10 Paige to the Rescue

Chapter Ten Paige to the Rescue More bubble aliens appeared around the explorers' heads. Each kid now had a bubble tornado spinning around their helmet. The Fuffles were upset. They were scared. And they wanted the explorers to fix this mess before anyone popped. But Finn and his friends weren't sure what to do. A few of the giants had reached the base of the volcano and were making their way toward the explorer pod. Another boulder crashed a few yards away from where they huddled. "The Fuffles may think these giants don't mean any harm," said Vale, "but it looks like they mean to harm us!" The explorers stayed low and crawled farther from the giants. There had to be a dozen of the

rock monsters now stomping down the mountain and out into the grass. "I have an idea," said Paige. "Not now," said Finn. "But I think if I take off my helmet—" said Paige. "Are you nuts?" said Finn. "We don't know if we can breathe this air. It could be really poisonous." "But wait," said Paige. "Nope," said Finn. "The fact is, you have no idea what could happen if you expose yourself to the air of an alien planet. Even if Mom thinks it's a lot like Earth's. It's all in the explorer handbook, which you would have read if you were an actual explorer!" Paige looked like she might cry. "May I make a suggestion?" asked Foggy as they crawled through the tall grass. "The rock giants all seem to be curious about our explorer pod. Could we circle around and check out the volcano while they're distracted? Then we'll see if there's anything we can do."

The bubbles spun around their heads, warning the explorers that heading toward the volcano was dangerous. "Let's do it," said Abigail. "But stay low and keep close." Carefully and quietly, the explorers waded through the shallow water, crossing the river and approaching the volcano.

"Now I know why the Fuffles stay so quiet," said Vale. "So they don't attract the attention of the giants." The explorers tiptoed to the base of the volcano. It was covered in loose rocks and dust, all kicked up from underground. Finn bent down and grabbed a rock. "Huh, it's cold," he said. "The core of this planet must be ice. If it was magma like the last planet, this rock would still be hot." "BORING!" said Voltronix Zu. "WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT ME IN A WHILE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?" Everyone shushed him. "Nothing," whispered Elias. "Pretend we're in a competition to see who can be quietest." "OH, I CAN BE SUPER QUIET," said Voltronix. "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW QUIET I CAN BE. I CAN BE QUIET LIKE A MOUSE. AND I DON'T MEAN THE ANIMAL MOUSE. I MEAN LIKE A COMPUTER MOUSE SITTING ON A DESK DOING NOTHING. THAT'S HOW QUIET I CAN BE. SO HA!" ROARRRRRRRR.

The explorers had been spotted. The rock giants, seeing the kids near the volcano, seemed to be furious. And their collective yell shook even more Fuffles. "We need to save the Fuffles," said Paige. "One more yell from those giants could pop the bubbles." "But what are we supposed to do?" said Finn. "We can't just shush them."

"We have to protect them," said Paige. "There's only one way. Fuffles, on my count." "Paige, what are you doing?" asked Finn. "One," said Paige. "What are you counting down, Paige?" said Finn. "Two," said Paige. "Finn, whatever she's doing, tell her to stop," said Abigail. "You've known her for her whole life," said Finn. "Has she ever listened to me? Paige, stop." "Three," said Paige. She took a big gulp of air and puffed out her cheeks, then shut her eyes. "Oh no," said Finn. "I said don't!" Paige reached up and pressed a button on the side of her helmet. "No!" shouted Finn. The glass visor on her helmet lifted, exposing Paige's head to the elements of the strange planet.