight minutes?"

"Mr. Musk!" Dr. Martinez said desperately. "The cat somehow initiated a real launch sequence, and we can't stop it!"

Elon Musk walked over to the control panel and started pressing buttons and typing furiously. Lola watched him with interest, occasionally batting at his hands with her paws.

"SEVEN MINUTES AND COUNTING."

"We have to evacuate the launch area!" Dr. Martinez announced. "This rocket is really going to take off!"

"Alyssa, watch where you're going!" Zuri called out.

"SIX MINUTES AND COUNTING. LAUNCH SEQUENCE ACCELERATED. T-MINUS TWO MINUTES AND COUNTING."

"Oh no!" cried Avaleen. "I'm sorry! I was trying not to fall!"

"It's okay," Alyssa said quickly. "I caused it by bumping into you!"

Elon Musk threw his hands up. "Now the countdown is accelerated! Even if I could stop it before, I definitely can't now!"

Lola, completely unbothered by all the chaos she had caused, began grooming her paws.

"ONE MINUTE AND COUNTING."

Everyone ran to the windows to watch Launch Pad 39B. Sure enough, there was a massive rocket with "MARS MISSION" painted on the side, steam billowing from its base.

"I can't believe this is happening," Mrs. Pruneda said, clutching her coffee cup. "Farmboy is never going to believe this story."

"THIRTY SECONDS AND COUNTING."

Avaleen started to cry. "I ruined everything! Now they can't go to Mars because of me!"

"TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE... LIFTOFF!"

Through the windows, they watched as the enormous rocket blasted off into the sky, leaving a trail of fire and smoke. It was the most incredible thing any of them had ever seen.

"Well," he said to himself, clutching his Megatron action figure, "this is definitely not the bathroom."

Zurian pulled out his phone and tried to call his mom, but all he got was a "No Service" message. He sighed and looked around at the supplies surrounding him, then at his Megatron figure.

"Well, Megatron," he said, "looks like we're going to Mars whether we want to or not. At least you're good at space battles."

He pressed Megatron's button, and the toy's voice echoed through the spacecraft: "DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!"

"Yeah," Zurian nodded, "that's about right."

Back on Earth, the room fell silent except for the sound of Lola purring loudly, clearly pleased with her work.

"So," Zuri said slowly, "we just accidentally launched a rocket to Mars?"

"Appears so," said Elon Musk, who was now grinning. "And you know what? This is actually perfect timing. We'll get our supplies there ahead of schedule!"

"Will we get in trouble?" Avaleen asked, wiping her eyes.

"Are you kidding?" Elon Musk laughed. "You just helped us make space exploration history! We need to study that cat's technique!"

Lola meowed loudly, which everyone took as her accepting full credit for the achievement.

Mrs. Pruneda shook her head and took another sip of her coffee. "I should have known. Every field trip with this class turns into an adventure."

"Can we put our names on the rocket?" asked one of the boys.

"It's already in space," Dr. Martinez pointed out.

"Right, but the next one?"

As they finished their tour of NASA (with Lola now being treated like a VIP guest), Avaleen walked up to Alyssa and Zuri.

"Thank you for not being mad at me for pushing the button," she said.

"Are you kidding?" Alyssa said. "We just launched a rocket to Mars! This is the coolest field trip ever!"

"Plus," Zuri added, "now you're part of our group. We have a tradition of having crazy things happen on field trips."

Avaleen smiled. "Do you really think there might be unicorns on Mars?"

"Well," said Alyssa, "if there are, we just sent them supplies!"

"Wait until I tell my parents," Avaleen said, admiring her certificate. "My mom is a therapist and my dad is a librarian. They're going to think I'm making this up!"

"My mom and dad won't believe it either," said Zuri. "But we have proof!" He held up his certificate.

Mrs. Pruneda was on her sixth cup of coffee and was still shaking her head in amazement. "I think I need a vacation after this," she muttered.

"MEOW," said Lola, opening one eye to look at her, as if to say, "You're welcome."

As they pulled up to the school, Avaleen turned to her new friends. "This was the best day ever. Even if we didn't find any unicorns."

