OUR BASE WAS a large wooden cabin raised up on stilts to the front and resting against a steep bank to the back. In front of it ran the stream, which didn’t seem too deep but was really wide. Once inside Gavin told us that we needed to split up.

‘One unit to protect the base and another to attack the enemy.’

Emma and Lily both pulled faces.

‘Were you in the army, Gavin?’ asked Lily.

‘Er . . . no,’ he replied. ‘Why?’

‘Oh, nothing,’ said Lily with a yawn. ‘I just thought from the way you were talking that . . . oh, never mind.’

I gave Chris a nudge. ‘They’re messing him about,’ I told him.

Chris nodded. ‘He’s a fool!’ he whispered back. ‘He deserves it.’

Gavin told us to decide amongst ourselves who was going to join which unit.

‘I think it should be me, Chris, Jason an Emma!’ shouted Lily. On the attack!’

‘Lily! Stop being so demanding,’ ordered Lily’s mum.

‘But I was only saying—’ began Lily.

‘I know, darling, but let someone else speak for a change,’ said Lily’s mum.

‘Oh, Mum!’ replied Lily, looking sheepish.

Gavin grinned. ‘You’ve got five minutes to sort yourselves out,’ he told us. ‘And then I’ll radio my colleague and we’ll start . . .’

In the end Lily got her way about the attack unit. Joining the people she’d asked for were Wendy and Dal’s dad. Everyone else stayed at base. Before we left, Gavin gave us a map of the course and some red stickers.

‘Stick them to trees along the way so that you don’t go in circles,’ he told us.

‘OK,’ I nodded, taking them from him. ‘But how are we going to know what you’re doing?’

‘Easy,’ he said, grinning again.

He pulled the backpack he was wearing from his shoulders and produced two walkie-talkies. He handed one to Dal’s dad and the other to Chris.

‘The frequency is set to channel two,’ he said. ‘Don’t change it.’

Chris nodded. ‘No way, José,’ he promised. ‘What channel is the Blue team on?’

‘Four,’ replied Gavin. ‘Right – get going and remember the plan. You take their base and then come back for us. If you need help, radio in and we’ll send some. And work together, team!’

Once we were on the ground, I asked Dal’s dad what we should do because he’d been paintballing before.

‘I don’t know, Jason,’ he admitted. ‘Every time I’ve ever been we just shoot at anyone. There’s never been any of this war games stuff.’

‘Oh,’ I said, feeling a bit disappointed.

‘Firstly,’ said Wendy, ‘we need to check out the map and work out the direction of their base. Then we move towards it . . .’

‘Good idea, miss!’ said Emma, getting excited.

‘Wendy!’ replied Miss Rice. ‘For Pete’s sake . . .’

‘Who’s Pete?’ asked a confused-looking Chris.

‘It’s just an expression,’ Wendy told him.

Chris grinned. ‘Can we shoot Gavin?’ he asked.

‘I was going to ask that!’ said Emma. ‘Can we, please????’

Wendy smiled and looked at Dal’s dad.

‘Whaddya think, Mr Singh?’

‘I think it’s a great idea,’ he said. ‘But after we get back . . .’

‘YES!!!!!!!!’ said Chris and Lily together.

‘He’s soooo annoying,’ added Emma.

‘OK, Red Unit – move out!’ shouted Wendy. ‘Let’s go kick some butt!’

According to Mr Singh, the Blue team base was to the north-west of our position, with the stream ahead of us. So we decided to head west, following the stream until we reached a bridge. Very quickly we found ourselves obstructed by huge trees. Wendy motioned for us to follow her into a thicket, which was dark and dense.

‘Be careful,’ she told us. ‘It’s wet underfoot . . .’

It had been raining during the morning and in places the ground was slippery with mud. I pushed some branches out of my face and looked around for any danger. But we were OK. There was no sign of the Blue team.

‘It’s horrible in here!’ moaned Lily.

‘Oh, shut up!’ said Emma. ‘It’s fun.’

Chris tapped me on the shoulder from behind. I turned round to see him holding a beetle between his thumb and forefinger.

‘Where’d you get that?’ I asked.

‘Fell on my head,’ he replied. ‘Shall I put it down Emma’s back?’

I shook my head. ‘We’re supposed to be paying close attention,’ I reminded him. ‘If she screams, the Blues will know where we are.’

