Wild Rescue Read Free Page B

high jump, only these two were straining to get back at me.
    “I thought Mr. Scarberry wasn’t going to let them come,” Hayley said.
    “Somebody said their moms and dads blew a gasket and insisted. You may not want to stick with me today. If they see us, we’re both toast.”
    “It’s going to take more than those two to keep me away,” Hayley said.
    “Why does it feel like we’re the Christians and they’re the lions?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Haven’t you ever heard of what they did to Christians back in the days of the Coliseum?” I gave her a short course on all I knew about Rome and how the Christians had been killed by lions and set on fire as torches.
    “How awful,” Hayley said. “Why would they do that to people?”
    “I guess they hated them because of what they believed.”
    “But couldn’t you just say you weren’t a Christian?”
    “That’s the thing about believing in God,” I said. “You never want to turn your back on him.”
    Hayley remained silent.
    I’d done it again. I’d found a way to end a good conversation. Maybe someday I’d figure out how to talk about important things without making people clam up.

Chapter 16

    By lunchtime Toby and I had ridden almost all the fun rides. We avoided the lines as much as we could, and when everything filled up, we ran to the water park.
    Happy Canyons is actually two parks in one. The first canyon has roller coasters and other rides that take your breath away. The second canyon is a water park with slides and even a wave pool. We hit the water and skipped lunch so we would be really hungry for dinner.
    A few hours later Toby and I were at the top of the Toilet, a ride that takes you and your inner tube up to a big tank and then flushes you to the bottom, splashing you through a tube that swirls like a real commode. Girls scream and guys try not to.
    I was two kids from being flushed when I spotted Ashley at the concession stand near the haunted house. She was buying a snow cone, and I thought about yelling to her, but then I noticed something strange. In the haunted house someone in a car at the top held out a water balloon, and it looked like the person was aiming straight at Ashley and Hayley.
    Most people think water balloons are harmless, but the summer before we were launching some with a bungee cord to see how far they would go. I was in the field, marking distances and protecting myself with a plastic sledding saucer. I held up the saucer to block a shot, and it hit so hard I got a bloody nose.
    The hand looked ready to throw, so I yelled.
    Ashley looked up and smiled, pointing. Hayley waved.
    “No!” I gestured at the haunted house. “Look out!”
    Just as the balloon fell, I was pushed into the Toilet, swirling down through the green tube with the force of a hundred flushes. I hit bottom and went under, wondering if my sister was okay.

Chapter 17

    I saw the water balloon just in time and backed away. It hit the concrete with a splat.
    The man behind the stand cursed. “Where’d that come from?”
    I pointed, but whoever had thrown it was gone.
    “Could have hurt somebody,” the man said. “Get kicked out for that.”
    Hayley and I ran to the haunted house, but the cars ended on the other side and I saw no one I knew.
    “That had Liz and Denise written all over it,” Hayley said.
    Hayley and I headed to the common area. We were all supposed to meet there soon, so Mr. Scarberry and the other adults could make sure we were all okay.
    “Do you want to ride the Brain Buster?” Hayley said.
    “Not me,” I said. “I’ll just watch. Then we can go to dinner.”
    I spotted a gift shop and stepped inside to look for something for Dylan. He likes cars, stuffed animals, and just about anything. I found a little tiger key chain for a few dollars and kept looking around, keeping an eye on the spot where Hayley was supposed to meet me.
    After about 15 minutes I got worried. What if something had happened on the ride? I