The Great Scavenger Hunt by Annie Bryant

up to the group, Chelsea’s heart was beating like a drum solo. A year ago she might have felt bad that she was last, but now her attitude was, I’m in the game and that’s what counts! She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for keeping up.
    Still, she suggested to her brother, “Hey, Ben…maybe we could slow down a bit. I’ve passed, like, three things on the bonus point list already. Don’t you think it would be agood idea to stop and take a few pictures?” Chelsea gulped.
    â€œChels, are you crazy? If we slow down now, we’ll lose our lead. And that’s the one edge we have in this competition!” Avery argued.
    â€œAvery’s got a point, kid,” Ben agreed. “Just hang in there. It won’t be much longer.” Betrayed by my own flesh and blood! Chelsea couldn’t believe it. After what seemed like an eternity, the bike path finally merged with civilization—and there was the adorable little town of Orleans.
    â€œSo are we still looking for a yurt alert or not?” a frustrated Kiki asked. She had a valid point. In Chelsea’s opinion it was a genius point. The group had biked for miles and they had no idea if they were even headed in the right direction or what they were looking for.
    â€œHey, dude, I’m aaall the Yurt alert you’ll ever need,” sang Henry Yurt. He got off his bike and did a weird little Yurt dance around Kiki, who stared at him with a horrified expression on her face. The group cracked up at the antics of their class president and Kiki’s reaction to him.
    â€œLet’s check out the second clue,” suggested Chelsea. “Maybe we’ll get somewhere with that one.”
    Ben nodded. “Good idea, Chels,” he conceded, patting her on the back and handing the next envelope over. “You do the honors,” he said and bowed to his sister. Chelsea wanted to bonk him over the head. Ben is so goofy sometimes , she thought as she opened up the envelope and began to read. “From the Orleans circle round, toward a coastal town you’re bound. There is much for you in store at the harbor’s rocky shore.”
    Avery’s face lit up. “Hey, you guys! Do you have any idea what this means? Orleans circle…coastal town…this clue is talking about Nauset Beach in Orleans, and we’re practically already there! I love that beach!”
    â€œAre you sure the clue is talking about Nauset Beach, though? Is that the only beach in Orleans?” Chelsea asked.
    â€œWho cares about the other beaches?” Kiki said dismissively. “Nauset Beach is the only cool one. Besides, I know an awesome shortcut. This way we won’t have to go through the rotary.”
    Avery shrugged. “I’m in. Hey, maybe it’ll put us in the lead.”
    Avery and Kiki were off immediately in the direction of Nauset Beach, and the group followed right behind. Chelsea, who had spent a good amount of her life being on the shier side, knew a thing or two about leaders from observing them in action. People tended to do exactly what the leader said or did without even thinking about whether or not the plan made any sense at all. It could be very frustrating.
    As she followed her team zipping down the bike path to a destination that might have nothing to do with their scavenger hunt, Chelsea was pretty sure that the Beach Barnacles weren’t thinking about the scavenger hunt at all.
    Dandelion Dreams
    When the Cranberry Boggers finally reached the famous Orleans Rotary mentioned in clue #2, the whole team burstout in cheers. “We have to be doing something right!” Betsy chirped to Danny Pellegrino.
    â€œI agree!” he announced, but then he grabbed his stomach and complained, “I’m starving! When’s lunch?”
    â€œIt’s only ten thirty!” Betsy balked.
    Danny shrugged. “I’m too hungry. I need high octane fuel to ride…. Give me a