could be leading your own expedition.”
One side of the tent had been secured to an icy rock wall. A large crevice in the surface looked like a giant pick had taken a bite out of the ice. I peered through the jagged opening and saw the rough sides of walls that opened up into a small cave, protected by layers of clear tarp. My pulse quickened, for inside lay the mysterious mass. Randal directed our attention to where he planned on excavating. He put his arm around Kyle and showed him where they were removing sections of the permafrost in hopesof unearthing the mass. A table was covered in maps and tools. I tried to get closer to see what was going on, but Jake pushed his way forward, nosing his camera in to get a shot of Randal and Kyle. I tripped and bumped into his leg. He glared at me as if I were the most annoying person on the planet; when I tried to stand a little closer to Kyle, Jake yanked my hood back off my head, and I stumbled backward.
“Hey, no wannabes in the shot,” he said.
What was he talking about? The last thing I wanted was to be on film, but with him constantly shoving that camera in everyone’s face, it was hard not to be caught in one of his precious shots.
“You’re ruining the close-up. Look, I know it’s fun to be in a movie, but I need this to be real, and a little girl doesn’t add much to the credibility of the dig. Now move it.”
What a jerk. Who cared about his stupid movie? I shifted closer to Karen, but Jake moved also and sighed, annoyed. “Your big head is in the way.” He reached out and pulled my hat off. I hadn’t had time to braid my hair that morning, and when he pulled my hat off, my white hair exploded in a mass of wild frizz.
“Wow! Holy Yeti head! Someone has crazy hair,” Jake yelled. “Let me get a shot of that. Weird. Is it real?” Jake reached his free hand out and messed up my hair.
“Get off me. And, yes, it’s real.” I stepped out of his reach.
I tried to grab my hat out of his hand, but he pulled back and shoved his camera in my face. I scowled into it. Kyle and Karen looked away and went back to inspecting the maps, trying to ignore Jake. But I felt everyone staring. Randal looked at me for a second and muttered something that sounded like
fascinating.
Dad grabbed my hat out of Jake’s hand and gave it back to me.
“Back off,” Dad said to Jake. “Keep your camera out of the way. And don’t go near my daughter again. With or without your camera. Got it?”
“Hey, I go where my uncle goes. You don’t have any say.” Jake smirked. “I was just joking around with her. Have a sense of humor.”
My cheeks flushed. I wished a crevasse in the icy floor would open up and swallow Jake and his camera whole. Why did I let a guy like him bother me? I was too embarrassed to stay inside the tent where everyone was planning and joking, so I went outside to hang with the dogs and get some fresh air. I approached the back of the sled and saw an Inuit woman sitting there. “Hi,” I said, sitting down next to her. “I’m Maya.”
She smiled warmly at me. Justice glanced over at us. “This is my grandmother, Jada,” Justice said. “She likes to come visit the site some days.”
“I like to see the mountains,” she said. Jada was sitting on a pile of furs on the edge of the sled. A fur-lined hood ringed her face and a fur blanket lay over her lap. She musthave been used to the harsh weather, because she didn’t seem to mind being outside.
“Would you like to warm up in the tent?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “I want some quiet. It’s too loud inside.”
She stretched her blanket over my legs and then looked off into the distance. She was staring at an icy mountain ridge. It reminded me of a glass castle. I sat in silence and stared out over the landscape, the distance growing outward like a mirage. It was calming. My anger at Jake began to melt away. I must have been breathing heavily, because Jada patted my hand with her fur
One side of the tent had been secured to an icy rock wall. A large crevice in the surface looked like a giant pick had taken a bite out of the ice. I peered through the jagged opening and saw the rough sides of walls that opened up into a small cave, protected by layers of clear tarp. My pulse quickened, for inside lay the mysterious mass. Randal directed our attention to where he planned on excavating. He put his arm around Kyle and showed him where they were removing sections of the permafrost in hopesof unearthing the mass. A table was covered in maps and tools. I tried to get closer to see what was going on, but Jake pushed his way forward, nosing his camera in to get a shot of Randal and Kyle. I tripped and bumped into his leg. He glared at me as if I were the most annoying person on the planet; when I tried to stand a little closer to Kyle, Jake yanked my hood back off my head, and I stumbled backward.
“Hey, no wannabes in the shot,” he said.
What was he talking about? The last thing I wanted was to be on film, but with him constantly shoving that camera in everyone’s face, it was hard not to be caught in one of his precious shots.
“You’re ruining the close-up. Look, I know it’s fun to be in a movie, but I need this to be real, and a little girl doesn’t add much to the credibility of the dig. Now move it.”
What a jerk. Who cared about his stupid movie? I shifted closer to Karen, but Jake moved also and sighed, annoyed. “Your big head is in the way.” He reached out and pulled my hat off. I hadn’t had time to braid my hair that morning, and when he pulled my hat off, my white hair exploded in a mass of wild frizz.
“Wow! Holy Yeti head! Someone has crazy hair,” Jake yelled. “Let me get a shot of that. Weird. Is it real?” Jake reached his free hand out and messed up my hair.
“Get off me. And, yes, it’s real.” I stepped out of his reach.
I tried to grab my hat out of his hand, but he pulled back and shoved his camera in my face. I scowled into it. Kyle and Karen looked away and went back to inspecting the maps, trying to ignore Jake. But I felt everyone staring. Randal looked at me for a second and muttered something that sounded like
fascinating.
Dad grabbed my hat out of Jake’s hand and gave it back to me.
“Back off,” Dad said to Jake. “Keep your camera out of the way. And don’t go near my daughter again. With or without your camera. Got it?”
“Hey, I go where my uncle goes. You don’t have any say.” Jake smirked. “I was just joking around with her. Have a sense of humor.”
My cheeks flushed. I wished a crevasse in the icy floor would open up and swallow Jake and his camera whole. Why did I let a guy like him bother me? I was too embarrassed to stay inside the tent where everyone was planning and joking, so I went outside to hang with the dogs and get some fresh air. I approached the back of the sled and saw an Inuit woman sitting there. “Hi,” I said, sitting down next to her. “I’m Maya.”
She smiled warmly at me. Justice glanced over at us. “This is my grandmother, Jada,” Justice said. “She likes to come visit the site some days.”
“I like to see the mountains,” she said. Jada was sitting on a pile of furs on the edge of the sled. A fur-lined hood ringed her face and a fur blanket lay over her lap. She musthave been used to the harsh weather, because she didn’t seem to mind being outside.
“Would you like to warm up in the tent?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “I want some quiet. It’s too loud inside.”
She stretched her blanket over my legs and then looked off into the distance. She was staring at an icy mountain ridge. It reminded me of a glass castle. I sat in silence and stared out over the landscape, the distance growing outward like a mirage. It was calming. My anger at Jake began to melt away. I must have been breathing heavily, because Jada patted my hand with her fur
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