

Cullen Arma, the Bully, and the Shaman's Coat

By Dr. Patrice Paul

Copyright 2008 by Dr. Patrice Paul/Treester Press

Smashwords Edition

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ISBN-13: 978-0-615-20435-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008905359

The cover illustration by James Swanson

was based upon an original sketch by Patricia Pavlich.

This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real locales is used fictionally. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Dedication

To my son, Kyle, who amazes and inspires me.
Acknowledgements

This book could not have happened without the assistance and support of my family and friends. I am forever grateful to my husband, David, and my mother, Patricia, for putting up with me and all my questions. The feedback I received on earlier drafts of this book from Maureen Tamillow, Lila Sullivan, Christine Hibbard, Delores McCree, and Julie Rahn was invaluable. I also want to thank Mindy Wozniak, Kathy Shaw, Kathryn Moran, and Lauren Simonetti for their professional insights. Lastly, thanks to Beth Hoorelbek for her many connections.
Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

A Note to Parents

A Note to Teachers

Reflection Questions

Self-Exploration Questions

About the Author

# 
Prologue

The spirit within the coat was always patient during the waiting period. It knew it was just a matter of time until it would be in the hands of its next protégé. Sometimes the wait was long, sometimes it was short, but that didn't matter.

So many adventures.

So much good it had done.

The spirit within the coat was always selective even though each protégé in the past was unique in his or her own way.

This time, it was waiting in a large cardboard box in the basement of the old, historic house. Its mystical properties were unknown to the family that now lived there. The current owner, a practicing shaman, purchased the house from a fellow shaman, who had left several empty packing boxes in the basement when he moved out. At least they seemed to be empty.

"There are some boxes in the basement. Find the biggest one you can and put the art pieces in it," the shaman called to his daughter. They had not totally unpacked since moving in, and now there were special visitors coming by.

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"No."

"Oh, sorry. I've been rushing to get this done. I mean the art pieces next to the large empty cardboard box. I have a couple of people – the Armas, I think is their name – coming to pick them up. They own a Native American artifact store," explained the shaman who was busy filling another box with other items he thought the shop owners would like. "I must say, I was really impressed with their appreciation for our culture. Anyway, just bring it up to the front door when you're done."

"OK, but I'd like to catch that new episode of _The Universe_. It starts in like five minutes."

"I appreciate whatever help you can give. Just do what you can. I know how much you love your astronomy shows."

His daughter ran downstairs to the basement. Sure enough, sitting right next to the large cardboard box were the art pieces. She quickly tossed the items inside, picked up the box, and took it to the front door. "Finished!" She yelled out on her way to the nearest television.

The shaman walked over to his daughter, gave her thanks for helping, and returned to the kitchen to finish up the last box.

The coat remained unnoticed and was now buried under the art pieces. It really wasn't a big deal, though. The coat always found its way to the right person – a person who, when the time came, would use its powers wisely.

Chapter 1

Cullen Arma's 1st period gym class brought the news he had been hoping for since the beginning of the school year. It was during announcements that his 8th grade gym teacher said there would be open practices the next few weeks for students who were interested in trying out for the track team later that month. He was waiting for another chance to try out since he hadn't made the team last year.

While his coach talked on about other things, Cullen's mind drifted to that fateful day. It was warm and sunny. Although there was a slight wind every now and then, it was still a great day for tryouts. Cullen, who was of an average height, with a slender and muscular build, had always enjoyed running and wanted more than anything to be on the track team.

There were a total of eleven boys at the tryouts that year. Cullen worried about placing high enough to earn one of the open spots on the team. He knew he was fast, but he wasn't sure he was fast enough. He wished he could feel more excited and less nervous, but the "What If's" had already entered his brain. _What if I miss the call to start the race? What if I can't run fast enough to make the cut? What if I trip or something and totally embarrass myself?_

Cullen tried to shake these thoughts, but they persisted as he tried to limber up before the race. Unfortunately, he had gotten himself so wound up that he was startled when he heard Coach Bailey, who was in charge of the boy's track team, call for them to get to their starting positions.

After closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Cullen took his place. While he put his feet in the starting block and found a comfortable position for his hands on the dusty track, he looked around at the other boys. Some were talking to the boys near them, some were talking to themselves – probably that positive self-talk stuff – and others were still trying to loosen up by shaking their arms and legs around.

He didn't know the boy to his immediate right, but on his left was Walker Hayes. Cullen and Walker shared an interest in track, but he was grateful the similarities ended there. Cullen tried to look away as quickly as possible so as to not make eye contact, but it was too late.

"What do you think you're doing here... Colon?" taunted Walker in a most rude tone of voice. He never missed an opportunity to make fun of Cullen's name. Colon, Colon-blow, and Cologne were Walker's favorites. The boy to Cullen's right let out a small laugh. Cullen rolled his eyes at the boy, braced himself, and looked over at Walker.

Walker continued, "You think you got what it takes? I've seen you in gym class. You're as slow as a 286 computer; although, I'm sure you don't even know what that is. Idiot. Do everyone a favor and go home before you embarrass yourself."

Unfortunately, Walker's attempt to shake up Cullen was working. Walker was right that Cullen didn't know much about a 286 computer, but he knew they were very old and slow and that this was an insult. He knew he should just ignore Walker, but he couldn't. His anxiety grew along with self-doubt. To make matters worse he could feel butterflies in his stomach. His heart started to beat faster. His hands became sweaty. _What if Walker's right? Man, I wish I were as fast as a cheetah or something, then I could..._

But his thought was interrupted as Coach Bailey called out again for everyone to quiet down and get into position. As Cullen checked his footing in the starting blocks, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Walker. He didn't think much of it at the time, but he noticed Walker dragging his fingers through the loose gravel as he took his mark.

Cullen readied himself and tried to stay focused as best he could.

"On your marks... get set... GO!" shouted the coach.

The boys took off. Even though they were spread out at the start, they had converged on the inside lane of the large oval track within seconds of starting the race. Cullen had a favorable start and was fourth in the race. He didn't hear noises from behind and figured he and the leading boys were rather far ahead of the pack.

Feeling encouraged by his good start, Cullen ran faster with his thoughts on trying to pass the boy in front of him. He knew he was ahead of Walker, but he dared not look back. He didn't want to risk losing his focus and tripping over himself. He kept his eyes on the boys ahead.

As he grew closer to the lead runners, he heard from behind the sound of a single pair of sneakers hitting the track. They were getting closer at a fast pace. He then heard a voice behind him shout out, "Hey, Colon-blow! Loser! Better get out of my way!" Cullen realized that Walker was gaining on him. _Oh, no! I have to stay ahead of him! Come on legs, move faster,_ Cullen thought to himself as he tried to quicken his pace.

Rounding the first turn of the oval track, Walker cut in close. Before Cullen knew what happened, he was blinded by gravelly track dust that hit him straight in the face. Hurt and unable to see, Cullen had to slow down so he could get the particles out of his eyes. All he could hear was the sound of Walker's laugh as he ran further down the track. The sound of the other runners passing him by eventually hit his ears.

At first, Cullen tried to convince himself that this was an unfortunate accident. Perhaps the runner ahead of him might have unknowingly kicked up some of the dust on the track while trying to get more speed. But the sound of Walker's laugh suggested that there was a sinister element at play here. Cullen then remembered seeing Walker fingering the track before the start of the race.

_That jerk must have grabbed some of the gravelly dust in his hands at the start! Then he threw it in my face so he could get ahead,_ thought Cullen. Hot with anger, he ground his teeth so hard he thought they might crack in half. He tried to calm down, but it was impossible to do so. The only thing he could think to do was to take several deep breaths in an attempt to get a grip.

Upon getting most of the dust out of his eyes, Cullen turned so he could see the finish line. He saw that the others had either crossed the line or were near crossing it. _It's pointless to continue with the race,_ he thought to himself and slowly cut across the field toward the finish line. Through his watery eyes, he saw Walker getting a congratulatory handshake from Coach Bailey and with that he realized that Walker had done well enough to make the team.

Cullen grew angry again and felt it best to head straight for the locker room. He tried to bypass the area where all of the tryout participants had congregated, but Coach Bailey called him over. As Cullen approached him, the coach took him by the shoulder.

"What happened to you out there?" Coach Bailey obviously didn't notice anything devious during the race.

Cullen paused and then replied, "Something flew into my eyes and I couldn't see. I had to slow down." He was afraid to say anything about his suspicions that Walker cheated. Tall and handsome, and with dark wavy hair and blue eyes, Walker's reputation for trouble was known throughout Cullen's neighborhood. Along with what would be expected from one such as Walker – cheating, threats, and intimidation – he sometimes engaged in more serious transgressions. Cullen always regretted the day he left his backpack on a table in the library when he went to the bathroom. Upon his return, the MP3 player he had hidden inside was gone. He knew Walker had taken it because he saw him with it a few days later. He didn't dare confront him. He didn't want his face rearranged. Telling the school's security officer was not an option either because Walker would retaliate with even greater force. He had seen him do that to some of his classmates. Cullen felt this situation warranted the same caution.

"The wind seemed to pick up during the race," said Coach Bailey, "Perhaps some track dust got the better of you. Tough luck."

Cullen just looked at the coach.

"You should think about trying out next year," he added and with that patted Cullen on the back and turned his attention to those who had succeeded in making the cut. Angry and disappointed, Cullen made his way back to the boys' locker room. Still not wanting to talk to anyone, he quickly changed his clothes and left for home.
Chapter 2

That memory of last year's tryout plagued him all through gym class. Cullen trudged through the rest of his school day, but those thoughts continued to distract him. Now that he was in 8th grade it was all the more important to Cullen that he make the track team at M.R. Rick Junior High. The school had a reputation for having a great track team. He hoped that earning a spot would help him next year when he tried out for the high school team. He planned on making it to all of the practice opportunities.

Cullen was grateful that his day at school was uneventful because it was hard for him to focus. First period PE was followed by algebra, biology, and history. After lunch, he had Spanish, study hall, and language arts. Today was one of those days Cullen wished he had more study halls and fewer classes. Overall, Cullen was a good student, but he worked hard for the grades. Being distracted by his thoughts didn't make learning any easier. His cousin, Alyssa, who was in the same grade, had a similar schedule, but she got through her classes with greater ease. Although he was sometimes jealous of her abilities, he had to admit it was great having her around to help with homework.

By far, his favorite class was biology – especially when they were covering animal sciences. Cullen had a fondness for animal studies so the material was easy for him. His least favorite was Spanish. The insistence from his parents, aunts, and uncle that learning Spanish would be helpful later in life didn't give him much comfort when he was struggling with an assignment.

As Cullen walked from Spanish to his study hall, he ran into his best friend, Brayden. A bit taller than most students, Brayden looked older than his 13 years, and he wore his blonde hair longer than most boys his age. Brayden loved music. He worked hard at learning to play the electric guitar and Cullen thought Brayden believed that the longer hair made him a better musician. Brayden borrowed his hair style from his private guitar teacher, a relatively successful local musician, but longer hair didn't really help Brayden play better. Occasionally, he tried to convince Cullen to take up the drums or electric bass so they could start a garage band, but Cullen had no talent for music.

"Hey!" exclaimed Brayden as he approached Cullen, "Let's hurry to the library so we can get a computer. I want to show you something."

"Sounds good to me," replied Cullen.

"I know this probably sounds really geeky, but I like being in the library for study hall better than the cafeteria. It's always so noisy there. I can't get anything done," said Brayden as they walked down the hallway.

"Yeah, the way the librarians hover around the room, you can't help but be quiet."

"The threat of being sent back to the noisy cafeteria is enough for me to keep quiet."

"Agreed. Anyway, it's nice to be able to use the computers when we're in there. Sometimes I don't have time to check my e-mail when I get home."

During library study hall, students were allowed time to check their e-mail. M.R. Rick Junior High had set up an e-mail account for each student. It was used to help students communicate with each other as well as with teachers when they needed help with assignments and projects. After school clubs used e-mails as a means of promoting awareness of their existence and hopefully recruiting new members. There were often announcements about upcoming athletic events.

Brayden and Cullen grabbed two chairs and parked themselves in front of a computer near the back of the room. Within minutes the library space used for study hall had filled up. Every computer was taken.

"Good thing we got here as fast as we did," said Brayden as he shook the mouse to wake up the screen. "Have you checked your e-mail yet?"

"What do you mean? We just got here," snapped Cullen. He thought the question a bit strange, but then realized Brayden must have gotten to school earlier and had checked his e-mail already. Students were allowed to use the computers if they got to school early. Brayden responded with raised eyebrows.

Upon seeing his face, Cullen apologized, "Sorry. I've got something on my mind."

"No problem. Just open your e-mail. A notice went out about track tryouts coming up. I figured you'd want to read it right away," shared Brayden.

"Thanks for telling me, but I already heard about it. It was announced in gym this morning, too," replied Cullen trying to sound excited rather than worried as he signed into his e-mail account.

"Gonna try again this year?" asked Brayden who then quickly looked over his shoulder. After feeling satisfied no one was within earshot, he turned back to Cullen, lowered his voice and said, "It still makes me mad that Walker got away with nailing you in the face with that track dust last year." Brayden and Alyssa were the only people with whom Cullen had shared his suspicions about last year's tryouts.

"I've been thinking about that all day. I want to try out, but I'm worried about you know who being there again." Cullen also glanced around the room to make sure that no one close to Walker was listening in. "You know he'll try out again, and I'll bet he's still mad at what happened last year."

"Mad about what?" asked Brayden,

"Remember, he quit the team mid-season for some science thing. Something to do with computer science I think."

"Oh yeah, I remember. It was the science competition. Wasn't it a really big deal competition?"

Cullen nodded.

Brayden continued, "Boy was he mad when he didn't take first place – especially since he sacrificed the track team for it." Walker was as intelligent as he was mean spirited. He had a special talent for the technological sciences.

"Anyway, he'll probably be at the tryouts. At least that's what I've overheard in gym class," shrugged Cullen. "I've been giving it some thought, but I can't think of any way to avoid him once I'm running the track. And he's fast."

"I just don't understand him," Brayden said, "He's a good athlete and he's so smart. Why does he have to be so mean to everyone?"

"Who knows?" responded Cullen who had just opened the e-mail about track team tryouts. It reminded him that the first practice was scheduled for tomorrow. Along with that message there was an e-mail about Saturday's basketball game. The drama club was holding auditions for the upcoming play, _Something's Afoot._ There was also a notice trying to entice people to the next chess club meeting with promises of sweet treats.

"Thinking of joining the chess club?" asked Cullen with a smirk on his face as he pointed at the e-mail message where it read: Free food! "Alyssa's got to be behind this." His cousin was heavily involved in the chess club and was always trying to find ways to attract new members.

"She'd really laugh if we walked in the door," replied Brayden. Neither of them had the same affinity for the game as did Alyssa. "You have to give her credit for trying to get new members, though. It can't be easy when you're competing with all the clubs and other stuff at school."

M.R. Rick Junior High had an active extracurricular program. There were several athletic opportunities. There were the usual activities that enticed many of the popular students and popular wannabes. Intellectual clubs, like the chess or robotics club, were often at a disadvantage in recruiting members because they didn't seem as cool. Alyssa took solace in the words of her mom who reminded her that in her day kids who were considered uncool because of their interest in the computer club – computer nerds they were called – were now adults earning the big bucks designing software programs. The logic needed to play chess, her mom said, would be an equally useful skill in life. It teaches you how to stay ahead of your opponents; how to outthink them. Her mom should know. She used her logic skills catching criminals as an agent for the FBI.

When he saw that Cullen was about to sign off his account, Brayden stood up and started gathering his books. Students were expected to move to a table when finished with the computers so others could have a chance to use them.

"Hold on a minute," interjected Cullen as he placed a hand on Brayden's books that remained on the table, "I just remembered. I need to send an e-mail to Señora Enseñar about today's Spanish class. I'm confused about the homework assignment."

"Don't forget to send your question in Spanish or she won't answer your e-mail," reminded Brayden.

"Yeah, thanks. How could I forget after last time?" Cullen sighed. He placed his Spanish book on his lap, opened it, and tried to find the right way to ask about today's assignment. Brayden wasn't any better at Spanish but offered to help anyway. "This is impossible." He struggled to write his question with the right grammar. "I know the words, but I always mess up male/female stuff."

"I know. Me, too. Is it 'la' or 'el'? I always pick the wrong one," sympathized Brayden. "Who knew a piece of furniture could have a gender? I know communicating only in Spanish with her is supposed to help us learn it better, but it takes so much longer to get stuff like this done."

After what seemed like forever Cullen finished his e-mail. Brayden did his best to help, but Cullen didn't have the heart to tell him that his assistance actually caused him more confusion. He knew his question was not written very well, but at least it was in Spanish.

"I wish this came easier," he said as he clicked the send button, "I just hope I asked the question right so I get what I need. You want to use the computer?" asked Cullen as he signed out of his e-mail account.

"No. Thanks, though. Let's grab that empty table by the window." Before they had gotten up, another student was already hovering to get their spot at the computer. Both boys quickly grabbed their books and folders and walked toward the empty table, which was pushed up against a large window. Once there, they put down their stuff and sat in the only chairs that happened to be facing the window in front of them.

From the window, Cullen had a direct view of the neighboring zoo. The school was immediately next door to one of his favorite places in the world – the Atira Zoo. Cullen always thought that was a clever name for a zoo. The facilities were so close that the school and zoo shared a parking lot. During the warm months when gym classes were outside, students could sometimes hear the sounds of various animals. On occasion older students would try to scare the incoming 6th graders with stories of escaped animals – snakes were a particular favorite – but that never actually happened. Cullen's Aunt Sherise worked at the zoo as Curator of Ornithology. He never missed an opportunity to go there after school and spend time with her and her department full of birds. Sometimes Brayden and Alyssa came along.

Cullen and Brayden had about 15 minutes left before going to their respective 7th period classes, but decided not to bother to get any work done. By the time they got their assignments out and organized, it would be time to pack up again.

"While you were dealing with your e-mail to Mrs. Enseñar...sorry, Señora Enseñar...I had a thought about the track tryouts," offered Brayden.

"Yeah?" Cullen looked hopefully at Brayden.

"How about borrowing my brother's motocross goggles? We'll load them up with tear-offs. That way Walker can throw all the dirt he wants at you and it won't matter!" Brayden initially sounded excited by his idea, but soon changed his tone.

"Sorry," he continued, "You'd look pretty stupid wearing those during a track meet, but it would be funny if he slipped on one of the tear-offs."

Cullen laughed, but his smile soon faded. "I can't believe I'm still bothered about it, but it really makes me mad that Walker gets away with stuff."

Walker's intelligence and heartlessness were a dangerous combination. He was clever enough not to get caught for his misdeeds, and witnesses didn't rat him out for fear of retribution.

"I kept thinking about it all day and finally decided that I can't let this idiot ruin it for me. I'm going to go to the practices and do the best I can at the final tryout. I've been doing a lot of training at home, and I'm faster than I was last year."

"Let me guess... your strategy is to just stay in front of him for the whole race?"

"Pretty much."

"I want to be there when you beat him. I'll bet Alyssa will want to be there, too. She seemed angrier than you did when you told her about what happened."

Cullen smiled. He felt very lucky to have such support from Brayden and Alyssa.
Chapter 3

The first track practice, which was held in the gym the following Friday, went fine. The gym was state-of-the-art and included a running track that was suspended over the main gym floor. After stretching, Cullen ran time trials with some of the other hopefuls. He was relieved to see that Walker wasn't there, but Cullen didn't think that was related to a lack of motivation or interest on Walker's part. He knew Walker was arrogant enough to think he didn't need the practice since he had made the team last year.

Cullen thought he performed well during practice and caught some positive glances from Coach Bailey. Practice lasted about an hour, but Cullen felt as though he could have kept going. He felt energized and exhilarated running the track, but soon the boys were told to clear out so that the marching band's color guard could use the gym for their parade practice.

"It's good to see you came back to try again this year," Cullen heard the coach say as he walked toward the locker room.

Cullen was thrilled the coach remembered him. He turned to take the chance to talk with him. "I've been practicing a lot. Mostly running the paths at the park, but I thought it would be a good way to keep my speed and endurance up.

"It shows." Coach Bailey turned his head in the direction of the ringing phone in his office. "Keep coming to the practices," he said as he turned to answer the call.

Cullen left practice feeling good about his chances. He quickly changed into his street clothes, grabbed his backpack from his gym locker, and headed toward the teachers' parking lot where he would wait for the school bus that would take him home.

* * * * *

A cold breeze brushed against him as he waited at the bus stop. He should have worn a warmer jacket as his Aunt Sherise had suggested over breakfast. Although she was right, he wasn't able to concentrate on anything she said that morning. His thoughts at breakfast revolved around two things. First the track practice had made him nervous not knowing what to expect. Second was the fact that his parents were arriving home from their most recent buying trip. His parents owned a shop, Alowanpi, which sold Native American artifacts from all over the country. They chose to call it Alowanpi, Lakota for "singing in praise," because they felt their shop sang the praises of the Native American culture. His Aunt Sherise stayed with him whenever his parents were traveling to find unique items for the shop, and this time they were gone for two weeks. As much as he was excited to see them, it was equally exciting to see what they had found for the shop. His thoughts at the bus stop were focused on his parents now that he was free of worries about the track practice.

As he stood there, the wind started to pick up just as his aunt had warned. His sandy-brown hair whipped around his face. His hazel eyes watered with the cold. He pulled his long-sleeve shirt closer around him and started to wonder if the bus would come before he froze up. From behind he could hear the unmistakable sound of Walker's voice, who was speaking rather loudly to his sidekick, Warren. It seemed that Walker often employed the same strategy every day. He would emerge from the school building speaking loudly, Cullen thought, as a way of announcing his presence and instilling an initial sense of dread into those he liked to bully.

Normally, the sound of Walker's voice would bring a chill to Cullen greater than the wind currently trying to tug off his shirt. Today, however, was different. He was still feeling good about his track practice and the kind words from the coach. Plus, his parents' return always made him happy, so the sound of Walker's voice was a bit easier to endure.

As the bus pulled up, Cullen stumbled forward as Walker and Warren purposely pushed him aside. Once on the bus, they usually shoved everyone out of their way so they could take whatever seat they wanted. But not today. Instead, Walker and Warren took a seat in the back of the bus away from the other kids. This break in the pattern bothered Cullen. He took a seat and stared out the window wondering about their change of habit.

Cullen was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Brayden sit down next to him.

"Hi," said Brayden as he removed his backpack with great effort and put it on the floor anchoring it between his feet.

"Oh, hey," Cullen responded in a slightly startled voice. "Looks like you've got a lot of stuff in there." He glanced down at the swollen backpack.

"Yeah, well, I'm behind in our history project." Brayden looked up at the ceiling and continued with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "Actually, I didn't start it yet."

"You mean the civil war research project that's due Monday?! Like after this weekend?!" Cullen felt panicked for his friend.

"I know." Brayden let out a big sigh. "My mom and dad said I can't do anything fun this weekend until I get it done."

"That sucks," offered Cullen sympathetically, "I was looking forward to checking out that new video game you got last week. Why didn't you at least get it started?"

"My mom and dad decided that I need to be more responsible for getting my schoolwork done, so they left it up to me. At least I remembered about it before it was due." Brayden shrugged. "You finished already?"

"Yeah." Cullen had finished it a week earlier, but he didn't want to tell Brayden that and make him feel worse. "You need any help getting it done?"

"Thanks, but I'll be ok. I just have to put my mind to it." Brayden patted his bulking backpack. "I've got everything I need so it shouldn't be too bad."

As the bus lumbered on, Cullen's thoughts returned to Walker and Warren. He sat in silence for a few moments before he elbowed Brayden and gestured for him to move his head in closer. "Notice anything different on the bus today?"

"No." Brayden tried to stealthily survey the other occupants on the bus.

"Look where Walker and Warren are sitting today," Cullen urged.

Brayden tried to look casually over his shoulder again. Upon seeing that Walker and Warren were in the back of the bus he turned back to Cullen. "Yeah, it's not like them to sit where they can't torment anyone. Wonder what they're up to?"

"Exactly my thought."

They wanted to turn around to look back at them but were afraid they would be seen.

"Maybe they're trying to figure out another way to sabotage me at the track tryouts," uttered Cullen in an annoyed tone.

A girl's voice responded from the seat behind them. "Don't be so paranoid. They could be sitting back there talking about sabotaging anyone."

Cullen hadn't noticed that Alyssa was seated alone behind him. She had an open book on her lap already trying to get a jump on her homework on the ride home. Still not used to her contact lenses, she wore her wire frame glasses which had slipped down the bridge of her nose. Her straight auburn hair, which fell to just above her shoulders causing her to continually push it behind her ears, shimmered with the sunlight that came through the bus window. Cullen thought she had an endless supply of polo shirts and khaki pants at home, since that was all he seemed to ever see her wearing.

"I'm sure it's hard for Cullen to not be paranoid," snapped Brayden as he leaned over the seat to talk directly to Alyssa. "Do I have to remind you of last year's tryout?"

"I just meant that there are plenty of reasons why they could be back there. Do yourself a favor and stop thinking about that. Letting him get inside your head when he's not even trying, is a sure way to bring on your own defeat."

"English, please?" responded Cullen who had also turned to face Alyssa.

"You're letting him bother you without him even doing anything," explained Alyssa. "Don't work yourself up."

Cullen furrowed his brow at Alyssa, although he knew she was right. The bus began to slow for its next stop. Several students got up to leave. They heard Walker and Warren ambling down the narrow aisle between the seats toward the front of the bus. Walker stopped where Cullen and Brayden were seated. Warren continued toward the front of the bus seemingly unaware that Walker was no longer behind him.

Walker leaned across Brayden and whispered to Cullen, "I heard you were at practice... Cologne. You're not going to make the team. Anything can happen when you're out on the track." A slight sinister smile began to develop on Walker's lips. "If you do decide to go to the tryout, I'd advise you to watch out for track dust. It's quite painful when it gets in the eyes."

Fuming, Cullen tried to ignore him, but Walker's words echoed in his ears. Oh, how he disliked this guy, but before Cullen or Brayden could say anything back, Warren, who was already halfway through the door, called out. "Come on! Let's go!"

Walker purposely knocked his elbow into Brayden's shoulder as he left. He hurried to catch up with Warren. The bus pulled away as soon as they had exited.

"See? Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you," Brayden whispered to Alyssa as soon as the bus started to move.

She looked at the floor and shook her head. "Your parents come back today, right?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"Uh huh," replied Cullen.

"They were away a week this time, right?"

"No, two, but it's fun having Aunt Sherise around while they're gone."

"She always has something interesting to tell about her day at work. Anyway, call me later and tell me what stuff they've brought back for the shop."

"Yeah, last time they came back with that funky guitar from that guy in Maine. It was really nice of them to let me have it," Brayden chimed in. Cullen's parents usually brought special things home for Cullen, Alyssa, and Brayden from their travels.

"I'll be fine guys," said Cullen. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better. Today was just a weird day. I was mad, nervous, or excited about something all day. I don't like it when my feelings are all over the place."

Brayden and Alyssa smiled at him with understanding. The bus was slowing toward the next stop. Cullen and Alyssa gathered their belongings. After the bus stopped, Cullen stepped carefully over Brayden's overstuffed backpack.

"Good luck with the history project. Call me if I can help," offered Cullen.

Alyssa, who was now standing behind Cullen, smiled at Brayden. "See you later."

Once they were off the bus, she turned to Cullen and continued, "What happened with his history project?" A grin grew on her face. "He didn't start it yet, did he?" She knew one of Brayden's biggest flaws was his tendency to procrastinate.

"No, he's working on some extra credit," said Cullen with a wink and a smile. Alyssa let out a small laugh. They waved to Brayden as the bus pulled away.

### Chapter 4

When Cullen got off the bus, he was excited to see his mom and dad waiting for him. Cullen and Alyssa walked toward his smiling parents. The bus had turned the corner and was out of sight by the time they reached his parents.

"Hi, sweetie," said his mom with an enthusiastic flair as she grabbed Cullen close for a big hug. Now eye-to-eye with his mom, he rested his head on her shoulder. He was glad her long ash blonde hair was held back in a set of pig tails, which kept the breeze from blowing it in his face. Her yellow-tinted, rectangular-shaped sun glasses were perched on top of her head. She was wearing her favorite traveling clothes – a colorful loose fitting t-shirt and jeans. As much as he liked a hug from his mom, he also didn't want any of the other kids at school to tease him about such affectionate displays. He was glad the bus was long gone.

"Alyssa, I'm so glad to see you, too," and with that Mrs. Arma released Cullen, but in her haste to reach Alyssa, her glasses fell off her head and dangled from one ear. She quickly righted them back on top of her head and put Alyssa in a full bear hug.

"Hello Aunt Jodi." Alyssa's voice was slightly strained – a direct result of the strong hug which engulfed her. Mrs. Arma released her from her vice grip and bent down to pick up one of her travel bags. Alyssa put her backpack down on the sidewalk. "Hi, Uncle Jeff. How was your trip?"

"Yeah, what stuff did you guys find?" asked Cullen.

"We had a lovely time traveling through the southwestern states." His mom put her bag back down. She preferred to speak of the people they met and places they'd been rather than the things they found on their trips. "So much history from the different tribes in the region. Zuni, Hopi, Navajo, Apache. We were hoping to find some interesting items for the store from those groups."

"You must have spent a lot of time in the car," Alyssa thought out loud.

"Sometimes it seems that way," responded Cullen's dad from behind a box he was carrying from the van. He usually did all the driving, which tired him out. He was a tall man with shoulder length brown hair that he usually held back with a rubber band. His tie-dye shirt sported a noticeable coffee stain. The strong coffee smell suggested it was obtained recently. The word "groovy" usually came to mind when looking at his parents together.