"The day's not over yet," Alyssa said with a grin. "With this class, you never know what might happen next."

Right on cue, as they were getting off the bus, Alyssa tripped over her own feet and tumbled down the bus steps.

"I'm okay! I meant to do that!" she called out from the ground.

Some things, indeed, never changed.

But now they had a new friend, a famous space cat, and the distinction of being the only second-grade class in history to accidentally launch a mission to Mars.

As Avaleen would later tell her older sisters, "School is way more exciting than I thought it would be."

And Lola? Well, Lola was already planning her next adventure. After all, she had a reputation to maintain.

Postscript

The moral of the story is that even when unexpected challenges come our way—like bumping your head and gaining strange powers, or friends falling into danger—we can get through anything when we stick together and look out for each other. Sometimes the most unlikely heroes (like a bunch of pets!) show up just when we need them most, reminding us that help can come from the most surprising places.

As the rocket soared through space, Zurian explored his new home. The crew compartment was bigger than his bedroom, with boxes of food, water, and equipment strapped to every wall.

"At least there's plenty to eat," he said to Megatron. "Look, they have space ice cream!"

The journey to Mars took three months. Zurian learned how to use the space toilet (which was very complicated), how to exercise in zero gravity, and how to heat up astronaut meals. He talked to Megatron every day and pretended they were fighting space battles against alien robots.

"Megatron, we need to defend this ship!" he would say, making his toy fly around the cabin. "The Decepticons are attacking from the asteroid belt!"

When the rocket finally reached Mars, it landed with a big THUMP in a cloud of red dust. Zurian looked out the window at the strange orange landscape.

"Well, Megatron, we made it," he said. "Now what do we do?"

The rocket had an airlock and a special Mars suit in his size (NASA always planned for everything). Zurian put on the suit and stepped outside onto the red planet.

Mars was very quiet. There was no wind, no birds, no sounds at all except for his own breathing inside the helmet. The sky was a weird peachy color, and there were rocks everywhere.

"It's like a giant sandbox," he told Megatron. "But with no swings."

Using the supplies from the rocket, Zurian set up a small Mars base. He had a tent, solar panels for power, and a machine that could make water from the Martian soil. He even had seeds to grow space vegetables.

Every day, he would explore a little bit more of Mars. He found interesting rocks, took pictures with the camera from the rocket, and built little Martian cities out of red dirt for Megatron to rule over.

"You're the king of Mars now," he told his toy. "That makes me the prince!"

The best part was that he found a cave with strange blue crystals that glowed in the dark. He called it the "Megatron Cave" and made it his secret hideout.

At night, when the Martian sky turned dark purple and two tiny moons appeared, Zurian would sit outside his tent and look up at the stars. One of them was Earth, though it just looked like a bright blue dot.

"I wonder if Mom and Dad are looking for me," he said to Megatron. "I hope they're not too worried."

Meanwhile, back on Earth, NASA was tracking the rocket and were amazed to discover that Zurian was not only alive, but thriving on Mars. They immediately began planning a rescue mission.

But Zurian was having the adventure of a lifetime. He had discovered that Mars wasn't empty after all. There were tiny creatures that looked like purple jellyfish floating around the blue crystal cave. They seemed friendly and liked to play with Megatron.

"Look, Megatron!" Zurian exclaimed. "We found aliens! And they're kind of cute!"

The little purple creatures made soft musical sounds when they were happy. Zurian named them "Megatronians" and they became his Martian friends.

By the time the rescue rocket arrived six months later, Zurian had built an entire Mars base, grown his own vegetables, and made friends with an alien species. He was the first human to successfully live on Mars, and he was only in second grade.

"Are you ready to go home?" asked the astronaut who came to get him.

Zurian looked around at his Mars base, at the Megatron Cave, and at his little purple alien friends floating nearby.

"Can I come back and visit?" he asked.

"I think that can be arranged," the astronaut smiled. "You're quite the explorer, Zurian."

As they prepared to leave Mars, Zurian packed up his things and said goodbye to the Megatronians. He promised them he would return someday with more friends.

"Come on, Megatron," he said to his faithful toy. "Time to go home and tell everyone about our adventure."

