I dash up to the attic early in the morning to find sunlight streaming through an open window above Mummy's desk. As I watch, the Rakweed opens, revealing a flower that creates a strange noise. The flower bursts open and send spores out into the open world. I dash out of the attic and thunder downstairs. Luke passes me on the staircase and heads up. "Mummy!" I yell as I run into the kitchen. "The plant mutated!"
"Plants can't mutate in one night," Mummy argues.
"There's a flower sticking out of it now! Please, you've got to come and see!"
"Emma, you'll be running late at this rate. Now, sit down and have some breakfast." Mummy shouts up the stairs that the toast's getting cold as the queens hurry through. Mum emerges after a few moments.
"It's Luke," she says, "he's ill."
"I knew it! I knew it! Henry warned me about the Blathereen! I should have gotten rid of that plant at the first possible moment!"
"We don't know if it is related to the Rakweed."
"It certainly is; that's the only thing that changed between last night and today!" Mum still sends me off to school and promises to scan the plant at the first possible opportunity.

"Let's not go to school," Jane says, "I don't think I could focus on the test. Not with Luke ill."
"Henry said it was to do with the Blathereen, and I won't let them get away with making my brother ill."

We head to the park, but I stop my friends. Rakweed is growing out of the grass. "Shoot," Catalina says. "We better get back to your place and destroy the plant. We'll probably be fine."
"Sarah Jane and Ruby will be mad," Kitty says, "but if it's to save the world, I'd rather them be mad than having a dead planet." We agree and retrace our steps. We run into the attic to find Mum, Mummy and the officers surrounding Luke on one of the sofas.
"There it is!" Anne yells.
"What are you lot doing out of school?" Mummy demands as I grab the plant.
"Open the safe!" I yell at the queens. Anna runs over and unlocks it. I throw the plant in there and lock it again. Well, that's the house secure. But how do we get rid of the plant if it's already left the confines of the house? We look over at Luke, who is very pale and has dark red spots all over him.
"What has it done to him?" Mummy asks, and she moves to stand in front of Mr Smith.
"The Rakweed spores not only re-seed the plant but are also its weapon against anyone or anything that stands in its path."
"But Luke's stronger than most humans, that must help."
"If he were immortal, he could die and come back to life."
"Immortality," I whisper and look over at my brother. I don't know how I gave myself immortality, but I think I can work it out. Then, Luke will be safe.
"However, Luke inhaled the spores directly into his lungs. If you try and give him immortality now, it may not work."
"Oh, Luke," I whisper and go to sit beside him.

Mr Smith then relays the worst news ever. Luke has only half an hour at the most. Then, Mr Smith starts receiving news reports about cases similar to Luke's and plays a news broadcast. "How quickly can it spread?" Charles asks.
"At its current rate of propagation, the Rakweed will have seeded the whole of London within a few hours, and in approximately three days, the plant could easily have consumed the entire planet."

"Luke, we're leaving you with the officers and the queens. They will take care of you," Mum says.
"Mum, Mummy, where are you going?" I ask.
"If Mr Smith can't give us an antidote, then there's no choice. The Blathereen started this, and they're going to stop it."
"But they'll be halfway across the galaxy by now," Mr Smith says.
"Not necessarily," Mummy says, "I think they'd want to stick around and see their plan unfold. Mr Smith, scan for their ship." Mummy made a note of their teleport coordinates last night in case something happened, so Mr Smith can break through the shield and locate them. "Antarctica."
Mum heads to the back of the attic. "I regret to inform you I only have enough power for a one-way trip."
"We'll take our chances," Mummy says.
"Maybe one of us should stay here," Mum says, "it's better that one of us stays behind to defend Earth in case something happens to the other."
"You're right," Mummy agrees as Mum pulls out a giant water pistol full of vinegar— I know that because I can smell it from over here. Mummy leaves while the rest of us stay with Luke.

I head downstairs to make Luke some soup. It's probably the only thing he can eat right now, so it will have to do. Catalina follows me and checks the clock. "Luke's got minutes," she says, "you should be with him."
"I know, it's just... I don't know what I'll do without him. He's my brother, Catalina! I can't lose him."
"You won't lose him."
"Did my older self tell you that?"
"No, but I have a feeling Luke will be fine."

