1 Flying back in time

THE TIMEKEEPERS First Flight SJ KING

Chapter 1 Flying back in time Yasmin battled to hold the joystick straight. The wind was pushing hard, and visibility was bad. Rain lashed across the windshield as she fought to keep the plane under control. There was the runway! She could do this. Putting both hands on the joystick she eased it away

from her. The nose of the plane smoothly dipped down. The ground was coming closer... closer... She felt a gentle bump as the wheels touched down. It was a perfect landing! Smiling to herself, Yasmin took off her headset and shook out her hair. She had always wanted to fly, and now she had flown.

Well, almost. This was just a flight simulator at an air show near her home in Karachi, Pakistan, and she hadn't really been battling the elements. But it felt like she had, and that's what counted. One day I'll do it for real, she thought to herself as she opened the flight simulator door. "How did that feel?" asked her mom, as Yasmin joined her parents. "Amazing," said Yasmin honestly. "I could do it all day." Her dad smiled and took her hand. "There are some wonderful planes here, Yasmin. You're going to love it! We've just got time to see some exhibits before the air display."

There were planes on display from the whole history of human flight. They stood proudly around the hangar, with big signs that told the visitors all about them. There was a British Spitfire from World War II, and one of the earliest jet airplanes. There were biplanes with their two sets of wings, and a great bulky bomber painted with camouflage. Yasmin ran among them, reading about their histories and imagining herself behind the controls, up in the sky.

She stopped at a replica of the first plane to make a powered flight—the Wright Flyer, built by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903. Yasmin closed her eyes and imagined how it must have felt to be the first people in the world to make a flight like that! Not gliding, but real, actual flying. She suddenly felt a whirring on her wrist. She glanced down at her special Timekeepers watch. The hands had started to spin-backward. Yasmin felt a rush of excitement. She was being called to the History Hub! Yasmin had a wonderful secret. She could go back in time. She was one of the Timekeepers—a secret organization that kept the course