The Great Scavenger Hunt by Annie Bryant Page B

teammates. “Yo, chill out, Chels. It’s all good.”
    â€œAll good?” Her voice rose up about ten octaves. “We’re going to lose this scavenger hunt and look like the biggest losers in the class.” Chelsea stared at her brother, then at Avery. “This is bad, Avery. Bad.”
    September waved. “Haven’t you heard? ‘Bad’ means ‘good.’”
    Ben grinned. “I like it.”
    â€œBut you guys…,” Chelsea objected. “Charlotte and Nick are going to be so upset with our team.”
    â€œWe’ll work on it tomorrow,” Avery promised. “They’ll understand.”
    â€œWhat if they don’t?” Chelsea countered.
    â€œWould you quit with the nervous Nellie routine?” Ben demanded. “You’re the only person on this trip who isn’t having fun!” Chelsea almost cried but managed to gulp back her tears. She wasn’t going to let her annoying brother get her upset anymore today.
    â€œFine. Do whatever you want.” And she turned to march away.
    â€œ Chelsea ,” Ben groaned. “Don’t be like that.”
    â€œI’m fine. I’m fine,” Chelsea called but she wouldn’t turn around. She regretted the moment she’d ever asked Ben to come. She should have known that her fun-loving older brother would do what he did best…have fun.
    And she wasn’t a nervous Nellie either. She was the only Beach Barnacle doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing.
    Chelsea charged along the shore mumbling, “I’m not a nervous Nellie…. I’m not.” If they won’t do this scavenger hunt, she thought, then I will! There must be some bonus items around here.
    Chelsea pulled the bonus list out of her backpack and set off to do what she came to Cape Cod to do: HUNT.

CHAPTER
9
Once a Monkey, Always a Monkey
    M aeve’s role in the movie was Girl in Crowd 2, a scullery maid. Fabiana was Girl in Crowd 1, a kitchen wench. As the crewmembers ran around the set like chickens with their heads cut off, Maeve was working on getting into character. Just who really was Girl in Crowd 2?
    â€œI’m an orphan,” she whispered to Fabiana.
    Fabiana gave her a weird look. “What?”
    â€œMy character. Girl in Crowd 2. My parents were lost at sea when I was a baby. I had to go live in this horrible orphanage, run by the most horrible, mean, grumpy lady. She yelled at me a lot. Can you believe her nerve, Fabiana? Anyway, all I had from my parents was a locket with a picture of them. I never gave up hope that maybe my parents were still out there somewhere and we’d all be together again. Then this guy adopted me.”
    â€œLet me guess…he was rich, right?” Fabiana smiled, not quite believing how wrapped up in her made-up story Maeve had become.
    Maeve shook her head. “No. He was poor. Very poor. And he stole a loaf of bread to feed me. Then he got arrested and I ran away and hid in an old opera house where this weird man in a mask taught me to sing and I turned into a big star. And when he took off the mask, guess what?”
    â€œHe was a phantom?” ventured Fabiana.
    â€œNo! He was scarred all over from a shark bite. Can you believe it? ” She drew her finger along her cheek and over her eye. “And even though he’s, like, totally hideous, he had my eyes—Girl in Crowd 2’s eyes.”
    Maeve was starting to choke herself up a little bit. “And then I realize that he’s my father and he’s been with me the whole time…well, like, half the time.”
    â€œBut if he was wearing a mask, couldn’t you already see his eyes?” asked Fabiana.
    â€œIt wasn’t that kind of mask,” Maeve replied.
    â€œAnd if you’re a big opera star reunited with your scarred voice-teacher father, then why are you washing dishes on a pirate ship?”
    Maeve adjusted her bandanna and said