The Virtual Vandal by Victor Appleton

The Virtual Vandal by Victor Appleton

Author:Victor Appleton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2020-03-17T00:00:00+00:00


9 The Observation Objective

NOAH AND I WENT TO the mess hall and each grabbed a tray of lunch. I’d never been to summer camp before, so I didn’t know what to expect when it came to the quality of the food. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really say if the food was good or not because I don’t think anything would’ve tasted good at that point. It was as if I couldn’t taste anything with Sam being upset with me.

And I wasn’t the only one who was upset. The long table where the Swift Academy students sat seemed somewhat subdued. The two other long tables on either side were occupied by kids from Bradley and Liniford, and they chatted excitedly with each other as they ate.

“Don’t worry,” Mr. Edge told my fellow classmates. “I’ve talked to Mr. Alexander and he’s helping with our investigation. We’ll not only figure out who did this, but you’ll also each have time to make repairs to your projects.”

The Swift students grumbled in response.

“We already know who did it,” said one of the grumblers. I didn’t see who it was.

Mr. Edge raised his hands. “The other teachers and I take this sort of thing very seriously,” he said. “But we can’t make snap decisions based on rumors.”

The kids weren’t buying it. They shook their heads and glared even more than before. They seemed to be one step away from getting torches and pitchforks. Someone had to do something. And, unfortunately, I felt myself getting to my feet. I guess that someone was me.

“Uh… can I have your attention, please?” I asked, addressing the group.

My fellow students quieted and gazed in my direction. Kids from the other schools also took interest.

I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. “I just wanted to debunk this rumor about Sam vandalizing everyone’s projects.” Now that I had all the Swift students’ undivided attention, my stomach churned and my palms began to sweat. I rubbed them against my jeans as I continued. “I know Sam is my friend and all, but I can say for a fact that the rumor isn’t true.”

“How do you know?” asked Kevin Ryan.

I cringed. “Because I accidentally started the rumor when I was just joking around.”

The students began talking among themselves. I couldn’t make out what everyone was saying, but it seemed as if some were buying my story, while others were not.

Kevin raised his hand. “Was your project sabotaged?” he asked.

I was about to say, Yes, yes it was.

But suddenly I found the seed of a plan to help clear Sam’s name. It wasn’t all there yet, but for it to work, I had to be evasive with my answer.

“We’re all good,” I said. It wasn’t quite a lie. I just hoped Noah kept a good poker face, because my plan had just begun to sprout its first leaf.

Kevin nodded. “Right, because Sam’s your friend. She wouldn’t mess up your project.”

Many of the students rumbled in agreement.

“That’s not true,” I said. “I mean… she wouldn’t mess up anyone’s project.



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