The Invisible Spy Read online

  Tenner sat up and looked around at the people he was with. He realized he cared about them all, and they cared about him. It was comforting. He was glad they were all together again. He slithered out of his blanket and went to see what Cabot was doing with The Librarian’s computer. Seven exited the bathroom and joined them, while Lada, who’d finished stretching and gotten to her feet, used her forearm crutches to make her way to the bathroom. Soon Birdie, Brix, and Elena were waking up, too.

  All of them were anxious about what the day would hold. The night before, they’d learned from Elena that President Fuerte had recruited the other living supernatural criminal parents to help him steal precious artifacts from other countries, and that he had a desire to meet more supernatural people—which seemed extremely odd based on how he’d been oppressing supers in Estero for years. They’d agreed to help fight against the oppression . . . and stop their awful parents from assisting the hate-filled leader.

  As the kids moved about the tiny apartment, they had brief conversations. Would the palace break-in make it into the newspapers? Were they finally going to go after the hidden stash using the flaming map? Where were their parents living, and could they find them? How long would they stay in The Librarian’s apartment . . . and was there anywhere else to go?

  “It would be nice to be somewhere with more bathrooms,” Birdie remarked, legs crossed as she waited her turn. Puerco, her tiny pig, snuffled and snorted near her feet, looking for something to eat. “Do you think we’ll be able to move to a bigger place once we cash out the stash and the diamonds Troy stole?”

  “A place with beds for everyone,” Brix added, rubbing his sore neck.

  “That would be my preference,” said Elena. “Once we find the stash, we’ll have plenty of money to fund our operation and give The Librarian her space back.”

  Cabot finished her typing lesson. Having fully memorized the keyboard, she put the earbuds in their case and returned them to The Librarian’s bedside table. Then she turned her attention toward the others as Brix beat out Birdie in a race to the open bathroom.

  “Sunrise Foster Home has available rooms and multiple bathrooms,” Lada offered with a laugh.

  Elena cringed. “I don’t want to go back there.”

  “I won’t be going back, either,” said Lada.

  “Good,” Tenner said sharply. “The man running it seemed awful.”

  “He was,” Birdie said, nodding vigorously. She remembered the threatening way he’d acted toward her when she’d peered in the window.

  “LaDuca is the worst,” Lada agreed, but she didn’t seem to be overly bothered. “He hates me.” She leaned on one of her forearm crutches to keep balance as she fluffed her light brown hair and smoothed down the flyaways. Then she started cleaning her glasses on her shirt. When she replaced them, she noticed one of the tools that had been specially retrofitted into her crutches was loose, so she clicked it securely into place.

  “Won’t they consider you missing and go to the police?” Elena asked.

  “They can’t tell the police about me,” said Lada. “They’re not supposed to be giving shelter to a supernatural person. They’ll be relieved if I never return—it would make life a lot easier for them.”

  “And you’re . . . not sad?” asked Brix. He tried to imagine what it would be like if the people he lived with didn’t like him. The thought made his chest hurt.

  “No. I’m thrilled. I hope I never see that place again. With all of you here in Estero now, I feel kind of like my long-lost cousins came to adopt me.” Her cheeks flooded with color.

  Elena gave her an understanding smile. “I remember wanting something miraculous to happen to me when I lived there,” she said. “Even though the staff was supportive of supers back then, I still wanted a regular, accepting family after mine dumped me there and told me never to come back.” She’d never had anyone want to take her out of the foster home—none of the criminals had. Maybe her life would have turned out differently if that had been the case. “But Sunrise is where I met Louis, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Still, let’s hope this is a life-changing pivot for you, Lada.”

  Before anyone else could respond, they heard the key in the lock, and then the door flew open. The Librarian stepped inside and closed it behind her. She flipped the dead bolt. “There are palace security guards surrounding the building,” she said, breathing hard. “Pack up everything you own. We need to run.”

