by Roland Smith
Dylan gave me his story to read. I know all about D. B. Cooper, Sasquatch, and what happened on Mount St. Helens. Agent Crow arrived a week ago, along with Ted Bronson. They were both limping a little from bullet wounds in their legs. We thought that Crow would arrest Buck and haul him back to the States, but instead they greeted each other like old friends. Crow said that while he was in the hospital, he had officially retired from the FBI and had no legal authority in Brazil, or anywhere else. He wanted to know what Buck’s plans were. Buck said he was going to spend the rest of his life down here at the compound. There’s plenty of work to do with the Trips and at the jaguar preserve. Crow asked if he could join him. Buck was happy to have him.
Ted, Ana, and Wolfe headed back to Cryptos Island this morning. Ted wanted to get back to his inventions. Ana is on to another investigative story now that the Noah Blackwood saga is wrapped up, which she has been forbidden to write a word about. And Wolfe? He’ll be back after he checks on things on the island. He asked if I wanted to go with him, but I told him no. I didn’t want to leave Violet behind, and she’s not ready yet. We’ve been inseparable since the moment we met. And we may be with each other for a very, very long time.
We are sitting next to each other by the pool on the roof, scratching in our Moleskine journals, trying to make sense of our lives….
Dylan just joined us. He sits down and says nothing. He knows better than to disturb us while we’re writing. There’s another reason why I didn’t join Wolfe on Cryptos Island. Violet glances up from her journal and gives me a sly smile. I feel my face turn red. She knows. I wonder if Dylan knows?
In a moment I’ll put my pen down, and he and I will talk about everything, except us….
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
* * *
This book would not have been possible without my editor at Scholastic, Anamika Bhatnagar. You are the best! And a big thank-you is due to my wonderful agent, Barbara Kouts, and to the fabulous art director Phil Falco, who designs these books. Thanks also to Ellie Berger, David Levithan, Ed Masessa, Robin Hoffman, Lizette Serrano, Emily Heddleson, Antonio Gonzalez, Charisse Meloto, Elizabeth Starr Baer, Megan Bender, and everyone else in the Scholastic family. But the biggest thanks, as always, goes to my wife, Marie, the kindest person in the room, every room, always.
ROLAND SMITH is the author of numerous award-winning books for young readers, including Cryptid Hunters, Tentacles, Chupacabra, and the Storm Runners trilogy. For more than twenty years he worked as an animal keeper, traveling all over the world, before turning to writing full time. Roland lives with his wife, Marie, on a small farm south of Portland, Oregon. Visit him online at www.rolandsmith.com.
Text copyright © 2014 by Roland Smith
www.rolandsmith.com
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Roland, 1951–
Mutation / Roland Smith. — First edition.
pages cm — (Cryptid hunters)
Summary: “Marty and his best friend, Luther, have managed to rescue Marty’s cousin Grace from the clutches of the nefarious pseudo-naturalist Noah Blackwood, but their most dangerous mission lies ahead of them. Marty’s parents have been missing in Brazil for months, and their trail has all but run cold. With time running out, Marty and the Cryptos Island crew race off for Brazil — where they discover that Noah Blackwood has twisted the natural order of things beyond their wildest, most terrifying dreams” — Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-545-08180-1
[1. Adventure and adventurers — Fiction. 2. Animals, Mythical — Fiction. 3. Jungles — Fiction. 4. Missing persons — Fiction. 5. Brazil — Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.S65766Mu 2014
[Fic] — dc23
2014017169
First edition, October 2014
Cover art and design © 2014 by Phil Falco
e-ISBN 978-0-545-73251-2
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