I made sure she was all the way down the stairs. Then I quietly rose and walked over to my desk. I called Loopy. “Hey, boy, can you get the ball? Come on, get the ball.” I pointed to the letter that was just out of my reach. Loopy squeezed low, retrieved it, and dropped it in my hand. I petted his head. “Thanks, Loop. What would I do without you?” I lay down on the floor and smoothed out the note.

True, they didn’t say sorry. And yeah, they probably want the token.

Doug’s words came back into my head.

Maybe you just gotta be more specific when you talk to it. You should practice!

Maybe I should go spy on the Badgers. Then I’ll know if they’re telling the truth or not. But I should practice first . . . on a less threatening bully.

But how do I get Zoe to go with me?

Chapter 23
Spying on Wiley

“Hey, Zoe, do you love me?”

Zoe cringed. “Of course. But whatever you want, Arcade, the answer is NO.”

I sat on the outside stairs of our brownstone on Sunday afternoon, playing with Loopy and munching some gummy bears, because they reminded me of Doug.

“If you love me, then why do you always argue and question my decisions?”

“Because you’re an impossible noodle-head. And I want you to live a long life not embarrassing yourself in public.”

I chewed and grinned. “But you’d want to be there with me, even if I made a bad decision, right? So you could protect me?”

Zoe threw her arms up in the air. “What do you want me to do now?”

I closed up my gummy bear bag and placed it on the top of the stairs. “I want you to go on a spying mission with me. Using the token. To find out what’s up with Wiley Overton.”

“The lumpy potato boy from the subway? Is he giving you trouble at school?”

“Not yet. But trouble’s on the way. I can feel it.”

“I don’t think that’s what you’re supposed to use the token for.”

“Maybe it’s exactly what I’m supposed to use it for. I know Wiley struggles with his schoolwork. But there has to be more. Why is he so mean? Maybe I can help Wiley if I know his story. Maybe that’s part of the mettle testing.”

“But you still don’t know how to control that thing. How do you know we won’t end up on Mars or something like that?”

“Doug suggested I be more specific.” The token sizzled.

Woof!

Loopy jumped up and tried to lick the token.

I pointed to my shirt. “Did you see that?”

Zoe shrugged. “I might have seen a spark.”