Ghost Leopard (A Zoe & Zak Adventure #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

looking.”
    Zak opened the folded paper. It wasn’t paper really. More like parchment, or maybe something even thicker like an animal hide. It was hard to say exactly what it was. It was smooth to the touch, but at the same time very old. On one side of it, drawn in brown ink, was a map of the mountains. They were drawn just like little triangles everywhere. There were valleys as well, and X’s marking different places on the map.
    “Put it back,” I said.
    “OK, OK, I just want to know what the X is.”
    “If you don’t put it back, I will,” I said, taking hold of the map. “You don’t just take stuff that doesn’t belong to you.”
    “Hi guys.”  
    I whirled at the man’s voice. It was Zak’s dad. He was walking toward us with my mom. I folded up the map.
    “What do you have there?”
    “Nothing. Just a brochure.” I dropped the map face down on the chair. I didn’t know why I’d lied. Probably because I felt guilty. But my mother didn’t seem overly interested. Instead, she seemed a little worried.
    “You guys, we need to talk,” my mom said.
    “Listen up, Zak,” Mr. Merril said.  
    My mom looked anxious, and I had to admit, I was beginning to feel a little anxious myself. Since when did Zak’s dad and my mom talk to us together? Like they were some kind of unit? That was weird. My mom spoke again, directly to me this time.
    “There’s been an emergency. I’m going to have to go away for a few days,” my mom said.
    Though we all stood fairly close together by the pool and there wasn’t much noise except the squawking of parrots, I wasn’t sure that I had heard my mother correctly. We had a plan. What was this about her going away for a few days? What emergency was she talking about it?
    “Me too, Zak,” Mr. Merril said. “Zoe’s mother and I have been called away unexpectedly and we’re trying to figure out what to do with you two.”
    “Can’t we come?” I asked.
    “That’s one option,” my mom said. “But I don’t know how much fun you’re going to have. We’re going to be moving around a lot and there won’t be a great hotel. But we can do that if you want. Though I warn you, I’m a little concerned it won’t be nice for you at all.”
    I thought about it. “What’s the other option?” I said.
    “You could stay here at the hotel,” my mom said. “A local nanny service has recommended a wonderful woman who can look after you two. You can order room service. Swim. Relax. Take pictures. And we’ll both be back before you know it.”
    “Cool,” Zak said.
    “I thought you’d like that,” Mr. Merril said.
    I, however, wasn’t so sure.
    “Don’t worry, Zoe,” my mother said. “I’m not going anywhere until we have a plan.”

    I paced as my mother packed. I felt unsettled. And it wasn’t just the strange dreams or my hallucination when I dove to the bottom of that pool. The way I felt seemed embedded right into the walls of the hotel. Our hotel room that had seemed so promising earlier, now felt a little different. A little hollow. It was true, it also felt a little more exciting, but a little strange too.
    “Are you sure?” my mother asked.
    “I’m sure.”
    “Because you can come if you want. What I’m saying is, I want you to come if you want. I’m just worried you’ll have a bad time.”
    “It’s only three or four days right?”
    “Three or four days, max. The nanny’s name is Anu. She comes highly recommended. She’ll stay in her own room so you’ll have your privacy, but she’ll be there to help you with whatever you need.”
    “OK.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “I’m sure, Mom.”
    The truth was, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure at all. But I could tell that my mother thought this was for the best. And I wanted to give her what she needed. I knew her work was stressful enough without me tagging along if I didn’t have to.  
    “Thanks, Zoe.” She hugged me. “I promise I’ll make it up to you as soon as I’m back. And be nice to