Connect the Stars by Santos Marisa de Los & Teague David

Author:Santos, Marisa de Los & Teague, David [Santos, Marisa de Los & Teague, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Adventure, Childrens, Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery
ISBN: 9780062274656
Amazon: 0062274651
Goodreads: 24331400
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-09-22T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Aaron Archer

El Viaje a la Confianza

ONE MORNING WHILE ENOD’S TEAM was scraping the last of the oatmeal off the breakfast dishes with handfuls of dried creosote leaves, which got the dishes clean but made all our food taste like railroad crossties, Jare took a seat on a rock in the shade of an abandoned ranch house beside the trail, got a funny look on his face, felt around on top of his head, and pointed to three columns of stone looming like watchmen in the faraway desert. He said, “Your second el Viaje character-building challenge is to bring me my hat. I left it on one of those hoodoos.” Then he ducked into his tent. “Let’s hope you do better than you did capturing that flag.”

“What are hoodoos?” asked Kevin Larkspur.

“Those,” said Jare, ducking back out to point at the stones, “are hoodoos.” He disappeared into his tent again, and we could hear him throwing his things around.

“Those stupid rock fingers that stick up in the desert,” said Daphne, rolling her eyes.

“Thanks, that clears things up,” said Audrey.

“Actually, a hoodoo, tent rock, or fairy chimney is a spire of stone that protrudes from the bottom of an arid basin. Ranging from the height of a human being to the height of a skyscraper, hoodoos consist of soft rock capped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements,” I supplied. After all, I’d spent a whole afternoon studying geology to get ready for Quiz Masters season.

Jare stuck his head through the tent flap again. “Could you just,” he asked from between gritted teeth, “go?”

“I don’t want to,” Daphne announced.

“Yes,” said Jare, climbing impatiently back out. “You do.”

“No,” said Daphne, “I don’t.”

“Yes,” hissed Jare, “you do!” He raised one eyebrow.

Daphne thought his assertion over for a second, and then, to our surprise, she shrugged and said, “Okay. You win, Jare. I do want to. By the way, does this field trip have a catchy name, like the other one?”

“I’ve got more important things to think about right now, Daphne,” muttered Jare, jabbing his thumb toward his tent. “And it’s a challenge, not a field trip.”

“Are there clues to help us get there?” asked Edie.

“Good question, E-death,” said Daphne, clapping silently. “Very good question.” She turned to Jare. “Jare, are there clues?”

“Yeah. Here’s your clue. Look over there. See the hoodoos? That’s where the hoodoos are. Now get going.”

“This one seems kind of thrown together, Jare,” observed Daphne. He glared at her.

“Um,” said Louis, “before we go, could you tell us the purpose of this challenge? I mean, what is it supposed to teach us?” He must’ve figured if he knew what Jare was trying to do to us, he might be able to guess what shocks to expect. “Are we team building?”

“Or problem solving?” tossed in Enod.

“Or improving our cross-country navigational skills?” asked Kevin.

“Yes!” said Jare, glancing impatiently at the rising sun. “You are doing all of that! Now get going!”

“How much do we need to pack?” asked Kate.

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