NO ORDINARY OWL by Lauraine Snelling and Kathleen Damp Wright Page B

seemed pretty flexible.
    “I—I have—to move.” The first words jerked out. “I wanted to be in the S.A.V.E. Squad forever. I’m afraid the girls will forget me when I leave. They won’t like me anymore.” The moment the last word was out, she panicked. Backing away from Beverly Beake, she whispered, “You can’t tell anyone. It will ruin everything.”
    “My dear girl, when are you planning to tell them?” Beverly’s long face grew longer with her opened mouth.
    When? Never? Today?
It was all so confusing. “I don’t know, but I will,” she replied, staring at the ground.
    “Come. Let’s walk back in and see what’s going on.” The Bird Lady extended her hand to Esther then tucked her and Esther’s hands into one of the bellows pockets. With the chilly air outside, the pocket felt like a hug.
    Following a few moments of friendly silence, Beverly moved the subject away from Esther, for which Esther was grateful. “I know Byron is really bothered by the birds being shot,” Bird Lady said as they walked. “No evidence they were shot with a gun.”
    Esther didn’t hear anyone shrieking or yelling. Had Sunny and Vee passed the test? Or had they also fainted, and Melissa had stepped over them to do the work and show Beake Man that she was the best?
    “Then hit with what? Who does he think did it?” Esther swallowed a lump in her throat as they stepped nearer and nearer to the big sliding door. She wished she hadn’t left Aneta. About as much as she also wished she hadn’t thrown up. Her mouth tasted yucky.
    “Oh, he has no idea, poor darling.” Her face looked worried. “I don’t like him to worry. I’m afraid it will affect his recovery.”
    This was a perfect time to find out more about what happened to Beake Man. As Esther opened her mouth to ask, the doors rolled apart and Sunny, Vee, and Melissa spilled out, talking excitedly. Aneta dragged behind, looking pale.
    “I would never have thought either of you had the guts to do it,” Melissa was saying, bumping shoulders between Vee and Sunny like they were now BFFs.
    Uh-oh
. The knot of ick tightening inside Esther this time had nothing to do with cutting up mice and everything to do with losing her spot on the S.A.V.E. Squad.
    “Hey, Esther!” Sunny darted ahead and threw her arms around Esther. “Are you okay? Aneta’s okay. Vee and I did it!” She twirled around and around.
    “Not that it was so great.” Vee was not smiling, and her glance over at Melissa made Esther feel better. So. Vee didn’t trust Melissa saying nice things. Good. They would have to tell Sunny to watch out. Sunny probably thought Melissa had changed while she was living in Paris.
No way
, Esther thought.
    Byron Beake was the last to exit the carriage house. The doors rolled smoothly and only made the littlest thud when they connected. He turned to slide the iron bolt into the ground hole. She was beginning to like the Beake Man, even with his test. He didn’t want the doors to slam because it would frighten the owls and the other birds.
    “You girls did all right,” he said gruffly as he passed them all. His gaze flickered over Esther. “You okay then?”
    Heat exploded up from the base of Esther’s neck. She nodded, too curious to stare at his face to drop her gaze in embarrassment. What would it be like to be so different from everyone?
    The afternoon light was fading with the trees around the carriage house taking on a mysterious-house-in-a creepy-forest look. Once the group passed, she turned to fall in step with Aneta and the Bird Lady.
    Aneta had yet to utter a word. Esther reached over and squeezed her hand.
    “You okay?” she asked.
    Aneta nodded and turned toward her, big tears perched on the rim of her blue eyes. “I was not brave. A Jasper is brave.”
    “I puked,” Esther said. “As in majorly emptied my guts. How brave is that?”
    Aneta’s shoulders twitched, followed by a tiny gulpy chuckle. Then a bigger snort, then she was