And that's how Zurian became the youngest person ever to live on Mars, all because he got lost looking for a bathroom during a field trip. When he got back to Earth, he was famous around the world, but he still preferred playing with Megatron and telling stories about his purple alien

Just as everyone was celebrating their successful Mars launch, Mrs. Pruneda started doing her usual head count.

"Let me see... Alyssa, Zuri, Avaleen, Raul..." she counted, pointing at each student. "Jake, Tommy, Maria, Sofia..." Her finger moved through the group. "Wait. Where's Zurian?"

The kids looked around at each other. No one had seen him since before the rocket launched.

"Maybe he's still in the bathroom?" suggested one of the boys.

"He's been gone for like twenty minutes," said Zuri, starting to look worried.

Mrs. Pruneda's face went pale. "Dr. Martinez," she called out urgently. "We're missing a student. A boy with dark hair who carries a Megatron toy everywhere."

Dr. Martinez stopped celebrating and immediately looked concerned. "When did you last see him?"

"Right before we went into the simulation room," Mrs. Pruneda said, her coffee cup shaking in her hands. "He said he needed to find a restroom."

Elon Musk, who had been answering questions about the rocket launch, suddenly froze. "Wait. Did you say a boy with a toy? Because our security cameras just picked up something very interesting."

He pulled out his tablet and showed them a video feed. There, clear as day, was Zurian wandering through a restricted hallway, following signs that said "RESTROOM" with arrows. But the arrows led him right into the crew loading area of Launch Pad 39B.

"Oh no," whispered Alyssa. "He followed the bathroom signs right into the rocket!"

The next security camera showed Zurian climbing into what he clearly thought was a very fancy bathroom, still holding his Megatron figure.

"That's not a bathroom," Dr. Martinez said weakly. "That's the crew compartment of the Mars rocket."

Mrs. Pruneda sat down heavily in a chair. "Are you telling me that one of my students is currently on his way to Mars?"

Elon Musk checked his tablet again. "According to our telemetry, yes. The rocket is functioning perfectly, and there appears to be one small passenger aboard who is... actually doing quite well, considering."

"ZURIAN IS ON THE ROCKET?!" the kids all shouted at once.

Avaleen started crying again. "This is all my fault! If I hadn't pushed the button—"

"And I bumped into her!" Alyssa added, looking horrified.

"And I activated the countdown in the first place!" Lola meowed, though of course only she understood what she was saying.

Raul was pacing back and forth, his legs doing that nervous tap-tap-tap. "We have to get him back! Can't we just... turn the rocket around?"

"It doesn't work like that," Dr. Martinez explained gently. "The rocket is on a trajectory to Mars. It can't just make a U-turn in space."

"So Zurian is going to Mars?" Zuri asked, her voice small and scared.

"For now, yes," Elon Musk said. "But don't worry. We're immediately starting work on a rescue mission. We'll get him back."

Mrs. Pruneda was now on her seventh cup of coffee and looked like she might faint. "I have to call his parents. How do I explain this? 'Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez? Your son is fine, but he's accidentally on his way to Mars because my cat launched a rocket.'"

"We'll handle the parent call," Dr. Martinez said quickly. "This is definitely a NASA situation now."

The kids all stood there in stunned silence, trying to process that their classmate was currently zooming through space.

"Do you think he's scared?" Avaleen asked quietly.

Elon Musk checked his tablet again. "Actually, according to our monitoring systems, he seems to be... playing? We're picking up sounds that match a Transformers toy."

"That's Zurian," Alyssa said with a small smile. "He probably thinks this is the coolest thing ever."

"Well," said Mrs. Pruneda, taking another sip of coffee, "I guess we're going to need a permission slip for Mars field trips from now on."

Lola meowed loudly, as if to say, "You're welcome for the adventure!"

Chapter 4: Houston, We Have a Problem

The NASA headquarters became a circus within hours. News vans lined the parking lot, reporters shouted questions at anyone in a NASA uniform, and the phones rang constantly.

"This is unprecedented," Director Sarah Chen told her emergency response team. "We've never had an accidental passenger, let alone a seven-year-old."

