11

A light flicked on above their heads. The tornado had widened, creating a calm space in its center. Pearl, Ben, and Dr. Woo stood on a solid floor, but the walls and ceiling were composed of swirling wind.

“Welcome to the Portal. This is your captain speaking.” The high-pitched squeaky voice came from above. Pearl wondered what sort of creature that voice belonged to. She imagined a little grasshopper dressed in a captain’s hat and uniform. “Destination, please.”

“The Tangled Forest,” Dr. Woo said as she set her bag next to her feet.

“Hello, Dr. Woo. Nice to see you again.” The overhead light grew a bit brighter. “The runway on the south end of the Tangled Forest is currently under repair because of damage sustained during the migration of the giants. Will the northern runway suffice?”

“Yes, that will be fine.”

Giants? Pearl mouthed at Ben, who was chewing on his lip again. He was probably imagining a herd of gigantic feet crushing everything in their path.

“Please fasten your seat belts,” the captain said.

“There aren’t any seat belts,” Ben pointed out, “because there aren’t any seats.”

“We’re having them reupholstered,” Dr. Woo explained. “Interdimensional travel can be hard on fabric.”

“Prepare for takeoff,” the captain announced.

Takeoff was the part Pearl didn’t like. The last time she traveled in the Portal, it had seemed like her insides were being scrambled. Was that how it felt on an airplane? Pearl had never been on one. In fact, she hadn’t traveled much outside Buttonville.

A rumbling sound arose, like an engine revving its motor. Pearl braced herself, stiffening her legs and holding out her arms for balance. There were no windows in the wall of swirling wind, so she couldn’t watch the houses grow smaller or the forest disappear as they headed into the clouds.

Suddenly, the Portal began to move in every direction at once, just like in the training movie. Maybe not having windows was a good idea, because Pearl wasn’t sure if she was upside down, sideways, or inside out.

Ben groaned. Pearl closed her eyes. Just when she thought she might break into a million pieces, everything went still and quiet. She opened her eyes and wiped her sweaty palms on her basketball shorts. “Are we here?”