Andi Unstoppable
Also by Amanda Flower
Andi Boggs Series
Andi Unexpected
Andi Under Pressure
Appleseed Creek Mystery Series
A Plain Death
A Plain Scandal
A Plain Disappearance
A Plain Malice
India Hayes Mystery Series
Maid of Murder
Murder in a Basket
Living History Mystery Series
The Final Reveille
Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series
(writing as Isabella Alan)
Plainly Murder
Murder, Plain and Simple
Murder, Simply Stitched
Murder, Served Simply
Murder, Plainly Read
ZONDERKIDZ
Andi Unstoppable
Copyright © 2015 by Amanda Flower
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ePub Edition © August 2015: ISBN 978-0-310-73769-8
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Cover illustration: Chris Coady
Cover design: Deborah Washburn
Interior design: David Conn
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my birders
Andrew Flower
and
Sarah Preston
CONTENTS
When a teacher claps his hands at the
beginning of class, I consider it a warning for a big announcement. Until our Life Science teacher, Mr. McCone opened his mouth, I didn't know if the announcement was going to be good or bad. The final bell that told us it was the beginning of the last period of the day rang, and Mr. McCone clapped his hands for a second time. “Simmer down! Simmer down! I have news.”
Suddenly, the room was so quiet I could hear the boy in the seat behind me breathing. I scooted forward in my desk.
The science teacher was a short, round man who had puffy dark hair that reminded me of feathers. He beamed happily. Actually, Mr. McCone was always
beaming. In the three short weeks I'd been a student at Killdeer Middle School, I hadn't seen a frown on his face or heard him raise his voice. That included the handful of times he'd asked a student to go out in the hall, which didn't happen often because who would want to misbehave in Mr. McCone's class?
“I have super news,” the science teacher said. “Fall migration is here!”
Silence fell on the classroom as we tried to figure out what this meant. Migration? Migration of what?
“Does anyone know what that means?” the science teacher asked.
My best friend Colin Carter's hand shot up so fast his floppy brown bangs fluttered on his forehead. Of course, Colin would know. Colin knew everything. He was a good guy to have around during a trivia game.
Mr. McCone called on him. “Colin?”
Colin lowered his hand. “It's the birds. Songbirds and waterfowl fly to their winter homes. Many travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to reach their final destinations.”
“Exactly. This year the migration is even more exciting, and today I learned the most wonderful news.” Mr. McCone lowered his voice. “A Kirtland's warbler was spotted in the Shalley Park woods.”
A hush fell over the classroom. I don't know about the other kids, but I was quiet because I was trying to decide what that exactly meant and why it was so exciting. Colin didn't even raise his hand.
Finally, Ava Gomez, sitting in the center seat, front row, spoke up without raising her hand. Ava
never raised her hand. She thought she was above being called on. “What's so special about a Kirtland's warbler?”
The seventh grade science teacher put a hand to his chest, like she'd struck him with a bullet and not a question. “It's rare, very rare, indeed, especially in Ohio. There hasn't been one spotted around in Carroll County in over twenty years. Many birders would give their life savings just for a glimpse of a Kirtland's, which is why at this very moment dozens of birders are on their way to Killdeer. The news of the sighting has spread like wildfire across the birder community. Bird fever is here in little Killdeer, Ohio.”
“They are coming here to Killdeer?” a boy in the back of the classroom asked. “No one comes to Killdeer. I mean other than the college students going to Michael Pike University, and they hardly ever leave campus.”
“Yes, they are.” Mr. McCone rubbed his hands together a second time and his eyes sparkled with excitement. He was really working the mad scientist angle. “Now, I have had a brilliant idea. We'll skip ahead in our current lesson plans and jump to ornithology for the next two weeks because I have the best assignment planned. You will love it!”
Someone behind me, probably the same boy who questioned anyone coming to Killdeer, mumbled, “The guy's a nut.”
