Arctic Thunder Read Free Page B

community in the western Arctic.”
    â€œWhat exactly does big mean?” chimed in Spencer.
    â€œBig means about thirty-five hundred people.”
    â€œAnd exactly how big is St. Albert?”
    Ben frowned. “Well, about fifty thousand.”
    â€œO … kay,” drawled Ryan. “So the Edmonton area’s about a million people, St. Albert’s about fifty thousand, and you’re taking Mike to the bustling centre of the western Arctic where thirty-five hundred people live? Congratulations, Mike.”
    Mike smiled outwardly, but inside panic was starting to grip him.
    â€œListen, Ryan,” Ben said, “you love hunting and fishing, right?”
    Ryan nodded.
    â€œWell, Inuvik’s right on the Mackenzie River. In fact, it’s in the Mackenzie Delta, which is one of the biggest deltas in the world. That means there are basically little rivers everywhere. Just to the north is the treeline. That means the tundra starts right there. To the southwest are the Richardson Mountains and the Yukon. There are lakes with some of the freshest water in the world all over the place. What does all that mean? It means no matter what direction you go, no matter what part of the river you take, you can go hunting for caribou, you can go fishing for trout or northern pike, you name it. There are moose, foxes, bald eagles all along the river. The place is incredible.” Ben glanced around the room. Four faces with four blank stares stared right back at him. Shaking his head, he sighed.
    â€œSo, uh, Coach Watson,” Ryan asked, “how much lacrosse exactly do they play in a place with thirty-five hundred people?”
    Ben scratched his head. “Well … I was going to get to that. You see, the interesting thing is … well —”
    â€œBen!” a voice called from the hallway.
    â€œYes, honey?”
    â€œI need you in the kitchen.”
    â€œOkay, boys, we can finish this later. Mike’s mom needs me.” Turning away, Ben exhaled noisily and headed down the hall, leaving the boys to wonder what he was going to say.

CHAPTER 3
    M ike slumped against the wall of the plane and stared out the window at the runway in Edmonton. He couldn’t really focus on anything in particular. Their final days in St. Albert had been a blur of boxes, handshakes, and goodbyes.
    Cayln, Ryan, and Taylor had come to the airport to say goodbye. They had all stood around waiting for the flight to be called, shuffling their feet, not really knowing what to say. When the time came to go through security, Mike had glanced back. The image of his forlorn friends limply waving goodbye was still replaying in his mind.
    Mike actually hadn’t flown much before and on any other day would have been quite excited about this journey. Today, however, every time he started to pay attention to the details of the flight, his heart pulled him back into the sadness of what this trip really meant.
    Somewhere in the foggy recesses of his brain, Mike heard the flight crew go over their spiel about how to fasten seat belts, the need to turn off all electronics, where the exits were, and what to do if oxygen masks dropped down in an emergency. Then the captain announced that their flight was next in line for takeoff, and Mike shot a glance back at the terminal and wondered if Ryan, Cayln, and Taylor were watching from somewhere inside or if they were driving back to St. Albert. Driving home! Another wave of emotion swept over him as he realized he didn’t even know what home looked like anymore.
    Mike’s attention reverted to the runway as the plane began to vibrate and the noise of the engines escalated to an almost uncomfortable level. Lurching forward, the plane hurtled along, gaining speed as the world Mike had grown up in rushed past with a blurry finality. Slowly, the front wheel lifted and the plane was completely off the ground, creating butterflies in the pit of Mike’s already