The History Mystery by Ana María Machado

where.’
    â€˜But how do we do that?’
    â€˜I don’t know, Sonia. But we have to find a clue. I’m not going to ask you to read it again, that’d be a bit much. But I’m really starting to feel that we’re going to be able to work this out.’
    â€˜Do you have a fax machine at home?’ asked Sonia. ‘Because I could fax it to you and then you can read it as many times as you like.’
    â€˜No, I don’t. But why don’t you just scan it and email it to me.’
    â€˜We haven’t got a scanner here. I could scan it in my dad’s office, but not until Monday.’
    â€˜That’s no use. If we have to wait until Monday, you might as well give it to me yourself at school.’
    The message wasn’t all that long, Sonia thought. She could type it up and email it to him.
    She was just about to say that, when Pedro said, ‘I think I’ll come over to your place tomorrow andtake a look. Would that be OK? Or are you sick of me after spending a whole Saturday together?’
    Was it OK? Of course it was! Two days in a row with Pedro all to herself, and at the weekend too. She really seemed to be in luck. In a way, the Brainy Hacker was playing Cupid. These pranks were helping to bring Pedro close to her.
    â€˜Yeah, that’s all right,’ she said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. ‘That way, we can compare all the stuff we’ve already got from this guy, and we’ll definitely come up with a clue. It’s just a matter of strategy.’
    And of luck , she thought. Lots of luck .

7 – Message in a Bottle
    Sonia and Pedro spent a good part of Sunday morning organising the information they already had about the Brainy Hacker. They not only worked on what he (or she) had left by way of the weird messages, but they also made a summary of what they remembered from the other appearance that hadn’t left a printed record. They read it all over and over and made lots of notes, using up piles of scrap paper.
    They only interrupted their work for lunch, which was a fantastic Sunday spaghetti dish cooked by Sonia’s Italian grandmother. The tomato sauce had been left cooking over a low heat since morning, filling the house with a tempting smell that made it harder and harder for the kids to concentrate as the clock moved forward and their stomachs told them it was time to eat.
    â€˜You’re staying to lunch with us, Pedro, right?’ said Mrs D’Angelo hospitably. ‘I’m going to set an extra place at the table.’
    â€˜Nonna’s food is amazing,’ said Sonia.
    There was no need to insist. Pedro had heard of her famous spaghetti, even though he’d never tasted it. And the delicious smell was irresistible.
    â€˜I didn’t tell my mum I was staying out for lunch,’ said Pedro. ‘But yes, I’ll stay, thank you. I just need to phone home and let them know.’
    When he hung up the phone, he asked, ‘Is it alright if I use your phone again? My mum says there’s an urgent message for me. Apparently, Matt has called my house three times already. If he has spent his Sunday morning calling me, something must have happened.’
    Something certainly had. A new attack from the Brainy Hacker.
    By now, almost all the friends had been exchanging ideas and impressions about the joker’s activities. All except for Faye, who was too scatterbrained (or at least that’s what they all thought), and Matt, who had heard all the stories but never had anything to tell. To be honest, he was starting to feel a bit jealous that nobody had sent him any mysterious messages. He was also slightly anxious that his friends would start thinking he might be to blame for what was happening. After all, if he was the only one who wasn’t getting these weird messages, that made him a natural suspect.
    That was why he got so excited when he joined the club: he had finally got a message. This was