Nadia Nightingale

By Madeleine Watson

“Have you ever jumped from a jet with a parachute that doesn’t open?

Tried to sabotage an election, perhaps?”

When Nadia Nightingale is snatched from her home and recruited to be a secret agent, she isn’t sure who to trust. Thrown headfirst into a murder case, it’s a game of clues and secrecy where one wrong move could lead to her downfall.

But behind the chaos and betrayal, Nadia soon realises that a much bigger plot is unfolding…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398474376

Madeleine Watson

Madeleine Watson lives in the UK and writes under a pseudonym.At the age of 51, she discovered she had been repeatedly raped at the age of 3 by an uncle who shared her toddlerhood home.During oblivion, she kept a diary, wrote children’s mysteries, novels and short stories. She also went to art school for 5 years. Unbeknown to her, clues to her horrific toddlerhood had seeped into her creations.How she finally learned the truth is described in her books along with further revelations. Having lived through this experience, she is able to describe what life has been like for someone whose toddlerhood has been brutalised prior to the dawning of her conscious awareness.

Book preview

About the Author

Nadia Nightingale is Madeleine Watson’s first work. She began writing this novel after living in Geneva, Switzerland for three years. She now lives in Sydney, Australia and hopes to inspire young readers to embrace challenge and be change-makers in the world.

Copyright Information ©

Madeleine Watson 2023

The right of Madeleine Watson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398474369 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398474376 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Dedication

I would like to thank my family for believing in me and supporting my journey as an author. I am also very grateful for my friends for reading the early drafts of my book and for their helpful feedback. A special thanks to my sister, Isabella, for her cover designs and editing tips that brought my book to where it is now. And finally, thanks to Austin Macauley Publishers for accepting me as a young author and seeing the potential in Nadia Nightingale.

Chapter One

The Unexpected Beginning

Have you ever jumped from a jet with a parachute that doesn’t open?

Tried to sabotage an election, perhaps?

When you’re a secret agent working in an undercover society, you get up to pretty crazy things. All it took to start my career was a lasered window and two girls in disguise. Let’s cut back to where it all started.

Light flooded my cosy bedroom room, illuminating the space in a river of warmth and bathing my back in its gentle glow. My fingers ran up and down my violin, the bow sweeping over the worn strings. I closed my eyes, lost in the music, a jazzy melody filling the air as I played. The streets of Cambridge, the laughing children playing outside, it all seemed to fade away. I loved it when it was like this – my family out, the house empty, quiet and begging to be filled with music.

I opened my eyes to the crazy colourful place that was my bedroom. My bed in the far corner was covered with a green bedspread rimmed with pom-poms, the wall above it crammed with paintings I had done and photos of my family and friends. A shelf stood next to the wall mainly occupied by my countless collection of books. In every available spot which could be used as some type of hook, I had hung a homemade mobile. They spun delicately in the air, the vibrant hues catching the light of the sun, the odd sequin or jewel throwing off a bead of colour onto the wall.

I was home alone, which suited me just fine.

As the piece came to an end, I lifted my bow in the air dramatically for an invisible audience, and then smiled to myself as I knelt down to put the violin back in its case. My mood was a daze, a moment of bliss as I strapped the instrument into its red case and let out a content sigh.

My ears were met with a satisfying click as the buckle clamped closed. I sat against the cupboard of my room, watching the trees wave and dance in the breeze, the calm sky perfectly blue…zap.

I froze.

Body rigid, my eyes came into focus as I listened for the sound. It returned, this time unwavering. I swallowed hard.

Then I saw it. The small red dot moving steadily in a curved line on the glass of my window, forming a circle.

A red dot? I wondered, trying to convince myself of my mistake. Surely I was just being paranoid. I did tend to get caught up in my wild imagination…Then I realised. Not a dot…a laser.

A red laser was cutting a hole in my window.

At first, I didn’t quite process it. Surely it wasn’t kidnappers…I thought my suburb was safe. I clung onto that idea for as long as I could before logic and reason got the better of me. Who else would have the technology to laser a hole in my window?

That was when the panic hit. My heart began to gallop in my chest as my breathing quickened. Questions started to churn in my head, flicking in and out quickly, repeating like a broken record. Was I imagining this?