In the crisis management room, a dozen specialists worked around the clock monitoring Zurian's vital signs through sensors built into the spacecraft. His heart rate was normal, his oxygen levels were good, and the audio feed suggested he was... singing?

"Is that the Transformers theme song?" asked Mission Specialist Rodriguez.

"For the third time today," confirmed Communications Officer Park.

Meanwhile, Zurian's parents, Maria and Carlos Rodriguez, sat in a special family room NASA had set up. Maria clutched a cup of tea with shaking hands while Carlos paced the room, running his fingers through his hair.

"I can't believe this is happening," Maria whispered. "Yesterday my biggest worry was whether he remembered to bring his lunch money."

"The good news," Dr. Martinez said gently, "is that Zurian is remarkably calm. He's treating this like the ultimate adventure."

Carlos stopped pacing. "That's our boy. He's always been fearless. Remember when he climbed that tree in the backyard and got stuck? He wasn't scared—he was excited because he could see the neighbor's pool from up there."

NASA had assigned a full support team to the Rodriguez family. Child psychologists, family liaisons, and even a priest were on standby. But Maria and Carlos mostly just wanted to hear their son's voice.

"Can we talk to him?" Maria asked for the hundredth time.

"We're working on establishing two-way communication," Dr. Martinez assured her. "The rocket wasn't designed for passenger communication, but our engineers are incredibly resourceful."

Back at school, Principal Morrison had called an emergency assembly. The entire school buzzed with excitement and worry. Zurian's classmates were instant celebrities, with kids from other grades asking them a million questions.

"Is it true your cat launched a rocket?" a fifth-grader asked Alyssa.

"Is Zurian really in space right now?" asked a kindergartner, eyes wide with wonder.

Mrs. Pruneda had been given the rest of the week off to "process the situation," which really meant NASA needed her available for interviews with investigators trying to figure out how a field trip had turned into an interplanetary mission.

The media attention was overwhelming. Every major news network wanted to interview the kids who had "launched their classmate to Mars." Avaleen's parents had to disconnect their phone because reporters kept calling their house.

"Avaleen saved for space exploration!" read one headline.

"Second-Grade Space Program Launches by Accident!" proclaimed another.

"Cat-astrophic Launch Sends Student to Mars!" was Lola's personal favorite, though she couldn't read.

NASA's public relations team worked overtime. They held press conferences twice a day, showing footage of Zurian happily exploring his spacecraft and explaining their rescue mission plans.

"We want to assure everyone that Zurian is safe, healthy, and remarkably well-adjusted to his situation," Director Chen announced to the packed press room. "Our priority is bringing him home safely, but we're also amazed by his resilience."

The rescue mission, dubbed "Operation Bring Zurian Home," became the fastest-organized space mission in NASA history. Engineers worked in shifts around the clock designing a spacecraft that could reach Mars, pick up Zurian, and return to Earth in record time.

Elon Musk donated three of his most advanced rockets to the cause. "Any kid brave enough to accidentally go to Mars deserves the best rescue mission possible," he declared.

Countries around the world offered assistance. The European Space Agency provided navigation technology. Japan contributed advanced life support systems. Even Russia offered to help, saying, "Space exploration knows no borders, especially when it involves bringing a child home."

But perhaps the most touching support came from other children. Elementary schools across the globe held fundraisers for the rescue mission. Kids sent drawings, letters, and care packages to NASA "for when Zurian gets back." One second-grader from Tokyo sent a letter that read: "Dear Zurian, I hope Mars is fun but not too scary. My mom packed you some cookies but NASA said they can't send them to space. Love, Yuki."

The Rodriguez family's house became

a makeshift command center. NASA had installed special communication equipment in their living room, and family members flew in from across the country to provide support. Zurian's grandmother, Abuela Rosa, arrived from Mexico with enough tamales to feed the entire NASA team.

"Mijo is strong," she told anyone who would listen, patting her rosary beads. "He gets his adventurous spirit from his grandfather. That man once got lost in the desert for three days and came back with stories about talking coyotes."