  On the Run

  The group of children stared at The Librarian, trying to comprehend what she was saying. Then they sprang into action. They rolled up their blankets and put their belongings in their backpacks. Elena, who had nothing but the clothes she wore, went straight to the kitchen to see if there was anything useful worth taking with them. She found a cloth shopping bag and began to fill it with snacks, then added a box of matches and a couple of sharp knives . . . just in case.

  “I’m loading up on toilet paper,” Tenner announced, stuffing extra rolls from the bathroom into his bag. “This stuff is amazing.”

  The Librarian disappeared into her bedroom, quickly packed a bag of essentials, then returned to the living area and grabbed her binoculars as well as her computer and phone and the charging cords that went with them. Seven set Puerco gently inside his backpack while Lada stashed her crutches in their carrier bag and sat down in her wheelchair, then put her belongings on her lap. She wheeled herself to the kitchen, hoisted herself up to collect a water bottle from the cupboard, and filled it. Then she got one for Elena and The Librarian, too. Soon the other five children were filling their canteens. Lada wheeled over to the door, ready to go.

  “How bad is it?” Birdie asked, breathless, as The Librarian put one eye to the peephole to check the hallway. “Are they inside the building? Coming after us?”

  “No, the hallway is empty. They’re outside, casing the place. I recognized one of the palace goons by the intersection in front of the building, and a few more at the corner—including the guy who was tailing Birdie and Tenner the other day after they went to the penitentiary. And there were two suspicious-looking people hanging around at the entrance of the parking garage, as well. I don’t know how they found us here. Maybe they’ve got guards stationed throughout the city.” She put her finger to her lips and quietly opened the door and peered out. “We’re clear. But . . .” She glanced over her shoulder at Seven. “You have climbing gear, right?”

  “Y-yes,” said Seven cautiously.

  Lada looked up in alarm. “Why do we need climbing gear? Do you think we’ll have to climb out the window or something?” Unexpected situations caused anxiety—Lada was constantly faced with challenges others without disabilities wouldn’t have to think about. How will I . . . ? Where will I . . . ? What if . . . ? It could make her muscles tighten up even more.

  The Librarian had learned this about Lada. She put her hand on Lada’s shoulder to reassure her. “I’m just taking stock of our belongings. You can teleport out of here if anyone comes after us. Or—”

  “But where are we going?” asked Lada. “To the library?”

  The Librarian frowned. “I don’t want to endanger anyone there. We might have to leave Estero. At least for a short time until they take their focus off us.” She looked pained, as if realizing what a logistical nightmare it would be to flee the country with a car full of super kids. “I don’t know where else to hide eight people.” Then she turned sharply to Elena. “You’re not tethered, too, are you?”

  “No,” Elena said. “I never left Fuerte’s prison once he got ahold of me, so there was no need.”

  Cabot nudged Seven. “What about the lower tunnels?”

  “The what?” Lada looked curiously at them.

  Seven shifted his backpack as Puerco moved around inside it. “The ancient underground tunnels.”

  “Underground?” Lada asked. “You mean aboveground? The ones with etchings outside the doors? People travel through them all the time. They wouldn’t be good hiding places.”

  “No,” said Cabot. “We know about those. But there are some underground, too.”

  “But we don’t know where any entrances are,” Birdie said. “My dad wrote about the lower tunnels in his journal. He found one entrance right before they left Estero, but he didn’t say where it was.” She looked suspiciously at Cabot. “Or did you snoop for that information, too?”

  Cabot raised a disdainful eyebrow.

  “Well, we did find out where an entrance is,” Seven admitted. He glanced at Elena, who was nodding as if she remembered Louis telling her about it. “We brought all of Louis’s journals with us. You can have them if you’d like them, Elena.”

  Elena smiled warmly, and her eyes shone. “I would. Thank you.”

  “And yes, Birdie,” said Cabot, now that Seven had admitted to snooping. “I looked again because clearly I have to now. But Brix and Seven were there when I found it. It was after you and Tenner left.”

