NO ORDINARY OWL Read Online Free PDF Page B

was kind of like their clubhouse. Especially when they were fresh out of ideas. Maybe whatever was puttering around at the back of Esther’s mind would come out and say, “Hey!” Like something she was supposed to tell the girls.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you four be so quiet. What’s up?” Nadine pushed long, dark bangs out of her eyes.
    “Not
what
so much as a ‘whoooooo’ from Beake Man.” Sunny let out a snort and then explained the whole sorry owl mess to Nadine. “He hasn’t called any of us back.”
    Nadine nodded, her head tipped to the side. “Hmm. I know Beverly a little. She’s been coming to the Arts Council meetings.” The library, the senior center, and the community center all shared different sides of the big community center building by the lake. “She’s quite a bird expert. So is her brother.”
    “Byron Beake.” Vee sniffed when Sunny let out another snort. “Can you believe that’s his real name?”
    Esther hoped Sidney never heard it. She had been pretty careful keeping the Squad away from her house, giving one excuse after another why they should meet at Aneta’s (“…but we can swim and play with Wink!”), or Vee’s (“…but your little kitty is so much fun to play with”), or Sunny’s Uncle Dave’s ranch (“…but the animals! We can play with the animals!”). There’d be no telling what Sidney would think he’d heard and then start yelling. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her little brother, she simply didn’t know how to
explain
him.
    Sunny, never one to sit still for long, shifted to her back and began to pedal her legs in the air. “My parents said it was better that we didn’t get attached to the owls like we always do to the animals we save.”
    With a familiar move, Vee pulled the small notebook out of her back jeans pocket. “My mom and stepmom both said they’d heard about the Beakes”—another chortle from Sunny and a smothered one from Aneta—“and that Byron is like an important person in the bird world. He has a license to help wild raptors.” She fished around her hair band that held back the shiny hair and pulled out the tiny pen. She began to doodle.
    Aneta chimed in with her story that Sunny’s Uncle Dave said he’d met Byron soon after he’d moved in. “He likes him. He says he’s different, but in a good way.”
    “Different, but in a good way,” Esther repeated under her breath. Hmm.
    “So we do not have a rescue anymore. That was much faster than the last one.” Aneta looked like she regretted it.
    “Well, I guess we go back to our other projects.” Esther knew they had to do something to help animals. It wasn’t like the Squad to sit around.
    “You girls did such a good job with your projects that other people now want to help.” Nadine swung back around and began sifting through books, checking each one off on a list in front of her.
    “What?” A general cry sprang from four outraged throats.
    Nadine ticked off each project on three fingers as she explained. The pickleball ladies and the senior center wanted to do the Basset Waddle in August. Two older citizens the girls had befriended were working with the community cats after the girls had completed their Great Cat Caper.
    “That brings us to Major the mini horse and the zoo.” Sunny stopped pedaling and let her legs flop to the floor. “Whew! My family does that as a family outreach.”
    A long silence followed Sunny’s statement. Esther felt a little sad. No rescues.
    Then Aneta spoke up. “I have an idea.” She unfolded her long legs and stood, stretching her arms over her head—first one side then the other.
    Esther waited on her stomach, waving her legs, holding her head in her fists. When Aneta didn’t continue, Esther flopped to the side and peered up at her taller friend.
    Aneta had frozen like a statue in a park, arms still high. Her mouth hung open, and then, ever so slowly as though the statue were melting, she pointed. Esther