minibar,’ Amy said.
‘Me too,’ Ryan joked.
The mall was quiet and they found themselves amidst less than a dozen diners in a food court with over two hundred tables. All the kids got McDonald’s, while Amy went for the strongest coffee on Starbucks’ menu and hoped the caffeine would give her a boost.
Amy looked at Ning and Alfie. ‘When we get back to the hotel I don’t want you two bouncing off the walls. Relax, have a swim or whatever. Then I want you to go back to your rooms and work. This will be your last proper chance to read through your notes on Ethan. Ryan, you be on hand to help them with any questions.’
‘I had one idea,’ Ning said, as she chomped a cheeseburger. ‘I’ve tried learning chess, but based on what Ryan’s shown me so far I’ll never be able to play competitively against Ethan. So I was thinking that if I got friendly with Ethan I could ask him to teach me to play chess.’
Amy nodded. ‘I’ve certainly heard worse ideas.’
Alfie tutted. ‘You could have thought of that before we spent days reading boring-arsed books on chess strategies.’
As Alfie spoke, Ryan’s BlackBerry chimed to indicate a text message.
‘Now who might that be?’ Alfie said, grinning.
The text was from Grace. Alfie read it over Ryan’s shoulder and burst out laughing:
U scum sucking dick hole. I hate U. UR dead!
‘She’s gonna kick your arse,’ Alfie predicted.
‘What’s this all about?’ Amy asked.
‘Grace is so possessive,’ Ryan said. ‘Texting me all the time, wanting to know where I’m going. I want a girlfriend to hang out with and have a bit of fun, but she was like a 24/7 job.’
‘He was too chicken to break up to her face,’ Alfie explained. ‘So he sent her a break-up text before we got on the plane yesterday.’
Amy gasped. ‘You broke up by text message! You pig; I hope she does kick your arse.’
Ryan looked uncomfortable. ‘Last time I broke up with Grace she threw macaroni cheese at my head, trashed one of my chemistry books and poured yellow paint on my best jeans. I figured if I sent her a text, she’ll have had time to calm down before I get back to campus early next week.’
‘It’s a shame I won’t be on campus when she catches up with you,’ Ning said. ‘It’s gonna be hilarious!’
‘Grace is only little, but she’s deadly with oven-hot pasta,’ Alfie added.
‘If the first time was such a nightmare, why go out with her again?’ Amy asked.
Ryan shrugged. ‘We were in the back of a taxi, chatting away. She looked hot and it’s not like heaps of other girls were throwing themselves at me . . .’
‘For some strange reason,’ Ning added.
‘I still say you need to fake your own death,’ Alfie said. ‘It’s your only real chance of survival.’
Ryan raised a finger. ‘Alfie, why don’t you go sit on my middle digit and spin?’
Amy found all this pretty funny. It also made her nostalgic because the banter between the kids reminded her of all the dramas during her own teenage years on CHERUB campus. But she didn’t want her three agents having a serious falling-out, so she put her foot down before good-natured jabs could turn nasty.
‘We need to forget Ryan’s love life and focus on our mission,’ Amy said firmly, as she glanced at her watch. ‘First impressions are critical and every detail needs to be spot on when you meet Ethan at your new school on Monday.’
*
The centre of Bishkek was mainly home to government buildings, international hotels and communist era monuments, but for locals Dordoi Bazaar in the northern outskirts was the city’s real heart.
The market stretched for more than two kilometres, with a mix of open and covered areas. Traders worked out of metal shipping containers stacked two or three high, with the ground-level container serving as a shop, and the ones above used for storage.
With over six thousand traders, most areas of the vast bazaar had become specialised. Ethan had told Grandma Irena
‘Me too,’ Ryan joked.
The mall was quiet and they found themselves amidst less than a dozen diners in a food court with over two hundred tables. All the kids got McDonald’s, while Amy went for the strongest coffee on Starbucks’ menu and hoped the caffeine would give her a boost.
Amy looked at Ning and Alfie. ‘When we get back to the hotel I don’t want you two bouncing off the walls. Relax, have a swim or whatever. Then I want you to go back to your rooms and work. This will be your last proper chance to read through your notes on Ethan. Ryan, you be on hand to help them with any questions.’
‘I had one idea,’ Ning said, as she chomped a cheeseburger. ‘I’ve tried learning chess, but based on what Ryan’s shown me so far I’ll never be able to play competitively against Ethan. So I was thinking that if I got friendly with Ethan I could ask him to teach me to play chess.’
Amy nodded. ‘I’ve certainly heard worse ideas.’
Alfie tutted. ‘You could have thought of that before we spent days reading boring-arsed books on chess strategies.’
As Alfie spoke, Ryan’s BlackBerry chimed to indicate a text message.
‘Now who might that be?’ Alfie said, grinning.
The text was from Grace. Alfie read it over Ryan’s shoulder and burst out laughing:
U scum sucking dick hole. I hate U. UR dead!
‘She’s gonna kick your arse,’ Alfie predicted.
‘What’s this all about?’ Amy asked.
‘Grace is so possessive,’ Ryan said. ‘Texting me all the time, wanting to know where I’m going. I want a girlfriend to hang out with and have a bit of fun, but she was like a 24/7 job.’
‘He was too chicken to break up to her face,’ Alfie explained. ‘So he sent her a break-up text before we got on the plane yesterday.’
Amy gasped. ‘You broke up by text message! You pig; I hope she does kick your arse.’
Ryan looked uncomfortable. ‘Last time I broke up with Grace she threw macaroni cheese at my head, trashed one of my chemistry books and poured yellow paint on my best jeans. I figured if I sent her a text, she’ll have had time to calm down before I get back to campus early next week.’
‘It’s a shame I won’t be on campus when she catches up with you,’ Ning said. ‘It’s gonna be hilarious!’
‘Grace is only little, but she’s deadly with oven-hot pasta,’ Alfie added.
‘If the first time was such a nightmare, why go out with her again?’ Amy asked.
Ryan shrugged. ‘We were in the back of a taxi, chatting away. She looked hot and it’s not like heaps of other girls were throwing themselves at me . . .’
‘For some strange reason,’ Ning added.
‘I still say you need to fake your own death,’ Alfie said. ‘It’s your only real chance of survival.’
Ryan raised a finger. ‘Alfie, why don’t you go sit on my middle digit and spin?’
Amy found all this pretty funny. It also made her nostalgic because the banter between the kids reminded her of all the dramas during her own teenage years on CHERUB campus. But she didn’t want her three agents having a serious falling-out, so she put her foot down before good-natured jabs could turn nasty.
‘We need to forget Ryan’s love life and focus on our mission,’ Amy said firmly, as she glanced at her watch. ‘First impressions are critical and every detail needs to be spot on when you meet Ethan at your new school on Monday.’
*
The centre of Bishkek was mainly home to government buildings, international hotels and communist era monuments, but for locals Dordoi Bazaar in the northern outskirts was the city’s real heart.
The market stretched for more than two kilometres, with a mix of open and covered areas. Traders worked out of metal shipping containers stacked two or three high, with the ground-level container serving as a shop, and the ones above used for storage.
With over six thousand traders, most areas of the vast bazaar had become specialised. Ethan had told Grandma Irena
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