Chapter 2

Chapter 2 ANIMALS OF THE OVERNORLD! I'LL NEVER GET OVER HOW CUTE THEY ARE. The next day, Morgan, Jodi, and their friends returned to the library. This time, they weren't there for a meeting room. Instead, they collected a set of special VR headsets from the front desk. The goggles felt electric in Morgan's hands. He gripped his set tightly as he led Jodi, Po, Harper, and Theo to a row of networked computers in the back. The computers would allow them to play Minecraft together. And the VR goggles would allow them to live Minecraft together. Morgan had given up on ever understanding how the goggles were able to transport them into the world of their favorite game. Their science

teacher, Doc Culpepper, had done…something to the goggles, supercharging them somehow. Her experiments were known mostly for going wrong in spectacular ways, but in this case, she had gotten something very right. In the end, he didn't really care how they worked. So long as they worked. He took a seat, booted up the game, and slipped the goggles over his eyes. The next thing Morgan knew, he was standing in a simple rectangular house. It was just big enough for five beds, a crafting table, a furnace, and a chest of supplies. There was a single iron door, operated by a button, and there were two torches set into one of the house's stone walls. This build didn't have any of the comforts of home. But that was because they wouldn't be staying here for long. They were constantly exploring, going deeper into Minecraft. And right now, they had a mission.

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"All right, let's get started," said Morgan. He clicked the button on the wall. The door swung open, and he stepped outside. It was a clear, sunny day in the Overworld. Morgan smiled…and then he looked up, and he frowned. The Fault was plainly visible high above him. It looked like someone had taken the bright blue sky and just…ripped it. "We really need to figure out what that Fault is," said Harper as she stepped outside the house. "I'M SURE IT'S GETTING BIGGER." Theo was giving the rip a long look. He turned and nodded to Harper in agreement with her assessment. "It is getting bigger." "One problem at a time," said Morgan. "First we need to find the next piece of—" Suddenly, Jodi came bursting out of the house, running at top speed and shouting at the top of her lungs. "Look at that bunny!" she yelled.

"I WANT TO PET THE BUNNY!" The bunny, it seemed, did not want to be petted. It bounded away, disappearing over a hill. Jodi didn't follow. She was immediately distracted by a cow. Then a sheep. Then a pig. She ran back and forth across the plain, petting them all. She was definitely not "on mission" at the moment. "Maybe I'll get a piglet in real life," she said. Po laughed. His avatar was especially detailed today. Even though he was as blocky as the rest of them, the carefully placed pixels of his outfit made him look almost fluffy. Morgan thought he must be a cloud. Or a sheep? She wasn't sure. Po never stuck with one look for long. He had a huge collection of skins, and he was constantly changing them. "Or maybe I should get a pet chicken!" said Jodi. She patted a hen, which flapped and clucked at the

attention. "I guess the presentation went well," Po said. Jodi flashed a grin. Even in avatar form, it was easy to see how happy she was. "It went so well!" she cried. "So your parents said yes?" asked Theo. "They said 'we'll see,'" answered Jodi as she ran circles around a nearby horse. "Which is basically the same thing as yes." Morgan kept his expression neutral, and he tried to keep his voice neutral, too. "I don't think you should get your hopes up yet," he told his sister. "TOO LATE!" She cackled, then started poking around at the edge of a lake. Morgan thought she was probably hoping for a glimpse of an axolotl—even though she should know by now that those mobs are only found way underground. Morgan rolled his eyes. "Morgan!" Po whispered. "What gives? YOU'RE BEING SO NEGATIVE." "Po's right," Harper said gently. "You could be a little more supportive." Before answering, Morgan made sure his sister wasn't listening. "You don't understand," he said. "You didn't see my parents' faces during that presentation. They did not think getting a pet was a good idea." He shook his head. "Besides, when has 'we'll see' ever meant 'yes'?"