The wind was blowing in my hair as we rolled across the field of flowers. In the void node assigrade, we had only been allowed to explore the starting area, which didn’t have a lot of side of trees, rivers, valleys and void monsters.

  This trip felt like gest yet, and that wasn’t just because Oka, Kalei, Lillia, Aira and I were currently riding on top of a vehicle that somewhat resembled a minivae the absurdity of the situation, I wasn’t feeling incredibly anxious about it, which was o me. The wind blowing in my fad the swashbug feeling of propelling forward across a pin filled with flowing wheatlike pnts was too fun for me to be scared.

  “Agh,” I said, reag for my ankles as we passed over a small hill. I was wearing the magized boots used mainly for beam chasers, and I kept smashing my ankles against the metal ridges that topped them. “So here’s my idea! They should do what they did with the power blocker wristbands, which used to be all big and ky, right? They should do that with beam chaser boots!”

  “Zeta, is now really the best time for this?” Kalei asked. “And it’s beam chasers, not just beam chaser, even if it’s followed by a plural!”

  “That doesn’t make sehough and it sounds weird!” I said.

  “Is now really the best time for sprammar?” Oka asked. She was in front of the minivan cruiser, directly over the driver’s seat. She leaned over. “How are you doing down there, Laenie?”

  “My hair…it’s getting in my eyes,” Laenie said. “It’s…itchy and maddening.”

  “Then take one hand off the wheel and brush that hair out!” Oka said.

  “’t take…hands off. Wheel. Then…we’ll…die.” Laenie said.

  “Remind me why Laenie is the one driving us?” Kalei asked.

  “Because she’s the only oh a learner’s permit!” Aira said.

  “Well, just a bit more of this, at least,” Oka said. “Right, Lillia?”

  Lillia had a map projected from her wristband. She nodded. “It’s close!”

  The minivan shook as we began to head downhill. I sed across the wide view of the fields.

  “There it is!” I said, pointing ahead as oal rumbled ahead.

  While it was teically a train, it barely looked like o looked like it was made out of solidified pudding, swirling blobs of purple and pink, with ptforms and blocks scattered about it. It rode along rails that formed shortly in front of it and faded away a few feet behind.

  For some reason, this was our first shot at a “crystal level rare event,” something that was required on the Benta schorship. Basically, if I didn’t get on this train and find whatever was on it, I could fail the Benta a expelled.

  “The train’s close,” Lillia said. “Everyone, get ready to jump!”

  We all took stances and held hands he buttons that demagized our boots so we could un-g to the minivan to try and nd orain.

  “I think I’m gonna teleport over,” Aira said. “When we’re close, I mean.”

  “The pn was we all regur jump whe there,” Oka said. “And not like, jump fifteen, like—"

  “We know!” The rest of us yelled in unison.

  “But it’d be easier for me to teleport!” Aira said. “Here, I get it now, watch!”

  “Aira, the pn!” Lillia yelled as Aira teleported ahead.

  For a split sed, Aira looked as though she was going to nd orain. But she misjudged how fast it was going and plopped onto the ground as the train sped by, tumbling away as we drove past her.

  “I know we should go back for her, but I’m afraid if I turn now, we’ll all crash and die!” Laenie said.

  “Just stay on course for just a few more seds!” Lillia said.

  Laenie sped up a bit. Oka, Kalei, Lillia and I all held our ready to jump stance as Laenie drove faster. We got closer and closer to the train. Close enough that I could tell that it smelled like watermelon taffy melted on a hot summer day. Lae a bump, wobbling us all a bit, but we luckily hadn’t deactivated our boots.

  “Should we jump now?” Oka asked.

  “A few more seds,” Lillia said. “And…now!”

  We all deactivated the mags a as far as we could. We arced towards a part of the train that didn’t have any boxes or ptforms on it, just a goopy weird purple and pink substance. We lucked out and didn’t miss the train car like Aira. However, as soon as we nded, it was like we hit a trampoline made of gum, and we bounced backwards, nding on the ground as the train sped away.