"We started out in Arizona and worked our way to Texas," continued Cullen's mom as she shot a playful look at her husband. "It was so beautiful —the painted desert, Saguaro cacti, or even an occasional abandoned ghost town. I suppose we could just fly from place to place to collect things for the shop, but traveling like this is so much more fun."

"I really liked it when I got to come along to the Dakotas," said Alyssa. During the summer months the Armas often took Cullen and his cousin along on their journeys. "That was such a great trip. I especially liked our stop at the Crazy Horse Memorial."

"For sure," Cullen chimed in still feeling the chill in his bones. The warmth he had gathered from his mom's hug was sadly temporary. "I hope we get to go back when they're finished building it." At the time of their visit, the image of Crazy Horse's face was clearly seen emerging from the mountain side.

"So, what kind of stuff did you get from this trip?" repeated Cullen.

His dad continued unloading boxes as his mom responded. "We found some beautiful Apache coiled jars and bowls. My favorite piece is the Zuni silver and turquoise cluster necklace. Oh, and there's the bracelet with a figure dancing around the sun. I'm not sure which box, but one of them has a collection of sculptures from some local artists. The replica of an Ogre Woman is interesting. The weavings are nice, too. Some have pictures on them; others are patterned." From the look of the van, which was packed with boxes and bags, their trip had been a successful one.

"I would have to say, however," she continued, "that the most interesting part of our trip was meeting the shaman. He was an older gentleman of Native American ancestry, but I don't remember from what tribe. Anyway, he provided us with some very unique items for the store – jewelry, clothing, pots, and jars. Many of them were tied to a fascinating history that he was kind enough to have documented and gave us to sell along with the items."

Cullen's dad, who was busy tightening the rubber band in his hair, added, "I think it's much more meaningful when customers know about the piece they're buying. I was thinking of framing the documents and including them with their respective items. I might even put together a special display area for them."

"That would be lovely dear." Mrs. Arma turned her attention back to the kids and her line of conversation, "He was a curious man, though. We talked with him for quite a long time about his heritage and his role as shaman."

"Shaman," pondered Cullen. "That's a medicine man, right?"

"Being a shaman is more than that," replied his dad as he took a look around at the pile of boxes now on the driveway.

"Yes," agreed his mom. "In Native American culture, they're considered spiritual individuals. It is believed that the shaman is the link between the spirit world and that of our own."

"You think this guy was the real deal?" asked Alyssa.

"For sure. He was so fascinating. Anyway, he gave us several boxes for us to take. Said that he was impressed with our love of the Native American culture and thought we would appreciate their contents."

"So what's in them?" asked Alyssa.

"Don't know. We figured we'd go through them when we got home," answered Mr. Arma as he took the last box out of the van.

Alyssa bent down to pick up her backpack. "I'd better get. Dad's going to wonder what happened to me." She turned to Cullen. "Call me later."

"Ok," he called out as Alyssa turned to leave.

"I've got to use the bathroom," said Cullen's dad, "The boxes should be safe out here on the driveway for the time being."

"Sure," replied his mom, "I want to check in with Cindy while you're 'busy'." The Armas were very lucky to have Cindy, a neighborhood lady who was kind enough to manage their shop while they were away. Usually their store was open by appointment only, so Cindy didn't have to sit there all day. She was able to take whatever calls came in and handle prospective buyers around her own schedule. The Armas also did a lot of business through their website. Cullen enjoyed taking pictures of the items for posting on their website. Their shop was quite successful due to the exquisite nature of the items they found on their trips.

Cullen walked with his parents toward the building that served as both shop and home. He and his parents lived in a three-story brick building that was used as a neighborhood bank long ago. When the bank closed down, the building sat empty for many years. His parents bought it and renovated it to suit their needs. They turned the first floor into their shop and converted the remaining two floors above into their home.

Mr. and Mrs. Arma, who loved to travel, had a deep love of Native American history and culture. The shop was a melding of their interests. They frequently traveled to interesting places all over North and South America purchasing unique objects, art, and artifacts to sell in their shop. They kept the shop geographically organized, and there was a wide variety of merchandise in each section. The artists were given a percentage of the final sale.

One area of the store, for example, was dedicated to artifacts from the eastern tribal cultures. The wall displayed several Cherokee paintings from different artists. Some of these depicted colorful scenes from various ceremonies. A collection of Cherokee rugs hung from ceiling clips. Some sported colorful geometric designs while others displayed ceremonial scenes. A Choctaw turtle shell that was colorfully painted to look like a face stood proudly on one of the nearby tables.

In another section of the store were many different types of beaded moccasins. Alyssa favored the blue pair with the brown, red, and yellow triangular patterns, but they were too large for her to keep as her own. There were many sculptures, ceremonial masks, blankets, and small replicas of totem poles scattered throughout the store from a wide variety of tribes from all over the Americas.

Cullen moved quickly through the shop to the back room where he could take the elevator to his bedroom on the third floor. The second and third floors of the building were like a normal home. The living room, kitchen, dining room, family room, and a small bathroom were on the second floor, and the bedrooms on the third floor. He thought it was so cool to have a working elevator in his house. It was left over from the original building. His parents had it restored to working order when they bought the building.

He exited the elevator and walked through the hallway that led to his bedroom. When it was still a bank, the third floor of the building held offices and a conference room. Two of the offices were reconstructed to make a master bedroom for his parents. A third office was converted into a guest room that Aunt Sherise used when she came to stay. She often said that this room was better than her entire apartment. Cullen agreed. The guest room was large and full of comfortable furniture, a large plasma television, and a working fireplace. The private bathroom housed a Jacuzzi tub in which Aunt Sherise spent a lot of free time.

Cullen's bedroom was where the conference room once was. It was a large rectangular room with its own bathroom and a mini-kitchen area. The largest part of the wall was filled with windows that looked out onto the neighborhood. Being up on the third floor allowed Cullen to look above the rooftops of neighboring houses and provided him with an unobstructed view of the nearby lake.

Cullen opened the door to his room and moved toward his desk where he could deposit his backpack. His room looked, for the most part, like that of any other 13-year-old boy. It contained a bed, dresser, desk, and bookshelves. When his parents bought new bedroom furniture for themselves, he was given their queen size bed. He loved the larger size of the bed as compared to the smaller one he had before.

In the kitchen area, there was a set of cabinets, small sink, and the type of refrigerator found in many college dorm rooms. Cullen kept various snacks and drinks there. In the corner, a laptop computer sat on his desk, no doubt waiting for the next homework assignment. A television with a built in DVD player sat nearby connected to a videogame system, which seemed to be beckoning him to play.

The walls were painted in a warm amber color that made the room as inviting as the beanbag chairs that were sitting near the television. On the walls he had taped up his collection of postcards and photos that his aunt would send him from her trips to such places as South America, Africa, and Asia.

His bookshelves were packed with books on animals. Resource books on mammals, insects, birds, and aquatic life took up most of the space. Most of these were from his aunt. He was forever grateful to Alyssa's parents for getting him the series on endangered animals and plant life for his last birthday. Cullen enjoyed his time reading about various animals and their habitats. Sometimes, however, his mind would wander while he read the interesting facts. Once while reading about bats, he began to fantasize about the ability to use echolocation. _If I could use echolocation like a bat,_ he wondered, _I could sneak downstairs to the kitchen in the dark without turning on the lights. I wouldn't bump into anything that would make noise and wake up my parents if I wanted to get some extra cake or something. Heh, heh, heh._

Despite the large size of Cullen's room, it sometimes felt a bit crowded due to the clutter on the floor. Scattered amongst the furniture were various shirts, pants, socks, some books, and DVDs. He had a bad habit of not putting things back when he was finished, but he didn't think it was any more cluttered than the rooms of other kids his age.

"At least you can open my door all the way," defended Cullen during a "discussion" with his mom about the state of his room. "Brayden can't open his door all the way." Much to Cullen's disappointment, his mom countered his argument with the classic mom statement: "It doesn't matter to me what your friend's room is like. What matters is what yours is like."

Cullen just had time to empty his backpack when he heard his parents call on the intercom. Due to the size of the building, his parents installed an intercom system so they could contact each other more easily. His aunt had come over after work with dinner and he was to come down and join them.

He had hoped to change into something warmer in an effort to fight off his continued chill from the bus stop, but figured a nice hot meal might warm him up just as well. He decided to take the stairs down to the kitchen.

When he reached the kitchen, his parents were setting the table while his aunt unpacked the meal she had brought. Much to Cullen's disappointment, she brought cold sub sandwiches, a variety of individually packaged salty snacks, and pop. He had really hoped for something warm.

"So how was the trip?" Sherise asked her sister.

"Oh, you would have loved it," answered Jodi, who then gave a detailed account of their journey. While he ate, Cullen tuned out their conversation and instead stared out the window as his anxiety about Walker crept back into his head. His aunt left soon after dinner so she could finish writing up a presentation she had to give at the zoo later that week.

Cullen helped his parents clean up the dinner plates. Outside the window, he saw that the sun was setting on the horizon. He was a bit tired and still feeling the effect of the chill in his bones.

Just as he was about to head back upstairs to his room, his dad called out. "We could really use your help with the boxes. Mom and I will bring them in from the driveway. You can unpack and sort out the contents."

Cullen looked at him and let out a big sigh. He really wanted to bury himself under his covers. The chill in his bones was getting the best of him. His dad saw the look on Cullen's face.

"I promise there's not much, and once you're done you're free for the rest of the evening," he said with a look of sympathy. With that, Cullen smiled and walked down the back stairs to the store. He shivered a bit as he entered the main storage area, which used to be the bank vault. Again, he thought of how a warm meal might have done the trick.

Once in the room he turned on the light. Along with serving as a place to store merchandise, the room was also used as an office where his parents took care of "the books" and other important business. On the desk, tables, chairs, basically any potential empty space, there were papers and various books related to the places they went to find things for the store. His mom described the room as "organized chaos." Despite the cluttered look, his mom and dad could always find whatever item they needed. It bothered him that they couldn't forgive him the mess in his room considering the state of this one, but then again, he didn't have the skill finding things when he needed them.

His dad had already gotten a head start in bringing in the boxes from the driveway. Resting on the floor near the center of the room were three boxes all of varying sizes. One box was quite large and seemed to emit a rather odd smell. Cullen decided that as much as he wanted to help, he was not going near that one. The smallest box was strongly taped shut and Cullen didn't know where in the clutter he would find a pair of scissors with which to open it. He turned his attention to the remaining box.

This box, that happened to be partially opened, looked manageable. Part of the box's content was hanging out the top and draped gracefully down the side. Cullen saw that it was a piece of fabric – soft and inviting. As he pulled the fabric from the box, it unfolded into a very interesting looking hooded coat made from some sort of dark brown material. He walked over toward the full length mirror in the corner of the room. When Cullen held it up against himself he saw that it came down to his knees. The design on the front was very colorful – blues, greens, yellows, browns, and reds adorned the images on the coat. Upon closer inspection, Cullen decided that the design reminded him of a collage of animals. From what he could make out, eagles, bears, badgers, panthers, wolves, foxes, porcupines, and dragonflies were scattered all over the fabric. They seemed to be looking back at him in the mirror as he held the coat against himself. There were many more images, but it was hard for him to make them out. The pattern looked to him like a giant disorganized totem pole.

Cullen thought that this coat was just what he needed to shake off his chill. He slipped his arms in the sleeves and pulled the coat around his body. He felt a sudden surge of welcoming warmth that flowed through his entire body.

He decided to button the coat, but once he reached the last button a strange thing happened. The warmth left the coat, and he suddenly grew cold again, very cold indeed. The sensation was as if someone had replaced his blood with icy cold water. He began to shiver uncontrollably. He instinctively pulled the hood up over his head to try and regain the warmth he was seeking but quickly realized that the cold sensation seemed to be originating from the coat itself.

As the chill spreading over his body intensified, he grew frightened and tried to unbutton the coat to remove it, but it was no use. He looked down as his fingers fumbled with the material. To his surprise he saw that the button holes had closed around the buttons. He then realized that the coat also seemed to be shrinking. Once roomy inside, it was now snug against his body. He began to feel a great pressure on his skin along with the increasing sensation of cold.

He called to his parents, but they couldn't hear him. They had stepped back outside to retrieve more boxes from the driveway. Cullen began to feel dizzy, and he stumbled to the wall and sank to the floor. Cold sweat seemed to be pouring from his forehead. Although he was able to remain upright while sitting, the pressure and cold sensations continued. He grew more frightened instead.

Just when he thought this couldn't get any scarier, his head began to pound as though he were being pummeled by fists. His ears became flooded with the sounds of animals. Roars, hoots, grunts, and growls overwhelmed him.

But just as quickly as this had started, the sounds stopped, the warmth returned, the coat relaxed around his body, and the buttons were now free to open. He slowly stood up worried he might become dizzy again. Once he felt stable, he slipped off the coat and ran to the front of the store just in time to find his parents coming in through the door.

"Mom, Dad... I... a coat... I was so cold... I don't know," but his words were a jumbled mess.

"What's the matter?" asked his dad. "Just sit here and try to calm down."

"You're covered in sweat. I'll get you a towel." His mom ran to the bathroom, while his dad helped him to a chair and put his arm around his shoulders.

"What happened?" inquired his mom upon her return. She dabbed his forehead with the towel.

Cullen thought for a moment. He hated to lie to his parents. He had always felt lucky that he could talk to them about most anything, but this experience was just too strange. He also didn't want to get in trouble for messing with the coat. And he didn't want them to think he was nuts. Maybe he was just coming down with something. He convinced himself that it was just that.

"I've had a chill all afternoon, and I got sort of dizzy when I went to pick up one of the boxes. It's probably the start of a cold or something."

"You're so pale. We'd better get straight to the doctor just to be sure it's not something more serious." Cullen's dad took him up to his room while his mom called their pediatrician.

Cullen crawled into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. He had a fitful night's sleep that was peppered with strange dreams. In one of the dreams he was running in slow motion while trying to escape the clutches of a coat that was chasing him.

When he awoke the next morning, Cullen was still a little shaky and he couldn't stop thinking about the prior evening's events. He kept trying to comfort himself by thinking the whole experience might have been related to some kind of 24-hour bug. His mom was able to get an appointment that morning with Dr. Brozak who had been his pediatrician since birth. Cullen always liked her. She had a way of making him feel better even when he was at his worst. As with any doctor's appointment, Dr. Brozak's nurse saw Cullen first to take his temperature and a brief history of his symptoms.

"You only need to remove your shirt for your exam with Dr. Brozak," she stated as she left the room.

"Do you have my videogame player?" Cullen asked his mom.

"You know Dr. Brozak doesn't keep you waiting long after you've seen the nurse. I'd rather you not get engrossed in a game when you're going to have to turn it off in a few minutes."

Cullen rolled his eyes and looked out the window. He entertained himself by watching some squirrels chasing each other around a tree. Sure enough, it was only a few minutes before Dr. Brozak came to see him.

"It's nice to see you, Cullen. What brings you in today?" queried Dr. Brozak as she entered the room.

"Well, while I was unpacking some boxes for the shop, I got warm and then really cold. And I got dizzy."

"Did you have any other symptoms?"

"No. Nothing else." Cullen didn't want to tell her about the coat sealing itself around him, the animal sounds he had heard, or the weird dreams. _She would surely think I'm crazy,_ he thought to himself.

"How long did this last?"

_Good question_ , thought Cullen. To him, the experience seemed to last a long time. "Well it didn't seem to last too long. Oh, I forgot, when I got dizzy, my legs got weak and I slid to the floor."

"Hmm. How do you feel now?"

"A little shaky, but otherwise I feel fine."

"Well, let's check you out."

Dr. Brozak did the usual exam. She re-read the nurse's notes and then checked his eyes, throat, glands, ears, and heart beat. Once done, she turned to Cullen's mom.

"I can't find anything unusual upon exam. There has been a little flu bug going around. I suspect it got him, too. Fortunately it doesn't seem to last long. There's not much we can do since it's viral. Just take it easy this weekend. Do call me if things change." Dr. Brozak gave him a pat on the shoulder and left the room.

As Cullen pulled on his shirt, his mom dug in her purse for her car keys. They walked silently out of the doctor's office and through the parking lot.

"Your history project is due Monday, right?" she asked as they reached the car.

"Huh?" Cullen was only half listening to his mom because his thoughts were elsewhere.

"I asked if you finished your history project while we were gone."

"Yeah, it's done."

"Good. How much other homework do you have to finish this weekend?"

Cullen remained lost in his thoughts about the coat. During their walk to the car, he wondered how many of these other kids Dr. Brozak had seen also got trapped in a freaky animal coat. He still thought it best to keep it to himself.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Huh, what?"

"Do you have any other homework to get done this weekend?"

"Oh, yeah. Just some algebra."

"You look really spacey. I think Dr. Brozak was right that you should take it easy this weekend. Let's tackle your algebra on Sunday. You'll probably be back to yourself by then." She unlocked the car doors.

Once in the car, Cullen settled in and looked back out the window. They drove home in silence, but all the way his mind was cluttered with thoughts about the coat.
Chapter 5

The next few weeks at school went by fast for Cullen. He was busy with various homework assignments and a few projects that had to be turned around quickly. He came to the track practices, but was disappointed to see that Walker decided to make them as well.

The Friday before the Saturday tryout eventually came. Cullen caught up with Alyssa at the bus stop after school and took a seat with her on the way home.

"How are you doing?" questioned Alyssa as she scooted over toward the window to make room for Cullen.

"Not good."

"It sucks! Walker showed at the last few practices," offered Brayden, who was seated alone across the aisle.

"Why do you let him rattle you?" Alyssa sounded perturbed. "I've told you before. Don't let him psych you out."

"How can I not let him rattle me? He taunted me every chance he had at those practices."

"I agree, he's a real piece of work, but you're giving him too much power. Don't let him get to you. I don't see why you just don't..."

"Alyssa," Brayden interrupted, "It's easy to sit there and tell him not to let it bother him. You're not the one this is happening to."

Alyssa opened her mouth to reply, but Cullen interjected. "Look, I can't handle listening to you two argue. Just stop it! You guys are making me crazy."

"You're right. What can we do to help?" asked Alyssa. She offered a warm smile to Cullen as she glanced over at Brayden, who smiled back sheepishly.

"Just come to the tryouts tomorrow."

"Of course we'll be there," agreed Alyssa while Brayden nodded in agreement. "No matter what happens, let's plan on doing something together afterwards."

"We'll see." Cullen looked at the floor. If he didn't make the team, he wouldn't be in the mood for much.

* * * * *

Once home, Cullen went straight to his room. He tried to distract himself by playing a videogame, but found himself making the same mistakes over and over again during the boss stage of a game he had conquered several times. _I totally can't concentrate,_ he thought as he put the game away. He walked to his bookshelf, thinking he could maybe lose himself in one of his favorite animal books, but nothing appealed to him today. He soon found himself pacing around his room.

A call came on the intercom that his parents wanted him to come help set the table for dinner. He wasn't sure he wanted to be around his parents. He knew they were going to ask him about tomorrow's tryouts.

"We're having sloppy joes, so we just need plates and forks," said his mom as he entered the kitchen. She was in the midst of pulling the now toasty buns from the oven. Cullen dutifully took out three plates and three forks, and put them on the table. His dad was getting something to drink for everyone.

His mom put together a sandwich for each of them and brought them to the table. Cullen sat down between his parents, picked up a sandwich and took a few small bites.

"What's wrong?" asked his dad who noticed that Cullen was only picking at his food. "Nervous about the tryout tomorrow?"

Cullen just looked at him.

"You'll be fine," his mom assured him as she rubbed his back. "You run like the wind."

"What I need to do is run like a cheetah," muttered Cullen under his breath. Cullen hadn't shared his Walker suspicions with his parents, so for all they knew his anxiety was related to the tryout itself.

"Do you want us to come for support?" Cullen knew his mom really wanted to be there, but she always tried to be respectful of how uncool it could be to have your parents around. He was grateful she always asked instead of showing up unannounced. "We could be there if you'd like."

"That's ok. I'll be fine." Cullen did feel it would be embarrassing to have his parents there. "Alyssa and Brayden are going to be there and we're going to go do something afterwards."

"Just know that we'll be there in spirit." His mom got up to get more to drink.

"You know we're always proud of you," added his dad as he ruffled Cullen's hair.

His mom smiled warmly and nodded in agreement. "How many boys will be at the tryout?"

"I'm not sure how many will actually show up. There have been fewer and fewer boys at the practices."

"Wonder why," pondered his dad with a mouthful of sloppy joe.

"Don't know, but the fewer the boys the better for me."

"Like I said, just give it your best try and I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Change of topic," said his mom. "Is Alyssa going to run for president of the chess club?"

Cullen was so wrapped up in his own situation that he had completely forgotten about Alyssa's upcoming challenge. She had expressed an interest a few months back about running for the presidency of the chess club. It was clear that she was working hard to make a favorable impression on the other members. Just as Cullen had suspected, it was Alyssa's idea to offer treats at the upcoming chess club meetings.

"Oh, yeah, she said she was going to give it a try."

"How is she campaigning?"

"I know she's bringing treats to the meetings."

"Getting to their hearts and minds through their stomachs?" pondered his dad, "Good thinking."

"Yeah, well, not too many kids think the chess club is cool enough to join. Being in the more 'brainy' clubs can sometimes be a strike against you."

His dad shook his head and said under his breath, "It's certainly not easy being your age."

"What?" queried Cullen.

"Oh, nothing. I remember being 13 and worrying about what other kids thought of me, too. Shame that sometimes those worries, which end up being unwarranted anyway, can stop us from doing what we would like to do."

"It can be a tough time for growing up," added his mom. "I remember when I was in junior high..."

Cullen looked at them as they spoke and tried to picture what they were like when they were 13 years old. It was hard to imagine that these two adults sitting at the table had childhoods of their own and that they had been through the same types of experiences – homework worries, peer pressure, bullies. His mom went on to tell a story about how she was picked on by some classmates because she was in the math club.

"Well, I guess by the glassy look in your eyes I've bored you enough with that story," she laughed as she gave Cullen a wink and a little poke in the shoulder. Her story was long enough that he was able to finish his sandwich. Cullen could usually put away three sandwiches, but tonight his stomach was too full of worries to make room for more food.

"I'm just tired."

"And understandably preoccupied," added his dad.

Cullen retired to his room where he put on his favorite CD, pulled out his homework, and got busy. Fortunately, he didn't have that much to do. He always thought it best to get his assignments done before the weekend started. That way he wouldn't have to rush through them on Sunday as Brayden often did. His parents came to check on him soon after he changed into a pair of shorts to sleep in. He was in the process of starting up a videogame when they knocked.

"Just don't stay up too late," his mom suggested. "You definitely want a good night's sleep."

"Ok," he replied and with that they left. Cullen played for a while until his eyes got tired. He turned off the game, crawled into bed, and tried to sleep. His dreams that night didn't bring him any comfort. Although not full-on nightmares, the content bothered Cullen. Images of being harassed by Walker on the track invaded his sleep all night long.
Chapter 6

Cullen was surprised to see his cousin smiling down at him when he awoke the next morning.

"What are you doing here?" he said with surprise. He was grateful he decided to sleep in his shorts instead of his underwear.

"I called on the intercom, but you didn't answer, so I came up. I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear me. Anyway, I thought you'd like some company on the way to the tryout. Brayden's going to meet us there," she said as she turned her back to give him privacy while he put on a shirt and some running pants. "Did you sleep much?"

"I had trouble falling asleep." After hearing him pull the shirt over his head and slip on the pants, Alyssa turned back to face him.

"Well, the important question is... do you feel rested?"

"I'm ok, I guess."

"I read a book about sleep and it talked about the importance of a good rest before something important like this. Did you get enough sleep? What time did you go to bed? When did you finally fall asleep? Did you..."

Cullen just looked at her.

"Well, what time did you get to sleep last..."

"Will you please stop with the questions?! I just woke up and you're all over me."

"Sorry. Look, I just want to see you do well. Guess I'm feeling nervous for you."

"Let's just go downstairs and get some breakfast," he snapped.

"Fine," she snapped back. "You didn't have to bite my head off, you know."

Cullen just looked at her and shrugged. And with that they walked down to the kitchen in silence. He knew Alyssa cared, but talking about it was only making him more anxious. It was bad enough knowing that his parents were going to have things to say about the tryout over breakfast as well.

The smell of breakfast hit Cullen's nose as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen. _Pancakes and eggs,_ he thought.

"Don't ask me anything about the tryouts, ok?" he said as he entered the kitchen. "I'm nervous enough." Alyssa, who was behind him, nodded her head. His parents smiled with understanding.

"Alyssa," Cullen's mom decided to change the topic. "How's the chess club going? I hear you might try to run for the presidency."

"I sure am," she responded enthusiastically, "I've been working hard to make the meetings fun. I thought that might help to attract new members. I suspect that I'll run unopposed, but my mom's helping me with plan B in case someone else decides to run."

"Your mom would be good at strategizing your campaign, but I know you're smart enough to come up with some great ideas on your own."

"As a matter of fact..." Alyssa went on to share her ideas with her aunt. Cullen's dad, who was seated at the other end of the table, had his nose buried in a book. Cullen was glad not to have any attention at the moment. Even though breakfast smelled inviting, he didn't have much of an appetite. The butterflies in his stomach were taking up way too much room.

* * * * *

Several other kids were already at the outdoor track at the junior high by the time Cullen and Alyssa arrived. They looked around for Brayden and eventually saw him sitting at the end of a bleacher. He was talking to another boy from their class. Cullen thought it was Aaron from his Spanish class, but wasn't sure since he had his back to them. As they approached Brayden, they heard the boy say goodbye and walk away. Sure enough, it was Aaron as Cullen had suspected.

"Hey, guys," Brayden yelled out as Cullen and Alyssa came closer.

"Hi," said Cullen. Alyssa was staring with a dreamy look at Aaron as he walked away.

"What's with her?" Brayden gave Cullen a puzzled look.

Cullen rolled his eyes. "Girls," he replied as he nudged Alyssa, who quickly snapped back to reality. Brayden got up and suggested he and Alyssa get a seat closer to the finish line.

"I want a close-up view of you kicking Walker's butt," Brayden started walking toward the bleachers near the finish line. Alyssa and Cullen followed along next to him. "How you doing this morning?"

"Ok, I guess. I wish I weren't so nervous. I just hope I don't end up near Walker like last year."

"That would suck," said Brayden. "Maybe you could..."

"Will you please stop talking about him," interrupted Alyssa. "You need to keep yourself calm and focused. Try this. Once you get into the starting block take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself crossing the finish line ahead of the other runners."

The boys just looked at her.

"Don't give me the look. I read a book on how you can handle your stress by relaxing and picturing your goal in your mind. I think it makes sense."

Brayden gave a smirky smile to Cullen who smiled back. Alyssa read all kinds of stuff and seemed at times to be a walking encyclopedia, which always made them laugh. Inside, however, Cullen thought his cousin had a point, but he was afraid to say it out loud knowing Brayden sometimes thought those things were silly.

As they reached the bleachers, Alyssa looked around to see who else was there to watch the tryouts. "Looks like we're the only ones here."

"That's cool. We can sit anywhere we want." Brayden climbed up a few steps so he could have a good view of the whole track. Alyssa hiked up after him. Just as Cullen started up the stairs he heard his name called out.

"Cullen, come here and get your starting block assignment," yelled Coach Bailey. Cullen waved so the coach could see that he had heard him.

"Good luck!" Brayden and Alyssa called out as Cullen hurried over. On the walk over to the starting line where Coach Bailey was waiting, he noticed quite a few starting blocks on the track. _Looks like everyone will be here,_ thought Cullen. When he reached Coach Bailey, Cullen saw that he was holding a small cloth bag.

"Reach in and take one piece of paper. It will tell you what starting block you will have."

Cullen reached in and pulled out #3. _That's good_ , he thought. _Near the inside track._ Still smiling at his luck, he walked to the starting blocks, took his place, and did some warm-up stretches. As he limbered up, he felt the warm sun upon him. _Not too windy,_ thought Cullen. _Good conditions for a race._

He looked up and saw Walker pulling a slip of paper from the bag. _Please don't let it be #2 or #4_. _Please don't let it be #2 or #4,_ he thought repeatedly. Walker started walking toward Cullen.

"Number 2, ah, number 2. Oh, look. I'm right next to sullen Cullen. Bet you're happy to see me." Walker took his place next to Cullen and started stretching while staring at him with an evil smirk.

_Sullen, sullen,_ thought Cullen as he looked everywhere except at Walker. He was sure that was meant to be some kind of insult. He then remembered a vocabulary test where he learned that sullen not only meant gloomy, but it also meant sluggish or slow. Rage quickly brewed inside of him. He felt hot and found himself clenching his teeth. He didn't look at Walker for fear he would explode on the spot.

"You can try to ignore me all you want, but I'm here and I'm going to beat you again. Only in your dreams will you make this team."

Rage grew to fury. His nervousness made it feel as though there were hundreds of butterflies in his stomach. His heart was racing. His hands were shaking, and he was afraid of losing his focus due to the worries in his head. Just like last year, the "What If's" started to invade his brain. _What if I don't place? What if Walker does something to me again? What if the track is dusty enough to make a problem? What if Walker grabs more dust like he did last time? This is so unfair to be near him again. I must have the worst luck in the world. I should probably just go home right now._

Cullen knew if he didn't push those thoughts out of his mind they would overtake him and he'd be powerless. He took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and tried to picture himself crossing the finish line just as Alyssa had suggested.

"Take your marks, gentlemen," said Coach Bailey.

Cullen readied himself. His thoughts and feelings were not passing and he couldn't picture himself crossing the finish line. _I have to think of something else._ Cullen felt his mind going blank. Then the thought from the other night came to him. _Think lightning speed, think of lightning speed. I need to run fast, like a... cheetah... yeah, a cheetah._

_Cheetahs are built for speed. I am speed. I AM a cheetah,_ Cullen thought to himself over and over again. If he could hold this thought, it would keep the other self-destructive thoughts about failing to reach his goal and the negative thoughts about Walker sabotaging him from re-entering his mind.