I peeked through my hands up at the window and my stomach did a triple backflip as I watched the small pinprick curve up in the glass to finish the second half of the circle. For a moment, I was transfixed, watching the gentle curve of red-hot glass join itself to the other end. Then, with a jolt, I snapped out of it and found my eyes darting to the door – should I make a run for it now? The chaos of my imagination had me rooted to the spot but it wasn’t too late…

But something inside me warned that they might hear me and I didn’t want my presence known. Besides, they probably had some partner in crime guarding the door.

I watched the piece of glass that had just been cut with the laser slide excruciatingly slowly through the support of the window and then fall and shatter on the floor of my room. I bit my lip.

I backed up against the wall when a voice drifted through the hole in the window. I strained my ears, surprised that what I was hearing sounded very…young.

No, Hummingbird, what are you doing? We’re meant to follow the identity procedure before we enter the room or it might be the wrong person!

Hummingbird? Alright, I have to admit that was a new one. The strange name caused the overwhelming fear I had experienced just a second ago to leave me momentarily. What replaced it was a calm, instructive voice telling me that I needed to be brave and handle this myself. I had to think of a plan.

Replaying the person’s words in my head I realised that there was not one mysterious stranger but two. Ideas began flooding my mind as I tried to form a way out of this. My breathing became heavier as I began losing my focus, instead listening in on what they would say next.

Sorry, Sparrow, I completely forgot. Hope they’re not in there.

Sparrow? What was going on?

I tried to think on the bright side – they didn’t know I was in here.

Yet.

"Forgot? Forgot? How could you have forgotten? After all of the courses of recruiting S.P.E.A.R.s? Atlas has drilled these rules into our heads over and over! What are we going to do if this isn’t who we’re looking for?" The first voice snapped.

Whoever Atlas was, I didn’t know. I didn’t care. I was just focused on trying to pull my head out of their conversation and back into the construction of a plan. A thought kept nagging at my mind though: Why did they sound so much like…teenagers?

Whatever, let’s just get this done with and see who it is. Anyway, I doubt that Currawong would have driven us to the wrong place.

Oh, now there’s a Currawong! Never heard of such a name! What is this – some kind of bird spotting group? I thought, beginning to get frustrated.

My mind suddenly dragged me back to the fact that they were about to break into my room and find me. What else could they mean by ‘See who it is’?

The sound of scratching against a brick wall met my ears, which told me that they were making their way towards my bedroom window. The window itself was two stories up so I didn’t really understand how they could have climbed the solid brick wall of our apartment.

I made up my mind and rose to my feet, starting to back away towards the door. I didn’t care about them hearing me, I just needed to get out of here. But that clearly wasn’t going to be the case because I was too late. The first figure was already emerging through the hole in the window.

First came the hands. They were flawless and tanned. My suspicion was confirmed when I saw that the girl climbing through the window was indeed a teenager, 14 or so. She had perfectly straight black hair and deep brown eyes that quickly surveyed the room. She wore a plain t-shirt with ripped jeans, an oversized black jacket tossed over her lean shoulders. The girl lightly jumped through the window and landed smoothly on the carpet.

I started backing away.

The second girl had started to climb through the window. She looked like a model, her pink floaty blouse drifting delicately down her arms. The girl’s eyes were ocean blue, her honey-blond hair falling down her back in a waterfall of golden locks. The two of them stood in front of me, looking me up and down.

Oh, here she is, said the first girl, the one with ripped jeans. Nice to meet you too. I thought. If two teenage girls are going to laser a hole in my window and barge into my room, they could at least be polite.

She isn’t really dressed appropriately, if you know what I mean, She commented, cocking an eyebrow. She eyed my colourful summer dress as if sizing me up. She made a face, her painted, plum red lips forming a pout. I assumed this girl was Sparrow as she was the one who announced their arrival and the first to have climbed in.

I ignored her comment, busy calculating the best way to evacuate my room and bolt them inside.

What do you mean? She looks perfectly fine to me, responded Hummingbird. Her voice was gentle and smooth.

Oh, yeah? How is she going to climb back down the building without tripping over her dress?

My eyes darted between the two of them, brows furrowing. Their tedious conversation about clothing seemed to have faded away in my head, dulled by the panic that had just returned. What should I do – run or stay? But what they said next brought me back to my senses.

