Read Online The Tornado Chasers by Ross Montgomery - Free Book Online
Authors: Ross Montgomery
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on! Let’s all see you do it!’
Callum turned to us with a triumphant grin. We stared at him in silence. He placed his hands on his hips, reminding us exactly who was in charge. Then he spun back round to Ceri.
‘And if you mention this in your
stupid
paper …’
He trailed off. Ceri had disappeared. In her place stood Flossie, sucking on a short length of rope that dangled from her wrist. It had been cut.
‘Huh?’ said Callum.
‘
CERI DEWBRIDGE!
’
We all spun round. Miss Pewlish was sprinting towards us, holding a fresh cappuccino.
‘
GET OUT OF THERE!
’
We looked at each other in confusion. Then we turned, and slowly looked over the wall of the enclosure. Our stomachs dropped.
Ceri was climbing on top of the sleeping bear.
‘
GET OFF THAT THING AT ONCE!
’ Miss Pewlish screamed. ‘
YOU HEAR ME? AT ONCE!
’
Ceri ignored her, and kept climbing. The bear wriggledweakly beneath her, grumbling lazily before falling back asleep. Handful by handful Ceri heaved herself across its back and onto its shoulders. In one quick movement she slung her leg braces over the blades of its back, and sat upright to face the crowd.
There was not a single sound to be heard in the zoo now. The entire school stood packed around the wall of the bear enclosure, watching in disbelief at what was unfolding before them. A brace of wind blew down from the valleys and carried across the silent crowd. Ceri sat carefully balanced on the bear’s shoulders, facing the sea of stunned faces. She took a moment to take it all in, her chest heaving. For a moment, even she looked surprised that she had done it.
And then she threw back her head, and punched the air with both hands.
‘
I
,’ she cried, ‘
am a Tornado Chaser!
’
She paused, letting the sound of her voice carry over the crowd and echo off the enclosure walls. Then, she very slowly turned to face Callum, her eyes triumphant. She pointed straight at him.
‘
And I am
not
afraid!
’
8
How to Get Out of Serious Trouble
Miss Pewlish crossed her hands over the desk.
‘So,’ she said. ‘One of you might as well tell me how it happened.’
We sat before her in grim silence. We had only just arrived back from the zoo. Orlaith and Pete were still tied at the wrist. Ceri was smeared grey with dust and moulting bear fur. Callum and I guiltily twiddled our thumbs. No one spoke.
‘Anyone?’ said Miss Pewlish.
We looked at each other in despair. In the chaos that had followed the bear incident, not one of us had thought to organise a cover story. There was no way we’d be able to make up an explanation now, withoutthe risk of one of us slipping up and giving away the truth about the Tornado Chasers. And if anyone found out about that … well, we really were done for.
Miss Pewlish sighed, and shook her head.
‘Never,’ she said, her voice taut with anger, ‘in all my years as School Safety Officer, have I
ever
come across such reckless or dangerous behaviour. On a school trip.
During an SW5!
’ She slammed her hands on the tabletop, making us jump. ‘You do realise that a tornado could have landed today, don’t you?’
We cringed.
‘You leave me no choice,’ she muttered. ‘With the power invested in me as School Safety Officer, I’m suspending all five of you – for the rest of the year. Your parents will be informed immediately.’
My stomach heaved.
‘N-no,’ I managed to croak. ‘Not my parents!’
Miss Pewlish nodded sadly. ‘Yes, Owen. And what’s more, this incident will be recorded on all of your permanent files.’
Orlaith suddenly leapt from her seat.
‘You … you can’t,’ she cried, her face desperate. ‘I’m supposed to be going to the Valley Academy next year! They’ll never take me with a suspension on my record!’
Miss Pewlish smiled coldly. ‘I’m afraid that’s not myproblem, Miss Reade. As School Safety Officer, I have a duty to uphold the Storm Laws which all five of you violated today.’
Ceri suddenly looked
Callum turned to us with a triumphant grin. We stared at him in silence. He placed his hands on his hips, reminding us exactly who was in charge. Then he spun back round to Ceri.
‘And if you mention this in your
stupid
paper …’
He trailed off. Ceri had disappeared. In her place stood Flossie, sucking on a short length of rope that dangled from her wrist. It had been cut.
‘Huh?’ said Callum.
‘
CERI DEWBRIDGE!
’
We all spun round. Miss Pewlish was sprinting towards us, holding a fresh cappuccino.
‘
GET OUT OF THERE!
’
We looked at each other in confusion. Then we turned, and slowly looked over the wall of the enclosure. Our stomachs dropped.
Ceri was climbing on top of the sleeping bear.
‘
GET OFF THAT THING AT ONCE!
’ Miss Pewlish screamed. ‘
YOU HEAR ME? AT ONCE!
’
Ceri ignored her, and kept climbing. The bear wriggledweakly beneath her, grumbling lazily before falling back asleep. Handful by handful Ceri heaved herself across its back and onto its shoulders. In one quick movement she slung her leg braces over the blades of its back, and sat upright to face the crowd.
There was not a single sound to be heard in the zoo now. The entire school stood packed around the wall of the bear enclosure, watching in disbelief at what was unfolding before them. A brace of wind blew down from the valleys and carried across the silent crowd. Ceri sat carefully balanced on the bear’s shoulders, facing the sea of stunned faces. She took a moment to take it all in, her chest heaving. For a moment, even she looked surprised that she had done it.
And then she threw back her head, and punched the air with both hands.
‘
I
,’ she cried, ‘
am a Tornado Chaser!
’
She paused, letting the sound of her voice carry over the crowd and echo off the enclosure walls. Then, she very slowly turned to face Callum, her eyes triumphant. She pointed straight at him.
‘
And I am
not
afraid!
’
8
How to Get Out of Serious Trouble
Miss Pewlish crossed her hands over the desk.
‘So,’ she said. ‘One of you might as well tell me how it happened.’
We sat before her in grim silence. We had only just arrived back from the zoo. Orlaith and Pete were still tied at the wrist. Ceri was smeared grey with dust and moulting bear fur. Callum and I guiltily twiddled our thumbs. No one spoke.
‘Anyone?’ said Miss Pewlish.
We looked at each other in despair. In the chaos that had followed the bear incident, not one of us had thought to organise a cover story. There was no way we’d be able to make up an explanation now, withoutthe risk of one of us slipping up and giving away the truth about the Tornado Chasers. And if anyone found out about that … well, we really were done for.
Miss Pewlish sighed, and shook her head.
‘Never,’ she said, her voice taut with anger, ‘in all my years as School Safety Officer, have I
ever
come across such reckless or dangerous behaviour. On a school trip.
During an SW5!
’ She slammed her hands on the tabletop, making us jump. ‘You do realise that a tornado could have landed today, don’t you?’
We cringed.
‘You leave me no choice,’ she muttered. ‘With the power invested in me as School Safety Officer, I’m suspending all five of you – for the rest of the year. Your parents will be informed immediately.’
My stomach heaved.
‘N-no,’ I managed to croak. ‘Not my parents!’
Miss Pewlish nodded sadly. ‘Yes, Owen. And what’s more, this incident will be recorded on all of your permanent files.’
Orlaith suddenly leapt from her seat.
‘You … you can’t,’ she cried, her face desperate. ‘I’m supposed to be going to the Valley Academy next year! They’ll never take me with a suspension on my record!’
Miss Pewlish smiled coldly. ‘I’m afraid that’s not myproblem, Miss Reade. As School Safety Officer, I have a duty to uphold the Storm Laws which all five of you violated today.’
Ceri suddenly looked
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