The Polar Bear Explorers' Club by Alex Bell (books for 8th graders TXT) 📕

the kindest people Stella knew. He was just different, and people never failed to say cruel things to him because of it.

She bent down and picked up the nearest snow penguin. It held together well enough as she straightened up and walked towards Ethan. The expression on her face made the magician feel suddenly alarmed, and he tried to take a step away, but was already pressed up against the side of the boat, the railings digging firmly into his back.

‘What are you going to do with that?’ he demanded.

Stella responded by dumping the snow penguin on his head.

It broke apart in a most satisfying way, and Ethan yelled as great clumps of ice slid down the back of his collar and soaked his hair. Stella saw, with immense satisfaction, that he didn’t look anywhere near as immaculate with white snow streaking his black robe and icy water running down his face.

‘I don’t care what Felix says,’ Stella said, poking him hard in his thin chest. ‘You’re no good, and I don’t like you. If you’re mean to Beanie again I’ll crush you.’

‘You’ ll crush me?’ Ethan was almost spluttering with outrage. ‘I’m the magician here. Why, I ought to turn you into a little blind mole-rat right now and toss you straight into the sea!’

He started to raise his hand and – for a horrible moment – Stella wondered whether he actually would turn her into a mole-rat. She had a terrible vision of herself as a tiny, blind, pink thing, thrashing about in the waves as she watched the ship sail further and further away. Or perhaps he’d mess it up again and turn her into a tiny dancing polar bean, which would almost be worse, really.

‘I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never—’ Ethan began.

‘Say, this sounds interesting. Can anyone join the lesson?’ a voice asked.

Stella turned and saw Shay just behind her. It was the first time she’d seen him wearing his blue Polar Bear explorer robes rather than the old shirt and trousers he wore to take care of the wolves. He had four of the expedition wolves with him – three grey ones and a brown one – and they were circling his feet, pressing up close to his legs.

‘This has nothing to do with you!’ Ethan said, pointing at him. ‘So get lost, whoever you are.’ One of the wolves instantly bared its teeth at him, and the magician hurriedly lowered his hand.

‘Well, well,’ Shay said, looking him up and down. ‘Aren’t you an uppity little prawn?’

‘I’m taller than you are!’ Ethan spluttered in outrage. ‘And no one calls me a prawn! I’m not uppity either. I’m going straight to the captain to report a member of the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club for assault!’

Stella’s heart sank. Felix definitely wouldn’t like that. He wouldn’t like that at all.

‘My name, if you care, is Shay Silverton Kipling, and I ought to call for the captain myself.’ Shay reached down to scratch one of the wolves behind the ears. ‘It’s against maritime law to make magical threats against someone at sea, as you must already know.’

‘Oh, you lot aren’t worth my time!’ Ethan said before stamping off along the deck, leaving a wet trail of melting snow behind him.

‘I didn’t need your help,’ Stella said to Shay, although she wasn’t sure that was entirely true. She really hadn’t wanted to be turned into a mole-rat, after all. ‘But thanks.’

Shay inclined his head slightly. ‘Any time, Sparky.’

Stella turned to Beanie to introduce him, but the boy’s attention was firmly fixed on his narwhal and he barely glanced at Shay before mumbling, ‘Hello, I’m Beanie, I like jellybeans and narwhals, and now I’m going back to my cabin to study my medicine books and read about teeth.’ And, with that, he turned and hurried away across the deck.

‘Oh dear … he doesn’t mean to be rude,’ Stella said. She really didn’t want Shay to dislike Beanie too. ‘He just finds conversation difficult and needs to be alone sometimes, that’s all.’

‘Seems fair,’ Shay said agreeably. ‘Wolves can be like that too. Sometimes they want to be part of the pack, other times they just want to be left in peace. Nothing wrong with that at all.’

CHAPTER EIGHT

On the final day of the voyage, Captain Fitzroy held a farewell dinner for the two explorer clubs in his private quarters. Even the junior members had been invited. The dinner was a tradition for explorers who would have to rely on rations and foraging once they landed on the ice, and was always a lavish spread, laid out on a long table. Felix told her it was the last proper meal she would have for a while, so she should absolutely be as greedy as possible.

The dinner was a strained affair from the very beginning. The problem was that the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club and the Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club each nurtured a grudge against the other because of the snow shark expedition, which had taken place many years ago. Both clubs had been competing against each other then too, and there had been accusations of cheating and foul play on both sides. At least one explorer was eaten by a snow shark, and others were seriously wounded on the ice. There had never been any formal apologies offered and the two clubs had been wary of each other ever since, each blaming the other for their losses and casualties, whilst both claiming the credit for discovering the existence of the snow shark.

The two clubs sat on opposite sides of the table, watching each other warily. The dinner started out politely enough, but it wasn’t long before a quarrel broke out between the Polar Bear zoologist and the Ocean Squid hunter, both of whom wanted to be the first to kill a yeti and take it back as a trophy. It had never been done before, and both were keen to achieve a first for their clubs.

‘Isn’t it