Agent Moonlark

Chapter One

Sophie

At Havenfield Museum, all was quiet. The only sounds were the guard's footsteps and his low whistling. The beam from his flashlight skimmed over the artifacts. It was a normal night. But in the shadows hid someone. In the shadows hid Agent Moonlark.

Sophie flattened herself against the marble wall. Her mission was a relatively easy one : steal the Lumenaria Gem. At least, it would've been easy if the Neverseen didn't have their sights set on the exact same gem. The Neverseen and the Black Swan had been in a silent war against each other for ages. The two spy agencies constantly rebelled against the government. The big problem? They had very different opinions from each other.

Flashback

Six-year-old Sophie Elizabeth Foster had been an orphan for as long as she knew. She jumped from foster family to foster family. No family ever wanted her. At school, her situation wasn't any better. The kids would tease her for being "too smart." They would call her a "know-it-all." No one wanted to be her friend.

"Why are you such a know-it-all?" her four-year-old foster sister Amy asked when Sophie pointed out that no, cats did not have nine lives and unicorns did not exist.

"No, I'm not," she whispered.

"Know-it-all."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too. And a freak."

"No, I'm not!" she shrieked and ran out of her current foster home. She ran as far as her little legs would carry her. Finally, she found an alley and collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Why wouldn't anyone be nice to her? Why didn't anyone want to be her friend?

"Hello, Sophie Foster," a kind voice said.

Sophie whipped around. "Who are you?" she whispered.

"Me? I'm Agent Forkle." Agent Forkle wore a black cloak with a hood that covered his face. Strange, Sophie thought.

"Agent? Like, a spy?"

Instead of answering her question, Agent Forkle crouched down in front of her. He wiped away her tears. He pulled his hood down to reveal gentle blue eyes with crinkles next to them and jet black hair.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

Sophie looked away. "No one likes me."

"That's not true, Sophie. We've been watching you these past few months. We know you more than anyone. And we like you. You're smarter than everyone else your age. You know more than kids 5 years older than you. You're braver than anyone I know."

"So," she sniffed, "you don't think I'm a freak?"

"No, Sophie. We think you're highly intelligent for your age and that you are wonderful."

"Who's we?" she finally thought to ask.

"The Black Swan and me. The Black Swan is a spy agency. You see, we've been watching you because we've been thinking of recruiting you. We want you to become a spy."

"A spy?" Sophie asked incredulously. "Why me?"

Agent Forkle smiled. "Because you have great potential."

"But I'm just a kid."

"So? Just because you're young, it doesn't mean you can't be anything you want. It doesn't mean you're not important or helpful."

For the first time in years, Sophie smiled. "Will I finally have a family?"

Agent Forkle chuckled. "Yes, Sophie. You will have a family. And friends. There are a few children your age in the agency." He paused, then turned around. "Agent Telepath!" he called.