CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

THE TRUTH IS OUT

Jonny stopped at the edge of the industrial estate, with the Sibling Swap warehouse a little way off. He turned to his brothers.

‘The plan is to set Alfie and any other children free and then get out of there,’ he said. ‘Let’s be quick. Pete-Pip, send the drone out and check the coast is clear around the warehouse.’

‘On it,’ said Pete-Pip.

‘The rest of us need to find the keys and get those children out as fast as possible,’ said Jonny.

‘No sign of anyone in there,’ said Pete-Pip, checking the drone footage on her small laptop. ‘You’re clear to go!’

Hari skittered back to his tunnel as the others ran silently towards the front door. Inside, Henry ghosted through walls, searching for the keys. He soon found them, hanging on a peg, hidden behind the freezers. He lobbed them to Ted, who began unlocking the cubicle doors and releasing the children inside. Alfie raced out of his cubicle and bounced all over Jonny. Then Jonny heard someone coming. Before he and Alfie could hide, the door swung open and in walked …

‘George!’ shouted Jonny. ‘What are you doing here?’

George looked a bit guilty. Then Jonny’s eyes grew wider. The smell of fish fingers! The boxes full of dodgy gadgets! He’d been struggling to tie all these together, but now it all made sense. This was George’s uncle’s warehouse. But what was George doing here? Unless … oh no, surely not …

‘Yes,’ said George, ‘Sibling Swap is mine. I, er, kind of created the website? With my techy skills, you know?’

‘And don’t tell me,’ said Jonny, ‘the whole dedicated team of Swap operatives who work day and night to find the right swap …’

‘You’re looking at it,’ said George. ‘Just me, with my computer, in my bedroom.’

‘You idiot!’ said Ted, marching over and looking as red as furious ketchup. ‘Your stupid website has caused so much trouble. It was a ridiculous idea!’

‘Don’t blame me!’ yelled George. ‘I haven’t got a brother or sister, so how would I know? Anyway, it was Jonny who gave me the idea, always talking about how he’d had another fight with you and he wished he had a new brother.’

‘That was just imagining and wishing,’ said Jonny. ‘I didn’t expect anyone to let me do it. Anyway, I know now. You can’t swap family members.’

‘Yes, you can!’ said George. ‘I know some of your brothers haven’t worked out, but it wasn’t a total disaster, was it? I mean, at first, you seemed so excited about it.’

‘At first, maybe!’ Jonny spluttered. ‘But, yes, it was a disaster. You can’t just go around swapping brothers and sisters on the internet, with only a form to fill out. I’ve tried and it doesn’t work. Plus, it’s wrong. Really wrong. It’s not, what’s the word? Edible!’

‘Ethical,’ said Ted. ‘It’s not ethical.’

‘Right!’ said Jonny.

‘I don’t believe this!’ shouted George. ‘I did this for you, Jonny. I thought you’d be happy to be able to swap your brother. More children should have that chance! I know there must be hundreds of kids up and down the land who want to do it. I just need to sort out a few problems with the website, that’s all. It’s all on my laptop, here in my backpack. Just a few clicks and Sibling Swap will be unstoppable. I won’t give up on it! This will change lives! I’ll show you. I’ll prove it!’

And with that, he ran out of the warehouse.