I guess she’ll manage. We were sent on a mission and that was to retrieve Nadia Nightingale and bring her back to base. Nothing more. Sparrow said, bossily. Well, Nadia, you’re going to have to come with us.

I opened my mouth and closed in again. Was I being kidnapped? I thought back to school and tried to think of something valuable that would help me in this situation. What do you do when two teenage girls with strange bird names come up the wall of your apartment and climb through your window, tell you that you’re not dressed appropriately and then say you have to come with them? They don’t exactly teach this stuff in school. Shoving these thoughts out of my head, I stammered, How do you know my name? I immediately scolded myself, wishing that I had come up with something a bit more intimidating.

No time for all that, we need to get moving. Atlas is expecting us.

There was that name again, Atlas. What on Earth were they going on about?

Oh, come on, Sparrow. You’re being a bit silly. We can’t just take her without telling her what we’re here for.

They were really scaring me now. What did they want? What were they planning? Hummingbird turned towards me and in an official voice said, Nadia Nightingale, you have been offered the role of a secret agent in the Silver Raven Society.

Chapter Two

The Silver Raven Society

Society?

Secret agent?

For a moment, I was lost for words. Then my mind plunged into a messy blast of thoughts. This definitely wasn’t a joke these girls were playing on me – I didn’t know them and how in the world did they get a hold of a laser device?

More likely this was a kidnap and the two of them were sent to do the job because they were young and less suspicious. But weren’t they meant to be throwing a brown sack over my head and running away with me? Shouldn’t they be putting me in a van, hidden until they got a ransom from my parents? I thought that was how a kidnap was meant to work.

Instead, they had just offered me a role in a secret agent society. I barely even knew what that was! Why would anyone want me as a secret agent? From what I knew from movies I had seen), agents were those action people who sped around on motorbikes, chasing or escaping some evil person. That was definitely not me.

Absolutely definitely not me.

Nadia, who puts her time into making sparkly items which she can hang up in every corner of her room. Nadia, who spends hours drawing a car parked across the road or just staring up at the cracks on her plain white ceiling, lost in some fascinating idea or fantasy.

I drew together my flimsy remnants of courage, working up the confidence to talk to them.

Um…I think you may have got the wrong person. I’m not really into action and motorbikes and…secret agent business, I said finally. The two girls exchanged looks, raising eyebrows. The expressions on their faces did not suggest that they were going to retreat back down the wall.

I didn’t understand.

I’m sorry to say, Nadia, but we are under strict orders that you must come with us and we will not leave until you do. Sparrow huffed in frustration, tapping her spotless leather boot.

But anyway, even if I wanted to come with you, my parents wouldn’t let me, I argued, deciding to talk to them as if they were normal girls and not kidnappers. Then the thought came to me. How could I go when my family was leaving for a holiday tomorrow to Santorini?

Your parents will be informed of your departure and what you are doing but nothing else. We’ve got to keep these things secret, you see, said Hummingbird.

I stood there for a second, thinking. If they weren’t going to leave until I went with them, what else could I do but go? I didn’t want two girls, who I barely knew, following me around everywhere…but even so, they were probably lying to make me go with them. I could run away from them now but something told me there were better ways to deal with this.

I don’t know if you’re aware but it is fairly impolite to laser a hole in someone’s window and try to make them leave their home. I can call my parents or even the police, I said, backing towards my bedside table where I had left my phone. I picked it up and showed it to them as a threat. I’m not letting you take me anywhere. Please, just leave – you can use the front door this time and that will be the end of it. They didn’t move.

Fine. I will give you one chance: leave now or I will call the police. I was surprised at how confident I sounded. Was this still me who was talking? I had never spoken like this to anyone before.

Showing some good confidence there, I heard Hummingbird whisper to Sparrow. That’s a good start – Atlas was obviously right when he chose to take her as a recruit. I felt myself going red. This wasn’t what was meant to happen. They were meant to back down and leave me alone, not compliment me on my threat!

I let out a little ‘hmph’ and turned on my phone, dialling in the number to alert the police.

The phone buzzed and a voice came through it.

Hello? I was about to respond but saw Sparrow lifting her watch to her eyes and clicking a button on it. My phone instantly went black. Flustered, I tried turning it on again but it was locked.

