by K. E. Rocha
“You would’ve been eaten by that cub if it wasn’t for me!” Spencer tried to sound defensive, but really, he wanted to cheer. He’d saved Kate from being caught on film!
“Bears don’t eat humans,” Kirby muttered. She popped the card out of the camera and replaced it with one she fished out of her backpack.
“How many of those cards do you have anyway?” Spencer asked, hoping to distract Kirby from her frustration. It worked.
“Just four,” Kirby answered. “A card for each of my two cameras to record on, then a replacement for when they get full. If I find anything suspicious on them, I record that footage onto my computer. Then I swap them with the cards in the cameras and record over the old footage.”
Spencer decided he liked Kirby. Her surveillance was pretty cool, even if it did give B.D. and the rest of the Bear Guard headaches. For a second, Spencer wished he could tell Kirby about the Bear Guard and how they were trained to watch her carefully. It was the best compliment he could give her for all her surveillance systems. She was good enough to be monitored.
“There’s something going on in these woods,” Kirby said, reminding Spencer exactly why he couldn’t mention the Bear Guard. Kirby replaced the camera in the crook of the birch. “And I’m not going to stop until I find out what it is.”
Spencer looked down at his dirty sneakers. Kirby seemed determined to solve the mystery of the woods. Even though that was bad news for Bearhaven, Spencer knew how she felt. He was trying to do the same thing—get to the bottom of his parents’ disappearance—and he wasn’t going to stop at anything, either.
“I could show you the rest,” Kirby said, interrupting Spencer’s thoughts.
“The rest?”
“I mean my microphone, and the other cameras and stuff.” Kirby’s voice was hopeful, as if she was desperate for the chance to finally share her cool surveillance with someone.
“Actually, I should get going,” Spencer said a little guiltily. He was pretty sure he was the first kid Kirby had seen in a long time. And it might be a long time before she saw another one. But he really had to get back to Bearhaven before he got himself and Kate into trouble … and he definitely needed to apologize to Kate right away.
“But you can’t go yet!” Kirby practically shouted. “That cub’s probably still around here somewhere. Or worse, its mother. We should stick together until we’re absolutely certain the coast is clear.”
“Oh,” Spencer hesitated. “Don’t worry, I think the coast is clear. Uh … it was nice to meet you, though.”
“Wait a minute.” Kirby pulled a pen and a notebook out of the depths of her green backpack. She started scrawling on a blank page. “If you see anything suspicious while you’re in the forest—any clues, or any more bears, or anything fishy at all—come find me. I’ll need a full report, all right? You owe me. Don’t forget.”
“I owe you?”
Kirby didn’t look up from her notebook, she just jerked her head in the direction of her camera as she tore out the sheet of paper. Spencer sighed.
“These are the coordinates of my house.”
Spencer examined the list of numbers. Can real Boy Scouts read this stuff? “Okay, got it,” he said, folding the paper and stuffing it into his pocket. “Now I know where to find you.”
Spencer made his way back to Bearhaven’s outer wall. When he arrived at the barrier of trees marking the perimeter of the bears’ territory, he followed it until he found the X he’d made to mark the spot he’d emerged from. He tossed the two sticks aside and glanced over his shoulder, checking for the millionth time that Kirby hadn’t followed him. She hadn’t.
Spencer reached into his pocket for the black jade bear figurine and let it rest in his open palm. The bear figurine had been a gift from Mom and Dad on Spencer’s eighth birthday. He kept it with him as a reminder that, like a bear, he could be strong, smart, and brave. No matter how far away Mom and Dad were, it always made Spencer feel closer to them to look at the jade bear.
“This doesn’t mean I’m giving up,” Spencer whispered. He wasn’t going to leave Bearhaven to find Mom and Dad today, but at least now he knew he could when he needed to. He slipped the jade bear back into his pocket.
Spencer turned sideways and squeezed between a pair of trees. Returning to the bears’ territory was just as difficult as leaving, but after what felt like hours of twisting and turning, he stepped out into the clearing in Bearhaven.
“Darn,” he muttered. Kate wasn’t there waiting for him like he’d hoped. I wouldn’t be waiting for me, either. Spencer could imagine how confused and hurt Kate must be. She’d jumped out to protect him from Kirby, and he’d turned around and protected Kirby from Kate. At least, that’s how it must have looked to the cub.
