Shadow Read Online Free Page A

sign of Shadow or the Bean.
    Then they checked the living room, the dining room, and the den.
    â€œShadow! Adam!” Lizzie was calling their names all over the house. This was terrible! Where was her little brother? And what about Shadow? The Petersons were responsible for the puppy. They were his foster family. They were supposed to keep him safe until they found him a forever home. That was their whole job! If they messed up, who would ever give them another puppy to foster?

Then Lizzie heard it: A tiny, distant bark. And a whimper.
    Shadow didn’t like this place. It was dark and lonely. He had come in to keep the little boy safe, but then the door had slammed shut and they were both stuck inside.
    â€œShadow!” she cried. “Did you hear that, Charles?”
    Charles nodded. “I think it came from the Bean’s room,” he said, looking confused.
    They all ran back upstairs and into the Bean’s room. “Shadow?” Lizzie called.
    Another bark. It was coming from the closet!
    Dad yanked open the door, and Mom swooped in to pick up the Bean. “Oh, honey,” she said, hugging him.
    Shadow bounced out, looking as happy as always. Lizzie bent down to pick him up and give him a kiss. She was so relieved to see him — and the Bean, of course!
    Yay! Shadow was glad they had finally heard him. Maybe it was time for a treat! He had certainly earned one.
    â€œBall!” said the Bean, pointing back toward the closet.
    Dad shook his head. “He must have woken up from his nap and gone in there to get his ball,” he said. “Shadow followed him, the door closed, and then they were both trapped.”
    â€œGood thing the Bean had his guardian angel with him!” Mom said, hugging the Bean again “I’m glad you’re both okay.”
    The next morning at school, Lizzie still felt horrible about what had happened. How long had Bean and Shadow been trapped? Fostering puppies was a serious job!
    But then something happened that made her forget everything else.
    â€œRemember I mentioned yesterday that we were going to meet a very special pet?” said Mrs. Abeson, right after math. “Well, our guest is here. Maria, would you introduce him?”
    Blushing, Maria got up, went to the door, and opened it. “This is Simba,” she said as a big, stocky, yellow Labrador retriever walked into the room.
    The dog was wearing a harness with a leather handle. Holding the harness was a woman who looked like a grown-up version of Maria.
    â€œAnd this is my mom,” Maria added. “She’s blind.”
    For a second, the classroom was completely quiet. Then it exploded into noise as everyone started asking questions at once.
    â€œHow old is he?”
    â€œCan we pat him?”
    â€œHow does he know which way to go?”
    Lizzie was probably the only one in class who wasn’t shouting out questions. She just sat there, staring at Simba and at Maria’s mother. Lizzie felt her face flush red as she remembered how she had acted the day before, showing off how much she knew about blind people. Of course Maria knew more than she did! When Maria went back to her seat, Lizzie gave her a special smile, hoping she would understand how sorry she felt. Maria smiled back.
    Mrs. Abeson called for everyone to quiet down. “One question at a time,” she said. She asked Maria’s mom if she’d like to sit down, and told her how to find the chair she had set up at the front of the classroom. When Mrs. Santiago was sitting, with Simba lying quietly next to her, Mrs. Abeson called on Noah.
    â€œWhere did you get Simba?” asked Noah.
    â€œI got him from a foundation that trains guide dogs for the blind,” said Mrs. Santiago. “He spent the first year of his life with puppy-raisers. Those are families who volunteer to bring up future guide dogs and teach them basic manners. Then the foundation trained him to work with a blind person.