Secret Breakers: The Power of Three Read Online Free Page B

look very well, does it? Oh, well. I can always use my stilts to get around.’
    Brodie wasn’t sure if he was joking.
    ‘My name’s Hunter,’ he said. ‘Hunter Jenkins. And yes, it’s my real name. Why would anyone make up a name like Hunter?’
    Brodie considered the question for a moment.
    ‘It’s a family name. My parents say I’ll grow into it, which makes it sound like a winter coat or something.’ He waited. ‘At least you can take a coat off. I’m stuck with Hunter.’
    ‘It’s unusual.’ Brodie chose her word carefully.
    ‘You?’ he asked.
    ‘Brodie. Brodie Bray.’
    ‘BB,’ he said. ‘Like it. Got a good ring to it. I arrived earlier. My stuff ’s round the back. And I was just riding around the front here to suss things out, really. Being nosey.’
    ‘But you’ve been inside the house, told them you’re here?’
    ‘No,’ he said.
    ‘Oh.’
    ‘Door’s locked, see. No sign of anyone. I was beginning to wonder if this is all a joke. You know. A sort of set-up.’
    ‘Perhaps we’re just early,’ she said hopefully, looking down again at her Greenwich Mean Time watch, and then frowning. ‘But they should be expecting us. You’ve rung the bell?’ she added,
    turning a statement into a question.
    ‘Can’t find one.’ He looked back despondently into the gloomy porch where the light from the candle lantern pooled against the door.
    Brodie sat down on the front step. She unwrapped a toffee and popped it into her mouth.
    Hunter stared rather longingly.
    ‘Here.’ She passed him the sweet she’d retrieved from his collar.
    ‘Thanks, I’m starved.’ He sat down and began to chew.
    Brodie twisted her toffee paper into a bow. ‘I suppose we just wait,’ she said eventually.
    ‘Yeah. Well, I can’t ride my unicycle any more. So that little bit of fun’s been taken from me.’
    Brodie felt a twinge of guilt. ‘Perhaps we should look back at the document we were given.’
    ‘Done that,’ Hunter said, reaching into his open backpack. He pulled out his rather crumpled version of the document Brodie had retrieved from the lamppost. ‘What?’ He obviously noticed Brodie’s look of displeasure. ‘My dog sat on it. She’s a big dog.’ He shook the pages out in an attempt to straighten them. ‘I can still read it.’
    ‘But you didn’t think of ironing it flat again?’
    ‘Oh yeah. I often go round ironing papers.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘The other thing we could do, rather than just sit here, is open that box.’
    ‘Box? What box?’
    ‘That one,’ he said, pointing. There was a small cardboard box tucked inside the porch. The lid was closed. ‘I wasn’t sure,’ Hunter added. ‘Seemed a bit rude. But after nineteen circuits of the lawn, I’m running out of ideas.’
    Brodie wasn’t sure it would help. Neither was she sure it was allowed. But a struggle had begun inside her. A wrestling to know what was inside the box even if they weren’t supposed to look. Surely it was better than just doing nothing? ‘I say we go for it,’ she said. ‘Agree?’
    Hunter winked and prised open the lid.
    It was instantly clear to see what was inside. Stopwatches. ‘Nice,’ mumbled Hunter. ‘Welcome gifts, you reckon? Not sure you’ll really be needing one as you seem to have the whole time issue covered.’
    Brodie pulled her cuffs down quickly.
    ‘But there’s loads here so I guess we can take one each.’ He passed her out a stopwatch and hanging from it was a piece of paper. ‘They’ve all got notes attached,’ he said. ‘Looks like they’re all the same. What’s it say?’
    Brodie read the message aloud.

    Welcome to Station X. We see you have an eye for seeking out answers and this is impressive. However, before we get down to formalities and welcome you inside the mansion, I think a little puzzle is in order. A game. You must use all your powers of problem solving to retrieve the key in order to open the door before you. The clues you solve will lead you to