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A short message for grown-ups.
If your little one loves Bluey, here's something new that might spark hours of joyful imaginative play.
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Hello, friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
Red and her friends finally met with Lyle and learned so many things.
They have so much to think about now.
The Transfer Student Volume 2, Part 17
Red wakes up Wednesday morning with that weird feeling you get when you've learned something huge the night before and your brain is still trying to figure out if it was real or just a really vivid dream.
She lies in bed for a moment, staring at her ceiling. holding the small device Meridian gave her.
It's warm against her palm and definitely real, which means everything else was real too.
Meridian's sister was taken away by corrupt agents.
Agent Torres is watching their every move at school.
Refugee families are walking into a trap in less than two weeks.
And somehow, Red and her friends are supposed to help stop it.
No pressure or anything.
Lou's already up.
She can hear him downstairs talking to their mom about something which is totally weird, since she would expect him to be scheming ways to bug her.
Red gets dressed quickly and heads down to find him sitting at the kitchen table sketching something in a notebook while eating cereal with one hand.
Morning, Stinky Head, he says without looking up from whatever he's drawing.
I've been thinking about what Meridian told us yesterday.
Their mom is at the stove, attempting what looks like it's supposed to be Earth Pancakes.
But they're definitely not the right color.
They're kind of... purple?
What did your friend say, she asks, flipping one with way too much enthusiasm.
Red and blue exchange one of those quick sibling looks that says, how much do we tell her?
Just that there might be some new transfer students starting at our school soon.
Red says carefully sitting down next to Blue.
Kids who might need help fitting in.
That's wonderful, their mom says, and Red can tell she genuinely means it.
You know how important it is to help newcomers feel welcome.
When we first arrived here, every friendly face made such a difference.
If only she knew how literally true that was about to become.
Blue slides his notebook over so Red can see what he's been working on.
Maps, diagrams, route planning.
I looked it up online this morning, he whispers.
The quarry isn't that far from town, but we'll need to be smart about how we get there without anyone noticing.
Red studies his sketches.
Her annoying little brother might drive her crazy most of the time, but he's definitely inherited the family talent for strategic thinking.
Saturday, she whispers back.
Saturday Blue confirms, grinning like they're planning the world's best prank instead of a covert mission to save alien refugees.
Getting through the school day feels like the hardest acting job ever.
The gang tries to act normal while secretly coordinating their weekend mission.
Turns out, it's way harder than it sounds when you're trying to plan a covert operation to save Martian refugees while also paying attention to math and pretending you care about the upcoming dance.
During lunch, they sit at their usual table.
But everything feels different now.
A week ago, they were just friends solving silly mysteries.
Now they're... What?
The Rebel Alliance?
That sounds way too dramatic.
But Red can't think of a better description.
So, Alexa says, quietly unwrapping her turkey sandwich with surgical precision.
Saturday morning?
Saturday morning.
Red confirms keeping her voice so low.
The kids at the next table definitely can't hear.
Rachel's been busy during study class.
I found some old maps online she says casually, pulling out what looks like homework, but is actually detailed printouts of the quarry area.
The main entrance has a gate, but there are hiking trails that get pretty close.
Charlie pushes his glasses up nervously.
He's been doing that a lot lately.
What if we run into that Agent Torres guy out there?
We won't, Kurt says confidently.
Meridian says he's watching us here at school, not following us around town on weekends.
Besides...
It's a huge area.
That's when Red notices Agent Torres himself across the cafeteria.
He's sitting alone at a table near the windows pretending to read what looks like a teacher's manual, but his eyes keep flicking toward their table every few seconds.
Don't look now, Red murmurs, taking a bite of her apple, but our friend is definitely watching us.
The whole table goes slightly rigid, but they're smart enough not to turn around and stare.
Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else, Rachel suggests, folding up her maps quickly.
My house after school?
Alexa offers.
Mom's working late today, so we'll have total privacy.
As they're cleaning up their lunch trays, Red notices Agent Taurus suddenly standing up and walking in their direction.
Her heart starts racing.
But then Charlie accidentally knocks over his milk carton, creating this whole dramatic cleanup situation with napkins and everyone helping.
By the time they looked up from the spilled milk.
Agent Torres has changed direction and is heading towards the exit instead.
That was way too close, Charlie whispers, his face pale behind his glasses.
Way too close, Red agrees. watching Agent Torres disappear through the cafeteria doors.
