Camp Alien by Pamela F. Service Read Free Book Online Page B

urged his stumbling Pegasus forward. Pretending to jump off, he pulled out his yardstick sword and waved it timidly at Draco.

    Vraj ignored him and kept gloating over miserable Melanie. Scott lunged forward, wiggling the sword in Vraj’s face.
    Explosively, Vraj spun around, yanked the sword away from Scott, held it in her front claws, and broke it in two. Watching through the bushes, I was impressed. I’d just told Vraj to do what fit the part. She was a natural.
    Perseus yelped and jumped back. It was probably not the reaction he’d expected from a “projection.” I’d have to think of some way to explain that later. Draco followed, claws outstretched, jaws gaping. Turning with a convincing scream, Perseus ran into the audience. Then he seemed to remember that this was a play and unhooked the dangling Gorgon head from his belt. Slowly he walked towards Draco, who was back slathering over Andromeda.
    The audience was yelling, laughing, and screaming with delight. But I was worried. I wasn’t sure if Vraj understood about the Gorgon’s head. We hadn’t rehearsed that part since most of the cast thought it would just bea projection. Timidly, Perseus stepped forward and wiggled the head at Draco. Nothing happened, though I caught a questioning look in the alien’s eye.
    â€œIt turns things to stone,” I whispered loudly under the audience’s screaming. “You turn to stone and die!”
    With a sharp nod, Draco turned and stared directly into Medusa’s ugly papier mâché face. Then she squealed like a fire siren and began leaping about like she was being attacked by bees. She flailed to the back of the stage and with one final shriek, fell like a stone into the bushes and rolled out of sight.
    For a moment, we were all stunned. Then I remembered I was the king. Singing happy praises for Perseus, I strode from the bushes with the others trailing me. Perseus untied Andromeda, they hugged briefly, and we all danced around the fire circle.
    That was supposed to be the end of the show.
    We had circled the fire for the third timewhen I felt the soft earth move under my feet. It buckled and heaved like an earthquake in mush.
    Suddenly the ground quaked, toppling me and the others to the ground. The soil, where we lay, churned with orange arms that broke free and began spiraling into the air. All around us, there were dozens of orange starfish-things the size of saucers. They swarmed into the air and swirled about like moths around a light. Then the swarm changed direction, and they sailed off into the night. The cloud of orange stars glided over the lake and disappeared beyond the trees.
    After awed silence, the camp exploded with cheers. What special effects! A Greek myth turned into stars—right before our eyes! Kids happily slapped me on the back. I just stood in stunned horror.
    The Duthwi eggs. The heat of the campfire. They’d hatched! Duthwi were loose on Earth, they and their mysterious menace. I’d totally botched my mission!

    Beyond the bushes, I glimpsed a yellow-green streak—Cadet Vraj bolting down the hill and along the lakeshore. Everyone kept congratulating me.
    I’d never felt more miserable in my life.

All the next day, the camp was buzzing about the show. Kids said I ought to go to Hollywood if I could do special effects like that. That annoyed Melanie, who felt
she
ought to go to Hollywood after her wonderful acting. I told her that anyone who could work a computer could do special effects, but not everyone had acting talent like hers. It wasn’t true, but it cheered her up.
    Nothing could cheer me up, though. I’d really messed up big time.
    I wanted to run out and help, but I didn’t know how. My last glimpse of Vraj was hersprinting after the flying Duthwi, but I hadn’t a clue where they were now. And I didn’t know if the mysterious Duthwi menace came when they were newly hatched or if they had to grow up