Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow by Nathan Bransford

rescue them. Dexter had to put a stop to it. It was time for him to tell the Numonians the truth.
    â€œWait, wait!” Dexter said. After a couple seconds he caught up with them. “Listen to me. Jacob is ...”
    Night fell and Moonman and Stargirl fell asleep.
    â€œDon’t you dare say anything,” Jacob said. “This is our chance to get off this crazy planet!”
    â€œIt’s not right, Wonderbar. You can’t lie to them.”
    â€œDon’t. Say. Anything,” Jacob said quietly, stepping toward Dexter and poking him in the chest. “I’m not going to let you blow this like you usually do.”
    Dexter stumbled back in shock. In all their years of friendship Jacob had defended him so many times, but he had never once tried to actually fight or intimidate him. Jacob was his best friend. On another day, on Planet Earth, Dexter would have walked straight out the door and gone home until Jacob apologized. But they were billions of miles away and there might not have even been an Earth to run home to.
    Dexter reached down and grabbed some Numonian dust, clumped it together, and threw it at Jacob. “Fine! ” he yelled. He stomped away in the opposite direction.
    Jacob started to call after Dexter, but instead he let him go. The Numonian space dust had given them a golden opportunity to leave Numonia and reunite with Sarah, and getting off Numonia was more important than Dexter’s feelings. Dexter would come around to his plan.
    The spaceship Swift was their only shot.

CHAPTER 20
    M oonman stared at the controls of the spaceship Swift, his hands uncertainly hovering over the buttons and dials. Jacob and Stargirl stood behind him, watching to see if he could get the old ship to lift off. The cockpit of the Swift looked like an antique compared to Lucy’s and Praiseworthy’s consoles, and some of the lights inside flickered and sputtered. Numonian dust filled nooks and crannies. Jacob wasn’t sure the tub of steel and glass would ever be able to lift off into space again.
    â€œNow, let’s see here,” Moonman said. “I think my grandfather told me to . . .” He pressed a button and stood up quickly, rubbing his backside. “Nope. Seat warmer.”
    Jacob looked over at poor Moonman, trying so desperately to get him off Numonia, all because they thought his insides were going to burst with space dust. They were so worried, and all for nothing. And what if Moonman wasn’t a good enough pilot to get back home? What if he fell asleep and flew the spaceship Swift into an asteroid?
    Jacob nervously tapped his foot. He wasn’t in the habit of admitting when he hadn’t told the truth, but the deception had gone far enough. He blurted out, “It was a lie.”
    Moonman shook his head. “No, son, that really was the seat warmer button, and I just wish—”
    â€œI didn’t eat the food. I made it up, and I dumped it on the ground, and I’m so sorry that I made you so worried.”
    Jacob winced as he awaited their reply. He couldn’t even imagine what they would think of him now that they knew the truth.
    Stargirl stared at him in confusion. “You didn’t eat the food?”
    â€œNo, ma’am.”
    Moonman stood up and peered into Jacob’s face. “Son, do you know what this means?”
    Jacob shook his head and swallowed nervously.
    â€œIt means you can stay on Numonia!” Moonman and Stargirl let out a whoop and began dancing around the spaceship Swift, raising their fists and chanting, “Numonia! Numonia! Numonia!”
    Jacob tried to smile, but when he saw their excitement he knew it meant that the spaceship Swift would never fly off the planet. They wouldn’t try to leave and he would be stuck on Numonia forever. They loved their planet so much, and it made him miss nice green and brown Earth, which suddenly felt so far away. It may have been a planet filled with