He readied himself in the starting block. Coach Bailey took his place near the starting line, which would also serve as the finish line.

"On your marks."

Cullen's butterflies went into overdrive. His breathing quickened. His anger about Walker overwhelmed him.

"Get set."

Cullen's heart beat even faster. He thought it would pound its way right out of his chest.

"Go!"

As Cullen bolted from the starting block, he noticed a strange sensation in his legs. Running seemed effortless, yet he was moving faster than he had ever done before. With every breath he felt a surge of oxygen entering his lungs that made him feel even more powerful. His spine seemed to spring effortlessly with the rhythm of each step on the track. Even though he was wearing the gym shoes he always wore, he felt as though his traction was better for some reason as he weaved around the two runners in front of him. He soon realized, however, that he was zooming even further ahead. _What is happening to me?_ Cullen thought to himself.

Not wanting to look suspicious, Cullen slowed down just enough to stay in the lead. He knew that there was no longer a need to worry about Walker, who was further back in the pack. How far back, Cullen wasn't sure, but it didn't matter now. He knew he was going to make the track team. It took him a couple of yards after passing the finish line to finally come to a full stop. He felt winded after the race, but exhilarated to know he had finished first. His anxiety and anger had now passed and was replaced by feelings of elation.

When he looked back across the track he saw Walker, looking very angry, brushing dirt from his knees and hands. Cullen looked up at Alyssa and Brayden who had excited, yet baffled looks on their faces. A glance back at Walker revealed that he was now bent down to tie his shoe.

"Ok, looks like Cullen, Ethan, and Brandon placed in the top three." The coach went on to talk about how well everyone had done and congratulated those who placed high enough to be on the team.

While he spoke, Cullen saw Walker, who was now standing off to the side of the other boys, looking angrier than he had ever seen. His fists were clenched at his side, his face was red, and his eyes were squinty with a mean look. Cullen wasn't quite sure who Walker was looking at, but he didn't want to be caught staring at him for fear of drawing unwanted attention to himself. He turned his attention back to the coach who was now telling the others that they were free to head back to the locker room to change clothes.

He told Cullen and the others who made the cut to stay behind. Cullen wondered if the coach was going to ask him about his extreme speed on the track. _Oh no,_ thought Cullen. _What if he thinks I cheated or something?_

"Listen up. Your first official practice as members of the track team will be Tuesday after school. Come prepared to work hard. If you have any questions, come to my office any time. Enjoy the rest of your day, gentlemen." And with that he turned to speak with the captain of the track team, who had just arrived from the locker room. _He didn't say anything about me. Maybe he didn't watch the whole race,_ Cullen thought with relief.

Cullen saw Brayden and Alyssa coming up to him. He turned to walk over toward them.

"Oh, man! What a race!" exclaimed Brayden. "You were on fire!"

"And did you see Walker?" added Alyssa, "I can't believe he tripped over his own shoelace. Talk about Karma!"

Brayden looked to see that most of the others had gone. He then took Cullen by the arm and led him in the opposite direction of the locker room. "We need to talk with you. In private." Alyssa smiled at Cullen as she followed alongside.

As they walked to a quiet spot near the other side of the track, Alyssa filled the void with a question. "Do you need to go to the locker room to change before we head out to celebrate?"

"No, I'm good."

Brayden stopped walking once they were far enough away from anyone to be overheard. Alyssa stood next to Brayden so they were both facing Cullen. "Ok, what's the deal? We've never seen anyone run like that."

"Yeah, it was kind of creepy," said Alyssa.

"What do you mean?"

"You were... it was like nothing I've seen... your legs..."

"I think what Brayden is trying to say," interrupted Alyssa in an attempt to clarify his thought, "is that you didn't look, well, human."

"What do you mean?"

Alyssa continued. "You ran so gracefully, yet so fast. You were, like, bounding along. It reminded me of those nature films where a big cat is chasing down its prey."

"That about describes it," added Brayden with a nod.

"You guys were probably sitting in the sun too long." Still, Cullen had been thinking so hard about running as fast as a cheetah that it seemed his wish had come true. _That can't be. This is real life, not some fairy tale._ Nevertheless, he had to admit that it freaked him out a bit that they were describing exactly the experience he had on the track.

He was uncomfortable talking about this and decided to change the topic. "What matters is that I made the track team. Let's not forget that! So, where are we going to celebrate? Mind if we go to the food court at the mall? I didn't eat much last night or this morning, and now that this is all over I can feel I'm starving!"

Nods of "yes" came from both Alyssa and Brayden, who took the cue to get going.

"Tell me more about Walker. What happened out there?" asked Cullen with enthusiasm as they walked off the field.

"It was too funny," Brayden replied. "He was off to a pretty good start, but when he got to the first turn he fell flat on his face. It looked like his shoe came untied and he tripped over his own laces."

"Like I said before...Karma. What goes around comes around," said Alyssa.

"Did Coach Bailey see it happen?" asked Cullen.

"I don't think so. He had a lot of runners to watch on the track and you guys were spread out a bit."

"Man, was Walker mad when he got up. I think I actually saw steam coming out of his ears." They turned to head toward the bus stop where they could catch a ride to the mall. All the while, Brayden talked excitedly about Walker's mishap. "Warren showed up just as the race started. I looked at him when Walker fell and I thought he...," but he didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. As the three of them turned the corner to go to the bus stop, they found themselves face-to-face with Walker who looked even more furious than before.
Chapter 7

"Cullen!" yelled Walker. Cullen's joy quickly left his body and was replaced with a sense of dread. "I don't know how you did it, but you'll pay."

"Did what?"

"You loosened my shoe lace on the starting block when I wasn't looking. Rigged it to untie during the race!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"He's really paranoid. Can't accept his own mistake," whispered Alyssa to Brayden.

"I heard that," said Walker. "You're both probably in on this, too."

Cullen just looked at him astonished by the accusation. It then hit him that Walker didn't make the team. And now he was blaming Cullen for his own failure.

Walker moved closer to Cullen with his fists clenched. "You will pay, painfully and repeatedly, for this." He raised his fist. Cullen, who felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead, took a step back. Brayden and Alyssa stood frozen, still stunned by Walker's bizarre accusation. Just as Walker pulled his fist back for a forceful punch, around the corner came a group of adults who stopped nearby. They were all talking excitedly. Walker lowered his fist thinking twice about turning Cullen into a bloody mess in front of a bunch of adult witnesses. He shot Cullen a look and said quietly so only Cullen could hear, "This isn't over." He then signaled Warren to come along, and they quickly took off down the nearest alley. Cullen felt as though his legs were about to give way under him.

"What was that!?" exclaimed Brayden. "Can you believe him? He's blaming you for his loss. He's the idiot who tied his own shoes. That just doesn't make sense. How can someone rig a shoe to untie? Unbelievable."

"He can't stand losing, and now you're on his hit list for it. You can't reason with someone like that."

"I'm glad it's Saturday. I have Sunday to write my last will and testament before he pummels me on Monday."

Brayden and Alyssa smiled at the joke, but knew that there was real worry behind the comment. They walked the remaining few feet to the bus stop in silence, occasionally looking over their shoulders just in case. They were able to get three seats together on the bus and spent the ride to the mall talking about Walker's need to blame Cullen for his loss.

"Come to think of it, have you ever seen him take the blame for anything?" wondered Brayden.

"Not really. He always points the finger at everyone else," offered Alyssa. Cullen nodded in agreement. They eventually started venturing guesses as to why Walker was such a jerk.

"I don't know how someone can become so mean," said Brayden. "Warren seems to be the only one he doesn't bully."

"They're an interesting pair."

"What do you mean?" asked Cullen.

"I don't think they are friends like we are. Maybe Warren is friends with him so he won't get bullied by him. You know, like a survival thing," suggested Alyssa.

"Naw, I think he's just as bad on his own, just not as smart," answered Brayden. "I kind of think he admires Walker."

"Maybe Walker likes having a slave, even if it is Warren. They're always together, and I bet Warren just says 'yes' to anything Walker suggests. Walker probably loves that kind of attention."

The bus came to a bumpy stretch of road where some sizeable potholes had developed. They laughed as they bounced off each other when the bus drove over a particularly big one.

"If they don't fix the road soon, the ride on the bus will be just as exciting as the thrill rides at _Six Flags_!" Brayden settled back in his seat and said with a dramatic flair, "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and experience the bus-eating potholes of Abaissement Road!" Cullen grinned at Brayden's impersonation of a circus ringmaster. Alyssa pursed her lips and looked out the window.

"Do either of you know anything about Walker?" asked Alyssa in an attempt to bring the conversation back to the original topic. Always the wannabe psychologist, it seemed she really enjoyed trying to figure this guy out.

"Other than his leaving the track team early last year to compete in that computer science thing, and his being high on my avoidance list, no," said Cullen.

"You just have to wonder what made him this way. You think his parents bully him?" asked Alyssa.

"Nah," replied Brayden. "A friend of Sam's once said that they're really nice people, but they let Walker get away with a lot at home. He rarely gets in trouble for anything." Sam was a friend of Brayden's who lived near Walker, but attended a private school instead of M.R. Rick Junior High.

"Have you seen Walker's house?" asked Alyssa. "They obviously have the money to buy him anything he wants, yet he seems like a very unhappy person. Just goes to prove the old saying....money can't buy happiness."

"Doesn't he have a brother or sister or something?" asked Cullen.

"Oh, yeah," replied Brayden after a moment of thought. "I think he has an older brother. Goes to Holland Park High School. Feel sorry for him having to live with Walker."

Just as Brayden finished his comment, the bus pulled up at the stop near the entrance of a large department store that anchored the north end of the mall. The three friends exited the bus and walked inside. They quickly scooted through the department store, holding their noses as they passed through the perfume section, which lead them into the open area of the mall. The food court was in the central part of the mall so they had to pass many tempting stores to get there. At one point, Cullen had to pull Brayden away from the window of a music shop. Alyssa got distracted by the book store.

Once at the food court, Alyssa and Brayden followed Cullen to his favorite spot. He really enjoyed the authentic tacos at the small Mexican food stand. As part of their celebration, Alyssa and Brayden paid for his meal. Cullen grabbed a table while the other two got their food. Adventurous Alyssa enjoyed the sushi at the Japanese stand, while Brayden went for the more traditional foods – pizza and fries.

As they ate, it was hard for Cullen to enjoy himself. He was mad that the encounter with Walker near the bus stop had dampened his celebratory mood, but soon he found his thoughts wandering back to the strange experience he had while running and he started wondering if it were linked to the coat. He decided to share his thoughts with Brayden and Alyssa. Even though he felt embarrassed, they were good friends and he knew he could rely on them to help him figure this out. He took a deep breath and decided to take the chance.

"I need to tell you guys about something, but you have to swear not to tell anyone else," He drew in closer to them, "or laugh at me or threaten to lock me away."

Brayden, who had a mouthful of pizza, could only nod "yes."

Alyssa had a curious look on her face, "Ok. What is it?" She attempted to pick up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks, but upon dropping it a few times grabbed it with her fingers, dipped it in her soy sauce, and tossed it in her mouth.

"Uh, I did have a weird experience while running the race." He turned to Alyssa. "Remember how you said I didn't look human?"

"Yeah."

"Well, how should I say it... um, I didn't feel human."

"What do you mean?" Brayden's words were slightly garbled as he spoke through a mouth full of pizza.

"You guys promise not to laugh, right?"

"We told you we wouldn't," replied Alyssa in a rather annoyed tone as she picked up her last piece of sushi with her fingers. "Just tell us already." Cullen wasn't sure if she was annoyed with the uncooperative sushi or his worries about them laughing at him.

_Here goes,_ thought Cullen. "Ok. When I was on the starting line, I tried to do what you said, Alyssa. I tried to relax and picture myself crossing the finish line, but..."

"It didn't work, did it," interrupted Brayden, who then turned to Alyssa and gave her a smug look. Alyssa rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, not exactly the way I thought. Anyway, I couldn't do it, so I tried thinking of something else, something connected to speed. Then it came to me...running as fast as a cheetah would be a sure way to keep away from Walker. I just kept thinking about having that type of speed and when I took off, I seemed to all of a sudden have that... skill."

"Explain." Alyssa held her chin in her hand listening intently to every word. Brayden nodded, also appearing completely engaged in what Cullen had to say.

"Let me give you what I know. Cheetahs are the fastest land animal. They can run as fast as 45 miles per hour when chasing a potential meal. In the last few minutes of the chase, they're capable of a short burst of speed – up to 70 miles per hour."

Cullen went on to explain that all of this is possible because of the cheetah's unique body type. They have large nostrils and lungs to help with quick air intake. Their paws provide good traction to maneuver around obstacles, and their long tails help them stay balanced. Their bone structure, springy spine, and thin legs also help them run quickly.

"It was so weird. My feet seemed to spring with every step on the track. I could breathe so clearly and fully. It was like I had the body of a cheetah. I felt kind of super-charged. Before I knew it, I was flying past everyone."

"Like I told you before, from the stands, you looked like a predator from one of those nature films chasing down its prey. So graceful, but so fast," Alyssa commented.

Cullen started to grow more excited as he spoke of the experience. "I've never felt like that before. It was amazing! Like I said, it was as if I had become a cheetah. The running came so easy, and I went so fast."

"You're not saying you think you became a cheetah. It's not like you morphed into another creature like something from a movie or a cartoon," said Alyssa.

"I know that," replied Cullen, "It's more like... I had the cheetah's talents."

Brayden stared at Cullen with a curious look. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were on something."

"All I can say is that it was a wonderful feeling... at first. As I came around the track, it started to creep me out that I was running so fast and my body was working in such a different way. It was then I decided to pull back so it wouldn't look so suspicious. I started to worry that the coach might think I was cheating or something, but I guess he didn't see it."

"Lucky for you." A puzzled look grew on Alyssa's face as she looked at Cullen.

"There's more." Cullen let out a big sigh. "Don't think I'm crazy, but I, well, I don't know how to say this. Now you guys are going to think I'm really weird."

Intrigued, Alyssa and Brayden pulled in closer to Cullen.

"Ready? Well, I think this has something to do with a coat my folks brought back for the shop."

"What do you mean?" inquired Alyssa.

Cullen gave them a detailed account of what happened the day he put the coat on. While he spoke, his friends stared at him with eyes like saucers.

"You said that at the end you heard animal sounds?" Brayden wanted to make sure he heard it right.

"Yeah. That's why I wonder if the coat had something to do with this."

"They got the coat from that shaman, didn't they?" questioned Alyssa.

"Uh huh. Remember when they said that he gave them the box for free because he was impressed with their love of Native American history? That's the guy they got it from."

Alyssa nodded. "Did your folks say anything more about him or the box of stuff after I left?"

Cullen shook his head "no" in response.

"Brayden, you've been pretty quiet." Cullen noticed that his friend was now leaning back in his chair. "What are you thinking?"

Brayden, who enjoyed mystical rather than scientific topics, asserted his belief that the shaman, the coat, and Cullen's love for animals may all be connected in what had happened. "Maybe the coat has some type of mystical power that gives anyone who wears it animal skills. You heard animal sounds, right? Isn't a shaman supposed to be magical or something? It was his coat, right? I bet because you wished so hard, it came true. Wouldn't it be cool if you've become some kind of a turbocharged-running, uh, cheetah-human? You could be like a superhero or something."

Alyssa interrupted Brayden's excited ramblings. "I have to admit that I don't know that much about what a shaman can and cannot do, but on the other hand, what happened to Cullen may be purely related to the thoughts and feelings he had before the race. People can sometimes do amazing things when they have a major adrenaline rush, which Cullen most likely had at the starting line. A purely biological response."

"Huh?" Brayden said with a perplexed look on his face.

"You know," explained Alyssa, "It's like those stories. A man picks up a car that is stopped on top of someone's foot. It's the intense emotion of the moment that brings on the strength. It can happen to anyone and has nothing to do with mystical coats and the powers of a shaman."

Either way, Cullen felt the whole thing was too weird, but he was curious if he could do it again. Although he understood the logic behind Alyssa's argument, there was a part of him that secretly hoped he had suddenly developed some type of superhuman skill that was given to him by the coat as Brayden suggested.

"I don't know about you, Alyssa, but I want to see that again," said Brayden. "If you can do this every time you race, you'll be unbeatable! And it would prove my point." Even though they were good friends, Brayden always looked for opportunities where he could prove Alyssa wrong.

Alyssa looked at them both. "There's a jogging path at the university where my dad teaches that not many people know about. Chances are we'll be the only one's there. Let's go there and see what happens."

* * * * *

Cullen ate his last taco on the bus ride to Denrael University. Because Alyssa's dad worked there as a professor in the architecture department, she knew the university well. She enjoyed using the library, often saying how well stocked it was with books and other resource material. Because of her frequent visits, many of the library staff members knew her and were happy to help find what she needed for school projects. Sometimes Cullen thought she was a bit funny about her exclusive use of the university library. The town had a perfectly good public library in his opinion. Nevertheless, there had been times when it came in handy for some of his reports.

At the university, they wandered through the main quad which was surrounded by several academic buildings and dormitories as well as many tall trees and well groomed bushes. A few college students wandered about the quad, but it was by no means crowded. They took a short cut to the rear of the physical plant building where the jogging path started. The first part of the path was straight as an arrow where it passed through a small cemetery. Then it took a turn toward a wooded area and disappeared out of sight. Just as Alyssa predicted, no one else was there. They had it to themselves.

"This should be a good place to give it a try."

Cullen stood at the start of the path with Alyssa and Brayden on either side. He jumped a little from side to side and wiggled his arms in an attempt to loosen up. He then took a deep breath, got into a starting position, and took off. To his dismay, nothing was happening. He went a bit further, but still nothing. No surge of oxygen in his lungs, no springy steps. He turned and walked back to the start.

"Didn't look like anything happened. You looked like you always do when you run," Brayden's sounded disappointed. "Did you feel anything like before?"

"No." Cullen sounded disappointed as well.

"Did you think anything before you ran just now?" Alyssa thought it would be important to do this just as it was at the tryouts.

"Not really. Why?" replied Cullen.

"You said that you were thinking about cheetahs or something. Try again, but this time, think some of those thoughts," suggested Brayden.

Cullen took a running stance and muttered under his breath what he could remember from before. "Run like a cheetah. I have the speed of a cheetah," but when he tried again, still nothing happened.

"Maybe you have to think that while you're running as well as when you start," Brayden thought aloud.

Cullen tried that strategy, but still he ran like he always did. He dragged his feet while walking back to the start point again.

"Try getting into the mindset of how badly you needed to stay ahead of Walker," suggested Brayden who was racking his brain for the right way to bring on the power.

"I don't think there's anything mystical about what happened at the track tryouts," said Alyssa after Cullen took several more unsuccessful attempts. "I think you had a major adrenaline rush based upon the situation you were in, plain and simple. You were flooded with all those feelings and that got you going. Just be glad you had it and that you placed on the team."

"But what about the coat?" asked Brayden.

"If you ask me, Cullen's doctor was right and he had some kind of flu bug. Sometimes people get delirious when they're not well."

"I guess you're right," sighed Cullen who knew that could be true. "I'm tired anyways. Let's go home."

They walked back to the bus stop to wait for one that would take them towards home. Brayden filled the time talking about being able to run fast like that on demand. "This is a real bummer. I really wanted to see you do that again. Could you imagine? You'd never have to wait for the bus, no bully could ever catch you. I wonder how fast you would burn through your shoes running like that."

While Brayden rambled on, Cullen decided that Alyssa was right. It was probably a one-time deal tied to a major adrenalin rush and he should just be grateful that things worked out in his favor. Even so, there was still a part of him that wondered if – and maybe hoped that – the coat was involved. Just to be on the safe side, he decided to hide the coat in his room when he got home. His parents still hadn't unpacked all of the boxes from their recent trip, which meant that the merchandise hadn't yet been inventoried. He could sneak it upstairs and stash it away in his closet until he felt absolutely sure Alyssa was right and there was nothing mystical happening here.

Chapter 8

When Cullen got home, he saw that his parents were busy packing up for another trip. With all the worry and excitement he forgot they had a retail convention to attend. He was able to easily slip down to the shop's storage room and bring the coat to his room. He still had the box from his videogame system in his closet and decided to hide it in there. As he shoved the coat in the box, he heard them calling him on the intercom. He decided to ignore it thinking that hiding the coat was more important than anything his folks could be calling him for. Satisfied that the coat was firmly in the box, he tucked it away toward the back of the top shelf in the closet. He went down to find out what his parents wanted. By the time he reached the kitchen, he saw his Aunt Sherise standing there, suitcase in hand, talking with his parents. As usual, she had come to stay during his parents' absence.

"So, how did it go at the tryout?" his mom asked as she turned to face him. "You snuck in so quickly I didn't have a chance to ask."

"You've been working so hard," added Aunt Sherise. "I hope it went well."

"As a matter of fact, I did make the team."

"Tell us all about it," his dad chimed in.

Cullen decided it was best to just explain the event without bringing up the weird cheetah experience. Instead he just talked about trying his best and how good it felt to have placed.

"We're so proud of you," his parents said in unison.

"For sure," added his aunt.

"Thanks," replied Cullen. He turned toward the pile of things his parents were packing. "I forgot you guys had to go to that convention thing."

His mom walked over to him. "This is the big one in California. Can't miss it, but I'm sorry we have to leave so soon." She gave him a rub on the back.

As usual, they were going to drive so they could meet up with local artists who might want to sell their items in the shop. They weren't sure how long they'd be gone, but promised Cullen they would return as soon as possible.

Although he was unhappy his parents had to take off so soon, he was excited to have more time with his Aunt Sherise. _Maybe she'll let me help out at the zoo on the weekend,_ he thought as a small smiled appeared on his face.

"Oh, by the way," said his dad, "I couldn't find you when Brayden called earlier."

"Bathroom," lied Cullen knowing it was the only logical place he could be and not respond to the intercom.

"He wanted to know if you were up to hanging out at the aquatic center today."

"Is that ok?" asked Cullen thinking that his parents might want him around to help with things before they left.

"Not a problem. Go have fun. Just be back for supper." And with that, Cullen ran to call Brayden back. As his dad had said, Brayden was looking to hang out at the aquatic center. The place had a wave pool and several indoor water slides. Cullen thought this would be a great escape from the things on his mind.

* * * * *

Soon Monday came. The day was like most any other day – sitting through class, taking notes, walking to the next class, talking with friends.

After lunch, Cullen meandered to his Spanish class. He took his assigned seat and proceeded to take his workbook out of his backpack. He looked around and saw the other students only had out a pencil.

_Oh no!_ Cullen thought to himself. _The Spanish test is today! I totally forgot to study over the weekend! Ugh!_

Sure enough, Cullen had forgotten to bring his Spanish work home on Friday. He had been too preoccupied with the track tryout. This was his toughest class. It never came easy. He had to work really hard for the grades he earned – lots of studying and after-school help from his teacher and he still earned only Cs. With all the effort he put in, he felt owed a few Bs or even an A now and then.

_Maybe everyone else was just slow about taking out their workbooks,_ he tried to convince himself, but when Señora Enseñar entered the room and told everyone to clear off their desks he felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of him.

Cullen tried to think positively, reminding himself that he had done all of the homework and had kept up on the class readings and assigned chapters. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, but despite his attempts to stay optimistic, he quickly went into a panic when Señora Enseñar picked up the tests from her desk and stood in front of the class. His heart began to race. His hands got shaky as he put his workbook back in his backpack. All he could think about was how badly he needed to do well on this test. He was hovering between grades and really wanted to improve.

Señora Enseñar passed out the tests and reminded everyone to keep their eyes on their own papers. "I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone that cheating will not be tolerated. Anyone caught doing so will earn a zero on the test and a trip to the principal's office." Even though she always gave the same warning, everyone knew cheating in her class was never a possibility because of her constant surveillance of the students as she wandered between the desks during the test. She said it in English, Cullen thought, to emphasize her point.

Ken passed the tests to Cullen over his shoulder. Cullen took one and passed the rest on to Helene behind him. He glanced at the questions, which were written in Spanish, as he put the test on his desk. He wasn't sure if he translated the first question correctly, and if he did, he didn't know the answer. A bead of sweat began to form along his brow. He had no clue what the second question was about. _I should know this. This isn't any different from the homework. Why can't I remember this stuff??!!_ His heart rate increased. His whole body felt warm. He re-read the first several questions over and over, but no luck. With every pass, the words seemed even more unfamiliar. His mind continued to race in an attempt to translate the questions and find an answer, but his searches came up empty. With his mind a complete blank, Cullen started to feel dizzy. And to make things worse, he became increasingly distracted by the noises around him. _If Ken doesn't stop tapping his pencil on his desk soon, I'm going to lose it. Helene needs to go get a tissue and stop the sniffling. I wish Señora Enseñar would close the windows. That barking dog is driving me crazy. I can't focus!_ A sick feeling began to develop in the pit of his stomach.

_Oh, man! What am I going to do? I know this stuff, but my mind is a complete blank!_ He took a deep breath, but the feelings of panic continued. _I need help! How can I be so stupid?_ He was growing angry with himself for forgetting to study. _Think! Think! If only I had the memory of an elephant._ Cullen knew they were intelligent animals with great memories that helped them to survive in the wild. _I need that kind of memory. If only I had the memory of an elephant then all of this would come back to me._

As soon as that thought finished, Cullen felt a sudden lift from his mental fog. Spanish words and the answers to the test flooded his head. He couldn't believe his luck! He frantically wrote down the answers and finished the test quickly. He looked around the room, pretending to stretch, and saw that everyone else was still working. He had never finished first before. Knowing he had more time left, he looked back at the test to check his answers. He felt confident he had answered every one correctly.

He was about to stand up and turn the test in when a concern entered his brain. _It will look suspicious if I get every question correct. I've never gotten that good a grade before and this was one of the toughest tests I've had from Señora Enseñar. I've never been done first, either. That would probably look weird if I was the first to turn in the test. Usually I'm the last one._ Cullen went back over the test and changed a few answers to wrong ones just to cover his tracks. Still no one else had turned in their tests. Cullen decided to pretend that he was still working, but instead his thoughts went to his sudden memory retrieval. It dawned on him that just like on the track, he found help through an animal skill. He also realized that in both situations he was angry and nervous in a major way. He knew that this couldn't be simply an adrenaline rush as Alyssa suggested. _Perhaps it's been the coat all along. The animal sounds....maybe I got some kind of power from the coat, but it only comes to me when I'm truly upset or something._

He looked up from his paper and saw that several students were turning in their tests. His mind drifted back to the coat. _Mom and dad said they got it from a shaman. Must be something to do with the shaman._ Knowing Alyssa's strength in finding information, he decided to ask for her help in researching a possible connection between the coat and some kind of mystical power source. This had now happened twice and he was beginning to think this was something he should learn more about.

Seeing that most of the class had turned in their tests, Cullen followed suit. He walked up to Señora Enseñar's desk, put his test with the others, and returned to his seat. He sat back down and put his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling contemplating his revelation. He quickly put his arms down when he noticed an unpleasant odor coming from his armpits. _I must have really been sweaty when I panicked! Yuck! I even stink like an elephant!_ He crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window. He hoped no one could smell him.

* * * * *

Cullen met up with Brayden at the library for study hall. It was hard for him to contain his excitement. The sudden recall of the test material, in his opinion, proved Brayden right. This was more than coincidence that he would have had the same type of experience from an adrenaline rush as Alyssa surmised. During each experience he gained the skill of an animal that had overtaken his thoughts. He couldn't wait to tell his friend, who was sitting at a corner table pulling a notebook out of his backpack.

"Brayden, have I got something to tell you!" Cullen put his books on the table and sat in the chair next to his friend.

"If you're going to tell me that you stink, the smell beat you to it," replied Brayden while he held his nostrils shut.

"Sorry." Embarrassed, Cullen scooted a few inches away from Brayden so as not to offend. He was at that awkward time in life where bodily smells were starting to get a bit uncontrollable. Getting really sweaty during the test didn't help any.

"You were right," he whispered.

"About what?"

"Shh." Cullen looked around the room. No one was near them. "The coat. I think it has some kind of mystical thing going on like you said."

Brayden just looked at him.

"It happened again while I was taking my Spanish test. Like at the track tryout."

"What, during the test you had a desire to run like a cheetah?"

"No. Just listen." He pulled in closer to Brayden. "I had so much on my mind with the track tryouts that I totally forgot to study for my Spanish test this weekend."

"Oh, man. That sucks."

"Totally! Anyway, when I saw that the test was today, I freaked out. I went completely blank when I tried to take it. Somewhere inside I knew that I should know the stuff. I was keeping up with the homework and I paid attention in class, but everything I knew was gone. The more I panicked the harder it was to think. I just stared at the paper and went into a tailspin. Suddenly, I wished for the memory of an elephant and just as I thought it, everything I know about Spanish came to me!"

"No way!"

"Oh, yeah, but I don't know what to think about what's happening to me."

"Both times you thought about an animal, and both times you were able to do what that animal does best. First you could run like a cheetah, and now you had the memory of an elephant."

"Weird, huh?"

Brayden leaned back in his chair and studied Cullen, who just stared back at him.

"We need to tell Alyssa. Think she can meet us after school?"

Cullen pulled out a piece of paper and thought for a moment. "I don't think she has anywhere to be after school. How about we meet at the basketball courts? We can find somewhere private once we're together."

"Sure."

Cullen scribbled a quick note: _"Meet Brayden and me after school by the basketball court. Seriously important. – Cullen."_

He folded the note several times, and put her name on top along with the word: "URGENT."

"Can you slip it in her locker before next period?"

"No problem," replied Brayden as he took the note and put it in his pocket. "You know," he continued. "If you really have some kind of power, it opens up a whole range of possibilities."

