No skateboarding in the hall.
Oh. I wasn't using it.
No eating in the hall. We have a cafeteria.
It's okay. I like eating alone.
You can eat alone in the cafeteria with everyone else.
Yeah, that game was so sick yesterday.
- Yeah. It's unbelievable. - Oh, man.
- Hey. - Hey.
Did you guys see what happened yesterday? I passed it to him. I set the pick.
He passed it back. I turned around and I shot...
- Hey, yo! Watch out! - Curtis! Are you okay?
Aah! Oh, my shooting arm.
Here. Take my ice pack.
I'm Ruben.
I'm new.
I like the issue, but why is Sasuke such a jerk all the time?
Dude. He's the last surviving member of his village.
That's, like, super hard to deal with.
Yeah, but he doesn't have to take it all out on Naruto.
It's not easy being the new kid.
You would know. So, how goes it there?
Let's see. There's about a billion people in this city.
There's nowhere for me to ride my skateboard.
The city is always loud, so I can't sleep.
And, oh, today I spilled soup and hurt the most popular kid in school.
You bring soup to school?
My mom's just trying to make my life as difficult as possible.
I hate it here.
At least you get to hang with your grandpa.
So, how's he doing?
It's been hard for him. For all of us.
Being here has definitely helped.
Well, great. Now I feel bad for complaining.
You should. You know who you sound like?
Don't say Naruto.
Hey, hon. Have you seen my keys?
Oh. Hey, Kai.
Hi, Miss Reyna.
Call me later, Ruben. And we can watch a movie or something.
Okay, cool. Later.
Listen, bud. I know you love Kai,
but you were gonna make an effort to make friends.
Look, Mom, I've tried, but everyone here is lame.
So it's not my fault.
You were also gonna empty your lunch bag when you got home from school.
Where's the ice pack?
I lent it to this kid who hurt himself. We were sort of having lunch together.
I'm glad you're not eating lunch alone at your locker anymore.
- What's this new friend's name? - Curtis, I think.
Well, since I have a new friend, can I call Kai back?
Huh. No. Go downstairs. Help your grandfather in the store.
And, Mom? Maybe no more soup for lunch?
Hey, Grandpa.
Chevon.
So, what did you think of it?
Cool book. Thanks.
How the Mind Works was cool?
Yeah. Now I don't know what my major should be in college.
I was thinking Data Science, but now maybe Psychology.
- How old are you again? - Twelve.
Hmm. You have time.
So, how are you doing?
Fine. A bit tired, but nothing a little coffee won't fix.
Your energy level has changed since Grandma's death? Not a good sign.
That's it. No more psychology books for you.
From now on, you're on a strict diet of beach reading.
I'm serious.
I'm fine, Chevon. Even though Tess is gone, she's still with me.
Especially here. She loved this store.
What a surprise. Chevon's here.
Grandpa lent me a book.
Well, it's a bookstore, not a library.
Pardon me. I'll leave you two to talk about
whatever it is kids talk about these days.
Let me know if you're still tired after your coffee, Grandpa.
He's not your grandpa. He's mine.
Too bad. I don't have grandparents, so I've adopted him.
It doesn't work that way.
I heard about the soup.
But how? It just happened.
Two teachers were talking about it in the teachers' lounge.
- The teachers' lounge? - They let me use the microwave.
Great.
You know, you don't have to eat alone at your locker.
I told Grandpa...
your grandpa...
that you're welcome to sit with me and my friends.
Yeah, but you're always doing geometry proofs at lunch.
What's your point?
I should just restack these.
So, they start yelling.
It was hilarious. And Mia grabs Chloe's arm...
- Donna, that hurt. - If that hurt, you need to lift weights.
It's fine. I just need to ice it.
Whoa. Weird.
- Come on. I need a new book. - No. I don't have time for...
It'll take a second. We used to love this place.
Remember? We used to spend hours looking at books here when we were little.
Yeah, I know, but I'm not little anymore.
I'm getting older by the minute. So, let's go.
Just let me check the fantasy section.
Fine. Two minutes.
What are you doing?
Nothing. Working.
You don't have to whisper. It's a bookstore, not a library, remember?
- Huh? - Hmm.
Oh, it's you.
Oh, uh... Hey, how are you doing? How is your arm?
This one's still pretty good.
Right. Yeah. Well, I better get going...
Whoa!
My juice.
