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“Okay, Bean!” Madison called, getting up from the table and picking up Butterbean’s leash. “Come on. Time for your walk!”

Butterbean’s eyes got wide. “OH NO. OSCAR! OH NO!” She jumped to her feet, bumping Oscar’s cage and making it sway dangerously from side to side. Oscar clung to his perch. When he’d thought of a million ways that things could go wrong, he hadn’t thought of that.

Butterbean lolled her tongue out of her mouth as she trotted over to Madison.“You’ll know what to do. Just wait for the signal!” she called over her shoulder.

“Just follow our lead, okay, Oscar?” Polo shouted as she ran to the far end of the cage. “POSITIONS, EVERYBODY! Your position is, um, your cage, I guess, Oscar.”

Oscar got in position, which was pretty much the same place he’d been standing before.

“Don’t worry, Butterbean!” Marco yelled, as he took his position at the other end of the cage. “We’ve got you covered!”

Madison clipped the leash onto Butterbean’s collar. “Ready to go? We can’t waste time today. I don’t want to be late.” Even though Madison was living with Mrs. Food while her aunt was overseas, she still had to do regular human things like go to school.

Butterbean threw a significant look over her shoulder at Marco and Polo as she trotted behind Madison to the front door. She stood perfectly still as Madison put on her jacket and unlocked the door. But as soon as the door opened, she gave a low bark.“NOW!”

Marco and Polo sprang into action. Marco immediately started jumping as high as he could, so that he hit the lid of the cage. (He was particularly good at hitting it so that it made a hollow WHOOMP noise.) Polo’s specialty was doing running kicks at the water bottle, so that it clattered against the glass. It was pretty effective. The aquarium was vibrating so much, it looked like it might fall off the table.

“What the heck?” Madison said, looking back at the rat cage. “You guys! What are you doing?”

Oscar nodded to himself.“Distraction… I see. I can do distraction.” It wasn’t his usual assignment, but he was more than able to improvise. With a loud squawk he leaped from his perch and fluttered against the bars of his cage, making it sway back and forth.

“WHAT THE HECK?” Madison’s eyes grew wide. “OSCAR?”

Mrs. Food came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel.“What in the world?”

Madison dropped Butterbean’s leash and let go of the door as she hurried toward the animal cages. That was all the opening Butterbean needed. Taking a deep breath (and scooping up her leash in her mouth), Butterbean made a dash for it, slipping out of the door just as it swung shut. She was in the hallway before Madison even realized what was happening.

But she wasn’t alone. Walt was right behind her.

“Walt? You’re coming too?” Butterbean gasped as she raced for the elevator.

“Think of me as insurance,” Walt said.

Butterbean jumped up to hit the call button for the elevator, keeping one eye on Mrs. Food’s door at the end of the hall. She had to make it into the elevator before Madison noticed she was gone, or the whole plan would fall apart. And the elevator was slower than ever.

Walt sat and watched the numbers over the elevator.“So what happens if Madison comes out before the elevator gets here? Do you have a contingency plan?”

“Improvise,” Butterbean said. She’d seen a show about improvising once, and it seemed like a fancy way of making stuff up. She was good at making stuff up. Or at least she hoped she was.

The apartment door opened a crack. They could hear the ruckus inside. It looked like they were out of time.

Butterbean set her jaw. Time to improvise. She stood up. Not that she knew what she was going to do, that is. But standing up seemed to be an important first step.

But just as she did, the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

“RUN!” Butterbean yelled, dashing inside with Walt close behind. She jumped up, hitting the button for the second floor, and pawed at the close doors button. The doors started to close. Butterbean slumped against the wall. They’d made it.

The doors were almost completely shut when an arm shot into the elevator between them, making them bounce open again.

“HA!” Madison said, pushing her way inside. “Not so fast, you weird dog.” She bent down and picked up Butterbean’s leash. “What is wrong with you all today? You’re not going for a solo walk, Butterbean. Sheesh.” She leaned against the back of the elevator.

“So your plan is to just run out of the elevator?” Walt asked from her location behind Madison. She didn’t think she’d been spotted yet.

“When I get to the second floor, yeah, pretty much,” Butterbean said under her breath. She watched the numbers. Madison being in the elevator was not part of the plan, but she wasn’t giving up. Not yet.

“Second floor,” the elevator voice said. Butterbean leaned forward, her muscles tensed and ready.

The doors opened. Butterbean could hear Biscuit’s barks echoing from down the hall.