“I’m impressed,” Jeera said. “That can’t have been easy.”
“You have no idea,” Alex muttered.
“That said, you do realise I can’t allow you to keep it, right?”
“What? No, Jeera,” Alex begged. “It has our next instructions inside, and the Bubbledoor we need. Plus, it was in General Drock’s rubbish bin, anyway. He probably won’t even notice it’s missing.”
Jeera looked at Alex as if judging the truth of her words. Finally, the Warden sighed. “This conversation never happened, understood?”
“What conversation?” Alex said, with a sly grin.
“Exactly,” Jeera said, returning the expression. “Now, you need to get out of here before someone sees me talking to you.” She handed over a vial that Alex recognised as a Bubbler. “Go back to your friends, finish your SAS expedition, and get back to the academy safely, okay?”
“That’s the plan,” Alex agreed. Jeera made it sound so easy.
“You might want to have a look at the back of that envelope before you return to your classmates,” Jeera advised. “It was good seeing you again, Alex. Do me a favour and tell Hunter that I’ll be in touch regarding his teaching methods.” With those words, the Warden spun on her heel and left the room.
Curious, Alex flipped over the red envelope and saw there was a small white envelope stuck to its back. Both the envelopes were sealed, and she wondered if General Drock had known they were in his office, let alone in his bin. Had Hunter snuck it in at some stage without the general’s knowledge? Either way, the white envelope was clearly intended for Alex, since her full name was scrawled across it in Hunter’s handwriting.
Looking around nervously, Alex pulled the envelope off the larger red one, but she didn’t get a chance to open it before the sound of chattering voices filled her ears. She shoved the white envelope into her pocket and the red envelope back under her clothes, throwing the Bubbler to the ground.
Resisting the temptation to go straight back to the academy, she directed the portal to open at the base of the tree where the others waited for her return. They didn’t notice her straight away and they continued to whisper uneasily to each other while they looked out over the military compound.
Alex smiled mischievously and climbed up the tree as silently as she could. When she was right beside them she asked, “What are we all looking at?”
“Skyla, I swear, if you ask one more stupid question…” Pipsqueak muttered irritably.
“Um, hello, I’m over here,” Skyla said, sounding just as annoyed. She turned to Alex and said, “We’re all looking for you, and I found you first, so do I get a prize?”
“Alex!” Jordan exclaimed, seeing her perched in the branch beside them.
His startled words caused everyone else to swing around and gape at her, and she began to feel embarrassed by their attention.
“Enough staring,” she said. “It’s almost dusk. We need to get moving.”
“How—How—?” Pipsqueak asked incoherently.
“What our little Squeaker is trying to ask is, how did you get back here?” Blink said. “We haven’t seen any sign of you since you entered the gate.”
Alex shook her head and said, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Did you get the envelope?” Tom asked.
She smiled and pulled it from her clothes.
Her classmates whooped excitedly and Alex had to shush them before they were noticed. The last thing she needed was for General Drock to find her outside the compound when she should be safely back in Tryllin.
“Let’s get down from this tree and see what we have to do next,” Declan said, passing Alex’s backpack to her.
When they were all on the ground, they ripped open the envelope. The first thing they withdrew was a set of identification tags, each printed with their individual photo. Kaiden, Jordan and Blink’s tags were all given the status of ‘Waiter’ while Tom’s tag labelled him a ‘Musician’. Declan, Pipsqueak, Skyla and Alex’s were marked as ‘Invited Guest’. Their photos were correct, but their names were not. Alex raised her eyebrows when she read that she was supposed to be ‘Ally Jones
“What do you suppose this is all about?” Jordan asked.
“Oh, hey, I like this task,” Skyla said, having found their instructions. She handed the little slip of paper around for them all to read.
You are cordially invited to attend
Sir Oswald Graham’s dinner party.
Your identities can be found within this envelope, along
with the roles you will each adopt for the evening.
Costumes are waiting on the other side of the Bubbledoor.
Your task is simple:
Retrieve the performer from his accommodation and
escort him back to his home.
“That’s it?” Tom said, turning the paper over.
“Maybe there’ll be more information with our costumes,” Declan said.
“I sure hope so,” Pipsqueak grumbled, and she upended the envelope to allow the final item to fall out. It was another one of Hunter’s feathered arrows—only a miniature version. At least he was consistent.
“Here goes nothing,” Tom said, and he reached out for the pre-programmed Bubbledoor.
One by one they were transported to the top of a tree-covered hill. Their view looked straight down to a small town at the edge of which stood a huge, brightly lit mansion. People dressed in formal party attire were Bubbling into the landscaped garden near the front door, their clothes glittering in the light of the impressive residence.
“We need to hurry,” Kaiden said. “If we’re supposed to be waiters, we should probably be down there already. And you too, Tom, as the musician.”
“You’re right,” Tom agreed. “We need to find our costumes.”
They shuffled around in the rapidly fading light until Skyla called out that she’d found something. Sure enough, there were eight outfits dangling from a tree, attached by labelled arrows to the branch above them. The boys each had a tuxedo, with the waiters’ suits completely black and Tom’s musician outfit the reverse in white. Declan’s guest attire was a dark jacket with a white shirt and silver bowtie.
The girls’ outfits were just as dressy, with three formal evening gowns hanging from the tree. Skyla’s was pale yellow, Pipsqueak’s was bright teal and Alex’s was deep midnight blue. All three gowns were absolutely stunning, but…
“Those heels are ridiculous,” Alex murmured, pointing to the lethal-looking stilettos on the ground below her dress. “I’m going to break my neck.”
“Everyone, find a place and get changed,” Tom said, ignoring Alex’s comment. “Quickly now, before it’s too dark to see.”
Only when Alex began to undress did she hear the rustling sound of paper and remember the envelope with her name on it. She pulled it out and opened it, frowning as she read the words.
Alex, this task is more dangerous for you
than any of the others.
Stay on your guard.
And don’t forget the backpack items.
PS. Ally’s mother, Larissa, has many friends.