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especially pleased. For once in his life he might actually not be horrible at something athletic. Hugh, however, was not so cheery.
    â€œC’mon, you heard what they said. Sometimes it just takes a little longer for it to come out,” Tristan said.
    â€œYeah, and nobody cares if you didn’t swim,” Sam added.
    â€œRight,” Hugh muttered.
    â€œDon’t feel bad,” Tristan told him. “Did you see the look on Coach’s face when I tripped and slid into him at lunch? My mashed potatoes landed all over his feet— SPLAT! Thought he was going to pull out his sparkly rake and smack me over the head.”
    That got a hint of a smile out of Hugh.
    They arrived at the visitor’s entrance to the Rehab Center. It was early afternoon, so the Florida Keys Sea Park was still crowded with people. As part of the “special” summer camp program, they’d been directed to take a narrow path through a bunch of bushy trees with fluffy gray flowers. It led to a more private side-entrance.
    â€œSpeaking of potatoes,” Sam said. “What is that smell? Seriously, it smells like mashed potatoes.”
    Hugh put his nose into one of the tree’s flowers. “It’s coming from the trees.”
    Tristan tried the door at the entrance, but it was locked. “We have to wait for someone to open it. Or, maybe, it will recognize us like the jungle wall.”
    Then Hugh noticed a hand-sized computer screen near the door. He placed his palm on it. A line of light scrolled down the screen. Seconds later they heard the door unlatch.
    â€œNice,” Hugh said as they went in.
    They followed the sound of voices through a short corridor and found the twins standing with Ms. Sanchez.She was wearing tight-fitting dark blue shorts and a matching top with the shark and wave logo on the front. The reflection off her clothes gave a blue tinge to her spiky gray-white hair, also matching her lightly shaded glasses. Looking at her, Tristan couldn’t help but think of a giant blue Popsicle.
    â€œLet’s wait a few more minutes for the rest of the group to arrive,” Ms. Sanchez said. “How did the morning go?”
    â€œAwesome,” Tristan said.
    Before anyone else could answer, they heard loud banging noises from behind the door.
    Ms. Sanchez rolled her eyes and looked at Tristan. “Could you please go and let your camp mates in? Thank you.”
    Tristan went back and opened the door. Ryder and Rosina were pounding so furiously, they nearly socked him in the nose.
    â€œHey, hold on. It’s me.”
    â€œâ€™Bout time. Who locked the door?” Rosina snarled. “And what’s that stink?”
    While leading them back to the others, Tristan explained about the trees and the palm print scanner.
    â€œCould’ve told us about the lock,” Rosina barked.
    Ms. Sanchez looked at her calmly. “Sometimes it is beneficial for you to figure things out on your own.”
    â€œWelcome to the Rehab Center,” she continued. “It’s a great place to begin your training in communication and for you to learn more about what we do here. Most of the animals you see in the park were eitherrescued or born in captivity. Some of the rescued animals are released, but often they can no longer live in the wild so we keep and care for them here. Animals that are bred in captivity may not have the necessary skills to live in the wild. They stay here with us as well, or we ship them to other aquariums where we know they will be treated well. Let’s take a look at some of the animals currently in our care.”
    Ms. Sanchez led the way into an adjacent room crowded with glass aquariums. “Be sure to wipe your feet on the pad walking in, and never reach into a tank without rinsing your hands first. You don’t want to contaminate the water.”
    Tristan strained to see what was in the tanks as they entered, but from a distance it was impossible