Ava flipped her long straight black hair, hair I envied as it was a daily struggle to get my curly, strawberry blonde â AKA pink â hair into a ponytail. “But
Mr. McCone, we are still studying mollusks. What about the rest of the invertebrates? How can we skip invertebrates and go right to birds? The class will have no basis to study the bird's anatomy. Of course, I will because I have done extensive study of all animal kingdoms on my own time.”
“Suck up,” the boy behind me said.
Mr. McCone laughed. “Oh, the snails will be there when we are ready to come back to them. They aren't very fast.”
The class groaned.
“On the other hand,” Mr. McCone said, “fall migration only passes through our area for a couple of weeks. We can't miss the opportunity to study birds, especially those as rare as the Kirtland's warbler, in the field.” He clasped his hands together behind his back and started to pace. “Now for the assignment. You will be put into teams of two, and in your teams you'll observe as many birds as you can for the next two weeks, starting tomorrow. The assignment will be worth eighty points. The team that sees the most birds will receive an additional ten points.” He paused. “And the team that brings me a photograph of the Kirtland's warbler in the wild will earn an additional twenty points! Doesn't that sound awesome?”
Some adults just couldn't pull off the use of the word “awesome” convincingly. Mr. McCone was one of them.
Craig, who was also in my gym class, raised his hand from the second row. “What about the ghost?”
I laughed, but I realized that no one else in the
classroom was joining me. “There's a ghost?” I asked without raising my hand. If Ava could do it, so could I.
Mr. McCone leaned on his desk. “It's local folklore. Every small town needs its tall tale.”
“It's not just a story. I heard all about it,” a girl kitty-corner to me said. “It's a lady ghost, and she wanders the park in the early morning and evening, looking for her lost loved ones. My dad told me he saw her while he was cutting through the park when he was a kid. She was as white as a sheet, and she was moaning.”
A shiver ran down my spine. Ghosts weren't real. I had no reason to be afraid of a story.
Ava whipped around in her seat. “That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard, Courtney. Aren't you too old to believe ghost stories?”
“It's true,” Courtney said. “My dad told me.”
“Your dad lied,” Ava shot back.
Courtney glared at her. “My dad doesn't lie.”
“Then he thought he saw something. Sometimes that happens when people aren't thinking logically.”
Courtney jumped out of her seat. “Are you saying he's crazy?”
Ava shrugged.
Courtney, who was twice the size of Ava, looked as if she was ready to charge the smaller girl.
Mr. McCone stood up and stepped between them. “Girls, girls, there's no reason to argue.”
Courtney slid back behind her desk.
“Yes, I know there have been rumors about the ghost, but if she comes out in the early morning and
at night, simply don't go into the woods then if you're afraid.” The teacher smiled as if he had solved the problem.
Ava looked as if she wanted to say something more, but the science teacher said, “First things first, I need to break you into pairs. You will meet with your partner and together plan how you'll reach your birding goal.” His eyes glowed and reminded me of my aunt Amelie's cat. Mr. Rochester's eyes gleamed at night when he stared out the window at some unseen mouse or mole.
Another hand shot into the air. “But Mr. McCone, there are twenty-one kids in the class. What will happen to the extra person?”
Mr. McCone nodded. “Yes, yes, that is a problem. Break up into pairs, and we will see who is leftover.”
The sound of scraping filled the classroom as kids leapt out of their seats. No one wanted to be the one “leftover.” I knew I had nothing to worry about. Colin was the smartest kid in seventh grade and my best friend. He would be my partner. Colin was always my partner.
I waited until my classmates were done jumping over each other before I quietly stood up and walked to Colin's desk on the other side of the classroom. He wasn't alone.
Petite, raven-haired Ava Gomez glared down at Colin, who was sitting at his desk, with her hands on her hips. “What do you mean
I don't know
?”
“What's going on?” I asked.
“I . . .” Colin gave me a panicked look.
“Colin is going to be my birding partner,” Ava said.
She arched an eyebrow at me. I hated that she could do that â I'd spent hours trying in the mirror, but all I ended up doing was looking totally confused.
