TSP Draft Three - Ch9

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-ch8

This chapter is exactly the same in both versions of the draft.

Chapter Nine

November 22nd Time: 1:50

Place: Baxter’s House, Living Room

Alexia

Basement Training (Yes, That’s a Thing)

“Hannah?” Aurora asked, a look of shock on her face. “Ice Queen?”

Hannah nodded. “My powers unlocked when I was ten, but I didn’t find out until I was thirteen.”

George sighed. “I’m Speeder, but you probably figured that out.” He looked around the living room. “Now you know what the skid marks are for.”

Aurora was still frozen in shock; I was surprised she wasn’t the Ice Queen. “Do Mom and Dad know?”

Hannah nodded. “They have powers, too. So does Mikey. And so do you.”

Aurora smiled. “Really?”

Hannah nodded. “Only humans with powers can find the portal.”

Aurora looked at me, grinning from ear to ear. “Lexi! That means you have powers, too!” She turned to Hannah. “What are they? Can you show us your powers?”

Hannah laughed. “One question at a time. Second question first.” Hannah reached across the chess board and tapped one of her pawns. A thin layer of ice covered it.

“Cool…” I breathed.

“Carla knows your other questions,” said Hannah.

Carla cleared her throat. “Well, based on what has happened to you, what do you think?”

Aurora paused. “I think I can read minds. Ever since fourth grade. I thought I just knew what Lexi as going to say because we had been friends for over a year.”

I ran that scenario through my head. It did seem like Aurora knew me better than I knew her, but that was only because she could read my thoughts.

I decided to test it out.

Aurora glared at me. “Band is not stupid! Orchestra is stupid!”

“No it’s not!” I said, pushing her. She pushed me and soon we just started laughing, glad to bring up something so close to home.

“What about you, Alexia?” Carla asked.

I thought about all my experiences. The most recent was making Quincey Moon disappear. It explained why the metal detector wasn’t in my pocket. It explained how Aurora and I escaped Bobby. Even as simple as my pencil reappearing in my pocket earlier today.

“Teleportation,” I said. “I can teleport things.”

Carla nodded.

Honestly, I thought this was cool. In most sci-fi stuff, if someone teleports then only they can teleport. But in this case, I can just teleport anything!

I thought of something. I held out my hand and concentrated hard. A small pink swirl appeared on my palm. Soon, the metal detector was in my hand.

Aurora’s eyes stretched wide. “That’s cool.”

Carla smiled. “Okay. You guys can control them, but we need to know for a fact your powers won’t go crazy or not come when you need them.”

George shuddered. “I remember when I was ten. I couldn’t slow down.”

Carla patted her brother on the shoulder. “That was eight years ago. Look how better you are now!”

Okay, that means Carla is older than eighteen. I don’t see how. She still looks fifteen to me.

Carla turned back to us. “Let’s go to the basement.”

Basement?

“You know,” said Aurora, “a floor that is under the main floor.”

At first I didn’t understand Aurora’s comment, but then I remembered that she could read minds. “I know what a basement is,” I said, “but I don’t know why we need to go there.” I paused for a second. “Also, I saw the shape of the house from the outside. It would only have space for what we’ve seen so far, and I didn’t see any doors or stairs to a basement.”

Carla smiled. She signaled us to follow and went into the long hallway.

We’d been to the kitchen already, but Carla led us in. She went to the very end of the wall and knocked three times.

Tap, tappity tap.

The wall sunk into the ground. Hannah seemed surprised, like she had never seen it before. It revealed a crystal stairway. Carla led us down the winding stairs.

The stairs spun so far into the ground, I thought that it might go on forever. But soon we came to a big blue room. The ceiling was so high I forgot we were underground. The room had so much stuff in it that didn’t make since.

“Hold on,” said Carla. And in the blink of an eye, all the contents in the room changed position. Even Carla had moved.

“She stopped time and moved everything around,” Aurora told me.

Even though I couldn’t read minds, I could’ve figured it out.

“Okay!” Carla called from the other side of the room. “Time to start training!”

Don't really have much to say here. This chapter's okay.