Alligator Action (9 page)

“NOOO!” yelled Destiny. “MOM! Don't you remember? He's your friend!”

Petty sighed. “There are many things I don't remember, Destiny. Like you, for instance . . . although you're starting to look a bit more familiar. But one thing I will NEVER forget is that Victor Crouch is my DEADLY ENEMY. One day I will try to prove it to you . . . to the whole world. But for now . . . I must go.”

Danny's teeth were about to sink into Victor's bony leg when Josh bellowed “DANNY! Stop it! You're not a real alligator—remember!”

“Come on, boys,” said Petty. “I think it's time we got out of here.” They made their way down
from the stage and out across the tent, which was now empty. Even the cameramen had finally run away. There was still plenty of screaming and shouting going on outside. There were some emergency sirens in the distance too.

Petty paused at the tent exit and looked back at Victor Crouch, who was now groggily sitting up again. “A good try, Victor!” she called. “Convincing my daughter to help you trap me. And luring Danny and Josh here so that you could trap them too. But we're too smart for that! You may have gotten ahold of my marbles. But you
can't understand the S.W.I.T.C.H. formula code in them, can you? And you will NEVER get the solution from me. NEVER! NEVEEEEEEEEER!”

“PETTY! You NEED ME!” Victor bellowed back. “I can help you! I can bring you back to the secret government labs! Can't you see that you're just TOO DANGEROUS when you're left to work alone? For pity's sake, woman—you're working with eight-year-olds!”

Josh and Danny turned and grunted at Victor, who shrieked and fainted again.

“Wait!” Suddenly Destiny was running towards Petty. “Mommy—don't leave me! Not again!”

“Why would I stay, you soft-in-the-head TV twit?” thundered Petty. “You are a traitor to your own mother!”

“But . . . it's not the way it seems,” sniffed Destiny. “You left your marbles with me . . . years ago,” she said, her eyes darting nervously down at the two alligators at Petty's feet. “I don't know why . . . but you left me six of them.”

Petty suddenly thumped her forehead. “Of course I did!” she said. “Of course! I left them
with you for safekeeping! I remember now! Rather stupid, though, wasn't it? You just handed them over to Victor Crouch!”

“Oh, Mother . . . it wasn't like that!” protested Destiny, her eyes filling with tears. “I was trying to think of ways to make you remember me. Every time I went to your house, you'd accuse me of trying to sell you replacement windows and slam the door in my face! So Victor asked if I had any keepsakes from you . . . something we could use. Then we realized what the marbles really were!”

“But he didn't know how to use them without me!” said Petty. “I bet he took them away for a while, didn't he? To ‘examine' them. And then came back with this insane plan when he realized he couldn't make the S.W.I.T.C.H. code into formula on his own!”

Destiny gulped. “Yes . . . I suppose he did. I'm sorry—but I thought he was right. That you needed to be in a safe place . . . for people who are a bit mad. I thought we might make you better.”

“So, you were going to chuck me in a loony bin?” snapped Petty. “And what about Josh and Danny?”

“Well, er, I didn't really think we'd lock up Josh and Danny too,” Destiny said, guiltily. “But I was a bit worried at the way you kept turning them into reptiles. It didn't seem terribly safe . . .”

“Well,
you
might not have locked them up,” Petty said. “But Victor would. You don't know him like I do!”

At this point, there were two thuds. Josh and Danny S.W.I.T.C.H.ed back into boys. Danny was still hissing with his jaws wide open. Destiny gave them both a watery smile.

“Really,” Destiny said, “we only got Josh and Danny involved because you trust them.” She sniffed. “And you don't trust me.”

“So it was
you
who followed us around, dropping marble clues into our lives?” Josh said accusingly to Destiny. “At our house, at our
school—at Princessland! You even followed us to Cornwall on our holiday!”

“Well . . . it wasn't always me,” Destiny said. “I mean . . . I have lots of people I pay to do things for me. You don't think it was me who put marbles in that owl's nest? Or up in the light in your school gym, do you? Although it
was
me who sent you the marble in the parachute. I thought that was rather good . . .” She grinned smugly.

“Yes—it was!” admitted Danny, slipping Josh the case. “But today was just nuts. Who do you think you are, kidnapping Petty and putting her on your stupid TV show?”

“Your whole plan was ridiculous,” added Petty. “You even acted it out in front of a studio audience!”

Destiny sighed. “I can't help it . . . it's such great TV!”

“You're dim, Destiny,” sighed Petty. “Always were. Nice enough . . . but dim.”

“At least I'm fabulously rich and famous,” pointed out Destiny. “And maybe I wouldn't ever have become Destiny Darcy, TV star, if I'd been as clever as you are. But anyway . . . take this.”

Destiny put the last MAMMALSWITCH marble—an orange one—into Petty's hand and closed her fingers over it. “The others onstage are just ordinary marbles. For effect,” she said. “This is the last one. I don't think I should keep it. You did just stop me from being eaten by a croc—I mean, an alligator . . .”

There was another anguished shout behind them. “DESTINY!” wailed Victor, staggering across the stage. “Don't let her GO!” He stumbled across the stage—and then slipped on a marble and landed flat on his face. His wig fell off, revealing his bald head.

“Go,” said Destiny, her eyes shining. “And one day, come back and tell me what happened next! Maybe we can do a follow-up show . . .”

Petty raised one eyebrow, pocketing the final marble. “Erm . . . Josh, Danny . . . could you cause a distraction so I can slip away unnoticed?”

Josh and Danny grinned. Five seconds later, Petty smiled and gave their scaly snouts a pat. “You won't see me for a while . . . but I will be in touch . . .” she whispered.

Danny and Josh rushed out of the tent and caused an uproar. The two huge alligators thundered through the terrified crowd, made for the lake, and plunged into the water. Petty Potts slipped away unnoticed.

Josh and Danny had been underwater before . . . as great diving beetles, frogs, and even anacondas. But this . . . was something else!

Leaving the uproar behind them, they slid swiftly down into the lake, sending a flock of freaked-out ducks high into the air above them. In just seconds, all that could be seen of the alligators were two long wakes in the water, fading fast as they paddled away.

The noise of the crowd was replaced by the gurgling, booming, singing serenity of their underwater world. Josh and Danny tucked their legs in close to their bodies and undulated through the water at speed. It felt cool and silky
and wonderful as they powered along with almost no effort. Bright autumn sunlight shafted down through the water, flickering fingers of gold through the greenish-blue haze.

Fish darted away from them. A few alarmed deep-diving birds sped back up to the surface in plumes of bubbles. But Josh and Danny weren't after snacks. They were just thrilled to be swimming alligators, kings of their domain, absolutely unstoppable!

They almost forgot the madness that had led them here. It was, without a doubt, their most exhilarating S.W.I.T.C.H. ever.