'We could all be wearing yellow buttons!' said Shimlara.
'We could present the petition as long as a rainbow at the same time,' said a voice from the other side of the cave.
They all looked around. It was Topaz, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes.
She threw back the covers and leapt out of bed.
'This could work,' she said. 'If we got every single person on the planet of Shobble to march, this could totally work.'
Joshua tipped his chair back, clasped his hands behind his head and looked smug. 'Told you she wasn't serious about giving up the cause,' he said.
33
Topaz stood at the whiteboard writing down people's ideas as they called them out excitedly. She had to keep stopping to blow her nose and she was sucking on a (chocolate-flavoured) cough lolly, but her depression seemed to have lifted. The vibrant girl in the photo was back. Nicola admired the unselfconscious way Topaz led the group. She wasn't too bossy but at the same time she didn't try too hard to make people like her. When Sean and Joshua started yawning and throwing things at each other while Greta told a long involved story about a gymnastics competition that was meant to demonstrate some point, Topaz calmly told Sean and Joshua to stop it and Greta to hurry up. Everyone seemed to respect her. Was it simply because Topaz didn't have any self-doubt? Was being a leader like handling a ferocious dog? 'Never let the dog see your fear,' Nicola's dad always told her.
'Oh, I'm sorry, Nicola.' Topaz caught her eye. 'You should be up here too. You're the leader of the Space Brigade. I'm such a bossy boots.'
'Oh, no, that's okay.' Nicola felt shy.
'No, no. You and I will be joint leaders of this operation,' insisted Topaz. 'If it wasn't for you, I'd still be lying in bed feeling sorry for myself.'
Nicola went up to the front and took the whiteboard marker that Topaz handed her.
'Okay, what do you think we've forgotten?' asked Topaz.
For a moment, Nicola's mind went blank. FOCUS, she told herself. Katie's encouraging face appeared in her mind, saying, 'You can do it, Nic.' Nicola realised how stupid it was to be worrying what people thought of her when Katie was being held hostage, for heaven's sake! That was all that mattered. Rescuing Katie. Her mind became sharp and clear.
'All right,' she said. 'We need to figure out a way to let as many people as possible know about the march. How do we do that?'
'Newspaper,' contributed Serena. 'It would be great if we could get an article in the newspaper, telling everybody where and when to meet.'
'Excellent!' said Nicola and wrote the word newspaper up on the whiteboard. She managed to ignore Sean, who was making a cross-eyed face at her, and said, 'So how do we get an article in the newspaper?'
'Oh! Oh! Me, me! Pick me!' Shimlara waved both arms around in the air as if Nicola was a teacher.
'Shimlara?' said Nicola, trying to keep a straight face.
'Your pocket! Your pocket! Look in your pocket!'
'My pocket?'
'Your pocket! Your back pocket!'
Nicola didn't know what she was talking about. She gave Topaz an apologetic look as if to say Sorry about the Space Brigade's wacky behaviour and slid her hand into her pocket. She pulled out a small white card.
Nicola looked at it without recognition.
It said:
JENNY JENKINS
REPORTER
THE SHOBBLE TIMES
TIX NO: 993-98080891083409840983098340893091
48130043