Two Worlds (Written by a 10-year-old author, 62,000 words, 72 chapters)

Chapter 70: A very important bubble pops

As soon as Lily placed her foot on the marble floor, a lizard zipped out through the doors. She barely managed to flatten herself against the wall to avoid being run over. Keeping her back against the wall, Lily successfully got inside without another 900-pound lizard smashing into her. In the dim light, she could tell she was in a big room, with nothing but a small glass replica of the bubble that surrounded the building in the middle of the floor. The lizards came from a hole directly in front of it, crawling out so fast if you blinked they were already gone. They came out one by one in a crowded line. Lily skirted behind the monsters to where the bubble lay. She realized that there was a very tiny model of a building inside in the center of the bubble - which meant the bubble was probably connected to something important.

She considered the consequences. The bubble sculpture obviously represented the oxygen dome around the building. If it popped, about fifty tons of water would come crashing down on her. But fifty tons of water was heavy enough to crush a lizard flat, especially if the building collapsed. Lily braced herself and kicked the bubble into the wall.

The bubble broke silently. Lily could hear the deafening sounds of water crashing down from outside. She knew she had only five seconds to leave, ten at the most. Lily made a mad dash for the double doors as the back of the building caved in. Her shoes slipped on the polished marble as she kept her eyes on her path. She no longer cared about the 900-pound lizards. All she wanted to do was save herself.

Lily sprinted through the doors and hit the cold water like a brick in her face as the rest of the tower collapsed into a cloud of debris and swirling dust. Where the building entrance was, there was nothing but a large slab of stone. Lily had a feeling the hole was gone, wiped out of existence. Well, there was nothing else to do underwater. Besides, her air was running out. Lily swam for the surface.

Lily's fears were confirmed as she dragged herself onto the shore. The day had turned scalding-hot, and New York City was overrun by the monstrous lizards. What used to be the Special Operations team was scattered near the edge of the harbor, lying on the ground. It didn't take long for Lily to find Anna, who stumbled over to her. "What on earth was that?" Anna demanded. "I suppose they were 900-pound lizards," Lily answered. Anna sighed and walked away to help carry injured soldiers to the ambulances.

Lily knew at once that she alone couldn't stop them. The monsters, tearing into buildings with their razor-sharp long claws, joining the chorus of screams from the people with their own battle cries: a scratchy screeching sound that sent everyone running for their lives and hiding. The army had arrived, hundreds of uniformed men and women shooting into the monsters' ranks. But by the time you brought down the lizard in front of you, another one had leaped over the corpse and sank its claws into you. Lily tried her best, using a laser gun from a fallen soldier she found nearby, sitting on rooftops and directing the deadly rays into her targets.

Shortly after, Lily saw a man in a suit walking into an old abandoned apartment, flanked by bodyguards - a man she recognized. She immediately started forming a plan in her mind, leaping across the building rooftops towards the apartment. If anybody had enough patience to listen to her, the President did.

Lily followed the President and his guards down a hallway into a small room. As the man sat down for a conference meeting, Lily stepped into view. "President Johnson!" Guns were turned towards her instantly, but the President yelled, "Stop!"

George Johnson eyed her. "What do you want?" Lily stepped forward carefully. "Your armies aren't enough to stop the invasion." One of the number one rules when meeting the President in person: don't insult him if there are six bodyguards behind you. Lily heard weapons cock, but the President's face only took on a look of concentration. "Go on." The words tumbled out of Lily's mouth before she could stop them. "The lizards - they're at least 900 pounds each. They easily outnumber your forces."

"The army can stop these creatures. They have already sent out thousands of soldiers, and one of them is the 1st lieutenant's daughter herself," Peterson said. Lily's anger grew. "Ok. Fine. Well, how about you tell your 1st lieutenant this: his daughter Anna and her team were attacked viciously and defeated by the lizards. You can go and ask her; she'll tell you the truth." The President threw up his hands. "Fine. We'll discuss this issue."

Lily knew the President had seen her before - her father was a world-famous businessman running around 24/7 to answer his boss's (aka President George Johnson) calls. He sighed heavily. "What's your name?" Lily expected the question: a quick security check. "Lily Claire," she answered. A computer-wielding lady sitting next to President Peterson looked up. "You're lying. There's no current citizen of New York City with that name."

Lily tried again. "LilithClaire. Lily's my nickname." The lady nodded. "Ah." "So ..." the Presidentsaid, "how do we stop these creatures?" Lily looked around and surveyed thepeople in the room. "Mr. President, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak withyou alone."