face, the devil in the uncovered cage lunged atthe wire, growling and baring his teeth.
Adam backtracked fast, almost falling over a lighting cable. He was flustered but tried his best to cover it up. âEuggh, so thatâs what they look like up close!â Chris secured the cover back over the devil, grimacing, but said nothing to Adam.
âHey, Adam, you should be careful around these guys,â said Bindi as she moved over to their cage. âDevils are scared of bright light. Theyâre nocturnal animals.â
She smiled at Chris and shook his hand. âIâm Bindi. Nice to meet you.â
âAwesome. Bindi Irwin,â said Chris enthusiastically.
âChris,â said Adam smugly, âI think youâre meant to say C rikey, itâs Bindi Irwin !â
Bindi ignored him. She was more interested in making sure Chris and the devils would be comfortable in their temporary home.
âCome on, Chris. Iâll show you the main dressing room. Itâs the one they set aside for the big stars.â Bindi picked up one of the cages and Chris followed with the other.
Adam couldnât help but react. âMain dressing room? But that would be mine, right? Iâm the star â I mean, everyone knows that. Even my nameâs Starr!â
Bindi turned back to him and nodded. âWeâre one big happy family in showbiz, isnât that right, Adam?â She gave him a cheeky wink. âDonât worry. Weâll have a devil of a time all packed into the smaller dressing room together!â
Adam pulled out his mobile and began hastily punching in some numbers. âIâm calling my publicist and my agent. This is not what I signed up for!â
Bindi chuckled quietly to herself. Maybe having Adam around would be entertaining after all.
Later that afternoon Terri, Robert and Bindi were seated behind a long table draped with a white tablecloth. It was piled high with stickers, badges, and information about the Tassie devil, Devil Facial Tumour Disease and Wildlife Warriors.Dressed in their black-and-white- striped convict costumes, they were also promoting the charity auction that would be held later that night.
âYou look good dressed as a convict, Mum,â noted Bindi.
Terri laughed. âThanks, Bindi. I just wish I hadnât been jailed for stealing a loaf of bread to feed my family.â She was really getting into character!
Robert pretended to hold a phone to his ear and said, âHey, Bindi, itâs a Mr Zebra for you. He says he wants his stripes back!â
Bindi laughed. âIâll give you stripes. Fifty lashes for you, convict!âShe rolled up a flyer and held it out menacingly.
âBut Judge â¦â pleaded Robert to Terri, âIâm innocent!â
Terri scrutinised her son and made a stern face. âI find the prisoner guilty of teasing his sister. Twenty lashes!â
Bindi pretended to deal out the punishment and they broke into a fit of giggles, but it wasnât long before they were kept really busy. As Adam Starr was nowhere to be seen, they quickly drew quite a crowd of Adamâs fans, who were still waiting around to see their idol again.
âExcellent!â cried Bindi. âNew recruits! Surely all these guys wouldlove to know more about Tassie devils and support Black and White Day.â
Robert struck up a conversation with a girl named Clara. âDid you know that devils have a jaw strength as strong as a tiger? Theyâre real bone crunchers!â
âUh huh?â Clara didnât look that interested. She was busily reapplying her lip gloss while gazing at her reflection in a compact mirror.
Robert tried again to grab her attention. âAnd did you know that theyâre Australiaâs largest surviving carnivorous marsupial?â
This piece of information didnât seem to be having the desired effecton Clara either. Then Robert had an idea. âWe also have a charity