by K. E. Rocha
Uncle Mark chuckled. “Looks like you’ve made some new friends.”
Spencer stood up and brushed himself off. He grinned. Maybe having a few more friends in Bearhaven wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Even if they were bears. Ramona and Cheng would never believe it.
Marguerite stepped into the passenger car. “Your welcome party awaits!” She winked at Spencer. As though on cue, the TUBE’s doors hissed open.
Marguerite switched off her BEAR-COM and knelt at the window beside the cubs. She spoke to them in Ragayo as she pointed to things on the platform.
“Ready, Spence?” Uncle Mark asked, starting toward the door.
“Ready,” Spencer called.
Stepping out onto the platform alongside Uncle Mark and Evarita, Spencer scanned the crowd of bears. The maintenance team was already getting to work on the train, calling instructions down the length of the TUBE to one another. Up ahead, two Bear Guard members boarded the first car. Spencer guessed that they were off to do a security check, but he was disappointed to see that Aldo wasn’t one of them. He turned to look down the platform in the other direction, only to find that his view was blocked by a handful of bears in white vests.
“Paramedics,” Uncle Mark explained as the bears filed onto the train. “They’ll take Ro Ro and the cubs to Pinky’s.”
“Spencer!”
“Kate Dora Weaver! What did I tell you about running near the tracks!” Bunny’s reprimanding mom voice echoed through the station. Kate ignored her.
Spencer turned to face the oncoming bear. “Anbranda!” he roared happily. As she got closer, Kate tried to slow down, but her paws slipped on the smooth platform and she started to slide. Spencer jumped out of the way just before she bowled him over. She slid to a stop at Uncle Mark’s and Evarita’s feet.
“You okay, Kate?” Uncle Mark asked, trying to hide his smile.
“Oh, yes! I’m fine!” the cub answered.
“All right, then!” Uncle Mark squeezed Spencer’s shoulder as he and Evarita walked by. “We’re going to catch up with the Weavers. We have a lot to discuss.”
After a few attempts, Kate got her paws beneath her. As soon as she did, Spencer gave her a huge hug.
“We did it?” Kate asked, sitting back on her hind legs.
“We did it! And I needed everything you helped me train for—the Bear Stealth and the Rescue Ragayo and the boulder rolling and the tech! And I climbed! I climbed up a huge elevator cable!” Spencer put his hand up for a high five, but Kate just looked at it. “Remind me to teach you how to high-five one of these days,” he said, dropping his hand. If Uncle Mark’s contribution to Bearhaven was the TUBE, Spencer could at least bring the high five.
“Well, you better teach me something, after all of my hard work!” Kate said, headbutting him lightly. She looked around the platform, sniffing as she turned her head from side to side. “Is your mom here?” she asked. “I don’t smell her . . .”
“No, she’s not here . . .” He cleared his throat and looked back at Kate. “But I saw her, Kate. She’s undercover and in such a good disguise that I almost didn’t recognize her!” Kate’s eyes widened. “She’s spying on this really creepy guy who has my dad.”
“Really?” Kate whispered. “That’s so cool . . . and so scary . . .”
“We’re going to get them back. And Uncle Mark and B.D. said they need my help!”
“I told you I’d train you so well they couldn’t say no!”
“You were right, Kate! Now, come on, I bet your mom wants to yell at me for sneaking onto the train.”
“You bet she does,” Kate said as they headed over to her family. “She hasn’t let me play Salmon King since you left. Do you know how many times Jo-Jo and Winston got to play in the last two days? As many times as they wanted!”
Bunny rushed forward. “Oh, Spencer!” she gushed. “I’ve been so worried!” She looked him over. “Mark says you aren’t hurt. You aren’t hurt, are you, dear?”
“Bunny, the boy is fine, look at him,” Professor Weaver said warmly as he joined them. “Glad to have you back, son,” he said to Spencer. “I hear you really proved yourself out there. And then some.”
“WHAT?” Kate squealed. “He’s not in trouble?” Spencer shot her a look. She pretended not to see. “No fair,” she grumbled quietly.
Professor Weaver shook his head and smiled. Bunny ignored Kate altogether.
“Spencer, honey, are you hungry?”
“Yes, ma’am!” he replied.
“Well, then, why don’t we all say our good-byes. It’s about time we took you to Raymond’s, isn’t it? I think a celebratory dinner is in order!” Bunny looked at him happily, waiting for his reply.
“Uh . . . good-byes? To who?”
