Page 7 of Knight Moves

Wally had texted Frankie and me, telling us we had to come over after dinner to discuss “it.” We both knew what “it” he was talking about.

Mom turned on the stove and pulled a casserole out of the refrigerator. “Sure. I’ll have Gwen drop you off on her way home. You can call me when you’re ready to come home.”

I returned to my room and quickly texted Wally and Frankie I could come. Frankie responded with a half-dozen brain explosion emojis, said she’d also gotten a visit from “you know who,” and she was coming, too.

Mom, Gwen, and I talked about everything at dinner except for the academy, although that’s all I could think about. When we finished, I offered to do the dishes so I could get to Wally’s as soon as possible.

When I finally arrived at Wally’s, Frankie was already there, chatting with Wally’s mom and dad. Wally took us to his room and closed the door behind him. For a moment I just stood there.

“What’s that?” I said pointing at the middle of his room, where a huge battlefield was set up with dozens of soldier figures, tanks, and airplanes.

Wally looked pleased that I’d asked. “That? Oh, that’s Operation Barbarossa from World War II. It took place from June to July 1941. Hitler’s attack on the USSR was the bloodiest of the war, and as a battle it covered the largest area. It didn’t cause the USSR to collapse, but his victory destroyed the Red Army in western Russia. The Soviets had to retreat and spend years rebuilding their army.”

I circled around the table, intrigued. “I didn’t know you liked this stuff.”

“Oh, he does,” Frankie said. “He’s a military buff. He can recreate hundreds of the great battles of history right from his head.”

Wally’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Yeah, obviously I have a lot of free time on my hands, so I store a lot of random facts up here.” He tapped his head.

“That’s totally cool, Wally.” I meant it. Sometimes, hewaslike a walking encyclopedia. “What else is stored in that head of yours?”

He shrugged, the color in his face fading as he stood a little straighter. “Tons of stuff. The constellations, the periodic table of elements, all the bones and muscles in the body, and a lot of geographic facts like longest rivers, largest deserts, etc. Some of it’s useless trivia, but I’m hoping to try out forJeopardy!someday. I’ll make myself a nice little nest egg and start investing in cryptocurrency.”

“Perfect.” Reluctantly, I tore my gaze from the battlefield and got right to the point of why we were here. “Okay, White Knights, let’s get real. Who’s going for UTOP?”

“You mean the academy,” Frankie corrected me.

“No, I mean UTOP. The academy is what we use in mixed company, meaning nonclassified. We’re alone here, so we can say we’re trying out for UTOP. Operative status. If we don’t make it, we’re back at Excalibur within four weeks.”

“Well, I’ve got mixed feelings about UTOP,” Wally admitted, sitting on the corner of his bed. “Slash said there would be some physical challenges. That would sink me before I even got started.”

“He also told me it wasn’t going to be boot camp,” I countered. “According to Slash, no one fails because they can’t do a push-up.”

“Oh, thank God,” Frankie said with feeling.

“Seriously, it’s not a military academy.” I wondered if I were trying too hard to convince myself of that. “They’re looking for other stuff.”

“What other stuff?” Frankie asked.

“Skills. Mine and Wally’s in cybersecurity, and your mad graphic abilities on the keyboard.”

“Does that make us good spy material?” Frankie wondered.

“Maybe. It was enough to get us nominated. I guess we’ll find out. Are you guys going for it?”

Frankie nodded, excitement flashing in her eyes. “I’m going for it. My dad is in the military, so that should let you know how much money there is in the bank for me to go to a four-year university without taking on crippling debt.” She leaned against Wally’s dresser. “This is my shot at a free education and a solid job as soon as I graduate. It’s worth it, even if I need to figure out how to do a push-up.”

I didn’t think it would be as simple as a push-up, but I looked at Wally anyway. “In or out?”

“Well, if I’m not going to wash out because of the physical challenges, then heck yes, I’m in. Are you kidding me? Harris. Wally Harris—spy. Girls would totally be into me.”

“You’re going to try out for UTOP because you think it will get you girls?”

“Heck yes, I’m doing it for the girls. And for national security, of course. I assure you, both are great motivators.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, we don’t get a lot of time to prove our worth.”

“Four weeks doesn’t seem like a long time,” Frankie mused. “Are your parents okay with it, Wally?”

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