Free Emmy and the Home For Troubled Girls by Lynne Jonell

stopped up holes to keep out rodents? She was going to have to go underground tonight with hundreds of them. She would be forced to listen to the Swinging Gerbils, too, which didn’t exactly help.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” asked the professor, glancing at her. “Don’t you want to go?”
    â€œThat’s not it,” Emmy said quickly. The party wasin the professor’s honor, after all. “But I have to give some excuse to my parents, or they’ll wonder where I am.”
    â€œNot a problem—not a problem at all!” The professor was beaming. “I’ll just tell your parents that you’re invited to a supper party, and that Brian will pick you up in the truck and bring you back again …” He trailed off, looking at Thomas. “Are you coming to Rodent City, too?” he asked kindly.
    â€œUm—he wasn’t invited to the party,” Emmy said hesitantly. “I don’t think Mrs. Bunjee knows him.”
    â€œThat’s all right,” said Brian. “He can stay here with me; I could use a helper. Do you like pizza, Thomas?”
    Â 
    Professor Capybara walked back to the soccer fields with Emmy and Thomas to ask Mr. and Mrs. Benson’s permission. On the way, they stopped to look at the sidewalk, where the workman was taking a break. Behind him, the sign in the jewelry store window read “Closed During Construction,” and the window blinds were shuttered.
    â€œWhat’s going in under the sidewalk?” asked the professor genially.
    The workman looked up from his sandwich, took off his ear protectors, and pulled a small foam plug from his left ear. “Eh?”
    â€œWhy are you breaking up the sidewalk?”
    â€œThey’re replacing the old pipe with new. Musta had a leak somewhere.”
    â€œAre you putting in the new pipe today?” Thomas asked. “Can I watch you put it through the wall?”
    â€œI’m just breaking up the sidewalk and pulling out the old pipe, sonny. New pipe’ll be laid by somebody else, come Monday afternoon. Or maybe Tuesday, I dunno. Plumbers, they kind of take their time.”
    The workman screwed in his earplug and went back to his sandwich, clearly finished with the conversation.
    â€œBut—” said Thomas as Emmy dragged him off.
    â€œYou can go back on Monday,” said Professor Capybara, “and get all your questions answered.”
    Thomas was silent. As they neared the soccer fields, he began to lag behind.
    There was a sound of wild cheering. Joe’s team was celebrating with high fives, and Mr. and Mrs. Benson were grinning widely as they received congratulations from the spectators. Apparently Joe had scored another goal.
    Emmy patted Mrs. Benson’s sleeve.
    â€œWhy, Emmy!” Mrs. Benson turned around. “How nice that you could make it!”
    â€œLooks like we play for the championship tomorrow,” said Mr. Benson, exultant. “Our son is a powerhouse! Whoops,” he added as his cell phone rang. He walked away from the crowd to take the call.
    â€œActually, Mrs. Benson,” said the professor in his courteous way, “I was wondering if both your boys would like to join Emmy and Brian and myself tonight for a supper party.”
    â€œThat’s very kind of you, Professor,” said Mrs. Benson. “Are you sure they won’t be in the way? I know you’re busy with your research.”
    â€œNot at all, my dear Mrs. Benson; the children are very good with the rodents, after all. Shall I have Brian drive them home a little after nine?”
    Emmy wandered back to where Thomas was poking at something on the ground. “Hey, Thomas.” She looked down at his smooth blond head.
    He lifted the caterpillar onto his finger. “Look—it’s so nice and fat and green!”
    â€œAnd with yellow spots,” Emmy added politely.
    Two sharp whistle blasts sounded behind them, and the game was