OP E RAT I ON R E DWOOD
“Anyway, it’s obvious from the letter Sibley really hates me. I mean, now there’s proof. And then he goes on about how Daphne’s found the perfect camp for me—math camp. And she’s looking for another camp for the rest of the summer that’ll probably be just as horrible.”
T H E N E X T DAY
months photographing Buddhist statues and temples. She wouldn’t come home without a genuine emergency. “Then you’re stuck. Don’t forget, my parents signed me up for two weeks of journalism camp.” “But that’s here, not in Fresno,” Julian said. “And you like
“That’s brutal,” Danny said, shaking his head.
that kind of stuff.” He sighed. “Not that I want to stay with Sibley
“Oh, and it’s in Fresno.”
anyway.”
“Fresno! My cousins live there. It’s so hot in the summer, you’ll be dying to get back to the fog.” “And Sibley’s saying what a ‘tremendous opportunity’ this is for me—”
“Now that his true feelings have been revealed,” Danny said. The 1 California bus pulled up in front of them. It was so crowded, they had to stand in the aisle, holding on to the metal poles.
“Wait—how did you find all this out?”
“I should just run away,” Julian said as the bus lurched into
The bus pulled up and they went to the back and sat down.
motion. “Camp out in the Presidio or in Golden Gate Park.” There
Julian explained in detail the taxi ride, his visit to his uncle’s office,
were lots of places in the park where a kid could hide. If you stayed
the e-mail with his name on it, and his last-minute decision to
away from the Children’s Playground or the Japanese Tea Garden,
delete the message. By the time he got to the end of the story, they’d
there were huge stretches of trees and bushes with hardly any
reached California Street and gotten off to wait for the next bus.
people.
“I don’t know.” Danny scratched his head. “I mean, it’s bad.
Danny looked at him in horror. “Are you insane? Do you still
It’s brutal. But what can you do? Maybe you should tell your
have a fever?” He reached up to feel Julian’s forehead. “You want to
mom.”
live in Golden Gate Park at night? With all the homeless people?”
Julian considered. “She’s in China—what could she do? The camp’s probably paid for already. Plus, I’m not supposed to know about it, remember?”
Julian shrugged. “What about your granny? The one we had dim sum with. Couldn’t you call her?”
“Maybe she’d come home.” “No way.” For years, his mom had dreamed of going to China. Finally, she’d gotten a grant that actually paid her to spend five 26
“Popo? I haven’t seen her since Chinese New Year. Plus, what could she do?” “Rescue you from Sibley and his evil plots!” 27