Stolen Treasures Read Online Free Page B

Stripes with Emily.”
    “Emily will be fine,” said Cai. “She’sreally keen to help.”
    Antonia didn’t answer. What if Claudia and Cai were wrong about the new girl?
    “We ought to go home,” said Dream. “Mum told us not to stay out too long. The pod’s going fishing later.”
    “One more game of tag,” said Bubbles. “I’ll be ‘it’. You get a three waves’ start.”
    Everyone scattered in opposite directions. Bubbles waited for three waves, then sped after Antonia. He almost tagged her straightaway but she darted behind Dream. Bubbles clicked a laugh, too surprised to tag his sister instead. At last, Bubbles caught Antonia, throwing the seaweed so it landed over her shoulder like wrinkly brown scarf.
    “Game over,” Antonia panted. “Welldone,” she added, high-fiving Bubbles on the fin.
    Bubbles and Dream swam with Antonia and Cai until they could see Claudia’s beach. They rubbed noses with everyone then swam back out to sea, their silver bodies flashing in the sunlight. Antonia and Cai headed ashore at a slower pace.
    “I wonder who owns that fishing boat,” Antonia mused.
    “Fishermen?” suggested Cai.
    Antonia shook her head.
    “The local fishermen look after the sea. There would be nothing left for them to fish for otherwise. It’s more likely to be holiday-makers. They sometimes hire out old fishing boats to go diving from. Or…” she slid asidelong glance at Cai. “It might be Emily’s parents!” Her voice rose in excitement. “What if they’ve been taking things from the sea to sell in their horrible shop?”
    Cai laughed so much he swallowed a mouthful of sea and choked.
    “Wicked imagination!” he spluttered. “Emily’s parents are too busy making souvenirs and selling them to go out collecting stuff as well. They’ll buy the shells in.”
    Antonia fell quiet, miffed at Cai for laughing at her.
    “I suppose we could go and have a look around the harbour,” said Cai eventually. “If you think you see the boat then you could make a note of its name, but not report it yet.”
    “OK,” said Antonia, slightly appeased. “Have we got time to go now?”
    “I guess so,” said Cai. “We haven’t been gone that long. Time seems to slow down when we’re with the dolphins.”
    “It does,” agreed Antonia. “I never really noticed that till now. We always get loads done when we’re with them.”
    When the sea was shallow enough, Antonia and Cai waded ashore. Water poured from them and their clothes dried almost instantly. They rescued their shoes from under the Sea Watch boat and sat on the warm sand to put them on.
    “We’d better go and tell Claudia where we’re going,” said Antonia.
    As they walked towards the Sea Watchbuilding, Antonia suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.
    “No!” she gasped.
    “What?” said Cai.
    His eyes followed the direction she was looking in.
    “Emily!” groaned Antonia. “She’s not locked the badger pen properly.”
    The door stood open with the padlock swinging from the bolt. Antonia ran over but she was too late. The pen was empty. Emily came out of the Sea Watch building, carrying an old football. She waved at Antonia and Cai.
    “I went to get Stripes something to play with and look what I found,” she called triumphantly.
    What was Emily thinking? Stripes wasn’t apuppy. Suddenly Antonia was angry with herself for trusting the new girl. Emily reached the badger pen and her mouth opened in horror.
    “Oh no!” she gasped.

Chapter Six
    R ealising anger wasn’t going to help anyone, Antonia pulled herself together.
    “Stripes can’t have gone far,” she said calmly.
    “Emily, you look over there. Cai, take the top of the garden and I’ll look behind these bushes.”
    Antonia crawled on her hands and knees to search. Some of the bushes were so thick shedidn’t think Stripes would manage to squeeze under them but she checked anyway, lying flat on her stomach for a better look. All sorts of worrying situations