H-h-how did you do that? I asked, astonished.

You learn a thing or two when you’re a secret agent, she said with a laugh.

My mind tried to process how she could turn my phone off without touching it but couldn’t. Now I knew for sure that this wasn’t a prank. My plan to dissuade Sparrow and Hummingbird was falling to pieces and I was running out of options.

Please, this isn’t funny. I don’t know why you want me as your secret agent but whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry – I’m just not the person you’re looking for. Just let me enjoy my summer holidays. I tried to reason with them but they clearly weren’t going anywhere.

The two of them stared at me in the way that parents do when they expect you to say something. I frowned. Did these girls think that I would willingly leave my home to work for a place which I had never heard of and knew nothing about?

Well… I said, adding the things up in my head. I had tried threatening them, I had tried to reason with them. I didn’t know how many strategies I would have to try before they gave in, so I rose and walked towards the door. I’ll leave. I gingerly placed my hand on the doorknob, afraid that someone was waiting there to jump out and tie me up.

I wouldn’t, if I were you, Hummingbird warned, her soothing voice out of place with the serious expression on her face. We can have agents at the front door to stop you faster than you can reach the bottom of the stairs.

My hand stopped on the doorknob and I groaned. Why did this have to happen? I should have left at the start!

I’m not going anywhere, then, I said and walked to my bed, even though I could feel my courage seeping away. But nonetheless, I tightened my grip around my sheets and sat firm. Well, neither are we, said Sparrow, grinning. She was enjoying herself. The two of them shut the curtains so no one would see and then promptly leaned against my closet patiently. My lips parted slightly. These girls seemed very confident in what they were saying. So confident, in fact, that they had stayed put even when I said I would call the police and had now locked my phone. Where did they get it from? How could they act so relaxed? I was losing hope. Hummingbird and Sparrow didn’t seem to show any hint that they were going to leave. If I just waited until my parents returned from their gathering with their friends, I would be here for two hours. It wasn’t only going to be a long wait, it was also going to be extremely awkward. And what would I say when they found two strangers lingering in my room and a hole in my window?

What if I waited for my brother Charlie to come home? He would most likely just run straight back out to his friends again.

Feeling tears form in my eyes, I shouted ‘HELP’ at the top of my voice. There was no answer. Hummingbird and Sparrow exchanged looks and sighed.

I took in a deep breath and said, OK. Tell me how long you will take me away for?

Just the summer holidays, said Hummingbird, lazily, looking at her pastel, manicured nails. We’ll send a letter to your parents about where you’ve gone and you’ll be back in time for when school starts again.

Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad after all. I could give it a try – being a secret agent did sound sort of appealing, now I thought about it. I mean, maybe I could learn some of those fancy agent tricks like what Sparrow had done to my phone.

But then again, I would miss my family and friends. And the holiday to Santorini which we had planned. But did I have any other option? I covered my face in my hands to dull out the rising nerves and formed a plan in my head. Stay confident. Go with them and call for help when you get there.

Don’t think this is going to be boring – it’s just as good as a holiday. Being an agent is exciting, interesting and you get loads of cool gadgets along the way. The food is awesome, said Sparrow, sensing my reluctance.

Do you think you might be up for it? asked Hummingbird hopefully. She obviously didn’t like the idea of sitting through two hours of awkwardness either.

I hesitated. Then my answer came out before I could stop myself, All right.

Remembering what they had said, I glanced down at my loose beach dress, my bare feet and my long streaky chestnut brown hair that fell in waves down my shoulders. They were right, I really wasn’t dressed for action.

◭◭◭◭◭

My feet slipped and grinded against the bricks as I climbed down the apartment wall. My head throbbed as the warm sun that coated my back suddenly felt too hot, the light breeze suddenly too cold. The ground seemed a very long way down when I made the mistake of looking. My hands shook as I gripped the rope of the grappling hook, my fingers scraping and burning against its surface. Sparrow and Hummingbird made the climb look so easy but I could tell that it took practice.

When we reached the bottom of the apartment, I looked back up at my room. I had left everything there, I didn’t know if I was going to be different when I when I came home again. Would I still like reading? Would there be time to flop on my bed or would I be constantly writing out secret files and memos? I pushed that thought away, remembering that I probably wasn’t going for long and jumped from the last few layers of bricks to the ground.