They're definitely going to have to be more careful about when and where they discuss their plans.
The walls have ears, and some of those ears belong to people who absolutely should not know what they're planning.
The rest of the afternoon, classes crawl by, with everyone pretending to pay attention to math and social studies, while actually thinking about the upcoming mission.
When the final bell rings, they meet at Alexa's locker and walk to her house together.
Alexa's house feels like the perfect place for secret mission planning.
Her room is organized in a way that makes Red slightly jealous.
Everything has a place.
Her desk is actually clear enough to use and there are labeled containers for things like school supplies and art stuff.
Plus, her mom is working late at the clinic and won't be back until after dinner, so they can talk freely without worrying about being overheard.
Okay, Alexis says, spreading everything out on her big desk, like she's planning a military operation.
Let's figure this out properly.
Rachel has been busy.
She's got detailed maps of the quarry area, hiking trail guides and even some old newspaper articles she printed from when the quarry was shut down 20 years ago.
Blue has his sketches of possible routes and escape plans, because of course he's already thinking about escape plans.
Charlie brought his laptop to research anything they might have missed.
The quarry's been abandoned since like 2003, Rachel says, pointing to the maps with her pen.
Officially.
It's off limits because of unstable ground and old mining equipment.
But look, the hiking trails run pretty close to the backside.
Red studies the layout, trying to think like Dr. Hart.
Where would you hide something important in an abandoned quarry?
It would need to be somewhere accessible, but not obvious.
Somewhere that's been undisturbed for decades, but isn't dangerous to get to.
What about this?
Blue suggests, tapping a small square on the map.
The old office building.
It's separate from the main quarry pit, so it's probably safer.
And if it was the administrative center, it might have underground storage or something.
Kurt traces the hiking trail with her finger.
If we park at this trailhead and hike in from the north side, we could approach the office building from behind, way less visible from the main road.
Charlie looks up from his laptop screen, glasses reflecting the light.
I found some old photos from when the quarry was still operating.
There are definitely underground sections, offices, storage areas, equipment rooms.
Perfect for hiding things where they won't be accidentally discovered.
Red pulls out the device Meridian gave her.
In the afternoon light coming through Alexa's window, she can see it more clearly.
It definitely looks like a combination of Earth technology and something that absolutely isn't from Earth.
All smooth curves mixed with sharp angles, materials that seem to shift color depending on how you look at them.
Meridian said this would help us access the cache, Red explains, turning it over in her hands.
I think it's designed to detect Martian technology, like a really advanced metal detector.
So cool, Charlie breathes, leaning in to get a better look.
It's like alien technology designed to find other alien technology.
Martian technology.
Lou corrects automatically.
Right.
Martian technology designed to find other Martian technology.
They spend the next hour going over every single detail.
What time to meet, what to bring, what to do if something goes wrong?
What to do if they can't find anything?
What to do if they find too much?
Alexa makes lists because of course she does.
Rachel researches weather forecasts and sunrise times.
Charlie maps out cell phone dead zones and Kurt plans physical backup routes in case they need to get out of there fast.
This is really happening, Charlie says finally, leaning back in Alexa's desk chair.
We are actually going to search for hidden Martian technology to help save refugee families from corrupt government agents.
When you put it like that, Kurt says with a grin, it sounds completely crazy.
The best adventures usually do, Red says, looking around at her friends, her team, and feeling that familiar mix of excitement and terror.
Saturday is only three days away.
By the time Red gets home, her head is spinning with maps and plans and all the things that could go right or wrong.
She felt like she was living two lives mission commander with her friends, ordinary kid with her mom.
That evening at dinner, Red notices her mom seems more distracted than usual.
She keeps glancing at Red and Blue like she wants to say something but can't figure out how to bring it up.
Even her cooking seems more experimental than normal.
Tonight's Is everything all right at school?
She finally asks, poking at what might be meatballs, but looks suspiciously like they're glowing.
Fine, Red says automatically. then realizes that might not be the best answer.
Why?
You've both seemed different lately.
You are getting along well, which is great, but you also seem more secretive, more worried about things.
Their mom sets down her fork and looks at them seriously.
I know adjusting to Earth life is hard, but if there's something specific bothering you, Red and Blue exchange one of those sibling looks again.
There have been some new people around school.
Blue says carefully.
Adults asking questions about students.
It's made everyone kind of nervous.
It's not exactly a lie, Red realizes.
Agent Torres has definitely been asking questions.
