It took three months to rebuild the P.O.O.P. and the rest of the elfin city, which meant three months of planning, convincing the other elves that Lily wasn't the enemy, and making up dangerous recipes for dangerous weapons. Now Lily sat at a table, surrounded by her friends Stacy, Tara, and Jake.
"Unbelievable," Jake said. He used his new sword to stab the map sitting on the table. "Why would Theresa choose New York?" "Because it's so far away," Tara answered. Stacy chimed in, "AND it's on Earth." Lily sighed. "Guys, less arguing and more thinking, okay? The P.O.O.P. is going to be ready any minute."
"Oh, fine," Tara said. Jake pointed at the map of New York. "I think that Theresa would be next to the Empire State Building." "No, the New York Stock Exchange Building," Stacy said. "No, the Statue of Liberty." "No, 56th Street." "No, the-"
"Hey!" Lily shouted. "You're arguing again!" "Guys, what's that sound?" Tara asked.
Footsteps clattered down the hallway and an elf poked her head inside the room. "We're all ready for transport," she said.
Jake grabbed his sword from the map. "Let's go, hurry up," he said. They followed the elf back up the hallway, where a brand new, shiny and ready to use P.O.O.P. was waiting for them. Another elf was standing next to the transport machine. "Do you have your weapons?" he asked. Everyone nodded. "Dart guns?" "Yes." "Swords?" "Yes." "Gas bombs?"
Silence. Tara sighed. "Jake, you idiot; I told you to get the bomb bags."
Jake held up his hands in exasperation. "How can you expect me to collect all the weapons for all of you when I'm dealing with problems of my own?" At that moment, an elf ran up, holding the bomb bags. They each took one and clipped it to their belt. Another elf pressed a button and the weapons turned invisible. "I guess we're ready to go," Lily said.
They went over to the transport container. "I forgot to tell you," Stacy whispered to Lily, "once we arrive, we'll be next to the Empire State Building, but you'll be back in school, same as before you left." "Thanks for the warning," Lily said. They squeezed into the box and the cover slid over.
Two minutes later thebox stopped. Lily was at first alarmedbecause she actually felt the boxstop, but then everyone (including the box) vanished and Lily was sitting ather school desk. Ms. Anne was still at her desk, saying, "Get on to yourtextbook app. Jimmy, don't jump on your seat." Lily found she was still holdingher iPad, and the password she had typed in - Schoolgirl72 - had worked. She went to heriBooks app and started reading as her teacher began the social studies lesson.