Dolphin Summer Read online

  Whew! Wanda had just surfaced, and now everybody wanted a look at her—including Olivia, Dani, and Chloe. The three of them dashed over to join the others, completely forgetting about me.

  And I was glad. I just didn’t know how to respond to questions about Julia and Amber. About my so-called best friends, who had totally betrayed me …

  I’d been trying not to think about them. But now it all came rushing back. How they’d begged me to go to sleepaway camp with them, even though I wanted to go to this marine biology camp in Maine I’d heard about. But no, regular camp would be fun, they said. A month of toasting marshmallows, canoeing, arts and crafts, exploring the woods upstate, learning archery, stuff like that. Fun, fun, fun.

  And it had sounded like fun. I’d even talked my parents into paying for it, and they’d sent a deposit.

  But then Julia heard about a sleepaway soccer camp that was running at the same time. She and Amber decided they’d rather do that, and they’d gone ahead and registered without even discussing it with me. Oh, they’d told me about it afterward, of course, acting as if they assumed I would want to switch, too. Even though they knew I didn’t like soccer, or have much interest in any sports. Even though they always made fun of me in gym class when I accidentally kicked the ball the wrong way …

  I gritted my teeth, going hot and cold with anger all over again. The worst part had been telling my parents. My dad had grumbled about wasting the deposit money, and my mom had just given me a sad look, as if she knew exactly what had happened even though I hadn’t told them the whole story.

  I hadn’t told Julia and Amber the whole story, either, actually. I’d just said that my dad had changed his mind, that his work truck needed repairs and so he couldn’t pay for camp this year after all. Somehow it had seemed even more painful to admit how much they’d hurt me—

  “This is so cool!” Olivia Choi walked over to me, phone in hand. Before I could move, she raised it and snapped a couple of photos of me. “I can’t believe there’s really a dolphin here.” She fiddled with her phone, peering at the screen. “There! I just posted some of my pictures.” She smiled. “And I gave you credit for spotting the dolphin, too.”

  I gulped. Olivia was so popular—I could only imagine how many people would see whatever she posted on social media. What if Julia and Amber saw it? What would they think?

  Worse yet, what if my brothers saw it? They might tell my parents, and then I’d be in real trouble.

  It was getting harder and harder not to worry, not to borrow trouble. I did my best to smile and act normal as Olivia and the others said good-bye and left.

  Nia had been mostly ignoring my classmates and working on her sculpture. But she looked up once we were alone again.

  “Those kids seemed nice,” she said.

  “Yeah, I guess.” I walked over to check on Wanda. This time when I whistled, it took several seconds before she appeared. Even then, she didn’t really look at me.

  Nia joined me at the fence. “She looks a little listless,” she said. “I hope she’s not getting sick from being in that dirty water.”

  “Yeah.” Fear stabbed through me as she put my worry into words. “Should we call the aquarium people?”

  Nia pulled out her phone. “Well, it hasn’t been two full days yet,” she said. “But I guess it couldn’t hurt to send a quick text.”

  Two hours later, I was helping Nia hoist her half-finished sculpture onto a handcart so we could take it back to the studio when a car pulled up to the edge of the lot. Dr. Gallagher, the female scientist from the other day, climbed out.

  “Hi there,” she greeted us, though her gaze was already moving toward the water. “So is she still here?”

  “Uh-huh.” I glanced over at Wanda, who was floating at the surface. “She’s acting kind of, I don’t know, tired or something. We’re afraid she might be sick after all.”

  The scientist watched the dolphin for a moment in silence. Finally she nodded, pulled out her phone, and tapped in a quick text.

  “Okay,” she said to Nia and me after that. “We’ll move her to the aquarium in the morning.”

  When Nia and I arrived the next morning, we found the half of the parking lot nearer the canal blocked off by police barricades. A crowd of curious onlookers had already gathered nearby. We pushed our way through them.

  “Sorry, young ladies,” the police officer guarding the gate told us. “Nobody can go past this point.”

  “But we’re with the aquarium people,” Nia argued.

