TSP Draft Three - Ch2

Overview: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/draft-three-of-the-secret-portal

Read-aloud, pt1: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaylinrosealexander/video/7187034325077003566?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7168171927235937835

Previous: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/tsp-draft-three-prologue-ch1

I have highlighted the text exclusive to the first version of this draft and underlined the text that is exclusive to the second version of this draft.

Chapter Two

Date: November 22nd, 2024 Time: 1:30

Place: Falconwing Middle School; Ms. Joseph’s class

Madison

Friday the 22nd

As soon as the bell rang, I jumped up and ran to catch up with my friends Kathleen Woods and Trixie Johnson.

“Hi, Maddie!” Kat said when I ran up to them. “Any plans for the week?”

“Of course!” Trixie screamed joyfully before I could answer. “Remem- ber? Alexia is having her sleepover tomorrow! I’m going!”

Kat sighed. “I wish I was allowed to spend the night at my friends’ houses!”

I actually wished the same thing. In August for my sleepover, Kat was one of the friends that came. She was the only one who couldn’t stay.

“Bus 79 is leaving in 5 minutes,” the lady on the intercom said.

Bus 79 was Trixie and Kat’s bus, so I said good-bye to them and ran out by the pine tree where I was supposed to meet Lexi. But Lexi wasn’t there. Instead, her friend Aurora’s sister Hannah and their half-brother Mikey Jacobs were there.

Hannah had her brown hair pulled into a ponytail and black rectangular glasses over hazel-ish brown eyes. Mikey’s hair was a little lighter and had big black glasses that were too big for his face. Mikey was really small for his age, and looked like a second-grader, despite being in fifth grade.

“Hi,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re going home with you,” said Hannah. “Our parents won’t be home until 3:00.”

I nodded and stood to wait for Lexi and Aurora. It seemed like an hour (but it was only 1:32) when I heard my name.

“Maddie! Maddie! Maddie!”

I spun around to see a girl running toward me. She had short blonde and black glasses over her big blue eyes. “Kelsey!”

My old friend Kelsey Newman came running with her arms out-stretched. I embraced her with a tight hug. “Love your haircut! What are you doing here?” I looked around. “Where’s Veronica?”

“She’s with her friend June,” Kelsey answered, brushing her newly cut hair out of her eyes. “She’s staying with her for the weekend; I’m staying with you! Mainly because we moved back here! For good!”

We squealed. Mikey covered his ears, and Hannah was smiling. Then Kelsey stopped, and soon I did, too. “What is it?”

Kelsey looked at me. “Where’s Lexi?”

It suddenly clicked. Was I an idiot? My sister still wasn’t here. Where was she? How could I not notice she was here? She’s usually here before me, since the seventh grade hallway is closer to the pine tree than the sixth grade hallway.

Suddenly, Hannah gasped and ran back towards the school. Mikey, Kelsey and I ran after her. We struggled to keep up with the tenth grader, but with our backpacks weighing us down, it was useless. Hannah on the other hand, ran super-fast, like her backpack weighed nothing. “Hannah!” Mikey called. “Where are we going?”

“We’re getting back Lexi and Aurora!” Hannah answered, looking over her shoulder. “But you have to follow!” She stopped and looked at Kelsey. She put her hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. Kelsey looked like she wanted to run away, but Hannah’s grip was firm. After a moment, she let go and said, “Okay, Kelsey. You can come, too.” Then she ran off.

Suddenly, Hannah gasped and ran back towards the school. Mikey, Kelsey and I ran after her. We struggled to keep up with the tenth grader, but with our backpacks weighing us down, it was useless. Hannah on the other hand, ran super-fast, like her backpack weighed nothing. “Hannah!” Mikey called. “Where are we going?”

“We’re getting back Lexi and Aurora!” Hannah answered, looking over her shoulder. “But you have to follow!” She stopped and looked at Kelsey. She put her hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. Kelsey looked like she wanted to run away, but Hannah’s grip was firm. After a moment, she let go and said, “Okay, Kelsey. You can come, too.” Then she ran off.

Kelsey looked at me in confusion, then ran off after Hannah. I followed her, with Mikey close behind me glanced at me, seeing if I had an explanation. I shook my head and shrugged. She looked at Hannah, who had stopped a couple yards ahead to wait for us. “Well, things have certainly changed here,” she said, mostly to herself, and ran after Hannah. Mikey and I followed her.

We ran into the nearby field that stretched as far as I could see. I honestly had no idea where we were or how we got there. I had never seen it before. Maybe it was because it was my first year at this school. Did Alexia and Aurora come here? I didn’t know, and I also didn’t know what the freak Hannah was doing!

Hannah stopped and soon everyone else did. I looked back from where we came from, but I couldn’t even see the school. I knew we hadn’t been running that long, so the school should still be in sight. I looked around and saw that Kelsey and Mikey were equally confused, but Hannah was just smiling, like she randomly ran into endless fields every day. She took a deep breath. “We’re here. I’m back,” she said, almost in a whisper. “This is perfect! It worked!”

“What?” asked Kelsey, taking a step forward. “What worked, exactly?”

Hannah looked at her and just said, “I shouldn’t tell you that. I don’t think I’ll be able to explain it all to you.” She sighed. “Someone else will tell you. Someone a little older and wiser, and of course, advanced in this kind of stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?” I asked, getting impatient. “Running through a field that doesn’t seem to end or begin?”

Hannah glared at me and then ran off. Mikey followed her, and I followed him, and Kelsey followed me.

I didn’t know Hannah very well, but I knew that this was not normal. Why would she lead three pre-teens to their deaths by running through a field that appeared out of nowhere? Plus, our parents would be worried if we didn’t come home, right? Unless the field had magical properties that somehow stopped time or at least slowed it down, so if we were gone for hours, it would only be a few seconds. Seems crazy and sci-fi, but with the Mystery of the Disappearing School, it didn’t seem too far-fetched.

We ran until Hannah shouted, “There!” she pointed a little ways ahead of us. She stopped a few feet later and looked back at us.

She was hardly breaking a sweat, while on the other hand, Mikey, Kelsey, and I were panting.

“Hannah,” I said, gasping for breath, “what is it?”

Hannah pointed at the ground in front of us.

At first I didn’t see what Hannah had seen, but then I saw two binders, a violin case and two backpacks. One said Aurora Hathaway. The other said Alexia Morgan.

13 is definitely an unlucky number.

Since these chapters are much longer, I think I'm going to post them one at a time. I think Kelsey's introduction is a little awkward, and I don't know why she couldn't have just been here from the start. I significantly prefer the version I have in my current Draft, but I'm personally just glad I can read these without my soul dying.

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