Spying Moonlark

Agent Lodestar

Disclaimer: All characters, except for ones made up by me, belong to Shannon Messenger, the author of bestselling series Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Sophie tugged on her eyelashes as she tried her best to follow the map she was given through the hallways of her new spy school. She was supposed to meet with the principal and leader of her spy team, Mr. Forkle, in his office---but she was probably halfway across the school from the office at this point.

She peered through one of the classrooms while walking by. Inside were a bunch of kids putting on black gear---spy gear, the same ones that she would have to use later.

Sophie groaned, almost regretting her acceptance into the school. Before, she'd gone to a public school in California. Then one day, she got a strange message in her locker, which also ended up in her email. She couldn't read it, since it was written in code---but she'd gotten so bored that she decided to decode it. The message led her to a meeting place, where she met a boy that was a part of the spy team she would be in.

Her face melted as she thought about him. His teal eyes, his grin. Fitz was just so . . . dreamy.

As she thought more about Fitz, she lost track of where she was walking, and ended up bumping her head into something hard. She fell to the ground and dropped her map on the floor.

"Ouch," a voice said in front of her. "Is this my punishment for ditching class?"

Sophie scrambled up on her feet. "I, uh . . . sorry."

The boy raised his head from the ground. He had ice-blue eyes, sandy-blonde hair artfully mussed to look like he'd spent the day at the beach, and a mischievious grin.

He looked her up and down. "Although, you're not much of a punishment. I should skip more often if I get to run into you."

Sophie blushed and hid behind her hair. Was he . . . flirting with her?

She shook the thought away. No boy would ever like her---especially not a cute guy like the one she just bumped into. He probably acted like that with everyone.

"The name's Keefe," the boy said. "Although my spy name is Lodestar. You can call me either."

"My name's Sophie," she peeped. She held out her hand for a handshake, but then brought it back in. Did spies do handshakes? Did he think she was a total weirdo?

But Keefe just laughed. "Nice to meet you, Sophie. Where are you going?"

Sophie picked up the map, which was still on the floor. "Mr. Forkles office---although this place is impossibly large, so I have no idea where that is."

Keefe nodded, his smirk still showing. "Ah, a new one. I was wondering why I didn't recognize you; I would remember a face like yours."

"Um . . . Thanks? Anyway, could you help me get there?"

Keefe nodded and began walking in the direction Sophie had come from. "This way."

Sophie caught up with him. "Don't you need a map?"

Keefe shook his head. "I've been going here for a few years. You'll get used to it, too."

She wasn't so sure about that. With the twisty hallways, and mysterious coded messages, this whole school seemed sketchy. She had to tell her parents that she was going to a boarding school for people with exceptional grades, while the school was really a selective training program to prepare kids to join a spy organization when they graduated.

"So have you met this Mr. Forkle guy?" Sophie asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yup!" Keefe spun a pencil in the air, and caught it by the eraser when it came down. "Everyone here has. Of course, your grades and skills have a big part in whether you're recruited. But if Forkle thinks you're no good, then he says no."

Sophie gulped. So even after moving to a whole new city and lying to her friends and family, she might not even be accepted into the school?

"I'm sure you'll get in, though," Keefe said. He winked at her.

She tugged at her eyelashes some more. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because while Forkle's intuition is great, I'd say mine is pretty good, too." Keefe halted on front of a pair of double-doors. "And we're here."

"Here? As in, Mr. Forkle's office?"

"Yup!" He opened one of the doors. "And I know it isn't certain you'll get accepted---yet. But welcome to Foxfire."