Outback All-Stars Read online

  TO MY DAD, WHO IS A REAL WORLD-CIRCLING JET-SETTER —KJE

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER 1: ALL-STAR EXTRAVAGANZA

  CHAPTER 2: OLD RIVALS, REUNITED

  CHAPTER 3: NIGHT IS RIGHT

  CHAPTER 4: GROWL OR BURP?

  CHAPTER 5: UP IN THE AIR

  CHAPTER 6: NO BOATS ABOUT

  CHAPTER 7: GURGLE AND SLURP

  CHAPTER 8: RED HOT, BONE-DRY

  CHAPTER 9: WALKABOUT

  CHAPTER 10: MULTIPLE CHOICE

  TEASER

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALSO AVAILABLE

  COPYRIGHT

  “I wonder what we’re in for this time …”

  Sage Stevens recognized the voice as soon as she heard it. She could identify it even with the blindfold on. Russell Dean! She was glad he was there. She had only met Russell six months earlier, but he was a loyal teammate and friend. The Wild Life organizers might be trying to keep the contestants in the dark, with the blindfolds and all, but at least she could count on Russell being on her team.

  “Hi, Russell,” she said as her escorts led her into a tent. “Who else is here?”

  Sage couldn’t believe she was back for another race. She felt the familiar tightness in her stomach, the rush at the thought of competition. Still blindfolded, she turned to one of the guides who had directed her to the tent. He was fumbling with the knot at the back of her head. “I can get it. Thanks,” she announced, swatting the clumsy hands away.

  In a smooth motion, Sage reached up, easily loosened the sweaty blindfold, and placed it in the hands of the dazed guide. She brushed her blonde hair from her face and then faced the three kids gathered in the dim light of the camping tent.

  “Team Red!” she exclaimed. “Dev!” She reached up for a high five. It had been four months since she’d seen any of her old teammates. Dev Patel looked taller, but the tech-wiz was just as skinny.

  “Russell,” Sage stated solemnly, a smirk tugging at the side of her mouth.

  “Sage,” he answered, giving her hand a firm, dignified shake. Sage squeezed as hard as she could. Russell tried to stay serious, but his face erupted in a radiant smile, his teeth a bright white against his dark skin.

  “Show-off,” Russell said. “What? You been lifting weights?”

  “Maybe,” Sage answered with a shrug, even though she hadn’t. But she suspected Russell might have. Between baseball, track, and football, he was always training for something.

  Next, Sage turned to Mari Soto, the final and most essential member of Team Red. Mari looked pretty much the same. Her hair was still in a single, long braid. Her eyes were still a soft, warm brown.

  “Hi, Sage.” Mari’s voice was quiet, but she stepped forward and wrapped her thin arms around Sage with impressive force.

  “Hi, Mari,” Sage answered, giving Mari’s back a gentle pat.

  It was obvious they were the same four kids. Sage wondered if they still had the same “stuff” that had made them a great team. They’d all been strangers six months ago, but they had somehow come together to conquer all of the other teams in the tenth running of The Wild Life, an around-the-world race through the animal kingdom.

  But that was last summer. Now it was winter break, and the Wild Life organizers had decided they wanted a best-of-the-best competition—an all-star extravaganza. Team Red—Mari, Russell, Dev, and Sage—had been invited back. This time, the prize was even better: one million dollars for the team and one million dollars for the team’s favorite charity. Plus, the winners got to take their families on a true safari. With track season over, Sage was thrilled to have another race ahead of her.

  They would be pitted against other winning teams from past races. “Do we know who the competition is yet?” Sage asked.

  “Nope,” Russell replied. “Remember the blindfolds?”

  “We don’t know much,” Dev added. “We only have this note. And it isn’t even a real clue.”

  Reunited-together again,

  But not complete.

  Soon you will have

  The missing piece that

  Will help you to compete.

  “A missing piece?” Sage repeated, doubt in her voice.