  The officer shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  While Nia continued to argue and cajole, I stood on tiptoes, trying to see what was going on. But my view was mostly blocked by a large flatbed truck containing a huge metal crate. Another truck with a crane on the back was parked nearby, along with several other vehicles.

  I bet they’re going to transport Wanda in that box, I thought, staring at the crate. She’s probably going to be terrified …

  “Please,” I begged. “We have to get through. Wanda needs me!”

  “Wanda?” The police officer scratched his neck. “Who’s that?”

  “Never mind.” Nia tugged on my arm, pulling me away. “Hold that thought,” she told me. “I’m calling Dr. Hernandez.”

  I crossed my fingers behind my back as Nia made the call. She had to do a little more cajoling, but when she hung up she was smiling.

  “Is he letting us in?” I asked.

  “Uh-huh.” She headed for the barricade again. “Come on, we just have to wait until he gets here.”

  That didn’t take long. Moments later Dr. Hernandez was ushering us past the police.

  “I probably shouldn’t let you in,” he told us with a rueful smile. “But since you’re the ones who found her …”

  “Thanks, doc,” Nia said. “It means a lot to Lily.”

  The scientist nodded at me. “You’ll have to stay out of the way, all right?” he said. “This kind of transport is always tricky.”

  “How will you get her on the truck?” I asked. Over by the water, I could see several people in wet suits, and lots of others milling around wearing regular clothes.

  “We’ll have to herd her onto a sling.” Dr. Hernandez pointed to a piece of fabric hanging from the crane. “It’s specially designed for dolphins—there are cutouts for the flippers, see? Once she’s in there, we’ll lift her into the crate. Then several people will ride on the edge, keeping her moist and making sure she stays calm.”

  “There’s no water in the crate?” I was surprised. “But she’s used to being in the sea!”

  He nodded. “If we were going farther, we’d have to do a wet transport,” he said. “But since we’re only going a short distance, this way is easier—we call it a moist transport.”

  I bit my lip and nodded, trying not to worry. “It might help to whistle to her along the way,” I told him. “She seems to like that when I do it.”

  “Thanks for the suggestion.” Dr. Hernandez smiled, but his gaze was drifting off over my shoulder toward the people by the inlet. “Why don’t you watch from that bench over there?” With that, he hurried away.

  “Come on.” Nia took my hand and pulled me toward the bench. “We’d better stay out of the way, or we’ll get kicked out.”

  But I couldn’t sit still. Instead I stood in front of the bench, watching as the aquarium crew got started. First the wet-suit people lowered themselves into the canal and blocked the end of the inlet with a big net.

  “Ew,” Nia commented. “There’s not a shower hot enough to wash off the stink of a swim in the Gowanus.”

  I knew she was joking, but I couldn’t manage more than a weak half smile. I’d just spotted Wanda—she was in the far corner of the inlet, popping up and then diving down again repeatedly.

  “She’s already agitated,” I said. “They need to let her calm down.”

  “Chill out.” Nia kicked me lightly in the leg. “These people are experts, okay? They know how to do thi
s.”

  I certainly hoped so. The problem was, nobody had told Wanda that. The dolphin continued to swim around restlessly as the crane started up and moved to the edge of the water. The operator lowered the arm, and the swimmers reached up to pull the sling underwater.

  “How are they going to get her to swim into that thing?” I wondered aloud, my throat tight with anxiety. “She doesn’t even want to get near them!”

  Sure enough, every time one group of swimmers tried to herd her toward the ones holding the sling open, Wanda dived down or darted away. Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “I have to help,” I exclaimed, hurrying forward.

  “Lily! Stop! Where are you going?” Nia sounded startled, but I ignored her calls. She was the one who was so excited about resisting authority when you really believed in something, right? Well, that was what I was doing.

  The aquarium people didn’t seem to notice me creeping toward the edge of the inlet. I crouched down behind the fence at the end, clutching the metal bars.

  Wanda was a couple of yards away. Three swimmers were moving slowly toward her, talking softly to one another. The dolphin was watching them warily; I could tell she was about to dive again …

  “Wanda, it’s me!” I called softly. Then I let out a few chirps and whistles.

