Zoobreak

At the zoo, the group breaks into the administrative building, where Melissa can control all the other locks from the main computer. Meanwhile, Darren has a nightmare about being sent to juvenile prison because he lied to Mr. Nastase. His parents wake him and confront him about everything he mumbled in his sleep about Griffin, Ben, and theft. Darren spills the entire story, including how he sent Mr. Nastase after the group. His mom says, “we have to call those other parents—and the police” (191).

The children place the animals in exhibits with the same or similar creatures. The ferret is reluctant to leave Ben until it sees another ferret, and the piglet and hen want to stay together, but otherwise, everything goes smoothly. In the office, Logan sees two figures in addition to the two known security guards on the security feed. He warns the others, but as Melissa watches the screen, she thinks, instead of security guards, “they looked like trouble” (199).

The reptile enclosure isn’t what the children expect, and Savannah uses her animal knowledge to find safe places to leave the animals. Griffin is relieved when all the animals are away, but Ben is sad and tells Griffin about the spot opening up at the sleep school, which makes Griffin sad, too.