The Octopus Effect by Michael Reisman

their bags in Miss Fanstrom’s office. They didn’t know how long they’d be gone, but they didn’t want to be weighed down with too much luggage. Owen and Simon stuffed their backpacks with necessary items, and Alysha used a small duffel bag, taking more clothing than the boys.
    Together the three put on their raincoats and flew to Van Silas Way. They landed on the street, where the trademark Union rainstorm was already in progress to keep their arrival hidden from Outsider eyes.
    Simon gazed up at the majestic woods rising up in front of them. “Ready?”
    â€œI felt pretty bad, lying to my mom like that,” Owen said.
    â€œIt’s not like we could tell them the truth,” Simon said.
    â€œIt’s better that they don’t know,” Alysha said. “When we come home, they’ll be glad to see us and have no idea that we’ve saved the universe. For the second time.”
    â€œYou mean if we come home,” Owen said. “We might never see them again.”
    Alysha opened her mouth; I could tell she was ready to comment on Owen being a worrywart. But she stopped and closed it, suddenly struck by the very real danger.
    The three friends stood there, the heavy rain blanketing the street everywhere but on them. Their raincoats once again kept them safe from the wet, but not from the gloomy feeling of the rain. Or, worse, the gloomy sense of what they were risking.
    Finally, Alysha shook her head. “No way; no thinking like that.” She put a hand each on Simon’s and Owen’s shoulders. “We’ll be fine. We’ll do what we have to do, and we’ll come back, no problem.” Then she gave both friends a gentle push. “Now snap out of it or I’m going to take charge of the mission.”
    That broke the tension for Simon and Owen. They smiled and relaxed a bit. The glowing Gateway sprang up, turning the water around them a beautiful blue.
    â€œHere we go,” Simon said. He started to walk toward the Gateway, then turned back. Alysha pushed Owen lightly ahead of her to get him moving, and seconds later, the three stepped through.
    Â 
    As they disappeared, a car screeched to a halt on the street. A hooded raincoat-clad woman dashed out and hurried into the rain. She paused as the Gateway disappeared into the ground, then she stepped into Dunkerhook Woods. She threw back her hood, revealing long red hair. Loisana Belane.
    Loisana whipped out a cell phone and dialed. “It’s me,” she said. “I missed them. I’m not sure, but I think the Gateway was set for the Order of Biology. They should be taken care of there.” She listened to a voice on the other end. “If I have to, I’ll track them down sooner or later.” She hung up and stared out to the street, her jaw set, her expression unreadable.
    Â 
    Simon, Owen, and Alysha emerged somewhere where it wasn’t raining. They tossed back their raincoat hoods and looked around at a dark place lit only by the moon above them. It was a wide stretch of beach at the base of sheer cliffs that extended hundreds of feet above them. About thirty feet from the cliffs, ocean waves lapped gently at the sand. The Gateway sank into the ground, leaving more cliff face behind it.
    Alysha laughed. “The way Miss Fanstrom was talking, I expected Biology to be in a volcano. But a beach? Does it come with umbrellas and fruity drinks?”
    Owen looked around. “This can’t be it, can it? I mean, where would they sit?”
    â€œIt’s warm out,” Simon said. “If this was the Jersey shore in October, wouldn’t it be colder? Maybe we’re not even on the East Coast anymore. Or the United States.”
    â€œAnd what do we do next?” Alysha asked. “Make sand castles while we wait?”
    Owen stared at a spot about fifty feet away. “Look!” He pointed at a large X scraped into the sand.
    The trio stood around the X.