Get Lost! Read Free Page B

bathroom?”
    Genie pointed out into the woods.
    “Behind that tree. Or that tree. Or any tree,” Genie told her.
    Katie gulped. “You mean I have to pee in the woods?”
    Genie nodded. “Or hold it in.”
    That settled it. Katie ran off in the direction of a huge oak tree surrounded by some high shrubs. She hoped the bushes would hide her.
    Suddenly, Katie felt a cold breeze on the back of her neck. The light wind felt great after the long hike she’d been on ...until Katie realized that the wind wasn’t blowing anywhere but on her.

    This was no ordinary wind. This was the magic wind!
    Oh no , Katie thought. Not here. Not in the middle of the woods!
    The magic wind began spinning faster and faster, all around Katie. She shut her eyes tightly, and tried not to cry. As the fierce tornado swirled, she held on to the tree. She struggled to keep her feet on the ground. The wind just kept getting more and more powerful.
    And then it stopped.
    Katie was afraid to open her eyes. What if the wind had blown her away. What if she was all alone in the middle of the forest?
    But Katie was not alone. The other kids were right nearby.
    As Katie opened her eyes, Jeremy stared up at her.
    “Genie?” he asked. “Why are you hugging that tree?”

Chapter 8
    Katie looked down at her feet. Instead of her own bright red sneakers, she saw Genie’s hiking boots. And she was wearing army pants instead of jeans.
    Katie had become Genie the Meanie!
    Uh-oh. Genie was in charge of the hike. She was supposed to teach the kids to build a fire, cook the food, and find the way back to camp.
    Katie didn’t know how to do any of those things.
    “Hey, what happened to Katie?” George asked. “She’s been gone a long time.”
    Katie gulped. She knew exactly where Katie was. But how could she explain that to her friends?
    “Katie!” Jeremy called into the woods.
    There was no answer.
    “Katie Kazoo, quit goofing around,” George shouted.
    Suzanne began to panic. “She’s missing!”
    “Relax, she didn’t go far,” Katie assured her. “I’m sure if we just sit here she’ll come back.”
    Suzanne was so scared she forgot to be afraid of Genie the Meanie. “We can’t just sit here!” she declared. “She’s lost in the woods somewhere. We’ve got to look for her!”
    Katie didn’t know what to do do. The real Genie probably would have searched for her. That was her job—to keep everyone safe.
    “All right. We’ll look for your friend. But let’s be sure to stick together. I don’t want to lose any more of you,” Katie said, trying to sound like the real Genie the Meanie.

    As the kids wandered through the woods, searching for their missing friend, Katie tried her best to act like a real head counselor. It wasn’t easy. Katie had never been out in the woods before.
    The kids were starting to panic. Katie had to do something to calm them down. She decided to change the subject. That’s what a real head counselor would do—get the kids thinking about something else.
    Katie pointed to a patch of leaves on the ground. Each of the green leaves had three parts. “Look at that beautiful plant,” Katie said. She bent down to pick up a leaf.
    “Genie, don’t touch that!” Jeremy shouted. “That’s poison ivy.”
    Oops! Katie gulped. What a mistake that would have been.
    “Very good, Jeremy,” Katie said. “I meant to do that. It was a test. I wanted to see if you kids could recognize poison ivy.”
    “I don’t want to look at leaves,” Suzanne moaned. “I want to look for Katie.”
    “Or what’s left of Katie,” George added.
    “Cut that out, George!” Suzanne shouted.
    “Make me!” George screamed back.
    Katie leaped between them. “Let’s just keep walking,” she ordered.
    “Which way?” George groaned.
    Katie led the kids down a dirt path. “Maybe she headed east,” Katie told the kids. “We’ll try that way.”
    “Uh, Genie,” Jeremy interrupted, as Katie turned to her right. “We’re actually