After an intense pillow fight and running around the room causing a ruckus, the doorbell rang.
"We have a doorbell?" I asked, peeling Stella off my face. The feathers from a busted pillow still rained down around us.
"I'll get it." Novus pushing through the feather storm. He arrived at the door and opened it. Jupiter stood in the doorway.
"Hello, everyone. We settling in alright?" he asked, stepping into the room. He saw the empty pillow case and the massacre of feathers and smiled. "Seems like we are."
"Sorry, Jupiter, sir," I said grabbing the feathers off the floor. "We got a little excited."
"Don't worry about it, Eddie." Jupiter removed an Alcemator from his pocket. He shook it. The box glowed, and suddenly all the loose feathers in the room rushed back into the pillowcase like a vacuum sucking in dirt. In moments the pillow was like new. "See. No worries."
"I'll never get over how cool that is," I said, eying the Alcemator.
"I brought a gift for you, Eddie." Jupiter removed from his suit pocket a golden ring with red and blue bands on its surface. "This is a very rare and special object," he said placing it in my hand. "It is infused with stardust and wishes. Only one crafter in the whole universe can make them. It is called a Never-Lost Ring. Go on. See if it fits."
I placed the ring on my index finger. At first it was too big but it began to shrink to fit my finger. I flipped my hand over. The ring swirled with the same glow as a star.
"What does it do?" I asked.
"A Never-Lost Ring only works when you truly need it. It will guide you to safety when you are lost and afraid, but if you really focus it can help you find things you have lost, things that are close to your heart."
I squeezed my hand. A golden glittering string appeared in the air above my hand leading down into my fanny pack.
"Wow," I said.
"Jupiter," whispered Novus pulling his friend to the side, "do you realize how expensive Never-Lost Rings are? Why would you just give one away to a child you barely know."
"If Galaxion chose this girl of all the children in history, she must be special. Besides, I can always buy another. I'm rich you know." Jupiter straightened his coat. "So Eddie, how about you give the cloud surfing a go?"
I leaned over and looked out the window. I could see people zooming around on boards fading in and out of the clouds.
"Is it safe?"
"Completely," Jupiter reached out a hand. "Novus will you be joining us?"
"Nah, I'll stay here. You have fun, kid."
Taking Jupiter's hand, I was led to the scary elevator and back down to the lobby. We walked through the crowds of happy vacationers. I noticed a group of kids about my age. They were being suited up in a space uniform complete with a round helmet. Jupiter brought me to a tall woman with four arms. She was beautiful with her fluffy blonde hair and bright pink lipstick.
"Andromeda, I got you a new student," said Jupiter to the beautiful woman.
"My stars, look at you!" The woman leaned down and pinched my cheeks. "So adorable. What's your name?"
"Eddie," I said nervously. I had never met a four-armed woman before.
"Nice to meet you, Eddie. I am Andromeda, the cloud surfing instructor. Is this your first time cloud surfing?"
"Yeah."
"Oh don't be scared, little one. It will be the most fun you've ever had and it's super easy. The board does most of the work."
"Y'all have fun," said Jupiter stepping away.
"So how much do you know about cloud surfing, Eddie?"
"Not much really," I said shurgging.
"Well cloud surfing is a popular sport that usually requires much skill, but for you we have these automated boards that prevent you from falling off and help you find your way back. Here let me show you how it works." Andromeda went to the wall and released a board out of its charging port. She placed it on the ground in front of me. "So all the buttons can be worked by using your foot. This green button makes the board go. The red one makes the board stop. And this purple one will take you back to home base. Alright now stand on the glowing footprints."
I hesitantly placed my feet on the spot indicated by the board. An invisible force encased my feet, and I found them to be suddenly heavier than normal.
"It takes some getting used to, but the board's artificial gravity will keep your feet grounded. I promise no matter how hard you try, you won't fall off." Andromeda flipped a switch on the side. The board began to rise in the air.
"Whoa," I said, losing my balance. The board tilted and flipped, but I never fell off. Eventually the board had calculated my height and weight shifting itself to keep me upright. "That was scary," I said hoving in the air.
"But is it still?" asked Andromeda with a big smile.
"Not so much anymore."
"See. Super easy." Andromeda brought me down. "When you get to be super comfortable you can learn to tilt the board in different ways. Leaning forward will cause it to dive. Tilting back will cause it to climb. But for now, let's just let the board do most of the work. You think you are ready to give it a try?"
"I suppose," I said. My heart thumped against my chest. I wanted to do it, yet a part of me was terrified.
"Awesome! The best way to learn is just to do it." Andromeda helped me off the board. "Let's get you suited up. And don't worry, for this first run, I'll be right there with you."
