Just then Alpha began ringing.
"Shh," Ally said. "I'm trying to think!"
"Illogical response," Alpha said. "You have a phone call."
"Oh!" Ally pushed the talk button.
"Hello?" Mateo huffed on the other end.
"Mateo, are you all right?"
"Yes," Mateo replied breathlessly. "I tried to follow the limo on my bike, but I lost it. Are you all right?"
"Not really!" Ally explained everything.
"Don't worry. I'll get the meld medallion back from her," Mateo said. "Have Alpha send me your location. I'll be there as fast as I can!"
While Ally waited for Mateo, she crept out of the bathroom to check out the P.O.D.'s technology.
"Nothing here looks super advanced." Ally inspected the P.O.D.'s control panel. "Carparians are known to be exceptional engineers. Maybe Lainie is human after all. Still, I can't be sure until I see her with the meld medallion on."
Ally finished her inspection. She'd just returned to the bathroom when someone burst into the P.O.D.
"I'm here!" Mateo cried. "I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
Ally stepped out of the bathroom. "The good news!"
"Here's your medallion!" Mateo said. "Lainie was wearing it when I got here. She looked like herself, not a Carparian. And she was so distracted by angry bird-watchers, she barely paid attention when I asked her if I could look at her unusual necklace."
"Phew!" Ally slipped it on. "Angry bird-watchers? I thought they were reporters out there."
"That's the bad news," Mateo replied. "Those bird-watchers found the whoopers' nest."
"Huh? Why is that bad news?"
"You'd better come with me." Mateo led Ally out of the P.O.D. As he'd said, Lainie was surrounded by bird-watchers.
"Why are they so angry?" Ally asked.
Mateo pointed to the top of the P.O.D. "The whoopers' nest is up there!"
Ally gasped.
"They're just birds!" Lainie said.
"They could be the last whoopers in the world!" a bird-watcher shouted back. "If they don't successfully hatch these eggs, the species could go extinct."
"Well, then I'll build a statue to their memory," Lainie said.
That made the bird-watchers even angrier.
Ally hurried over. "Now, now, everyone. I know we can resolve this peacefully. Bird-watchers, what do you want?"
"That nest can't be moved," one said. "We want Lainie to delay the flight until the eggs have hatched, and the babies are big enough to leave the nest."
"But that will take three months!" Lainie moaned.
Ally turned to her. "There's no point in exploring other planets if we don't do everything we can to save the planet we're on."
The bird-watchers cheered.
"She's right!"
"Listen to her!"
Lainie sighed. "Fine. We should help the birds. I'll delay the launch."
The bird-watchers cheered louder.
"Guess I'll see you in three months, Ally," Lainie said as she started back to her limo. "And let me know if you ever want to sell that necklace."
Ally nodded and waved good-bye.
"Wow, Ally," Mateo said. "That was really kind of you. You could have gone home, but you chose to save the whoopers."
Ally shrugged. "I can wait three months. This way I'll have more time to convince your mom to stay in Sandville."
Mateo grinned. "Sounds good to me!"
But when they got back to Ray's house, Dawn's suitcases were gone.
"I've failed!" Ally moaned. She sat on the couch, her head in her hands.
Mateo looked miserable too, until a minute later, when Ray and Dawn walked in, laughing.
"I'm glad you're here, Mateo," Dawn said. "I wanted to tell you that I've decided to go back to the city. You and your dad will stay here."
"I don't understand," Ally burst out. "If you love each other, then why not stay together? Opening a shop here is the perfect solution!"
"Things aren't always that simple," Dawn said. "We love each other, but we want different things. I want to be in the city for my career, and Ray's life is here with the diner. Mateo, you are the most important thing to us. Even when we aren't together, we will always be a family."
Ally watched Mateo hug his parents.
Then Ray reached for her. "You're part of our family too, Ally."
"I guess there are all kinds of families," she thought, hugging all of them. "And families don't all have to look the same."
After all, her parents were her Astralian family, and Ray and Mateo were her Earth family—at least for three more months!