Chapter 3

3 "Are you okay?" asked Pablo. Henry was crouched on the floor with his hands over his ears. Violet tapped Henry on the shoulder. He looked at Pablo and Violet and slowly lowered his hands. He stood up and crossed his arms. "What was that?" he asked. "It was the portal. It opened," Violet replied. "It sounded like the portal exploded," said Henry as he fixed his costume. Pablo and Violet giggled. Then Pablo saw a purple light near the door. "This way!" he said, rushing out of the room.

"What happened to everyone?" asked Henry. Their classmates were scattered throughout the Kids' Corner. But they weren't moving. Smiles were stuck on the students' faces. "Time stops when the portal opens," explained Violet. "Look at Deepak!" She pointed to one of their classmates. He was frozen in the air! It looked like the spaceships on his sneakers were blasting him into space. Pablo smiled as he tapped Violet on the shoulder. "No way! We have to enter through there?" asked Violet. She shivered. "Not cool, Dr. Crisp."

The giant nose hanging over the door was glowing within a ring of purple light. Pablo laughed. "Look at your hair!" Violet's curls were sticking straight up! She giggled. "Your hair's doing it, too, Henry!" "It must be the portal," said Pablo. He patted his head. "My hair is too short."

"I think it will suck us up if we jump high enough," Violet said, biting her lip. "Will the portal make that exploding noise again when we go through it?" asked Henry nervously. "No," replied Violet. She thought for a moment. "But it will feel like a hug that tingles." "Ready?" asked Pablo. The trio joined hands and squatted before leaping into the air. BIZZAP! Pablo, Violet, and Henry landed on the floor of the Maker Maze. They dusted themselves off and stood up. "This is even cooler than I imagined!" said Henry. Pablo and Violet gave Henry a tour of the main lab. They showed Henry the robots that were unpacking a box of supplies near the huge microscope. They walked between the long tables, where colorful liquids bubbled in flasks and strange plants jiggled and danced.

"What's that?" asked Henry, pushing his face against a giant glass jar. Inside, a blue threewinged beetle flew in circles. "No idea," replied Pablo. "But these are my favorite!" He pointed to the floating crystals in the zero gravity chambers. "Dr. Crisp, we're here!" Violet shouted down a long hallway lined with doors. "We go through one of those doors to start the challenge," explained Pablo. Then a voice behind them said, "Well, hello, Makers!" The trio turned around. Dr. Crisp stood tall with her wild rainbow hair and bright purple

pants. The Maker Manual was tucked under her arm. A name tag was fastened to her white lab coat. "Lovely seeing you two, as always." She winked at Pablo and Violet. "And nice to meet you, Henry! Cool outfit!" "You know my name?" said Henry with a big smile. He stood proudly in his costume. "Of course!" she replied. "Is that your special power? Are you a superhero?" asked Henry. Dr. Crisp laughed. "Superhero, no. Superscientist, YES!" She put her fists on her hips and puffed out her chest. Henry looked at his feet and tugged on the sleeves of his costume. "What else do you know about me?" he asked. Dr. Crisp tapped her chin with her fingers. "I know the Maker Maze thought you'd be the perfect person to help Pablo and Violet today!" She took the Maker Manual from under her arm. It snapped open to a page with the day of the week