“Terrence!” exclaimed Mrs. Jewls.
“Sorry, the Cloud of Doom made me do it,” said Terrence.
“Mac,” said Mrs. Jewls. “You know better.”
“Cloud of—”
“Enough!” shouted Mrs. Jewls. “I get it. It’s hard with that cloud hanging over us all the time. But you can’t blame it for everything that goes wrong. You have to take responsibility. And that means working extra hard so things don’t go wrong! So, I’m doubling all your homework.”
“That’s not fair!” complained Benjamin.
Mrs. Jewls told Benjamin to write his name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE.
“The Ultimate Test will start Monday,” Mrs. Jewls declared. “It will take three days to complete, and you better be prepared, cloud or no cloud!”
There were lots of groans.
Mrs. Jewls returned to Joy’s desk. She crossed out the B, and this time gave her an F minus.
“Terrence, there’s a broom in the back closet. I want you to pick up the trash basket and sweep the floor. Mac will help you.
“Everyone else, get in line behind Benjamin, and write your names on the blackboard under DISCIPLINE.”
There were more moans and groans as everyone rose from their seats.
“Except you, Todd,” ordered Mrs. Jewls. “You’re the only one who’s been good.”
Todd sat back down. He scratched his head.
“You used to be a nice teacher,” said Rondi as she made her way to the blackboard.
“Why are you so mean?” asked Allison.
Mrs. Jewls just shrugged, and said, “Cloud-a-Doom.”
Above them, the dark cloud continued to churn, as it turned itself inside out again and again. No one hardly noticed it anymore, but it continued to grow larger and more powerful every day.
Lightning flashed inside the cloud, where no one could see it. Thunder boomed where no one could hear it. What happened in the cloud, stayed in the cloud.
For now.
24
The Ultimate Test, Day One
The four Unbreakables met by the flagpole before school. “Don’t worry, Maurecia,” said Joy. “When you get sent back to kindergarten, I will
still be your friend.”
“Thanks,” said Maurecia. “I know you’ll do great. Nobody can jump rope like you can.”
“True,” Joy agreed.
“And Ron’s memorized every page in the dictionary,” said Deedee.
Ron smiled. “Joy’s a good speller too,” he pointed out. “You always get a hundred percent on your spelling tests.”
“True,” Joy agreed.