Chapter 5

Chapter 5 The Wisdom of Butterflies: Embrace Change. Seek Shelter from the Storm. And Eat Your Greens! Morgan listened anxiously as Ash spoke. She told them all about her zombie encounter, the disappearing sword, and the bottomless pit. When the sky had glitched out, she'd quickly disconnected, and Morgan didn't blame her. It sounded totally chaotic. And dangerous. Far too dangerous for any one of them to go in alone. "We need more goggles," he said. "It's the only way." "I tried," Harper said. "Mr. Mallory let me take a pair home. All the electronics inside were totally fried." "So we can't fix them," said Po. "Can we make new ones?"

"We can't," said Theo. "But we know someone who might be able to." Jodi opened the cafetorium door and peered through the rain. "Her car's still in the parking lot. She hasn't left yet!" "Okay." Morgan smiled despite all the grim details Ash had shared. This was starting to sound like an actual plan. "Doc made the original goggles. So we'll ask her to do it again." He clapped his hands together. "Let's find her! Come on!" Doc wasn't in her laboratory classroom, sorting through the wreckage. She wasn't in the teachers'

lounge. Just as Morgan began to worry they wouldn't find her, Po squeaked. "I saw her through that window," he said. "She's in the butterfly sanctuary!" Morgan chuckled. He'd honestly forgotten that the school had a room just for butterflies. It had once been Woodsword's computer lab, before the insects had taken over. "Oh!" said Ash. "I've never seen it in person." "Then you're in for a treat," said Harper. "Unless you dislike insects," added Theo. "If you dislike insects, you really won't enjoy this at all." Judging by the excitement on her face, Ash did not dislike insects. She opened the door, and she motioned for the others to hurry inside, before any butterflies could escape. Doc was holding a terrarium in her hands. It was like an aquarium, but full of leafy plants instead of water. Morgan counted at least four cocoons attached to those plants. He leaned in for a closer look…and then a butterfly landed on the tip of his nose.

"It tickles!" he said. "It's a good look for you," Ash said in a teasing voice. "The wings really bring out the color of your eyes." "How about the color of his cheeks?" said Jodi. "He's blushing!" "I am not," said Morgan, and he blew the butterfly off his nose. "Hello, Ash," said Doc. "It's good to have you back, even if it's just for a little while." "Thanks, Doc," said Ash. "Are you gathering cocoons?" "I am," said the teacher. "This used to be our computer lab. But I'm sure you remember that. You

spent a lot of time here!" "Those were the best weeks of her life," said Po, pretending to sniffle with emotion. "Anyway, after the incident at the laboratory, we need all the space we can get," Doc explained. "I'm going to set the adult butterflies free. And I'll find a safe place where the cocooned ones can finish their metamorphosis." "Are you injecting them with super chemicals?" asked Jodi. "Mutating the butterflies into giant beasts you can ride into battle with the school board?"

"I like the way you think," said Doc. "But Minerva made me promise not to do any genetic tampering on school grounds, alas. Care to help me gather the remaining cocoons?" "I'll help," said Harper, perking up at the chance to assist her favorite teacher. Theo cleared his throat. "Actually, we're here to ask you for help, Doc." "These VR goggles you made." Ash held up the last remaining pair. "They're very special to us. But we lost five of them when the library flooded. Do you think you could make new ones?" "And quickly?" added Theo. Harper shushed him. "Theo, be polite!" "I'd rather be honest," said Theo. "We need more headsets in order to help the artificial—" "Our friend," Morgan interrupted. "We need more headsets so we can help our friend." "It sounds very serious indeed," said Doc. "But I don't have all the parts I would need. It could be weeks before I can rebuild even a single set." On seeing their reactions, Doc laughed. "Don't look so glum!" she said. "There's a quick, temporary solution to your problem. Look here." Doc took Ash's headset in her hands. She lifted a small panel to reveal input and output jacks. "These goggles were