I burst out laughing and hung up without saying another word.

When I returned to the lab, I noticed that Melody was evading my eyes nervously, and I felt a pang of annoyance. "Melody, I'm not upset with you. I was just shocked, that's all."

Melody let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was worried I'd said something I shouldn't have."

"No. This has nothing to do with you. Let's just resume the experiment," I said to her.

Melody nodded. "Right. By the way, Sofia, Mr. Hogg stopped by earlier this morning with an invitation. I left it on your desk, so you should check it out."

I...