Whoa.
"Hello."
- We're out of here, Donna. Now. - Yeah. I have enough books at home.
So, Dad, I have been thinking of some ways we could improve the store.
Didn't know the store needed improving.
I could tidy it up like with the apartment.
You think it needs improving? Ruben?
Huh?
Oh, well. It's dusty and cold
and some of the floorboards are uneven.
It has character.
Sales are down, Dad.
You have to modernize the store. It hasn't been updated since I was a kid.
- If it ain't broke, don't fix it. - I just said that it is broke.
Who's hungry for dessert?
- Hey, Chevon. - Perfect timing, Chevon.
Hello.
"Hello." What did you mean by that?
Nothing. I just meant hello as in "hello."
Hello, Chevon. What have you got there?
Grandma's famous apple pie. She gave me her secret recipe.
Wait a minute. Don't you have a family?
Yes, Ruben, I do. But they don't appreciate homemade dessert.
Homemade? But Grandma didn't make her own crusts.
I know. That's her secret. Store-bought.
I miss her.
I miss her too.
It's okay to cry, you know. Or not.
Whatever works. There's no one way to grieve.
Well, look, Chevon. We were just trying to have a nice family dinner.
I'll tell you what works, pie.
I'll get the plates.
So how was your day? Anything interesting happen?
No. Nothing.
- Hmm. - Who wants pie?
- I do. - I do.
Hey, man. How's it going?
How's the shoulder? You did what I suggested, right?
Yeah. I rested it last night.
Did you elevate it? Alternate ice and heat? Wrap it?
Okay. So, I didn't actually read your text, but I'm fine, see?
Roll up. Come on. Here we go.
- One more. Come on, man. - Curtis.
What kind of move is that? You're supposed to be a basketball player. Psych.
"Come together." Do you see that?
- What are you talking about? - "Come together." You don't see that?
All I see are cupcakes. Score.
I know you said I'm not supposed to talk to you at school,
but something creepy is going on.
- The menu board says, "Come"... - "Come together."
Yeah. I see it too.
It's your fault.
How exactly is it my fault?
Ever since you moved here, we're seeing bizarre messages.
I never saw messages where I used to live, so maybe it's your fault.
Guys! Stop it. Do you think anyone else sees it?
Yeah. Chevon.
What do you think it means?
- I don't know what you're talking about. - Drop it.
"Come together." We all see it.
Yeah, but I think we're the only ones, 'cause nobody else is reacting.
Fine. Maybe I do see it. But there's a logical explanation.
It's a ghost.
What? Ghost?
Maybe we're hallucinating.
Seeing things that aren't there? Stress can make you do that.
Well, I know I'm stressed. Moving here hasn't been easy.
I have a big basketball game coming up.
I'm not stressed.
Maybe excited and a little hungry, but definitely not stressed.
Yes, you are. You just don't know it.
Look, let's just say it's stress and forget about all this.
Works for me.
Okay.
Oh, my ears and whiskers! My pocket watch has stopped!
How shall I know if I'm late for work?
Um, uh, excuse me. Pardon me.
Do you have the time? I'm late. I can't keep the queen waiting.
Sir, do you have the time? No ticks? No tocks?
Please tell me that's your pet rabbit.
That's Mr. W. Rabbit to you, ma'am.
If you don't mind, I'd appreciate the time.
Well, at least we're not seeing messages anymore.
It is almost 8:00.
Oh, my dear paws! I knew it. I'm late. I've kept the queen waiting.
- Bye. - Uh-uh.
You're not going anywhere.
There's a talking rabbit that nobody can see but us.
Exactly. How is that even possible?
I think the ghost who was sending us messages
also sent us the rabbit.
Or maybe the rabbit is a ghost.
A ghost rabbit. Scary, but cute.
There isn't a ghost, Donna.
How would you know that? Have you read as many ghost stories as I have?
'Cause this is classic ghost behavior.
Well, except for the rabbit part.
Come on, or we'll be late.
Late? That makes five of us.
And the queen, she will be savage. Oh, I must find her at once!
Let's just get through our day and meet back here after school. Cool?
Oh, so late. So late.
Please. Hello? The queen will not tolerate such lateness.
Please hurry. There's no time. No time at all.
No minutes. No seconds. No milliseconds. Please!
A little help?
Get out of here. We're in the middle of a test.
But there's no time! Please take me to the queen at once.