Cullen had been reflecting on the same thing, but he wasn't sure if these thoughts were good or bad.

* * * * *

Very few kids were at the basketball court after school, so they felt comfortable sitting down in a shady spot nearby. Someone was mowing a lawn nearby, so they felt it would be impossible for anyone to overhear their conversation.

"Well," said Alyssa as she waved the note in the air, "you've got my attention. What's up?"

Brayden and Cullen began speaking at the same time. The excitement between the two of them was electric.

"It happened again during..."

"I knew I was right. We need to..."

"I had all the answers come to me..."

"I am a bit weirded out..."

"Stop!" shouted Alyssa with outstretched arms that made her look like the referee in a wrestling match. "One at a time. I don't know what either one of you is talking about."

Brayden and Cullen simultaneously opened their mouths to speak, but quickly closed them again when Alyssa shot them a look.

"It's your thing, Cullen. You go first," said Brayden with a hint of disappointment that he couldn't gloat right away.

"It's like I told Brayden. The animal thing happened again."

"Do tell." Alyssa had a suspicious look on her face.

Cullen explained how he forgot to study for the Spanish test, that he couldn't remember anything at the time, and how important it was that he earn a good grade. He thought about elephants and was able to regain his memory for the material.

"You forgot to tell her how you got all upset," added Brayden. "I think that's important."

"Oh, yeah. When I realized that I was doomed, I completely lost it. That made it worse. You know, harder for me to think clearly. Then I got really mad at myself for forgetting to study."

"Then you started thinking about elephants," Alyssa said.

"Just like when I was thinking about cheetahs at the track."

"And boom!" said Brayden with delight. "He was able to remember everything, right?"

Cullen nodded his head.

"Let me make sure I have this straight." Alyssa had that same look her mom got when she was questioning a suspect. "You got to class and realized you forgot to study for the test. You needed a good grade, but you panicked when you saw the test. You got so worked up that it made it harder for you to think, even though you've been pretty good at keeping up with the work."

Cullen and Brayden nodded.

"Then you thought about elephants and their great memory. Out of nowhere, you were then able to remember everything for the test." She leaned back a bit and looked skyward. "Hmmm. Sounds like this happens only when you're emotions are charged up. Remember it didn't happen when we tried testing it at the university when you were in a calmer state of mind."

After hearing Alyssa replay the event and offer some speculation, Cullen thought it certainly sounded strange. Brayden, however, was too excited that he might possibly have been right all along to see the bizarre nature of the situation.

"I keep thinking about the coat," said Cullen after a few moments of silence. "Maybe what happened to me in the storage room was real. Maybe there is something mystical about the shaman's coat."

"We're going to have to find out if the coat is the cause," said Alyssa. "See what you can learn from the stuff your folks have from their trip. Didn't they say they had some documents or something from the shaman?"

"I think so. I don't remember." He turned to Brayden. "You want to come over this weekend and help me look through the papers?"

"Can't. My folks want me to help clean out the garage."

"Oh, man. You'll be at that all weekend for sure." The garage was so full of clutter that they couldn't park their cars inside.

"At least they're paying me double my allowance to help out. I really need the cash if I want to buy that new amp." Brayden's parents gave him opportunities around the house to earn money to buy his own music equipment.

"Guess they make you pay for that stuff to teach you responsibility with money," replied Cullen.

"Speaking of responsibility," interjected Alyssa with one raised eyebrow, "if it is true that you've got some kind of special power..."

"... or powers," interrupted Brayden with a hopeful tone.

Alyssa glanced at him with the same raised eyebrow. "... then you have to figure out what you're going to do with them."

"I've been thinking about that." Cullen leaned back on his hands and looked out into the distance. "If I can conjure up the skill of any animal, I could finally get even with Walker."

Alyssa looked at him with concern. She had a sudden sense of dread regarding his train of thought. She looked down at the ground and shook her head still fearful of where this was going.

"You know, the possibilities of revenge are endless. I could pummel him into the ground with the strength of a gorilla. Poison arrow frogs are quite lethal. No! I know! Box jelly fish are considered the most venomous animals around. I wouldn't want to kill him, though, just make him suffer and squirm for a while. Anyways, could you just see it?"

"Cullen, you've got to think even bigger. With animal powers, you could win any contest, like you did at the track tryout, or maybe even ace any test."

"Stop! What are you guys saying," exclaimed Alyssa. "I've never seen such a... an antisocial side of either of you."

"What? We were just having fun with it," defended Brayden.

Cullen sat forward. "Alyssa, you're taking it too seriously."

"And I'm afraid that you're not taking this power seriously enough," she replied with an angry tone. "If this is true, then you have a responsibility to use it in the right way."

"She's right, I guess," Brayden said directly to Cullen. "You don't want to get in trouble. On the other hand, you would be happier getting even with him."

"Be real. Cullen has to think beyond himself," reacted Alyssa with disgust in her voice. "You're reasoning is so immature. Listen to yourselves...'Don't act because you'll get in trouble.' 'It's ok because it will make Cullen feel better.' Come on. There's more here..."

"Well, I bet others would love to see Walker get his. Cullen could be acting for the greater common good. The kids at our school have a right to live bully free."

"Going after him would lower you to his level." She was annoyed with Brayden for interrupting. "But maybe," she looked off for a moment as she paused, "that depends on whether you act after he provokes you. You know, self-defense is often considered justifiable." She sighed and shook her head, "I guess this is a bit of a moral dilemma. Speaking of....do you consider yourself as having cheated in placing on the track team or on the exam?"

"I didn't think about that," said Cullen. "I don't know." He fiddled with his shoelace as he paused to think. "Probably not because I didn't know about this at the time."

"You need to think about what you're going to do in future races or exams. Do you want to feel good about yourself doing your best, with 'yourself' being the key word, or do you just want to win through any means. If that's so, then couldn't you say you're no better than Walker who threw dust in your face last year? Cheating is cheating."

"Stop preaching already. You're giving me a headache. Too bad you're too young to work for the FBI because you're torturing me with all that." Cullen rubbed his temples with both hands.

Alyssa looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry to go on and on. Who knows, this could have all been just a fluke and all this philosophizing about morals doesn't matter."

As they got up to leave, Cullen turned to his cousin. "You know, if this is a permanent thing, I'd do the right thing with it – not just because I don't want to get in trouble or because I want to get even with someone to make myself feel better."

"I know, but I've never heard you talk like that before. It was a bit frightening."

Cullen and Brayden shrugged at each other. In truth, they were both a bit surprised at themselves as well.

"I need to go back to my locker and get my homework," said Brayden as they started walking toward the school.

"Good luck with your homework!"

"Good luck with your headache!" replied Brayden who pointed at Alyssa as he spoke. She crinkled her nose back at him.

Cullen turned to Alyssa. "Do you mind walking home with me instead of taking the bus? I really don't feel like running into anyone right now."

"That's fine." And with that they turned toward the street.

They walked most of the way in silence. Alyssa didn't want to bring up the moral stuff again, but because that's all she could think about, she couldn't think of anything else to talk about. She felt it best to just stay quiet. Cullen truly had a headache and relished the peacefulness of their walk home. Their conversation haunted him for the rest of the week.

Chapter 9

Unsuccessful at finding any information about the coat in the documents his parents had from the shaman, Cullen decided to catch Alyssa as she left her chess club meeting after school and ask her for help. He found a seat on the floor in the hallway across from the room where the meeting was held. The door was closed so he couldn't gauge if the meeting was close to finishing. The floor was hard, and he wondered how long he could handle sitting there. He was seated in front of some lockers and he hoped that the lockers' occupants were not going to return because he didn't feel like moving. There were still a few students passing through the hallways either on their way home or to other after school activities. Since it was somewhat quiet where he was, Cullen decided to use the time to catch up on reading the assigned chapter in his biology textbook. As much as he liked the subject, it was hard to concentrate because his thoughts kept drifting to the coat. He grew increasingly frustrated as he kept re-reading the passages hoping to stuff more of the information on cell anatomy into his head. Eventually, he gave up, shoved the book back in his backpack, and instead stared at the door willing it to open.

After about five minutes, which seemed to pass at a snail's pace, he heard the sounds of laughter and chairs moving coming from the room. He quickly stood up, tucked in the back of his shirt, which had fallen out when he sat down, grabbed his backpack, and waited for Alyssa.

She was one of the last to exit the room. He noticed that she had a big, dreamy smile on her face, which turned to a look of surprise when she saw him waiting for her.

"Hey," she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you. What was with the grin on your face when you came out of the room? Did you kick some butt playing chess?"

"I always have a good time. You know me." Alyssa had a natural affinity toward chess. She had started playing when she was 7-years-old with her dad as teacher. She became good at the game quickly. She was a logical thinker, as her parents said, so it made sense she would be a strong chess player. During family gatherings, she would always try to get a game going, but it was usually with the other adults. Cullen was not keen to play with her any more since she won every game. Nevertheless, he admired her skill.

Alyssa beamed and giggled as she continued, "Today I found out I was elected President of the chess club."

"Congrats! "

Admittedly, this was great news for someone like Alyssa, but Cullen thought she seemed a bit gigglier than usual. Emotional control was another one of her strengths. Over the years Cullen learned that, although she would later admit to being nervous, scared, overjoyed, or whatever in various situations, she never showed it.

As they spoke, Alyssa also kept looking down the hallway as if hoping something or someone would suddenly materialize. Cullen pressed her.

"Sounds like there's more you're not telling me."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not often that I see you so giggly. And you keep looking down the hall. Something else happened to you today." Alyssa looked toward her shoes, but Cullen continued, "Come on, tell me or you know I'll just keep bugging you about it until you do."

Alyssa looked a bit embarrassed. Cullen knew that these emotional displays meant that it had to be big news.

"Ok, but you've got to keep it to yourself," whispered Alyssa this time looking him in the eyes. Intrigued, Cullen leaned in closer. "You know Aaron, right?"

"Yeah. He's in my Spanish class." Cullen replied. Aaron was slightly taller than Cullen with a slender, but muscular build, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was the kind of guy who was able to fit in with any group at school. He seemed to be equally welcomed by the athletes as he was with the kids in the math club. Cullen, who felt himself more likely to say the wrong things because he would get nervous, admired Aaron's chameleon-like ability to fit in.

"Well, I've always thought he was kind of cute... I hoped he might... I was trying... but it still took me by surprise," she stammered.

"Hoped he'd what?"

"Well, he asked me out. For Friday night!" She blurted out this statement with such excitement that she covered her mouth with her hands as if trying to catch the words before they came out. It was too late, however, as she could tell by the stunned reaction on Cullen's face.

"Back up. How did this all happen?"

As it was, Alyssa, being her logical self, had started over a month ago working on the problem of how to introduce herself to Aaron. _Go slowly. Don't want to freak him out by coming on too strong,_ she thought to herself. Having watched other girls in her class take a much more forward approach toward the boys they liked only to have it backfire, Alyssa thought it better to make her presence known with more delicacy. The added benefit was that if he turned out to be a total dweeb, she wouldn't have risked much.

She noticed that Aaron's history class was across the hall from her language arts class. They both had P.E. afterwards, but the boys and girls were separated. They were studying different units. The girls were learning the basic skills of water ballet, while the boys were working on weight training. One day, Alyssa lingered behind her other classmates waiting for Aaron to head for P.E. History was offered several times each day, and she had the section that was offered before Aaron's. She concocted a story where she had forgotten to write down the history assignment and planned to ask him if she could copy it from his notes. As luck would have it, he left the class alone that day. Following her careful plan, she asked and he offered her a look at his notes.

From that point on, they would walk and talk from their respective classes on the way to P.E. She found him funny and interesting. His family had spent a year living in London, England, prior to his coming to M.R. Rick Junior High. His dad had been transferred there as part of a work assignment where he was responsible for setting up a new factory. She liked listening to Aaron's stories about riding on the underground train system and learning about the various castles he had visited. Aaron found Alyssa's dislike for water ballet amusing.

"Really. What's the point?" she exclaimed one day as she mimicked some of the movements they were learning. Without being submerged in water, her flailing arms and attempts to kick her legs looked comical. "Now, if we were learning something useful like lifesaving skills, I'd be ok with it. And to make it worse, I really don't like walking around for the rest of the day looking like a drowned rat."

Over the past month, Alyssa and Aaron seemed to be getting along quite well. He even joined the chess club despite never having played the game before. According to Alyssa, Aaron asked her out while walking with her to the chess club meeting today. It seemed that her patience and careful thought had paid off. The only reason she wasn't with him now was that he had to leave the meeting early to help at his mom's bakery.

Upon hearing her story, Cullen offered her another congratulation and quickly changed the subject to his more pressing need.

"Alyssa," he started speaking rather slowly, "I was waiting for you because I need a favor." He began walking assuming she would follow.

"What do you want?" she looked at him with a sideways glance and remained where she stood.

Cullen backed up to where she stood and explained. "I need your help in the library Saturday. You're better at looking stuff up than I am. We need to figure out what's up with that coat. I couldn't find anything in the documents my parents had from the shaman."

Alyssa thought for a few moments before answering. She was being asked to give up a Saturday, probably one where she could earn some good babysitting money. On the other hand, she really wanted to help Cullen figure out how the coat might be connected to his newfound skills.

"Ok, but you need to do me a favor in return," she said at last. "You're asking me to give up a Saturday, which is my best day for babysitting. I can usually earn copious amounts..."

"Copious? The other day at the basketball court it was 'antisocial,' Another from the word-a-day calendar?" sighed Cullen.

Last Christmas he bought her a word-a-day calendar not realizing that it would come back to haunt him on a regular basis. He believed that she loved the gift as much as she did tormenting him with its big words.

"Yes, as a matter of fact 'copious' is today's word. It means 'plenty' as I'm sure you've guessed." Alyssa had developed a rather successful business babysitting neighborhood kids. Responsible and dependable were the words the children's parents used to describe her. She was so busy that she sometimes had to turn away business. "Anyway, I'll help you if you help me."

_Help her?_ Cullen thought. He wasn't sure if he should be curious or scared. Being as bright as she was, she rarely sought Cullen's help with anything. If she needed help with something, it must be big. "What do you want me to do?" he asked with some trepidation.

"As you know, Aaron asked me out for Friday night. Just a walk down to Mona Kahona Coffee Shop for some hot chocolate."

"I like him already. Good choice." Cullen thought of the last time he had one of their tasty treats. Like most coffee shops, they had a delicious variety of muffins, scones, and cookies.

"If you start drooling I'm turning around right now." Alyssa was annoyed at his distraction and the smacking of his lips. "I want you to come with. I'm a bit nervous about going just the two of us. I'd feel better if you were there."

"That would be too weird if I hung around on your date. No way." replied Cullen shaking his head. As much as he wanted her help with his problem, he thought being along on this "date" could get really uncomfortable.

Alyssa looked at her watch and realized that they would miss the bus home if they didn't get moving. She took Cullen by the arm and pulled him along.

"I wouldn't expect you to come alone. You need to bring a... a date." She looked at him for a reaction as they walked down the hall.

Cullen suddenly felt numb. Ask someone to come along on what now sounded like a double date? He wasn't dating anyone right now, nor was there anyone he was considering as a girlfriend at the moment. He had enough on his mind without having to worry about this dilemma, too.

"Uh, I'm sure you've noticed that I am spending most of my time with you and Brayden. Obviously, I am not..."

"I know," Alyssa interrupted, hoping to stop a potential torrent of excuses from Cullen, "But, I thought you could just ask someone to go with as a friend." She quickly added, "I'll give you some money so you don't have to use your own."

Cullen walked with Alyssa in silence through the school hallways as they headed toward the parking lot where the school bus would be waiting to take them home. He could sense some tension in Alyssa as she waited for his reply. They walked past the gym which was filled with the sounds of basketball practice. After passing through a long hallway of lockers, they wandered near the band room where they could hear some students practicing for an upcoming competition. They moved quickly through the last hallway before the exit to the parking lot where the bus was waiting. Along the way there were some students still lingering in the halls. Cullen hardly noticed any of this activity. It was Wednesday, and there wasn't much time to take care of this new problem. They came to the bus stop just in time to catch the last one home. As he took a seat next to her near the rear of the bus, he looked at her, sighed, and said, "Alright, but you've really got to come through for me in the library. You'd better help me find copious amounts of information." He smiled and added, "And I mean copious!"

Alyssa smiled. She always liked it when he tried to use her word of the day.
Chapter 10

Cullen knew he could turn to his aunt for advice, but he felt embarrassed talking about needing to find a date for Friday night. Arriving home, he went straight to his bedroom and remained there until called for dinner. He spent his time thinking about how to approach this uncomfortable subject.

Aunt Sherise called on the intercom that dinner was ready. He said he'd meet her in the kitchen, hoping that a few more minutes might give him a chance to figure out a way to ask her for help with the minimum of discomfort.

When he got there, Aunt Sherise already had dinner waiting on the table. She had made one of his favorite meals – a chicken and rice casserole. For dessert, she had brought home some brownies from Mona Kahona's. _Great. Another reminder,_ thought Cullen _._ He sat silent through most of dinner. He hoped that she interpreted his silence as his enjoyment of the meal.

Cullen offered to clean up after dinner so he could linger alone in the kitchen a while longer. Aunt Sherise thanked him and settled in the family room to watch _MythBusters_ , which was one of Cullen's favorites.

Once finished, he sat in the overstuffed chair next to the couch upon which Aunt Sherise had stretched out. As he sank into the chair, he asked if he could talk with her. On the television, two men on the show were working in a science lab to test the 5-second rule. (This rule assumed that it's ok to eat food that had fallen to the floor as long as it hadn't been there for more than 5 seconds. Cullen thought that this was a particularly useful piece of science seeing as he had eaten plenty – or should he say copious – amounts of M&M's shortly after they had hit the floor when they slipped through his fingers.) He kept an eye on the show as he began to explain his situation to his aunt when an idea struck him.

"Science! That's it! My biology class!" he exclaimed interrupting his own replay of the conversation with Alyssa. Aunt Sherise stared at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"I know," he continued, "I should talk to Dawn about it."

Dawn was Cullen's lab partner in his biology class. He was always grateful to have been assigned her as his lab partner. She was smart, funny, and most importantly, not afraid to get her hands dirty with the lab work. She never shied away from any science activity no matter how smelly or gross.

"I think you've mentioned her before. Isn't she your lab partner?" asked Aunt Sherise. "I don't think I've met her. What's she like?"

Cullen described her, starting with the qualities he liked about her as lab partner, but then moved on to her physical appearance and personality. Dawn was a petite girl with delicate features. She usually wore her long brown hair pulled back. Rarely had Cullen seen her in a dress of any kind. She preferred to wear jeans and hoodies. And to Cullen, her natural beauty was as appealing as her intelligence, good sense of humor, and kindness to animals. Dawn was heavily involved in volunteer activities at the local animal shelter. Looking at his aunt's expression, he suddenly became conscious of the fact that he was blushing as he spoke. He grew warm inside as his aunt's eyes surveyed his face.

Aunt Sherise smiled at him and took hold of his arm. "I'm going to ask you a very important question."

Cullen wasn't sure if he wanted to know what her question was and he had the strong urge to flee the room. He was feeling somewhat vulnerable, but he reminded himself that it was his aunt with whom he was speaking. It wasn't like he was talking to Brayden, who would have had a field day with this new information.

"Are you asking her to go as a friend so you can help Alyssa, or do you want to ask her out because you like her?"

This question was what he had feared. His mind raced with how to respond, but before Cullen could reply his aunt continued, "The reason I ask is this – she is your lab partner and from what you have said it sounds like you both have a great time in class together. If you ask her out as a date and it doesn't work out, the rest of the year in biology lab could be really awkward."

"I know you're still young," she continued, "but I'd hate to see you make the same mistakes made by those of us who are supposed to be older and wiser." Aunt Sherise went on to discuss an acquaintance who decided to date a co-worker and how uncomfortable it was when it didn't work out. "As a matter of fact," she added, "this person eventually left that job and went to work elsewhere because it was so awkward coming to work. Switching to another biology class or lab partner wouldn't be an option for you. I suggest that you be careful."

Cullen thought about this for a moment trying to digest what she said. He wasn't sure he was ready for all the complexity of the adult world.

"Are you saying I shouldn't ask her?" asked Cullen now feeling a bit heartbroken. It was only just now that he realized he did like Dawn enough to ask her out on a date.

"No. I think it would just be smarter to clarify that you are going out as friends. Once you are no longer sharing biology lab, then you might be in a better position to ask her out. In the meantime, look at this as a great way to get to know her better and for her to come to appreciate your winning personality!" She smiled at him as he considered her words.

* * * * *

Cullen spent most of that night wondering how to ask Dawn for her help while following his aunt's advice. He knew he had to do it tomorrow. Waiting until Friday was too last minute, but he would have preferred the extra day to mull his predicament over. He eventually fell asleep, but the morning seemed to come quickly. His preoccupation continued as he picked at his breakfast. This distraction also played havoc with his attempt to get ready for school – he initially forgot to put toothpaste on his toothbrush, and he didn't realize he put on mismatched socks until he was already on the bus and had bent down to re-tie a shoe.

Somehow he managed to get to his first period class, but he didn't have a clear memory of how he did this. His brain was clouded with his anxiety about facing Dawn in their third period biology class. Fortunately, first period PE was not mentally demanding, but he was not as lucky in his second period algebra class. He was sure Mr. Maloney called on him to answer a question about a particularly tricky formula because he caught him staring at the clock.

Cullen took his time walking to his third period biology class so he wouldn't run into Dawn in the hallway. He got there just before the buzzer and quickly took his seat. He was so lost in his thoughts that it wasn't until he looked up that he saw Dawn wasn't there. He felt an odd mixture of relief and panic.

_Well, I have more time to think this through about Dawn, but I don't know what to do for Friday. I'm going to have to bail out on Alyssa. I hope she won't be too mad at me,_ Cullen thought to himself.

Cullen managed through the rest of his morning classes, but felt ill at ease not sure how to tell Alyssa. They shared the same lunch period and there would be no avoiding telling her he was not going to be joining her and Aaron Friday.

Alyssa saw him enter the lunch room and signaled him to come over. Seeing that she was seated with others from the chess club, he joined her. Today they were busy discussing what to do for an upcoming district-wide competition. Cullen appreciated that there was no pressure for him to participate in the conversation. He could just sit and eat.

After lunch, he pulled Alyssa aside and explained his situation.

"I was going to ask Dawn, you know, my lab partner, but she wasn't there today. She was the only one I could think of."

Looking disappointed, Alyssa gathered her belongings from the lunch table. She looked up and smiled kindly at Cullen. "I know I sprang this on you with little time to find someone. Thanks, though, for trying."

She turned to leave the cafeteria. Cullen walked with her to her locker. As they turned the corner, he saw Dawn pulling books from her locker. He grabbed Alyssa and they headed in her direction.

"Dawn!" Cullen called out. "Where were you this morning?"

"I had a dentist appointment. Just got here. Did I miss much in biology?"

"Not much, but he did give us a rather large homework assignment that will be due Monday. He let us have some time in class to work on it. I got some of it done...," but as he spoke, Alyssa elbowed Cullen and gave him a look suggesting that he should get moving about Friday.

"You know my cousin, Alyssa," he said rubbing his arm where Alyssa jabbed him.

After they exchanged hellos, Cullen continued, "I don't want this to sound weird, but I've got a favor to ask you."

"Actually _we've_ got a favor to ask," added Alyssa. Considering how sweaty Cullen was getting, he was glad to have some backup.

Alyssa explained that she had asked Cullen along on this first date with Aaron to Mona Kahona's so that she could feel more comfortable. "But I'm worried that Cullen feels weird about coming along with us." Alyssa thought it would be easier on Cullen if Dawn volunteered to go.

Sure enough, Dawn spoke as if she knew Alyssa's plan, "I love Mona Kahona's! If you want, I could come along, too."

He had to hand it to Alyssa. She was a quick thinker and knew how to take an opportunity when it presented itself. Problem solved. He could help Alyssa, enjoy time with Dawn outside of the biology lab, and there was no pressure of this as a date.

"That would be great." Alyssa had a wide smile on her face. "I owe you both big time for helping me out."

"But I need a favor in return," added Dawn as she turned to face Cullen. "You'll let me copy what you've got done for the biology homework, right?"

"Deal," said Cullen with some relief that there wasn't more to it. Favors had been growing really complicated lately.

"Alyssa, when are you meeting Aaron?" asked Cullen.

"He's going to come by my house around 6:30. Cullen, why don't you and Dawn meet at my house at 6:30 and we can all walk over together," replied Alyssa. Cullen looked at Dawn, but she was looking at Alyssa.

"Does Aaron know that you're not going out with him alone?" inquired Dawn. "I mean it would be quite a surprise if we're all there waiting for him."

"I told him that I might ask my cousin and a friend to come along. He seemed ok with it. Come to think of it, he looked a bit relieved," answered Alyssa.

Alyssa gave Dawn directions to her house and thanked her for coming along. Cullen just smiled.

* * * * *

"So, how'd it go today?" asked Aunt Sherise. Cullen had been home for an hour before she got back from work. She came up to his room after taking a quick shower to remove the smells of the zoo.

He explained how Alyssa had helped him out. "She's a clever one, that girl," replied Aunt Sherise after hearing that all had worked out well. "Hungry?"

"Starved," replied Cullen.

"Let's order pizza for dinner. I don't feel much like cooking tonight." Cullen thought pizza sounded good.

After the pizza arrived, they sat across from each other at the kitchen table.

"Anything exciting at the zoo today?" asked Cullen.

"As always." She continued to talk while they ate. "We were testing out a new type of transmitter to keep track of Inca terns."

"Are they endangered?"

"Sadly, yes." She paused to take a few bites of pizza. "There have been some changes to their natural habitat, so we're trying to better monitor their behavior."

"Changes?"

"Yes, there are some proposed changes to an area within the region where these birds live. We need to first track and study their behaviors in the wild so we can make sure that the changes won't impact their survival."

"So what happened with the transmitters?"

"They need to be secured to the leg so it won't come off, but in a way that won't make it hard for them to function normally. Our first attempts were unsuccessful. The harness holding the transmitter slipped off immediately, so we tried some harmless non-toxic glue, but it didn't hold long. Leg bands proved to work the best."

"That's good."

"You bet, but it was a messy job. The poor thing was frightened while we worked with her...pooped on my shoes twice while I was holding her. Nevertheless, we can finish up with the other birds tomorrow and get our project underway. A little poop on my shoes is a small price to pay for helping these birds out." Cullen couldn't help seeing the similarities between the Inca tern and his own life. When things in his environment were changed it always affected the way he felt and what he wanted to do.

He enjoyed listening to his aunt's zoo stories, but his mental exhaustion overwhelmed him. As soon as he finished eating, he went to his room, collapsed on his bed, and fell asleep without changing clothes.
Chapter 11

Friday came and Cullen's day at school went smoothly enough. He was glad that biology was spent in the lecture hall where his assigned seat was on the other side of the room from Dawn. He was nervous enough about the evening's events. Before all this he was comfortable around Dawn, but now he worried about saying or doing something stupid in front of her.

At the end of the school day, Cullen ran into her on the way to the bus and said that he'd see her later on. She smiled and hurried off to catch her own bus. Shortly thereafter Cullen found Brayden already seated in the back of their bus home. He sat down next to him and decided to tell Brayden about what was going on this weekend. He tried to put the emphasis on Alyssa so as to minimize how much Brayden could question him. To Cullen's relief, Brayden wished him luck and then spent the rest of the time complaining about his own weekend. Brayden's parents had a cottage on a lake a few hours away. Some of Brayden's weekends were spent fixing up the place. This weekend he had to help build the stone fireplace. "I don't see why they just don't hire someone to do it. I don't get how this is supposed to 'build my character'." He didn't stop complaining until they got off the bus and went their separate ways home.

Cullen climbed up the stairs to the living room, took off his backpack and jacket, turned on the television, and vegged out. His aunt wouldn't be home until 6:00, so he'd have to make himself a sandwich for dinner. After eating, he went upstairs to change clothes. It was supposed to be rather cool in the evening. He put on a clean pair of jeans and his favorite sweater. Just as he had finished dressing, he heard his aunt come in.

As he came down the stairs, his aunt, who had been on her way up the stairs to find him, stopped him on his descent and attempted to straighten his hair. "You look just fine," she said with an assuring tone. Trying not to be rude, Cullen pulled himself away and grabbed his jacket. He couldn't handle too much fussing over him right now.

"Cullen, wait," she said with a serious tone in her voice, "I need to talk to you before you go. This is important. It's about curfew. You need to be back by 8:30."

Cullen, whose back was to her when she said this, rolled his eyes. Even though she didn't have any children of her own, she could sure sound like someone who had been a parent for a long time.

"No problem," he said as he headed out the door.

"Will you stop walking toward the door and listen to me?! I mean it! 8:30. Not 8:40 or 8:45," continued Aunt Sherise. Cullen was on thin ice about curfew. "Twice in the past you've come in late and I let it slide, but I can't this time. I spoke with your parents and they said if you don't follow the rule, you're grounded for a week, including the weekend."

Cullen had a bad habit of forgetting about the time when he was out with Brayden, which is what caused him to break curfew as his aunt reminded him. He didn't see what the big deal was, though. He was late because they had a tendency to get caught up in the videogames they were playing. It wasn't like they were out causing trouble. Having avoided a punishment the last two times, Cullen wondered how serious his aunt really was.

As if she could read his mind, Aunt Sherise tapped his arm and said, "I am dead serious about this. I'm responsible for you when your parents are away and they're counting on me to make sure you're safe. Don't push me into doing it. Do us both a favor and just follow the rule."

He quickly realized that she was serious. He needed the weekend to hit the library with Alyssa, so he didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize his being able to get out of the house.

"Ok, I understand. Can I borrow your watch? I don't know where mine is."