Uncle Mark and Evarita stepped into the circle, exchanging a sideways glance. “Sorry, Spence, I meant to explain before we got back to Bearhaven. I just didn’t want to wake you, and now, here we are.” Uncle Mark looked at Spencer apologetically. “Evarita and I have to get back—”
“Back to Grady’s?” Spencer interrupted.
“Back home. There’s work we have to do to find your parents that we can’t do from here. And now that we have your leads—”
“But, wait. What about me?”
“You’re going to stay with the Weavers,” Uncle Mark said. “Evarita and I will video in for a council meeting in a few days. In the meantime, we’ll look into some of the things you brought to light. By the time we speak with the council, we’ll be ready to plan the next steps—”
Spencer opened his mouth to protest, but Professor Weaver cut in. “You’ll be included in that council meeting, Spencer.”
“Oh,” Spencer said sheepishly. “Okay.”
“It’ll just be a few days, Spence. A week at the most before we plan our next move with the council. With your parents gone, this is the safest place for you,” Uncle Mark finished.
“You can keep training here!” Kate exclaimed. Spencer looked from Uncle Mark to the Weavers. Kate was right. He could keep training here. In fact, Spencer had been planning on it. He just hadn’t planned on Uncle Mark not being here with him. He sighed. If Uncle Mark and Evarita had to leave Bearhaven to help figure out how to bring his parents home, then Spencer wouldn’t stop them.
“Okay,” he said. “If it’ll help Mom and Dad.”
“Yes!” Kate cheered.
“We can stay a day or two more, if you’d like,” Evarita said, looking at Spencer with concern.
“No, that’s all right. I think I’ll go to Raymond’s with the Weavers. And I want to visit Ro Ro and the cubs.”
“You sure?” Uncle Mark offered.
“Yup. I’m sure.” Spencer nodded. “I’ll be fine, and we don’t have any time to waste if we’re going to get Mom and Dad away from Pam and Margo and Ivan.”
“We’ll just be over here, dear, when you’re ready. Bye, Mark!” Bunny sang, shuffling Kate toward the elevator. “Bye, Evarita! See you soon!” Professor Weaver waved good-bye and followed his wife.
Kate did a little dance. “Salmon nuggets, here we come!”
Spencer smiled, watching them go. Exploring more of Bearhaven didn’t seem like such a bad way to spend the next few days. His stomach growled. Especially if he could start by exploring Raymond’s menu. Besides, he had to train for his next mission.
Erin Black and Nancy Mercado for their editorial guidance, and Ellie Berger and Debra Dorfman for believing in Bearhaven in the first place.
Dr. Thomas Spady, Bear Biologist, California State University San Marcos, for applying his scientific knowledge and understanding of issues facing real bears to the fictional world of Bearhaven.
Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen, Linguist, Bowling Green State University, for developing Ragayo with her trademark passion for authentic language creation.
Dr. Sylvia Olarte for finding a pie candle and making sure its flames stayed lit.
K. E. Rocha is the author of Secrets of Bearhaven, developed in collaboration with Egg in the Ho
le Productions. She received a BA in English from Trinity College, an MFA from New York University, and was named a Connecticut Circuit Poet by the Connecticut Poetry Society. She has never visited with talking bears, although she often talks to her goofy little hound dog, Reggie, while writing from her studio in Brooklyn.
Text copyright © 2016 by Egg in the Hole Productions, LLC
Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Ross Dearsley
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e-ISBN 978-0-545-81313-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rocha, K. E., author.
Secrets of Bearhaven / K.E. Rocha. — First edition.
pages cm. — (Bearhaven)
Summary: When Spencer Plain’s uncle pulls him out of school, and they find themselves being chased by a strange car, Spencer does not know what is going on—but soon he is rescued from the woods by a bear, and taken to Bearhaven, a secret refuge his parents created, filled with bears who can talk, where, desperate to find his parents, he and a bear cub named Kate decide to take matters into their own hands.
ISBN 978-0-545-81303-7 (hardcover) 1. Bears—Juvenile fiction. 2. Human-animal communication—Juvenile fiction. 3. Friendship—Juvenile fiction. 4. Rescues—Juvenile fiction. 5. Secrecy—Juvenile fiction. 6. Parent and child—Juvenile fiction. [1. Bears—Fiction. 2. Human-animal communication—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction. 4. Rescues—Fiction 5. Secrets—Fiction. 6. Parent and child—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.1.R637Se 2016
[Fic]—dc232015007040
First edition, January 2016
Cover art © 2016 by Ross Dearsley
Cover design by Nina Goffi