Read Online Big Brother by Susannah McFarlane - Free Book Online Page A

spluttered GG. ‘They’ve taken my CHARM bracelet. They’re working for SHADOW !’
    â€˜I know,’ said EJ. ‘Did you see where they went?’
    â€˜I couldn’t see,’ said GG, staggering to her feet. ‘But they mentioned the foals.’
    EJ remembered the rest of the last message. ‘They’re taking the foals!’ she cried. ‘I’ve got to stop them!’
    â€˜Go, EJ12,’ said GG22. ‘I’ll take Lucinda to check all the other agents and horses. Hurry!’
    EJ sped out of the office and around to the foal enclosure. The sun was coming up now and EJ could see that the foals weren’t there but, in the corner, near the gate leading to the main drive, was a horse float and EJ could see Agents HH33 and II44 bolting the door.
    They’ve got the foals , she thought desperately. In all the confusion of the fire, no one will notice.
    EJ watched as II44 ran towards a truck parkedacross the path. She knew she didn’t have much time before II hitched the float to the truck and they drove away. EJ wouldn’t let them take the foals. She had seen what they’d done to Trojan.
    â€˜Stop!’ she shouted. ‘Stop right there!’
    HH33 turned around. ‘And who’s going to stop me, EJ12? You?’
    EJ advanced. Would she be able to overpower HH33 with the karate skills she’d learnt on her last mission? Maybe not but she would at least be able to slow her down. And then EJ saw HJ12 and Trojan walking up the drive behind the float. She knew HH33 couldn’t see them. She put her finger to her lips and Hannah mouthed, ‘Okay.’
    â€˜What?’ sneered HH. ‘Are you shushing me, EJ? Is that the best you have?’
    EJ had to stall HH. ‘They’re not your foals,’ she told the SHADOW agent. ‘Let them go!’
    â€˜And leave some of the fastest horses in the world to SHINE ?’ HH said. ‘What a waste! SHADOW will clean up with these horses, we’llwin every race in the world! But they need to be toughened up; we’ll soon whip them into shape with our training.’
    â€˜Like the way you “trained” Trojan?’ said EJ, challenging HH.
    HH sneered. ‘She’s only a dumb horse,’ she snapped, moving towards EJ, her arm raised. EJ knew HH was going to strike her and she readied herself.
    But Trojan had also seen HH33 advancing towards EJ. The horse broke free from HJ12 and reared up in front of the SHADOW agent.
    â€˜Trojan?’ said HH, stunned. ‘But how?’
    Trojan reared up again and HH33 stumbled, tripping and falling to the ground. EJ saw a CHARM bracelet fall out of HH’s pocket.
    EJ moved quickly. She snatched the bracelet from the ground as she ran to the float. She unbolted the horse float door and rushing in, she and HJ grabbed the foals’ leads and ran them out of the float towards the main paddock and the otherhorses. EJ left the foals with HJ and ran back to the float. But it was too late. She had saved the foals but HH33 and II44 had driven away in the truck. EJ sighed but she knew she had made the right choice. The SHADOW double agents had escaped but the CAT—and the foals—were safe.
    EJ walked up to Trojan and put her head against her neck.
    â€˜You are a good luck charm after all,’ she told the mare.
    Trojan snorted and pushed her head into EJ. EJ stroked the mare’s forehead.
    And neither of them minded one bit.

 
    The sun was now fully up and the sky was clear. The fire had been put out before it had a chance to spread and the horses were all washed, brushed and fed and put safely back in their stable boxes. EJ had brushed down Lucinda while GG took extra-special care of Trojan. The poor joey was sent off to be cared for at the SHINE marsupial CAT nearby. A1 had also arrived and completed her tour of the horse CAT. Some fencing around the stables had been destroyed but otherwise they had been lucky.