CHERUB: Shadow Wave by Robert Muchamore Read Free Book Online Page B

normal day James would have known every face on campus, but weddings were always an excuse for a campus reunion and today there were three hundred retired CHERUB agents and former staff on the grounds.
    James shouted at Kerry, as she walked five metres ahead of him. ‘Oi darling, do you think we’ll get married on campus some day?’
    Kerry snorted. ‘Who says I’m marrying you?’
    There were a few laughs. James looked down and noticed the black scorch marks where his hand-built racing buggy had crashed and burned out eighteen months earlier. Two middle-aged women stood on the grass pointing towards the upper floors of the main building.
    ‘I remember it all being built,’ one woman said. ‘That was my room at the end of the sixth floor. And in those days all the boys were up on the seventh and the top floor was mission preparation.’
    More nostalgia, James thought to himself as he looked across at Amy. She was twenty-one and looked stunning in her strapless dress. But she’d lost the mystique she’d held six years earlier, when James was a new recruit and Amy seemed like an impossibly sophisticated and experienced black shirt.
    These days Amy worked as a bodyguard, Kyle was a university student with a part-time job in a nightclub, while fearsome instructor Norman Large guarded frozen chickens in Asda. The prospect of life after CHERUB had never seemed duller and James felt depressed as he approached the rows of white plastic chairs on the lawn in front of the chapel.
    A hundred and fifty specially selected guests would be crammed inside the small campus chapel. The rest would sit outside and watch the ceremony on a large video screen. If it had been raining, the chairs and screen would have been in the hall in the main building.
    Kerry left an empty seat for James, but as he shuffled between the rows he was hailed by Meryl Spencer. His former handler had just been promoted to Chief Handler, which meant she was now in charge of campus life for every qualified CHERUB agent.
    ‘Whatever it is, I’m innocent,’ James grinned, as he stepped up to Meryl in the main aisle between the chairs.
    ‘Cuts healing OK?’ Meryl asked.
    James nodded. ‘Stitches out Monday. Hopefully I’ll be able to wear some decent clothes after that.’
    ‘You get on well with Joshua Asker and some of the other little red shirts, don’t you?’
    ‘Yeah. I’ve helped out with their swimming lessons and stuff.’
    ‘Great,’ Meryl smiled. ‘We’ve got a couple of carers up the back who’ve worked with Isaac for a long time. They really deserve to be inside the chapel, but they’re stuck out back keeping an eye on the little red-shirt boys. Would you mind sitting back and keeping an eye out so they can go inside?’
    ‘Course,’ James nodded. ‘Just the boys?’
    ‘Every girl aged between three and eight is a bridesmaid,’ Meryl explained. ‘All thirteen of them.’
    The five little boys were fidgety so they’d deliberately been placed at the back. They looked cute dressed in matching shoes and jackets, though the littlest one was barely three and he’d already thrown off his tie and shoes.
    Five-year-old Joshua Asker sidled up to James with a huge grin on his face.
    ‘Can we do swimming again now you’re back?’ he asked eagerly.
    James raised one eyebrow and shook his head. ‘You’re too smelly.’
    ‘You’re smelly,’ Joshua shouted back noisily, before erupting with laughter and flicking James’ arm.
    A few people looked around, including Joshua’s mum, Zara. As CHERUB Chairwoman, she’d be giving away the bride.
    ‘Behave, Joshua,’ Zara said firmly.
    Joshua pointed at James. ‘He called me smelly first.’
    As Zara shushed Joshua a white Rolls-Royce emerged into the avenue of trees that led up toward the chapel. A few warm-up blasts from the organist came through the loudspeakers and everyone sitting outside swivelled around as the car stopped.
    ‘I can’t see,’ one of the little boys moaned, as Chloe