The Fellowship for Alien Detection (39 page)

“Mmm,” said Dodger, but he reminded himself again, and added, “Me, too.”

“You'll tell me all about it, on the drive home?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” said Dodger. “I'll tell you about all of it.”

Juliette, AZ, July 7, 8:20 a.m.

Haley checked her phone account from her mom's line. She had a text just moments old, from Abby.

OMG I'm watching you on the news!
Abby had written. Haley felt a little rush, happy to hear from her friend, guilty for not being in touch for so long.

:)
, Haley replied.

You saved a town?!

Kinda
.

WAIT . . .
Abby wrote.
Who's the BOY?

Haley blushed. She glanced over the table to where Dodger was sipping a chocolate milk shake and studying the menu.

Alien boy
, Haley replied.
He's a friend. More when I'm back
.

Wait, is he CUTE? Can't tell from TV
.

Haley rolled her eyes.
When I get back
.

Haley checked her email next, and found a message from Alex Keller. She read it to Dodger and the table:

Dear Haley & Dodger,

Congratulations on saving Juliette, and the planet! That's something you don't get to say in an email very often!

I wanted to apologize again for my father's behavior the other day, and let you know that I did retrieve him from Juliette and he is slowly adjusting to reality again. He can't wait to read about everything you found!

I just want to commend you both on your exceptional courage and perseverance. I look forward to publishing your reports, and no doubt to the storm of interest they will generate!

And, though this will probably be the last time my father ever tries to offer a fellowship of any kind, I did want to say, if you ever need help in your further adventures, do not hesitate to contact me!

Fond regards,

Alex

“Further adventures,” Jill muttered.

Further adventures
, Haley thought.
Not now, thanks
. She'd had quite enough adventure to last her awhile. She actually felt . . . full. Which was good, because though it hadn't come up yet, Haley knew there was going to be some discussion about the lies she'd told, the danger she'd put everyone in. She might be the first world-famous journalist to spend the majority of her summer grounded.

But still, she had to wonder: How long would this sense of satisfaction, of balance, last? Surely she hadn't heard the last of that yearning inside her, the one reminding her that, successful fellowship or not, she was still
on the clock
. There would be another big story, new map, and possibility. Who knew what might happen next, given how things had turned out here? What could be . . .

“Mom!” Liam was suddenly diving under the table.

“Honey, what are you doing?”

“I dropped my foot!” Liam shouted from under the table, referring to a blue lucky rabbit's foot he'd gotten somewhere in Texas. Once they were back in the car, Haley had every intention of pointing out that the severed and dyed foot of a cuddly creature was a completely gross thing to carry around for luck.

Liam's head slammed on the underside of the table, spilling coffees and juices.

“There it is!” He darted out into the aisle, causing the waitress to pirouette, a tray full of plates shaking precariously.

“Liam!” snapped Mom. “We are in a restaurant!”

Haley looked at Dodger and sighed. They shared a smile.

Watching Liam's antics, Haley knew what her further adventures would be: driving home with an annoying brother and a dad intent on family fun, this time with no field study to keep him on track. And maybe, at least for now, that could be kinda fun.

Some books happen more quickly than others. This one took nearly a decade. At many points, I thought this story would be taking up permanent residence in the desk drawer, and yet, here we are, and there is something so satisfying about that. From the first time I wrote the sentence “Suza Raines was getting suspicious,” I knew I had something, but it took a long time to figure out how to tell this story just right. Luckily I found the support of key allies at key moments, who now deserve huge thanks.

First, thanks to Tui Sutherland, who read the original version of this manuscript and gave it that necessary vote of confidence that any writer needs to press onward. Next, to George Nicholson and Erica Rand Silverman at Sterling Lord, Literistic. You always believed in this story, and helped me stay true to its heart and resist the temptation to try to make it something it wasn't. And then of course to Jordan Brown, Kellie Celia, and Debbie Kovacs at Walden Pond Press, for welcoming this book into your amazing family. Jordan, your Jedi editorial skills helped me finally realize this story's potential, and Debbie, wow, I guess it was meant to be after all!

I'd also like to thank my family: my parents for driving me and my brother around the West when we were kids; and now Annie, Willow, and Elliott, who love to jump in the car with Dad and ride off in search of further adventures.

KEVIN EMERSON
has never been abducted by aliens, at least not that he remembers. He has been to Roswell, but all he found there was a cool keychain. Kevin is the author of a number of books for young readers, including the Oliver Nocturne series,
CARLOS IS GONNA GET IT
, and
THE LOST CODE
, the first book in the Atlanteans series. Kevin is also a musician. His current project is the brainiac kids' pop band the Board of Education. A former elementary school science teacher, Kevin continues to work with kids and teens at 826 Seattle and Richard Hugo House and with the Writers in the Schools program of Seattle Arts & Lectures. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two children. You can visit him online at www.kevinemerson.net.

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Cover art © 2013 by Goro Fujita

Cover design by Joel Tippie

Walden Pond Press is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
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and registered trademarks of Walden Media, LLC.

The Fellowship for Alien Detection

Copyright © 2013 by Kevin Emerson

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

ISBN 978-0-06-207185-9

EPub Edition © JANUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780062071873

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First Edition