  “As if that makes it okay,” Birdie muttered. But it was true Cabot’s hurried research before coming to Estero had given them more clues than what Birdie and Tenner had found. She flashed Cabot a reluctant grin. “I guess it’s a good thing this time.”

  The Librarian remained paused with her hand on the doorknob. “I’ve heard rumors of the lower tunnels but have never been able to find any details about the entrance locations,” she said, her interest piqued. “I searched all the books I could find.” She opened the door again and glanced around the hallway uneasily. “Which is good for us, because if I can’t find information about those entrances, it doesn’t exist for the general public.”

  “The one my dad found is in the park,” Brix offered.

  “Don’t say any more,” The Librarian whispered, then waved everyone outside into the hallway.

  “Do you think your apartment is bugged?” Elena asked, her voice barely audible.

  The Librarian closed the door and locked it before speaking normally. “I don’t think so. We’ve been a step ahead of Fuerte’s thugs the whole time. But I’m being extra cautious.” She peered out the window at the end of the hallway. “Hmm. More guards on the next block. So they’re not just surrounding our building. I’m sure they hope to find Elena, if not catch the ones who broke into the palace and freed her.” She shared her mistake of not wiping the dungeon guard’s memory and explained that by now, everyone on palace detail might have descriptions of a few of them, like Lada and Brix, who’d interacted the most with the guard. “Let’s travel in smaller groups so we’ll be less obvious. Lada, how does taking the service elevator sound? Bring one other person with you. Go out the exit into the back alley. I doubt they’ll have any guards stationed there—the ones I’ve seen so far are on the major street corners.”

  “Got it,” said Lada.

  The Librarian continued, “The rest of us will split up and take the two different stairwells to the ground floor so we go out through opposite side-street exits. We’ll meet at the park across from Sunrise. Make sure you’re with someone who knows how to get there.”

  “I can find it,” Cabot said. She had the map memorized.

  “I know how to get there, too,” said Birdie, and Tenner nodded.

  “As do I,” said Elena.

  “And me,” Lada said. Her eyes narrowed, as if she was calculating who she wanted on her team. “Seven, will you come with me?”

  Seven shifted uneasily. “What if someone sees me? Shouldn’t I be hiding in a group?” It was broad daylight, and he was a camo boy. He had his scarf wrapped around his camouflaged face and his gloves and sunglasses on. Anyone looking for someone unusual would notice his strange attire.

  “Trust me,” Lada said wryly, “if you’re pushing me in a wheelchair, I guarantee most people will be glancing side-eyed at me, not studying you. It’s the perfect way to get you out of here safely.”

  “We don’t want them looking at you if the security guard gave them your description,” Seven reminded her.

  “The guard would have described me as using crutches. I’ll be in my wheelchair. We’ll be totally fine—I’m not worried. Maybe you can wear The Librarian’s sun hat, too.” She looked up at the woman.

  “Clever,” The Librarian said. “I like it.” She unlocked the apartment door and went inside. A moment later she emerged carrying a straw hat with a wide, floppy brim and an orange ribbon around the crown. She handed it to Seven, and he put it on his head and pulled the brim down so it shaded his face. “Perfect,” she said. “You two can get moving while we sort out our groups.”

  Seven and Lada went to the service elevator. Brix clung to Elena, not wanting to let her out of his sight after having lost her for three years, and he tugged at Birdie to come with them. Cabot moved toward The Librarian, leaving Tenner shifting uncomfortably in the hallway, not sure which group he was supposed to go with. Would he be intruding on Birdie and Brix’s time with their mom? And he was still a little bit intimidated by The Librarian. Plus, he’d been feeling out of sorts since he’d learned of his dad’s death. It was hard to make a decision.

  Birdie looked at Tenner, then shook her hand loose from Brix’s grasp. She’d become used to having Tenner with her all the time now. “Come with me, T,” she said, more kindly than she’d ever said anything back home when he’d been acting uncertain about his place in the group. “You and I will stick together like usual.” She’d recognized his old familiar hesitation and self-consciousness resurfacing. Instead of being annoyed by it, which would make him feel even less sure of himself, she realized she could help him through it.

