Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller

men in New York.
    â€œAugustus Quackenbush dropped dead in 1867, and a couple of years later, Pearcy Leake mysteriously disappeared. Their tunnel was forgotten. But it’s still down there, just waiting for someone to use it.”
    â€œGive me a break. How could you possibly know all that?” I demanded.
    â€œAugustus Quackenbush was my great-great-grandfather,” Kiki said. “A few years ago, I inherited a house that once belonged to him. When we were renovating, a workman found his diary and a copy of
Glimpses of Gotham
hidden behind a stone in the fireplace. Because I’m a relative of the dead, I was able to get a key to the Marble Cemetery, even though Augustus Quackenbush isn’t even buried there.”
    â€œHe’s not?” I asked.
    â€œWell, he couldn’t risk anyone finding the tunnel, so he was secretly buried elsewhere.”
    â€œWhere?”
    â€œIn my front yard,” said Kiki nonchalantly.
    For a moment I was speechless. And although I knew I shouldn’t judge people by their relatives, I wondered if Kiki Strike was up to no good. I was beginning to understand how the other girls might play a part in Kiki’s plans, but I had no idea why she would need someone like me. If I had any unusual talents, I had yet to discover them.
    â€œWhy me?” I asked. “I can’t hack computers or make surveillance equipment. What good am I to you?”
    Kiki shook her head as if I had missed the point. “Other than me, you’re the only person alive who’s seen the Shadow City. That morning you watched me climb out of the hole in front of your house, I had a hunch you’d find the trapdoor. I left you my copy of
Glimpses of Gotham
just to make it a little easier. But believe it or not, Ananka, there aren’t too many people who’d jump into a hole just to see what’s down there. You even followed meinto Central Park in the middle of a blizzard. Your tailing skills stink, but you’ve got guts.
    â€œBesides, you’re far more important to this operation than you think. We’ll have to do a lot of research before we explore the Shadow City, and I’d rather not have some nosy librarian breathing down my neck. Your library has all the books we could possibly need.”
    â€œHow do you know about my library?” I asked.
    â€œI didn’t know it was a secret,” said Kiki vaguely.
    â€œBut why didn’t you just tell me what was going on? Why did you have to drag me to half the Girl Scout meetings in Manhattan?”
    â€œYou spent two months following me around, so I figured you’re the sort of person who likes to see things for herself. That’s why I let you see me at the Marble Cemetery. And I took you to meet the other girls so you’d know exactly what I was up to.”
    It was neither the first nor the last time I would be surprised by how well she knew me.
    â€œOkay,” I sighed. “When do we get started?”
    Kiki reached into her bag and pulled out one of the mysterious golden envelopes.
    â€œThis one is for you.”
    I opened the envelope and pulled out a printed card.
    Outgrown the Girl Scouts?
it read in large letters.
Join the Irregulars, and begin the greatest adventure of your youth. First meeting to be held at 17:00 on the second Saturday in April at 133
½
Bank Street. Absolute secrecy required. No disguises, recording equipment, or toxic substances allowed inside.
    â€œThe Irregulars?” I asked, slightly confused.
    â€œIt’s the name of our new troop.” She paused as if waiting for a laugh. “Well,
I
thought it was funny,” she added when it became clear that I didn’t get the joke.
    â€œWhat do we do if one of the girls doesn’t want to join?”
    Kiki stopped smiling. “We’ll have to kill her, won’t we?”
    I stared at her in horror until she broke into a grin.
    â€œCome on, that’s hilarious,” she