  “Maybe it’s the ancam,” Dev suggested. Of course Dev mentioned the device that all teams used to communicate with the organizers of the race. It had been how they had received all of their clues—and how they had submitted their photos and answers. Dev had always been in charge of it for the team.

  “So we know nothing,” Sage concluded.

  “Except that we’re back in Australia,” Mari pointed out.

  “And we can be sure they won’t send us to the reef, since we were just there,” added Russell.

  Sage agreed with that. Team Red had spent an entire leg of their race just off the shore of Australia in the Great Barrier Reef. It had been amazing, but the Wild Life organizers wouldn’t go back there so soon. “Any idea where we’re headed then?” Sage asked, looking again at Mari.

  It wasn’t as if the other girl had inside information. What Mari had was better than that. Sage called it “animal intuition.” Back in the African savanna, Mari had predicted one of the key questions in the race. Sage hoped she would do that again.

  “I have no idea,” Mari answered with a shrug. “This is All-Stars. We don’t even know if the clues will work the same way.” Mari pulled off the rubber band at the end of her braid and ran her hands through her long, dark hair. Absentmindedly, she began to divide it into sections and twist it into a tight, neat braid again. “Of course,” she said after a while, “the koala lives only on the eastern side of the continent.”

  “Really?” Russell questioned. “I thought they lived all over. There were koalas on tons of the postcards at the airport.”

  “Nope,” Mari confirmed with an exacting shake of her head. “They live along the coast, on some islands, and in forests, but all on the eastern side. I know it seems obvious, but I’ll bet there’s a clue for them early in the race, before we head inland.”

  “Yes!” Sage exclaimed. “I knew you’d get us thinking on the right track, Mari. Everyone, start thinking of koala facts.”

  But Mari was just getting started. “There are lots of other awesome marsupials that live in the eastern rain forests,” Mari added. “And we can’t forget the mountain heath dragon.”

  “Oh, yes. Of course. The mountain heath dragon,” Dev mocked. “How could we forget that?”

  Mari shot him a playful scowl. She opened her mouth, ready to add other animals to the list, when the tent flap lifted. The two guides who had escorted Sage into the tent stood there.

  “Team Red, Season 10,” the one with a beard said, tapping an electronic pad with his finger.

  “You got it,” Russell confirmed. “That’s us.”

  “When you get outside, look for your banner on the left.”

  The other guide pulled a slender gadget from a canvas bag. He handed it to Dev.

  “All right,” Dev murmured, running his fingers across the keyboard. “Another ancam upgrade.”

  Sage led the group out of the tent. They were in some kind of outdoor theater with a stage down in front. Tall trees grew on either side. There were two rows of long wooden benches. Sage recognized teams from previous seasons already in their seats. It was crowded. This was going to be a full field of contestants.

  Just as she located the banner that marked Team Red, Season 10’s spot, she noticed a line of people on the stage. But they weren’t just any people. They were former contestants.

  “What are they doing here?” Russell whispered over Sage’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know,” Sage admitted, and she wasn’t sure sh
e wanted to find out.

  MARVELOUS MARSUPIALS

  Marsupials are a special group of animals. All marsupials are mammals, which means they have hair and produce milk to feed their young. Most marsupials also have a marsupium, which is a fancy name for a pouch.

  Marsupial babies are called joeys. The joeys are tiny, blind, and hairless when they are born. Barely the size of a jelly bean, a marsupial baby crawls into its mother’s pouch as soon as it is born. There, it can drink milk and stay safe and warm. It will not come out until it is much bigger, several weeks—or even months—later. While the famous kangaroo and koala usually only have one baby at a time, many marsupials have litters of three or more.

  People often think of Australia as the land of marsupials. Because Australia is far away from other continents, many kinds of marsupials live there and nowhere else. Australia has about two hundred different species of marsupials! While Central and South America together have about 70 marsupial species, North America is home to only one: the Virginia opossum.

  “Why is Dallas up there?” Dev asked Russell.

