Tonight's tale . . .

Rabbit food. Windowpanes. Pennies. Chelsea Kaüer counts and frets over everything—her OCD won't let her stop. But when her biology teacher, Ms. Mandisa, asks her to pet-sit, Chelsea can't think of a reason to say no. After all, it's extra pocket money—nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong. Ms. Mandisa's "pet" is a six-foot lizard with a poisonous bite and a taste for red meat. And if Chelsea doesn't think fast, she'll be dead meat. . . .