Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things Read Online Free PDF Page A

people?
    Then Robin said, “Vista Ridge Lookout was originally a Forest Service watchtower for spotting fires, but they stopped using it years ago, and then vandals wrecked it. But with the hard work of lots of volunteers—”
    â€œLike us!” Bella said.
    â€œYeah, us!” Gabby chimed.
    Robin laughed. “—it’s become a useful tracking facility.”
    â€œYou wouldn’t believe everything we’ve done,” Bella said.
    â€œYeah! We painted!”
    â€œAnd cleared brush!”
    â€œAnd hung shelves!” Cricket tossed in.
    â€œAnd helped install windows!”
    â€œAnd shutters!”
    Robin snickered. “You girls make it sound like we did everything!” She glanced at me again. “We’re actually just a small part of a large and varied group of people who feel really passionate about saving the condor. The Forest Service, the Audubon Society, Fish and Wildlife, the Wilderness Society, university students—”
    â€œWho only do it for a good grade!” Bella said.
    â€œYeah!” Gabby added. “Or so they can come up here and drink beer!”
    Robin raised an eyebrow. “Hey, now. Those kids would not go into environmental studies if they didn’t care about the environment.”
    â€œBut
you
said they were snot-nosed partyers who had too much attitude and not enough aptitude!” Bella called from the back.
    Robin shot her daughter a dark look via the rearview mirror. “I
muttered
it, Bella. And I only said it about one
particular
student.”
    â€œOh, right—that Vargus guy.”
    â€œVargus Mayfield!” Gabby giggled, bouncing in her seat. “He was
cute.
”
    Bella gave Gabby a pained look. “Cute?”
    â€œThey’re all cute at that age, girls,” Robin warned.
    â€œLike Quinn.” Gabby giggled again.
    Cricket jolted a little, and Bella backhanded Gabby, saying, “What’s up with you? Quinn’s twenty-two, he’s got a girlfriend, and he’s my
cousin
.”
    â€œHe’s got a girlfriend?” Gabby asked, her voice suddenly small. “Since when?”
    â€œSince a few weeks ago!” Then Bella ran down the stats: “Her name’s Janey Griffin, and she’s new in town. She’s super-pretty and smart and athletic—you should see her ride her mountain bike! She works at the Natural History Museum and is really into the outdoors.” And as if she hadn’t already rubbed it in hard enough, she smiled at Gabby and said, “She is
perfect
for Quinn.”
    Robin dropped the van into a lower gear. “We are
way
off topic, girls. What I was trying to explain to Sammy is that a lot of people have donated a great deal of time, money, and energy to build a research facility so we can track the flight patterns and roosting habits of condors.”
    I still didn’t get it. So what if they tracked them? How did
that
help?
    Then Bella announced, “I have a really good feeling that this is going to be
the
trip, Mom!”
    â€œMe too,” Gabby said halfheartedly.
    â€œLet’s hope so, girls!” Robin said.
    â€œWait a minute.” I looked back at Bella. “You’ve been doing this since fourth grade and
none
of you has ever seen a condor?”
    Bella shook her head. “Not in the wild.”
    For a second it was really quiet in the van. Then Gabby said, “But Quinn has. Lots of times. Right now he’s monitoring a juvenile and its mother out at Chumash Caves.” She gave a dreamy sigh. “He’s so devoted. He practically
lives
up here.”
    So there I am, stuck in a van on a dusty, bumpy mountain road with a bunch of condor
nuts
who obviously have mad crushes on other, older, more
extreme
condor nuts, when all of a sudden, a black jeep comes flying around the corner toward us.
    Robin slams on the brakes.
    Bella screams.
    Gabby screams louder.
    Cricket and I hold on tight while our eyes