"This is awesome," Kaleem said for about the twentieth time. He and Daisy were hanging up their pet-sitting signs around the neighborhood. "It's like something from a movie—no, from a book. You can talk to animals just like Doctor Dolittle!"
"It's cool, right?" Daisy grinned. "I already love animals. Now I can talk to them."
Kaleem looked excited. "Everybody is going to freak out when you tell them."
"Tell him to calm down," Beatrice said. "You're not supposed to tell other people."
Daisy looked at the bumblebee. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing!" Beatrice zipped back and forth. "I'm just a bee. Sometimes I say silly things."
"Hey, that reminds me, Beatrice," Daisy said. "You never told me how this happened. How did your sting make me understand animals?"
Beatrice buzzed in a zigzag pattern. "Do you smell that? There are some flowers that need pollinating. I, uh, better go!" She flew away at top speed.
"Where's she going?" Kaleem asked.
"To pollinate flowers, I guess," Daisy said. "She keeps buzzing off whenever I ask about my new power."
Kaleem shrugged. "Who cares how you got it? It's amazing! Let's go find more animals for you to talk to."
"After we finish hanging up these pet-sitting signs," Daisy said.
Kaleem's face lit up. "I just realized something! We don't need these signs anymore. We don't need a pet-sitting business at all. You can use your new super power to get rich! You could go on TV, or get your own video channel on the internet. You could even join the circus."
"I don't want to tell everyone about this yet," Daisy said. "I mean, it took forever to get you to believe me. And you're my best friend. Plus, the power could wear off."
"Oh," Kaleem said. "Do you really think that might happen?"
"I don't know," Daisy said. "I don't even know how it happened in the first place!"
As she taped a sign to a lamppost, a chickadee landed on top of it.
"What's that?" she chirped.
Daisy smiled up at the tiny bird. "Hello, little chickadee. We're hanging signs for our new business."
She didn't notice that a boy was walking up behind her. "Why are you talking to birds? Are you a birdbrain?"
"Very funny, Parker," Daisy said with a frown.
"Birdbrain! Birdbrain!" Parker chanted. "Daisy Lewis is a birdbrain!"
Parker Channing was the worst bully in their school. He was mean to everyone.
"Go away, we're busy," Kaleem said.
"I know what would make this sign much better." Parker dug a stubby pencil out of his pocket. He used it to draw a big mustache on a dog Kaleem had painted.
"Hey, stop that!" Daisy cried.
"Make me!" Parker ran off, snickering loudly.
Daisy took the sign down. "He ruined it!"
"I can fix it," Kaleem said. "I'll just paint over it."
Before Daisy could answer, she heard a dog barking loudly from across the street.
"Help!" the dog barked. "I'm alone—and scared!"