Pip and Squeak were two white mice. They were the class pets in room 1A. Every week a new student took care of them. This week it was Riley’s turn.

Riley liked taking care of the mice. She fed them and gave them water. She took them out of their cage. She put them in their mouse balls. They rolled around the classroom during math time.

Pip and Squeak liked to eat. But they liked rolling even more. “There goes Pip!” said Danny.

“And there’s Squeak!” said Jessa. The kids smiled and laughed as they rolled by.

At the end of math, Riley looked for the mouse balls. She needed to take the mice out. Then she would put them back in their cage.

The mice liked to roll into small, dark places. So she looked under the desks. She looked behind the trashcan. But the balls were missing. Where could they be?

Danny helped her look. “Pip! Squeak!” he called. Of course the mice didn’t answer.

Could the mice have rolled out of the classroom? Riley checked the door. It was shut. So were the windows.

“Maybe Jessa can help us find them,” said Danny.

“Where is Jessa?” asked Riley. She was missing too.

Riley asked Mr. Green if he knew where Jessa was.

“She had to leave in the middle of math,” he said. “She had a dentist appointment.”

“Did she leave wearing her backpack?” asked Riley.

“Well, yes,” said Mr. Green.

“Aha!” said Riley and Danny together. A backpack was a small, dark place. It sounded like the dentist would be getting a visit from Jessa, and from Pip and Squeak too!