Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanen Page B

time!”
    Cricket frowned. “It’ll just be noise.”
    â€œSo what! Let’s try it!”
    So on the count of three we all shouted our names at the same time.
    Now, going out, it sure sounded like a big wall of noise, but the weird thing is that coming back, it didn’t. It sounded like four voices calling four names. You couldn’t really
understand
the names, but it was still kind of haunting as they bounced across the canyon.
    â€œCool,” I whispered.
    â€œYeah,” Cricket added.
    â€œI know, I know, I know!” Bella said. “Let’s say our names in succession.” She pointed around. “I’ll go first, then you, then you, then you!”
    So we went, “BELLA, GABBY, CRICKET, SAMMY!” but it was too long, and the only thing that echoed was, “S AMMY . . . AMMY . . . AMMY . . . ”
    â€œWell, that stank,” Bella said.
    Gabby started going, “I know, I know, I know!” but Cricket stopped her. “Shhh!” She turned to me. “Did you hear that?”
    I had, but I’d thought it was just a re-echo. You know, an extra-
long
echo.
    â€œThat was your name!” Cricket whispered.
    Gabby and Bella squinted at her. “What are you
talking
about?”
    But then it came again. “S AMMY . . . AMMY . . .AMMY . . . ? ”
    It was like my name was stuck in the canyon. Only it wasn’t my voice. And it wasn’t just a call.
    It was a
question
.
    â€œHELLO?” I called down, and when the echo was done, there was a moment of silence and then a reply.
    â€œS AMMY? . . . AMMY? . . . AMMY? ”
    â€œOh my God,” Cricket whispered. “Do you know anyone else who’s backpacking?”
    â€œCan’t be,” I said, looking into the canyon. “There’s just no way.”
    But while my head was trying hard to be rational about the impossibility of it all, my heart was skipping around happily in my chest.
    â€œCASEY?” I called. But when the echo died out, it was quiet.
    â€œCasey?” I called again, but there was no answer.
    Cricket grabbed my arm and squealed, “Casey’s out here? Wait till Heather hears about this—she is going to
die
.”
    Bella was all over me, scolding, “What are you
doing
? We can’t have
boys
finding us out here! It’s against the rules!” Then her face smoothed back and her jaw dropped and she said, “
That’s
why you wanted to come with us? So you could hook up with some
guy
?”
    Cricket scowled at her. “Oh, lighten up, Bella. That had nothing to—”
    Bella spun on her. “You expect me to believe she
likes
camping? She fell apart on the hike, she freaks out about a little fly up her nose—”
    â€œStop it!” Cricket snapped. “This is her first time and she got really bad blisters and it’s all just new to her. She didn’t come so she could meet up with Casey! That’s ridiculous.” She turned to me. “Right, Sammy?”
    I used to be such a good liar. I could talk my way out of jaywalking tickets or off buses that didn’t have stops where I needed them. I could fake my way into private parties or out of near arrests. I could put ketchup on an arm and make everyone believe I was dying. I lied, I lied a lot, and it didn’t bother me a bit.
    But somewhere along the line I started feeling bad about it, and as soon as that happened, I became terrible at it.
    Especially around people who are nice to me.
    Who stick up for me.
    Who
look
up to me.
    Or, at least,
used
to.
    So I didn’t jump in and say, “Of course not!” No, I hesitated. And hesitating when you’re
supposed
to be lying is a dead giveaway that you
are
lying.
    Or about to, anyway.
    And in that moment of hesitation, Cricket’s eyes got bigger and bigger and I could see hurt springing up all over the place inside her.
    â€œNo!” I said. “I knew he was going camping, but I