by Annie Bryant
“Five minutes, Kiki. You don’t like nature?” Avery accused.
“Of course I like nature. Only doodlebrains don’t like nature,” Kiki huffed. “But the longer we stay here, the more time we won’t have to find the rest of the clues. Besides,” she added with a sneaky smile (her specialty, noted Avery), “you don’t want to let your friends down…do you?’
Yurt, Chelsea, and Ben turned to Avery—their faces all expressing the same she does have a point, dude sentiment. “But…the hummingbirds,” Avery protested weakly knowing that Kiki really did have a point.
“Okay, let’s get this photo op done,” an impatient Chelsea directed. She bunched the Barnacles into a picture overlooking the vast, creamy turquoise marsh. Everyone wore huge smiles—except for a disappointed Avery, who could only manage a tiny crooked smile. She had so been looking forward to having butterflies swirl around her head and maybe even land on her shirt!
“Come on everybody! Back to the boat!” Kiki ordered, clapping her hands together. The Beach Barnacles sprinted back to the Boston Whaler and struggled to clip their life jackets as quickly as their fingers could manage. “Great job, Yurt. Okay, let me help you into the boat, Chelsea,” Kiki encouraged. “Give me your hand, Avery.” She stuck out her hand to help Avery step down.
Being such a good sport herself, Avery had to hand it to Kiki. She really was an excellent boat captain. “You should join the Navy when you grow up, Kiki,” she said as Kiki helped her untie the lines.
“That’s a great idea,” the Yurtmeister pronounced. “Kiki could be the first girl commander of a Navy destroyer or something. Let’s hear it for Captain Kiki, everyone!”
The boat erupted in hoots and claps as Kiki started the boat and steered it away from the dock. Kiki rolled her eyes at Henry Yurt, but Avery could tell she was pleased. She kept biting her lip to keep from smiling.
What would happen if Captain Kiki ever used her powers for good instead of evil back at school? Avery wondered.
Herding Cats
“We better get these little guys boxed up and back to the Animal Rescue shelter. We need to give them all their shots and check them out,” explained Dory as she began placing the mewling kittens one by one into a nice plastic cat carrier.
You could have knocked Charlotte over with a feather when Dillon, who was cuddling Pleather again, resisted. “Could I adopt him?” he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice, as Dory reached over to take Pleather.
Charlotte was even more surprised when Patrice put her arm around Dillon’s shoulders and told him, “Dude, I’ll call your parents and put in a good word for Pleather.”
Dillon flashed Patrice a grateful look. “Word,” he answered.
Suddenly sirens filled the air. Almost immediately the Cods were surrounded by flashing lights and TV cameras. “What the heck is going on here?” a bewildered Dillon asked as two policemen, followed by an attractive photographer, hurried toward them.
Patrice grabbed Katani’s hand as she reached for Charlotte’s arm. “Did we do something wrong?” Charlotte asked Dory nervously. She could see the headlines now: SCHOOL GROUP ARRESTED FOR TAMPERING WITH WILDLIFE.
Dory shook her head and put her hands on her hips. “That big policeman heading toward us is my own darling husband.”
As the officers approached, the still nervous Salty Cods stood huddled together like the kittens they had just rescued. A grinning Dory called out. “What are you doing…checking up on me?”
The shorter cop said. “Nah, Dana called to see if there was any news for tonight’s broadcast and we told her about the kids rescuing these little rodents here.”
“They’re not rodents. They’re high quality kittens!” an indignant Dillon blurted out. Charlotte covered her mouth to keep from laughing as Katani whispered, “The Dillon Johnson we know and love is back.”
In what seemed like a matter of seconds, Dana, the reporter and photographer from the town paper Nauset Lighthouse, snapped a picture (Dillon insisted on taking Pleather out of the carrier and putting him back on his head for the shot) of the kitties and the kids from Brookline who saved them, and promised to let the school know when the picture would run.
“I’ll run it with an article about the Animal Rescue league and how people shouldn’t abandon defenseless animals!” Dana informed them.
