In The Dark (7 page)

EJ had to do something besides feeling sick. Green Eyes was coming closer, tugging on the string. EJ wriggled against the wall of the tunnel, knocking some rocks loose as she did.

Green Eyes didn't like that,
thought EJ.

Now EJ thought she felt something push ever
so lightly against her leg. She couldn't see the eyes anymore. Where had they gone? And what was that new noise?

Uuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It was like a machine. What was this thing? A mechanical ghost? And what was it doing, whatever it was?

EJ was terrified. She felt for her pack, unzipped it and stretched her hand down to the bottom, feeling for the matchbox and candle. She pulled the box out, slowly took out a match and struck it. Holding the match, EJ took out the candle and lit it. The flame flickered and cast a small glow. As she blew out the match, she noticed the heart charm with the candle. Would that give her some more light? She hoped so. EJ twisted it and as she did, an inscription appeared.

It was the motto A1 had told her.

That's easy for you to say, A1,
thought EJ, but she decided to give it a go.
Shine a light on my fears.
EJ held the candle out towards the noise and gasped. She couldn't believe what she was looking at.

Two green eyes.

Two green eyes and black fur.

If it hadn't been dark and if she hadn't been wearing face concealer, you would've been able to see EJ go red. She had just been spooked by a kitten, jet-black but for its white paws. A kitten with a long piece of EJ's glow string in its claws. That was the tugging EJ had felt on her string. She could see the kitten must have clawed right through the string tied around the rock and was now playing with it.

Eooooowwwwwww said the kitten.

‘How embarrassing,' said EJ. ‘But you are pretty cute even if you did scare the life out of me,' she said to the kitten, who kept rubbing against her leg, purring. Now the urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
didn't seem like a machine at all. It sounded like a fluffy, happy kitten. How could she have thought it was anything else?

‘Why do you have to have such scary eyes?' she asked the little cat. ‘Where are you from and what have you done to my string?' The kitten purred as EJ stroked its back. EJ rolled up what was left of her string. There would be no retracing her steps now. EJ started walking in the direction of the music again. ‘Are you coming with me?' she asked. The kitten purred and padded behind her. The music was really loud now and EJ could also hear someone singing along, although not very well.

The tunnel turned again and suddenly seemed to lighten. The further along EJ walked, the louder the music got and the lighter the tunnel became. Had EJ found the light at the end of the tunnel? Was it Operation Lights Out?

EJ blew out her candle. She didn't want to be seen as she edged closer to the light. Creeping along close to the ground, she tried to make herself as small and as flat as she could. She saw some large pieces of rock close to where the tunnel widened.
Hoping there wouldn't be any more spiders there, EJ hid behind it and watched. In her black gear and with her black face concealer she was impossible to see. She hoped.

The tunnel had widened out to become what looked like a room. It was one of the landings she had seen in the drawing of the mine's tunnel system. At the far end of the landing was a large cage attached to heavy wires that went straight up into the darkness.
That must be the mineshaft elevator,
thought EJ.

To the left of the elevator was darkness, but to the right there was a large spotlight in the corner, shining on a bench that ran the length of the wall. On the bench were computer screens and panels filled with buttons and flashing lights. Everything seemed connected to what looked like a giant battery sitting under the bench and above it was an enormous
screen. It was like the
SHINE
Light Screen, with lots of images flashing. They were all pictures of some kind of factory. As EJ watched, images of rows and rows of large panels facing up to the sun appeared. It was the
SHINE
solar power station. This had to be Operation Lights Out.

Then shuffling out of the shadows, singing badly to herself, came a woman. She looked older than EJ's mum but not quite as old as her grandma. She was wearing a long black coat with pockets overflowing with pieces of paper. She was also wearing the thickest pair of black-rimmed glasses EJ had ever seen, not that they seemed to be doing much good as she kept bumping into things. Around her neck was a long silver chain with a black pendant and she had shiny, jet-black hair swept up in a rather messy bun. Sticking out of the bun, in a way that reminded EJ of something (or was it someone?), were pens, pencils and a small ruler. EJ knew from the
SHINE
visuals that this woman was Adriana.

‘Sssh!' whispered EJ, a little too loudly.

