Tianna the Terrible (Anika Scott Series) Read Online Free Page A

mostly square fields. Some were so dark brown they were almost black, others were kind of gray-brown, and a few were bright green. If you looked way out, there were mountains like a row of broken teeth. I could see the snow on them. The mountains I was used to stood alone, each one by itself: Mount Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro, Longonot. These mountains weren't like that. They all ran together, making a jagged wall all along the edge of the land. I stared at them with interest.
    Even after the plane landed, I could still see the mountains along the edge of the world. They made me feel better. Exciting things could happen in a place with mountains like that.
    In fact, the mountains made me feel so good that I forgot all about the tulips.
    Walking into the airport, I felt like I was made of wood. My eyes would hardly stay open. We found our suitcases, then waited in line at customs. Mom kept anxiously watching the people through the windows. Just before it was our turn, Mom started waving madly.
    "Look, Kevin! There's Kurt."
    Daddy smiled and waved, too. I was still trying to figure out who Mom was waving at.
    "Is that him?" Sandy asked me. "That tall man?"
    I shrugged, but Mom said without looking back, "Yes. Look, Anika, there's Tianna."
    I glanced up and saw a tall man who looked vaguely familiar. I stared, and he grinned at me and waved. I sort of half waved back. He was holding on to the shoulder of a kid who was smaller than me. Whew! At least Tianna didn't look way older than me.
    I waved at her, but she just glared at me, then turned her back. Her clothes were even nicer than Lisa's—whose clothes were outstanding—but her hair wasn't even brushed.
    Sandy poked me, and I realized we were at the customs desk. The man was holding out his hand for my bag. Without thinking I handed it over and turned back to look at Tianna.
    "Could you explain this?" the customs man said curtly.
    I whipped around to see him holding the box of tulips.
    "Um," I said and stopped.
    With a frown, he turned to Daddy and said, "You realize it's illegal to bring these into Canada."
    My stomach sank. He thought Daddy had tried to get them in by putting them in my bag where maybe customs wouldn't look as hard.
    "I bought them!" I blurted. "They were for my aunt, only I didn't see that we couldn't bring them here 'til we were already on the plane." Well, almost on the plane, I thought to myself.
    "Anika!" Mom said, frowning. "You should have told us!"
    My ears felt hot, but I kept on looking at the customs man. He wasn't looking at me, though. He was frowning at Daddy.
    "Take your suitcases and go over to that office, please," he said.
     

 
    Chapter Three
     
    I swallowed. Those tulips I'd bought were really getting us into trouble. Daddy picked up a suitcase and followed the customs man. You could tell by the way Daddy moved that he was very tired. Mom and Sandy followed him, but I hung back.
    "It was only me," I called to the customs man. "Mom and Dad didn't do anything. Daddy's sick; please let us go through."
    He didn't even turn around.
    "Anika!" Daddy called, and I could tell it was an order. In the other room a fat woman with short blonde hair that stuck out all over went through every tiny part of our luggage, like we were smugglers or something. They even looked in Daddy's medicine bottle and asked about the prescriptions. Sandy kept glaring at me, and Mom and Daddy ignored me.
    I wished I was dead.
    After a lecture, the fat lady let us go, and we walked out to where Uncle Kurt was waiting. He came over and hugged Mom. I was afraid he'd hug me, too, so I stayed way back. Daddy was beside me because he'd been walking slowly. I'd tried to get him to let me carry the suitcase, but he wouldn't.
    Uncle Kurt came over and took the suitcase from Daddy. "Hazel wants us to go straight home so you can rest," he said. "You sure look like you could use it."
    Then he looked at me and said, "So you're the smuggler in the family. I thought Christians