mustaches.â
Alice looked at him incredulously. âIâm a girl, Alex. Why would I wear a mustache?â
âIt was just an idea,â Alex said defensively.
âA stupid one,â Alice muttered. âCome on, weâre in here,â and she climbed the three steps into block 2.
They walked up the corridor to the door marked 2B, and Alice knocked tentatively.
âCome in,â a voice called.
Alice pushed open the door to find an ordinary classroom, much like the ones at their school back in Smiggins. There was a whiteboard at the front of the room, and four rows of desks facing it. There was a bank of windows down one side of the room, and the other side had windows looking onto the corridor. The back wall was covered in hand-drawn posters of cheeses of the different regions of Shetlock. (Alex, Alice noticed, was looking at these appreciatively.) A soft thwack drew her attention to the white mouse in a blue bow tie sitting at the teacherâs desk next to the whiteboard, lightly tapping the desk with a long wooden ruler. She hadnât seen him at first, as he was almost dwarfed by two piles of folders stacked as high as his ears.
âGood afternoon,â he said briskly. âYou must be Razand Rita. Iâm Solomon Honkerâbut you may call me âsir.ââ He stood up and Alice saw that although his top half was white, from the waist down he was a rusty orange. âThank you for being so punctual. We have a lot of ground to cover and only a short time in which to cover it, so weâll need to begin immediately. Iâm still finalizing the details of your transport into Gerander, but you will need to be ready to depart as soon as thatâs arranged.â
âSorry,â Alex said, âI think thereâs been some mistake. My nameâs Alââ
Bang!
Alice jumped, startled, as Solomon Honker rapped his desk sharply with the ruler. âIn this room, you are Razââhe pointed the ruler at Alexââand youâre Rita,â he told Alice. âUnderstand?â
The two young mice nodded mutely.
âDo you understand?â Solomon Honker repeated more loudly.
âYes, sir,â Alice squeaked.
âGood.â
Solomon Honker waved his ruler at two desks in the center of the front row, and Alice and Alex hurried over.
âRaz?â Alex muttered in Aliceâs ear as they took their seats. âRaz? What kind of ridiculous name is Raz?â
âItâs your name, young man,â said Solomon Honker, who obviously had exceptional hearing. âAnd youâd better get used to it.â
âYes, sir,â Alex said quickly.
âAs I was saying, thereâs a lot to get through.â SolomonHonker tapped one towering pile of folders then the other. âYouâll need to understand the political situation in Souris, Gerander, and Shetlock in order to grasp the context in which youâll be operating. Youâll have to learn all about your new identities and cover stories, as well as the culture and geography of Souris and, in particular, Tornley, the town you come from.â
âWe come from Smiggins,â Alex corrected him.
Bang! went the ruler.
âYoung man,â said Solomon Honker sternly, âI donât know how things are done in Shetlock, but in a Sourian classroom the pupils doânotâspeakâwithoutâfirstâraisingâtheirâhand.â Solomon Honker smacked the desk with his ruler in time with the words.
âBut this is a Shetlock classroom,â Alex objected.
âWhat is your name?â Solomon Honker demanded.
âAlââ
Bang!
âRaz,â Alex said.
âAnd where are you from?â
âT-Tornley,â Alex stammered. âIn Souris.â
âThatâs right,â said Solomon Honker. âYou are from Souris. And this is a Sourian classroom. The day after tomorrow, you must travel behind enemy lines