Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6]

Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6]

by Peter Balmaseda

kristinafh, CC BY 2.0

With the agents in hot pursuit, Becca and Annie ran as fast as they could, heading to the yard
fence where there was a small opening they could sneak through. But just as they reached
that opening, before they could squeeze through and escape, the men caught up to them.

"Stop right there!" Agent Gonzalez called out.

The girls both stopped, realizing they couldn't outrun the agents. They turned to face the two
men. "Why are you chasing us?" Annie said, panting.

"Why are you running away?" Agent Smith countered, breathing heavily. "Usually when
people run away from us, they have something to hide. Do you?"
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 Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6]

Becca commented sassily, "No, we just don't like being followed by strangers like you!"

Agent Smith's eyes narrowed. He looked annoyed.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind the agents. "Hey! Why are you bothering those girls?
Leave them alone." The agents turned around and saw a man and a woman coming toward
them. Becca squinted at them-they didn't look like anyone she knew from the school. She
felt Annie grab her hand and give it a squeeze.

"Just a minute," Agent Gonzalez said to the newcomers. "Are you teachers at this school? We
are federal agents and we need to talk to these girls."

"And how do we know that you really are federal agents?" the woman asked.

"Here's my identification," Agent Smith responded, reaching into his coat. But before he could
pull out his ID, the woman whipped a small spray bottle out of her pocket and squirted
something into his face.

"What the-" Agent Gonzalez didn't finish his sentence before the woman sprayed his face as
well. Both men stood still and silent in place, their faces completely blank of expression. The
newcomers put their arms around the shoulders of the two agents, guided them to a nearby
bench, and sat them down. The man whispered something into Agent Gonzalez's ear, and the
woman whispered something into Agent Smith's ear. Then they both walked over to Becca
and Annie.

"Mom! Dad!"

Becca was startled at Annie's happy outcry. The two strangers looked like regular people, but
they didn't look at all like the Mr. and Mrs. Allen that Becca knew.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" the woman asked Annie.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Annie said.

"And Becca, you're okay too?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I am," Becca replied, "...Mr. Allen...?"

The man nodded.

Becca took a deep breath and began, "But...I've got lots of questions: How did Annie know it

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 Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6]

was you? And what did you do to those men? And did you do anything to Ms. Jones? And...
and..."

"Hold on, Becca. Let's go to our car," Mr. Allen said, "where we can talk privately." All four
headed out from the playground to the front of the school building. They got into the car,
Annie's parents in the front seat, the girls in back.

Mr. Allen started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"We saw what you did today in the gym," Annie's mom said.

"How?" Becca asked, surprised.

"We tapped into the school's closed-circuit TV," Mrs. Allen explained, and "we were pleased to
see that you had come up with a very smart plan."

The girls beamed. "We knew that Ms. Jones had scheduled a dodgeball game for this
morning," Becca explained, "and we were sure that Annie could hold her face in place if she
knew a hit was coming."

"That was extraordinarily clever," said Annie's father, "and we were very glad it worked to get
Ms. Jones off your scent," he added. "But when we came to pick up Annie and saw those
government men chasing you, we realized something was still wrong. So... we decided to
disguise ourselves and take care of the matter."

"Well, what did you do to them?" Becca demanded.

Annie's parents looked at each other, then Annie's mom said, "We have a substance that can
change a person's memory. Those men will remember what happened at the gym today, but
they won't recall what really happened after school. We were going to use it on your gym
teacher, too-but because your clever dodgeball plan succeeded, we didn't have to."

Becca thought for a minute, then asked, "Well... why didn't you use It on me?"

Annie's mom turned around in the front passenger seat, looked into her eyes and replied,
"Because we trust you, Becca." Becca's face flushed a little.

"However, because of all this, we have decided we need to leave," Annie's dad announced.

"What? !" both girls shouted at the same time.

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 Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6]

"Why?" Annie exclaimed. "We don't have to worry anymore! Ms. Jones has no clue! Those
government guys won't remember us!"

"Yeah," Becca chimed in, "we took care of the problem, didn't we?"

"Yes, you both did a great job," Annie's mom agreed, "but this was just too close a call. We've
already communicated with authorities on our home planet, and they have determined that it
is best for us to go now. There have been too many close calls." She paused, then added, "I
know it's disappointing to hear, but it's all been decided."

"Well, that is NOT FAIR," Annie declared, folding her arms across her chest. Becca sat quietly.
Annie's dad drove in silence until they arrived at Becca's house.

"When will you leave?" Becca asked as she put her hand on the car door handle.