"Here." Aunt Sherise handed him her watch. As watches go, it was the kind that both a man or woman could wear, but Cullen found its many features confusing and a bit intimidating. He was always careful not to mess with the buttons for fear of breaking it.

"Just remember that a watch is no good unless you look at it every now and then," said Aunt Sherise with a smile. "And please be careful with it. You know that watch is my favorite. Anyway, have fun!" And with that Cullen walked out the door.

* * * * *

It was somewhat brisk outside, but Cullen liked the cooler weather. The chilly wind picked up as he made his way toward Alyssa's house. Fortunately, it was only a quick two block walk until he reached his final destination.

Alyssa lived in a traditional type of two-story house with a huge backyard that backed up to a wooded area. Cullen and Alyssa had spent many hours together during their childhood exploring the area behind her house. When they were younger they enjoyed following animal tracks, collecting bugs, and climbing trees.

As he approached her front door, he could hear two girls' voices inside. _Dawn must already be here,_ he thought to himself. Although he was not sure why, he had hoped to get there first.

He knocked on the door and both girls came to greet him. Dawn was wearing jeans and a hoodie, but she let her hair hang down naturally rather than pulling it back as she usually did. Alyssa was dressed in her favorite polo shirt and khaki pants.

After they greeted each other, Alyssa announced that Aaron wasn't there yet. They all stood there for a moment, not sure what to say next. Cullen suggested they play a videogame; Alyssa and Dawn followed him into the family room. Just as they got the game system running, the doorbell rang. A quick peek out the window revealed that it was Aaron.

Alyssa saw her dad coming from the kitchen to answer the door. "I'll get it!" she hollered.

"Wise choice," her dad called back. "You know I'd do my best to embarrass you!"

Alyssa laughed because she knew there was some truth to that. He could be a bit of a joker.

Cullen could see that Alyssa was working hard to contain her excitement. She ran to the door, pausing by the mirror to check her hair, and after feeling that she looked presentable, let Aaron in.

Cullen and Dawn came into the foyer where Aaron and Alyssa were standing. After a brief discussion about walking to Mona Kahona's, Aaron suggested that they get going. The others grabbed their jackets and started toward the door.

"Hold up," called out Alyssa's mom who was standing in the hallway that led from the kitchen to the front door. Her dad was standing behind her mom looking over her shoulder. "We haven't had a chance to meet your new friends."

Alyssa turned and quickly introduced Aaron and Dawn. As they exchanged words, Alyssa found herself impressed with how well Aaron did meeting her parents.

"Hope you all have fun at the coffee shop," said her dad. "Oh, and don't forget to be back by 9:00 Alyssa."

"I know," replied Alyssa as she opened the front door.

"Oh man," sighed Cullen. "You're so lucky. I have to be back by 8:30. And I've broken curfew twice, so I really have to be home by then or I'll be in big trouble."

"That sucks," empathized Aaron. "I don't have to be home until 9:00 either."

"Same for me," added Dawn.

Cullen felt rather lame having the earliest curfew.

For the walk to Mona Kahona's, they divided into pairs. Aaron and Alyssa led the way. From behind them, Cullen could see that they were getting along well. They talked and laughed the whole way there. He wondered if they had forgotten that he and Dawn were behind them.

Dawn and Cullen spent the time talking about biology, videogames, and the animals she recently worked with at the shelter. He really enjoyed the walk. He felt as though he had left his nervousness behind at Alyssa's house.

By the time they got to the coffee shop it was quite crowded despite its large size. The noise from all the patrons was loud. During the week, it was easy to find a place to sit, and it was usually quiet so that students could relax and do homework as Cullen liked to do sometimes. Weekends, however, were a different story. There was usually live music after 9:00 on Friday and Saturday nights. Tonight's musical group was a local jazz trio that had a steady following of college students from the nearby university. They seemed to be filling in early to get good seats.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," said Dawn. She was feeling a bit uneasy about there being so many college students inside.

"It really is crowded," responded Alyssa, who was feeling the same way. "Let's head down to the park instead."

"Good idea," agreed Aaron and they headed off. Not far away from the coffee shop was a popular neighborhood park. Large and well-landscaped, it had many gazebo-like shelters, winding paths, and a brand new play area. Near the south side of the park ran a rather wide creek. A bridge linked the park to a forest preserve area that ran alongside the local police department.

As they entered the park through the main pathway, they noticed that a lot of people were there. Some joggers were working their way down the paths. A few children with their parents watching over them were playing on the swings and slides. Some of the gazebos were already occupied with what appeared to be the rest of the university's students who were also denied seating at the coffee shop.

Aaron spotted an empty gazebo and they ran to grab it before anyone else claimed it. They sat down, much to Cullen's relief, and talked without any awkward silences. He had worried that they might run out of things to say.

It was warmer in the shelter of the gazebo. Cullen took off his jacket. Alyssa soon took hers off as did Dawn and Aaron. As their time together wore on, it became obvious that Aaron was looking to get Alyssa alone. He was talking only to her, and he seemed to be leaning closer to her every time Cullen looked over. Apparently Aaron's confidence had grown during their time together.

Aaron asked if she would like to take a walk to the creek and Alyssa agreed. As they wandered off, Dawn turned to Cullen and whispered, "It looks like she really doesn't need us as an air bag anymore."

"Well, I guess you never know." Cullen was nervous again that he was left alone with Dawn. He wondered if going for a walk with her might help him feel calmer, but he realized that they should stay put. "I was thinking we could walk around, but I suppose we should wait here for them to get back. Besides, they left their jackets behind."

Cullen's nervousness clouded his mind and he wasn't sure what else to talk about. The few seconds of silence that followed felt like an eternity. He was so grateful when Dawn broke the silence by asking him about the biology homework. From there, they found other things to talk about. As they spoke, Cullen leaned back on his hands and felt a sharp pain on his wrist.

Looking down, he realized it was the watch he had borrowed from his aunt. He hadn't looked at it all evening. He had no idea what time it was. He looked at the watch and felt a surge of panic run through him.

"Oh, no! It's 8:00! I have to be back by 8:30 or I'm grounded," Cullen exclaimed as he jumped up and ran to the opening of the gazebo.

"Going to turn into a pumpkin?" teased Dawn.

"I've gotten off the hook twice for breaking curfew this month, but my aunt sounded really serious this time. 'Grounded for a week,' she said."

"Well, you take off and I'll wait for Alyssa and Aaron," offered Dawn.

"I don't feel right leaving you here to wait for them. That's not fair to you. We just have to find them," said Cullen. Although he didn't say it out loud, he also felt a duty to make sure his cousin got home safely.

His brain was full of mixed thoughts and emotions. He was worried about being late and getting grounded, and mad at Alyssa for disappearing on him. Knowing that they went off toward the creek only complicated matters. They probably continued to the forest preserve and he couldn't go running into the preserve yelling for them because of the police station that was nearby. All that kind of shouting was likely to draw unwanted attention from the local authorities.

His heart raced with worry, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and knots were beginning to form in his stomach. As his emotions grew, Cullen thought he might be able to tap into his new skills as a means of finding Alyssa and Aaron. First, he had to think of what animal skill could help in this situation. As he thought, he looked over at Dawn who was picking up Aaron and Alyssa's jackets. While looking at her, his brain drew a connection between Dawn and the animal shelter at which she volunteered. He remembered her talking about her work with some of the dogs that were brought in.

_That's it._ Cullen thought to himself. _A bloodhound._ He knew that breed of dog and its incredible sense of smell. He had read that they are great at tracking because their noses can pick up the scent of skin cells that fall off a person and get left behind. As he looked at his watch again, he was flooded with anxiety.

Other thoughts entered his brain. _How could Alyssa ditch me like this?! I can't believe she took off and forgot I can't break curfew again. Where is she? I can't be late! I can't get grounded! Bloodhounds, I need to have their sense of smell,_ he thought trying to push the other thoughts out of his head. _I need be able to smell like a bloodhound....I need to...._

But before he could finish the thought a second time, he was flooded with smells from the surrounding area. Some were pleasant, like those from the pine trees nearby; others less so. One smell in particular he thought was related to a rather loud belch he heard recently from a neighboring gazebo. It caused him to involuntarily crinkle his nose because it was so pungent. He suspected someone had eaten quite a bit of garlic at dinner.

The problem Cullen faced now was that he had to get a good smell of Alyssa's jacket so he could get her scent without Dawn seeing him do it. He thought she would surely think him really weird if she caught him sniffing his cousin's jacket.

Dawn, who had already picked up Alyssa and Aaron's jackets, muttered something about how she should have put hers on first. With that, an idea struck him that was inspired by his parents' many discussions on the importance of being polite and considerate of others.

"What type of gentleman would I be if I let you carry all those jackets. Here, put yours on." Cullen handed Dawn her jacket. To take the jacket Cullen was offering her, Dawn had to put down Alyssa's and Aaron's jackets, which Cullen quickly picked up after zipping his own shut. Cullen placed Alyssa's jacket on top of Aaron's, and faked a sneeze, which allowed him to bury his head in Alyssa's jacket. He took a great big whiff. He sensed a mixture of her personal smells coupled with a flowery shampoo and soap. He was grateful that they were downwind from the forest preserve. He figured it would be easier to pick up her scent that way.

"Did you just use her jacket as a snot rag?" giggled Dawn. Cullen blushed, but thought it better she think him a bit of a slob than having to suffer the consequences of being grounded for a week.

"It came on so quickly and I didn't have time to turn my head," apologized Cullen lamely. He took a big sniff of the air, pretending to clear his nose, and caught wind of Alyssa's scent. "Let's go on toward the bridge. We should find them there." Cullen led Dawn away from the gazebo.

Dawn looked at Cullen as they reached the deserted bridge. "Probably went off into the forest preserve," she offered. They hurried down the main path with Cullen in the lead and Dawn close behind. As they scurried, Cullen purposely came close to the trees whose branches had caught some of Alyssa's scent as she brushed by them earlier.

They walked quickly in silence. To Dawn, Cullen appeared so focused on finding Alyssa that she felt it would be detrimental to interrupt his thinking. Soon he noticed that the smells left the main trail, suggesting that Alyssa had veered off toward a small clearing.

Cullen came to a sudden stop, which caused Dawn to collide forcefully into his back.

"Sorry."

"Why did you stop? I haven't heard or seen any trace of them yet," said Dawn rubbing her nose which had made direct contact with the back of Cullen's head.

So much did he envy Alyssa's ability to be a quick thinker. He couldn't very well tell Dawn that Alyssa's scent indicated she had gone toward the clearing. He needed to think of some reasonable explanation for his behavior.

"Well..." His mind raced for an excuse. "I thought... well, sometimes she...," but as he stammered they heard familiar voices coming from the clearing. Cullen raced ahead of Dawn and found Aaron and Alyssa walking toward him.

"What are you guys doing out here?" asked Alyssa seeing that Dawn was trailing behind Cullen. They all started walking toward the bridge back to the park.

Although Cullen's immediate need to find them was based upon his need to be home on time, he was admittedly curious as to what Alyssa and Aaron were doing alone in the clearing. He knew that this could have been the moment of her first kiss. He couldn't very well express his curiosity with Aaron around, though. Regardless, he was still annoyed at her for taking off and not coming back.

"I told you I had to be back home by 8:30!" Cullen was really trying to control himself. "If I'm not back, I'm grounded for the week including this weekend." He gave Alyssa a look to remind her about the importance of using this weekend to learn about the coat and what was happening to him.

"We'd better hurry then," responded Aaron sympathetically. He went on to talk about how he lost "screens" for a week because of the same thing. Losing "screens" at his house meant no TV, videogames, or computer. "It really sucked," continued Aaron. "Longest week of my life." Cullen figured that Aaron's favorite things to do revolve around movies and videogames. _Gotta like the guy,_ he thought.

Cullen left Alyssa and Aaron at Alyssa's house. He felt good knowing she was home safe. He could get the details on her alone time with Aaron tomorrow at the library. He walked quickly with Dawn to the street that would lead to her house. From there it was only one block to get home.

"I'd walk you home, but you know." He pointed to his watch. He had five minutes.

"No problem. I'll see you Monday. Oh, and I had a great time." She was smiling as she spoke. "Go, before you're grounded!"

Cullen could only offer a smile. He didn't know what to say, but inside he was happy they got to spend some time together. He waved and ran down the street as fast as he could.

Upon emerging through the front door into the living room, Cullen saw Aunt Sherise standing in silence pointing toward the clock on the wall. He was out of breath from running. It took a few seconds before it registered to him that the clock read 8:35.

Aunt Sherise let out a big sigh that Cullen interpreted as her disappointment in his being late. Cullen realized, though, that it should not have taken him that long to get from Dawn to the house. He had left Dawn with five minutes to spare. It was only a quick run from there to his house. He looked at his aunt's watch that he was still wearing. It read 8:28.

He walked over to her with a smirk on his face while removing the watch from his wrist.

"8:28," he stated, "as your watch reads." He placed it in her hand.

She furrowed her brow while taking the watch from him checking the time he had recited. Knowing that his fear of breaking her watch meant he didn't alter the time it read, she couldn't justify grounding him. "Next time we'll sync up so there's no confusion."

Cullen took this to mean he was not in trouble. He smiled at her and started off toward his bedroom. He felt it best to get there as quickly as possible so he didn't do anything to further push his luck.

"How did it go?" Aunt Sherise called out after him.

"I had a good time," Cullen said over his shoulder as he continued walking. "Can we talk in the morning? I'm really tired."

"That's fine. I'm sure you and your friends had a fun and exciting time," replied Aunt Sherise. "See you in the morning."

_She had no idea how exciting it really was,_ Cullen thought to himself.

And with that he went off to his room. As he settled into bed, he replayed the evening's events in his head. Two things happened that gave Cullen a sense of satisfaction. First, he had a great time with Dawn without compromising their relationship as lab partners. Second, he had successfully used one of his animal skills. He was quite pleased with himself.

Eventually he drifted off to sleep. It was one of the better night's sleep he'd had in a while.

Chapter 12

While Cullen was busy that evening discovering and using a bloodhound's skills, another kid in his neighborhood was making discoveries of a different kind. Walker sat alone in his bedroom looking pleased with his most recent accomplishment. His dad, vice president of a large software company, was working late, and his mom, a marketing strategist, was in another part of the country helping set up a new sales office. During their absence, Walker's grandmother came to look after him and his older brother, Marcus.

Walker and Marcus lived in a house reflective of their parents' earning power at work. The house was so large that his parents often joked that another family could move in and they would never know it. With Marcus at a friend's house, Walker basically had the place to himself. His grandmother was in the kitchen making lots of noise baking treats for a local charity event, so he knew she couldn't hear him talking on the phone in his bedroom, even with the door open.

His spacious bedroom looked like an electronics warehouse. He had every possible gadget known to man. The desk underneath his loft bed held his desktop computer and color laser printer. The corner desk near the floor-to-ceiling window was where he kept his laptop. Next to that desk were two bookshelves containing many resources on computer programming and computer design. Tucked away in his walk-in closet were a terabyte server, a wireless router, and a locked file cabinet where he kept papers he considered important. Hanging on the wall near his bed were several plaques and ribbons he had won for his talents at writing computer programs. On the floor on the other side of the room were two oversized robotic massage chairs that contained hookups and speakers for MP3 players. Across from the chairs a large plasma television took up most of the space on the wall. Hooked up to it were several videogame systems; however, Walker rarely had time to play these days. He was busy with other things.

Despite being dark outside, his room was lit by a single table lamp that cast odd shadows on the other side of his room. Walker sat at the corner desk in front of his laptop computer. With the room so dimly lit, the glow from the screen that illuminated his face made him look all the more sinister. Having just discovered a way to make his project work, he excitedly reached for the phone to call Warren. He cradled the telephone receiver between his chin and shoulder as he spoke.

"I'm quite certain...no, I'm positive that this will work....really that both plans will work," he bragged into the phone. "Uh, huh... No, I'd rather do the smaller one first, just to be sure. You know it's always a good idea to run a test first. We'll consider this first one the test run."

Warren muttered something to which Walker answered, "There is absolutely no way they can trace this back to me – I mean us. This will be so cool. Total payback." No sooner had those words left his lips when he heard a door slam shut downstairs.

"Blah. Marcus is home." He reached for the door and closed it. "I can't wait until he goes to college. The farther the better in my opinion. He's always sticking his nose in my business." He could hear footsteps running toward his door.

The items on Walker's bookshelves shook with the force of his door being slammed open against the wall. "What are you doing on the phone, you little insect?" boomed his brother as he entered the room. Upon his tall frame he wore a military style jacket, which partially covered a camouflage patterned t-shirt. His jeans were frayed at the bottom and rested on top of his thick soled military style boots. Despite having money, Marcus looked as though he only shopped at army surplus stores. In contrast to his clothing, he wore his curly dark hair longer than would be acceptable by any military standards.

"It's my phone just as much as it is yours."

"Don't care. You are NOT supposed to be on the phone when I'm home."

"You just got here!"

"I'll say it again... Don't care." He grinned at Walker as he moved closer toward him. "Get off the phone now before I bust your head open."

"It's not like you get that many calls," Walker muttered under his breath, but just loud enough so Marcus could hear.

"What did you say?" asked Marcus who was now towering over Walker who was still seated in his chair. The military boots Marcus preferred to wear made him appear all the more looming as Walker looked up at him. They stared at each other with burning intensity. As much as Marcus angered him, Walker respected his ability to demonstrate authority. Nobody messed with Marcus.

"I'll call you later," he muttered into the phone. Marcus grabbed the receiver from Walker and slammed it into the base. Marcus knocked Walker in the head with his forearm while he turned to leave for his own room.

"Yeah, you better get out of my room or I'll tell Mom and Dad about what you've been downloading off the internet." Marcus turned and raised an eyebrow at Walker. Even though he had passwords galore on his system, Marcus knew not to underestimate his brother's talents. Walker stood up and glared back at him daring a response. Not wanting to chance it, Marcus turned and left the room.

Walker waited a few moments and then stood near his doorway to make sure Marcus was indeed gone. The house was shaped like an "L," and the boys had rooms on opposite ends of the building. He couldn't simply look to see if Marcus' door was closed without risking being seen peeking around the corner. Within a few moments Walker heard loud music coming from Marcus' stereo. He knew his brother wouldn't be coming out of his room for a while.

Walker dug his cell phone out of his backpack and called Warren back to reassure him that with proof from the test run on Monday their plan would work; then they could move to their major objective – total chaos.

"Why didn't you call me on your cell phone in the first place?"

"Usually when he's at Carter's, he's gone for a while. I didn't feel like digging through my backpack to find my cell." He shifted the phone to his other ear. "Anyway," he continued, "Monday we'll try this out. If it works, which I know it will, then we'll move to phase two."

"You are truly a computer genius. They'll be sorry."

"They think they can mess with me? This is what they get for denying me first place at last year's computer programming competition." Despite his talents and sacrificing his spot on the track team, Walker didn't win that high honor. Some of the judges were faculty from M.R. Rick Junior High, and Walker vowed to get even with them for denying him his glory. He even held a grudge against his fellow students who helped to organize the event, even though they had nothing to do with the judging. In a way it bothered him that he couldn't claim credit for his latest secret plan. He knew his idea was pure genius and wanted others to know what he was capable of, but the chaos his programs would cause would surely earn him swift retribution. He knew it best that this plan stay between him and Warren.

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Walker stared smugly at the text on his laptop computer screen. _Foolproof._ He thought to himself.

* * * * *

The Saturday morning sun brought warmth into Cullen's kitchen. It was shining so brightly through the kitchen door peephole that it reflected a small rainbow on the wall. Cullen threw the last bit of toast into his mouth when he heard the car horn honk outside. His Uncle Kyle had called earlier to say he'd give Cullen and Alyssa a ride to the university. Because he had plenty of papers and exams to grade, he wanted to get there early; however, they'd have to take the bus home because he planned on being there rather late. It worked out well that Cullen was headed for the library this morning since his Aunt Sherise had a program to attend to at the zoo and wouldn't be home for him.

The campus was busy that morning, and it took Uncle Kyle some time to find a parking space. Faculty members had their own parking lot, but it was often full this time of year. Today was no exception. From the number of cars in the lot, it seemed to Cullen that everyone his uncle worked with was there today.

"That took a while," muttered Uncle Kyle under his breath as he angled the car into an open spot. Alyssa grabbed her book bag as they exited the car. Cullen was glad she remembered to bring some paper and pencils should they want to write something down. The three of them walked together toward the main campus enjoying the warmth of the sun on their backs.

"So, what do you need to do at the library?" Uncle Kyle asked as he swung his keys around his index finger. They shimmered in the sun and clinked loudly every time they hit the attached metal keychain.

Cullen looked at Alyssa with a bit of panic. The only thing on his mind was his quest for information about the coat, and he didn't want his uncle to know. She smiled back at him allowing his panic to ease somewhat as he remembered he could always count on Alyssa to come up with something to say.

"We thought it would be a good idea to get a jump start on our research papers for language arts," responded Alyssa. Cullen let out a small sigh. Quickly changing the subject she asked, "You think you'll be home for supper, dad?"

"I do believe so. I have to grade the papers myself, but I have a graduate student coming later to help grade the exams from the senior seminar class, so it shouldn't be too bad."

"How do you think your students did?"

"On the papers or exam?"

"The exam. I hope they did better than they did on the last one." Cullen thought it was interesting that Alyssa was not only worried about her own grades, but also those of others.

"We'll see. Some of them didn't look too happy turning the exams in." They were now near the building that held Uncle Kyle's office. It was a sprawling two story brick building with large windows. The exterior was well landscaped with a variety of shrubbery and small trees.

"Just so I don't worry," Uncle Kyle said with a wink, "give me a call from the campus phone in the library before you leave."

"No problem," answered Cullen.

"Bye, dad." Alyssa leaned in for a kiss on her forehead. Unlike Cullen, Alyssa didn't seem embarrassed by such things.

"Thanks, again, for the ride," Cullen mentioned over his shoulder as he and Alyssa started walking toward the library.

Once on their way, Cullen turned toward Alyssa. "Thanks for coming up with a cover story. Man, I wish I could think as fast as you do. I just stood there not knowing what to say."

"It was more that I thought ahead than being a quick thinker."

"What do you mean?"

"Last night I figured he'd ask what we were up to, so I thought I'd better think of a reasonable answer. That was the best I could do, but it was good enough for him."

"Plus it didn't hurt that you changed the subject quickly."

"That's for sure. Anyway, do you have any thoughts on how you want to do this?"

They turned down Hawkings Avenue. As soon as they cleared the computer science building, it was just a few more yards to the entrance of the library. Cullen took some gum out of his pocket and unwrapped a piece to chew. Alyssa shook her head "no" to his offer of a piece. She had a habit of unknowingly cracking her gum while chewing and she didn't want to get kicked out of the library for being noisy.

"I said," she repeated with slight annoyance at being ignored, "how do you want to do this?"

Cullen chewed his gum slowly. "I was kind of hoping you'd know what to do."

Alyssa rolled her eyes in response to his lack of direction. "I think it best we start with some books on Native America culture. Let's look through the index sections for keywords related to the coat. You know, like shaman, coat, and totem poles."

"Maybe we should look up each of the animals on the coat as they relate to culture and see what comes of that. Animals are important in their – oh, what's the word – spirit something."

"You mean spirituality?" She smiled at Cullen. "Yeah, we could do that. Even though you forgot to bring paper and pencil, I'm glad to see you brought your brain."

"Ha, ha."

Cullen and Alyssa pulled open the heavy doors to the main lobby of the library. It was a four story building of glass and steel. The lobby was an open atrium with a glass ceiling. Art projects completed by students at the university adorned the walls in the immediate entrance way. Ahead of them was a reception desk where a woman in a blue security uniform sat reading a book. She looked up when she heard their footsteps coming closer.

"Hello, Alyssa," she said with a wide and toothy smile. Spending as much time there as she did, Alyssa was well known by the library staff members.

"How are you, Ms. Protezione?"

"Fine, thanks." She turned her gaze toward Cullen. "You are..."

"That's my cousin, Cullen," responded Alyssa realizing Ms. Protezione didn't remember him.

"Ah, yes. Nice to see you, again. It's been a while since you've been here, hasn't it Cullen?" He wasn't sure how she meant that.

"Just haven't had anything big to work on for school lately."

"So you're here to keep your cousin company?"

Alyssa chimed in. She wanted to get moving and thought this conversation could go on and on. Ms. Protezione was very friendly, but rather chatty sometimes. Alyssa figured she had to be really bored sitting in a chair checking student ID's all day long. Most students just flashed their ID's in her direction to gain access to the library without making much of an effort to speak with her.

"We have a project for language arts, and, well, you know me. No library is as good as this one."

"Well, best of luck with your project!" Because of Alyssa's dad and her frequent visits to the campus, she had been granted the privilege of library access despite not being a college student with an ID. They walked past Ms. Protezione's desk and toward the reference section.

Once there, Alyssa and Cullen stopped in their tracks. Although there were tables in the large room, they were all occupied. College students and faculty alike seemed to be taking up every available space.

"There's nowhere to sit!" exclaimed Cullen.

A loud "SHH!" came from a college student seated nearby. He was feverishly copying information from books and journals scattered on the table. Cullen thought of Brayden and his tendency to do his schoolwork at the last minute. He wondered if this student was doing the same.

"Sorry," whispered Cullen. He turned to look at his cousin who gave him a "keep your voice down" look.

"Let's head toward the back of the stacks," she whispered back as she grabbed Cullen by the arm. "There's usually some seating there."

They walked past the rows and rows of reference books to the rear of the building. Sure enough there was plenty of seating. They took a large table that was out of the way so they could work in private. Alyssa took her pad of paper and pencils out of her book bag and placed them on the table. She draped her book bag strap over the back of the chair and started off toward the computers. Cullen scurried after her.

"Did you bring some coins for the copy machine?" she asked when he caught up to her. "I didn't have time to get any change before I left the house."

_Oh, yeah,_ he thought to himself. _I didn't think about wanting to make photocopies of anything._ Cullen fished in his pocket hoping he had some loose change floating around. He found a $20 dollar bill, a paperclip, an open package of gum, the gum wrapper from earlier, and a piece of lint, but no change.

"All I've got is a $20."

"That's ok. I'm sure we can get change from one of the staffers if we need it."

Alyssa took a seat in front of the computer. Cullen pulled a chair up next to her. The university library's home page illuminated brightly on the screen.

"Where to start... where to start...," Alyssa muttered under her breath as she tapped the keyboard with her fingers.

"Maybe we should look for websites first since we're..."

Alyssa furrowed her brow at him.

"Whaaat? I just thought since we're already sitting here we could do that first. Then go to the books."

"I'd prefer not to use websites for this."

"Why not? We might find what we need there first, and it would for sure be faster than looking everything up in books."

Alyssa's glasses had slipped down her nose. She glanced at him from over the rims. He thought she looked like a librarian, an annoyed librarian. "Like my dad says, you can't always trust what's on the web."

"What do you mean? I get stuff from there all the time!"

"The reference books are written and edited by experts and the journal articles we can find here in the library are... oh, what's the word? Refereed. Yeah, refereed."

"Explain," said Cullen. He knew she didn't mean 'refereed' in the sporting event kind of way. _Always with the big vocabulary,_ he thought to himself.

"It means that before they got published they had to be reviewed by experts in the field, so..."

"So, what does that have to do with the stuff on the internet?

"Well, anyone can put up a website. My dad has his students do an assignment where they have to look up a topic on the internet and then fill out a sheet that helps you decide if it's a credible website or if it's one that's not. I tried it on my own and was surprised to find that there was just as much good stuff out there as there was unreliable stuff. The reference books and journals, because they were written by experts and in most cases 'approved' by other experts, will have accurate information in them."

She saw that Cullen's eyes had glazed over.

"Look," she offered sympathetically, "this is important and the last thing you want is information that tells you the wrong thing. We need to be careful so what we learn here is correct. Just let me do my thing."

"You're the boss." Cullen put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

Alyssa pushed her glasses back in place with one hand and took hold of the mouse with another. She clicked on the image that allowed her access to the library's database system. She pulled up a general database she hoped would get them off to a good start.

"Let's start with 'Native American Culture.'" While she typed the keywords, Cullen scooted his chair closer to the computer. A few seconds later a list of references came on the screen. There were several reference books that looked interesting.

"We should write down the call letters for these," she said as she pointed to the reference books that came up. She looked down for her paper and pencil, but realized it was still on the table where she'd left them. Cullen got up to retrieve them. Upon his return, he quickly scribbled down the call letters.

"Not so fast," said Alyssa, "we need to be able to read what you wrote. I don't want to wander around the stacks unable to find what we need because of your sloppy handwriting."

"Ok, ok. I'm just excited, that's all." Cullen saw that indeed his penmanship looked like that of a 3-year-old. He erased and wrote them out again, this time more neatly. There were five total.

"Let's start with these and see what we get. If we can find what we need in these, we may not need to bother finding other reference books or journal articles." She motioned Cullen to get up out of his chair. He took the paper and followed her to the reference section. Fortunately, all five books were located near each other, so it didn't take much time to find them. One of the books, because of its size, seemed to be as big as the other four combined. They grabbed the four lighter books and took them to the table. Cullen went back to get the bigger one.

"Man! I've never seen a book this big. Whoever wrote this had a lot to say!"

"Sure looks that way," she replied. Cullen took a seat as Alyssa sorted through the books, taking one for herself and giving another to Cullen. "While you were gone," she said taking the seat next to him and pointing to a piece of paper on the table, "I wrote out the keywords we should search for in the index of each book." Words like 'shaman,' 'totem poles,' 'spirituality,' and 'spirit animals' were written on the page. "You look through that one, and I'll go through this one." She gave him some paper and a pencil. "Write down anything you think is important."

