The Icarus Project Read Online Free PDF Page A

want to ruin the find in case it’s worth a lot of money. Which is actually smart of him, even though he’s only thinking of his bottom line. If it
is
mammoth remains and they dig it up, the carcass could thaw and be attacked and eaten by animals, or poachers could steal the ivory.”
    “It has tusks?”
    “Yes!” Dad jumped to his feet. “Can you believe it? That’s why they called us! The tusks breached the ice.”
    “This is big. And they want you to come to the Arctic to check it out.”
    “Basically, yes. Mr. Clark is willing to fund the whole expedition. And it won’t even cost him that much since he already has camps established. Apparently, the guy is a real Arctic buff and lives year-round in the compound.”
    “That’s great! When do we leave?” The Arctic wasn’t my top choice for my first real expedition. But luck was a funny thing, and this mammoth had just fallen in our laps. I would brave the snow and ice for science’s sake.
    “About that…” Now it was Dad’s turn to stare at the floor. He eased down on the sofa next to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “You’ll have to skip this one. I wasthinking you could stay at Zoey’s house. I was hoping to speak with her parents tomorrow after we talked. Won’t that be fun, a whole month just the two of you?”
    “A month! And you’re just going to leave me here?” My emotions flared. I was sick of being left behind.
    “I’m not
leaving
you. The time will go by in a flash.” He squeezed my shoulder, but I shrugged him off.
    “Mom leaves all the time and I have to deal with it. I have to be mature and do my homework and pretend that it’s fine. But it’s not fair.”
    “I know it’s not fair. But you’ll hardly know that I’m gone. This is a big opportunity that I can’t pass up.”
    “I know it’s your big chance. That’s why I’m going with you. It’s
our
big chance.”
    Dad shook his head. “You have school. And should stay home.”
    I had to think fast. “The expedition will be educational. What kid gets to go to the Arctic to watch real fieldwork in action?” I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow. “Plus, spring break is coming up.”
    “No, Maya. It’s too dangerous,” he said.
    The danger card was the last play of a parent on the edge of caving in. I knew I was close. “I can handle it,” I said. “I’m not afraid. And you’ll be there.”
    “The Arctic can be treacherous, and I won’t be able to watch you all the time.”
    “Watch me!” I scoffed. “I’m old enough to
babysit
myself. Thirteen is not a kid. And you said that the mammoth was found by
tourists,
so how dangerous can it be if people are traveling there for vacation?”
    Dad paused. “That’s a good point.”
    “You said the billionaire had a compound and lived in the Arctic year-round, so I could stay there. And I promise to keep out of the way. Please, Dad.”
    He started to waver. “OK … Let me make some calls. It’s not entirely up to me.”
    “Yes!”
    “No, that’s not a yes.” He pointed at me as he stood. “It’s a possible, a maybe. I don’t know if your principal will allow you to miss school. We’ll just have to see.”
    “Please
don’t make me stay at home. I really want to go.”
    “I’ll try.”
    There was no way I would hear tonight. It was late. I ran to my room and jumped on the computer. Maybe I could convince Dad that I was serious about going by doing some mammoth homework, even though I already knew more about mammoths than any other thirteen-year-old on the planet. Dad had been telling me bedtime stories about the hairy beasts since I was a kid. Mammoths had dark gray skin with reddish-black woolly hair and stood ten to twelve feet high.
    I read through a few websites, picking up more details. As I was scrolling through a web page on the National Geographicsite, Dad knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”
    “Sure,” I said.
    He sat on the side of my bed. “I don’t want you to