"Mrs. Bunsen!" Mark shouted. "My potion is bubbling! I think I created life! I will name him Slimey!"
"Mark," Mrs. Bunsen sighed. "Please do not name the chemical waste. And please do not drink it."
"It smells like apple juice," Mark said, sniffing the tube.
"It is copper chloride," Alex said. "If you drink it, you will turn green and explode."
"Cool," Mark said. "Like the Hulk."
Maya was at the next table. She was mixing her chemicals perfectly. The liquid turned a beautiful shade of pink.
"Reaction complete," Maya said. "The catalyst worked."
"Catalyst," Alex repeated.
He liked that word.
A catalyst was something that made a reaction happen faster. It made things explode without being used up itself.
"That is me," Alex thought. "I am the catalyst."
The bell rang.
"Class dismissed," Mrs. Bunsen said. "And Mark, please wash your hands. You are glowing."
"I am radioactive!" Mark cheered. "I have superpowers!"
Alex packed his bag.
