Chameleon Chaos (10 page)

But by the time they had reached the front garden, there was nobody to be seen in the road at all. “Piddle! Follow!” Josh said, grabbing Piddle's collar and urging him out onto the pavement. “Follow whoever gave you that note!” But Piddle just ran around in circles, trying to bite his own tail.

“Forget it,” sighed Danny. “Let's just read it.”

He opened the note and read aloud:

BRAVO, JOSH + DANNY. I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D GET THIS ONE. SOON … NO 3! IF YOU DARE …

There was no signature, as usual. But Danny did notice something stuck to the corner of the paper. A single black sequin.

“Come on—round to Petty now!” Josh said.

But Petty didn't come when they knocked on the front door, and the new stout side-gate she'd had built was padlocked shut. A light humming told them it was probably electrified on the far side too, so they decided not to climb it.

“Tomorrow,” Josh said as they walked back up the passage on their side of the fence. “I don't
think we'll hear any more from Mystery Marble Sender before then.”

“JOSH! DANNY!” It was their dad, yelling from the back garden. “I need you to come and clear out the garage with me!”

“Oh no,” shuddered Danny. “I hate garage clearing. The spiders are
huge
!”

“I'm tired out,” grumbled Josh. “I want to go and read my books on my bed.”

Dad's head appeared around the corner of the house. With a sudden, odd instinct, Josh and Danny froze against the wall. Then Josh, feeling guilty, opened his mouth to say “OK, Dad. Coming.”

But before the words came out he noticed something peculiar. Dad was looking down the side passage … but not at them. Keeping perfectly still, he swiveled his eyes round to Danny and saw why. He and his brother—and even their clothes—were perfectly camouflaged against the red brick wall.

“Well, as soon as I see them, they've got work to do,” Dad said as he stomped right past them and round into the front garden.

“Much more useful side effect than frog's legs,” whispered Danny. Giggling, they crept away to camouflage themselves in the bushes …

agile:
able to move quickly and easily

amphibian:
an animal that can live on land and in water

antidote:
something that takes away the bad effects of a poison or disease

camouflage:
a way of hiding things by making them look like part of their surroundings

cellular:
made of cells

gyrating:
moving around in circles or spirals

hijack:
to take control of something by force

hologram:
a type of photograph made by laser beams, that appears to have depth as well as height and width

laboratory:
a room or building equipped for scientific work

mammal:
any animal of which the female gives birth to live young and can feed them with her own milk

pincer:
the claw of a shellfish such as a lobster; good for gripping things

prehistoric:
belonging to a very long time ago

prey:
an animal that is hunted by another animal

reptile:
a cold-blooded animal that creeps or crawls; lizards and snakes are reptiles

scales:
the thin overlapping parts on the outside of fish, snakes, and other animals

serum:
a type of fluid used in science and for medical purposes

sphere:
a perfectly round solid shape

telescopic:
to do with telescopes, and seeing things in close detail

BOOKS

Want to brush up on your reptile knowledge?

Here's a list of books dedicated to creepy-crawlies.

Johnson, Jinny.
Animal Planet™ Wild World: An Encyclopedia of Animals
. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2013.

McCarthy, Colin.
Reptile
. DK Eyewitness Books. New York: DK Publishing, 2012.

Parker, Steve.
Pond & River
. DK Eyewitness Books. New York: DK Publishing, 2011.

WEBSITES

Find out more about nature and wildlife using the websites below.

National Geographic Kids

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

Go to this website to watch videos and read facts about your favorite reptiles and amphibians.

San Diego Zoo Kids

http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals

Curious to learn more about some of the coolest-looking reptiles and amphibians? This website has lots of information and stunning pictures of some of Earth's most interesting creatures.

US Fish & Wildlife Service

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/amphibians-reptiles-and-fish.aspx

Want some tips to help you look for wildlife in your own neighborhood? Learn how to identify some slimy creatures and some scaly ones as well.

CHECK OUT ALL OF THE
TITLES!