Spying Moonlark

Agent Moonlark

Sophie stepped into Mr. Forkle's office. A wooden desk sat in the middle of the room, with a few chairs around it. In the swirly chair behind the desk sat an old man with smile lines and gray hair to show off his age.

"Sit down, Miss Foster," the old man said. Sophie obliged and sat down in one of the plastic chairs. "And you, too, Mister Sencen---although I should be asking what you're doing here."

Keefe sat down in the chair next to her. "Just helping out a friend in need. Foster, was it?"

Sophie nodded, keeping her eyes on the desk. It was only a matter of time before she said or did something that would get her kicked out of the school. And on top of that, Keefe was here---and she could tell that he was popular just by looking at him.

The old man opened his mouth to speak again. "Mister Vacker, you may also sit down after you've closed the door."

Sophie's head shot up. There was someone else here?

A boy with a familiar pair of teal eyes and carefully brushed hair closed the door and sat in the other seat next to Sophie. It was . . .

"Fitz?" she squeaked.

The boy grinned at her. "Yours truly. And I see you've already made acquaintences with my best friend?"

Sophie turned to Keefe, who smirked. "Heya, Fitzy! How's my buddy doing?"

Before Fitz could respond, the old man cleared his throat. "Ahem. This crowded situation in here isn't exactly ideal, so don't make me have to kick you out, Lodestar."

Keefe pouted his lips. "And how come Fitz gets to stay?"

"Because he will be Miss Foster's guide." He turned to Sophie. "Hello, Sophie Foster. My name is Mr. Forkle, and I'm the principal here at Foxfire."

Sophie nodded. "Thanks for accepting me. But I have to ask . . . why me?"

"Because you passed our test. Whenever we find teenagers like you with exceptional grades, we look into them. If, after spying on them, we find that they might be a good fit, we send them a code to see if they will decode it."

Sophie nodded again. She'd already gotten all of that from Fitz a few weeks ago. "But how come you assume everyone will know to decode the message?"

"We don't," Mr. Forkle said. "Part of the challenge is seeing who wants to decode it. If someone is too wrapped up in afterschool activities or their personal life to want to decode a secret message, then they're probably too busy to work as a spy---or too lazy. But the ones who try to decode the message and succeed get a chance at this school, if I find it fit once I meet with them."

"And I decoded the message," Sophie finished. "So I'm getting my chance right now."

Mr. Forkle nodded. "Now, since Agent Dragon forgot to ask this question at your meet-up . . ." Mr. Forkle glared at Fitz, who smiled sheepishly. "What tools did you use to decode the message?"

Sophie blinked at him. "Tools? What do you mean? I just decoded in class because I was bored."

Everyone except for Mr. Forkle gaped at her. "You did what?"

"That's impossible," Fitz said under his breath. "I didn't use any tools, but it still took me several all-nighters to decode it."

Keefe stared at her, as well. "While you were bored? In class? If that's what you see as entertaining, you need to start ditching with me."

Mr. Forkle just shook his head. "My, my. I knew there was something special about you when we brought you in, but I never imagined you would be this skilled. Mr. Sencen over here had to design a computer program to do it for him."

Keefe held his hands up defensively. "Hey! That computer system took a week to make!"

Mr. Forkle chuckled. "Yes, indeed---which is why you were accepted in Team Valiant, our best team in the training section of the Black Swan. And Miss Foster will be joining you tomorrow."

Sophie's mouth flew open. "You mean . . . I got in? And I'll be here, at Foxfire? Tomorrow? What about school supplies?"

"We have that handled already," Mr. Forkle said. "But there is one more think we must take care of: your agent name."

"Agent name?" Sophie thought about the other agent names she knew of. There was Fitz, who was Agent Dragon. And then there was Keefe, who was Agent Lodestar. "Why do we need them?"

"For now, as practice," Mr. Forkle explained. "When your team gets advanced enough to go on real missions, you'll be using your agent name through the radio system in case someone is listening in. It's for everyone's safety. And if you start practicing calling each other by only those names, it gets easier later. That's one of the skills we learn at Foxfire."

Sophie tugged on her eyelashes, successfully pulling one out. "Do I have to choose my own?"

Mr. Forkle laughed. "No, not at all. I'm the one who assigns your agent name. And you are . . ."

He squinted his eyes and stared at her face. Sophie wanted to tug out another eyelash, but she forced her hands down. If she showed him that she was nervous, he might reconsider.

"You are Agent Moonlark," Mr. Forkle decided.

"A moonlark? What's that?"

"A bird species," he said. "It's rare, and yet beautiful. You'll be a good asset to the team."

"I---thank you," Sophie said with surpise.

As Mr. Forkle dismissed the three, Fitz whispered in her ear, "Good job. At least you're a moonlark, and not a dragon."

Sophie's face heated up hotter than mars. "T-thanks."

Meanwhile, Keefe smirked. "Aw, the ship is already sailing. What's your couple name, Fitzphie?"

Sophie blushed harder. She wished she could disappear into a hole, because this was extremely embarrassing.

She walked out of the room as fast as she could and started down the hallway. She got to the intersection, and was about to make a turn, when she realized she had no idea where to go.

"I'll help you," Fitz said. "I am your guide, after all."

"And I'll tag along," Keefe said.

The three made their way back to the entrance without another word. Sophie said goodbye to Fitz first, which she was pretty sure made her face even more red.

"Bye, Foster---or should I call you Moonlark?" Keefe teased. He turned around and began walking away. "Also, I hate to say I told you so . . . But I told you that you would get in. Next time, you just have to trust me."

Sophie thanked him and made her way back to her parents' car, who were eagerly waiting for her so-called "test results." They thought she had come back from a mathematics test to see if she could get into a fancy private school.

Little did they know, she was in for so much more than that.