Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic

“Oh, sorry, I mean Australian.” There was a more obvious spot he could have named, but it was like his brain was a steam compressor on the fritz.

“My manner of speech is neither from an island of peasant farmers nor one of criminals,” Lucy said.

“Hey,” Diego said. “Watch it. My mom’s from Ireland.”

Lucy made a face Diego couldn’t decipher. “Be that as it may,” she said, “for your information, Mid-Time American, I am a loyal subject of the true sovereign of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty Queen Victoria—”

That was it! England!

“And I’m not new to your school,” Lucy continued. “I was homeschooled when we first got here, but I’ve been here in your eighth grade for a few weeks now. And I will be for the rest of the semester while my father is in town on important business. Now why don’t you little boys go find some other tikes to play with.”

“We’re not little boys,” Diego said. “We’re both thirteen.”

“You sure act like little boys,” Paige said. “Now step off and go back to your playdate.” She and Lucy turned toward Sue.

“Come on,” Petey said. “Let’s go find some real girls to talk to.” He started to turn away.

But Diego stood his ground. There was something about this girl.

“Why are they still hanging around?” Paige said, her back to the boys.

“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” Lucy said.

“Hey,” Diego heard himself blurt out. “You think that T. rex is so cool, maybe you’d like to see a real one.”

This made Lucy glance over her shoulder. “How’s that?”

“Well, my dad loaned the museum some equipment to help install their new T. rex exhibit, and when I helped deliver the loaders, I memorized the combination to the service entrance door. It’s here in the Ice Age hall. That new dinosaur’s got skin and everything. It looks alive.”

“D,” Petey said quietly by his shoulder. “We’re not supposed to leave our class. We’ll get in huge trouble if we’re caught, and our parents will kill us.”

“Well, then, we won’t get caught,” Diego said, shrugging. “Come on, Petey, where’s your sense of adventure?” He grinned at the girls.

Lucy and Paige shared a glance.

“We’re not going to let these North-side runts show us up, are we?” Paige said.

Diego was surprised to see uncertainty on Lucy’s face.

Paige leaned toward Lucy. “It’s not gonna bite.”

“It’s really cool,” Diego added. “Besides, you’ve got me and Petey to protect you.”

“Please,” Lucy said. “I don’t need a boy to take care of me.” She nodded and glanced at Paige. “Let’s humor them.” She took a deep breath as she said it.

Diego glanced back at their classes. “We should stay with our groups until we’re down the hall a little farther. Then watch for my signal.”

After what seemed like a never-ending lecture by Mr. Nelson, the classes split into four-person groups and were allowed to take in the rest of the exhibit on their own. Each student was given a small chalkboard to gather at least three interesting facts from the displays. The boys scribbled down as much as they could at the first exhibit about mammoths and then announced that they were headed for the restrooms, and set off to find Lucy and Paige.

They spotted Lucy with her school group over by an exhibit about glaciers. Paige was with hers by the mastodons. Diego nodded to each of them, then waited over by a diorama featuring Neanderthal hunters confronting a saber-toothed tiger.

“Those would be good friends for you two,” Paige said as she and Lucy arrived.

“Actually,” Petey said, waving his hand dismissively at the exhibit, “that’s not even close to what a real Neanderthal looks like.”

“Like you would know that, North-sider,” Paige said, one eyebrow raised.

“Actually, Petey and I have been out to the wild lands,” Diego said. “We’ve seen the Neanderthals firsthand.”

“Oh, really?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah,” Diego said. He didn’t add that technically they only thought they’d seen a Neanderthal tribe, from a far distance. At the time, they’d been running from that dimetrodon.

“You’ve actually been out to the wild lands?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah, right,” Paige said. “These two couldn’t even survive a walk in Cicero. There’s no way they’ve been out in the wild lands.”

“We’ve been there a few times,” Diego said. “And I’m not sure you could handle it.”

“Oh, I’m about to show you what I can handle,” Paige said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Hold on,” Lucy said, grabbing Paige’s arm. Diego noticed that her eyes had widened. “But aren’t there . . . dinosaurs out there? Like, real ones?”

“Oh yeah,” Petey said, “lots of different kinds. Man-eaters, giant herbivores that could squash you with a single step.”

“It’s not that bad,” Diego said, watching Lucy’s face as Petey went on. “They usually keep to themselves. It’s actually more dangerous if you cross into Algonquin lands without permission, or run into one of those Neanderthal hunting parties.”

“Yeah, right,” Paige said. “You two talk big. I bet you’ve never really been out there.”

“We have, too,” Diego said. “My dad leads salvage expeditions, and he takes us along to help.”

Paige opened her mouth to add more when snickering distracted them.

A group of boys lurked across the hall, with Joe Fish standing in the middle.

“Ugh, I thought I smelled Believers,” Petey said, but he kept his voice quiet enough that the gang wouldn’t hear.

“True Believers?” Lucy asked.

Just then, Fish blew her a kiss. His gang cracked up.

“They’re a lot of filthy hooligans,” Lucy said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Come on, y’all, we don’t need to waste time with them,” Paige said.

“You heard the ladies,” Petey said, catching up.

Diego started after them but paused and turned back to Fish.