  “And Eliza,” Mari added. Ten kids sat on the raised stage. The two sitting directly in front of Team Red’s banner were Dallas and Eliza—Team Red’s top rivals from the last race. It hardly seemed like a coincidence.

  “How should I know why they’re here?” Russell answered, his voice tense. He sat down, slumped forward, and folded his hands over his head.

  “Dallas didn’t say anything to you?” Sage prompted in a hushed voice. She took the spot next to Russell on the wooden bench.

  “No, I swear,” Russell replied. He turned to look at Sage. “We haven’t talked about The Wild Life at all. I thought that was a good thing.”

  Sage thought Russell was probably right. He had known Dallas and the other boys on the green team from home. And when Team Green had tried to cheat, Russell had refused to turn in his old friends. Knowing the truth, Sage didn’t like seeing Dallas on stage. But if it didn’t feel right to her, she imagined it made Russell felt even worse.

  As she sat on the bench, she felt an odd tingling feeling, like something crawling on her back. When she looked up, she realized that Eliza was staring her down. During the previous race, Eliza had made it clear that if it were a battle of the brains, her team should have won. But The Wild Life didn’t work that way.

  Sage locked eyes with the other girl until Bull Gordon strode down the aisle. As always, the popular host of the competition commanded everyone’s attention.

  “Hello, racers!” Bull’s voice boomed as he climbed the steps to the stage. He wore his trademark hat, a fedora with a jagged shark’s tooth tucked in the band. He looked ready for adventure. “It’s good to see you all.” A broad smile stretched across his face.

  “Onstage are some of The Wild Life’s strongest contestants,” Bull continued, turning to the group seated behind him. “They’re the best competitors we’ve seen in all ten seasons of the race. But none of these players actually won.” Sage focused on Dallas and Eliza. “That’s about to change. One of these former contestants will join each team, so everyone on the stage will get a second chance to win it all. Believe me, former winners, you will appreciate another team member. You’re going to need all the help you can get! Now, there will be two legs of the race.” The host paused and held up two fingers. “The first takes place here, in Australia, and it includes two very different habitats. As of now, we have ten teams, but be warned: Some of you will be eliminated at the halfway point! Only the top teams will move on to the second habitat.”

  The members of Team Red exchanged uncertain glances. There were going to be early eliminations? That had never happened before. And a new member would join their team? Sage glanced up at the stage and quickly considered the possibilities. It would be cool if they got someone from one of the first seasons; that person would be older, probably stronger, and possibly smarter. Sage immediately saw two interesting possibilities: a tall girl with broad shoulders and spazzy curls; and a guy dressed like a professional mountain climber but with chunky glasses and spiked hair. Sage thought either of them might be a good addition to their team.

  But she soon learned the teams wouldn’t get to choose. “You will draw names from a hat to select your new team member,” Bull announced. At that point, a familiar face appeared onstage, carrying an upside-down hat in his hands.

  “Javier!” Mari gasped. Javier had been Team Red’s chaperone on their first race. Everyone loved him. Javier flashed the group an easy smile, but then his expression quickly clouded. Sage assumed it was because it was time to grab teammates out of a hat.

  “We will go in order,” explained Bull. “The team from Season 1 will pick first. Season 2 second, and so on.”

  “So we’re last,” Russell mumbled.

  “Yep,” Sage answered with a heavy sigh. Sage hated waiting. But she hated not being in control even more. If they had to have another member, Sage wished it could be her sister, Caroline. After all, the two sisters had at first planned to run the race together. But that hadn’t worked out. Sage had a feeling this wouldn’t, either.

  The teams picked names and, one by one, all the older contestants were selected.

  “This is a joke, right?” Dev said when there were just two contestants left. “We’re stuck with Miss Know-It-All or Mister I-Cheat-Off-My-Best-Friends?”

  Sage couldn’t believe it, either. Eliza and Dallas were the only two remaining racers. For a moment, she didn’t know which option was worse. Eliza had been the leader of Team Purple. She was smart, but bossy. Sage did not see them being friends.