For someone who never learned how to ride a bike or swim, my nerves were getting worse and worse as I was brought to the changing area. Thankfully Andromeda was very nice and constantly assuring me everything would be okay. I don't think I would have tried cloud surfing if it were not for her gentle voice and patience.
"So here is your spacesuit." Andromeda handed me a silver suit with the Wingspan Resort logo on it. "And your helmet. Don't worry about taking anything off. It's chilly in space."
Soon I was suited up with the helmet over my head. A rush of fresh air filled the space allowing me to breathe. I glanced in the mirror. I looked like a tiny astronaut except without all the crazy gear. What would my parents think if they saw me now? Would they be proud?
"Look at you, starlight," cried Andromeda placing all four hands on my shoulder.
"Starlight?" I whispered.
"You look so cute! Oh I can hardly contain myself." Andromeda turned me around. She too was all suited up and ready to go. "Here, take my hand."
We entered a brightly lit metal chamber with a few other people. A young boy stood nearby. His legs wobbled and his eyes shifted back and forth, a nervous wreck.
"First time?" I said looking over at the boy.
"Ah huh," he nodded.
"It's my first time too," I said, smiling through my helmet.
"My parents are making me do this. They said I need to get over my fear of heights. Aren't you scared?"
"Yeah," I said. "But I was told it was safe." The boy did not look convinced. "My name's Eddie. What's yours?"
"Leo," he said.
"You want to come with us? I have an instructor here helping me." I tugged at Andromeda's arm. "Hey, Andromeda, can Leo surf with us. It's his first time too."
Andromeda chuckled. "Of course! The more the merrier."
Leo sighed in relief. He instantly appeared to calm down. "Thank you, Eddie. That helps a lot."
An electronic voice bleeped over the loud speaker.
"Surfers, take your board." A wall opened up showing many different surfboards. Some were large for the adults. Others were small just for people like Leo and I. We grabbed our boards and placed them on the ground in front of us. The electronic voice spoke again. "Surfers, mount your boards and prepare for launch."
The large metal doors before us began to show a countdown. Leo and I stepped onto our boards. I felt the heavy sensation overcome my feet. Leo grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Doors opening in 10, 9, 8, 7..."
"Eddie," said Leo. "I don't want to do this anymore."
"Come on, Leo," I said trying to reassure both him and myself. "It's going to be fun."
"6, 5, 4, 3.."
Leo was breathing heavy. I squeezed his hand back. He looked over at me and gave me a half smile.
"2, 1, doors opening."
What happened next was an experience I will never forget. As the doors opened, the whole of space came into view. Every star reflected off my helmet's visor. My heart skipped and my stomach churned. In a flash, I felt the board rise from the metal floor. It shot from the opening. My mouth let out a loud scream as I twirled. I could no longer tell if I was up or down. My whole perspective had shifted. The universe had flipped. I could hear Leo next to me also screaming. Together we twisted in the vacuum of space until our boards leveled out and stopped.
"I think I'm going to be sick," said Leo, clutching his stomach. He let go of my hand and looked at me. We shared the same excited glance. We instantly started laughing.
"What's so funny, you two," said Andromeda appearing next to us. "Talk about a rush, huh? I remember my first time."
"I have to admit," I said. "That was fun."
"Oh the fun has just started," said Andromeda leaning forward on her board. "Follow me!"
Together we zoomed downward through space until we reached the colorful dust clouds of the Wingspan nebula. It took a moment to get the hang of controlling the board, but after a few minutes, both Leo and I were bouncing down the clouds. I reached my hand out watching the colorful clouds of gas and stardust filter through my fingers. It was a most wonderful experience.
Leo gained his confidence and started showing off some tricks. He would flip on his board and twist like a tornado through the clouds. We laughed. We raced. I won every time of course. I even zoomed by the suite window and waved at Novus. Stella cheered me on; her many tentacles wiggling about in joy. I had never had so much fun in all my life, and to be honest I never wanted it to end. Unfortunately somewhere deep in the resort, the bellboy who had given me a strange look when we arrived was on the phone.
"Yes, they are here at the Wingspan Resort," said the bellboy to the person on the other line.
"You sure?" said the voice.
"Yeah. I saw their pictures. I have no doubt it's the Earthling and her kidnapper."
"Thank you for your information," replied the voice.
"What about my reward? I saw there was a reward for anyone who turned them in."
"You will have it when we have the child safe under our protection. The Great Djinn thanks you for your help. Now be sure to tell no one of our arrival. We don't want the kidnapper to do anything harsh."
"Of course," said the bellboy as he hung up the phone.