Chapter 1: A Typical Day

Oh no. Ms. Brindle was looking straight at him. Noah slumped in his seat. She opened her mouth, and Noah slid down in his seat as far as he could without falling.

“Allie? What is a common creature often mistaken for an insect?” asked Ms. Brindle, calling on Noah’s twin sister, Allie. Noah breathed a long sigh of relief. That was a close call.

Noah Jameson was a ten-year-old boy with jet black hair, hazel colored eyes, and light brown skin.

“The spider, Ms. Brindle,” replied Allie. Allie looked just like Noah, with a clip tucked neatly in her long bouncy hair. Ms. Brindle was beaming at her.

“Very good, Allie,” said Ms. Brindle, with a smile on her face.

Ms. Brindle had a tight bun, round glasses, and two-inch black high-heels.

Riiing! The bell went off to signal it was time to go back to their cabins.

“Camp dismissed! Don’t forget about the quiz in second class tomorrow!” said Ms. Brindle promptly.

Noah didn’t have to be told twice. He got up and zipped out of the room.

Allie, on the other hand, wasn’t too eager to leave. It was just so interesting! She started heading to her cabin which she shared with her brother, Noah.

On the way, she tripped over a stick and dropped her book about insects, and it flipped open. Allie hurriedly picked it up and closed it, barely noticing the small yellow smudge on the page.

Meanwhile, at the cabin, Noah was staring at the gray ceiling. Two weeks ago, he had been excited when the mail came from school. But Camp Kaper was just a trap from the school for ‘educational fun.’ It was like school. Some activities were okay, like assembling a fake skeleton of a bug, but most of it was a total bore. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow, so he could go home.

Allie wouldn’t agree with me, Noah thought. Allie likes school ok, but she loves nature, just like Camp Kaper. I bet she’s enjoying this.

Allie burst in, also bursting in his thoughts.

“Have you studied for tomorrow’s quiz?” she asked.

“I’ll just copy off you,” he snorted.

Allie made a mental note to protect her quiz. She started reading her insect book.

“Lights out!”

Just in a few moments, a camp counselor came in and turned out the lights for the day. Allie clapped shut her textbook and went to sleep, and even though she had studied for the quiz, she was completely unprepared for what tomorrow held.

The next day, Allie woke at the second the clock turned to eight. She quickly got dressed and walked out the door for first class at 8:10.

About five minutes later, Noah was just waking up.

“Ugh,” he groaned.

As he was about to go back to sleep, the corner of his eye caught the time on the clock. It was 8:05.

Noah’s eyes bugged out. He started frantically digging for clothes. Then he grabbed his bag and ran out the door at top speed, not bothering to brush his hair.

“You’re late,” were Ms. Brindle’s words at Noah’s arrival. “Please have a seat,” she continued. Noah plopped down on the closest seat. He was still panting from running so much.

When he caught his breath, he angrily whispered to his sister in front of him: “Why didn’t you wake me up!?”

“Sorry! But you should have woken up! Or at least set an alarm!” she said back.

“If I woke up earlier than you, I would have —”

Their bickering abruptly came to a stop. Ms. Brindle was walking right toward them.

“And what do you call creatures that don’t have spines? Noah?” said Ms. Brindle, staring right at him, with her hawk-like eyes. Ms. Brindle was so close, he could smell her delicate lavender perfume.

Noah froze. It felt as if time had stopped. Noah’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Then, the small voice of his sister from in front of him softly whispered, “Invertebrates.”

Noah’s eyes shifted slightly forward to look at his sister. Ms. Brindle hadn’t heard.

Noah gulped and half said and half asked, “Invertebrates?”

Then, for the first and maybe last time, Ms. Brindle smiled at him.

“Very good, Noah,” she said, and then started droning on about insect body parts.

“Forgive me?” asked Allie, smiling, turning around. Noah smiled back.

“All forgiven” he replied.

Chapter 2: Another Typical Day—Not!

Quiz me,” said Allie to Noah, while they were walking back to the cabin.

“Huh?” said Noah.

“Quiz me for the test in second class.”

“Uh, okay. How many legs does an insect have?”

Allie rolled her eyes at this.

“Come on. Six. Ask me one that actually might come on the quiz.”

“Fine. What do you call creatures without spines?”

“I told you that one,” Allie smirked. Noah grunted in response. Allie smiled even bigger.

She knew that Noah was secretly grateful and that was his own way of saying thank you. They arrived at the cabin.

Allie spotted his jacket lying on the floor of the room.

“Noah, you really should —”

“Shh!” he interrupted rudely. Allie was highly offended at this.

“Noah, listen to —.” She stopped when she saw Noah’s face. Noah put his finger to his lips and pointed a trembling finger at the floor.

Allie saw her insect book on the floor, and it was shaking furiously, with a strange pale yellow glow coming from it. The picture of the bug was gone, and a small portal swirled on the pages.

Allie and Noah took a few steps back and stared at the book, with their mouths so wide open that it could fit a whole sandwich.

Then, Allie cautiously took a step forward to get a closer look. Noah gave her a look that plainly said, What are you doing!? But Allie didn’t pay attention.

Allie took another step forward, and before she knew what was happening, she tripped over Noah’s coat and fell face first toward the book. She braced herself for the impact that never came, and fell through the book.

“ALLIE!!” Noah screamed.

Without thinking, he dove in after her.

About the Author

Nehal Joshi lives in Bellevue, Washington. Nehal loves to read, write, play the guitar, and swim.

Buggy Adventures is Nehal's first novel. Nehal enjoyed writing this book immensely and plans to write more in the future.