The Pacific Giants Read Free Page A

getting out a large frying pan and slapping it down on the range. “Plenty of plump pancakes prepared perfectly,” she said playfully. “Coming right on up,” she added with an exaggerated drawl.
    Oh, dear
, Vanessa thought. Hopefully this whole experience wasn’t going to be too painful. How on earth was she going to spend her days in Rocky Bay Guesthouse alone with Mrs. Bouche?
    The breakfast was amazing, though, and by the time Vanessa had polished off two pancakes smothered in fresh blueberries and almost a whole jug of maple syrup, she felt a lot better. She came to the conclusion that she’d have to get used to pottering on her own from day one.
    Vanessa refused seconds politely. It was time to explore the place.
    â€œWhat’s the best way to get down to the beach, Mrs. Bouche?” she asked as she carried her plate to the sink.
    â€œOh, please call me Frankie. Everyone else does—even Wayne does sometimes.”
    Who exactly was this Wayne that she kept talking about? Vanessa wondered. It was clear that Frankie thought she should know.
    â€œDo you mind me asking who Wayne is?” Vanessa asked, recalling something about his addiction to Jo-Jo’s, whatever that was.
    Mrs. Bouche burst out laughing, as if Vanessa hadsaid the funniest thing in the world, although she also looked mildly incredulous.
    â€œWhy, honey, Wayne is my son, of course.” Her laugh turned to a fond chuckle. “Wayne is my one and only.”
    Mrs. Bouche said her son’s name with such naked affection and reverence that Vanessa was quite taken aback.
    Vanessa’s dad didn’t talk about her brothers like that, and he certainly had never used
her
name with such open admiration. She’d have to talk to him about that when she got home!
    â€œWhat age is Wayne?” Vanessa asked, not sure what she was hoping for. Too young could be annoying; her own age could be complicated.
    â€œHe’s ten, but he’s big for his age,” Wayne’s mother said with pride. “He’s been so excited about you coming, honey. He’s just dying to show you the ropes. He had his breakfast earlier and went off on his bike, but he’ll be back soon, I’m sure.”

CHAPTER 5
    We don’t know all the sea creatures in our world yet. Marine scientists believe that there are many large deepwater species yet to be discovered. In 2005 two scientists, Solow and Smith, predicted that as many as fifteen marine mammal species still await discovery.
    Vanessa put her camera, iPod, and sketchbook in her backpack and made her way to the garden. To the side of the house, she found a small rusty gate that was half off its hinges. She stepped over it and followed the path around to the back of the house. Atthe end of that was another gate. This one was held open with an old piece of string. Below it she could see tiled steps disappearing down, many of them broken. Clearly nothing around here had been repaired for a long time.
    Vanessa started cautiously down the steps. At one point there was an entire step missing, and there was a long and dangerous drop to the beach. Vanessa shuddered. She wasn’t bad with heights, but the jagged rocks below looked a bit scary. Had other guests not mentioned the state of the steps to Frankie? Did they get many guests?
    Vanessa looked around. It was a very beautiful spot, but what a lonely life for Mrs. Bouche and Wayne!
What must it be like in winter?
she wondered.
    Vanessa walked the full length of the beach before deciding to take off her runners to have a paddle. The sea, which had looked quite blue from her bedroom window, now looked gray and very cold.
A bit like the sea at home in the summer
, Vanessa thought. She’d have to test it.
    She sat down on a boulder and began to peel off her socks. Suddenly there was a scrabbling noise behind her and Vanessa turned quickly, expecting to seea dog or a small animal, but there was nothing there. It