Off the Wall Read Online Free Page A

eyes.
    â€œI really don’t see anything there, Megan. Are you sure you got stung?”
    â€œIt just looks like a regular elbow. It’s not even scraped,” Lucy added.
    â€œYou imagined it,” Daria said coldly.
    â€œI did not imagine it! I felt the bee’s little legs crawling on me! Then it stung me over and over!”
    Megan’s face was turning red from embarrassment and anger. She opened her mouth to say more, but Katherine cut her off. “In any case, it’s a good thing the exhibit isn’t open to the public yet. Willow and I will be sure to let the museum officials know about this tomorrow so they can make repairs.”
    â€œAnd right now I think it’s time for some dinner,” said Willow. “Why don’t we head to the restaurant? If we notice anything interesting along the way, we can always stop to take a look.”
    â€œWant to look at ‘Insect Predators’?” Willow asked hopefully a minute or so later, pointing at a room guarded by the huge model of a praying mantis.
    No one wanted to meet any insect predators.
    â€œWhat about ‘Ladybugs and Other Beetles’?” suggested Katherine when they passed the next gallery. “Or ‘Insect-Eating Plants’?”
    â€œOr what about ‘Humans Eating Dinner’?” said Lucy’s friend Grace. And the rest of the group agreed.
    After a few minutes of walking, Jane suddenlyfelt something in her shoe. She stopped and leaned up against the wall so she could take the shoe off and shake it. Nothing came out. Jane pressed her foot to the ground and realized that whatever the thing was, it was in her sock.
    She sighed with irritation and bent over to pull her sock off. When she turned it inside out, a tiny stone flew out.
    That was a relief—but now the group of girls had rounded a corner and disappeared from view. Jane pulled her sock and shoe back on and jogged down the long corridor after them.
    At the end of the corridor, she paused. Which way had they gone? She couldn’t hear them. Should she yell to see where they were?
    I can’t start yelling for them, she decided. It would be too embarrassing. She would just turn left and see what happened.
    It was dumb to be worried, Jane knew. There was no way the group could have gotten so far ahead that she’d lost them. Still, she found herself walking faster and faster. Willow had been right—the place really was like a maze. And Jane had done the one thing Willowhad warned against. She’d gone off by herself. Well, not exactly gone off, but . . .
    Okay, going left wasn’t going to work. She’d have to retrace her steps. Jane turned around.
    And from out of nowhere, a monster lunged toward her.

CHAPTER 3
    Jane was just opening her mouth to scream when the monster reached up and lifted its face off . . . and there stood Lucy, holding a huge rubber mask and doubling over with laughter.
    â€œYou—you—,” Jane sputtered. “Where did you get that thing?”
    â€œI grabbed it out of the housefly exhibit when we passed it,” said Lucy offhandedly. “I think it’s supposed to show you what life looks like to a fly. Try it on!”
    â€œNo way! Go put it back!”
    â€œI’ll put it back after you try it on,” said Lucy. “Fly eyes are cool. Really, try it!”
    Reluctantly Jane pulled the mask over her head.When she looked through the eyes, she realized what Lucy had meant. It was like looking at the world through dozens of prisms, and all the colors seemed different somehow. But she couldn’t appreciate the view when she knew she wasn’t supposed to be seeing it.
    â€œAll right, fine. Very interesting,” Jane said as she yanked off the rubber mask. “Now take it back where it belongs.”
    Lucy sighed. “Alllllll riiiiiiight. If you say so. Wait here for me, okay? Then we can catch up with the others. I know the