The Dark Giants Read Online Free PDF

screen.
    Sophie T blinked. ‘And what movie are we going to watch on that ?’
    ‘Um …’ Amelia gulped and hoped very hard that Dad had got something good. ‘I’m not
sure, let me check.’
    She slipped out to the lobby and saw that Mum was on her way with a large, thick
plastic disc tucked under her arm: the can of film.
    ‘What is it?’ Amelia asked.
    Mum grinned. ‘Have a look for yourself.’ She held the can out to Amelia. It was heavier
than Amelia expected and had a paper label stuck to it, with untidy handwriting telling
her the title was …
    ‘ Spring Kisses ?’ Amelia was puzzled. ‘But …’
    ‘What?!’ Sophie T yelped from inside the library. ‘What did you say?’
    Amelia showed her the can.
    ‘ Spring Kisses ?’ Sophie T gasped, then shrieked. ‘The actual, genuine Spring Kisses with Harry Badenburger?’
    ‘Yes, I think so,’ said Mum. ‘Was that a good choice?’
    Sophie T grabbed the film from Amelia’s hands and hugged it to her chest, jumping
up and down with such feverish joy Charlie took a step back.
    ‘This is unbelievable!’ she cried. ‘This movie isn’t even out at the cinemas for
another month – how did you get it? It’s impossible!’
    Mum and Amelia looked at each other. How could they explain why a little family in
a crumbling hotel in a nowhere town on the edge of Australia had a copy of the biggest
teen movie in the last fifteen years that no-one had even been able to preview ? Imagine
if – after all their problems with cyborg rats, Guild mercenaries, and ancient starships
– their cover ended up being blown by Sophie T’s knowledge of movie release dates!
    Sophie T, though, was too excited to let the oddness of the situation waste a single
second of her time. ‘Can we put it on now?’ she pleaded. ‘Right now?’
    ‘Of course!’ Mum said brightly, thrilled to avoid explaining her way around Control’s
connections with the movie industry.
    Charlie, meanwhile, shot daggers at Amelia.
    ‘What?’ she said.
    ‘ Spring Kisses ?’ he said with distaste. ‘Are you for real?’
    Amelia shrugged. ‘My dad was in charge of what we got.’
    Charlie snorted. ‘What happened to getting Ninja Cops on Mars ?’
    ‘Yeah, that was your choice, Charlie, not mine.’
    ‘But you can’t really want to see this film,’ he said kindly. ‘I mean, I get that
Sophie T does, but not you, Amelia.’
    ‘Why not me?’
    ‘Because … because …’ he spluttered.
    ‘Is there a problem?’ said Mum, threading the film through the projector’s spools,
while Sophie T set up the screen.
    ‘No, not at all,’ Amelia said, sitting on the sofa. ‘Charlie just figured out I’m
a girl.’
    ‘Oh,’ Sophie T smirked. ‘ Boys .’
    Charlie didn’t reply, but sat down on the other side of Amelia with an air of heroic
resignation.
    ‘Oops, quick!’ said Dad from behind them, just as Mum flicked on the projector and
Sophie T sat on Amelia’s other side. There was a soft purr from the old motor, and
a square of light appeared on the screen, flickering before it was replaced by an
honest-to-goodness old-fashioned countdown.
    ‘Before it begins,’ said Dad, ‘I’ve got a whole dinner in forty-five-degree sectors
for you!’
    He set down two big plates of food: one of pizza slices, and the other of watermelon.
    Looking much more cheerful now there was food in the room, Charlie helped himself
to pizza and settled down to endure the movie. Sophie T squeezed Amelia’s arm and
whispered, ‘Sophie F and Shani will die when they find out what they missed!’ Amelia
settled into the sofa cushions, smiling.
    It turned out that the movie was pretty dim. Harry Badenburger was so gorgeous it
wasn’t funny, but the movie wasn’t funny either, and Amelia was almost sure it was
supposed to be. Even Sophie T had to admit that he didn’t make a very convincing
international diamond thief. When the sad and lonely (but totally beautiful and rich)
main girl confronted Harry at the top of