Chapter Twelve

In the lobby, we wait under Neptune’s dome to check in. The large room makes me feel tiny.

“Did you know the same architectural firm that made this dome also made the domes at Wrigley Field and the Field Museum?” Mom says very proudly. “If you look closely, you can even see Neptune’s trident.” My mouth drops.

“I had to learn a few things to keep up with mi inteligente Stella.” Mom winks.

I smile a little.

We’re soon greeted by two adults wearing shirts that say CAMP COUNSELOR. One is an older man with some gray hairs. Beside him is a small brunette woman with short hair.

“Welcome! We’re Mr. Kyle and Ms. Susan.”

Ms. Susan bends down to me.

“And who might you be?”

“Stella Díaz,” I reply softly.

“Stella Díaz! The future Jacques Cousteau, I hear.” She checks my name off a list and hands me a badge to wear on my shirt.

I beam from ear to ear. I realize I’m surrounded by my people, my fellow sea creature enthusiasts.

“Actually, I think I might want to be Sylvia Earle now,” I continue. “Did you know she, along with her husband, formed Deep Ocean Engineering to design robotic machines to explore the oceans?”

“Are you sure you’re not running this camp?” asks Mr. Kyle, putting his hands on his hips.

I giggle and look at Mom. She squeezes my shoulder.

“Que te diviertas,” she whispers, telling me to have fun.

With a kiss on the head, Mom heads to work.

Mr. Kyle and Ms. Susan take me to a room where there are groups of other kids. The camp is for grades three through five, so no one is too much older. One girl smiles at me right away. She looks Latina with long, curly brown hair and tanned skin. She looks exactly like the friend I always wished who would be in my class. Someone like me who loves sea creatures. I’m excited when she comes up to me.

“I’m Mariel De La Cruz.”

“I’m Stella Díaz.”

“¿Hablas español?” she says, raising one eyebrow.

“Un poquito,” I reply.

She immediately looks let down. Quick! I can fix this, I think. I reply back, “But I understand! Yo entiendo.”

She still looks a little disappointed. In one last attempt I add, “And I was born in Mexico! I just visited my family there, too.”

Her face softens some. It’s hard sometimes being Mexican and not being able to speak Spanish well. I thought I had made some progress in Mexico, but now I feel like I just took two steps back.

I start feeling nervous. This isn’t going as well as I’d hoped it would. Then another kid comes over. She has braids all over her head.

“Hi, I like your otter shirt. I’m Kristen.”

“Thanks. I’m Stella.”

“Do you know anyone here?” she asks.

I shake my head no.

“Me neither.” As her face forms a smile, I can see a mouth full of braces. They have different brightly colored bands on each tooth. It looks like jewelry for her teeth.

“Let’s stick together,” she says.

I let out a giant exhale.

“Yes, please.”

As we sit down next to each other, Mr. Kyle and Ms. Susan rise to stand in front of the group. Ms. Susan begins: “Looks like everyone is here. Let’s have everyone stand up and introduce themselves. Make sure to mention something fun, too.”

Kristen starts. She’s very confident. Turns out she’s going into fifth grade next school year. Seeing her go makes me want to try to go next. I’ve been trying to pretend I’m brave. Fake it until you make it, they say. I’m just nervous because I care, they say.

I stand up. I start feeling a little roja, but I speak anyway.

“I’m Stella. I’m nine. Well, nine and a third.” I can tell I am speaking fast, so I try to slow down.

“I love the ocean. I just saw it in person for the first time in Mexico. I want to be a marine biologist and help protect the ocean. The ocean is my favorite place in the world.”

“That’s great. We’ll teach you some ways you can help,” says Mr. Kyle.

I feel my heart beating. I want to say so much more, but I am afraid, so I sit down.

“Who wants to go next?”

I’m a little frustrated. In my head, I had planned to go into a long speech where people would applaud, but I could only get those few words out. How can I be a crusader if I can’t spread the word?

Then Kristen leans over.

“I want to save the oceans, too.”

I look at her. She’s not joking.

“Do you want to help me?” I ask.

She nods her head.

We stop talking because we get a few hushing looks from Ms. Susan. So we settle it by shaking pinkies.

I notice a few other kids as they present. Mariel talks about how she loves to go snorkeling.

“We used to go snorkeling when we were in Florida.” She adds, “I want to be a zoologist.”

I look over at her as she sits down. I try to smile at Mariel, but she doesn’t notice. I hope I can turn things around with her. I’ve never met anyone who went snorkeling before.

Another kid, Logan, introduces himself as “obsessed with sharks.” He says, “The megalodon is so cool! Too bad it’s extinct.” Logan has a Chicago accent. He’s a little bit shorter than me, but my same age.

Another girl, Erika, shares with us that she’s been whale watching. Then another boy, Dan, says, “I also want to be a marine biologist.”

After everyone introduces themselves, Mr. Kyle and Ms. Susan stand up.

“Obviously everyone is here because they love the oceans. And I heard a few of you say you’d like to be a marine biologist.”

A few kids and I nod at each other.

“Do you know what that means?”

Logan raises his hand.

“It’s someone who studies the oceans.”

“That’s right,” replies Ms. Susan.

“And there is a big range in what they do,” says Mr. Kyle. “A marine biologist can study animals and their behaviors, microorganisms, how people affect the oceans, and how to protect the ocean’s ecosystems. Just to name a few.”

“Our job this week is to give you a sneak peek into all these categories. Our hope, for all of you, is that you’ll leave here understanding the oceans and appreciate why they’re so important to the planet,” says Ms. Susan.

“And, of course, that you’ll have fun, too. We’ll give you firsthand experiences and have you all create projects with your own hands. For example, one year we had campers do experiments to learn about how blubber, feathers, and fur keep animals warm in cold ocean waters. Then they used what they learned to design a suit for themselves to keep warm in the wintertime.”

The group murmurs with excitement.

Kristen whispers, “I want to do that.”

“We’ll discuss more about all of our projects later, but let’s get started with a tour,” says Mr. Kyle.

Then Mr. Kyle and Ms. Susan take us behind special locked doors. They have to wave their badges and type in a passcode to get in. Once the door buzzes open, they say, “It’s magic time.”

And we begin the tour.