  The dolphin’s eyes turned in my direction. She let out an uncertain chirp.

  “Now!” one of the swimmers said.

  The three of them moved forward. Wanda had been looking at me and was caught by surprise. She turned to dart away—and ended up swimming right into the sling!

  “Got her!” one of the swimmers cried.

  Before either Wanda or I knew what was happening, the sling was rising out of the water. All I could see of Wanda were her flippers and flukes flapping helplessly in the air. I gulped, and then let out another whistle, hoping she could hear it.

  Moments later the sling had been lowered into the crate on the flatbed and I couldn’t see her at all anymore. Several aquarium people scrambled up onto the edge of the crate, while others handed them sprayers. Dr. Hernandez and Dr. Gallagher were talking to the truck driver.

  I hurried over to them. “I want to help,” I said breathlessly. “Wanda—the dolphin—she knows me. I could sit up there with them, talk to her …” I waved a hand up toward the people on the crate.

  Dr. Gallagher’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Never mind, I don’t really want to know.” She shot Dr. Hernandez a suspicious look. “In any case, it’s out of the question. I’m sorry, but only trained personnel can ride with us.”

  “Sorry,” Dr. Hernandez said. “Don’t worry, Lily. I’ll text your friend once Wanda is safely settled at the aquarium.”

  That wasn’t good enough. I’d found Wanda; I’d helped get her into the sling, even if nobody had noticed. I had to be there when they unloaded her! What if she panicked, and I could have helped prevent it?

  “But she needs me!” My voice came out louder than intended, and maybe a little squeakier, too. “Please,” I added more softly. “I want to help.”

  Dr. Hernandez looked sympathetic. “Trust me, Lily, you’ve already helped this dolphin. I promise.”

  “Hey, boss!” one of the people on the crate called. “We going to get moving soon here? She’s not happy.”

  “Right now!” Dr. Hernandez called back. Gesturing to the truck driver, he turned away and hurried off toward one of the cars parked nearby.

  I gritted my teeth, feeling helpless. Maybe I could stow away; grab the bumper of the truck when it pulled out …

  I wasn’t sure if Nia had actually read my mind, but she appeared and grabbed me. “Don’t worry,” she said, dragging me out of the way as the flatbed truck roared to life. “I just spotted my buddy Basim in the crowd out there. He’s got a car.”

  At first I had no idea what she was talking about. But fifteen minutes later we were several blocks away piling into a beat-up sedan with a tall guy around Nia’s age sporting a Mohawk and a nose ring.

  “This is so cool,” Basim exclaimed. “A real dolphin here in Brooklyn? I never know what’s going to happen when I run into you, Nia.”

  “That’s what everyone says,” I told him.

  He laughed, glancing at me in the cracked rearview mirror. “Seat belt on, Lily, please,” he said. “You might have to dig down behind the seat to find it.”

  “It’s worth it,” Nia informed me. “Basim drives like a maniac.”

  That didn’t turn out to be entirely true, though he did drive pretty fast. Still, we made it all the way to Coney Island in one piece. Basim dropped us off in front of the aquarium, wishing us luck.

  “Need me to hang around and drive you back?” he offered.

  “Thanks, we’re good.” Nia gave him a quick fist bump as she slid out of her front seat. “We can catch the train back.”

  “Thanks for the ride!” I added.

  He tossed me a grinning salute, then took off in a cloud of exhaust. Meanwhile I’d just spotted the flatbed truck, now parked in the aquarium lot.

  “Looks like they already unloaded her,” Nia commented. “That was fast.”

  I guessed the delay in walking over to Basim’s car had caused us to miss the truck’s arrival. “Let’s go,” I said. “Maybe they’ll let us see her.”

  When we got inside, Nia peeled off to use the restroom. “I’ll find you in a bit,” she told me. “Go see if you can talk your way backstage.”

  I knew exactly where to find the door that connected the public part of the aquarium and the private part—the labs and offices and holding tanks that Nia had referred to as “backstage.” I’d seen various employees pass through that door a zillion times over the years. But I’d never been through it myself.

