Chapter One: The Project

"Alright class, I think you'll be very egg-cited about our next science project," Mr. Gore joked to his class on a warm Monday afternoon. "You and a partner will be tasked with the traditional egg drop!"

"Oh, I did one of those back in Transylvania!" Vampirina exclaimed to her friends. "I got a perfect grade for the biggest splatter."

"I don't think that's what we do in Pennsylvania," Poppy laughed.

"The goal of the egg drop is to build something to place an egg in so that when we drop it from a high height, in our case, the school roof, the egg won't break. Next Monday we'll all go outside and drop your projects so that gives you all a whole week to build your contraption," Mr. Gore explained with a wide grin.

"This sounds hard," Bridget mumbled.

Poppy stuck her hand in the air and Mr. Gore pointed at her.

"Will we get to pick our partners?" she asked.

"Actually, Poppy, I'm going to pick your partners this time," he replied. "This way you'll all get to learn how to work with new people and get different ideas."

"Oh, I was really hoping to work with you, Poppy," Vee whispered to her friend who nodded sadly in return.

"So, as for who is paired with whom," Mr. Gore announced as he picked up a paper off his desk. "Bridget, you'll work with Boris. Poppy and Edith, you two are a team." He rattled off more names until only two remained. "And Vampirina and Edgar."

"Oh," Vee said. "That's not too bad."

"Oh, it is," Poppy groaned. "My brother always forgets to do his homework until just before bed. If we weren't in the same class, I'm sure he'd forget about it all together!"

"Well then, I'll just keep him on track," Vee insisted as the bell rang.

As the three girls walked out, Vee stopped by Edgar.

"So when do you want to work on our project?" she asked eagerly.

"Oh, I can't today," he replied as he swung his backpack on. "I'm going to try and catch a ghost tonight!"

"What?" the three girls exclaimed, eyes wide. Did he know about Demi?

"Francis says he keeps hearing things in his attic so I'm going to investigate," Edgar explained.

"Phew," Vee sighed. "I mean, uh, cool. Another day, then."

"Yeah, sure," Edgar agreed.

"Come on, Edgar!" a taller and wider boy with blue sneakers called as he stuck his head back into the classroom. "Ghosts aren't gonna catch themselves!"

"I'm out," Edgar told the girls with a grin and dashed after Francis.

"See? He'll forget about the project, I'm sure of it," Poppy insisted. But Vee just smiled.

"Don't worry, Poppy," she assured her friend. "I'll keep him on track. Edgar and I will be spook-tacular!"

But each day Edgar had a new excuse.

"Editing some footage for my web show," he said on Tuesday.

"Leaving a trail of dog biscuits to attract a werewolf!" he exclaimed on Wednesday. Vampirina's family kept Wolfie inside that night.

"Helping Mom make snacks for her gardening club," Edgar grumbled on Thursday.

"That's true," Poppy whispered to Vee, "but he's known about that all week!"

On Friday Vampirina walked straight up to Edgar after class, slightly annoyed but determined.

"Our project's due Monday, Edgar," she reminded him. "Poppy and Bridget and their partners have already finished theirs. We need to at least start it."

"Right, I forgot," Edgar groaned, his face falling into his hands. "But Francis thinks he found the ghost this time…"

"So you're going to his tonight," Vee finished, crossing her arms angrily. "What about the project?"

"We have the whole weekend," Edgar insisted. "And we're neighbors. So it'll be fine."

"Edgar, come on!" Francis yelled from the hall.

"Edgar," Poppy chided, moving to stand next to her friend.

"This week. I promise!" Edgar called over his shoulder as he ran out of the classroom, leaving Vampirina and Poppy behind.

"Maybe I should do it without him," Vee sighed. "I don't want a bad grade."

"No way," Poppy said. "You can't let my brother get away this!"

"What can I do?"

"Don't worry. I promise I'll get him to your house tomorrow morning to work on the project."

"How?"

"Leave that to me."

"Wha…what's going on?" Edgar yelled as he was woken from a deep sleep. Poppy stood over him with a dripping water cup.

"Get up!" she yelled. "Hurry!"

"What's going on?" Edgar mumbled as he wiped the water off his face.

