Heroes of the Secret Underground Chapter Sampler

Teddy and Honey tussle, until Teddy’s splashy red hair is enmeshed in Honey’s caramel fur. Pulling them apart, Bert swings Teddy onto his back. ‘Louie, are you coming?’ ‘Just go. I’ll be there in a minute. Go away.’ Louie straightens the ribbons in her hair when there’s a snippy gust. ‘Bert,’ she protests angrily. But it’s not Bert. Louie stares at old-fashioned white schoolgirl shoes, with leather ties. She looks up. It’s a girl. Her long honey- brown hair sweeps around her face, like camouflage. The girl’s grey eyes reach into Louie’s brown eyes. Does the girl know her? Instinctively, Louie presses the flowers against her heart, then cries out as a thorn from the red rose pierces her finger. In slow motion, a droplet of blood moves through the air. Mesmerised, Louie watches it fall to the footpath. She catches her breath at a strange glow at her feet. Lying there, an old rose-gold locket with a rose-gold chain and diamond robin clasps reflects the sunlight. Louie crouches to study it. Holding it in the palm of her right hand, she looks up for the girl. But the girl has already turned away, tripping between trees and roots. A white shoe has slipped off one of her feet. Louie waves the locket in the air, calling out, ‘Hey, hey. Is this yours?’ The girl glances back, her silky white dress making her look like a snowy cockatoo in flight. Her reply teases the wind. Straining to hear, Louie can’t make out the words.

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