As Alyssa poured over her book, Cullen kept looking up from his to stare at her. She could see this from the corner of her eye, but initially chose to ignore it. Unfortunately, he continued to do that for the next few minutes and it distracted her to the point where she had to ask in an exasperated tone, "What is going on with you? I can't be the one doing all the work here."

Cullen looked down at his book.

"Something's bothering you."

Cullen sat silent.

"Don't sit there quiet and all. I know when something's up with you. You always get that look on your face. Just tell me already so we can get this done."

"I," Cullen looked to the side and nervously cleared his throat, "I... um... I wanted to know what happened when you left with Aaron. There, I said it."

She laughed. "I was wondering when you'd ask."

"Well? We found you in the clearing. Alone. You know, just you and him." He leaned in close to her not wanting to miss a single word.

She rolled her eyes at him. "We weren't alone all that long. We took our time walking the path."

"You're not answering the question."

"If you have to know, he held my hand as we walked."

"And?" Cullen motioned with his hand to keep spilling her information. "The clearing?"

"We stopped at the clearing so he could show me where he flies his model airplanes with his dad."

"And?"

"We were talking about model planes and the next thing I knew he kissed me on the cheek. I just kind of looked at him. Then he took my hand and started walking me back toward the path." She looked back down at her book and ran her finger down the list of words on the index page. Cullen knew she wouldn't lie to him and he was happy that was all that happened. She looked up at him abruptly. "By the way, how did you find us anyway?"

"You'll never believe it!" he said with some excitement. "Well, I guess you will."

"Did you use an animal skill?" she asked as she leaned in toward him with a big smile on her face.

"Actually, I did. I was all upset about getting grounded because you and Aaron ditched us and I'd be late getting home."

"We didn't ditch you," interrupted an insulted Alyssa.

Cullen ignored her tone and continued with his account of the evening's events. "Anyway, I remembered I can use the animal skills when I'm upset, so I quick thought of an animal skill that would help me out.

"What animal came to mind?"

"Bloodhounds!" he was beaming as he explained. "I remembered about their great sense of smell and figured that would be the best way to find you. Lucky for me, you had left your coat behind, so I figured I could get all bloodhound-like to find you."

"And?" Alyssa mimicked Cullen's earlier hand motions for more information.

"It worked, only it was tricky smelling your coat without Dawn thinking I was a total freak."

"What did you do?"

"I faked a sneeze into it, and then took a big sniff."

"You are gross."

"Maybe so, but it worked." Because of his excitement, he was talking rather loudly now. Alyssa motioned him to keep his voice down. "I can't wait to try it again," he whispered.

She pointed him back to his book, and she returned to hers. They spent the next hour looking through the books they had found taking many notes to study later. The information they found on the role of a shaman was similar to what his mom had told them when his parents returned from their last trip. The books all mentioned a connection between the shaman and animal spirits. Alyssa and Cullen decided to focus on the meaning of the animals displayed on the coat.

"What were the animals again?" she asked opening several books to pages about animal spirits.

"I don't know if I remember all of them."

"That's ok, just tell me what you can. No, better yet, write them down." She pointed at the paper in front of him.

Cullen sat and thought for a few minutes. He hadn't looked at the coat since he hid it in his room. He hoped it would all come back to him. He first wrote down 'fox,' paused with the pencil pressed against his lips, then wrote 'bear,' paused again scratching his head with the end of the pencil, and then wrote 'badger.' He took a deep breath and closed his eyes racking his brain. His brain soon flooded with images of the other animals – eagles, porcupines, panthers, dragonflies, and wolves. He gave the paper to Alyssa, who placed it on the table between them. It was her way of reminding him that he had to help, too.

"You look in that book." She pointed to one at the end of the table, "and I'll search this one."

Cullen felt he found some good information with regard to the meaning and symbolism of animal spirits in Native American culture. It was a little confusing, though, because there were a few differences in how the authors of each book described them. The eagle, for example, was described as the connection between man and the Great Spirit or creator. Another book mentioned its tie to freedom. From each book, he learned that bears were the watcher or guardian. Cullen read that badgers represented courage. In three different books he found panthers were connected with such words as 'protective,' and 'cautious.'

Cullen had a fondness for animals of the canine variety and was eager to learn about the wolves and foxes. Quick witted and clever were descriptors for the fox. Cullen chuckled at that because he rarely felt himself to have those attributes, even after his experience in the coat. He liked that wolves were symbolic of such traits as loyalty, cooperativeness, and successfulness. He definitely viewed himself as loyal to his friends and family. Trust, humility, and innocence were linked to the porcupine. Dragonflies were symbolic of imagination and learning to reach one's dreams and goals. He sat back for a moment digesting what he had read about the animals he remembered from the coat. He decided to see how his list compared to Alyssa's.

"Take a look at what I found," he proclaimed proudly as he put his paper on the book she was reading. She studied it for a few moments and looked at him smiling.

"Seems that we've found pretty much the same things."

"But," he anticipated that she had more to say.

"Your notes are a bit....short. Take a look at mine." She handed him three pages filled with writing. She had indeed found more details on the symbolism of animal spirits. What neither of them was able to find, however, was how a shaman was tied to such a coat, and how the coat was able to transfer such power to him.

"That may remain a mystery," she said while closing the books on the table. She picked up a few of them and walked them to the nearby cart for later stacking. Cullen followed suit.

She continued talking when they got back to the table. "One thing's for sure. We learned that the totem animals on the coat are linked to some kind of Great Spirit. According to Native American spirituality and culture, we know that a shaman travels between that world and our own." She put her book bag on the table and packed up her papers and pencils.

"Yeah," Cullen was thinking hard about this. "So I guess that somehow the coat has the spiritual power of the totem animals. But how did this get into my body?"

"Like I said, that will have to stay a mystery for now. I haven't a clue and there was nothing in the books about it. Anyway, you should feel good about what we've found."

Indeed, Cullen was thrilled with what they had found. He felt better thinking that there was some sort of explanation to the coat. Why the powers transferred to him still remained a question, but that would just have to be for now. He decided to shift his focus on what to do with his new skills.

"Let me take that," he said to Alyssa as she reached for her book bag.

"It's not heavy. I can manage."

"It's not that I think you're a weakling. I'd just feel better doing something helpful for you." He smiled at her. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have learned anything."

"Ok." She handed him the bag. As he lifted it from the table, he realized it was heavier than it seemed.

"What do you have in here? Rocks or something?"

Alyssa blushed.

"You really did bring a school project to work on, didn't you."

She nodded in response. "I wasn't sure if...well, I didn't know how this would go today, and I do like to get things done ahead of time." She started walking toward the exit when Cullen reminded her that they had to call her dad. They took the back stairs down to the vending machine area where Alyssa knew for sure there was a campus phone. Her dad must have stepped out because she got his voicemail. After leaving him a message, they walked back up the stairs and toward the main exit.

They said goodbye to Ms. Protezione who was still seated in her chair at the security desk. They pushed open the main doors and walked back into the bright, warm sun. Cullen squinted, and Alyssa put her hand up to shield her eyes. Alyssa thanked Cullen for carrying her book bag but asked to have it back. He gave it to her as they turned to walk toward the bus stop talking about what they had accomplished as they passed the computer science building. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't see Walker and Warren exit the building as they passed.

Chapter 13

It seemed to come from nowhere. Much to his surprise, Cullen felt something hit the back of his head. He turned and found himself face to face with Walker, who was adjusting his backpack so both his arms had optimal mobility. Warren stood nearby snickering. Alyssa's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "I told you this wasn't over, scumbag," sneered Walker, his thin lips curled over his teeth.

Cullen quickly looked around, but the area in which they stood was devoid of other people. They were alone. A cloud passed over the sun, making the area seem suddenly menacing.

Walker grabbed at Cullen's shirt. Alyssa swung her book bag at him, knocking him off balance. She took advantage of his stunned look and grabbed Cullen by the arm and started running with him. Although she didn't get to work on her project, she was glad the books in her heavy book bag came in handy.

"What is he doing here?" asked Cullen as they ran through the quad.

"Can't talk... running," replied Alyssa who was breathing hard.

Cullen looked over his shoulder and saw that Walker and Warren were chasing them from behind. He turned back to glance at Alyssa. "Where are we going?" He didn't know the campus as well as she did and hoped that she had an idea of where they could find refuge.

"We need to lose them." She looked around the quad as they continued running. They were surrounded by academic buildings and dormitories. "This way!" She turned toward the closest building – the behavioral science building, where psychology, sociology, and criminal justice students took their core classes. The three story gray building was built like a rat maze inside. The psychology majors used to joke that if you could find your professor in the building you would get rewarded with a piece of cheese. She figured Walker and Warren would never find them in there.

As they ran toward the building, Alyssa stumbled as her book bag dropped off her shoulder. Cullen caught her by the elbow and pulled her through the doors to the building. A few students lingered inside but didn't seem at all concerned about their bursting through the doors. They headed toward the hallway behind the main staircase.

"I saw them come in here," they heard Warren say.

"You go this way, and I'll take the other hallway. We should meet up on the other side where the hallways converge." Cullen and Alyssa heard every word thanks to the acoustics of the building. He panicked because Walker seemed to have a good knowledge of the building's layout.

Cullen and Alyssa ran down the deserted hallway. Unfortunately, it was the same one that Walker and Warren were heading toward.

Cullen noticed his heart racing and he was gritting his teeth. The butterflies were back in his stomach. He knew the sweat on his body was not from the run, but from his emotions bubbling over. His thoughts revolved around the fear of having to face Walker in a fight. He was also angry. Just like at the bus stop after the track tryouts, Walker once again ruined his good feelings.

They turned the corner and ran right into Walker. They put on the brakes and turned to run back the way they came when they were confronted by Warren. Trapped and with no one else around, they looked at each other as if hoping a new hallway would magically appear through which they could escape. Cullen's heart beat faster, more sweat formed on his brow, and his skin felt clammy. _I can't think! How do we get out of here?!_

Walker signaled to Warren who grabbed Cullen from behind. Alyssa stood still, her mind racing trying to find a way out of this mess. Walker moved in close to Cullen. Warren tightened his grip as Cullen struggled to get away.

"It's my lucky day!" exclaimed Walker who was now standing nose to nose with Cullen. His bad breath made Cullen cringe. "Now I can finish my work at the bus stop." He took a few steps back. As he raised his fist, Alyssa again nailed him in the side with her book bag, this time with enough force to knock him to the ground. She looked surprised at her own strength.

He quickly got up and turned toward her. Cullen's fear now compounded with concern about what Walker would do to Alyssa for hitting him. His mind raced to find the animal skill that would help him break free of Warren's grip. Suddenly he locked on the image of a pufferfish. When threatened, this fish can inflate itself several times its normal size by swallowing water or air. Cullen certainly felt threatened. He took several gulps of air and hoped for the best.

It all happened very quickly. Cullen felt a strange sensation on his skin, as though it had turned to elastic. He heard a ripping sound as his shirt tore apart in the back. Within the blink of an eye, he had doubled in size, forcing Warren to release his grip. Just as quickly, he was back to normal. _I can't believe that worked! Lucky I wore stretchy sweat pants today,_ he thought.

Walker and Alyssa were standing eye-to-eye. They hadn't seen what happened. Quickly, Cullen grabbed Alyssa, and they fled down the hallway.

"You idiot! Why did you let go of him!" shouted Walker. Warren just stared at Walker trying to collect his thoughts.

"I... I don't know what happened. All I know is I was watching you head for that Little-Miss-Know-It-All and, all of a sudden, my arms were thrown back by something." Walker grabbed Warren, and they started running in the direction Cullen and Alyssa had fled.

"What do you mean 'something'?" Walker looked at Warren as though he might punch him.

Warren eased up his pace so he was a few steps behind Walker. "It was like a big wind knocked me back."

Walker gave him a dirty look. "I'll deal with you later. Hurry up so we can get them."

While Walker was questioning Warren, Alyssa and Cullen followed along another hallway hoping to find a back way out of the building.

"Yuck! What's that smell!" exclaimed Alyssa whose eyes were tearing from a horrible stench that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Sorry," replied Cullen. "I had been thinking about zorillas while we were running."

"Zorillas?! What made you think of zorillas?"

"I thought that if I could make a smell as repulsive as a zorilla, it would send them running out of the building." Zorillas, which look similar to skunks, can spray a liquid from their hind quarters that is not only nauseatingly smelly, but also irritating to the eyes.

"Ugh! That smell is repugnant."

"I said I'm sorry. I don't have great control over all this yet." Cullen suddenly realized that his sweatpants were wet from the spray. _Gross!_ he thought to himself. They stopped running when they heard two loud 'thuds' behind them.

"Oh, man! What is this stuff!" they heard Warren exclaim.

"It's all over my pants!" replied Walker. "I've never smelled anything so bad!"

Cullen let out a laugh when he realized that they must have slipped in the smelly goo he had left in the previous hallway. _Serves them right._

"Do you think...?" Alyssa started to say.

Cullen nodded his head knowing what she was thinking.

"Too funny."

Trying to be quieter, they decided to power walk rather than run down another hallway. They quickened the pace when they heard Walker and Warren's footsteps again heading toward them. Cullen was alarmed that the disgusting smell wasn't enough to deter them.

They slipped through the last doorway that led to a back stairwell. She knew that this would lead them to all floors, including the rooftop. One of the florescent lights was broken so the stairway was dimly lit. Although there were several snack and pop machines in the corner, the light emanating from them did little to improve the situation. The door closed behind them and they stopped to catch their breath.

"Walker's smart enough to figure out we took these stairs. That hallway leads right to this door." She started up the stairs.

"Wait!" he called to her. "We need to think of some way to buy us some time." Cullen looked around the room. He ran over to the fully stocked snack machine.

"Help me push this one in front of the door to block it."

"Yeah, blocking the door would surely slow them down, but are you nuts? There's no way we can move that!"

Cullen's panic clouded his mind. He looked at his cousin hoping she had another idea.

"Cullen, think rhinoceros beetle!"

"You're brilliant!" Cullen remembered that the rhinoceros beetle, weighing in at less than an ounce, is proportionally the strongest creature on earth. Many people think elephants are the strongest animal on the planet, but the rhinoceros beetle has them beat. An elephant can't carry another elephant on its back, but a rhinoceros beetle can carry as many as 850 other rhinoceros beetles on its back.

Cullen thought of this powerful creature as he grabbed hold of the snack machine. Sure enough he lifted it off the ground as if he were picking a paper clip off the floor. He gently set it down in front of the door.

"That was amazing!" said Alyssa as they ran up the stairs. Cullen noticed that she was holding her nose as they hit the second floor landing. She looked back at him, her eyes watering something fierce. "I can't take this smell. I'm going to lose my breakfast."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Let's go up on the roof top. At least we'll be able to get some fresh air."

"Fine." Cullen was growing perturbed at Alyssa's comments about his stink. He couldn't help it. _Why can't she appreciate what my stink did?_ Knowing Walker and Warren were covered with this awful smell was enough to make it bearable for Cullen.

Once on the roof, Alyssa stopped as soon as she walked through the door to take a deep breath of fresh air. Cullen walked past her toward a milk crate someone had left up there. He turned it over and sat down facing out toward the nearby forest preserve. His view was obstructed by the guard rails that surrounded the roof. _A few deep breaths will help me calm down._ He closed his eyes. He felt his heart rate drop back down to normal.

"Did Warren do that to your shirt when you got away from him?" Alyssa asked as she approached Cullen.

"What?" Cullen reached behind feeling that his shirt had indeed torn clear from the bottom straight up to the collar. "Ahh, I don't know... I don't think so." He thought for a moment and then remembered it must have happened when he pufferfished. He dropped his head into his hands and looked down at the ground. _I stink_ _and_ _ruined one of my favorite shirts._ It was the shirt from when he served as a group leader in the zoo's youth career program. Even though his body had calmed down, he was still upset by the encounter with Walker and Warren. "I can't believe we ran into them. What were they doing here?"

"I guess Walker must be taking one of the enrichment classes that they do here on Saturday mornings." Alyssa knew all about them having taken three of them herself. During the last session she noticed Walker was taking a class in the same building as her. She figured he must be taking another during this current session. "Why Warren is here, I don't know." She walked toward the guard rail as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"How long do you suppose we're going to have to wait up here before we can..."

"SHH!" Alyssa held her hand out to shut him up. She motioned him to her side with one hand, and pointed to the ground with the other. Walker and Warren were standing just below them. As they watched, it appeared that Walker was laying into Warren.

"Wow," whispered Cullen. "He sure looks mad at Warren."

Although they couldn't hear them, Walker's gestures suggested that he was really mad. Warren stood his ground but looked a bit shaken. The mood on the sidewalk didn't last long, however. Soon Warren had moved in closer to Walker who was smiling and laughing. They were now standing face-to-face talking excitedly. Walker was holding his backpack in his hands.

"I wish we could hear what they're saying," Cullen whispered to his cousin.

"Quick, think of an animal with good hearing!"

"That's easy. Owls. But you know I can only do this when I'm upset."

"Come on!" she said with frustration. "Get upset!"

"I can't just 'get upset.' I'm still mad, but not as freaked out like I was 5 minutes ago."

"Just try! They could be talking about something important!" She grabbed him by the arm. "Look at them!"

"Stop it!" He pulled himself from her grip. "Now _you're_ making me mad."

_Whatever works,_ she thought to herself. She knew that if she rode him about it, he'd get mad at her. She hoped that would be good enough to get his new talent working. She kept nagging. Cullen got angrier with her.

When she felt the time was right, she urgently exclaimed, "Quick! Think of owls and how well they can hear!" Because owls are nocturnal, they have to rely heavily on their sense of hearing to be successful hunters. Their hearing is very sensitive, which makes it possible for them to pick up sounds from a long distance.

Alyssa turned her attention back to the boys on the sidewalk. Cullen closed his eyes and let the sounds from the sidewalk flood his ears and brain. "Monday won't come soon enough!" Just then, someone nearby decided to start up a motorcycle. The repeated tries to get the motor running intermittently blocked out what the two boys were saying. Cullen couldn't filter out the unwanted noise. "I can't think of a better way to get even." Vroom. "You are so slick." Vroom. "I told you already. We won't get caught, so stop asking me." Vroom. "Just don't be late." Vroom "It's all right here." The motor kicked in and Cullen was lost in the sound it made. He opened his eyes. Alyssa looked back at him.

"Can't make it out above the motorcycle, huh?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, did you hear anything?"

"Something about Monday."

She thought for a moment. "There's nothing special happening at school on Monday that I know of. What else did you hear?"

"It sounded like he was looking to get even with someone. Maybe he's going to try and get me on Monday!" Cullen started to breath quickly again.

"Calm down." Alyssa rubbed his shoulder. "He was smiling and patting his backpack while talking. Maybe he was talking about his computer class."

"No. Something's up. That motorcycle kept blocking out what he was saying, but I'd bet my allowance that it's something important."

"Guess we'll have to wait until Monday to be sure."

As they peered back over the guard rail, they saw Walker and Warren had left. Alyssa turned and walked back toward the rooftop doorway. Cullen followed close behind. When they reached the door, she turned to face him.

"You really stink. Let's take these stairs to the second floor. We can cut through the auditorium and take the main stairway straight out the building." She took a deep breath and held it all the way to the second floor. She took a quick gulp of air as they made their way through the auditorium. It wasn't until they were outside that she filled her lungs with fresh air. "I guess we'd better walk home with you smelling so gross."

"Agreed. There's no way I'm getting on a bus like this."

As they walked, Alyssa filled the time with questions about Cullen's experience as a rhinoceros beetle, zorilla, and owl. He filled her in on the pufferfish. It just then hit him that he had conjured four animal skills in a short period of time. It didn't have to be just one each time he was upset. He apparently could call upon as many as he needed. It also dawned on him that he could call upon any animal, not just the ones on the coat. They finished out the walk laughing at the thought of Walker and Warren returning home smelling like a zorilla's butt.
Chapter 14

Monday started out just like any other day. Cullen woke up, got dressed, brushed his teeth, and combed his hair. He made sure his schoolwork was in his backpack and went downstairs for breakfast. His Aunt Sherise had gotten up earlier and made them both a ham and cheese omelet.

The phone rang as they ate. It was his parents calling from the convention. Cullen spoke with them before giving the phone to his aunt. He was glad to hear that they would be back toward the end of the week.

While his aunt spoke on the phone with his parents, Cullen stared out the kitchen window savoring a bite of the delicious omelet. His thoughts soon drifted to the curious conversation he overheard from the rooftop on Saturday. He wondered what Walker and Warren had planned for today. He soon found his stomach feeling jittery. He pushed the plate of omelet aside and took a sip of his orange juice.

Aunt Sherise hung up the phone and walked back to the table to finish her breakfast. She noticed that Cullen hadn't eaten as much of the omelet as she knew he could.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"Huh?" Cullen didn't realize she was talking to him.

"You didn't eat that much. Are you ok?"

"Oh. Yeah. Just not that hungry this morning."

She reached over and felt his forehead for warmth, but found nothing. She studied his face. "You don't look sick." She sat back on her chair. "Come to think of it, we did have a pretty big dinner last night. I don't know why I made such big omelets this morning. I'm not really that hungry either now that I think of it. I guess I just like cooking in this big kitchen of your mom's and I get carried away."

From the size of the dinner she prepared the night before, Cullen believed that to be completely true. Even though it was just the two of them, she made a big spinach salad loaded with fresh vegetables, a gigantic meatloaf complete with gravy, mashed potatoes, and a blueberry cobbler. It was so good they ate until they thought they'd explode.

She got up from the table and pulled a protein bar from the nearby cabinet. "Here, put this in your backpack in case you get hungry later."

Cullen did as she suggested. _Until I know what's going on, I don't really think I'll need this,_ he thought to himself. He felt somewhat helpless knowing that something was about to happen today – something most likely bad – but because he didn't know more than that, he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't warn anyone without more concrete information. He would just have to wait and hope he could react in time if need be. He hated this feeling.

* * * * *

Later, he sat with Alyssa on the bus ride to school. Brayden took a seat with Helene hoping she would let him copy the algebra homework that he failed to do over the weekend. Cullen wanted to spend the time speculating about what would happen today; Alyssa just wanted to read her book. She kept telling him not to worry about something he couldn't control, but it was hard to stop his brain from 'What-If-ing.'

"You are not going to cheat off me. It's not my problem you didn't do your homework," a girl's voice said from further back on the bus. It was Helene. He figured Brayden wasn't able to exude the right amount of charm to get help from her. Sometimes he wondered if Brayden bugged her about homework because he secretly liked her. If so, he definitely needed to change his tactic.

Nothing looked peculiar when the bus pulled up to the school. Once inside, they noticed that it was extremely hot in the building. They took off their jackets immediately. Otherwise, things looked normal enough. Students were hanging around talking with each other. Many were fanning themselves with folders. Cullen kept a watchful eye for anything suspicious as he and Alyssa walked down the hallway toward their lockers.

Cullen loved his locker. Over the last summer break, the school put in all new lockers that were more spacious than the old ones. They also had several shelves and an organizer system built in that helped Cullen and the other students manage all their books, notebooks, and folders. In addition, the lockers no longer used a combination lock system. Instead, they had an electronic keypad much like that of a telephone. At the start of the school year, students were given a locker code assigned by the master computer file that controlled all the lockers. During the first week of school, however, students were allowed the opportunity to change the entry code to something they preferred on a first-come first-served basis.

Being like a telephone keypad, they could make up entry codes based on alphabetic or numeric characters. Even though the codes had to be between 4 and 7 characters, it was nice to have the chance to change it to something more easily remembered if students preferred. Cullen immediately changed his code to 269683 for 'coyote.' Not surprisingly, Alyssa re-coded her lock to 28743 for 'Curie.' Alyssa was an admirer of Marie Curie, who was the first female to earn a Nobel Prize for the discovery of radioactive elements. Sadly, Brayden lost out. The number code he wanted – 442766 (after his Gibson guitar) – had already been taken by another student. He'd have to wait until the next school year to try again.

Alyssa stopped Cullen just short of their lockers and pulled him close to her. "Take a look around. Notice anything unusual?" she whispered.

"Well, obviously something's wrong with the furnace or boiler or whatever it's called. I feel like I'm in a sauna."

"Yeah, I know it's hot, but look around."

Cullen looked to the left and right, but didn't see anything. He knew, however, never to doubt her, because just like her mom the FBI agent, she had great powers of observation.

"No one has their locker open."

Cullen's jaw dropped. She was right. Students were standing around with their book bags and backpacks, but not a locker was open. Cullen darted toward his locker and tried the keycode. Nothing happened. He looked up and saw Alyssa was already at her locker, but her attempts to open it were unsuccessful. He tried again a few times, but had no luck.

Alyssa quickly joined Cullen back at his locker. "Well, this stinks. How am I supposed to get my books for my first period class?" Cullen had to admit he wasn't that worried about getting his books out of his locker.

A voice came over the P.A. system. "Attention. Attention!" There was a slight crackle as the voice continued to boom over the speaker. "It has come to our attention that there is a glitch with the school's heating system and, oddly enough, in our computerized locker system."

A cheer went out from some of the students hanging around in the hallway.

The voice continued. "All students are to report to their first period class as usual. Our Head of Maintenance and our Information Services Officer and their respective teams are working on the problem. We will inform the students and faculty once the electronic locks on the lockers have been re-programmed."

A groan went out from the same students who had cheered a few moments ago.

Alyssa and Cullen parted and walked toward their respective classes. He wandered toward the gym for P.E. Most of his classmates were already there. He took a seat on the bottom bleacher next to Freddy and Lawrence.

"Hey, Cullen," said Freddy. Lawrence smiled and nodded in Cullen's direction.

"Hi. Hot enough for you?" asked Cullen as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. Both boys had beads of sweat on the sides of their faces.

"Man, I'm roasting. And it's too weird about those lockers," commented Lawrence. "My dad said it was a bad idea to computerize everything. You get a virus or something in the software and it can really cause a mess."

"Maybe it was a programming error. Could have screwed up the heating system as well," suggested Freddy.

Their P.E. teacher entered the gym and told everyone to quiet down. They were going to start working on a first aid unit, but because of the locker problem, none of the students had their books. He instructed the students to sit on the bleachers until he got back from the supply closet.

Cullen turned toward Freddy and Lawrence. "Either way, if they can't fix it... well, maybe they'll just send us home."

"I didn't think of that," replied Freddy. "That would be cool."

"For sure."

Moments later and much to their disappointment the P.E. teacher returned with a cart full of golf clubs and balls. He instructed the students to grab their belongings and follow him out to an open field. Apparently it was decided to give the students a preview of their upcoming unit on golf. The students followed behind their P.E. teacher, who led them down the hallway and out the back doors of the school. Cullen was grateful to be outside where it was substantially cooler. As they crossed the street to the field, Cullen looked to his right toward the zoo's main entrance. He wondered what his aunt was up to and if they had also fallen victim to some sort of heating or computer problem today.

The time outside went quickly. Before he knew it, they were packing up the equipment and walking back into the school. When they got to the gym, they saw the entire student body seated in the bleachers. In the time that they were outside, the temperature in the building appeared to have increased. The principal and several other school officials were waiting patiently as the last of the students took a seat.

Once the student body had quieted down, the principal took hold of the podium microphone. "Despite a valiant effort by our maintenance and computer support teams, we have been unable to rectify the problem with our heater and locker system. As a result, we have decided to cancel classes for the remainder of the day." The students didn't realize it, but this problem went beyond that of their own lockers. Any doorway in the school with a computerized lock had been affected. The maintenance engineers couldn't get into the basement area; administrators were unable to access file rooms.

A series of loud "whoops" erupted from several groups of students. Someone threw a baseball cap into the air. Some students stood up. "Please remain seated," instructed the principal, whose usually nice hairdo had succumbed to the heat in the gymnasium.

"They're going to make us sit in here all day, aren't they," whispered Freddy.

"I knew this was too good to be true," Lawrence responded.

Before she spoke, the principal tried to blow a chunk of hair off her face only to have it fall back into her eyes. She looked frustrated as she pushed it back by hand. "In a few moments, we will proceed in an orderly fashion to the field house across the street. It is considerably cooler there. When I've finished speaking, you will come up here and line up by your guidance counselor who will take you and your fellow students there. You are to remain in the field house until we reach your parents or guardian. Any students who cannot go home..."

Fortunately, the school had the resources to manage this problem, so it wouldn't be too difficult to take care of everyone.

After the principal finished speaking, the guidance counselors and their assigned students proceeded to the field house without much trouble. Cullen told his counselor that his parents were out of town. He asked her to call his aunt and hoped he could spend the rest of the day at the zoo with her. He gave his counselor her cell phone number knowing it would be easier to reach her that way instead of trying her in her office.

"This is Ms. Foster from M.R. Rick Junior High School." Cullen heard her explain the situation to his aunt. "Ok. That would be great. Thank you very much."

She turned to Cullen. "Your aunt said you can come spend the day with her at work. She will be here in a few minutes to pick you up."

A large smile spread across his face as he walked quickly toward the exit. _How cool is this! I get to spend the day at the zoo!_ He always enjoyed spending time with his aunt, but it was even better when she was at work. Just as Alyssa was known by many of the employees at the university library, Cullen was a very familiar face to the people who worked at the zoo. Because the zoo was a medium-sized facility, Cullen knew many people who worked there and he was often given the chance to help out with some of the zoo's day-to-day needs. With the excitement of a day at the zoo, the curiosity and angst about Walker and Warren soon slipped his mind.
Chapter 15

Through the field house windows he could see his aunt approaching. He grabbed his things and walked out the door to meet her.

"Looks like this is your lucky day!" she said as he walked toward her. She knew how much he loved spending time at the zoo.

Cullen's smile stretched ear-to-ear. "So, what's going on today? Anything exciting? Is Mr. Gordon here today? I really want to..."

