car.
âHe doesnât know anything, EJ,â A1 reassured her. âWell, besides where you kept your midnight feast and about your truth and dare games.â
EJ blushed. It was a little embarrassing A1 knowing her agents had midnight feasts and made up toilet dares.
âHow do you know he doesnât know anything about SHINE ?â she asked.
âSJ45 did some gentle interrogation,â explained A1. âOur secret is safe.â
âAll the same, A1, can I keep one of these flies?â
A1 smiled. âOkay, EJ, but it mustnât leave your house.â
âOh, it wonât,â said EJ as she got out of the campervan. I have a little test of my own, she thought as she walked up the front steps of her house.
Â
When Emma got on the school bus the next morning, Elle, Isi and Hannah were already on, sitting together down the back. Emma smiled and joined her friends. Elle and Isi gave Em a big hug.
âWTG, Em!â cried Isi. âHanâs been telling us all about it. And can you believe about Eve?â she whispered. âWK?â
âWho knew?â guessed Emma. She was getting good at this now. Then again, sheâd had enough practice the last couple of days.
âI have to say, I was a bit suspicious,â said Elle. âShe has been away from school a bit.â
âImagine what I thought when she got on the bus?â said Han.
As if on cue, Eve got on the school bus.
âHi, Eve,â called Hannah. âCome and sit with us.â
Eve came down the aisle and sat down next to Hannah. The five girls couldnât stop grinning.
âWe have to have a giant sleepover,â decided Emma. âThen we can talk properly. Iâve got a great secret language to teach you all. Yarpou warpill larpove arpit!â
âBut what about Bob?â asked Elle.
Emma smiled. âDonât worry, he wonât bother us.â
âDonât be too hard on him,â said Isi.
âIs!â cried Emma. âWhose side are you on?â
âYours, Em, but he was pretty cool standing up for you on the bus yesterday.â
âHe was?â
âEveryone was talking about middle names and Nema started making fun of yours.â
âAgain?â groaned Emma. âShe really needs to get new material.â
âYeah, well apparently Nema has two middle names,â said Isi.
âThat figures,â said Emma. âWhat are they?â
âThe initials are D S but when we asked her what they stood for, she wouldnât sayâexcept, that they were SO much better than your middle name. Anyway, Bob must have heard because he walked right up to Nema and told her it was a family name and if she didnât have anything nice to say, perhaps she should keep her mouth closed and stop being mean to you.â
Emma blinked. âBob said that?â she asked. âTo Nema?â
âYep, and you should have seen Nema,â said Isi. âShe just stared at Bob. She didnât say another word.â
Emma had to admit that was pretty cool of Bob and, she remembered, if it wasnât for him she might not have figured out what SHADOW was doing. Maybe brothers had some uses after allânot that she would ever tell Bob that.
That evening, as the cool change finally came and a lovely breeze blew through all the open windows in the house, Emma was reading on the sofa in the living room with Beret sitting on her lap. The puppy barked as Bob walked in.
âExcellent warning skills,â whispered Emma to her puppy. âHey,â she said to her brother.
âYeah, hi,â said Bob walking on to the kitchen, his favourite place in the house.
âUm, Isi saw you on the bus yesterday,â said Emma.
âOh yeah? Right,â said Bob.
âThanks,â said Emma.
âFor what?â asked Bob, surprised.
âYou know,â said Emma. âAnyway, thanks.â
Bob smiled a little as he headed into