We head back upstairs a while later to find Mummy back. Luke's in an even worse state— he's unconscious. Then, Clyde calls us. "Clyde!" Mummy yells. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine," Clyde confirms, "and we think we've found a way to kill the Rakweed- the school bell."
"Brilliant! You're both brilliant!"
"It seems to work, but we're not sure why."
"It's because that terrible wailing sound connects the Rakweed. It's how the plant stays alive and communicates. The bell must break that link."
"So, we should blast the sound of the bell across the entire city?" My voice says, but it's not me.
"Hang on, Emma, why are you at Park Vale?"
"I wanted to be here to help, so that's why you haven't gotten a call from the school asking where I am."
"If we can replicate that sound, we can win," Mummy says, "Mr Smith?"
"I can do that, but I would need to know the exact frequency."
"Oh, K-9 can tell you."
"K-9? What's he doing there?"
"Clyde will explain later. K-9, give Mr Smith the bell's frequency."
"1421.09 hertz."
"I am now linking to all electronic devices in areas invaded by the Rakweed and retuning them to replicate the bell's frequency. Prepare yourself, Sarah Jane." Mr Smith shows a map of London, with the red dots showing where the Rakweed is and the green dots the electric devices, and Mr Smith creates a web to link them.
"Cover your ears," Mummy warns, "it's going to be very loud." We all cover our ears, and a loud ringing fills the skies. It goes on for about a minute until Mummy yells, "That's enough for now." Silence fills the room, and we turn to Luke. He is sitting up and looking much better.

"Luke!" I cry and pull him into a hug. Relief courses through me now I know Luke's okay. We gather around, and Mummy seems quiet.
"That noise, Mr Smith," she finally says, "if I needed you to produce it again, but just in the attic, could you?"
"Yes, but for what purpose?"
"Mummy!" My older self yells as she, Clyde, and Rani, run through the door. "You okay, Luke?"
"Yeah, destroying the Rakweed seemed to reverse its effects."
"And you lot are absolute stars," Mummy says. "What a team you make!"

"Mistress," K-9 says as he comes through the door.
"K-9, what happened to you?"
"Oh, Emma's older self and I took him for... walkies."
"Don't drag me into this."
"Negative," K-9 says, "Clyde took me to school to assist with his tests."
"He did, did he?" Mum asks, "Clyde, you don't need to cheat. Have faith in your abilities."

We hear a whooshing sound, and an orange light appears, and the Blathereen emerge behind us. "We meet again, Miss Smith," Leef says.
"Oh, why don't you just go home?" Mummy demands. "This is your final warning!"
"The Slitheen-Blathereen do not take kindly to ultimatums!" Tree barks.
"Oh, no," Charles groans, "what did you lot get into this time?"
"They're only half-bad," Rani whispers, and Mummy overhears.
"Rani's right," she agrees, "forget your Slitheen side. Give your Blathereen blood a chance!"
"Not all of your family can be crooked," Charles shrugs.
"The Blathereen are useless, soft-hearted do-gooders," Tree says, "nothing but middle management."
"We prefer the view from the top!" Leef agrees, and they both raise their claws.
"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."
"I've been dying to say this for ages. Let the hunt begin!"
"Now, Mr Smith!" The noise comes back, but it only affects the attic. We all cover our ears and back away from the Slitheen-Blathereen.

The Slitheen-Blathereen lower their claws. "It is our sense of smell that's highly developed, not our hearing," Leef laughs. But then we hear the sound of farting.
"That's enough, Mr Smith!" The sound disappears as quickly as it came.
The Slitheen-Blathereen start screaming, and their stomachs start moving. "What have you done to us?" Tree demands.
"I'm sorry," Mummy whispers. The Slitheen-Blathereen look at each other, then back at us. Suddenly, they explode all over us, all over the room— not even Mr Smith and K-9 are protected. Their remains are cold and slimy.

"Disintegration successful," K-9 says, breaking the silence.
"You don't say," Mr Smith says.
"Why does this always happen to us?" Charles asks, looking at his fellow Titanic officers and the queens.
"Mummy, you did it!" Luke says. We all start wiping the remains from us, but it will take long showers and hair washes to get everything out.
"They were going to kill us," poor Mummy sounds defeated. "I had to do it."
"What did you do?" Catalina asks.
"On their ship, all they did was stuff their faces with Rakweed. I knew their stomachs would still be full of it."
"The destruction of the undigested Rakweed created methane gas," K-9 adds, "it could not be contained."
"So, they farted themselves to death?" Clyde asks.
"In a nutshell, Master Clyde."
"I can't believe I have to go through this twice," I grumble.
"You're telling me," Emma agrees, "I thought the first time was bad enough!"

"But this isn't how it should end," Mummy says, "there should've been another way, a better way." It sounds like she's about to cry, so we all gather around her and have a group hug.
"You're amazing, Sarah Jane," Harry assures her. We stay like that for a few moments before Mummy breaks the hug and places her hands on Clyde's shoulders.
"Which is more than can be said for people who cheat at tests."
"Yeah, but who's going to want to know the life cycle of a plant?" Clyde asks. Rani clears her throat, and we gesture at ourselves and the Slitheen-Blathereen gunk on us. "Fair enough."
"Now, fetch yourself a mop in the kitchen, and clean up this mess." By the end of her sentence, Mummy can't help but laugh, and we end up laughing with her.