Heroes of Earth. Martin Berman-Gorvine

rattled. “She’s a rotter who couldn’t even remember to call me Jo and not Jodie! And she borrowed my copy of A Wrinkle in Time and never gave it back!”

      “As I recall, it was actually Tom’s copy, from Gloria’s bookstore,” Mrs. Purnell said drily.

      Arnold kept silent. Denying that he needed a friend would have been too big of a lie.

      “Well, young lady, if you are quite finished with your tea, you can walk your non-friend back to Gloria’s bookstore,” Mrs. Purnell said. “I believe you still have some revising to do for your calculus test.”

      “Mum! I don’t have to revise for calculus. Even a baby could do those epsilon-delta proofs!”

      “Jodie Marybeth Purnell, what have I told you about boasting!”

      “But I’m not boasting, Mum!”

      “Out the door with you,” Mrs. Purnell said firmly, grabbing Jo with her right hand and Arnold with her left. Her grip was as strong as the clamp in metal shop. “Arnold, it was simply delightful having you to tea. Please do tell Alison and Gerald they are welcome any time.” It took Arnold a moment to figure out she was talking about Dad. No one ever called him anything except Jerry.

      “And remember my rule, Jodie,” Mrs. Purnell added. “No visiting parallel worlds while you still have homework to do!”

      “But Mum,” Jo said, as the door shut in their faces.

      Outside, it was as dark as midnight. Arnold could see his breath and more stars than he ever saw at home, though not as many as he’d seen in the Gray Zone. After a moment they began to walk. He longed to touch Jo’s hand again, but she had jammed her hands deep in her pockets.

      “Right then,” she said after a moment, “I shall tell Teresa it is urgent she contact her double and tell her to come to Gingo Teag. Palermo Teresa is an experienced revolutionary and will have just loads of good ideas for you.”

      “Okay,” Arnold said.

      “And here are my rules. You are not my friend, you are my brother in arms. Together we shall free your Earth from alien tyranny.”

      “Roger that,” Arnold said.

      “Roger who? Oh, you mean yes. Very well. Rule number two, no hand holding.”

      “Roger that,” Arnold said, hoping that Jo had not noticed his hesitation.

      “Likewise, no snogging, no smooching, no disgusting stuff. I see Tom and Teresa doing that all the time. It’s not for me, thank you very much.”

      “Roger that. No disgusting stuff.”

      “We are professional rebels, you and I. I am not going to walk out with you.”

      “What?”

      “I’m not your girlfriend.”

      “Roger that.”

      “Next rule. Nobody but my Mum is allowed to call me Jodie. And as for Marybeth—instant death.”

      “Roger that,” said Arnold, grateful that the darkness helped him hide a smile.

      “What number are we up to?”

      “Er, six, I think.”

      “Right. Rule six. There is no… uh, I guess there is no rule six.”

      “Roger that.”

      Jo gave him a hard stare, which again turned his insides into hot cream of wheat. Then she nodded and stopped walking. They were standing on a street corner down the block from Gloria’s Gateway Books.

      “Very well. We must take a blood oath to be faithful to the cause of Earth’s freedom.”

      “A what?” Arnold started to say, but Jo had already grabbed his right hand—so much for no hand-holding—produced a safety pin from somewhere and pricked first her little finger, then his. He stifled a startled yelp as she stirred the tiny, mingled droplet of blood around with the pinpoint.

      “Repeat after me. I do solemnly swear to protect, defend, and uphold the sacred cause of human freedom, even under hideous physical torture and mutilation, the threat of death, or alien brainwashing.”

      Arnold solemnly swore, and Jo said, “I hereby declare the Fighters for the Freedom of Earth founded.” She grasped his hand once more, tightly, then let it go before they walked into the bookstore together.