  Sage glanced at Russell. He was hunched over, his forehead pressed against his hands. No way could Russell deal with being on the same team as Dallas.

  Sage looked up at the stage where Vincent, the leader of Season 9, was about to pick a name from the fedora.

  “Dallas Hughes!” Bull called out.

  Dallas leapt from his seat and fist-bumped Vincent. He immediately put his arm around the team leader like they had always been friends.

  “Season 10, last but not least,” Bull stated. “Come on up.”

  Sage put her hand on Russell’s shoulder as she walked by. Like all the other team leaders, Sage climbed up to the stage. It was no surprise when she saw Eliza Zwilling’s name on the slip of paper she pulled from Javier’s hat. Sage smiled with relief. Eliza was way better than Dallas and “all that baggage,” as her grandmother would say.

  Eliza rushed up to Sage. “I could tell you guys wanted me. I was holding out for you, too,” Eliza whispered, even though Bull was the only one who could possibly hear. “We’re going to do great. I’ve literally read a hundred books about Australian habitats. You’ll be glad you have me to help you lead this team.”

  Sage gritted her teeth. They had not needed Eliza to win the previous race, and Sage doubted they needed her now.

  “All-Stars, your teams are complete,” Bull Gordon announced. “You are all veterans. You may have raced before, but you must always remember to show respect for all that surrounds you, even one another. That is essential to competing in The Wild Life.” The host paused and examined the audience once more. “Return to your tents, and keep your ancams handy. You’ll need them before you know it.”

  Sage looked up at the sunset-painted sky as she and Eliza joined Team Red. The sun was going down, but it looked like the race was just heating up.

  AUSTRALIA

  Is it a country or a continent? Both! While it is the world’s smallest continent, Australia is the sixth largest country.

  Australia is home to many amazing creatures. Over half the plants and animals there are endemic to Australia. Endemic means that they are special to a place; those plants and animals do not live naturally in the wild anywhere else.

  The center of Australia is very dry and flat. (This area is often called the Outback.) There are also green forests in the mountains as well as pockets of lush rain forests all over the continent. This variety of cl
imates allows for a great variety of plants and animals. Australia boasts some of the most exotic creatures in the world. It also has water on all sides, so there are lots of beaches with aquatic wildlife, like turtles and fish.

  “We’re striking out now, at night?” Russell’s backpack shifted as he double knotted his high-tops. They had returned to the tent to find a pile of backpacks already loaded with clothes and gear. And a map marked with an X. “It’s pitch-black out! Do they want to get the All-Stars killed?”

  “I can’t answer that,” Dev admitted. “But I can tell you that the ancam is my master, and it says we are allowed to leave the tent in four and a half minutes.”

  “We leave the second it tells us we can,” Sage stated. She didn’t care about the darkness. She just wanted to get started. “It’s not like we’d be able to sleep now anyway,” Sage pointed out. “I’m ready to race.”

  “That’s no surprise,” said Russell.

  “I’m ready, too,” declared Eliza.

  Sage glanced over at the newest member of Team Red. Despite the fact that they were all wearing almost the exact same thing—a red T-shirt and army-green cargo shorts—Eliza’s uniform looked as if she’d packed a travel iron to get rid of the wrinkles. And ever since Bull Gordon had announced her name, she’d had an eager smile pasted on her face, like she was posing for a school picture. Sage decided that the caption underneath would say ELIZA ZWILLING: SUPER PROUD TO BE A SUPER SMARTIE.

  Eliza adjusted the straps on her backpack so they were exactly even on both sides. “What are you wearing?” she asked Dev, motioning to the harness strapped across his chest.

  “You like it? It’s my ancam clasp,” Dev said, straightening up to show off the contraption. Then, in one smooth motion, he whipped out the ancam and had it in ready position. His pointer finger was prepared to punch keys. “My mom and I made it.” His eyebrows shot up when he grinned. “You never know. The race could come down to a few important seconds, so you have to be fast.”