Chapter 2

Chapter 2 NOT IN MY COMPUTER LAB, BUTTERFLY... IF THAT IS YOUR REAL NAME! Morgan was stunned. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He felt like his brain couldn't process what his eyes were seeing. The computer lab was his favorite place. It was like a clubhouse—the one spot where he could forget about homework and chores and just spend time with his friends, gaming, laughing, sharing Minecraft adventures. And now the computer lab was gone— replaced by some sort of indoor jungle. Bright green leaves were everywhere, and the air was warm and wet. A rain forest might as well have sprouted up in the middle of the classroom!

Were they in the wrong room? Were they at the wrong school? Were they on the wrong planet? Just what was going on here? "Where did all these plants come from?" asked Jodi. She craned her neck for a better look and twirled in a slow circle. "Well, they're potted plants," said Harper. She pushed a leaf aside for a better view. "They didn't just grow out of the ground. So someone brought them here." "Did they bring the cocoons, too?" asked Po. "Cocoons?" echoed Jodi. "Where?" Po wheeled over to one of the plants and pointed out a small cocoon. Then another, and another. Now

that Morgan knew what to look for, he saw them everywhere! They were hanging from leaves and light fixtures and windowsills. "They're butterfly cocoons," said Harper. "From several different species, I think." "This has to be Doc's latest mad-science experiment!" said Jodi. "I knew we would be learning about butterflies in class this week," said Theo. "But this is overkill, even for Doc." Fascinated, he stuck out a finger to poke a cocoon. "Careful!" said Harper. "They're fragile." Theo poked the cocoon anyway. "You know, there are thousands of species of moths and butterflies in the world. I don't think there'd be so many if they were that delicate."

Normally, Morgan would tell Theo to cut it out. But he was still reeling with shock. "I don't understand this at all," he said. He dropped to a sitting position, right on the ground, and put his head in his hands. "Where did all the computers go?" Jodi snapped her fingers. "The public library!" she said. "This morning, I saw Doc taking equipment over there. She must have relocated the computers." "Including the server we use to play Minecraft," said Theo. "And the VR goggles—they're gone, too." "We should go across the street and see for ourselves," said Po. "We can go right now!" Morgan felt a little better now that he knew where the computers had gone. He sometimes teased his sister when she acted like a spy, but she was good at noticing things that other people missed. "Jodi and I should call our parents first," he said. "We need permission to leave school grounds." Harper took out her smartphone. She was the only one of them who had one. "We can all take turns calling our parents," she said, handing the phone to Morgan first. "But hurry. I want answers as soon as possible!" Morgan agreed with that, one hundred percent.

Excalibur County Library and Media Center was a large concrete building right across the street from Woodsword Middle School. Morgan had come here with his family almost every weekend when he was younger. They would go to story times and puppet shows and leave with stacks of picture books. And no visit to the library was complete without a quick stop at the statue out front. It was Morgan's favorite kind of statue—one you were allowed to touch! It was a model of a sword in a stone, just like the famous Excalibur of Arthurian legend. Because of the

statue, and because Excalibur County Library and Media Center was such a mouthful, kids had always just called the place Stonesword Library. Morgan touched the statue for good luck as he walked past. As soon as they stepped inside, they saw two familiar figures standing in the lobby. Ms. Minerva, their homeroom teacher, was talking with their science teacher, Dr. Culpepper. They were Morgan's favorite teachers, but they didn't always see eye to eye. In fact, Morgan quickly realized, they were having an argument right now.