"Immediately," Ms. Allen replied, sadness showing in her eyes. "Becca, you've always been a
good friend to Annie, and especially in the past few days, and we will always appreciate that."

"Well," Becca asked, "when you say you are leaving, do you mean leaving the planet-or just
going someplace else?"

"We can't answer that, Becca," Mr. Allen replied. "I do hope you understand. But we truly
thank you for everything you have done."

Becca nodded dejectedly, opened the door, and got out. Annie also left the car, grabbed
Becca, and hugged her tightly, tears sliding down her face. They stayed like that for a few
minutes.

"We will see each other again," Annie whispered, "I promise!" Then she let go of her friend
and got back into the car.

As the Allen family drove off, Becca waved goodbye, then looked around. Not a soul was in
sight.

"My best friend forever is an alien!" Becca called out to the sky. Then she did a little dance,
laughed, and walked inside her house.

---

The End.

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 Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6] - Comprehension Questions

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. Who is chasing Becca and Annie?

A. Agents Gonzalez and Smith

B. Ms. Jones
C. Mr. and Mrs. Allen
D. an alien

2. Based on this text, how would you describe the relationship between the girls' and the
two agents?

A. as adventurous and daring

B. as supportive and caring
C. as dependable and loyal
D. as untrusting and negative

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 Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6] - Comprehension Questions

3. Read the following sentences from the text.

"'That was extraordinarily clever,' said Annie's father, 'and we were very glad it worked to
get Ms. Jones off your scent,' he added. 'But when we came to pick up Annie and saw
those government men chasing you, we realized something was still wrong. So... we
decided to disguise ourselves and take care of the matter.'

'Well, what did you do to them?' Becca demanded.

Annie's parents looked at each other, then Annie's mom said, 'We have a substance that
can change a person's memory. Those men will remember what happened at the gym
today, but they won't recall what really happened after school. We were going to use it on
your gym teacher, too-but because your clever dodgeball plan succeeded, we didn't
have to.'

Becca thought for a minute, then asked, 'Well... why didn't you use It on me?'

Annie's mom turned around in the front passenger seat, looked into her eyes and replied,
'Because we trust you, Becca.' Becca's face flushed a little."

What conclusion can you draw from this evidence?

A. Annie's parents are telling Becca that they trust her but they are about to change her
memory too.
B. Annie's parents went to the school earlier and changed Ms. Jones' and all of Annie's
classmates' memories.
C. Annie's parents think they are safe because they changed the two agents' memories but
there are other agents following them.
D. Annie's parents have a substance that can change a person's memory but they only use it
if they feel they have no other option.

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 Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6] - Comprehension Questions

4. Why do Annie's parents say that it is best for them to leave?

A. Becca has done a great job keeping Annie's secret and helping her but it is hard to keep
secrets so the family must leave just in case she tells somebody.
B. They don't want anybody to find out that they are aliens and someone might become
suspicious because there have been other incidents.
C. Annie's parents weren't able to get Ms. Jones' recording of the gym class where Annie's
face changed so someone might still find out that they are aliens.
D. They used the last of the substance that can change a person's memory on the two
agents and they don't have any to use if something else happens.

5. What is the main idea of this text?

A. Annie's parents help Becca and Annie deal with the two agents but the girls are
disappointed to find out that Annie has to move anyway.
B. Becca and Annie are running away because Agents Gonzalez and Smith started chasing
them when they were leaving school.
C. Annie's parents suggest that they all sit in the car before they answer any questions so
they can talk privately.
D. Becca and Annie are best friends that go to school together and come up with a plan to
get their gym teacher Ms. Jones off their scent.

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 Plan C [Her BFF's Big Secret, #6] - Comprehension Questions

6. Read the following sentences from the text.

"'Well,' Becca asked, 'when you say you are leaving, do you mean leaving the planet-or
just going someplace else?'

'We can't answer that, Becca,' Mr. Allen replied. 'I do hope you understand. But we truly
thank you for everything you have done.'

Becca nodded dejectedly, opened the door, and got out. Annie also left the car, grabbed
Becca, and hugged her tightly, tears sliding down her face. They stayed like that for a few
minutes."

As used in this excerpt, what does the word "dejectedly" most closely mean?

A. disappointed and upset

B. tired and hungry
C. enthusiastic and excited
D. quick and rough

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

____________ Annie and her parents trust Becca, they cannot tell her where they are
going.

A. Therefore
B. Even though
C. For instance
D. Otherwise

8. What is the last thing that Annie says to Becca?

9. How does Becca's mood change at the end of the story? Use evidence from the text to
support your answer.

10. How might Becca and Annie see each other again? Use evidence from the text to
support your answer.

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