He wished he hadn’t been so mean to Kate or sounded so angry … but what was he supposed to do? If he hadn’t scared her away, Kirby would definitely have seen Kate’s pink BEAR-COM. There was no telling how many of Kirby’s clues might connect! And how much Kirby might learn about Bearhaven.
Spencer brushed himself off and jogged across the clearing toward the beehive he had tampered with hours earlier. The shield of leaves he’d rigged with his shoelace was still intact, blocking the view of the Bear Guard’s surveillance camera. I’ve already climbed this tree today, he thought, approaching the one he’d need to climb. Just remember what Aldo said: “Pretend you’re a bear.” Spencer scrambled up into the tree.
He crept out onto one of the branches and looked down past the beehive to the ground below. It wasn’t far, but Spencer’s heart started to race. He took a deep breath and focused on the beehive. He moved as quickly as he could to untie the shoelace and let the bundle of leaves fall away from the camera, but it wasn’t fast enough. The panic that always seemed to overcome him when he was high off the ground hit him suddenly. Familiar images Spencer couldn’t explain filled his head: metal, blood, a bear’s face only inches from his own, leaves and branches snapping against him as he fell. The images always felt like pieces of a nightmare, or a bad memory, but Spencer had no idea where they came from, or why they made his whole body freeze up in fear. He gulped, his heart racing, and gripped the branch below him as hard as he could. After a second, Spencer managed to push the horrible feeling away. He returned to the ground to relace his sneaker.
Now he just had to find Kate. Spencer took off down the path toward the center of town. He’d start at the Weavers’.
When Spencer stepped through the Weavers’ front door, he found Bunny sitting on one of the oversized couches in the living room, her back turned to him. She didn’t move to greet him. Does she already know I skipped school? Is she mad that Kate covered for me? He couldn’t imagine Bunny really getting angry at him, but even disappointment from the usually caring mother bear would be hard to take.
Bunny let out a quiet snore. She’s napping! Spencer silent-walked through the living room and stole down the stairs. He raced down the hall to the room Kate shared with Lisle. He pressed his ear against the door, but he didn’t hear anything. He pushed it open and crept into the dark room.
“Kate?” he whispered as his eyes adjusted.
Unlike most of the other rooms in the Weavers’ house, Lisle and Kate’s room didn’t have any furniture in it, since the bears’ bedrooms were meant to feel the most den-like. Two nooks were carved into the small room’s walls, one for Lisle and one for Kate. In each nook there was a lumpy layer of cushioning for a bear to curl up on.
The room was empty.
Spencer went to his own room and poked his head in. Even after two weeks in Bearhaven, his bedroom at the Weavers’ was still a happy surprise. It was identical to his room at home. Everything from the curtains in the windows to the books on the bookshelf was the same. Mom had copied his bedroom perfectly, just so when he was here, in Bearhaven, it was one thing he wouldn’t have to miss. The room looked as familiar as ever, but right now Spencer didn’t want to pretend this was really his bedroom at home. He wanted a bear
cub—namely Kate Weaver—to be waiting for him inside.
She wasn’t. Spencer dropped to his hands and knees to check under his bunk bed just in case. Kate had slept under there to keep him company his first night in Bearhaven. But now, no Kate.
Spencer checked every possible hiding spot in the Weavers’ family room, then he looked under their enormous dining room table. Kate wasn’t here, either. He started to climb the stairs to the Weavers’ living room.
Bunny’s voice stopped him short. “You mean to say they never went to school? … Neither of them?”
Spencer heard an answer come through Bunny’s BEAR-COM, but he was too far away to make out the words. “All right, Mr. Bee. Thank you for letting me know … Yes, of course.” Spencer listened to the creaking of the couch as Bunny stood up, then the soft padding of her paws on the floor as she moved around the room. After a second, the front door thumped shut. The house fell silent around him.
I have to find Kate before Bunny does, or we’re both going to be in a whole lot of trouble.
Spencer stomped down the empty dock. The sun was setting, and his determination to apologize to Kate was starting to fade. He was getting frustrated with her now. Why was she still hiding? Now they were both going to get in trouble! Where was she?
