Spot paced nervously inside Dorm 7, waiting for Swoop and whoever he brought with him. The door finally swung open, and about seven boys walked in, Swoop in the lead.
"Spot, I thunk about it, and I figure it's worth it. So I'se brought Wall, Click, Can, Jig, Check an' No-name."
"No-name?"
"He can't 'member his name 'cause he was real little when he went on da streets."
"Well Swoop ain't your real name, is it? Give him a nickname!"
"We call him Floorboard, sometimes." One of the small ones piped up. "One account of he's real good at scrunchin' up real small an' looking like da floor ta escape from Minch an' Tar."
"Floorboard is him name, den. His name is what ya call him." Spot gave them a look. Did they really not understand that a name was whatever you were called? "All right. So I'se got dis idea dat if we wanna git rid of Minch, we'se gotta play his weaknesses."
"What weaknesses? He ain't got none." Spot looked at the boy.
"Who is you?"
"Click."
"Well Click, he may not seem like he's got weaknesses, but he do. Everybody do."
"Oh."
"We don't know 'em, but I'se wanna knew 'em, so dat we kin start ta try an' git rid of him."
"So we'se gon' be spies?" This came from a small negro boy, who the boys had called Check.
"Uh-huh. You'se is gonna either convince Minch dat you'se is wid him an' den tell us what ya learn, or jist spy on him some other way."
"Us?"
"Me, Scape an' Goat is gonna git rid of Minch." Swoop snorted.
"Mighty confident for a seven year old, ain't ya."
"I may be seven, but I'se got brains. Goat's got resources. An' Scape kin fight."
"You'se can't?"
"I'm workin' on it. But dat ain't you'se job. You'se is da spies. Are you'se in or out?"
"In."
"In."
"In."
"In."
"In."
"In."
"In." Spot grinned.
"Den let's git to it!"
