Chapter 2

Chapter 2 GO AHEAD: ROCK THE BOAT! IT'S ALREADY SUPER BROKEN. Po saw it all happen as he raced across the beach. He saw the creeper step out from the trees. He watched as it exploded, knocking Harper all the way to the edge of the water. He wasn't fast enough to help her. He just couldn't reach her in time. "Harper!" he cried. "Harper, are you all right?" "Ouch," Harper said. "I actually felt that." She looked down at her blocky hands. "How does that even work? Are the VR goggles interfacing with our nerves? OR DO THEY JUST TRICK OUR BRAINS INTO THINKING WE FEEL SOMETHING?"

Po breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, you're all right," he said with a smile. "If you're geeking out about the science of being blown up, you're obviously fine." Po still suspected those VR headsets were more magic than science. He knew better than to say that to Harper, however. She was the brains of the group, particularly when it came to science. She was also a whiz at the crafting table, where she made swords, tools, and more, all from memory. Morgan, Ash, and Jodi ran up to join them. "DID YOU SEE HOW THAT CREEPER TOOK OUT THE DROWNED WHEN IT EXPLODED?" Morgan cheered. "That was amazing!" "I think you mean scary," Jodi said. "Harper, you went flying!" "You should eat some food, Harper," Ash said. "To restore your health." "At least she's in better shape than the forest," Po said. Where the creeper had exploded, there was a crater in the ground and a big gap in the line of trees. Blocks of wood, sand, and soil

floated there for the taking, along with rotten flesh from the drowned. "We should grab some of this stuff," he said. "Maybe we'll find a use for—" Po froze. He saw something in the distance. It was a massive wooden structure. He could just barely make out the details in the moonlight. But what he saw thrilled him. "Do you guys see that?" he asked. "What is it?" Jodi asked. "Something awesome," Po answered. "Team,

we just discovered a shipwreck!" They approached the old shipwreck cautiously. The moon was getting lower in the sky, but night wasn't over yet. Any number of hostile mobs might be lurking nearby. The ship was big. It looked as though it had run aground, crashing into the beach. It showed signs of damage, but it was still in one piece. Its masts rose high into the sky. "CAN WE BOARD IT?" Po asked. "I want to

see what's in there." Morgan and Ash shared a look. While they all loved Minecraft, Morgan and Ash knew the most about the game. "What do you think?" Morgan asked her. "I'VE never found a shipwreck before." "Me neither," said Ash. "BUT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HOLD TREASURE CHESTS." "Well, now we have to check it out," Jodi said. Harper quickly constructed a staircase out of dirt and stone. It would allow them to hop from the beach to the deck of the ship. "We could hack our way in," Harper said. "BUT THE SHIP LOOKS SO COOL, I DON'T WANT TO BREAK IT." She peered through a hole in the hull. "Any more than it's already broken, I mean." They all gathered on the deck. Po immediately pointed out the treasure chest at the front of the ship. He knew from reading nonfiction that the front of a ship was called the bow. It was spelled like bow and arrow but rhymed with now and wow. "There's another chest at the stern," Jodi said,

pointing to the back of the ship. They split up to open the chests. There was a lot of useful stuff inside both chests: carrots and potatoes, gunpowder and gemstones, and even a couple of pieces of enchanted leather armor.