Losing the Plot by Annie Dalton

Reuben. What he saw really shocked him. “What on earth did they attack him with?” he muttered.
    I don’t know why, but I suddenly remembered those jewelled knuckledusters, the way I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
    I swallowed. “There was only one agent. And I think it was his rings.”
    The paramedic was mystified. “This happened on a research trip?”
    “Had to be,” his mate muttered back. “No other cosmic personnel are allowed in.”
    “So who attacked the kid?”
    “Beats me. Let’s just get them back home. Come on, girls.”
    They were all ready to beam us all up. Lola and I exchanged panic-stricken looks.
    “Thanks but we’re staying.” I tried to sound crisp and professional.
    “We can’t allow that, miss. This is officially an angel no-go area.”
    “Check it out with the Agency if you want,” said Lola fiercely. “All I know is Michael gave us a job to do. Take care of our friend, OK?”
***
    It felt incredibly lonely after they’d gone, and we both had a bit of a cry.
    I was still trying desperately to understand what was going on. Nothing seemed to make sense.
    “Lollie,” I asked tearfully. “Have you ever heard of an angel-free zone?”
    She shook her head. “It’s not just our lot that can’t come in. All cosmic personnel, he said.”
    “So how come that PODS guy is here?”
    “Good question,” she sighed.
    “So are we violating some cosmic treaty, just by being here?”
    “I don’t think so. Remember how Michael kept insisting it wasn’t a mission? Officially we’re kids on an educational trip. That way we don’t pose a threat to the big guys.”
    “Why didn’t Michael explain?”
    She frowned. “I don’t know. But he never does anything without a reason. You know that.”
    “I know it in Heaven,” I admitted. “Down here you start to wonder.”
    Lola gave me a searching look. “Think you’ll be OK by yourself? We really should check on Cat and Chance.”
    The prospect of Lola going anywhere without me filled me with terror. I grabbed her hand. “Lollie, can we actually do this?”
    She gently took her hand away and jammed her thumbs in her belt loops. “We’re the cosmic musketeers,” she said fiercely. “We don’t give in and we don’t give up. Got it?”
    I swallowed hard. “Got it.”
    Lola touched her angel tags. “Later.”
    And she vanished.
    I was just about to beam myself to Chance when I heard someone cautiously lift the latch.
    I almost fainted with fright. He’s back! The PODS came back!
    Chance peered around the door. “Nick? Oh, nobody here,” he said, disappointed.
    I clutched my pounding heart. “That’s right, nobody here,” I said frantically. “So let’s both get out of here while we still can!”
    But Chance just ambled about, admiring Nick’s pad. After he’d had a good nose round, he poured himself some ale, hacked a crust off a loaf he’d found under a cloth, then sat riffling through Nick’s books, calmly chomping away.
    “For Pete’s sake!” I wailed.
    But you can only panic for so long. An hour or so later, Chance was still riffling and I was nodding off.
    Then I shot awake as. I heard the metallic clunk of the latch. Nick walked in with his new best friend and I totally broke out in goose-bumps.
    I could feel the PODS agent deliberately no1 looking at me.
    “Ah, Chance, made yourself comfortable, I see!” said Nick in a forced tone. “I don’t think you’ve met my friend, Edward Brice.”
    Chance jumped up, scattering crumbs, and went to shake hands.
    Brice gave a frosty nod. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. I’ll make myself scarce,” he murmured to Nick. “You two have business to discuss.”
    I had to hand it to him. Brice had really done his homework. His speech, his Elizabethan manners, were perfect. The bleached hair, however, was pure twenty-first century. That’s because he’d borrowed it from my old school crush, along with his gorgeous face and the bad-boy walk.
    He