  I stood a few feet away from it, staring at the EMPLOYEES ONLY sign. What would it hurt to knock on that door? The worst they could say was no …

  Even so, I didn’t quite dare. I just hovered there, waiting for Nia to arrive and do the scary part for me.

  But then the door opened. Dr. Hernandez stepped out, wearing a white lab coat. He spotted me immediately.

  “Lily!” He sounded surprised. “How did you get here?” His serious face twisted into a slight smile. “Did you stow away on the truck?”

  “I thought about it,” I said before I could stop myself. Then I cleared my throat. “Um, I mean, no. Nia’s friend drove us. I was hoping, uh, that is, I thought maybe …” My tongue was getting all twisted up over the words. What was wrong with me?

  But Dr. Hernandez was still smiling. “Why don’t you come back and see Wanda?” he said. “We just got her settled in her temporary tank.”

  “Really?” I could hardly believe it. “Thank you! I mean, yes, sure, I’d love to!”

  He held open the door, and I stepped through. “Backstage” wasn’t very exciting at first—just a boring hallway. But I followed Dr. Hernandez through another door, and found myself in the main lab.

  It was awesome! There were workers in lab coats, scientific equipment everywhere I looked, and lots of tanks of coral, fish, and other interesting creatures, though I was too distracted to look very closely. Because a huge glass tank was built into the far wall of the enormous main space, and Wanda was swimming around inside it!

  “Go on and say hi.” Dr. Hernandez checked his watch. “I’ll be back shortly if you have any questions.”

  “Thanks,” I said absently, barely aware that he was turning back toward the exit.

  I walked over to the tank, eyes fixed on Wanda. She was moving slowly, looking a little confused. But for the first time, now that she was in the clear water of the tank instead of the murky Gowanus, I could see every inch of her. And she was beautiful!

  “Hi, gorgeous,” I murmured, putting my hand to the glass as the dolphin swam by. The top of the tank was a couple of yards above my head, with scaffolding leading up to a metal mesh platform that ran along the edge. I guessed that was where
the workers went to feed or observe the creatures in the tank. Would I get in trouble if I climbed up there so I could look down and talk to her?

  Before I could decide, I saw out of the corner of my eye that someone was striding toward me. Uh-oh—it was Susan, the water-quality tech I’d encountered before!

  “Who are you, and what are you doing in here?” she demanded.

  I was glad that she didn’t seem to remember me. Still, she didn’t look any friendlier than she had the last time I’d seen her.

  “Um, Dr. Hernandez brought me?” I said uncertainly. I glanced around, hoping the scientist might have returned, but there was no sign of him. I didn’t see Dr. Gallagher, either. “He said I could say hi to Wanda.”

  “Wanda? Who’s that?”

  “That’s what I call the dolphin.” I waved a hand toward the tank. “I’m the one who discovered her.”

  “Hmph.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’ll have to check with Dr. Hernandez.”

  She stalked off. I barely had time to heave a sigh of relief when someone else hurried toward me. To my surprise, I realized I recognized him, too. It was the boy who’d spoken to me at the walrus exhibit! The one Eddy had said was a student intern here.

  “Hi,” he said with a shy smile. “Sorry about Ms. Butler—she’s always kind of cranky.” He shot a quick look around, as if making sure that the water tech hadn’t come back when he wasn’t looking. “So are you the girl who found the dolphin? I saw you come in with my dad just now, so I figured …”

  “You mean Dr. Hernandez? He’s your dad?” That made sense. Eddy had told me that the boy’s father was a scientist here.

  “Uh-huh. I’m John Hernandez.” He smiled. “What’s your name?”

  “Lily Giordano.” I felt awkward, as if we should shake hands or something. But John kept his hands in his pockets, so I just folded mine across my chest. “And yeah, I’m the one who spotted Wanda.”

  “Wanda?” He tilted his head to one side, like a quizzical parrot or something.

  “That’s what I call her.” I waved a hand toward the dolphin, then quickly explained how I’d come up with the name.