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mates and work colleagues couldn’t be invited, so campus weddings were almost always between two retired cherubs who now lived and worked on campus.
    Chloe Blake was a twenty-eight-year-old mission controller who’d worked with James on a number of missions. Husband-to-be Isaac Cole was four years older. After leaving CHERUB, Isaac had a brief career as a professional rugby player before training as a child psychologist and returning to CHERUB to work as a carer in the junior block. His speciality was helping some of the youngest kids deal with their pasts and adapt to new lives on campus.
    James had managed a few short visits to campus during the second phase of his Brigands mission, but he’d missed most of the pre-wedding build-up and hadn’t appreciated what a huge deal it was for most of the girls on campus.
    The ceremony wasn’t until noon, but James was woken at seven by two recently qualified grey shirts. Dressed in night clothes, the girls were screaming in the hall outside his door and calling each other slags.
    ‘What are you playing at?’ James asked drowsily, as he stood in his doorway. ‘People are trying to sleep, you know?’
    ‘Bog off, Vanessa,’ a short blond girl shouted, completely ignoring James. ‘I asked Kevin first.’
    ‘Oh that’s such a lie, Rhiannon,’ an Asian girl shouted back. ‘You hardly even spoke to Kevin until I did that art project with him. He’s my friend. Just because you started trying to get off with him two nights ago.’
    James was half asleep, but worked out that the girls were fighting over Kevin Sumner, who lived in the room directly across the hall.
    ‘Girls, girls,’ James said firmly, but they ignored him again.
    ‘Take Ronan, he fancies you.’
    ‘Ronan’s gross,’ Vanessa shouted. ‘ You take him.’
    ‘I’ll knock and ask Kevin who he wants to go with,’ Rhiannon yelled. ‘I bet a million pounds that it’s not you and your stupid hamster cheeks.’
    ‘Hamster cheeks! You can talk, you flat-faced tramp.’
    Vanessa lunged forward to knock on Kevin’s door, but Rhiannon shoved her back. At this point, normal twelve-year-old girls might have had a bit of a cat fight, but these were qualified CHERUB agents so what followed was a series of rapid-fire martial arts moves. The bout ended with Vanessa holding Rhiannon in a headlock, while Rhiannon was painfully bending back Vanessa’s fingers.
    ‘Pack it in,’ James shouted. ‘Now.’
    Sick of being ignored, James barged forward, shoving both girls hard against Kevin’s door. He then grabbed Vanessa’s arm. After freeing Rhiannon from the headlock he ripped the girls apart and held them at arm’s length. By this time, there were heads poking from doors all along the corridor, including Kerry two doors down.
    ‘James, leave those girls alone,’ Kerry shouted.
    ‘Me!’ James gasped. ‘I’m just trying to stop them from killing each other.’
    The prize the girls sought was also awake by this stage. Kevin stood in his doorway looking mystified. He didn’t look much of a catch, dressed in one sock, a pair of Spiderman pyjama bottoms that were way too small and a ripped grey CHERUB T-shirt with half of last night’s dinner down it.
    ‘Kevin, tell Vanessa that you said you’re going to the wedding with me,’ Rhiannon demanded.
    ‘Did I?’ Kevin asked. ‘Oh, well I guess I did.’
    ‘Bull,’ Vanessa shouted. ‘You said in art class that you were going with me.’
    Kevin looked confused. ‘You asked if I was going to the wedding. So I said, yeah if you wanted me to.’
    Both girls looked flabbergasted. ‘But you can’t go with both of us!’ Vanessa said.
    Kevin scratched his neck. ‘I just thought you were asking if I was gonna be there. I thought we were, but actually, most of us lads reckon it’ll be boring. I’ll probably go to the pool with Jake and them, and swing by for the flash meal and the party this evening.’
    ‘But Siobhan said Jake’s going to the wedding with