Earthling Ambassador (Space Brigade 1)

Nicola saw Mrs. Zucchini dart a suspicious look at Tyler Brown.Tyler was one of Nicola's best friends and he was smart. Nicola guessed he probably knew the answer but was deliberately not putting up his hand. He looked back at Mrs. Zucchini with wide innocent eyes behind his round glasses and scrunched up his forehead as though he was trying to remember the name of the sea. Mrs. Zucchini would be thrilled to catch Tyler out with a wrong answer, but would she take the risk? What if Tyler was bluffing?

Don't pick me. Don't pick me. Pick Tyler! Don't say Nicola Berry. Don't say Nicola Berry. Say Tyler Brown. Don't say . . .

"NICOLA BERRY!"

Nicola nearly jumped out of her skin. She couldn't believe it. She had been convinced the mental telepathy was working. It just went to show you couldn't trust a single word her brother said.

"Up to the blackboard, young lady!" Mrs. Zucchini could tell by the expression on Nicola's face she had a winner (in other words, a loser). She brandished the chalk. "Write down the name of the sea right here! If you've been listening, it should be a snap!"

Nicola sneaked a look over to the far side of the classroom and saw her other best friend, Katie Hobbs. Her face was filled with despair, as if Nicola had been sent off to fight in a dangerous battle. Katie's heart was as soft as marshmallow.

Nicola looked back to Tyler, who was slumped back in his chair as if he was all set for a midday nap. Hmmph! He wasn't very sympathetic! She stood up slowly behind her desk. Her arms and legs felt all droopy, like stretched-out plasticine.

"Oh, dear, you poor thing, I'm so sorry, it's such a terrible effort to walk all the way to the blackboard!" Mrs. Zucchini mocked.

Nicola looked back at Tyler and saw that he'd slumped even farther in his seat and was tipping his head back and squeezing his neck with both hands.What was he doing? Was he making fun of her? Nicola shot him an "I'll get you later" look, but then she saw his eyes rolling about wildly.Was he trying to tell her something? He shut his eyes and stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth as if he were playing dead.

Dead.

DEAD!

Of course! Part of her brain must have been listening after all.The answer was the DEAD SEA!

Apparently the Dead Sea had the saltiest water in the world. It was so salty, floating was incredibly easy. People bobbed happily about like corks and you could lie on top of the water as easily as lying on a boogie board. Nicola remembered thinking that this was one of the more interesting things Mrs. Zucchini had ever said and that she'd quite like to try swimming in the Dead Sea.

Nicola grinned to let Tyler know she got the message and went to take the chalk from Mrs. Zucchini's outstretched hand.Then she saw Mrs. Zucchini's face had turned a deep, triumphant purple.

"TYLER BROWN! DID YOU JUST GIVE NICOLA BERRY THE ANSWER? HAVE I JUST CAUGHT THE TWO OF YOU . . . CHEATING?"

Nicola saw Tyler blink rapidly, and Katie press her fingers to her mouth. Her own knees started to shake.

And that's when it happened.

There was a loud, urgent tapping on the classroom door.

RAP-A-TAP! RAP-A-TAP!

Everybody turned to look and suddenly the air in the classroom felt different, like that magical moment just after the lights on a Christmas tree have been turned on.

Something fantastic and unexpected and unusual was about to happen. Nicola was sure of it.

CHAPTER 2

There was a man tapping on the door, but he wasn't someone boring like hairy-eared Mr. Nix, the school principal, come to give them a long lecture about "responsibility" and "community spirit" and picking up orange peels on the playground.

No, this man looked quite . . . interesting.

It wasn't his clothes that were interesting. He was just wearing an ordinary suit and tie. His face wasn't especially unusual, either. He just had an ordinary face--like someone's dad. (Although he did have one of those extra large, bristly mustaches that can sometimes bring on a horrendous attack of the giggles if you look at it for too long.)

The thing that was so interesting about this man was that he was incredibly, incredibly tall. He was so tall that he had to bend almost in half to put his head through the door.

"Sit back down, Nicola!" hissed Mrs. Zucchini as if Nicola shouldn't have been out of her place. Nicola practically danced back to her seat. She noticed Tyler sitting up very straight and alert, while Katie's eyes were round with surprise.

"Can I help you?" snapped Mrs. Zucchini.

"Oh, I doubt that very much." The man's voice was as smooth as a warm caramel sundae.

"Well, but I haven't been notified about any visitors today! Who are you? What do you want?"