Explorer Academy by Trudi Trueit

Author:Trudi Trueit
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: National Geographic Society
Published: 2018-09-03T16:00:00+00:00

Cruz made his move. As he came up on his left, Dugan threw out an elbow to block him. He was too late. Cruz whipped in front of him and took the lead. He raced to the pond, leaping onto the lily pad closest to shore. He hopped easily from pad to pad.

He was making good time and was two-thirds of the way across when he saw the dark green scales ripple. An alligator rose from the murky swamp, its massive jaws opening. Cruz saw teeth glisten in the light—huge, sharp teeth. The terrifying sight was enough to send him skidding to the edge of the lily pad. He couldn’t stop. He was going in the water—real water! Cruz threw out his arms in a last-ditch effort to save himself, teetered for a second, then somehow, miraculously, his body stopped moving. He leaped over the last two pads and onto shore. Dugan was two steps behind him as they neared the final obstacle: the 30-foot rock wall.

Jovan was waiting at the base to give them instructions for getting into their safety harnesses, but Cruz didn’t need any help. He’d taken a climbing class with his dad last year. He stepped into the harness, pulled it up to his waist, and adjusted the belt. He grabbed one of the ropes hanging from the wall and clipped it to his harness. Glancing up, Cruz took a few seconds to assess the situation. Experience told him it was important to first choose a route, a zigzag path of grips that would take him quickly and easily to the top. If he didn’t, he could end up stuck under an outcrop and have to drop to the bottom and start all over again. Dugan was not as cautious. He was already climbing. Cruz put his foot on the first grip, reached out for one above his head, and pulled himself up onto the wall. He tried to move steadily up the jagged face, but the higher he scaled the farther apart the grips were. Plus, it had been a while since he’d climbed. His arms aching, his fingers bleeding, Cruz had to stop and rest more than once.

Meanwhile, Dugan was about eight feet above him. How did he get up there so fast? What was he, part monkey? Cruz knew if he didn’t pick it up, Dugan was going to beat him. Come on, come on! Cruz stretched for a grip a fraction of an inch beyond his fingertips. Just…a little…more…

He felt a tremor. Then another. Cruz looked up. A wave of gravel and rocks was tumbling down. He hugged the wall as a torrent of stones, boulders, and debris fell around him. Fifteen seconds later, the rock-slide was over. Determined to finish, Cruz reached for the next grip. He didn’t look down. He didn’t look up. He stopped worrying about where Dugan was. He kept climbing, kept searching for the next grip and the next and the next until, at last, Cruz dived onto the top of the rock wall.

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