A Farewell to Charms by Lindsey Leavitt

months now!” Sora said.
    Vanna paused. “Really? She’s, like, twenty years older than him. But I guess she’s in good shape…”
    “FOCUS,” Sora said. “I’ll cover the hall.”
    “And I’ll get the west wing,” Vanna said. “Of course she waited until after our identities switched.”
    “Hey!” I waved my arms. “Stop.”
    Vanna and Sora stared down at me. For being spies, they really took a roundabout way to solve a simple problem. Vanna might hope to work for an elite government agency, but I happened to have access to a magical agency that knew every single thing the royals did. When I’d tried on the tiaras, Ferdinand told me that Façade tracked royal valuables. The crown jewels would have to be in that system. I fumbled around for my manual and held it up. “There’s a Façade application that traces all the royals’ valuables. If I show it to you, you have to promise not to tell anyone. I’m not sure you’re supposed to know.”
    Vanna lunged for the manual. I hid it behind my back. “Not yet,” I said. “When you do your Princess Progress Report, say I’m the best sub you’ve ever had, that I’m totally trustworthy and have great instincts, and, let’s see, that I should be able to do whatever I want at the agency.”
    Sora gave me an appraising look. “I don’t know what agency you work for, but I’d love to hire you.”
    “Yes! Deal,” Vanna said. “Now hurry.”
    I clicked around on the manual until I found the application. There was a long list of items, but one click in the search engine and the Kamigano crown jewels popped right up. A satellite shot of the palace with a blinking red dot showed the jewels were out in the garden, stationary.
    “They aren’t moving,” I said.
    “Not yet, at least. She’s probably figuring out her getaway,” Sora said.
    Vanna growled. “I know you’re antiviolence, Sora, but right now I could—”
    “Take it,” I said, holding out my manual to Vanna. “You and Sora can use the radar to keep tabs on Janin. Just…please please please don’t drop it. Or tell anyone I let you use my manual. I could lose my job.” And if I was going to lose my job, I hoped it would be for a nobler cause than chasing after Janin.
    Vanna and Sora bolted out of the office, leaving me alone, in a wheelchair, with no idea where I was or what I was supposed to do. I couldn’t summon my bubble without my manual. I couldn’t leave without my manual, either. So I did what any normal teenager would do in my situation.
    I raided the mini-fridge. And glory hallelujah! The butler had a sweet tooth. I found a candy bar—the brand was foreign, but these people knew their nougat—and set my feet up on the desk. It wasn’t quite as relaxing as Vanna’s bed, but it was still a lot better than wheeling around with a jewel thief. Plus, I was following Ferdinand’s advice. You didn’t have to make a big wave to start a ripple. I just handed over my manual and let the princess do the work. Delegation.
    Vanna returned in ten minutes, panting. “We got Janin. Just barely. She’d made a deal with my father’s helicopter pilot—he already had clearance, and in the confusion, no one seemed to notice that there wasn’t a royal in there. But Sora jumped onto the landing skid just as they were taking off and punched the pilot and handcuffed Janin…I think at the same time. So anyway, the jewels are safe, but this agency I’ve been trying to get into thinks I need more time. Obviously, I failed.”
    “I’ve thought I failed a million times, and things usually end up working out for the best. Get some more training from Sora—she’s the real deal—and you’ll make it.”
    Vanna drummed her fingers against the door. “I hope. And when I do, I might need to call you in as a decoy again. After I give you the greatest PPR of all time, of course.” She tossed me my manual. “Thanks for that. I guess I’ll go find my parents now and explain how my ankle