The breakthrough came on day four. NASA's engineers had successfully modified the rocket's communication system to allow two-way audio contact.

"Zurian, can you hear us?" Dr. Martinez spoke into the microphone, his voice echoing through Mission Control.

There was a crackle of static, then a familiar young voice: "Hi! Is this NASA? This spaceship is really cool! I found buttons that make the lights change colors!"

The entire room erupted in cheers. Maria burst into tears of relief, and Carlos grabbed the microphone.

"Zurian! It's Daddy! Are you okay, mijo?"

"Daddy! I'm in space! It's like being in a really big airplane but there's no turbulence and I can float! Megatron loves it here. He keeps floating around and doing flips."

"Are you scared, baby?" Maria asked, her voice shaking.

"Not really. It's pretty awesome. I found space food that tastes like ice cream, and there's a window where I can see all the stars. Did you know space is really, really big?"

Dr. Martinez gently took the microphone back. "Zurian, you're being very brave. We're working on bringing you home, okay?"

"Okay! But can I stay a little longer? I want to see if there really are aliens on Mars. And maybe they have robot dinosaurs!"

Despite everything, the adults couldn't help but smile. Even hurtling through space toward Mars, Zurian was still the same curious, optimistic kid who believed in possibilities.

"We'll see, buddy," Carlos said. "But right now, we just want you home safe."

"Don't worry, Daddy. Megatron is protecting me. He's really good at space battles."

As the days passed, Zurian's daily check-ins became a highlight for people around the world. NASA started broadcasting them live, and millions tuned in to hear the seven-year-old's space adventures.

"Today I saw a really bright star that looked like a diamond," he reported on day seven. "And I figured out how to do somersaults in zero gravity. Megatron got dizzy watching me."

"Yesterday I tried to teach Megatron how to use the space toilet, but he doesn't need to go potty because he's a robot. That's probably good because the space toilet is really complicated."

"I've been practicing my Spanish with Megatron. Abuela Rosa always says I need to practice more. I taught him to say 'Hola, Mars!' which means 'Hello, Mars!' in Spanish."

His innocent observations and unshakeable optimism lifted spirits everywhere. Children started playing "Zurian games" at recess, pretending to float in zero gravity and have adventures with their toys in space.

But as the rocket got closer to Mars, the real challenges were just beginning.

Chapter 5: The Circus Before the Cosmos

Three weeks before the infamous NASA field trip, Mrs. Pruneda's second-grade class had taken what she hoped would be a nice, calm field trip to the circus. She should have known better.

"Remember, everyone stays with the group," Mrs. Pruneda announced as they walked through the circus entrance. "No wandering off, no touching anything without permission, and—Alyssa, please watch where you're walking."

Too late. Alyssa had already tripped over the entrance mat and tumbled into a display of cotton candy, emerging with pink sugar stuck to her glasses and hair.

"I meant to do that!" she called out cheerfully, brushing cotton candy off her shirt. "I was testing the softness of the landing!"

Zayan, who everyone called Z-man, was chattering excitedly in what Alyssa had dubbed "Cuckoo Language" because it reminded her of the sonorous boom of their classroom's new cuckoo clock. To most people, it sounded like: "Wibble-wobble-BOOM-tick-tock-CIRCUS!"

"He says the circus smells like popcorn and adventure," Alyssa translated helpfully.

"How do you know that's what he said?" asked Avaleen, the new blonde girl with blue eyes who was still trying to figure out how this crazy class worked.

"I speak fluent Cuckoo," Alyssa said matter-of-factly, adjusting her glasses. "It's all about the rhythm and the BOOMs."

Meanwhile, Zurian was practically vibrating with excitement, clutching his Megatron action figure (which he called "Negatron" for reasons no one quite understood). He was wearing his special Transformers shirt—a long-sleeved shirt with Megatron flying through space and the words "ROBOTS IN DISGUISE!" across the front.

"This is just practice for when we go to NASA!" he announced to anyone who would listen. "I'm going to space to visit Negatron's home planet! I already told my pet iguana, my pet spider, my pet snake, my pet hamster, AND my pet donkey!"

