That Math Girl (Chapter 7)
Written by An Makes and Mei Makes.
*Disclaimer*: This is a work of fiction. Some events may be based on real life, but some events are made up. For translations of the Chinese, see the Translation section at the very end.
Ava said, “Where are we going to hide the bird and the pot and where is the bird anyway?” I searched around the room, but I didn’t see the bird. I mouthed the word bird to Isabella, the one word that I knew how to mouth. I was trying to communicate that I didn’t see the bird and I hoped that she understood. She responded by looking with her eyes but soon shook her head. “Oh, the bird is just right here…”, I said quickly and quietly, trying to hold back my disbelief. How could the bird have come out? I was pretty sure that we had closed the door when we walked out. Whoever heard of a bird that opened doors and could also close them? Even the legendary birds never did that. I knew because Ava, Isabella, and I liked to watch them on our old television, and they never ever, ever opened a door. I decided to look around the room more slowly this time. This time I saw a tiny mound of poop where the bird had been when we had left. Oh, brother. We would probably have to clean it up sooner or later.
I groaned and moaned, but I knew we still had to clean the poop. I wanted to do something funny, so I started telling Ava all the nicknames I had come up for her, but I was interrupted by Isabella going into hysterics, but Isabella’s hysterics were interrupted by Ava finally saying, “Guys, we need to stay calm. Check the closet, the attic, and the dressing room.” I thought that was a good idea, and I was glad Ava had interjected, for Isabella’s hysterics had begun to grow LOUD, and we might have drawn unwanted attention.
“The bird couldn’t have escaped, how could the bird have reached the doorknob, and opened it?!” Isabella wrote on the window, “How about I check the closet, Ava checks the dressing room, and Clara checks the attic since Clara is the smallest.”
“Great idea. I am tall enough to feel the roof in the dressing room and the closet isn’t very tall. In fact, I think that Clara could probably touch the roof if she goes on her teepee toes.” Ava agreed. I suppose it was a good idea but I wanted to inspect the closet personally.
“But I’m the one to experience the poo falling first, I got buried the most! I mean, if it meant saving the bird, sure, I’ll do it, but could somebody else fit through the attic hole?”, I said, hoping that Isabella wouldn't be offended.
I held my breath. Would Isabella agree? Finally, Isabella slowly said, “I think I might be able to fit. Besides, you do bring up a good point, Clara, you were the one to experience it first. How about we go with your idea and we go with my idea if I can’t fit through the hole?” I breathed again and I hoped that my plan would work. I nodded and we got to our spots, after Ava hoisted Isabella into the attic, while I watched. I walked into the closet and started feeling along the wall.
There wasn’t anything. Then, I felt along the ceiling. Nothing there either. Finally, I tried my plan and felt the air conditioning. Nothing there either. Wah, Wah, Wah, the only clue I found was the smell, but everybody already knew about that. I walked out, just as Ava walked out too. She shared with me her conclusion of what happened. “I think the bird belongs to Uncle Harry. One of his servants probably took the bird to Uncle Harry when they were cleaning your guyses room. Bla Bla Bla Bla.” She said. She didn’t say Bla, but I was too bored to listen to her long, long speech. Hopefully, she would explain again later, once Isabella got back. Hey, what was taking Isabella so long, that she would miss our talk? I had heard some loud noises coming from above, so maybe she was still poking around? I decided to check on her, so I asked Ava to hoist me up. Ava gladly agreed and admitted that she was also a little worried about Isabella too.
She kneeled down and said, “Get on my back, like piggyback style.” Although it was a little humiliating, I wrapped my arms around her neck, not too tight, as I didn’t want to suffocate her, but not to lose either, since I hadn’t piggybacked in ages, and I was kind of worried I would fall off.
Once I had wrapped my legs around her waist, she slowly stood up and told me to try to pull my legs up to her shoulders. Although I was a little worried my head would hit the ceiling, I nodded and obeyed. First, I hoisted one leg to Ava’s shoulder, next to my hand. I put my hand on her head and scooted my leg closer to Ava’s neck. It made her wince, but she didn’t complain. Even though it didn’t make Ava happy, I was triumphant at my success with the first half of hoisting my legs. I was so happy, I accidentally let go of my hands to do a happy dance, and I almost fell off, if not for Ava the AirPod girl telling her AirPods to catch me! I thought it was a joke, but, sure enough, robotic arms shimmied their way out of her AirPods. They danced around my arms, quick as the speed of light, and wrapped tightly around my waist. Then, they hoisted me up to her shoulders, at the exact position Ava wanted me to be in. I wanted to complain, “Why didn’t you do that earlier”, but I really did want to find out if Isabella had found a clue or something.
I opened the latch and popped my head in. “Hi, are you trapped in the attic? We were worried about you.” Isabella nodded and then wrote in the dust, “I think the attic door is just a one-way door. Wonder why Uncle Harry designed it like that when he seems to have all of the money in the world.” That seemed weird to me too. “Yeah,” I agreed. “Weird. But it’s a good thing we got you out.” Isabella once again wrote in the dust, “Did you guys find the bird or at least any clues to where the bird is?” I sighed, but then managed to smile again, and I said, “We didn’t find the bird, but Ava has her suspicions that she would like to share with you, she already told me, but told me not to tell you, because she wanted you to hear it from her.” Isabella nodded. We then carefully walked down and jumped on the floor.