A cinnamon-brown head splashed to the surface of the river. “Well, it’s not like she can fly,” Reggie said, rolling himself up onto the dock. “She doesn’t have wings.” He chuckled, then gave himself a tremendous, full-body shake, soaking Spencer in river water. “She’s just a better hider than I thought, I guess.”
Spencer sighed. When he’d first run into Reggie on his way out of the Weavers’ house, he’d thought the cub might be helpful in his search for Kate. After all, Reggie would know all of Kate’s favorite places. He might even know some hiding spots around Bearhaven Spencer hadn’t found out about yet.
At first, he’d been right. Reggie had taken Spencer to investigate a secret dugout some of the cubs had made near Raymond’s Café’s vegetable garden. Joanne, the bear who managed all the gardens, had been there, turning soil with her claws, but not Kate. Then they’d checked the school, because Reggie thought Kate might be sorry about skipping out. “Maybe she went to apologize to Professor Spady for missing class,” the cub had said gravely. “That’s what I would do. Professor Spady is really strict about that stuff.”
After hiding behind a boulder in the schoolyard only to have Reggie return from Professor Spady’s classroom without Kate, Spencer decided to go back to his original plan of checking the dock. He’d tried to leave Reggie then, but the cub wasn’t so easy to lose.
“She’s got to be around here somewhere,” Spencer muttered, wiping water droplets off his face. “Right?” The rotten feeling in Spencer’s stomach suddenly got a whole lot worse. What if Kate hasn’t come back to Bearhaven yet? What if she didn’t make it back at all?
“KATE!” Reggie suddenly bellowed, startling Spencer so much he nearly fell into the river. “KATE!”
“What are you doing? Why are you yelling like that?”
The cub shrugged. “It’s almost my dinnertime. I thought if she knew we were looking for her, this might go faster.”
Dinnertime! Kate would never miss dinner! None of the bears would! Spencer took off running.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Reggie followed him down the dock.
“I’m going to the Weavers’! You’re right, Reggie! She’ll be back for dinner!”
She has to be …
Reggie didn’t answer but raced alongside Spencer until they turned down the path to the Weavers’ house. “See you later!” the cub called, peeling off. “Tell Kate she’s a great hider. I’m definitely on her team next time we play Hide-and-Go-Hunt!”
Spencer waved and slowed down. Professor Weaver was up ahead, pushing open the door of his house. Great. Spencer let the huge bear enter, then he counted to ten and approached. Sneaking in probably wasn’t an option—the bears usually smelled him long before he entered a room—but it was worth a shot.
Spencer crept up the Weavers’ front path. He put both hands on the big wooden door and quietly eased it open.
“Spencer?” Bunny shrilled before he’d even set foot inside.
Spencer swung the door open the rest of the way. Inside stood Bunny, Professor Weaver, Winston, and Jo-Jo. They all stared at him. No Kate.
“Come on inside, son,” Professor Weaver said. “Sounds like you have some explaining to do.” YOU have some explaining to do, too! Spencer wanted to reply, but now wasn’t the time.
“I’d say so!” Bunny growled. Uh-oh. Spencer gulped and stepped into the living room. He was definitely in trouble. Bunny didn’t offer him so much as a reassuring smile. She padded urgently over to the open doorway to search the path outside. “Spencer, where’s Kate? Isn’t she with you?”
“Told you she wasn’t with him,” Winston grumbled.
“She’ll show up for dinner, Mom. What’re we having anyway?” Jo-Jo sniffed toward the kitchen.
“Hush, boys,” Bunny snapped. She slammed the front door shut. “Did you not skip school together, Spencer?”
Spencer shook his head. His stomach twisted and flopped. “I haven’t seen her since this morning.”
“I don’t understand,” Bunny said. “If she wasn’t with you, then where is she? She’s never skipped school before. She loves school. This wasn’t your idea, then? I was sure—”
“Bunny, please try to remain calm,” Professor Weaver interrupted.
Bunny started to pace. “Winston and Jo-Jo have been looking for her since school got out. Kate knows it’s nearly dinnertime. If she’s not here by now … I just can’t imagine … I think we ought to call B.D.”
