Chapter 6

Chapter 6 COUNTING SHEEP: CURE FOR INSOMNIA! FUN GROUP ACTIVITY! Jodi was the first one to step out into the night. All was silent. The only sources of illumination were the moon above and Morgan's torch behind her. The pixilated moon was cold and eerie. But the light of the torch was warm and soft. She listened for the sounds of creatures. She watched for any movement beyond the torchlight. "IT'S ALL CLEAR." she whispered. "LET'S GO."

They had come up with a plan while huddled in their burrow. Whenever any of them were ready to quit a game, they would go to sleep in a bed. It was how they would set a new respawn point. Morgan thought it might be the closest thing they had to "disconnecting."

They weren't sure it would work. But it was the best plan they had. To make a bed, however, they would need wool. To get wool without hurting the sheep, they would need shears. To make shears, they needed iron. Which meant digging deeper into the burrow. Exactly what Morgan had warned them not to do. But they got lucky: they found iron ore before they found anything dangerous. To mine it, Harper upgraded her pickaxe from wood to stone. That was how Survival mode worked, Harper

explained to Jodi. Getting stuff to make stuff to get better stuff. And hoping you didn't run into any monsters while you were unprepared. It set Jodi's nerves on edge. "I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT I VOTED FOR CREATIVE MODE." she whispered. At least they were on the final stage of their plan. They only had to get back to the sheep they had seen earlier in the day. It was a short walk to the clearing where they had first spawned. But when they got there… "NO SHEEP." said Morgan. "BAA. HUMBUG." Jodi said. "GET IT? BAAAA—" "Maybe we should wait until morning?" Po suggested. "I don't think we can afford to wait," Harper

said. "I'M GETTING HUNGRY. ANYBODY ELSE?" The others nodded. Jodi realized she was hungry, too. "I see what you mean," Morgan said. "IF HUNGER WORKS HERE LIKE IT DOES IN THE GAME…" "THEN WE'LL START LOSING HEALTH SOON." Harper finished. "That doesn't sound good," Po said. "We know how the game works, at least," Morgan said. "If we really are stuck here, we can hunt for food and build a better shelter." "Let's call that plan B," said Po. "I STILL WANT TO TRY THE BED THING." Morgan nodded. "Jodi's bleating gave me an idea. Let's be quiet for a minute." Whenever Morgan told her to be quiet, Jodi liked to do the opposite. But just this once, she decided to go along with him. She was glad she did. They stood in silence for only a few seconds before they heard sounds in the distance.

"THOSE ARE SHEEP!" Jodi said. "THIS WAY." Jodi hurried forward across the grass. The others were right behind her. They all paused when the plain ended at a line of trees. "IT'S DARKER IN THERE." Morgan whispered, lifting his torch. Sheep bleated just beyond the trees. "WE HAVE TO BE BRAVE." said Jodi. Her voice quavered a little. She didn't sound convinced. It was definitely scarier being here in person than it was watching it all on a screen. They passed through the trees. Luckily, they