‘So?’ Chris shrugged. ‘If they come for us, we’ll blast them!’

Before I could say anything else he walked up behind Emma and dropped the beetle down the back of her protective suit. But if he’d been expecting her to react, he got a real shock. Emma turned round and laughed at him. Then without warning, she showed Chris the big, hairy caterpillar she was holding in her left hand. Chris shrieked like a little girl and stepped backwards.

‘You girl!’ shouted Lily.

‘No!’ protested Chris. ‘I thought it was something else . . . like a . . . er . . . stick!’

Emma grinned. ‘Big boy’s blouse!’ she said.

‘Don’t you mean girl’s blouse?’ I asked.

‘No,’ she told me. ‘I mean boy’s!’

SSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

It was Wendy and Mr Singh. We shut up and turned to them. Wendy was trying to point out something to our left. I looked around but I couldn’t see anything. Then I turned right, towards where Mr Singh was pointing but there was nothing there either.

‘What’s going on?’ whispered Lily.

‘Blue team,’ replied Mr Singh. ‘Just beyond that line of trees. They must have taken the bridge we were going to cross . . .’

Wendy motioned for us to get down. She crouched to the floor and we followed suit. Suddenly a whooshing sound flashed overhead. Then another and another!

SPLAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blue paint slid down the tree trunk right next to my head.

‘DUCK, YOU SUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ someone shouted. Someone who sounded just like Abs.

‘They’ve found us!’ shouted Chris. ‘Let’s get out of here!’

‘WAIT!’ demanded Mr Singh. ‘They can’t all be here. Probably only two of them. Let’s try and circle them and get to the bridge.’

He pointed at me, Lily and Wendy and then gestured with his fingers for us to go left. Then he took the others right.

WHOOSH! SPLAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! More blue paint balls zipped through the air until they smacked against tree bark. I ducked again.

They’re everywhere!’ I shouted.

‘Fire back!’ ordered Wendy, but then she turned and got hit on the helmet twice. From in front of us, a cheer went up. It was Leon’s voice. Wendy grinned and sat down.

‘Be with you in ten,’ she told us. ‘Go get ‘em . . . !’

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

‘Let’s get out of here!’ shouted Chris as we all went our separate ways.

I crashed through some bushes and down a bank into the water. I stayed on the edge, trying not to get too wet. Suddenly Emma slid down the bank too and appeared at my side.

‘Good move!’ she told me.

‘I just slipped,’ I told her. ‘I didn’t mean to—’

‘SSSSHHHH!!!!’ she whispered, pointing above her head.

I looked up and saw someone’s feet.

‘It’s Abs,’ Emma told me. ‘He was chasing me. Let’s get him!’

She crawled along the bank until she was behind where Abs was. I went the other way. Slowly we both started to climb the bank. At the top we waited and then, just when Abs least expected it, we jumped up and plastered him with red paint. He must have been hit with five balls.

‘That’s not fair!’ he moaned. ‘I wasn’t ready . . .’

‘Sit down!’ replied Emma triumphantly, before giving me a high-five.

‘What next?’ I asked. ‘Where’s everyone else?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Emma, ‘but we should try to get across the stream. Wendy said to head for the Blue base.’

‘Cool!’ I said. ‘Follow me . . .’

We found the bridge and crossed it without seeing anyone else from the Blues. But we didn’t spot anyone from our team either. And I suddenly realized we didn’t have a radio with us.

‘We’ll have to find Chris or Mr Singh,’ said Emma.

‘They’ll be heading for the Blue base too,’ I told her. ‘Why don’t we just meet them there?’

‘OK,’ she said. ‘Do you know where to go?’

The problem was that we didn’t have a map either. I looked straight ahead, which was north, and then off to the left a little bit.

‘Mr Singh said to go north-west,’ I explained. ‘So . . . this way.’ I nodded towards another spinney that was thick with dark and twisted trees. It looked really spooky.

‘After you,’ Emma told me, looking a bit worried.

‘I’ve got those stickers,’ I told her. ‘We’ll stick them to the trees just in case we get lost.’

‘Just like Hansel and Gretel,’ she replied.

I pulled out the stickers and stuck one to the first tree we reached. Now we couldn’t lose ourselves and go missing . . .