  “Yes, you two should be a team,” said The Librarian. “I want Brix with me in case his bouncing gives us trouble. And Elena because she’s the most recognizable. And Cabot, in case we need to think fast.”

  Cabot beamed from her spot next to The Librarian.

  Tenner flashed Birdie a grateful smile. Now that everyone was together again, he’d been worried that Birdie would resume treating him with annoyance, like she’d sometimes done at the hideout. But she’d changed. And so had he. “I know a good route,” he offered.

  “Lead the way,” Birdie said.

  The three teams made it to the ground floor and went their separate ways. Lada directed Seven through alleys and down quiet streets to avoid the president’s people as much as possible, and they reached the park first. They settled out of sight near the tree Seven had first hidden behind when he, Cabot, and Brix had confronted Birdie and Tenner. While Lada kept a lookout through the bushes from her wheelchair, Seven let Puerco out of his backpack to get a drink at the fountain and root around in the grass for snacks.

  Birdie and Tenner arrived next, and the raven that Birdie had befriended during her time in Estero landed on a tree branch overhead. “No one is following us,” Tenner reported as he swept his gaze through the neighborhood before slipping into the shady, sheltered area where Lada, Seven, and Puerco had settled. “I saw a security vehicle like the ones in the palace garage last night. But we hid behind a car until it went past. Two guards in the front seat were looking up and down the street like they were searching for us.”

  “We were super stealthy,” Birdie said. “Even crawled on our hands and knees.” Her bare knees had grass stains on them. The red dress with white dots, which had once been her mother’s, was sticking to the sweat on her back in the warm morning. “I wonder where the others are.”

  “I hope they’re okay,” Lada said quietly.

  Tenner squinted and aimed his extra-large pupils down the street. “I think . . . they’re . . . coming?” He didn’t seem sure. “I can see Cabot and The Librarian, anyway. And they’re pulling something big and green.”

  “Pulling something?” Birdie joined him and peered around some branches to look, too. After a few moments, The Librarian and Cabot came into view for Birdie, who had average eyesight. When she didn’t see her mother or Brix, her heart began to pound. “Did they split up? What the heck is that big green thing for?”

  “What’s going on?” Lada muttered, unable to see anything. Most of the time she found it charming that the newcomers didn’t know what ordinary things were, but under these tense circumstances, it was more stressful than quaint. She twisted to remove her crutches from the pouch behind her back, then locked the wheelchair wheels in place and carefully maneuvered to the edge of the seat. With a steadying breath, she planted the crutches firmly and pulled herself up to her feet. Once she had her balance, she joined the others, staying mostly hidden behind Birdie. She could hear a familiar rattling sound . . . like a large receptacle on wheels being pulled to the curb on collection day. Lada stared, then adjusted her glasses. “That, my friends, is a yard waste recycling bin.”

  “Where are my mother and brother?” Birdie asked. She clutched and unclutched her dress.

  “I mean, I can guess,” Lada said with a slow smile spreading on her face. But she didn’t offer the guess.

  The Librarian and Cabot acted like they didn’t see the others. When they drew near, the two glanced in all directions, making sure no one was tailing them.

  “The nearest guard is two blocks that way,” Tenner murmured to them, pointing. He went to help pull the bin out of sight behind the trees, next to Lada’s empty wheelchair. “Were you followed? Are the others still coming? Or . . .” He looked at the bin.

  After The Librarian took one last cautious look around, she opened the lid. “Okay, you two,” she said into the container. Sweat shone on her bare, muscular arms from the effort. “We made it.”

  Elena and Brix stood up straight. Brix wrinkled his nose. “It was a fun ride,” he said. “But a little smelly and hot. And I’ve had a stick poking into my right butt cheek for ten minutes.” He rubbed the sore spot.