Charlotte hated having to say good-bye to her little gray kitty Gus, but Patrice was nudging them all toward their bikes after thanking Dory for coming to their aid. Dory, heading back to her white van, gave the group a grateful good-bye. “Remember, if you ever know of an animal in need or that has been abandoned, you can always call your local Animal Rescue League chapter. That’s what we’re here for.”
“Good-bye, Pleather…I’ll see you soon…I hope.” Dillon, sounding tragic, waved as the truck sped away.
“That was a really great thing we did!” Katani triumphantly shared.
The others nodded, and Patrice said, “I agree. Now…Salty Cods…Are we ready to pump it?” This time, even Katani joined in. “PUMP IT UP!” they all shouted as they ran for their bikes.
“Patrice,” yelled Nick as they pedaled wildly down the bike path. “Where are we going?”
The Perfect Sneeze
Fabiana paced back and forth in front of Maeve, who had recovered completely from her moment of theatrical distress under the willow tree. Now, she was back under the same tree trying to calm Fabiana, who was muttering to herself.
“Ontario Plume, I, Fabiana, apologize profusely…no…Mr. Plume, please accept my apologies…. Wait, is that too formal? Help me, Maeve!”
On about the gazillionth take of the wedding scene, Fabiana’s dress—which was sprinkled with talcum powder and dirt stains to make it look like she’d endured a battle to be with her beloved—finally got the better of her and she sneezed all over her betrothed, Ontario Plume! They had to pause everything while hair and makeup fussed over the handsome superstar.
“These kinds of things happen in show biz,” Maeve assured Fabiana, who was clearly mortified.
“My career is over before it even started!” Fabiana wailed. “I wish we’d done the scavenger hunt. What is Mr. Moore going to do to me when he finds out? I’ll be suspended and I won’t be able to do the musical, and—oh!”
“Ah, Fabiana, I think maybe you are…” Maeve was afraid Fabiana was about to lose it.
Just then, Betsy and Danny came walking over, and between them strode the young blond man who until today, Maeve had only seen on the poster above her desk. Now, Fabiana had not only married him on film, but also sneezed in his face. Could the day get any stranger?
“Good news, Fabiana!” Betsy announced happily. “Ozmond adored that last take!”
Fabiana ignored her and stared at Ontario. “I, um…apologies, I mean, I’m sorry profusely…oops, I—”
“No worries!” Ontario smiled. “That sneeze was just the right thing to give me the perfect startled expression! And Ozmond loved the look in your eyes.”
“In other words…” Danny started.
“We’re done!” Betsy snapped her fingers. “Now let’s get crack-a-lackin’ on that scavenger hunt!”
Maeve looked at Isabel. It was obvious they were both thinking the same thing. Betsy was baaack!
“Thank you, milady,” Ontario said suddenly, spinning Fabiana around by the waist like they were still in the movie. “And good luck to you!”
Macaroni Surprise
“Where are we going?” Nick repeated at the top of his voice.
Laughing, Patrice brought her bike to a screeching halt. “Nick Montoya, you are a genius! Gather round, Cods. We need to regroup and make a plan.”
“Well, I vote we forget clue number five and go right to clue number six,” Charlotte suggested.
“I agree,” said Katani. “It’s a little crazy, but I think it might be our only shot of still coming in first.”
“You decide, team.” Patrice folded her arms and waited. Katani wondered what had
gotten into Patrice—playing with the kittens had turned her calm and cool as a cat.
“Let’s go to clue six!” Dillon said, and Patrice took out the envelope.
“Your eagle eyes spotted those kittens!” Patrice smiled at Dillon. “You be the announcer.”
He opened the envelope and read in a loud, slow voice: “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. But from this spot in nineteen-oh-three, macaroni signaled across the sea.”
The group was silent. “Okay, would somebody like to tell me how a noodle can signal across the sea?” asked Dillon.
“Must be a pretty big noodle,” Nick chuckled.
“Maybe it’s a famous explorer?” Charlotte suggested.
Patrice sighed. “I think one of us would remember if we’d learned about a famous explorer named Macaroni.”
“Well, if we can’t figure this out, then what are we supposed to do?” asked Katani. She didn’t come this far in her great outdoors exploration weekend only to spend the last hour slumped over her bike, completely stumped.