What kind of questions?
Their mom asks.
And Red can hear this sharp edge of concern creeping into her voice.
Just where kids are from originally and how long they've lived here.
That kind of thing.
Red improvises.
The teacher said it's probably just some kind of survey, but it feels weird having strangers ask personal stuff.
We don't want to give out any information about our family.
And if any grown-ups you don't recognize want to talk to you privately, come find me right away.
I just want to make sure you're both safe.
Mom, is everything okay?
Blue asks, looking genuinely worried now.
Everything's fine, she says.
But Red notices she doesn't quite meet their eyes when she says it.
I just want to make sure you're both being careful.
Sometimes when families like ours move to new places, there can be complications.
After dinner as they're loading the dishwasher with plates covered in orange pasta sauce, Their mom pulls Red aside.
Red.
If there's ever anything you can't tell me directly, but you need help.
There are people I can contact.
People who understand families like ours and the challenges we face.
Red stares at her mom.
This sudden realization hitting her.
Does she know more than she's been letting on?
Has she always known more?
I'll remember that, Mom, Red says quietly.
Her mom smiles and gives her a quick hug.
Good.
Now go do your homework, both of you.
As Red heads upstairs, she can't shake the feeling that her mom knows exactly what kind of trouble they might be getting into.
The question is, would she try to stop them, or would she help?
Thursday Crawled By A blur of normal classes that felt anything but normal.
Red barely remembered what they studied.
Her mind was stuck on the mission.
Every laugh in the hallway, every question from a teacher felt like background noise compared to the secret she was carrying.
By the time she got to Thursday night, her nerves were stretched tighter than ever.
Red barely sleeps, her mind spinning with questions about her mom, worries about the mission and the weight of everything they're trying to accomplish.
Friday at school feels like the longest day in the history of time.
Red keeps checking the clock above the whiteboard counting down the hours until their Saturday morning mission.
Every class drags by like someone hit the slow motion button. on the entire universe.
During science class, Charlie passes her a note that looks like homework about photosynthesis but is actually a detailed checklist of everything they need to bring tomorrow.
Flashlights, water bottles, the device from Meridian first aid supplies, granola bars and something Charlie has labeled as emergency chocolate in his neat handwriting.
In English.
Rachel slides her a book report.
That's actually three pages of detailed research on the quarry's history and geological features.
Apparently, the area has tons of natural caves and underground limestone formations, which could totally explain how Dr Hart managed to hide technology there without anyone stumbling across it for decades.
At lunch they have to practically sit on their hands to keep from discussing the meeting, since Agent Torres is back at his usual spot across the cafeteria watching them with those calculating eyes.
Anyone want to see a movie this weekend?
Alexa says. loud enough for the nearby tables to hear.
Sure, Kurt replies, catching on immediately.
What's playing at the theater?
They spend the entire lunch period discussing completely fake weekend plans.
Which movie to see?
What time to meet, whether to get popcorn while shooting meaningful looks at each other across the table.
Red's pretty sure they're not fooling anyone who's really paying attention, but at least they're trying to act normal.
After school, Meridian appears at Red's locker, like he's been waiting for her, which he probably has.
Ready for tomorrow? he asks quietly, glancing around to make sure no one's listening.
As ready as we can be, Red replies. shoving her math textbook into her backpack.
What about you?
Are you absolutely sure you can't come with us?
Meridian shakes his head.
Too risky.
Agent Taurus knows I exist now, but he doesn't know I'm involved in any of this.
If he sees me with your group at the quarry...
He doesn't finish the sentence, but Red gets it.
He hands her a small piece of paper folded into a tiny square.
This shows exactly where the cash should be hidden.
Look for the symbol we talked about, the circle within the circle.
It'll probably be carved into stone or metal, somewhere that looks permanent.
Red pockets the paper quickly, trying to look casual.
What if we can't find it?
What if Dr. Hart's directions are too old or too vague?
You'll find it.
Meridian says with way more confidence than Red feels.
Dr. Hart designed these caches to be discovered by the right people.
And you guys are definitely the right people.
As Red walks toward her bus, She catches sight of Agent Torres talking to Ms.
Peterson, one of the math teachers by the main entrance.
He glances in Red's direction and for just a split second she swears she sees something that looks almost like a smile across his face.
Tomorrow can't come soon enough.
And also, tomorrow is coming way too fast.
And that is the end of this part.
Good night.
Sleep tight.
