Rescue! Read Free Page A

jeep’s headlights.
    The girls instantly dropped the gear they were carrying. Weapons? What were they talking about?
    â€œThese aren’t weapons!” cried Bindi. “We took this stuff from the men who broke in through the fence.”
    The jeep screeched to a halt and two men approached the girls. It was difficult to see their faces through the glare of the high beams.
    â€œMen? Seems to me it’s just you two troublemakers carrying what look very much like wire cutters.”
    The man grabbed the canvas bag from Hannah and opened it. He whistled in disbelief and held up a camera with a very large lens. “And I’ll be guessing that this is your camera?”
    The girls shook their heads. “It’s not ours,” stuttered Hannah.
    â€œI guess you won’t miss it then.” The man threw the camera down hard onto the ground. It smashed into tiny pieces.
    â€œYikes,” whispered Hannah to Bindi. “Why would he do that? It’s an expensive piece of equipment.”
    â€œNo talking! You two can save your story for the police.” The man motioned for the girls to follow him. “We take trespassing pretty seriously.”
    Bindi and Hannah realized they had no choice but to follow the men into the waiting jeep.
    Bindi whispered to Hannah, “I have a bad feeling about this.”
    Hannah nodded and bent over to tie a shoelace. “I’d rather have taken my chances with the lioness,” she muttered.

    The girls were driven to the main office of the park and told to wait. The sanctuary manager had been called and was on his way to interview them. Bindi felt sure that when he heard what they had to say, this misunderstanding would quickly be cleared up.
    In the meantime, all they could do was sit down and wait. Bindi saw Hannah stifle a yawn. A moment later Bindi was holding back a yawn of her own, and then Hannah started up again. Yawning was totally contagious and it was now about 4:30 a.m. They hadn’t got quite as much sleep as they’d planned and the office wasn’t very interesting. It was very bare apart from a large poster of a majestic giant sable antelope that dominated the room. Bindi had never seen one before and marveled at the power of the animal. It had beautiful shiny eyes, a muscular body, and long, sharp horns. She had read that the horns could grow almost as long as 5 feet. She shuddered at the thought of anyone wanting to harm such a beautiful creature.
    The door burst open. In walked a well-dressed, efficient-looking man. He studied the girls. “I’m Brian Danbury. I’m in charge here.”
    â€œThank goodness!” cried Bindi. “Can you please call our mums? We haven’t done anything wrong.”
    â€œIs that so?” Brian towered over them looking unfriendly.
    â€œWe told your staff over and over again what happened. We’re not making this up!”
    Brian sneered. “And yet all the evidence points to you two girls being up to no good. Until you come up with the names of your accomplices, you can spend a bit more time cooped up in here. How does that sound?”
    â€œWe’ve told you, we interrupted the men trying to break in. We’re not with them!” said Bindi.
    Brian stared her down, tapping a foot impatiently.
    Bindi decided to change tack. She crossed her arms and adopted her most stern face. “This is totally unfair. When my mum finds out you’ve kept us here against our will, she’ll be really mad.”
    Brian pulled a face in mock fear. “Ooh! Now you’ve got me scared. Police are on their way. You’re not going anywhere.”
    And with that he left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
    The girls looked at each other as they heard the key turning in the lock. There was no doubt about it: they were being kept prisoner.

The sun was rising as Bindi gazed helplessly through the locked window. This was not what she had imagined her trek in