“Maybe we should head back to the final meeting place at Drummer’s Cove and try our hardest to come up with an answer on the way,” Nick offered. “That way, if we don’t get the points for winning the clue, at least we’ll get them for coming in first.”
This sounded like the most logical plan yet, and the Cods pedaled off on the bike path.
“Who signaled America in 1903 with macaroni?” Charlotte asked out loud. “This is definitely the weirdest clue of all!”
Nick, who had been staring off into a clearing beside the bike path, suddenly hit the brakes. “Whoa! Check this out, guys! There’s a huge pirate ship over there.”
“That must be where they’re shooting the movie Ms. O’Reilly was talking about,” said Charlotte. She couldn’t resist her curiosity. “You want to go check it out? Just for a second?”
“If we don’t get back to scavenger hunting soon, I swear, I am gonna lose it!” joked Patrice as she followed her team across the clearing. An enormous wooden pirate ship lay at dock, surrounded by dozens of platforms and cameras. Some of the cameras were even suspended in the air to capture the shots from above.
“This is so awesome!” breathed Charlotte as she saw several actors in pirate gear swinging from the mast of the ship. She took out the team camera and snapped a photo. They’d still needed something pirate-themed for one of their bonus items!
“What can I say, Char…. When you’re right, you’re right,” agreed Katani. Then suddenly her face turned sour. “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” she spouted.
“Shhh!” shushed the four other Cods. Katani’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as she pointed at the boat. “It’s…it’s…it’s…’” she stuttered.
Charlotte’s eyes widened and she finished, “MAEVE AND FABIANA!”
Yurt Alert
Ben broke out the last clue as Kiki’s boat roared away from the Wellfleet Animal Sanctuary. He had to shout to be heard over the rumbling motor:
In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. But from this spot in nineteen-oh-three, Marconi signaled across the sea.
“We’re on the sea, and I don’t see any signals!” Chelsea moaned.
“Wait,” Avery said, perking up a little bit. “What time is it, Kiki?”
“Four thirty-five!” the captain responded.
“That gives us twenty-five minutes to either look for this clue, or race to the finish line!” Avery shouted, suddenly energized. “That Marconi thing is only three points, but finishing first gets us ten!”
“Let’s go for it!” Kiki cheered.
“But,” Chelsea protested, “we have only two clues out of six!”
“Three!” Suddenly Yurt plucked the camera from Chelsea’s bag, smiled, and pressed the button. He proudly handed the camera back to Chelsea and pointed at the preview screen. “Say ‘thank you’!” Yurt instructed.
“What for?” asked Chelsea.
“The answer to clue number one! We never figured out what a Yurt alert was. Maybe it’s me!”
Avery smiled. “Hey…it’s worth a try!”
Ben agreed. “We’ll improvise! Barnacle style.”
The team cheered, and Kiki shifted the motor into high gear.
Superstars and Superheroes
The Cods tumbled on top of one another to get a get a closer look at the clearing. “They’re all there!” Dillon gasped. “Maeve, Betsy, Danny, and…hey, isn’t that guy spinning Fabiana around super famous?”
Suddenly, Fabiana landed right in the dirt and screamed!
Nick’s eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head. “What is Ontario Plume doing to my sister?” he growled, turning to march into the middle of the set. Charlotte and Katani pulled him back.
“She’s fine, Nick,” Katani assured. “Listen! I could be wrong, but I think that director guy with the red pants…he’s praising her like she’s the star!”
“What?” Nick gulped and leaned forward.
“Such emotion!” The director shouted as he strode toward the Cranberry Boggers. “Perfecto, Ontario! Bravo, Princess Polly!” He helped Fabiana up and the whole group started applauding.
All of a sudden, out in the field looking in on the Boggers’ celebration, Charlotte started to cry. “Nobody’s even trying. Our great adventure is a flop.”
Patrice reached over and gave Charlotte a supportive hug. “Charlotte, if I know your friend Avery and Ben Briggs, there is no way that they aren’t trying to finish this race. I say—”
“We go for it,” a determined Katani reached for Charlotte’s hand and gave it a squeeze. There was nothing she hated more than seeing one of her BFFs with hurt feelings.
