Read Online Star League 4 by H.J. Harper - Free Book Online Page B

to …’
    I trail off as I notice a letter sitting on my desk that definitely wasn’t there this morning.
    Which means somebody has snuck into my trailer.

I snatch up the letter, sniffing it to check for traces of poison. The others stare at me as I carefully open the letter and read it.
    â€˜Are you okay?’ asks Leigh. ‘You look shocked.’
    â€˜It’s from my old ninja clan,’ I say, re-reading the letter. ‘Grandmistress Reika, the head of the ninjas, has gone missing.’
    â€˜Missing?’ asks Connor. ‘Or was she kidnapped?’
    â€˜They don’t know. Apparently someone called Fuzen has stepped up to become acting Grandmaster. He’s called a meeting for all the ninjas, so maybe he knows something.’
    I think about old Grandmistress Reika, who has been in charge of the ninjas as long as I canremember. She’s strict but she was always kind to me. I hope she’s okay.
    â€˜The meeting starts tonight,’ I say. ‘If I want to get there in time I have to leave now.’
    â€˜This seems as though it will be a fantastic information-gathering opportunity,’ says Sam. ‘Just give me an hour or so to run another update on my systems and we can get going.’
    â€˜Is it going to be outside?’ asks Roger. ‘Because if it is I’ve got to go buy some more bug repellent. There is no way I want to run out.’
    I frown. I hadn’t expected the rest of the team would want to come too. After all, I thought I’d made it pretty clear it was a meeting of ninjas, and I’m the only ninja here. But they all look so excited, and I don’t know how to tell them without hurting their feelings.
    Thankfully, Jay notices my reaction and steps in. ‘Uh, I think this might be an invitation-only sort of thing, guys.’
    â€˜Yeah, and we’ve got an invitation,’ says Connor, pointing to the piece of paper. ‘So what’s the problem?’
    â€˜No, Asuka has an invitation,’ says Jay. ‘We don’t.’ The others finally begin to understand.
    â€˜Sorry, Asuka, we didn’t mean to intrude,’ says Leigh.
    â€˜It’s okay. I wish you could come,’ I say, but only part of me means that. Even though the Star League are my friends, it will be good to get away for a while and spend time with other ninjas, who understand the value of some peace and quiet.
    We leave my trailer to go tell Ben that I’ll be taking some holiday time. After I tell him about the letter, he looks thoughtful and nods. ‘That’s okay, we can pick up the filming of Attack of the Night Assassins when you get back. Sometimes a bit of downtime is more important than getting a job done.’
    â€˜Thanks, Ben,’ I say, grateful that he understands.
    â€˜But I want you to take something.’
    I groan, wondering what he wants me to take. A film script? Video footage of my latest performance so I can review it for mistakes?
    Ben holds out a palm-sized gadget with a silver star on the front of it.
    â€˜I’m guessing there won’t be any phone reception out where you’re heading so use this communicator if you need to keep in touch. Sam and I have been working on it to project crystal-clear video anywhere in the world.’
    I take the communicator and press the star. It flips up to reveal a screen with a camera in it. I close the screen and slip it into my pocket. I know Ben means well, but since I’m trying to get away from it all I won’t exactly feel like checking in every five minutes.
    I turn to the others to say my goodbyes.
    â€˜Be careful,’ warns Jay. ‘You never know what kind of criminals are out there.’
    â€˜Don’t worry,’ I say with a grin. ‘There are going to be hundreds of ninjas there. I couldn’t think of a safer place in the world.’

I sit next to the driver of one of the studio cars and read him the directions in the