Forces of Nature Read Online Free PDF Page B

“I’ll find you.”
    â€œHe wants us to make noise!” Zack shouted in Olivia’s face. He started howling, clapping, whistling, and jumping around in circles. Olivia joined him. The two made a racket that seemed to hush the forest around them.
    â€œI see you!” Amp said in both their heads.
    â€œI heard him! He sees us!” Olivia roared. “We’re saved!”
    The two stopped making noise and spun in circles, looking for the arrival of their rescue party.
    But what emerged from the bushes behind them didn’t look like a rescue party.
    It was one of the strangest sights Zack had ever seen, and he had seen his share of weird things for a fourth grader.
    Zack’s dog Smokey suddenly appeared from behind a tree, tail wagging. Zack crouched togreet him and that’s when he saw Amp sitting on Smokey’s neck, holding firmly to the dog’s flea collar.
    Zack stared at his tiny alien roommate. “You’re riding my dog?”
    â€œAn alien riding dogback,” Olivia said. “And I thought I’d seen everything.”
    â€œI can steer this animal quite easily with my mind,” Amp said with delight. “This animal is actually quite reasonable, especially when compared to that beastly cat of yours.”
    Olivia laughed. “Gosh, Amp, you hacked into the brain of Zack’s dog. Kind of rude, no?”

    Zack shook his head. “I don’t even care at this point,” Zack said, standing and brushing off his pants. “C’mon, Amp, we need to get back to our campsite and find Mom, Dad, and Taylor. Lead the way.”
    Amp looked up at Zack, then at Olivia, then back to Zack. “Me? You don’t know which way to go?”
    â€œNo!” Olivia roared. “Now take us back to camp! I’m starving.”
    â€œWait, you’re lost?” Amp said, confused. “So am I! I’ve been riding this animal in circles through the forest since everyone ran off this morning. I thought you two could take me back to—”
    â€œOh, great,” Zack moaned, his chin dropping to his chest. “Our rescue party is more lost than we are.”
    Olivia sighed and squeezed her face between her hands. “Now what are we supposed to do?”
    â€œHey, it’s your planet,” Amp said with a tiny shrug. “I have no idea. I thought you two were rescuing me !”
    â€œI really hate camping,” Zack said.

Directionless
    â€œT hat fire you built freaked us out,” Zack said.
    â€œOh dear,” Amp said. “I wasn’t sure how big to make it.”
    â€œThere’s a difference between a campfire and a forest fire,” Olivia said.
    â€œI said I was sorry!” Amp cried, throwing up his hands in surrender. “I headed out on your dog this morning after I made the fire to see if I could communicate with the bears.”
    â€œBears? You could have gotten Smokey eaten!” Zack cried, scratching Smokey behind the ears. He plucked up Amp and held him in the palm of his hand. Smokey seemed to shake off Amp’s mind control then and started sniffing around.
    Zack and Olivia told Amp all about their shock at the big fire, the washed-out bridge, Zack’smom’s plunge into the creek, the bears entering the car through the open car doors, and their poorly planned escape.
    Zack slapped at a mosquito that had landed on his cheek. “See, this is why I didn’t want you to come, Amp,” Zack said. “You’re way out of your element.”
    â€œOh, this is pretty tame compared to other planets I’ve been on,” Amp said casually, looking around at the forest. “I was on a planet once where the trees spit big gobs of sap on you as you walked by them.”
    â€œThat is so gross,” Olivia said, placing a hand on her stomach.
    â€œAnd that sap was toxic; it had acid in it! Melted right through my helmet.”
    Zack often forgot that Amp had been to places he