“So, I think Uncle Harry took the bird, and the bird belongs to uncle Harry,” Ava said about a minute later. “Why do you think that?” I asked Ava encouragingly. I already knew, but I wanted Ava to fill in the holes just like she had done for me. “Well, remember the poo from the closet, just a little bit in the beginning? Bla. Bla. Bla.” Ava said. Ava did another long speech and I got bored again, so I didn’t pay attention.
I started paying attention again when Ava finished and Isabella wrote on the window, “That is a good point, but I think your conclusion is a little off. Great uncle Harry could have sent his servants to stay close to our room. I think that the servants are actually always there, even when Clara and I are there. They could just be hiding somewhere. Now that I think of it, I saw Ye Ye texting Harry about my mom being super clean. That just might be the reason why this house is super clean. I just hope they aren’t watching us right now. How about we should just try to be normal in this room and then have our talks in Ava’s room.”
Good Idea, I thought, Maybe the servants wouldn’t think to look in Ava’s room. I certainly hoped so. Ava and I nodded our heads and Ava left casually to her room, while Isabella went to the bathroom and I walked around the corner, down the stairs, and into the snack room. There was a lot of popcorn and a tiny bit of that blue dessert on the table. I decided to eat the popcorn because I wanted to save the blue dessert for later. It was kind of embarrassing when I had to tell Ling Ling if she could make it again. After I finished the majority of the popcorn, I burped and I headed toward Ava’s door, where we had agreed to meet. As I walked down the hallway leading to Ava’s room, I thought of an excuse to get in.
When Isabella and I both got to the door. I knocked and waited for Ava to open the door. For once, I was glad that Ava was good at being so casual. “What do you want?” Ava said loudly. Then, in a quiet whisper, she said, “I hope this works.” I pretended to be a little nervous. I fidgeted and then started to talk but nothing came out. This was part of my act.
I then tried to remember what I had planned to say in the hallway. I said, “Isabella and I were wondering if you could show us your room. You know the homework Ye Ye made us bring? Well, Isabella and I have the same homework. It was to take notes on somebody’s room. This project is a couple of days long, so we were wondering if you could help us because I doubt the boys will, and the adult’s rooms are very boring. Can we come in?” I then fidgeted, even more, so whoever was watching, would think I was worried that she was going to say no. I think I am getting better at acting.
“Sure,” Ava said, beckoning us into the big room. We all sat on Ava’s big bed and ate some chips. I couldn’t resist. They were literally yelling at me to eat them. “Anyway, I have formed a plan. So, here’s what we’re going to do. We all know which room is great uncle Harry and great aunt Li Li’s room, the room that doesn’t have a sign on it. So, first, one of us should make your guyses room super messy, and then one of us, maybe Isabella, should go and get Uncle Harry to come and see the room. I think Clara, you should take all the snacks, and tell Li Li that there are no more snacks so that she will come and make some more snacks for you. You guys have to keep them occupied for at least half an hour. While you guys are doing that, I'll sneak into their room, to try and find the bird. If there’s a maid in the room, then I’ll say uncle Harry asked me to go into his room to find anything poisonous, or some other excuse. You guys got it?” Ava was saying.
I thought that it was a good idea, but it was like a draft and we were going to write the final paper. I thought of one hole. Ling Ling would probably not want to make it for me. She would probably tell one of her servants to make it, so I said, “I suppose, but I think it would be better if I just take one kind of thing and then tell her I want more of it. Also, don’t you think that Ling Ling will just get a servant to do that?”
Ava thought about my points and then said, “I guess that is a big flaw. But I have another idea. Take something that she made, and, after you have taken all of that, go to her, and tell her that the thing that you took has run out, and you want more, so you want to make them with her because you think it will be fun.”
This was a good idea, but I thought of a better idea that would be embarrassing but it would seem much more normal. I decided to say, “I suppose, but I think it would be better if I just take one kind of thing and then tell her I want more of it. Also, don’t you think that Ling Ling will just get a servant to do that?”
“But there’s yet another flaw, If we go to ask them at the same time, it'll seem suspicious, so let’s do it at separate times, maybe I’ll show uncle Harry the room around ten minutes before Clara asks Aunt Ling Ling to go and bake the blue dessert with her. Also, Uncle Harry will just ask his servants to do the work, so I think I shouldn’t make the room dirty, or messy, I should ask him to help decorate our room. After all, there's nothing in it! Also, first I’m going to take the pot out,” Isabella wrote on the window in Ava’s room, who hadn’t written anything in a while.
“I think that I should do it first because I have actually asked her to make the dessert before and I secretly timed her, just like Ava timed Hayden when he was going to the bathroom. She took five hours and she didn’t come outside of the kitchen for a single time. Another thing, what if the maid or whoever doesn’t believe you?” I replied before Ava could.
“Those are good ideas. As to your question, Clara, Isabella can ask great uncle Harry if his personal maid/servant can help them too. She can also say that she wants to do lots of decorations and she wants to finish in 2 or 3 hours.” Ava said, finally getting to say something without Isabella or I talking before she could.
Phew! We finally made a good plan, but we did still have the hardest part next, which was actually completing this. I had a feeling that things were going to get much worse, though!
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