‘Ella, hi!’ Max heard him say.
Max folded the telegram before putting it into her pocket. All the excitement she’d felt before melted away as she listened to Linden’s voice, which was a combination of pauses, laughter and excitement as he talked about the Time and Space Machine and how it was nearly finished, the telegram from Spyforce and other things Max couldn’t quite hear because he turned away and lowered his voice.
Eleanor saw Max’s face fall and attempted to cheer her up.
‘Who would have known we’d have a famous spy in our house?’ she asked.
Max tried to smile but she was too busy listening to what she could hear of the rest of Linden’s conversation.
When Linden finished he came back inside the shed.
‘That was Ella,’ he said excitedly.
‘Who?’ asked Max, like she didn’t know.
‘Ella,’ Linden replied. ‘She got a telegram too and guess what else? The tape was enough to help Spyforce finally prove Mr Blue is evil. He quit his job saying he wanted to spend more time with his family, but he was really sacked and Valerie reckons the Government kept it quiet because if they told the world what he’d been doing they’d look really stupid.’
‘Well, you two should be very proud of yourselves,’ said Ben. ‘People have been trying to stop Mr Blue for years.’
Linden looked at Max and smiled.
‘I guess Mission Matter Transporter was a success?’
‘Yeah, I guess it was,’ said Max.
Eleanor looked at her watch.
‘Max, we’re going to have to get ready. Your mum will be here soon to pick you up.’
Max had forgotten. Today was her last day on the farm.
She looked at the Time and Space Machine and then at Ben and Francis.
‘I guess you’ll have to finish it without me,’ she said sadly.
‘You’ll be the first to know as soon as we get it working,’ said Francis.
Max smiled and felt a tear in the corner of her eye.
‘I’ll help you pack,’ said Linden.
In the house, Linden sat on Max’s bed as she started picking up her stuff.
‘Do you think you’ll come back and stay sometime?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Max. ‘Would you like me to?’ ‘Sure,’ said Linden. ‘We haven’t had a summer this exciting for years.’
‘Do you think we might get to do another mission together?’ asked Max.
‘Yep!’ said Linden confidently. ‘Now that Spyforce has our names we’ll be called to help out in other missions for sure.’
Max smiled as she folded clothes and squeezed shoes and books into her bag.
There was a pause before Linden said, ‘And I wouldn’t want to work with anyone else.’
Max blushed.
‘Neither would I,’ she said.
Linden could feel his face go red too. Then there was another awkward pause as he twisted the tassels on the end of Max’s chenille bedspread.
‘Max?’ he asked. ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Sure,’ she said.
‘How do you know when you really like someone?’
Max kept packing and avoided looking at him. She tried to remember what she’d heard from her mother and things she’d read in books and seen in films.
‘You feel like you’re walking a metre off the ground all the time. You can’t concentrate on anything and you start saying weird kinds of things like someone else has taken over your brain.’
‘That’s exactly how I feel!’ said Linden.
Max blushed again, but this time she was sure she was redder than she’d ever been. She turned to face her bag, refolding some clothes she had already packed.
She remembered the first time she’d met Linden and how he looked like a real wildboy. Who’d have thought she would be talking about liking each other six weeks later.
‘Ella’s really cool!’ said Linden, smiling and thinking about the last time he saw her.
Max stopped packing.
‘Ella?’ she frowned.
‘Yeah, she’s really amazing. She said to say hello to you too.’
Max looked away and pushed her pyjamas into her bag before zipping it up.
‘That’s great,’ she said.
They heard a horn beep and a car drive into the yard.
‘That must be Mum,’ she said quietly.
‘I’ll miss you,’ Linden said.
‘You’ll get over it,’ said Max, trying to smile.
‘Hey,’ said Linden. ‘That was a joke.’
‘Yeah,’ said Max. ‘I’m thinking of being a comedienne when I’m not spying.’
Linden and Max smiled.
Outside, she heard the slam of a car door and stilted voices buzzing like flies as her mother desperately tried to find something to say to her sister. All the while Max knew she was itching to leave as soon as possible and was wondering where on earth her daughter could be. Her mum could talk to most people like she’d swallowed a dictionary. Words just poured out of her in one giant flood. But when it came to her own family, they dried up like dust in her mouth, making her look really uncomfortable.