"You don't have a pet donkey," Lucas Muniz pointed out. Lucas was a fourth-grader who had joined their field trip because his class was studying "Community Helpers" and circus performers apparently counted.

"I will when I get back from space!" Zurian declared confidently.

The trouble started when they reached the elephant exhibit. Alyssa, walking backwards because she was trying to see everything at once, bumped into Avaleen, who stumbled forward toward the elephant enclosure.

"Watch out!" Lucas called, but it was too late.

Avaleen's hand shot out to catch herself and accidentally grabbed the rope that held the elephant's favorite ball. The rope came loose, and the giant red ball rolled right out of the enclosure and into the circus ring, where the clowns were practicing their act.

The ball knocked over three clowns, who fell into a pyramid formation, which collapsed and sent one clown flying into the cotton candy machine. Pink sugar exploded everywhere, covering the trapeze artists who were practicing overhead.

"WIBBLE-WOBBLE-CHAOS-BOOM!" Zayan exclaimed, which Alyssa translated as: "This is the most exciting thing ever!"

The trapeze artists, now sticky with cotton candy, couldn't grip their swings properly. One of them swung too wide and knocked into the tightrope walker, who wobbled dramatically and had to jump down onto the safety net.

The safety net bounced him right into the lion tamer's practice area, where the lions were having their afternoon snack. The lions, startled by the sudden appearance of a cotton-candy-covered tightrope walker, roared loudly and scattered in different directions.

"This is not good," Mrs. Pruneda muttered, clutching her coffee cup.

One of the lions ran straight toward the kids' group. Avaleen screamed and jumped behind Lucas, who was trying to look brave but was actually terrified.

"Don't worry!" Zurian shouted, holding up his Megatron figure. "Negatron will protect us! DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!"

He pressed the button on his toy, and Megatron's voice boomed out: "DECEPTICONS

The lion stopped in its tracks, tilted its head, and stared at the small plastic robot. For a moment, everything was silent except for the tinny voice of Megatron still echoing: "DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!"

Then the lion did something nobody expected. It sat down and started purring.

"Did... did that just work?" Lucas whispered.

The lion tamer came running over, looking completely baffled. "In twenty years of working with lions, I've never seen Caesar respond to a toy robot before."

"Negatron has that effect on everyone," Zurian said proudly, patting his action figure. "He's very persuasive."

But the chaos wasn't over yet. The elephant, missing his favorite red ball, had decided to go looking for it. He trumpeted loudly and began walking toward the circus ring, where the clowns were still trying to untangle themselves from the cotton candy machine.

"ELEPHANT LOOSE!" someone shouted.

The elephant spotted his ball in the middle of the ring and picked up speed. Unfortunately, the ball was now surrounded by clowns, trapeze artists, and a very sticky tightrope walker.

"Everyone out of the way!" the ringmaster called.

But Lola, who had been napping peacefully in her carrier, suddenly woke up and assessed the situation. She had heard the commotion, smelled the cotton candy chaos, and decided this called for immediate action.

With a mighty "MEOW!" that could be heard throughout the entire circus tent, Lola began to expand. She grew larger and larger until she was the size of a small pony, her orange and white fur fluffed out like a massive cotton ball.

The elephant stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the giant cat. Lola stared back, her green eyes narrowing.

"MEOW," she said again, this time in a tone that clearly meant, "Sit down and behave yourself."

The elephant, apparently deciding that a giant cat was not something he wanted to argue with, sat down obediently right where he was.

The entire circus fell silent. Performers, staff, and visitors all stared at the enormous cat who had just commanded a three-ton elephant to sit like a house pet.

"Well," said the ringmaster, adjusting his top hat, "that's a first."

Lola, satisfied that order had been restored, began to shrink back to her normal size. She yawned, stretched, and curled up in her carrier as if nothing had happened.

"Did anyone else see that?" Avaleen asked in a small voice.

"See what?" asked Mrs. Pruneda, who had been too busy trying to count her students to notice the giant cat incident.

"Lola just grew huge and made the elephant sit down!"

Mrs. Pruneda looked at Lola, who was now purring contentedly in her normal cat-sized form. "I think the excitement is getting to you, dear. Lola is just a regular cat."

