Read Online Over the Edge by Gloria Skurzynski - Free Book Online

Hour, reporting from Grand Canyon National Park.”
    It was over. Applause broke out in the crowd surrounding the scene of the interview, and as Olivia walked toward her family, her face flushed with excitement, people rushed forward to shake her hand and pat her on the back. Many of the people were park rangers, wearing their uniforms of light gray shirts and dark green pants.
    â€œThat was terrific, Olivia,” a red-haired ranger named Pam told her, and a park biologist with a name tag that said “Elaine” enthused, “I’m so glad you brought that up about the Cash-for-Carcasses hunt. Only, I think I would have been a lot nastier about it than you were. Of course, if I’d said what I really think, they’d have bleeped me off the air.”
    All the Landons plus Morgan and the CNN team were invited back to park headquarters for something like a victory celebration. They crowded into the park superintendent’s office and adjoining meeting room, talking excitedly about Olivia’s interview.
    â€œYou must be Olivia’s daughter,” a ranger was saying to Ashley. “You sure look like her. I bet you were real proud of your mother today. And are these your brothers?” he asked, pointing to Jack and Morgan.
    â€œThat one is. But the one with the facial fuzz is not my brother,” Ashley answered firmly. “Morgan is the one who showed my mom the Cash-for-Carcasses hunt on the Internet. His friend Snipe goes out and kills animals for prize money, which Morgan thinks is OK.”
    â€œReally?” the ranger said disapprovingly.
    Suddenly self-conscious, Morgan fingered his attempt at a goatee. When the ranger turned his focus on Jack and Ashley, asking them questions about school and the wildlife around Jackson Hole, Morgan turned and walked away, disappearing into one of the halls. Jack listened as his footsteps echoed down the corridor like soft drumbeats, until no sound but the ranger’s rhythmic voice remained.
    When the ranger finally left, Jack turned to his sister and demanded, “What you said about Morgan was rude. Why do you have to diss him every chance you get?”
    â€œWhy do you care?” she answered. “I thought the ranger should know who Morgan really is. Besides, if you want to talk about rude, Morgan said some bad things about me that got posted on Snipe’s Web site. Why aren’t you mad about that?”
    Jack didn’t have a reply, because he wasn’t clear about it in his own mind. What Morgan had done was wrong—no one could argue that. But the more Jack got to know Morgan, the more he began to feel that beneath that prickly outside, beyond the smart mouth, a half-decent kid might be lurking somewhere. If Jack’s mom sent Morgan away, he might never know who Morgan really was, and the idea bothered him. And yet, what if he discovered that Morgan was even worse than Ashley imagined? When a rock is turned over, ugly things can crawl out.
    â€œLook, Jack,” Ashley said, putting her hands on her hips, “I don’t want to fight with you. Let’s call a truce. I saw some cool stuff in the bookstore gift shop. Want to come with me?”
    â€œNo, you go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”
    â€œYou’re looking for Morgan, aren’t you?”
    â€œWell, yeah. He’s disappeared. I just want to know where he’s—” But Ashley didn’t wait for him to finish.
    â€œFine, whatever!” she snapped, marching in the direction of the gift shop.
    Jack drifted over to where his father was deep in conversation with one of the CNN cameramen, hoping to ask if he’d seen Morgan but afraid to interrupt. He tried to listen to what they were saying, but it was too technical for him, so he wandered around looking for Morgan on his own. Twice he walked up and down the halls, peering through office doors that were lighted but empty before finally stumbling across Morgan coming out