We all woke up a little after sunrise. Even those of us who could have slept in bright daylight woke up from the heat.
“Everyone up!” Ms. Juniper said. “Pack up your gear. We’ll put everything back on the bus before breakfast.”
“On the bus?” I repeated. “Is the field trip over already?”
“It can’t be,” Egg whispered to me. “We haven’t caught the culprit yet!”
Sam stroked her chin. “I think we’re close,” she said.
Egg and I squinted at our friend. She didn’t say another word.
“Not to worry, Cat,” Ms. Juniper said. “We’ve saved the best for last. After breakfast, we’ll take a tour of the Lakota Heritage Village.”
After we’d all finished eating, Ms. Juniper blew her whistle. “Everyone,” she said, “this is Ranger Betty.”
Ranger Betty was a short lady with dark hair, wearing tan ranger pants and a blue ranger shirt. She also had on a tan hat with a big brim. “Hi, kids,” she said. “Ready for your tour?”
Ranger Betty led us up a trail to the heritage village. It was set up to look just like a real Native American village. There were teepees and everything.
“This heritage village is the newest exhibit at Mount Rushmore,” Ranger Betty told us. “It was set up to show how the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota nations lived before the United States began its growth to the west.”
Egg was snapping loads of photos. I ran over to a teepee. “Get a picture of me!” I called. “For my parents.”
My family is from Mexico. That means we have a lot of Native American blood in our veins. I knew my parents would have loved to visit this place.
Before Egg could take a single shot, though, there was a great boom from the hill at the top of the village.
We all watched the woods. A great cloud of smoke came shooting down the mountain.
There was another loud boom, and then that voice — the same deep, deep voice — shouted, “Go home!”