"Your dog biscuit trail worked!" Poppy exclaimed. "There's a werewolf in Vee's backyard right now!"

"I've got to get my camera!" Edgar gasped and sprang off the bed. With lightning fast speed, he got dressed, grabbed his camera, and dashed outside.

Poppy followed as be burst into Vampirina's backyard. But all he found was Vee and playing tug-of-war with Wolfie.

"Huh?

"Oops," Poppy giggled. "Guess I was wrong. Say, now that you're here and don't have any plans for today, why don't you and Vee work on your science project?"

"Wait a second," Edgar mumbled, looking between his sister and Vampirina who was letting Wolfie back inside. "This was a trick!"

"I call it getting you to do your homework," Poppy said with a grin as she headed back to her house. "Have fun!"

"So…" Edgar turned to see Vee with a black box full of craft supplies and a carton of ordinary eggs. "Ready to get to work?"

"Sure," Edgar grumbled.

He followed her to the shade beneath her tree house and they sat down.

"I was thinking we could test our project by throwing it off the tree house balcony," Vee suggested, pulling out a pale egg.

"Sure. What are we doing again?"

"Making something to hold the egg so it doesn't break when we drop it," Vee explained. "Remember?"

"Right. I just don't really pay attention during Mr. Gore's lessons. Too busy thinking about my web show. I'm thinking of doing an episode about mummies and the differences in their-"

"Well we really need to do this," Vee insisted, cutting of his excited ramble. "I'm better at breaking eggs than keeping them safe. Any ideas?"

"We could try tying a parachute to it," Edgar suggested.

"We can use this," Vee pulled out some black paper, "and this," followed by some thin silver string. "I'll make a harness for the egg. You want to make the parachute?"

"Sure."

And they set to work, Edgar snipping and gluing and coloring, Vee twisting string around the egg until it was secure.

"Now we just need to attach the parachute," she said and held her hand out to Edgar who gave her his creation. "What's that?"

"Oh, I drew a mummy on the back for luck. What do you think?"

Vee thought it horribly inaccurate, but she just smiled and joined their creations.

"You want to drop it?" she asked.

"Sure," Edgar replied eagerly, taking the egg in his hands.

He climbed the ladder rungs nailed into the tree, careful not to break the egg. Once he reached the top he raced to the edge and held the egg out over it.

"Bombs away!" he yelled and let it go.

The parachute expanded and the egg slowed a bit. But when it landed Vampirina heard it break.

"Oh no," she moaned as she ran over to inspect it. There was a big hole in the shell and its yolk was bulging out.

"It didn't work?" Edgar asked as he climbed down.

"No," she sighed as he looked at the shattered egg in her hand.

"Uh, what if we put it in a box?"

"A box?"

"Yeah. Safer than a parachute because it's in something," Edgar explained.

"I have the perfect thing!" Vee exclaimed. "Be back in two flaps of a bat's wing!"

She zoomed into her house, the door crashing shut behind her. Chef Remy Bones jumped, dropping the bowl he'd been holding. Gregoria and Demi glanced over from the table, in the middle of a game of Monster Chess.

"Sacré bleu, oh no!" he exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry, Chef Remy!" Vee apologized. "I'll help you clean it up?"

"No, no," Chef Remy sighed, pressing his bone fingers to his skull. "Ees fine. I'll just make-a somet'in else for our guests.

"Guests?" Vee repeated, suddenly looking worried.

"A family booked a room last minute," Gregoria explained as she slid her werewolf across the board, capturing Demi's Frankenstein.

"How'd I not that coming?" he exclaimed, flopping backward in dismay.

Suddenly the doorbell screamed and Oxana rushed down from the upper floor to answer it.

"Wonder who it is," Vee remarked and crept forward to look.

"Welcome to the Scare B&B," Oxana greeted as she opened the door. A pair of very well-dressed poltergeists floated in, their bags floating behind them. "Vampirina, darling, come welcome our guests, Mr. and Mrs. Gee."

"And our son," Mrs. Gee added in a nasally voice, moving aside to reveal him.

Vee's stomach suddenly dropped and her bat pigtails shook.

"Poltergeist Pat?!"