“There’s no need to panic, dear. We can’t call the Head of the Bear Guard just because our cub has decided to play a little game of Hide-and-Go-Hunt. I’ll call Aldo.” Professor Weaver lifted a claw to his BEAR-COM, preparing to radio his oldest son. “There’s only so much trouble a cub can get into in Bearhaven.”
Spencer’s heart began to pound. The rotten feeling in his stomach got so bad he thought he might throw up right there in the Weavers’ living room. What if Kate wasn’t in Bearhaven? What if something was really wrong? What if she was in danger? His mind raced. He had to tell them what he knew. Bunny was going to kill him! This was all his fault! But if Kate needed help …
“She might not be in Bearhaven!” he blurted out.
Bunny, who had been pacing back and forth, whipped around to face him. A snarl formed on her lips. Winston and Jo-Jo’s eyes widened as they watched their father rise up onto his hind legs. Professor Weaver stared gravely down at Spencer from his full, looming height.
“Spencer Plain, what are you talking about?” Bunny let out a low, terrifying growl.
Spencer’s palm was sweating around the jade bear in his pocket. Bunny had been reprimanding him in a thundering growl for the last five minutes. He’d confessed to the Weavers that Kate had followed him out of Bearhaven, and then he’d scared her off into the woods. Once he’d finished speaking, Bunny unleashed her mother bear fury, huffing and popping her jaw as she growled her disbelief that Spencer could have done something so careless. Now her fierce scolding seemed to be coming to an end at last, but Spencer had a bad feeling things were about to get a whole lot worse.
“Anything could happen to her out there,” Bunny finished, her voice dropping to a threatening growl. She turned away from Spencer, who had a lump in his throat the size of a baseball. He could barely keep himself from running back out of Bearhaven right now to search the woods for Kate himself.
Professor Weaver loomed over Spencer. Without saying a word, he lifted a claw to his BEAR-COM and activated an alarm, calling all Bear Council members for an emergency meeting. Then he turned and left the house.
Bunny’s BEAR-COM suddenly flashed yellow, receiving the alarm Professor Weaver had activated. It began repeating the emergency message that called her and all the othe
r members of the Bear Council to “Report immediately.” She snarled and shut it off. Rushing to the door, she growled to Winston and Jo-Jo in Ragayo, then left the house. The door banged shut behind her.
“This is all my fault,” Spencer groaned. He slumped onto one of the Weavers’ couches. What if Kate was hurt? Or lost? Or worse?
He didn’t get very far in imagining where Kate could be or what might have happened to her. Five minutes later the Weavers’ front door swung open again. It was Aldo.
“I’m supposed to bring you to the Lab,” the bear announced in a flat voice. His eyes searched Spencer’s face as though trying to find some reasonable explanation for why his little sister was missing and possibly in danger.
“I’m sorry, Aldo,” Spencer said, his voice wavering. “I’ll do anything I can to help find her.”
Aldo shook his head. “I’m not going to be the only bear to say this to you tonight, Spencer, but I think you’ve done enough. Let’s go.” With that, Aldo turned and started back down the path. He didn’t check to see if Spencer was following.
“Aldo, I promise, it was all a big mistake.” Spencer rushed to catch up with the bear.
“I know,” Aldo said. “But she’s only a cub, and if she’s lost in the woods somewhere, there’s no telling … ” The bear fixed Spencer with a serious stare. “We just have to find her, that’s all.”
Spencer followed Aldo out into the darkening valley. The lanterns that illuminated Bearhaven when the sun went down were just being lit. A poster for the Weaver Family Singers concert was tacked to one of the lantern posts. Spencer looked away as they passed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aldo do the same. Kate’s not missing that concert. No matter what, Spencer promised himself.
He and Aldo reached the riverbank and stepped through a row of trees nearby. Soon, the Lab came into view. It was still the coolest building Spencer had ever seen. The Lab was made of a gleaming, pitted metal. It was shaped like a dome and it didn’t have a single door or window. Instead, anyone who was authorized to enter could breathe on the Lab’s outer wall, and the wall would open in response to their breath. The bears on the guard and the council were the only ones who were supposed to know how it worked, but Aldo had accidentally explained it to Spencer once. The Lab was made of a special metal that responded to the DNA in the breath of whoever was trying to get in.