“Me too,” Nick grabbed her other hand.
“Group hug,” Dillon shouted as he tried to wrap his arms around the team.
Feeling completely foolish and completely blown away by her team’s support, Charlotte snuffed back her tears while Patrice punched the air. “Winning this thing was our destiny.” She smiled at her group and added, “And also saving the kitties. We’re kind of like superheroes. And superheroes always win.”
The Race Is On
As the determined Salty Cods pedaled furiously away from the clearing, something buzzed in Betsy’s pocket.
“The walkie-talkie!” Maeve yelped.
“The scavenger hunt!” Fabiana hefted her canvas bag off the ground and turned to Ontario Plume and Ozmond, suddenly calm and composed. “It was a pleasure acting with you, sirs, but we have a very important scavenger hunt to take care of. BOGGERS, FOLLOW ME!”
From behind boxes and barrels, piles of feathered hats and rows of trailers, the entire team materialized.
“I got two more bonus items,” Isabel shared.
“That’s six total,” Fabiana counted on her fingers. “If we ride as fast as possible, there’s a chance—”
“—we could win those ten points for getting back first!” Riley finished.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Maeve cheered. “The race is on!”
Barnacle Style
Kiki’s parents met the boat at the dock.
“Did you get your clue?” her excited mom wanted to know.
“How’d the boat run today? Great conditions! Flat as a pancake out there,” said her dad.
Kiki just shook her head and tossed a rope to her father.
“Tie it off, Dad!” she instructed. “We’re on a tight schedule, and when an Underwood intends to win…”
“…she wins!” her mother finished. “Good luck, darling.” Mrs. Underwood blew kisses to her daughter and for good luck blew ones to the rest of the Barnacles too.
Kiki was already halfway to the shed where the kids had left their bikes. “Thanks, Underwood parents!” Ben Briggs shouted back.
“Your parents are pretty cool,” Chelsea pointed out to Kiki as she flung off her life jacket and strapped on her bike helmet.
“Yeah, they�
�re all right,” she admitted with a shrug. But then she suddenly seemed to remember her special Empress of Mean status. “Oh, and we’re not slowing down for anyone today, got it? So keep up.”
Chelsea took a deep breath and shook her head. The Empress of Mean gene is still intact! she thought as she hopped on her bike.
With a bunch of whoops and hollers from Yurt and Avery, the team was off, pedaling so fast the trees whipped by in a blur. Chelsea was surprised to find that despite her slightly sore leg muscles, she was keeping up much better than yesterday. Take that, Kiki! she thought with a smile as she passed by a surprised Empress.
When Chelsea managed to pull up even with Henry Yurt, she shouted, “Barnacle style!”
He honked his bike horn. “Two more miles!”
Soon, everyone was chanting the rhyme.
“One and a half miles!” Kiki interrupted them. “I know a shortcut.”
Pump It Up
The Salty Cods whooped with joy as they sped down a hill, feeling the crisp breeze against their faces. Charlotte raced ahead, wondering how fast she’d have to go to break the space-time continuum, like in Back to the Future. The trees and objects whizzed by so quickly, she wasn’t sure he could trust her eyes when she saw a park ranger turn down a side path toward the beach.
“BONUS POINT!” Dillon shouted. The park ranger was so startled he dropped the armload of guidebooks he was carrying.
“Sorry, dude.” Dillon got off his bike to help with the guidebooks while the rest of the Cods joined them. “But can we take your picture? We’re, like, on this scavenger hunt, and, hey—don’t you spell check these things?” He held up a guidebook. “It’s macaroni, not Marconi!”
“Dillon!” Charlotte slapped her forehead. “This is a guide to Marconi Station! Hand me that clue you read!”
Dillon sheepishly extracted a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
“Just what I thought.” Charlotte’s face looked grim for a second.
“Are we going the wrong way?” Katani asked, worried.
“What’s going on?” Patrice demanded.
“Marconi Station!” Charlotte’s face broke into a grin. “The answer to clue number six! It had nothing to do with macaroni!”
