Agent Crew

There was a boy called Clancy

Clancy Crew was the sort of kid you didn't notice. Average hair, average height, average everything really. Most people thought Clancy was a kinda bland person all round. They were wrong.

To his friends, Clancy was remarkably loyal. He prided himself on his ability to keep it zipped. Another thing he prided himself on was his hunches. A perfect track record.

Clancy didn't go out of his way to be noticed, but he didn't particularly mind attention either. He had been known to nick his younger sisters' stuff simply because it was the first thing to hand. On other people pink heart glasses would be a fashion statement, but on Clancy they were hardly even noticed. It was a gift.

When Clancy Crew was 5, his dad was invited to a fundraiser at the local Twinford Historical Society. Clancy got dragged along for family points. His dad, Ambassador Crew, was very big on the idea of family, if not the practicalities.

Within a minute of their arrival, Ambassador Crew was called over by some city developer or something. Soon they were chatting away about concrete prices, Clancy forgotten beside them.

His suit (a necessity, apparently) was starting to itch, but when Clancy went to scratch at the collar his father shot him a stern frown.

Just when Clancy was considering sneaking off to the loos, a commotion at the buffet table cut off the Ambassador's comment on drying efficiency. Every head in the room turned towards the back.

Clancy, being several feet shorter than everyone else, tried to peer between his father's legs, without much luck.

"Psst!" hissed a voice behind him. Clancy spun round to see a girl grinning at him. She had straight brown hair and her green eyes sparked with mischief. Her red dress was a little baggy on her, and Clancy could have sworn the left sleeve was held up with sticky tape.

"Hello," said Clancy, trying to be polite. (Ambassador Crew loved politeness.)

"Hi," answered the girl.

"Do you know what everyone's staring at?" asked Clancy. He pointed in the direction of the buffet.

The girl's grin grew even wider.

"Just a little accident," she said, shrugging as if she didn't care. "I'm Ruby Redfort, by the way."

Clancy frowned. His stomach felt funny...

"I'm Clancy Crew," he offered.

The girl called Ruby smiled as if this was the best thing she'd hear all day. She held out her hand.

After only a second, Clancy reached out and shook it. Ruby's grip was firm, but it didn't hurt.

"We should hang out some time," said Ruby, already moving away, back into the crowd.

Clancy nodded, just before she disappeared. He liked Ruby. But he also had a hunch he'd just signed up for lots and lots of trouble...

Some several years later...

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A/N: This is my first fanfiction, so I hope you like it! Any constructive criticism would be much appreciated. Thanks!