But Zurian was grinning from ear to ear. "Negatron and Lola make a great team! We stopped a lion AND an elephant! We're like super heroes!"

The circus staff managed to get everything back to normal relatively quickly. The elephant was reunited with his ball, the lions were coaxed back to their area with treats, and the clowns were hosed off and given fresh costumes.

"I'm so sorry about all this," Mrs. Pruneda apologized to the ringmaster.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "This was the most entertaining practice session we've ever had! Your students should consider careers in circus management."

The ringmaster handed Mrs. Pruneda a business card with a wink. "If you ever need a backup plan for field trips, we'd love to have you back. Though maybe next time, leave the magic cat at home."

Mrs. Pruneda glanced at Lola, who was now innocently grooming her paw. "Magic cat? I think you mean regular, perfectly normal cat."

"Sure," the ringmaster chuckled. "And I'm just a regular, perfectly normal guy who talks to lions for a living."

Meanwhile, Zurian was already planning their next adventure. "If Negatron and Lola can handle a circus, wait until they see what we can do at NASA!"

"NASA?" Mrs. Pruneda's eye twitched. She had completely forgotten about next week's field trip to the space center. "Oh dear. I should probably call ahead and warn them we're coming."

"Warn them?" Zurian asked innocently. "Why would you need to warn them? We're just kids!"

Mrs. Pruneda looked around at the circus chaos they'd just caused and sighed deeply. "That's exactly why I need to warn them."

As they prepared to leave, the lion tamer approached Zurian. "That's quite a special toy you have there, son. Caesar has never responded to anyone like that before."

"Negatron is the best," Zurian said, hugging his action figure. "He's going to help me explore space someday."

"Space, huh?" the lion tamer smiled. "Well, if he can handle lions, I'm sure he can handle aliens."

On the bus ride back to school, the kids were buzzing with excitement about their adventure.

"I can't believe we caused a circus riot," Alyssa said, still picking cotton candy out of her hair.

"WIBBLE-WOBBLE-BEST-DAY-BOOM!" Zayan declare

d, which Alyssa translated as "This was the best day ever and I want to do it again!"

"I still can't believe Lola got so big," Avaleen whispered, glancing nervously at the cat carrier where Lola was sleeping peacefully.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked. "Lola's just a normal cat."

"But she grew huge and—"

"I think you hit your head when you fell," Lucas said dismissively. "Cats don't just grow giant."

Avaleen looked around at the other kids, but they were all nodding in agreement with Lucas. Even Alyssa and Zurian seemed to have forgotten about Lola's transformation.

"Maybe I did imagine it," Avaleen said quietly, but she kept stealing glances at the innocent-looking orange and white cat.

Mrs. Pruneda was already mentally preparing her incident report. How was she supposed to explain that her class had single-handedly caused a circus-wide chain reaction that ended with an elephant sitting in the middle of the ring? And that was the normal part of the story.

"Next week is NASA," she muttered to herself, taking a long sip from her emergency coffee thermos. "What could possibly go wrong at a space center?"

Lola opened one green eye and looked directly at Mrs. Pruneda, as if she had heard the question. The cat's expression seemed to say, "Oh, you have no idea."

Mrs. Pruneda shivered slightly and made a mental note to pack extra coffee for the NASA trip. Something told her she was going to need it.

As the bus pulled up to the school, Zurian was already making plans. "Next week, Negatron and I are going to see real spaceships! Maybe we'll even get to sit in one!"

"That would be so cool," Alyssa agreed. "I wonder if they have any buttons we can press."

"I'm sure they do," Zurian said excitedly. "Space ships have lots of buttons! Big red ones and flashy ones and probably some that make beeping sounds!"

Mrs. Pruneda's coffee cup rattled in her hands. "Please tell me you're not planning to touch anything at NASA."

"We'll be good," the kids chorused, but their eyes were already sparkling with the promise of new adventures.

And in her carrier, Lola stretched and yawned, already dreaming of rocket ships and control panels and all the interesting buttons that might need pressing.

After all, someone had to make sure these field trips stayed exciting.

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