I was relieved that I would only be gone for the holidays. I wondered what I would do as a secret agent – I was certainly looking forward to using gadgets.

We turned a sharp left corner and I found myself walking down a dark alley. The walls of the place were heavily coated with graffiti…it wasn’t such a pretty sight.

I wonder if anyone lives down here? I thought out loud.

Who would want to live in this soggy place? It smells disgusting! said Hummingbird, grimacing.

But that is one of the reasons that we parked our car here, so that no one sees it, said Sparrow.

Smart, I said, seeing a silvery grey car parked at the end of the alley.

Oh, it was Currawong’s idea, said Hummingbird, cheerfully. Both of them seemed to be happy that I hadn’t chosen the two-hour wait for my parents.

There was a short silence and then Sparrow called out, Currawong! We have Nadia Nightingale!

Out of the steady gloom of the street came the unmistakable sound of an engine. Through the darkness came the car which I figured Currawong was driving.

The car pulled to a halt, spraying a cloud of dust behind it. Hullo, there, Currawong said, voice thick with a Scottish accent and stuck his head out of the window. His black matted hair sat lopsided and resembled a bird’s nest. His eyes were chocolate brown, and he looked about 18 or so.

Nadia, meet Currawong, said Hummingbird, grinning at us. He works as a travel agent at S.R.S. – the Silver Raven Society; you’ll probably see him around quite a bit there. He can drive cars, planes, helicopters, motorbikes, pretty much anything. She smiled.

Next thing I knew, I was climbing into an air-conditioned car with padded leather seats. Shivering slightly, I glanced back over to Currawong, who seemed to be dialling something on an array of buttons inserted next to the window.

So, Nadia, are you looking forward to being an agent? asked Currawong.

Well, it took a lot of convincing. But I’ll give it a try, I replied, sitting up higher in my seat.

I was suddenly feeling quite important now that I was sitting in a secret agent’s car. I remember when I first started here…I was sent a wax sealed letter. If you’re wondering, they only laser the window for the S.P.E.A.R.s. You, my friend, are a S.P.E.A.R., informed Currawong.

Me? What on earth? Being chosen to be a spy was one thing but me as a ‘S.P.E.A.R.’ (whatever that was) was something else. I felt a twang of jealousy for Currawong, who hadn’t had to endure the fright that I had.

What do you mean ‘S.P.E.A.R.’? I asked.

We have information on everyone in Cambridge and we choose whoever we think has a good mind for cracking codes and finding clues. We also look through school reports, academic achievements, sporting involvements, unique abilities and skills like creativity and attention to detail. S.P.E.A.R.s are the people who would make such a good agent that we can’t afford to give them a choice and have to instead do what Hummingbird and Sparrow did, explained Currawong.

Then Sparrow spoke, There are some things we need to explain about how the Silver Raven society works. First of all, you need to know who we are. She cleared her throat in an official manner and said, We are agents from the Silver Raven Society, a secret organisation designed to recruit teens from all around the world and teach them to be agents. Atlas assigns missions to agents and we complete them, perhaps accompanied with an adult agent depending on which level you are on. New agents start on the Green Level. There are three levels that you need to move through to become an expert secret agent. The first is the Green Level for those who are new to the society like you are, the second is the Red Level for one year of experience and finally the Blue Level, where you take your master class. The Blue Level is for those who are experts. The levels work on different skills, getting harder as you progress up the levels every year.

So, in a nutshell, the Silver Raven Society is like a secret agent school for teens. Currawong clarified.

At the end of the holidays, we have the badge celebration where new agents get assigned their code names which they use on their missions, Hummingbird said.

I listed all of these things in my head and suddenly felt a little change of heart, starting off small but growing gradually. I shuffled in my seat, feeling excited. It was funny how quickly I could change from dreading being taken as an agent to not being able to stand the anticipation. I wanted to see this society and learn all about this whole secret agent thing. Before I could let in the doubt about whether I could really trust them and be an agent in their society, another voice chimed in. This time it was Sparrow.

"When you have been on a mission and have shown that you can use all of the skills you’ve been taught, you are awarded your