I walk into my room and feel as if I am not alone. I shrug it off and got to sit on my bed. As soon as I am about to, my four friends jump out of hiding and yell, "Happy 12th Birthday, Numbuh 17!" Due to the surprise, I literally jump, slip on the rug, and fall face first on the floor. "Oh, c'mon! Just what I needed for my birthday! I bloody nose! Thanks, guys!" I yell in angry sarcasm.
After I get cleaned up, and also after the plethora of apologies, my fellow KND operative, Numbuh 16, brings out a cake that her mother baked just for me. We scan it for any adult spy technology and then commence to eating it.
It's 3 days before my birthday and my fellow KND operatives secretly organized a surprise birthday party in the tree house. There was cake, balloons, music, presents, everything a 12 year old would want.
Then the phone rings. As senior operative, it's my duty to answer it. "Numbuh 17 here," I answer the phone.
"Jodi, this is Numbuh 543 of Moon Base," the voice says on the other line. "We have just discovered that you lied about your birthday. You will be 13 in a few days. We need to bring you in to prep for decommissioning."
"Please! You mustn't!" I turn away from my friends and say quietly, "I have much more valuable information that must be shared before I'm decommissioned."
"We'll talk about it when you arrive," Numbuh 543 says. "We have a craft on the way to you now."
"You don't understand!" I plead. "Everyone needs to know soon."
There was a short silence on the other line, then Numbuh 543 speaks up, "Fine. We'll send out an Earth-wide message. The craft will arrive for you in 24 hours."
I let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you."
A new voice on, "But you're on lock down until then. No leaving the tree house!" Then dial tone.
I hang up the phone and slump down in the chair. I knew this day would come. For the past 4 years, I have feared this day. But even more in the past 2 months. It's finally arrived and worst of all, I haven't prepared for it.