lookout.
There was also another problem. SHADOWâ s messages were often in code and that meant SHINE needed to be able to decode them. That was where the code-cracking agents came in. SHINE didnât mind if some of their agents were quite young. They had a motto (actually they had lots of mottoes, they liked mottoes)ââJudge the agent not the age.â They thought their younger agents often gave the grownups a real run for their money. Indeed, some of the younger agents, EJ12 included, were their top performers, leading the SHINE Shining Stars Spy of the Year competition.
When she was recruited, EJ12 wasnât completely convinced that SHINE had made the right decision. But SHINE had been right. EJ had stopped lots of SHADOW plans. Once she had saved a rainforest, another time she had saved the SHINE energy plant. She had also saved baby penguins that were separated from their parents and saved a team of huskies (which is how Pip came to be with Emma). Yes, EJ12 liked saving things and she was good at it.
And now there was the animal shelter, something to save in everyday life. Would she be able to do it as plain, non-secret agent Emma Jacks? She hoped so.
It was Thursday morning at school and Emma and Isi were sure the clock in their classroom was broken, possibly even going backwards. It hardly seemed to be moving at all and they were desperate for the lunch bell to ring. The Community Service meeting was at lunchtime and they couldnât wait to talk to everyone about the animal shelter.
BWAAAAAAAAHH!
The lunch bell, at last!
The girls grabbed their lunch boxes and rushed towards the library where the meeting was beingheld. Isi almost ran into Nema on her way. Nema had once been a good friend of Emmaâs. They had been to Kinder together and spent lots of time together having fun. But over the last year, Nema had changed. She didnât like doing the stuff she used to like doing. All she seemed to want to do now was flick her hair, a lot, and make up dance routines. And be mean to most people, most of the time. Emma felt sad about that sometimes, but often she just felt cross, especially when Nema was mean to Emmaâs friends. Emma had learnt to stand up to Nema but sometimes it was better to just ignore her. Today was going to be one of those times.
âHey, watch it, Dizzy, you nearly knocked me over!â said Nema.
âOh sorry, Nema,â panted Isi, ignoring the fact that Nema had used her nickname in an unfriendly way. âWeâre just running to the Community Service meeting.â
âItâs a community service having you two at the meeting,â she said, laughing in her mean, fake laugh.
Emma ignored her. She knew Nema actually really wanted to be on the committee. The thing wasâand everyone realisedâthat Nema thought the vote was a popularity competition and thatâs why she wanted to win it. It wasnât though and she didnât. And when Nema didnât get something, well, she would decide that that something wasnât any good anyway and make sure everybody knew it.
Emma and Isi didnât have time for any of that today. They ignored Nema and took off again for the library, where the meeting was just starting. Ms Tenga, who was Emma and Isiâs class teacher, also helped the Community Service committee. She smiled as two of her most enthusiastic members ran in.
As people ate their lunches, they talked about what projects they might do that term, but when Emma and Isi began telling them about the animal shelter, everyone wanted to talk about that. Everyone wanted to help.
âOkay, it seems we know who we want to help,â said Ms Tenga, âso letâs talk about how weâll do it.â
âPeople could bring a gold coin,â suggested Lily.
âWe could also have class stalls,â said Kate, one of the older girls. âIt would be like a mini fair.â
âYes! We could cook things and then
There was also another problem. SHADOWâ s messages were often in code and that meant SHINE needed to be able to decode them. That was where the code-cracking agents came in. SHINE didnât mind if some of their agents were quite young. They had a motto (actually they had lots of mottoes, they liked mottoes)ââJudge the agent not the age.â They thought their younger agents often gave the grownups a real run for their money. Indeed, some of the younger agents, EJ12 included, were their top performers, leading the SHINE Shining Stars Spy of the Year competition.
When she was recruited, EJ12 wasnât completely convinced that SHINE had made the right decision. But SHINE had been right. EJ had stopped lots of SHADOW plans. Once she had saved a rainforest, another time she had saved the SHINE energy plant. She had also saved baby penguins that were separated from their parents and saved a team of huskies (which is how Pip came to be with Emma). Yes, EJ12 liked saving things and she was good at it.
And now there was the animal shelter, something to save in everyday life. Would she be able to do it as plain, non-secret agent Emma Jacks? She hoped so.
It was Thursday morning at school and Emma and Isi were sure the clock in their classroom was broken, possibly even going backwards. It hardly seemed to be moving at all and they were desperate for the lunch bell to ring. The Community Service meeting was at lunchtime and they couldnât wait to talk to everyone about the animal shelter.
BWAAAAAAAAHH!
The lunch bell, at last!
The girls grabbed their lunch boxes and rushed towards the library where the meeting was beingheld. Isi almost ran into Nema on her way. Nema had once been a good friend of Emmaâs. They had been to Kinder together and spent lots of time together having fun. But over the last year, Nema had changed. She didnât like doing the stuff she used to like doing. All she seemed to want to do now was flick her hair, a lot, and make up dance routines. And be mean to most people, most of the time. Emma felt sad about that sometimes, but often she just felt cross, especially when Nema was mean to Emmaâs friends. Emma had learnt to stand up to Nema but sometimes it was better to just ignore her. Today was going to be one of those times.
âHey, watch it, Dizzy, you nearly knocked me over!â said Nema.
âOh sorry, Nema,â panted Isi, ignoring the fact that Nema had used her nickname in an unfriendly way. âWeâre just running to the Community Service meeting.â
âItâs a community service having you two at the meeting,â she said, laughing in her mean, fake laugh.
Emma ignored her. She knew Nema actually really wanted to be on the committee. The thing wasâand everyone realisedâthat Nema thought the vote was a popularity competition and thatâs why she wanted to win it. It wasnât though and she didnât. And when Nema didnât get something, well, she would decide that that something wasnât any good anyway and make sure everybody knew it.
Emma and Isi didnât have time for any of that today. They ignored Nema and took off again for the library, where the meeting was just starting. Ms Tenga, who was Emma and Isiâs class teacher, also helped the Community Service committee. She smiled as two of her most enthusiastic members ran in.
As people ate their lunches, they talked about what projects they might do that term, but when Emma and Isi began telling them about the animal shelter, everyone wanted to talk about that. Everyone wanted to help.
âOkay, it seems we know who we want to help,â said Ms Tenga, âso letâs talk about how weâll do it.â
âPeople could bring a gold coin,â suggested Lily.
âWe could also have class stalls,â said Kate, one of the older girls. âIt would be like a mini fair.â
âYes! We could cook things and then
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