I'm terribly, terribly late.
- Leave me alone. - I...
Sorry. I asked Chevon for an extra pencil 'cause mine broke.
Horrifying.
Oh.
Please. No, not you. Sorry. Nicely done, but I'm looking...
You. Yes, you. I demand you escort me to Her Majesty's quarters.
What? No.
My thought exactly. I expected better, Curtis.
- What is this? - What are you doing? Stop.
- Is this a map? - Give it back.
Well, this isn't a map! How will I ever return to my queen?
You're unhappy with your grade,
but crumpling it up is not gonna change it.
Oh!
Ah. Excuse me. I beseech thee, please take me to the queen.
Else she'll have my hide, sure as ferrets are ferrets.
I have no idea what you're talking about, but you're adorable.
Don't talk to me like I... I like that. I like that very much.
That feels... Yes, right there. Right there. That's the spot.
Sorry, Chevon. Something's going on. And don't tell me it's stress.
I know, and now I'm stressed for real.
- That rabbit distracted me during my test. - Doesn't make sense.
I'll tell you one thing. This never happened at my old school.
I'm pretty sure it's never happened at any school.
Um, I didn't write this.
"Begin at the beginning." Beginning of what?
Beginning of the day? Beginning of all time?
Our first message was at the bookstore. Maybe we need to go there.
Let's go.
Stop.
Curtis? A word?
I'll catch up to you.
Mr. Saunders just told me you got a D on your last test.
Um... Yeah. About that. I can explain.
You know the rules. Athletes need to keep their grades up. No exceptions.
I know. I've been focusing on the playoffs. I'll do better next time.
I'm sure you will, but until then, you're off the basketball team.
What? You can't do that. It's unfair.
Keep arguing, and I'll make sure you're off the team for good.
You better get studying.
Wait, the principal asked about your shoulder?
Did you tell her that I did it? And how'd she even know?
Uh, the coach said I won't be playing in the next game.
Not to brag, but I'm kind of the best player on the team.
How was that not bragging?
I thought your shoulder was okay.
Well, it got worse. Feels kind of stiff, and he wants me to rest it.
Hey, Ruben. Are these friends or customers?
Neither, but they're with me.
Hey! You must be Curtis.
Um, yeah.
It's so nice to meet you. Ruben's told me all about you.
- He did? - Yeah.
When you guys are done, come up.
I've just made a fresh pot of soup.
Dude, what's with your mom and soup?
I don't know. It's healthy and easy to make.
So, now what?
The clue was to go back where it all began.
"Begin at the beginning."
Let's look for another message.
Maybe we need to reenact what happened yesterday.
So does that mean I need to hurt Curtis again?
Okay, well, why don't we just call that a plan B?
What are we missing?
Let's see. We started seeing strange messages,
then a rabbit appears out of nowhere and wanders to school,
worried about getting to see the queen. Is that about right?
Yeah, except for "Begin at the beginning."
"And go on till you come to the end, then stop."
- What was that? - It's my favorite line
from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Is there, for example, a cute rabbit in that book who carries a pocket watch?
Yes, he was always worried about being late.
That's the one.
It was one of your grandmother's favorite books.
We should have a copy upstairs in the classics section,
right next to the travel guides.
- What? - Well, what does it say?
Nothing. The book is blank.
I don't get it.
I think the rabbit from this book has escaped.
- But how? Who let him out? - The ghost who's been sending us messages.
Donna, stop it with the ghost already.
Actually, I can't believe I'm saying this, but...
a ghost would sort of explain things.
Well, why does he communicate in this way? Why always in writing?
Maybe it's the only way he or she can.
So we're dealing with a ghost writer?
- Ghost writer, or "G.W." for short. - Yeah.
Speaking of.
- "School"? - Let's go.
We just came from there.
Couldn't G.W. have told us that before we walked 15 blocks?
Relax. We can take the bus back.
Great. Is G.W. paying the fare?
We've been looking here for half an hour. Anytime now, G.W.
I have to leave soon. I have a voice lesson to get to.
- I didn't know you could sing. - I can't... yet.
Whoa.
Okay. That's weird.
- What are we supposed to do? - Follow it.
It's G.W. rolling out the white carpet. Come on.
Where is the light?
Yes. Like so. And like so.
It's late. It's late. Teatime is late.
Teatime?
Well!
This is a... surprise!