Adriana turned around sharply. ‘What's that I hear? Is someone near?'

Adriana turned off the music and shuffled towards the tunnel, squinting through her glasses. EJ put her head down. She didn't like her chances of not being seen. She could hear the shuffling coming closer. Just as she was sure she was about to be discovered, the kitten ran out of the tunnel and up to Adriana.

‘Oh it is only you, Inky-poo, I wondered where you had gotten to. You mustn't run away from Adriana. It's bad, it makes me sad,' she said stroking the kitten. ‘And we have to get ready to go—it's nearly time for the show.'

Why does she talk in bad rhymes?
wondered EJ.
And what is the show?

‘What is the show?' asked Adriana.

Did I say that out loud?
wondered EJ, but then, as she raised her head slightly, she could see that Adriana was talking to the kitten.

‘The show—the final part of Operation Lights Out. The part when all in
SHADOW
shout, “Adriana you are the best!” But first, I must run the test.'

She's crazy!
thought EJ, watching intently as Adriana put Inky down and shuffled towards the computer monitors. She peered at a screen, furiously typing on the keyboard as she did and talking in her funny rhymes.

‘Hurrah, the energy levels are so, so low, there's not much more to go! In just a sec, in just a mo, it will be time for Eco-Deco!'

Eco-Deco?
thought EJ.
That's a
SHINE
invention. How would Adriana know about that and what is she using it for?
EJ shifted her legs slightly and, as she did, her feet knocked some rocks, scattering them loudly against the tunnel wall. Adriana heard
the noise and this time the kitten couldn't save EJ. Adriana pointed the giant spotlight into the tunnel and onto EJ.

‘Well, that makes my day. I've found an EJ,' laughed Adriana.

For the first time all mission, EJ12 wished she was still in the dark.

EJ was now sitting on a chair with her hands tied behind her back with her own string.

Adriana said, ‘I should have known A1 would send someone like you. Well, now her plan has fallen through.'

‘A1, what is A1? I don't know what you're talking about,' said EJ, acting surprised. The identity of all
SHINE
agents, but particularly A1, was closely guarded. Agents were trained never to reveal another agent's code name.

‘Cut it out, EJ12,' said Adriana suddenly dropping the poetry and looking very serious and very mean. ‘I
know all about
SHINE,
about A1, your Light Screen and your charms. In fact, I invented a few.'

‘You what?' gasped EJ.

‘Didn't your precious A1 tell you, EJ12? No, I suppose she wouldn't. “Need-to-know basis” I suppose she said. Well, I used to be a
SHINE
agent. I was one of the best, almost the best except for her.'

‘Her? Who?' asked EJ.

‘A1 of course, do keep up!' Adriana snapped. ‘I was always second to A1, second in the Shining Stars, second in the sports, my code name was even A2. I got tired of always being in A1's shadow. She was always hogging the limelight, like a typical older sister. Hmmph! Older by only three minutes.'

EJ nearly choked. ‘You are A1's
twin
sister?'

‘Yes, can't you see the resemblance? I'm the beautiful one, of course, but Aurora does have a few of my striking features.'

And now, as EJ looked, she could see it. That was what Adriana's hair had reminded her of—it was
A1. Adriana's hair may have been black and A1's was white but otherwise it was almost identical, all the way down to the pencils. And, now that she looked, their faces had a similar shape too. And they even both had pendants. EJ stared, her mouth open in disbelief.

‘You can close your mouth now,' said Adriana. ‘Is it really that hard to believe? But of course everyone always said Aurora was the beautiful one, the clever one. “Why don't you be like Aurora?” our teachers would say. “She's such a shining example.” Blah, blah, blah. And at
SHINE
it was the same thing all over again. No one seemed to notice that I could do things, like write poetry, and invent things, clever things. But my poetry was laughed at and my inventions never got the praise they deserved, some never even got to see the light of day. So I left and went where my talents were appreciated.
SHADOW
valued me. They put me in the spotlight, where I belong. And now it will be
SHADOW
and I who turn the lights out on Aurora and her precious
SHINE
with my brilliant invention. Oh yes,' hissed Adriana, leaning closer to EJ, staring straight into her
eyes, ‘it will be so fine, to turn the lights out now on
SHINE!'