In her senior year of high school, Natalie Hope reunites with her friends, Adam and Barbara, at the funeral of the fourth member of their once-close gang, Jake. They remember the made-up superhero game they played as kids called "the Astronites," wh...
Aleph led the three Astronites into his kitchen, where a container of star cookies and a pitcher of honeymilk awaited them. He advised them to eat some more since they had a long trip ahead of them. He also provided Natalie with a white jacket to go along with her white gown. The jacket looked like it hadn't seen the light of day for years.
"I wish I had better clothing for you, but the UEF gave me clothes for a ten-foot giant, not a regular-sized person."
"It's fine," Natalie said.
"How long is the trip?" asked Barbara as she dipped her star cookie into honeymilk.
"About half a day. Less if there's no traffic."
"Why can't you just zap us there with the pennar?" Adam asked.
"I've never attempted intra-universal travel before," Aleph admitted. "I could, but I don't know what the consequences could be. When you imagine, you have to envision every little detail of what you're trying to do. Otherwise, you might end up somewhere terrible or lose a hand by accident. I myself don't use the pennar that much except in cases of emergency or when I'm conducting research. Besides, I really want the three of you to see the Astronic universe."
Natalie swallowed the last of her cookies. "How come you don't live in the Elem System?"
"I always preferred the lunar suburbs to the planetary rings. Out here, it's quiet and peaceful. You don't have to worry about listening to rude neighbors or waking up to strange noises."
Once everyone was thoroughly stuffed, Aleph escorted them into his garage. The lights instantly turned on, displaying a large, navy-blue fleetjet the size of two double-decker buses. Golden pinstripes ran along the sides and tips of its triple wings and tail fins.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"This is the World Trotter," Aleph showed the Astronites.
"Ruff!"
A dog lying at the belly of the ship bolted towards them. He madly wagged his tail as he hopped up and down Natalie, Adam, and Barbara's legs.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Ador?!" Natalie exclaimed, rubbing her fingers through his double coat of brown hair.
"Ah, you remember my dog?" Aleph asked with surprise.