‘Max, I’m here.’
Max thought it would be about three and a half minutes before she ran out of small talk. A bit of a record for her mum under the circumstances.
‘Gotta go,’ said Max as she picked up her bags and her folder of writing.
Outside, her mother was looking at her watch as Max walked down the steps. Something inside Max burned when she saw this.
‘Oh there you are, sweetie,’ her mother said. ‘We have to get a move on because I need to be back in the city for an appointment.’
Her mother gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and loaded her bags into the car.
Max sighed. Nothing much has changed, she thought.
Ben, Francis and Eleanor walked towards them and stood nearby.
‘Thanks for looking after Max. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble,’ said her mum.
‘None at all,’ said Eleanor. ‘Would you like to come in for some lunch?’
Max’s mother looked at her watch again and seemed as anxious as if someone had dropped a jar of ants down her long, velvet skirt. ‘I’d love to but we’ve got to fly.’
Typical, Max thought. She never has time for anyone except herself and her work.
She turned to Ben and Eleanor.
‘Thanks for the best holiday I’ve ever had. I’ll never forget you,’ she said.
Ben gave her a hug.
‘You have to promise you’ll come back whenever you can,’ he said.
‘And don’t leave it too long,’ said Eleanor, brushing Max’s hair from her face and giving her a kiss.
‘Besides, you’ll have to come back to see the machine when it’s finished,’ said Francis.
As they hugged, Francis whispered in her ear, ‘I was a very unhappy man until I met you and Linden. Thank you.’
‘Okay, sweetheart. Let’s go,’ said Max’s mum, trying to hurry her along.
Max ignored her mother and walked over to Linden and Ralph.
‘I’ve got something for you,’ said Max.
She opened her folder and handed Linden a small book entitled, ‘The Adventures of Alex Crane, Superspy. Chapter One. Mission: The Time and Space Machine.’
Linden smiled.
‘It’s all about us and the mission,’ Max explained.
‘Thanks.’ And for once Linden didn’t know what else to say.
‘Max?’ said her mother with rising impatience in her voice.
‘Bye, Ralph,’ Max said, and patted him on the head. ‘My master’s calling.’
‘Another joke,’ said Linden. ‘You should be careful, this could become a habit.’
Max got into the car and watched Ben, Eleanor, Francis and Linden wave goodbye.
She thought about the summer, the mission and the people she’d met. Toby Jennings, school and her home in Sydney seemed another galaxy away.
She looked at the farm get smaller and smaller as the dust rose up behind her mother’s sports car.
I’ll be back, she thought.
Linden sat on the verandah and started reading.
‘The Chief of Spyforce congratulated Alex for another mission successfully completed.
‘Thanks to you, Mr Blue is safely behind bars and the world can rest easy that he won’t be able to have his evil way any more.’
‘I don’t think that’s the last we’ll hear of him,’ said Alex knowingly. ‘Mr Blue’s as cunning a criminal as I’ve ever met.’
‘For now, you deserve a well-earned break,’ said the Chief. ‘And Spyforce is happy to send you anywhere in the world for a two-week rest. Just name the place.’
Alex thought hard.
‘How about Australia?’ she said. ‘I’ve never been there: the beaches, the sun, the islands.’
‘I’ll get someone to organise it right away,’ said the Chief happily.
Just then the Chief’s secret phone rang.
‘Yeah?’ he answered.
There was a pause.
Alex watched as his face became serious.
‘Okay, we’ll get right onto it.’
The Chief hung up the phone.
‘How about London instead? Mr Blue has escaped.’
* * *
When Deborah Abela was a small child, she spent most of her time imagining she was on great adventures all over the world. When she grew older, she bought a backpack and a plane ticket and went on them for real. After three years she came home and then worked at Cheez TV for seven years, before leaving to write novels about a small girl who goes on lots of adventures all over the world.
Deborah grew up in Merrylands, a western suburb of Sydney, but now lives in inner-city Glebe with her partner Todd, who is almost as nice as Linden.
You can read more about Deborah Abela and the Max Remy Superspy series at www.maxremy.com.au
* * *
Photograph by Todd Decker
Don’t miss Deborah Abela and soccer legend Johnny Warren’s exciting series about soccer, friendship, and kids who want to be their own legends!
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