"Ok, ok." She stretched her hand out suggesting he stop talking for a moment. "I know you're excited. There's always something you can help with." She looked at her watch. "It's just after 9:00." The zoo opened to the public at 10:00am. "We have a little short of an hour before opening. I'm sure some of the zookeepers would love a helping hand getting the exhibits ready."

"Cool!"

"I'll make a few calls when we get back to my office and see who you can help first." Aunt Sherise's office was near the main entrance to the zoo. They walked past a shop filled with souvenirs. Several zoo employees were enjoying the nice weather by having their morning meetings at the outdoor eating area that was next to the souvenir shop. Springtime flowers bloomed along the walking paths. Few animals were in their habitats, however. Most were still in their holding areas waiting until the zookeepers could finish preparing their habitats for the day.

Cullen was always amazed at the many things his aunt did in her job. In her day-to-day job, she was in charge of finding birds for the exhibits. She was also responsible for the zookeepers, who provided direct care to the birds and their habitats. Because of the size of the zoo, Cullen's aunt often helped out wherever she was needed. Last time he visited, he spent most of the day helping her create behavior enrichment toys and puzzle feeders for the birds.

Aunt Sherise's office was small, but welcoming. In one corner of the room was a round table with three chairs tucked underneath. A few stacks of papers and journal articles sat neatly organized waiting for her attention. She was often busy writing grant proposals to get funding money for projects related to the health and welfare of the animals at the zoo. On the other side of the room was a hutch that housed her computer, printer, and several resource books. She had many pictures and photos from her travels adorning the walls. Sometimes it was a little smelly in there, though, being so close to the exhibits.

Once in the office, Cullen took a seat at the table and tried not to disturb her piles of important papers. Knowing his level of excitement, she went straight for the telephone and called Mr. Gordon one of the zookeepers. He was responsible for several animals and their habitats.

"Guess who's looking to see you?" she questioned into the receiver. She smiled at his response. Cullen figured Mr. Gordon had guessed right. "Ok. I'll send him over... uh huh... No, when you're done with him, send him to anyone who would like some help." She hung up the phone.

Cullen was already out of his seat and heading toward the door.

"Hold on there," she called out before he grabbed the doorknob. "Just be back here around noon for lunch."

"Ok," Cullen responded with his hand on the doorknob.

"And," she continued, "I know how much you love helping out, but be sure to stay out of the way if something happens."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said impatiently, but with a smile, "I know the drill."

"Since you know the drill so well, can you tell me what you're forgetting?"

Cullen looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. She tugged at her shirt to help jog his memory.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." When working at the zoo, Cullen wore a kind of lab coat with a patch showing that he was a participant in the summer student volunteer program. He grabbed the lab coat, which he kept in his aunt's office, and pulled it on.

"Go...have fun before you explode!" And with that he was out the door and on his way to Mr. Gordon's area. Cullen ran the whole way and was greeted by Mr. Gordon near the exhibit entrance.

"Hi, Cullen. What a treat to have you help out today." He put his hand on Cullen's shoulder. "By the way, how come you're here and not in school today?"

"Something happened to the heater and the lockers. The heaters were like on overdrive or something, and the locker combinations didn't work. It was so hot in the school and no one could get their stuff, so they decided to send everyone home while they tried to figure it out."

"That's strange." He removed his hand from Cullen's shoulder and motioned him to walk with him toward a restricted area.

"Yeah, but I'm happy to have the day here." Cullen was eager to get started. "So what can I help with?"

Mr. Gordon opened the door to the restricted area. He pointed Cullen toward the table as he closed the door behind them.

"As you know, we've been working hard to have the warthogs visible to the public, so we need to get them out and about in their habitat. What I need you to do is take these spray bottles and spray some of the scents around the exhibit. There are also some treats near that small shovel that I'd like you to hide. Bury some just below the surface of the dirt piles, put some near public viewing area, places like that."

"Do you want me to spray the smells all over the place?"

"No. Put some around the perimeter and a good couple of spritzes in the hollow log. Just don't go spraying it all around. The idea is to give them something new to explore in their environment. It will draw them out so the public can see them."

Cullen grabbed four spray bottles and made his way through the room toward the exhibit area. Once inside, he carefully stepped around spraying scents as he went along. When he was done, he went back for the treats and hid them as Mr. Gordon had instructed. Although Cullen couldn't see him, Mr. Gordon kept an eye on him to make sure he did the job right. Once satisfied with his work, Cullen went back to the room and put everything away.

"Now what can I do?"

"That's pretty much it. I know that Ms. Bakalik could use some help in the hoofed animal area." Mr. Gordon was now clearing off the table to make room for the dietary team who would soon be there with the day's meal for the warthogs and other animals. "You go on ahead, and thanks for the help!"

"Any time!" shouted Cullen who was already halfway out the door. As he walked quickly toward the hoofed animal area, Cullen wished he had access to the type of transport device he remembered seeing on one of those science fiction shows. He hated wasting time walking from place to place, wishing instead that he could materialize immediately where he wanted to be.

Mr. Gordon must have called Ms. Bakalik because she was waiting for Cullen outside the habitat. "Glad to see you," she said with a big smile.

"What can I help with today?" he asked excitedly.

"As you may or may not know, there's a new zebra in the exhibit." Cullen remembered his aunt saying something about that, but he didn't know what was going on. He looked at Ms. Bakalik waiting for her to continue.

"We are involved in a breeding program with the zebras and have a male visiting us from another zoo. We are hoping that he and this female here," she pointed to a zebra already out in the habitat, "will hit it off, so to speak." Cullen looked at her with a crinkled brow. Although he loved animals, he was not that comfortable talking about their breeding habits.

"What do you need me to do?"

"You took the training for recording behavioral observations, right?" Cullen nodded to confirm that was true. As part of the summer program, Cullen learned how to observe animals and record their behavior for later study. He got his training observing the timber wolves. At that time, the younger wolves were competing for the top spot in the pack because the alpha wolf at the time was aging. Cullen's job was to record the behavior of the wolves with attention to how their roles in the pack were shifting. He was given a stop watch and a lengthy checklist with various behaviors to record. Every so many seconds, he had to record what the wolves were doing.

When Cullen explained it, Brayden thought it sounded kind of boring to stand around all day checking a list about "who's sniffing whose butt" as he put it, but Cullen loved it. He felt it was a great chance to learn about an animal close to his heart. He also remembered thinking that the wolves were behaving similarly to some of his peers at school – there was always a lot of competing among some students to be "top dog."

Ms. Bakalik handed Cullen a stop watch and behavior checklist. She told him to record any of the behaviors that were on the list. These included signs that they were getting along – like grooming, head-resting, smelling, and rubbing against each other – as well as signs that they were unhappy with each other – like biting or kicking.

"How long do you want me to observe them? Aunt Sherise wants me back in her office for lunch."

"Two hours should give me some good data, and get you to her office in time."

Cullen kept his mind to the task and got some good data during his two hour observation period. It seemed to him that the two zebras were getting along well, but he knew that was really up to the experts to determine. He took the checklist and stopwatch back to Ms. Bakalik when he was done.

"Oh, before you go," she said as she took the materials from his hand, "could you please take this container to the animal hospital?" She was holding a plastic baggie with a colored plastic container in it. Cullen didn't initially reach for the bag. Sensing his hesitation she continued, "Yes. It is a stool sample from one of the zebras. Just a routine check for parasites. It would be a real help if you took it over."

"Ok," said Cullen as he reluctantly took the baggie. He loved helping at the zoo, but he drew the line at working with animal poop. He hurried across the zoo hoping no one would ask him what was in the bag. Once at the veterinary department, he checked in with the technician who took the baggie to another room.

"Hi, Cullen," said a man's voice from behind one of the computers in the technician's area. It was Dr. Hobbes, the head veterinarian.

"Hi, Dr. Hobbes!" Cullen was pleased to see him. Veterinary service was, in Cullen's opinion, the most exciting place in the zoo.

"So what brings you to the zoo today? Is today some kind of teacher institute?"

"No. Technical problems with the heater and lockers. They sent us all home today." By this time, Cullen was tired of explaining his presence at the zoo to everyone he ran into. "So what's going on here? Anything exciting?"

"There is always something exciting." Dr. Hobbes walked over toward Cullen. "I'm just getting ready to check out one of our brown bears."

"What happened?"

Dr. Hobbes let out a small sigh. "You know Mr. Thompson, right?"

"Isn't he the zookeeper for that area?"

"Yes. Well, he noticed that the smaller bear isn't eating as much as usual. I need to see what's going on."

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know yet, but it's the process of discovery that makes this job so exciting." Dr. Hobbes' smile showed just how much he loved his job. Cullen smiled back.

"So how are you going to..."

"Hi Sherise!" interrupted Dr. Hobbes, who saw her enter from the doorway behind Cullen.

"I thought I'd find you here."

"I was just on my way to your office. Ms. Bakalik asked me to bring a poop sample here since it was on my way. I kind of..."

"You know me, Sherise. Once you get me talking about my job, there's no stopping me."

"It's always exciting in your department, Marty, but not as exciting as writing grant proposals," she winked at Dr. Hobbes. Writing grand proposals was her least favorite part of the job, and he knew she was working on a big one. "We were just going to lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"Thank you, but I can't. Duty calls!" he replied.

"Understood. I'll see you later at the staff meeting." Aunt Sherise took Cullen by the shoulders and started to guide him toward the exit.

"Cullen," called out Dr. Hobbes. "Feel free to come back later if you get the chance. We always enjoy having you around."

Cullen smiled back at him as he walked out the door with Aunt Sherise. They grabbed some lunch at the indoor eating area near the pond. Cullen shared the events of his morning.

"Sounds like you've been very helpful."

"Is there anything I can do this afternoon?"

"I heard a rumor that the two G's are asking if you can help make some enrichment tools for the goats in the children's zoo. Want to head on over?" His aunt had already checked if it was all right for him to help out.

"The two G's are asking?" Aunt Sherise nodded at Cullen. "Sure! I would never want to disappoint them!" After lunch he scurried over to where he knew he'd find the two G's. Two of the assistant keepers, Gale and Gayle, were waiting for him. Cullen liked to refer to them as the two G's.

"Well, well. Mr. Cullen. Nice of you to stop by to help," said Gale.

The other Gayle was holding a rather heavy looking tool box. "We're working on a new climbing structure for the Nubian goats."

"A new climbing structure?"

"The goats are moving to a new habitat on the other side of the children's zoo. So, we're taking that opportunity to build a new climbing structure," explained Gale.

They walked to the off-exhibit area where they would begin work on the new structure. The ladies opened the door and Cullen saw the workroom was full of wood and tools. A few of the workmen from the physical plant were there and had already begun the assembly.

"You can start by sorting the wood into piles. When you're done, just ask around to see if anyone can use some help."

"What will it look like when it's done?" asked a curious Cullen.

Gayle took a plan book from a desk nearby and showed Cullen the pictures in it. It had several levels and places from where enrichment items could be hung. Various enrichment items, tools, and techniques were used with all the zoo animals to facilitate their mental and physical well-being. Cullen always enjoyed helping construct things like that. Last time, he helped make colored shape plates that the keepers used as touch targets for llama training.

After about an hour and a half, Cullen was tired. Lifting heavy wood planks, pounding in nails, and running to the commissary to get coffee for everyone was exhausting. "I'm beat," he told Gale, who was picking up the pencil that had fallen from behind her ear and into the coffee cup she was trying to fill.

"You've really worked hard," agreed the other Gayle who happened to be standing nearby.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to head back to my aunt's office."

"Thanks for all your help!" the two G's called out in unison.

He made his way back to his aunt's office. He found her working hard on her grant proposal.

"There's not really anything else you can help with today." Cullen's smile turned to a look of disappointment. Aunt Sherise reached for the phone on her desk. "It's going to be boring hanging around my office watching me write a grant proposal. Why don't we see if you can go over to Brayden's until I can get home."

Cullen thought that was a reasonable alternative. It was always fun at Brayden's house.

"What's his number again?" asked Aunt Sherise whose fingers were poised over the telephone keypad. Cullen recited Brayden's phone number and then turned to look out the window. From where he sat, he could see two men talking with each other. It triggered his memory of Saturday's events, and his thoughts quickly returned to the question of Walker and Warren.

"Brayden's mom said you could go over. They also invited you to stay for dinner, which is fine with me since I should stay here until I finish this grant proposal."

"Great!"

"You don't mind walking over there, do you?"

"No problem."

"Just call me when you get there so I don't worry."

Cullen nodded his head. He wondered when adults stopped worrying so much about their kids. He gathered his backpack and took off for Brayden's.

* * * * *

Brayden's mom answered the door. "Hi, Cullen. How was your day at the zoo?"

"Oh, man. It was great! I got to help with a bunch of stuff." As Cullen spoke, Brayden hurried down the stairs to where Cullen was standing.

"Dude! You've got to check out this new game!" Cullen looked at Brayden, then quickly back toward Mrs. Rednef. He didn't want to be rude, but he really wanted to go check out the new game. Sensing his dilemma, Mrs. Rednef said, "Why don't you go upstairs, and you can tell me more about your day at the zoo over dinner."

"Mom, what are we having tonight?" queried Brayden with a suspicious tone. His mom liked to experiment in the kitchen, but not every experiment was a success. He was hoping she was making something he knew was good instead of trying something new that might end up in the garbage disposal.

"I saw this on a cooking show and it really looked good; it's a casserole made of eel, mustard leaves, and chili peppers." She winked at him as she spoke.

"No, really," said Brayden.

"You don't need to worry. No experimenting tonight. I'm actually making your favorite, spaghetti with meatballs."

"Excellent!" replied Brayden who signaled Cullen to follow him upstairs.

"Your mom really likes to tease you," noted Cullen when they were out of his mom's range of hearing.

"Man, you should see some of the stuff she cooks. 'I saw it on a cooking show and it really looked good' are the scariest words in my house."

Cullen laughed. He knew this to be true from personal experience. The last time he had dinner at his house, Brayden's mom made a funky tofu dish that was completely inedible.

It was difficult to open the door to Brayden's bedroom. Two baskets of clean clothes waiting to be put away blocked the door from opening completely. Brayden figured there was no point in putting them away in drawers since they were already neatly folded and quite handy in the baskets. Music books and CD's were scattered all over the floor. A bunk bed Brayden had inherited from a relative took up most of the back wall. He liked having it for when friends wanted to sleep over. The top bunk was neatly made, while the bottom one was clearly waiting for a kind soul to straighten out the blankets. On the floor sat a TV, DVD player, and videogame unit. A computer system sat in the corner of his room on top of a small wooden desk.

While Brayden loaded up the system, Cullen decided to fill him in on Saturday's events.

"Four animals! That's amazing! I wish I'd been there. Just knowing they were covered in zorilla butt-goo is so totally cool. I'm telling you, man," continued Brayden who had stopped messing with his game system to listen to Cullen, "there is some serious potential with your new abilities."

"You need to get off that for a moment. What about the nefarious plot Walker and Warren might be scheming? I'm freaked out that they're going to do some totally heinous act of revenge."

"Nefarious?" said Brayden with a smirk. "You sound like Alyssa."

"She'd be proud," replied Cullen with a similar smirk.

Brayden shook his head. "Anyway, lucky for you we got to go home today."

"Yeah, but what about tomorrow?"

Brayden walked over to his computer. "Speaking of, I should probably check my e-mail to see if the school's even open tomorrow."

"It was so hot in there. I'm surprised the place didn't catch fire."

Brayden turned on the computer and then went back to the video game system. He figured he could get that going while the computer booted up.

"I can't get the image on the TV. I've got to check the cords in the back. Can you take care of the e-mail thing?"

"Sure." Cullen logged on and saw that indeed there was an e-mail from the school administrative team. He read it aloud to Brayden. It said that the problems with the heater and lockers had been solved, and that students were to return to school tomorrow.

"Bummer," said Brayden who was fixing a loose connection between the video game system and the TV. "Maybe Alyssa's right and their conversation had nothing to do with you."

"Maybe, but I don't know."

The images from the video game now appeared on the TV screen. Cullen and Brayden each grabbed a controller.

"Let's not worry about that now," said Brayden. "The object of this game is to..."

Cullen decided it was best to lose himself in the video game and enjoy what was left of his day off. Who knew what tomorrow would bring.
Chapter 16

Cullen grabbed a seat on the bus next to Brayden on the way to school the next morning.

"Where's your cousin?" asked Brayden.

"She decided to go in early today," replied Cullen.

Brayden rolled his eyes. "She went in early to make up for the day off yesterday, didn't she?"

"She said that she just didn't feel like taking the bus today."

"When did you talk to her?"

"After I got home last night," Cullen shifted in his seat. "She called to see if I was still worried about what we overheard on the rooftop."

Cullen smiled to himself because Brayden was actually right. Alyssa claimed when she spoke to Cullen last night that she just didn't feel like riding the bus today, but he knew that in reality she wanted to catch a teacher before class to get ahead on a project.

While Cullen mused to himself about his cousin's studiousness, Brayden pulled out some homework he still needed to finish.

"What are you doing?" Cullen was pointing at the workbook Brayden now had in his hands. "Why didn't you finish that after I left last night?"

"Slipped my mind," replied Brayden with a sheepish look. Even though he knew it was due Monday, he hadn't finished it over the weekend. The unexpected day off was a lucky break for him, and he could have gotten the homework assignment done comfortably after Cullen had gone home. "You know me – I work best under pressure."

"OK. Whatever you say," commented a smirking Cullen who decided it might not be a bad idea to check over his homework.

As soon as they entered the school, the boys saw Alyssa comforting her friend Carmen. She sat on the floor with her hand on Carmen's shoulder. Carmen was in tears clutching a piece of paper. They walked over to see what was up.

"What's going on?" asked Brayden. Carmen just kept sobbing. Alyssa stood up to meet the boys eye-to-eye.

"She's really upset. Somehow she got an e-mail that was written about her."

"Someone sent an e-mail to her instead of the person it was supposed to go to?" asked Cullen.

"No. That's not what I said. It was an e-mail from Sandy to Amy about Carmen."

"I don't get it," said Brayden

"Me neither," agreed Cullen.

Alyssa let out a sigh of annoyance and bent back down to Carmen. They overheard her tell Carmen to wait there while she talked to them. She stood up, took them both by the arm and walked them a few feet away.

"Carmen came in early today to check her e-mail. In her inbox was this e-mail...the one she's holding." Alyssa motioned her head in Carmen's direction. The boys looked over and then back at Alyssa.

"It was about what happened to Carmen in gym class. Sandy wrote some pretty mean stuff about it. For whatever reason, the e-mail was in Carmen's inbox."

"What happened to Carmen in gym class?" asked Cullen.

Alyssa lowered her voice so as not to further upset Carmen. "This is really sensitive. And I don't expect a couple of boys to understand, but let's just say it was embarrassing to her." Alyssa put her hands on her hips and stood in a defiant pose. "And the thing is that I know, personally, of a few other girls...popular girls...who do that, too. It makes me so mad that some girls are such hypocrites."

"Hypocrites? Must be another word of the day," reacted a frustrated Cullen. "What are you talking about?"

"If you're worried we'll blab it around school, don't. We won't say anything. Right, Cullen?" Brayden looked at his friend.

"We promise not to laugh, either." Cullen looked at Brayden. Alyssa saw that Carmen was getting up off the floor.

"Hold on," she said to the boys and walked over the Carmen. They looked at each other and decided to stay quiet until she got back. Carmen soon left Alyssa and walked into the girl's bathroom. Alyssa returned to them.

"You know... being boys you probably don't... but there's a lot of pressure among some girls to, um, look a certain way."

"What do you mean?" the boys asked in unison. Alyssa was clearly uncomfortable talking about this topic, whatever it was.

"Some girls who, well, haven't started to, um, develop," she looked at her shoes, "get picked on by some of the other girls. To avoid that, some girls... I hate having to say this to you guys."

"Just say it already." Cullen was growing further annoyed.

Alyssa took a deep breath, looked at them, and braced herself for their reaction. "They stuff their bras."

"We know," Cullen and Brayden said in unison as they laughed.

"See! This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything to you two. Insensitive jerks. You have no idea what it's like to be a girl at this school." She saw Brayden open his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, she blurted out, "Don't even ask me."

"What?"

"I know what you're thinking. And the answer is no."

"No, what?"

Cullen took a step back for fear of being dragged into the middle.

"You want to know if I do that."

"Actually, I was going to ask how she got an e-mail that was about her, not to her."

Alyssa blushed.

"You keep telling me not to be paranoid about Walker and Warren, yet you seem to be a bit paranoid about this stuff...no pun intended." Cullen suppressed a laugh so as to not enrage Alyssa any more. "So what happened to Carmen anyway?"

"Unfortunately, I saw the whole thing, so I know it happened and it's not like people are making this up. We're doing a modern dance unit in gym and have to wear a kind of leotard. There's a fair amount of jumping around during the routine and at one point, we have to do a sort of handstand thing. Well, I guess between the jumping around and being upside down, the stuff in her bra got loose and fell out onto the floor. To make things worse, she was in the front row so everyone saw it."

Cullen and Brayden looked at each other. They realized that having that happen in front of the entire gym class must have been devastating.

"She grabbed the stuff off the floor and ran into the locker room."

"Then what happened?"

"Our gym teacher went after her. While she was gone, some of the other girls were really cruel about it. They were calling her things like 'stove-top stuffing.' It was awful. I felt so sorry for her."

"So the e-mail was about that?"

"Apparently Sandy felt it was important for Amy to hear about it, so she sent her an e-mail. Carmen showed me. Some of the things they were saying – it was nasty."

"No wonder she's so upset," empathized Cullen.

At that point, Carmen came running out of the bathroom and toward where they were standing. She grabbed Alyssa by the arm.

"I just saw Carol in the bathroom and she got the same e-mail!"

Carol and Carmen were good friends. Carol told Carmen because she was worried for her friend.

Carmen continued, "I can't believe Sandy would be so mean." She started crying again. "I can't go to my classes. What if everyone else knows! This is the worst day of my life."

"Maybe you should go to the nurse's office. You know, tell her you're sick or something," suggested Brayden.

"Yeah! Then you could go home!" Cullen chimed in.

"What I need to do is transfer to a different school," mumbled Carmen.

"They're right. Let me take you down to the nurse's office." Alyssa took her by the arm and led her down the hallway.

Brayden turned to Cullen. "What do you think they use as stuffing?"

"I can only guess. What I'm more curious about right now is how she got an e-mail about her."

"Makes you wonder what else is being said behind everyone's backs."

They started walking toward their respective lockers. As they reached the stairway, they heard talking. It was two of the more popular boys in the school, Victor and Jamal. Some of the other boys at the school were crawling over each other to get on the basketball team so they could be part of their group. Cullen and Brayden stopped just short of the stairwell when they heard what the two boys were talking about. What they overheard gave them a chill.

Victor: "You won't believe what I got in my e-mails."

Jamal: "What?"

Victor: "It was an e-mail about Vincent. I don't know how I got it. The thing was sent by Marcus and was supposed to go to Chase."

Jamal: "What about it?"

Victor: "Well, it seems that Vincent thinks he can get on the basketball team next year."

Jamal: "No way! Who does he think he is?"

Victor: "I know. There's no way a band geek is going to get on the basketball team."

Jamal: "Really. And he doesn't even play a cool instrument, like the drums or something. Who in their right mind would play the bassoon?"

Jamal: "He's so annoying. Always trying to hang around with us at lunch. We're going to have to put him in his place."

Victor: "Lucky I got that e-mail. Could you imagine...?"

Cullen heard their voices getting nearer. He grabbed Brayden by the arm, and they took off down the hall so as not to be caught eavesdropping.

"Oh, man. Poor Vincent," commented Brayden as they continued their walk toward their lockers. Although they were not good friends, Brayden had to work on a project with Vincent in language arts last year. He found Vincent to actually be a smart and nice guy. "I wonder what they're going to do to him."

"Maybe we should warn him," offered Cullen.

"I don't know about that," said Brayden. He stopped walking and motioned Cullen closer. He leaned into his friend. "What if Victor and Jamal found out we heard them and that we tried to help Vincent."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Yeah. I don't want to end up... well, you know."

"I get it, but I feel kind of guilty not doing anything."

"I hate to say it, but sometimes you've got to watch out for yourself first."

Cullen looked up at the hall clock and saw it was near time for 1st period. "I'll catch you later." They parted ways and headed off for their lockers.

Cullen noticed in his P.E. class that there was a lot of whispering going on. He took a seat on the gym floor near Freddy and Lawrence who were also whispering to each other.

Freddy greeted Cullen with a silly look on his face. "Hey, Cullen!" It was clear he was trying to stifle some laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Cullen.

"Oh, man. You'll never believe it," Freddy started laughing out loud. He turned to Lawrence. "You'd better tell him. I don't think I can get through it without laughing."

Cullen's interest was piqued. Considering the nastiness he had witnessed this morning – poor Carmen and Vincent – he felt a good laugh was in order.

"You will never believe this," repeated Freddy.

"Tell me, already!"

"My friend Tammy," Lawrence explained, "got an e-mail about Tamer that was..."

"Who's Tamer?" interrupted Cullen.

"Come on. You know. Tamer. Nobody in their right mind would mess with him," explained Freddy. "He's the one who got in trouble last year for punching a hole in a wall during an argument with another student."

Cullen looked at him blankly.

Lawrence continued with the description. "He looks like he's 18. Probably already shaves. Big. Muscles. Short temper. You don't mess with Tamer."

"Oh, yeah," replied Cullen. "I know who you mean. The guy looks like he eats raw meat."

"That's him. Well, like I said, Tammy got this e-mail about him." Lawrence lowered his voice. Even though the gym was noisy, he didn't want to be overheard. "Seems that, oh I forget who she said... anyways, seems that someone saw him in the library reading _Old Yeller_."

"What's the big deal about that?"

"Looks like he has a soft spot for our four-legged friends. The e-mail said Tamer, who was sitting alone in the back of the library reading, appeared to be at the end of the book...you know the part where they have to put the dog down... and he was... you'll never believe it... crying!"

Freddy laughed out loud. "Such a tough guy!"

Cullen realized the gravity of the situation. "He's going to go nuclear if he knows people are laughing at him."

"I know," said Freddy who now had a more serious expression.

Cullen turned to Lawrence. Something about this was nagging at him. "You said Tammy got an e-mail about Tamer. Was she actually the one who was supposed to get the e-mail or did it just show up in her mailbox?"

Lawrence gave him an odd look. "I don't know. What are you talking about?"

"Never mind," replied Cullen, but he couldn't shake the thought that there might be some kind of connection between all these mysterious e-mails.

Later on his way to biology class, Cullen saw Alyssa, who looked as if she had been crying. She was being comforted by Aaron. He ran over to see what was up.

"Don't worry about it," he heard Aaron saying as he neared. "I don't care what they say."

"Hey," interjected Cullen. "What's wrong? Are you ok?" He reached over to put a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him through teary eyes and let out a big sigh. Without saying a word, she handed him a piece of paper.

Cullen saw it was an e-mail from Damara to Brodie. Brodie was good friends with many of the popular boys in school. Damara was his cousin. Because of her cousin's social standing at school, Damara was someone others didn't cross.

The e-mail that Cullen held was three pages long and had several messages that had gone back and forth between Damara and Brodie. As he read it, his stomach turned. They were discussing Alyssa. Apparently, Damara was quite jealous that Aaron was interested in Alyssa. It went on to discuss a plan to smear Alyssa by spreading some vicious rumors about her. Damara's idea was that Aaron would dump Alyssa if he thought she was scum, a liar, a cheat, or whatever else she could come up with. The last message was Damara asking Brodie for help coming up with a rumor.

"Oh, Alyssa. I'm so sorry. Man, they're evil," sympathized Cullen as he handed the papers back to Alyssa.

"That Damara has been a real pain in my side," said Aaron. "She's always trying to talk to me, be by me. She's so obnoxious. All she does is talk about herself and how great she thinks she is."

Alyssa turned to Cullen. "I guess she's unhappy that he's spending time with me and not her."

Aaron also turned to Cullen. "I told Alyssa that I have done everything to get her to leave me alone, but she just doesn't get it." He turned back to Alyssa. "You know it's not you. She would be doing this to any girl I was hanging with."

"I realize that," she replied with a sob, "but I know I'm not popular and that some of the other kids make fun of me... you know, brainiac, know-it-all... I try not to let it bother me, but it still does. It's probably going to get worse now. She could make up anything and you know her gang will just eat it up."

"I told you," interrupted Aaron, "I don't care."

Cullen was impressed with Aaron and how well he treated his cousin. In some ways, Aaron seemed wise beyond his years. _Not caring what the other kids think is really mature,_ thought Cullen. _I wish I could do that. Life would sure be a lot simpler._

"Look," said Cullen to Alyssa, "I've got to get across the building to biology. I'll see you at lunch." He took off down the hall at a quick pace so as not to be late. "Later, Aaron," he called out over his shoulder. He wished he had time to thank him for being so nice to his cousin.

Biology was no different than P.E. Lots of whispering and giggling. A few students looked as though they had been hit by a bus from the looks on their faces, and Dawn was one of them. Cullen took a seat by her, but before he could say anything, the biology teacher spoke.

"You and your lab partners will spend the class period finishing..."

But Cullen didn't hear what his teacher said. His mind was filled with curiosity about Dawn's demeanor. He wasn't sure about the look on her face. She looked mad or hurt, or maybe both, he thought. As students began working on their projects, Cullen whispered to Dawn.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Sure. Why?"

"Well, you look... not like yourself."

"What are you saying?" she replied with a defensive and angry tone. Cullen was taken aback. Dawn never snapped at him. Ever since their time together the night he pulled off the bloodhound skill, he thought they had been getting along really well.

"All I mean is you look mad about something," commented Cullen as he took out the lab equipment for their project.

"It's not you," she said looking at the ground. "It's just..."

She pulled some papers out of her folder. "I got an e-mail that really upset me." She waved the papers in his face.

