“Good morning, John Dos Passos Elementary,” Harry said. “Today is Wednesday, September eighteenth. The cold lunch is tuna salad and crackers. The hot lunch is black bean burrito bowl. I’m Harry E. Levin.”
“I’m Damion Skinner,” said Damion. “And you’re watching . . .”
“The News at Nine,” they said in unison. Well, sort of. Damion said “The News at Nine,” at the same time Harry said “News at Nine,” which meant they were off by a word, so Harry repeated “Nine” at the end to try and match Damion, only his timing was off, so Damion tried to match him, so it sounded something like “The News News at at Nine-Ni-Ni-Nine?”
At her desk in her classroom, Ash winced just a little bit. She usually tried to ignore her old show, but today she was dialed in completely. She knew Harry was going to steal her story—last night at dinner, Sadie had confirmed that Lucy was planning to be on The News at Nine, along with a framed photo of the Yellow Flash. Dad and Abba spent most of the evening reminding an angry Ash that news wasn’t limited to any one anchor or network, that television stations were always competing for viewers, that viewers tuned in not just for what was reported but also how it was reported. Ash thought all that was easy for her dads to say. They’d never had their ideas stolen from right under their noses.
The News at Nine proceeded as usual, with the Pledge of Allegiance, the birthday report, and, it being Wednesday, the knock-knock joke of the week. And then the anchors were back on screen, both grinning with anticipation, like they were about to jump from behind the desk for a surprise birthday party.
“And now,” Harry said, “a special report about a second grader at our school.”
Ash and Maya caught each other’s eyes. Ash shrugged half-heartedly, and Maya frowned.
“Last week, Lucy Wilson’s bicycle was stolen from the playground at Riverside Park,” Harry said.
“Terrible,” said Damion, shaking his head.
“Lucy rode the bike, which she called the Yellow Flash, to Riverside Park. She parked it inside the fence, near the playground. When she was done playing and ready to ride home, the bike was gone. Here’s Lucy Wilson herself, with breaking news on this developing story.”
Breaking news? Ash plopped her head into her hands, exasperated. She hadn’t expected Harry to credit her reporting, even if Brielle had tried to make him. But calling his report “breaking news” was a flat-out lie. He couldn’t call it that, not when Lucy was about to walk into the studio and repeat the facts from her interview with Ash.
But then Ash’s head dropped out of her hands and almost onto her desk. Because Lucy didn’t walk into the studio holding a photo of her stolen bike—she rode into the studio on her stolen bike.
“The Yellow Flash!” Lucy shouted. “It’s back!”
The kids in Ash’s classroom cheered and started talking excitedly. Ash and Maya exchanged confused looks. What was going on?
“How did you get the bike back?” Harry asked.
“Get this,” Lucy said, parking the Yellow Flash next to the anchor desk but not getting off. “I went to Riverside Park last night, and my bike was there. Right in the exact spot it had been taken from.”
“Did you see who brought it back?” Damion asked.
“Nope,” Lucy said. “There were some people at the park, but they said the bike was there when they got there.”
“And it’s definitely yours?” Harry asked.
“Believe it!” Lucy pumped her fist in the air. “It’s kind of beat-up, though. Both handlebar grips are ripped now, see? And I had ribbons in the spokes, which are gone. But it’s definitely the Yellow Flash.” She climbed down and gave the bike a big hug. She rested her head on the seat and said, “I missed you, Flashy. Don’t ever leave me again.” Then she leaned forward and started kissing the handlebars repeatedly, which made everyone in Ash’s class crack up. Khalil must have been laughing too, because the camera started shaking.
Ash was too stunned to laugh. How did Lucy’s bike get returned to the park? Did the thief see The Underground News and feel guilty about stealing it? Did a detective see their episode and quickly solve the case? Did Harry steal it himself, just so he could break the news of its return? She knew that last theory didn’t make much sense, since Harry only heard about Lucy’s bike after it had disappeared, but it felt good to blame Harry for stealing more than just her news report. It was easier than admitting that he’d managed—with pure luck—to turn Ash’s lead into breaking news of his own.
“Tell us, Lucy,” Harry said stiffly, clearly reading from pre-written notes, “do you have any tips for our viewers, based on your experience?”
“Always lock up your bike,” Lucy said, “even at the playground. Thieves are real and they are sneaky. I think it’s also good to tell lots of people, so they can be on the lookout. Maybe my thief returned the Yellow Flash because they heard me talking about it on a show called—”
“Thank you,” Harry said, cutting her off. “Those are good tips.”
Lucy smiled and resumed kissing her bike.
Ash felt her whole body tense up. She could sense Maya looking at her, but she kept staring straight ahead, forcing herself to take deep breaths.
“Thanks for coming on the show, Lucy,” Damion said. “I’m Damion Skinner.”
“And I’m Harry E. Levin. We hope you enjoyed this special report from The News at Nine, brought to you by Baltimore-based Van Ness Media.” He looked right into the camera, and it felt like he was looking through it, aiming directly for Ash, as he smirked and signed off with “Have a great day.”