CHAPTER TWO

Cassandra’s bedroom was a cacophony of chatter and laughter. Her mum had delivered two large boxes of pizza and they’d all eaten hungrily, careful not to let any delicious stringy cheese slide off the top and onto the carpet. Their conversation moved swiftly from teachers and school lunches, to favourite pop songs, to whether any child in the world really liked the taste of liquorice. Ugh! The best topic, however, they were saving until last.

“So where should we go on our next adventure?” asked Zia, tossing her last bit of pizza crust into the box.

They looked at each other eagerly.

“I wondered about a trip to the moon. Or a faraway planet,” suggested Luca, jumping up from his camping mat and moving his telescope into position. “Actually, can you t-turn the lights off, Cassie? I think it’s finally d-dark enough outside.”

Cassandra flicked the light switch above her bed. At once, the room was plummeted into darkness.

“P-perfect. Now, who wants to go first?” Luca put his eye to the eyepiece and gazed out into the wide night sky. “I’ll just f-focus the lens and then… Hey, that’s weird. The stars look really p-pale tonight.” He twisted the dial one way, then the other, before giving up and staring back at his friends. “I think we have a p-problem,” he sighed. “There’s still t-too much light.”

“Too much light?” Cassandra asked, sitting up in bed. “But my room’s in darkness!”

“Yes, but there’s a f-full moon tonight,” said Luca, pointing through the window.

Zia and Katy walked over to join him. “That moon’s enormous!” Zia gasped. “It’s lighting up the whole sky!”

“The streetlights and headlights are a problem too,” muttered Katy, frowning. “And so many houses still have lights on.”

“Why does that matter?” Zia looked confused.

“Because of light pollution,” Katy explained.

Everyone was up now, peering through the window at the hazy glow lighting up the dark street outside.

“Is light pollution bad?” asked Cassandra, amazed she hadn’t noticed it before.

“It’s not good,” answered Katy. “Especially for nocturnal animals. They can see and hunt much better in the dark. It’s why floodlights at sports stadiums are controversial.”

“What’s c-controversial?” asked Luca. “

Basically, it means that some people like the idea, and some people don’t,” Zia chipped in. “What if you can’t sleep in the dark, though? Surely a few lights at night aren’t bad for the animals?”

Katy went to answer, but Cassandra got in first. “Zia…you don’t sleep with the light on, do you?”

A blush crept across Zia’s cheeks. “Only a night light. I get a bit scared sometimes. That’s all.”

“But you’re the bravest of all of us,” Katy added, surprised by this discovery.

“We should help you,” Cassandra announced, turning the light back on and laying a hand gently on Zia’s shoulder. “How about a nighttime adventure?”

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” Katy said. “You’re scared of the dark, so what better way to face your fears?”

Zia looked uncomfortable – the blush had drained from her cheeks. “I’m just not sure,” she mumbled.

But a plan was forming in Cassandra’s head. She grabbed Zia’s hands and looked her squarely in the eyes. “Listen, you always tell us we need to face our fears. You’ve been there for us on every adventure – now it’s our turn to be there for you!”

“Cassie’s right, Zia.” Luca smiled warmly. “Remember my f-first adventure, when a flying safari jeep appeared in Katy’s b-bedroom.

There’s no way I was going to get on it at first. I was t-terrified! But you said you’d be there for me, and I b-believed you.”

“We could have the midnight feast on our night-time adventure!” Katy blurted excitedly.

Cassandra squealed, then clapped her hands together. “Imagine eating all those treats under a full moon.”

“In a m-magical clearing, with m-magical creatures,” added Luca. “And magical food,” Katy added. “It really would be the best midnight feast of all time!”

Zia’s cheeks had returned to their normal colour now and she gazed hopefully at her friends. “Do you really think I can do it?”

“We know you can!” they all chimed, and they came together in a big group hug.

At that moment, Thunder leapt onto Cassandra’s desk, meowing loudly and nudging the telescope with his head.

“What is it, Thunder?” asked Katy. “Are you excited by a moonlit midnight feast adventure too?”

But Thunder carried on meowing and rubbing himself against the eyepiece.

Suddenly, Katy pulled Thunder into her arms. “Thunder, you’re a g-genius,” she cried, kissing the top of his head, which he batted away with his paw. “The telescope,” she said to the others. “I think Thunder’s saying we could use it – to transport us somewhere. Like the jeep when we went on safari. Or the rocket that took us to the stars.”

“Maybe it could become a kind of portal?” Cassandra asked.

Thunder meowed.

“I think that’s exactly what Thunder was trying to say,” Katy laughed.

“Great p-plan!” Luca exclaimed, excited that his telescope might come in useful after all. “What do you think, Zia?”

Everyone looked at her, keeping fingers and toes crossed that she trusted her friends enough to get on board with the plan.

“Well, as long as it doesn’t take us too far from home… I think it’s definitely the best way to stay awake until midnight.” Zia grinned.

Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement.

“Right, first we need to pack our midnight feast provisions,” said Cassandra, grabbing a backpack from behind her and pushing the tin of treats deep down inside. Before she zipped the bag closed, she also grabbed a bag of cat treats for Thunder and stuffed that in too.

Then she gathered everyone in a circle, Thunder in the middle, and looked at the four expectant faces staring back at her. It was a big responsibility hosting a playdate adventure. She had to plan things quickly – she didn’t want to let them down. “OK, now we should all close our eyes and imagine Luca’s telescope getting bigger. Imagine it transforming into an enormous portal we can walk through, one that can shoot us straight into a magical world. Imagine a forest full of night-time creatures, the brightest, fullest milky-white moon and an inky sky filled to bursting with stars.”

Cassandra dared a quick peek at her friends, who were diligently imagining the adventure she’d described, eyes shut tight. Thunder was curled on the floor, also with his eye closed. Cassandra squeezed her lids together one more time and said the words her friends were all longing to hear:

“Everyone, repeat after me: I wish to go on an adventure.”