Cullen felt a chill in his spine. _Not again! What is going on?_

"Chrissie sent an e-mail to Laura... about me! Somehow it ended up in my mailbox. I'm so mad I can't see straight. I thought they were my friends!"

"What did it say?"

She studied him for a moment. When she felt satisfied in her own mind that she could share the message with him, she motioned for him to come closer. She spoke to him in a soft voice. He could tell she was really trying hard to control her anger.

"They're talking about the way I dress." She sat back with her hands on her hips. "And what's wrong with the way I dress? So I prefer to be comfortable in hoodies and jeans. Just because I don't wear sleazy clothes like they do doesn't mean I don't like boys."

"I don't get it." Cullen replied. She motioned him even closer.

"You know. Don't like boys," she repeated slowly.

The light went on in Cullen's head. "Ooohhh. Now I get it."

"Yeah. They had the nerve to say that I must be, you know, because all I wear are jeans and hoodies. Look right here!" She was pointing to a section in the e-mail. It read: 'Obviously she's not interested in guys or she'd dress more like a girl.'

Dawn continued. "You know how they dress...tight shirts, short skirts...I think they look slutty, but I'd never say anything to them. That's their choice. And since when do your clothes determine if you like boys or girls. They're such idiots."

Dawn was now grinding her teeth. "Man, I'm such a fool! I thought they were my friends. I wonder what else they're saying behind my back." Her fists were clenched. "I'm so mad I could spit nails... at them."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll see them at lunch. I'll figure something out by then."

"Just don't get yourself in trouble," cautioned Cullen. Dawn, as well as Chrissie and Laura, shared the same lunch period with Cullen. Between Alyssa's tearfulness and Dawn's anger, he was beginning to dread going to the cafeteria. He suggested that they focus on their project to try and get her mind off of it, but while they worked he heard Dawn muttering things about Chrissie and Laura under her breath.

By the time Cullen got to history, he was unable to focus – his mind was cluttered with all that he had witnessed. His teacher turned the lights off so the students could watch a short film during the first half of class. Recognizing his trouble concentrating on the film, he decided to write out some notes about the day's events.

  1. E-mails written about someone seem to show up in that person's inbox.

  2. Other people with a similar name also get the e-mail.

  3. Connection with the names?

He reflected on points #2 and #3. He decided to list out the e-mails he knew about.

  * Carmen and Carol get an e-mail about Carmen

  * Victor gets an e-mail about Vincent

  * Tammy gets an e-mail about Tamer

  * Alyssa gets an e-mail about Alyssa

  * Dawn gets an e-mail about Dawn

As he stared at his notes, he heard his teacher get up to turn on the lights. Temporarily blinded by the bright lights, he squinted back at his paper hoping his eyes would adjust quickly. He heard her tell the class to take out their workbooks and get busy on an assignment about the film. As Cullen opened his workbook, he heard two students behind him talking. It was Machiko and Carl. He thought it was strange that Machiko was addressing Carl. Cullen had never even seen Machiko make eye contact with Carl. What he overheard gave him another chill.

Machiko: "Hey, Carl."

Carl: "What do you want?" (Cullen thought he sounded annoyed.)

Machiko: "You're friends with Matt, right?"

Carl: "Yeah, so?"

Machiko: "I got the weirdest e-mail today. It was from Sean, but even though it was supposed to go to Antonio, I got it instead."

Carl: "I'll say it again. Yeah, so?"

Machiko: "They were talking about Matt's dad and how he got sent to jail."

Cullen heard Carl's tone soften.

Carl: "You know about that? Not cool. Listen, Matt's really embarrassed about it. He's going to feel even worse if everyone at school finds out. You better keep it to yourself."

As Machiko and Carl spoke, Cullen picked up his pencil and added 'Machiko gets an e-mail about Matt' to his list. He turned back to his workbook, but barely got going when the bell rang.

Cullen thought that the mood in the hallways as he walked toward the cafeteria was... he paused to find the right word...palpable. He couldn't help smile to himself. _'Palpable.' Alyssa would be proud._ He only hoped he had used the word correctly.

Unfortunately, things were even worse in the cafeteria. It was total chaos. Some students were crying, some were fighting, while others sat at their tables trying not to be noticed. Various pieces of paper – Cullen suspected they were more e-mails – were lying about on tables and on the floor.

In one corner, he saw that Tamer had a very frightened looking student pinned against the wall. He was threatening to pound this kid with a hard cover copy of _Old Yeller_. Toward the back wall Matt was yelling at Sean and Antonio.

Cullen saw Vincent, who was holding a full tray of food, walking past the basketball table to where the other band members sat. He watched helpless as Victor stuck out his foot and tripped Vincent, who went flying food and all.

_Dawn!_ He thought to himself. _I better find her before she does something she'll regret._ But it was too late. By the time he found her amid the turbulent student body, she was in the process of pouring a carton of milk on Chrissie's head.

The teachers on cafeteria duty were trying their best to stop the mayhem, but it was too far gone. Before Cullen knew it, food was flying throughout the air. People were yelling and there were three fist fights. He looked for Alyssa.

It took a while, but he finally found her – and in the oddest place. She had taken a seat behind, but near, Walker and Warren. Although she was holding a book to her face, he could see she wasn't reading it. Cullen also noticed that Walker and Warren were not involved in any of the fighting. Instead they were just sitting there looking smug and righteous. When he caught Alyssa's eye, she slowly and quietly moved from her seat to where Cullen was standing.

"What are you, nuts? Why were you sitting near them?"

"You'll be glad I did," she replied. She grabbed him by the arm and led him to a large table near the main exit of the cafeteria. They took a seat across from each other at the far end of the table away from everyone.

"I heard the whole thing."

"Go on."

"Walker was talking about how happy he was with the outcome."

"Outcome of what?"

Alyssa looked out the cafeteria window and sighed. "I just don't get how someone can be so pernicious."

"Ha! I know that one. Hurtful, right?"

"Hey, good for you! Anyway, I heard him gloating to Warren about the success of his computer program. From what I gathered, he hacked into the school's computer system and implanted a program that redistributes e-mails."

Cullen's mouth dropped to the table. "Take a look at this!" He pulled out the notes he wrote during history class. "Look at the e-mail names. I bet there's a pattern here."

Alyssa studied the names. "Oh, my. I think I've got it." She put the paper down between them and pointed to the list. "Look at this. Carol gets an e-mail about Carmen. See? Both names start with 'c-a'. Then, here. Tammy gets an e-mail about Tamer."

"T-a," said Cullen quietly. "V-i – Victor, Vincent."

"He must have set a program so that if an e-mail mentions a student's name it not only goes into that person's inbox, it also goes to anyone else with the same first two letters."

"Can you really do that?"

"Remember on the rooftop? He kept patting his laptop case while he was talking to Warren. They must have been talking about this."

"You think they might have had something to do with the locker and heating problems yesterday?"

"We know he's a computer genius. I don't think anything is past him."

"By the way, how did you end up sitting behind them just now?"

"I noticed that he and Warren were the only ones not involved in some kind of altercation. They almost seemed to be enjoying the chaos. It made me suspicious, so I sneaked behind them and pretended to be reading."

"You took a real chance. What if they'd seen you?"

"I figured they were so enraptured by the goings on around them, they wouldn't notice me behind them. I guess I was right. Anyway, Walker was saying something about how this was just the beginning. From what he said, he's doing all this to get even for losing the computer fair last year."

"He gave up track for that and didn't win. I heard he was really upset."

"Since our faculty and students were involved, I guess he blames them for losing. The best way to get even with everybody would be to mess with the school's computer system."

Alyssa looked around the room. Things were starting to calm down. "I think Warren is feeling unsure about all this. He kept questioning Walker about getting caught. Walker said he has the program on his laptop and that no one could ever figure out it was them."

"Then I guess there is only one thing to do."

"What's that?"

"We've got to steal his laptop and take it to Mr. Askee, the Information Technology Officer."
Chapter 17

Brayden caught up with Alyssa and Cullen after school. They filled Brayden in on what they had learned. He in turn shared that he had an e-mail in his inbox written about Brenda, a new girl in school.

"You gotta admire how smart the guy is," Brayden said while shaking his head.

Cullen and Alyssa looked at him with disbelief.

Seeing their faces, Brayden explained himself. "I'm not saying what he did was good. It's pure evil. All I mean is that it takes a lot of brains to think of something like that." He turned directly to Alyssa. "Speaking of brains, how do you plan on stealing his laptop?"

"Hold on," interrupted Alyssa. "That was Cullen's idea. And, besides, we can't steal his laptop. Stealing is wrong and we could get in trouble. And what if Walker caught you? That would probably be worse than...."

"Wait a minute," Brayden interjected. "What are we supposed to do? Go to Mr. Askee and tell him what you heard? He's not going to believe it. You've got to go in there with proof – and that's the laptop."

"The only problem as I see it," added Brayden, "is that he always has it with him. How do we get it from him?"

"You guys aren't listening to me," said a frustrated Alyssa. "I can't just stand here and listen to you both talking about stealing."

"Your mom works for the FBI, right?" asked Brayden.

"Yes," said Alyssa. She was worried where this might be going.

"Don't agents and spies sometimes have to steal things, you know, like information, for the good of the country?"

"I suppose," she replied through pursed lips. She crossed her arms in a defiant pose and started tapping her foot in annoyance.

Cullen was also following Brayden's train of thought. Brayden continued. "This is the same thing. So, don't get all moral on us."

"Remember how upset you were about Damara? And what about poor Carmen? Walker can't get away with this. I'm willing to take the hit for 'borrowing' his laptop if it means we can stop all this," said Cullen.

"For the greater good!" cheered Brayden.

"Ok, ok, what do we do?" Alyssa relented.

"Simple. We find him and get the laptop," laughed Brayden. He knew the task was quite challenging. "I know! Cullen. Use your animal skills."

"You know I can't just turn it on and off. I have no control over this."

Alyssa knew the solution. "We need to get your emotions in gear. How are you feeling now?"

"Nervous, scared, mad, but I don't have the same intensity as I did those other times."

"Let's just hope it will come to you once we get going," offered Brayden. "We need to move before he gets on the bus home. Last time I saw Walker he was at his locker. He's probably on his way to the bus stop by now."

The three of them quickly made their way toward the bus stop, but Walker was nowhere to be found. They knew the bus hadn't come yet, so he had to be around somewhere. They decided to make tracks back toward Walker's locker.

Cullen was starting to feel his emotions kick in stronger than they were when he was talking to Alyssa and Brayden minutes earlier. Along with anxiety and angry feelings, Cullen was also feeling excitement. The prospect of busting Walker and Warren exhilarated him. He ran quicker than Alyssa and Brayden, which put a sizable distance between him and them. They didn't want to call out for him to slow down for fear of drawing unwanted attention. They decided to hang back and let Cullen take the lead.

Cullen turned the corner into the hallway where Walker's locker was located. He stopped dead in his tracks seeing Walker and Warren both heading off in the opposite direction. Walker had the laptop with him. Cullen's emotions were starting to flare even more greatly. His heart was racing, his stomach was full of those busy butterflies, and his hands were sweaty. His thoughts revolved around how angry he felt looking at those two dastardly individuals.

Cullen realized that he needed to stop Alyssa and Brayden from turning down this hallway. Their footsteps would surely alert Walker and Warren to their presence, but he could easily lose Walker and Warren once they reached the end of the hallway. They could go left, right, or straight. He didn't want to lose sight of them. _How can I watch where they go and walk quickly enough backwards to head off Alyssa and Brayden?_ He was not graceful at walking backwards and was afraid of tripping over his own feet or plowing into a locker.

_Kinkajous!_ Indigenous to Central and South America and a relative of the raccoon, these small animals can turn their feet completely backwards to run skillfully in either direction. _That would be handy. I can watch which way they go and stop Alyssa and Brayden before they get here. But I need to see behind me so I know where I'm going!_ He panicked. No animal came to mind that had eyes in the back of its head. _Duh! Owls can turn their heads 180_ o _. That will do._

Cullen crinkled his face thinking that the turning backwards of his feet might hurt, but instead he just found himself moving gracefully in reverse. When he looked down, sure enough his feet were backwards. Still emotionally charged, he took off to where he knew Alyssa and Brayden were sure to be. While moving, he periodically rotated his head so he didn't run into anything. Just as he reached his destination, he saw Walker and Warren turn down the corridor to their right. Alyssa and Brayden were stopped just before the hallway staring at Cullen with gaping mouths.

He smiled knowing they must have seen what had happened to his body. "Kinkajous and owls," he said. As he got closer to them, his feet returned to their proper position. "I'll fill you in later. They went to the right."

"That's not the way to the bus stop. That will take them to the lounge area."

"Hopefully they'll stop there and we can find a way to get that laptop."

The three of them ran quickly, but quietly, toward the lounge, which was located in a large corridor and built into a sunken floor covered with a denim-colored carpet. It contained several couches and oversized chairs. Considering students used them all the time, the furniture was still in good shape. Nearby were various vending machines. Sure enough, they spotted Walker and Warren seated in the two oversized chairs. The chairs were positioned so that a quick turn of the head to the right and Walker and Warren would see them. They hung back just around the corner to make sure they wouldn't be seen.

"They're over there," whispered Brayden. "I wonder why they're sitting there."

"Doesn't matter. What's important is that they stopped and we have a chance to snag that thing. But how do we get it? They'll surely notice if we walk over there," replied Cullen with frustration.

"How are you feeling," asked Alyssa. She was hoping his emotions were in gear.

"I'm pretty worked up," Cullen responded. "I should be able to pull something off."

"Think chameleon! Maybe you can match the carpet and crawl over there."

"Chameleons usually change colors because of their mood and stuff – not necessarily because of the background," Cullen was panicking even more. He felt too much pressure to be the only one doing all the work here.

"Just do it! And we'll hope that blue matches your mood." Alyssa crossed her fingers.

"Give me your shirt," said Brayden. Cullen just looked at him. "Come on. Your clothes aren't going to change color with you. Lucky you wore blue jeans today." Cullen took off his shirt and handed it to his friend. "Shoes and socks, too." Cullen stuffed his socks in his shoes and gave them to Brayden. Emotions still running high, he started thinking about chameleons and the need to turn blue like the carpet. Sure enough, his skin and hair began to change color. As he got down on the floor and close to the carpet, his color adjusted to match up.

Brayden elbowed Alyssa to get her attention. "I'm telling you, there is so much potential if he can get this under his control." She nodded in agreement.

Cullen crawled on his belly to where Walker and Warren were seated. Walker had placed the laptop case, complete with laptop, on the floor leaning against the side of the chair. He was busy talking to Warren, but Cullen was unable to focus on what they were saying. He was too busy concentrating on staying blue and getting the laptop.

When he got close enough to grab the laptop, Walker reached for the bag and lifted it onto his lap. Cullen froze, not sure what to do next. He watched as Walker took out a pen and a notebook. Much to Cullen's delight, Walker put the case back down where he could reach it.

Carefully, Cullen grabbed the case by the side and eased it toward him. Warren stood up and Cullen again froze. Walker motioned Warren to sit back down, which he did. Cullen noticed that Warren was looking very nervous and Walker more annoyed than usual. Cullen was finally able to get the laptop securely in his grip and he quickly made his way out of the sunken pit and to his friends. Walker was busy writing in his notebook while Warren just stared out the window.

"They didn't notice," whispered Brayden. "Man, you're good."

"Lucky for me that chameleons also have sticky fingers!" Cullen was changing back to his normal color. "Made it easy to keep a grip on it." They moved further down the hallway and away from Walker and Warren.

"I need my clothes back," he said with a slight shiver.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Brayden handed them over. Cullen pulled his shirt over his head.

"Hurry up so we can get this to Mr. Askee." Alyssa took Cullen's shoes out of Brayden's hands and put them on the floor.

Just as Cullen slipped on his shoes, they heard an angry Walker yelling about where his laptop went.

"We've gotta move," said Brayden. But it was too late. Walker and Warren turned the corner and saw the three of them standing there laptop in hand.

"You're so dead!" shouted Walker, and he sprinted toward them with Warren close behind.

"Run!" yelled Brayden and they started off as fast as they could toward Mr. Askee's office. Cullen looped the strap to the laptop case around his body so he wouldn't drop it while he ran.

His heart was pumping and his mind was racing. He wanted to run as fast as he could, but he knew he couldn't use the cheetah skill. He remembered reading an article about how some cheetahs, not being able to stop quickly, met an early death because of collisions with trees and other pieces of landscape. The last thing he wanted was to go flying into a wall or something. He was coming up blank with an animal that had a skill that would help him run through narrow and twisting hallways. _I really need to read up more on animals,_ he thought to himself.

Being naturally a quick runner, he was far ahead of Brayden and Alyssa. Walker and Warren, however, were able to keep up. Alyssa tried to trip them as they passed her, but her attempt was unsuccessful and she ended up tripping Brayden instead.

"What are you doing!?" exclaimed Brayden as he picked himself off the floor.

"Sorry. My aim was off," she offered with a sheepish look.

"I'll say." He tried walking but now had a limp from where his knee hit the hard floor. Alyssa looked at him with sympathy.

"Don't worry about it," Brayden said. He didn't want her to feel bad. "Let's just hurry." They scurried off to catch up with the others.

_Two more hallways and I'll be there,_ thought Cullen. _I don't know that I can outrun Walker. Can't do the cheetah. What do I do?! Think! Think! Yes! I should yell out for Mr. Askee so he'll come out of his office!_ Cullen remembered that howler monkeys were one of the loudest animals in the world. Their call can be heard from miles away. He thought of the howler monkey and let out the loudest yell he'd ever heard.

"MR. ASKEE! MR. ASKEE!"

Students nearby plugged their ears. The sound coming from Cullen was deafening. Mr. Askee erupted from his office. He looked mad.

Cullen worked hard to lower the volume of his voice. "Mr. Askee! I've got it! Walker... he's the one... it's all on his laptop..."

"Mr. Askee," yelled Walker who had just caught up with Cullen. "He stole my laptop! I demand you suspend... no, expel him!"

"Wait," shouted Cullen, "He's the one responsible for the e-mails!"

"What are you talking about?" exclaimed Walker. "You stole my laptop and now you're telling lies to get out of trouble. Mr. Askee, you can't let him get away with this!"

"Cullen's telling the truth!" added Alyssa who was now standing near Cullen. Brayden was now standing behind Walker. A fidgety Warren was next to him.

"You've got to believe him!" added Brayden.

They all started yelling at each other. Mr. Askee rubbed his temples. It had been a long two days for him. He already knew someone had hacked into the school's computer system, but he had been unable to determine who and how. Luckily he was able to use the backup to restore the system. Nevertheless, the problem itself hadn't been solved, and now he had the added worry that whoever it was might try to get into the confidential files and grades of the student body.

"Quiet!" Mr. Askee shouted to be heard above them. "All of you. Into my office. Now!"

"But he stole..."

"ENOUGH!" He pointed toward the doorway to his office. They all marched in with their mouths closed. He closed the door behind them.

"Give me the laptop," Mr. Askee told Cullen with his hands open ready to receive it. He looked suspiciously at Walker. Being one of the judges at last year's computer fair, he was well aware of how talented Walker was and how angry he was at not winning. Warren caught Mr. Askee's look at Walker. Warren fidgeted even more.

Mr. Askee turned to Cullen. "Obviously you were in possession of Walker's belongings. How do you explain that?"

Alyssa started talking. "We knew you wouldn't believe..."

"I'm not talking to you, Alyssa." She looked down at the floor. Walker shot her a smug look. "I want to hear from Cullen."

"We figured out that Walker was the one who hacked into the school's computer system and that the proof was on his computer."

"That's a lie!" shouted Walker. Mr. Askee looked at him. Walker stared back at him right in the eye. Warren continued to fidget.

Cullen continued. "We didn't think you'd believe us without proof so we 'borrowed' his computer so we could bring it to you."

"That's a very serious allegation. If I find out you have falsely accused a student of something this serious, you will get in big trouble."

Walker snickered. Mr. Askee looked at him and spoke in the same serious tone. "And if what they say is true, you will surely experience serious consequences."

Mr. Askee turned to Warren. "You're very fidgety. Do you have anything to say about any of this?"

Warren looked as if he were about to jump out of his skin. He looked at Walker, then at Cullen, then at the laptop. His eyes finally rested on Mr. Askee.

"They're right," Warren pointed to Cullen and his friends. "Walker wrote the program like they said."

Walker glared at him.

"What was your role in this Warren?" asked Mr. Askee.

"I'm no computer whiz. I had nothing to do with the program. I only helped get what he needed to write the program. You know, books and stuff." He turned to Walker. "I'm not going down with you for this. "You kept promising me that they'd never know we did it, but you were wrong."

"You traitor!" shouted Walker at Warren. "You dirty traitor! Who do you think you are? I was so stupid to think you could handle this! You're so weak! You're going down for this, too, you know!" Walker had turned a deep shade of red. He was breathing quickly. He was angry at getting caught, and that his friend just turned him in. He did all this to get even for his loss at the computer fair and now he was busted. His anger turned to rage. Warren looked scared.

"Walker, that's enough!" interjected Mr. Askee.

"And you!" Walker was now standing and pointing at Mr. Askee as he yelled at him. "You are no technological expert! How dare you deny me first prize! You couldn't even figure out how I hacked into the system and tampered with the e-mails. And want to know something else? I was the one who changed the locker combinations and reset the heating system on Monday. And you couldn't even fix that problem. Had to rely on the backup. You're just as weak as Warren. You're not even in my league! I should have your job!"

"You're done," Mr. Askee replied in response to Walker's confession. "You and Warren stay here." He turned to Cullen. "Go get the principal. She should still be in her office. Alyssa, Brayden, you're free to go."

Cullen left to get the principal with Alyssa and Brayden close behind. Walker stuck his head out the door and yelled out after them. "You'll pay for this Cullen! Don't think you're safe either, Brayden! Alyssa you're on my list, too!" Mr. Askee moved him out the way and closed the door.

"Did you hear that?!" said Brayden. "I hope he's never allowed back in school."

"I know we did the right thing, but I don't feel too comfortable about it," confessed Alyssa.

"Me either," replied Cullen. "Look, you guys go ahead. I might be stuck here for a while."

"Don't worry," said Brayden. "We'll wait for you at the bus stop." Alyssa nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. Would you mind getting my backpack and coat from my locker, please? After all the excitement, I really don't feel like walking all the way across the building to get it." Cullen asked of Brayden.

"Sure." And with that, they went off in their separate directions.

* * * * *

As promised, Alyssa and Brayden were waiting for Cullen at the bus stop. The sun shown brightly upon them. Alyssa took that as an omen that they had done a good thing. Brayden handed Cullen his backpack and jacket. Cullen checked his backpack to make sure he had everything he needed. Satisfied with its content, he pulled on his jacket.

"So what happened after we left you?" asked Brayden.

"I don't really know. I walked back to Mr. Askee's office with the principal. To tell you the truth, I thought I was still going to get in trouble for having Walker's laptop. But when we got there, Mr. Askee told me to leave. The last thing I heard were the words 'notify your parents,' 'expulsion,' and 'alternative school'."

"Can you believe Warren turned on him?" said Alyssa. "He probably figured if he confessed he'd get a lighter sentence."

"What about Walker? I can't believe how he laid into Mr. Askee. It was like listening to a comic book villain's monologue," added Brayden.

"He's got one huge ego," said Alyssa. "So arrogant."

"You know we're lucky he confessed. I'll bet he had his computer protected in a major way, and Mr. Askee may not have been able to find the proof on there."

"That's true. We did get lucky."

"Well, I don't know how lucky," Brayden thought out loud. "We're on his 'list' now."

"You're right," agreed Cullen. "He's sure not to forget that we figured out his plan, stole his laptop, and got it to Mr. Askee." He felt as though his stomach had just fallen to his feet.

"Let's not think about that right now," offered Alyssa. "He's going to be in a lot of trouble and I'm sure he'll be in no position to retaliate."

"I hope you're right," responded Brayden.

Even though the walk home was a bit far, they decided to hoof it instead of taking the bus. It would give them a chance to talk more about what happened. Alyssa zipped up her jacket and strapped on her backpack. Cullen did the same. Brayden was already good to go.

"So tell us about the animal skills you used," said Alyssa as they walked down the street. "When you saw Walker and Warren in the hall, you said you conjured the kinkajous and owl."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," added Brayden

"You realize," Alyssa continued, "that you used two different skills simultaneously. When we were at the university, you used several animal skills, but one at a time. It seems that you can do them from different animals all at the same time as well."

Cullen let that sink in. Brayden reiterated his point about the potential here.

"How did you yell so loud for Mr. Askee?"

"Howler monkey," answered Cullen. "But I realize if this is a skill I'll live with for the rest of my life, I have to get it under control. And I need to widen my knowledge of the animal kingdom."

"Right now, you only get the ability when you're emotionally charged. Maybe you have to get better in tune with your emotions."

"Or maybe," added Brayden, "you can learn to use it at any time. Doesn't matter how you feel."

"Who knows," replied Cullen. "Like you said, there's a lot of potential here. Aunt Sherise could be a great resource in learning more about the animal kingdom, but I'm not ready to share this with her yet... if at all."

"Aren't your folks planning a trip back to the Black Hills this summer?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Perhaps you could use that trip for some self-discovery. You know, hook up with a shaman to learn more about the coat."

"That could work," he replied. "You guys going to come with?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Alyssa and Brayden spoke in unison. They were now near Mona Kahonas.

"We deserve a treat," said Alyssa.

"Couldn't agree more," replied Brayden. They entered the shop and found a table. Alyssa took off her jacket, grabbed some money out of her pocket, and walked to the counter. Brayden was busy counting his money to see if he had enough to buy a muffin. Cullen was deep in thought.

_I used my skills to successfully thwart Walker's evil plans to sabotage the school's computer system. I even learned that I can do skills from different animals at the same time. I can't wait to get to the Black Hills and find myself a shaman who can help me learn more about these mystical powers. As Brayden said, there's a lot of potential here._ He looked at his cousin and then at Brayden. He felt warmth greater than that coming from the sun. It came from within him – from having such friends with whom he could share and learn. _Who knows what's waiting for us in the Black Hills!_ As far as he was concerned, summer couldn't come fast enough.
A Note to Parents

Within the following sections are opportunities for parents to use this book as a learning tool. These sections should be viewed as a starting point and can be supplemented to meet the needs of each individual reader.

Reflection Questions: The characters in this book are faced with the types of issues and dilemmas youth today face in their everyday lives. The reflection questions are provided to help facilitate discussions about such topics as self-esteem, bullying, peer pressure, decision making, and emotional awareness.

Self-Exploration Questions: These questions are designed to provide a springboard for each reader, with the guidance of an adult, to learn more about exploring his or her interests/values and how to go about it in an appropriate and accurate manner.

Vocabulary: This book can also be used as a tool to build vocabulary. A list of vocabulary words, organized by chapter, can be found in the _Teacher's Quick Guide_ companion resource at http://www.patricepaul.com.

### A Note to Teachers

As noted above, a _Teacher's Quick Guide_ for use with this book is available as a free download at http://www.patricepaul.com. It expands on the Reflection Questions and Self-Exploration Questions by building additional learning links to such subject areas as English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science, as well as to the areas of career development and social/emotional learning. Teachers, school social workers, and school counselors will find the book and quick guide a useful catalyst for discussion and project-based learning.
Reflection Questions

  1. Through a mystical event, Cullen acquires animal skills that prove advantageous in various situations. If you had powers that gave you an advantage over others, what would you do with them? What consequences – good and bad – might befall you based upon your choices? Why did you make the choices that you did?

  2. How do you choose between doing the right thing and actions that might cause you or others trouble? What are the steps you use in your decision making?

  3. Alyssa feels uncomfortable stealing Walker's laptop, even though it is probably the best way to prove their point. Have you ever felt torn between doing something you felt uncomfortable about in order to do the right thing? How did you handle it?

  4. When angry, Cullen's body feels certain ways and he tries to calm himself by breathing deeply. How do you know when you are angry? How does your body feel and what thoughts do you have? What do you do to manage your anger?

  5. How do you know that Walker is a bully? What do you think makes a bully a bully? How do you feel when someone picks on you? How do you handle it and why do you choose that/those methods?

  6. One type of situation that makes Cullen nervous is when he worries about failing at something important to him. What situations make you nervous? How do you feel when you are nervous? What do you do about it?

  7. The re-routed e-mails cause much embarrassment for the students at M.R. Rick Junior High School. What things embarrass you? How do you know when you feel embarrassed? What do you do when you feel embarrassed?

  8. Aaron assures Alyssa that he does not care what other people say or think about her and his friendship with her. Why do you think kids and teens put too much importance on what others think of them? Is it possible to be yourself and still survive in school? How do you handle this dilemma?

Self-Exploration Questions

  1. When in the library, Alyssa states that resources on the internet may not always be reliable. Take time to look up something of interest on the internet and compare it to what you find in resource books. Is it accurate? How do you know?

  2. Cullen values the animal kingdom and the environment. What do you do to keep the environment safe and clean for both animals and humans? What are your values and what do you do about them?

  3. Cullen has already established an area of interest – animals – that he continues to explore and develop through his work at the zoo and the relationship with his Aunt Sherise. What interests do you have and how do you explore and develop them? Ask at your school officials if there are any mentors with whom you can talk or shadowing experiences that you can do.

About the Author

Dr. Paul earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology and completed her clinical internship at the University of Chicago Hospitals. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience in assessment and therapy, specializing in children and adolescents in both private and university-based hospital settings. Along with her clinical work, she has extensive experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses as well as publishing and presenting research related to the fields of counseling and psychology. She decided to use this knowledge as a vehicle for writing personal-growth oriented fiction aimed at the middle-school and young adult population. You can find more information about this book as well as how to qualify for an educator discount for traditional bound copies for classroom use at her website (http://www.patricepaul.com ).

