Camp Alien Read Online Free

stupid.”
    â€œOh, but it
is
a dinosaur.” I looked aroundtheatrically. “This is a really big secret. You can’t tell anyone.”
    Her eyes were enormous. “I promise. A real dinosaur? But how… ”
    â€œMy dad’s a scientist. He learned that not all dinosaurs became extinct. Some evolved into intelligent creatures, but they hide from humans so that we don’t put them in zoos. This one needs our help, that’s all.”
    â€œCool! Can I help too?”
    I tried not to groan. A lot of good it would do to say no. She’d just tag along anyway. “OK. I’ll meet you here after lights-out.
If
we think we can trust you, you can help.”
    â€œOh yes, you can trust me!”
    I looked her in the eye. “I hope so, because even evolved dinosaurs aren’t always friendly—especially ones with big teeth.”
    Opal went pale as a marshmallow but quavered, “Got it. Absolute secret.”
    â€œGood. Now let’s get back before we’re both in trouble.”
    I caught some trouble anyway when I enteredmy cabin. “Didn’t you hear the rules?” Scott snapped. “At rest time we’re supposed to be in our cabins.”
    â€œWell, I am
now
,” I said, climbing to my bunk. “I had to cheer up a younger camper who was majorly homesick.” The other three made snide comments but went back to reading their sports magazines. I laid on my bunk, worrying about a supposedly simple assignment that had turned out to be full of camouflaged eggs, an alien dinosaur, and a really inconvenient witness. Finally, a gong called us all to our units.
    Nature Nuts House was a small log building next to an open-sided shelter like a smaller version of the dining hall. A half-dozen tables and benches filled the open space. I sat at one randomly then glanced up to see Opal sliding onto the bench across from me, looking like she would burst with our secret. She’d never make a spy.
    Muskrat, the chief Nature Nuts counselor, began talking about the wonders of nature we’ddiscover: animals, trees, insects, birds, wild-flowers, and weather. And we’d all do an individual project.
    I wasn’t paying much attention until Opal leaned forward and whispered loudly, “I’ll do my project on dinosaurs!”
    â€œA lovely idea,” Muskrat said, overhearing, “but let’s confine our projects to parts of nature we can actually see.”
    At that Opal giggled and kicked me under the table. I glowered menacingly at her, wishing I had Vraj’s teeth to back it up.
    The afternoon was spent in a meadow south of camp looking at wildflowers. Thrilling, I’m sure, but I kept my eyes open for Duthwi eggs. All of the rocks I picked up were heavy like real rocks. Muskrat noticed my rock fixation.
    â€œMaybe you’d like your special project to be about rocks, Zack,” she said brightly.
    I nodded glumly. I had enough special projects already.
    The rest of the day went by in a blur. Morenature stuff, dinner, a campfire with songs and marshmallows. Mostly my mind was on how to make my non-extinct dinosaur story more convincing for Opal while not ticking off Vraj that I’d involved a clueless native.
    Back in our cabin, Ramon, Carlos, and Scott all started chattering about the endurance course they were going to run. I slipped under my covers, hoping nobody noticed I was fully dressed, and pretended to fall asleep. Eventually the others did for real, and I lay there thinking about how to get down from my bunk without shaking the creaky bed and waking someone up.
    I could always say I had to go to the latrine, but if I did that every night they might get suspicious. But suspicious of what? That I was a recovering bed wetter? That I was really a vampire who slipped out at night to suck blood? No, a vampire could just turn into a bat and fly off without creaking anything. OK, so not a vampire. An alien.
    I smiled a little at