The Adventure of a Lifetime by Ravina Thakkar Page A

grandma had a well, too, so she knew how to operate it. Dumping the water on her tongue, she relaxed.
    Amber emerged giving Betty an odd look.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, Amber?” Betty asked, wiping water dripping from her chin.
    â€œWhy are you dumping water on your face? Don’t people in Plainfield drink water out of glasses? Anyway, here are some clothes for the journey. Oh, and some shoes too.” Amber handed Betty a green shirt and camouflage pants similar to her own.
    â€œThanks, Amber,” Betty said. After she had changed into Amber’s clothes, the two girls headed to the balcony. Betty spent a minute taking in the wilderness air, staring at the dense, crowded forest with its drooping leaves, and weathered tree trunks. She had come to like Amber’s little hideout in the woods and was sad to leave, even though she was excited, not to mention a little nervous, about starting the journey. Still, Betty had been in a forest like this once. Maybe that was why she liked it. In the forest she had gone to though, her grandpa had kept telling jokes, with her grandma telling him to shut up and Betty’s dad interrupting each time his parents were on the verge of argument.
    That was before Betty’s grandpa had died though.
    â€œSo, do you want to go now?” Amber asked, interrupting Betty’s thoughts. Leave? Now? Truth be told, Betty was scared. But she had to go now. After all, she had promised Amber. Would Amber really care if Betty joined her? Probably not. But Betty would care—yes, Betty would mind.
    â€œS-sure,” replied Betty.
    Suddenly, there was a knock on Amber’s door.
    Amber gave Betty a questioning look, as if to say, Are any more people coming the way you did? Betty shook her head curiously. Amber went and opened the door.
    A large cardboard box about half the size of Betty sat on the forest floor. It didn’t have a return address, or a sign of where it came from. Amber touched it with her pinky, as if testing it for an undetected sensor-activated explosion. Deeming it safe enough, she opened the box.
    For a large box, it had small contents. Two metal balls rolled around the base of the box. A red button was worked into both of them. Betty reached for one curiously, but Amber scooped them up and out of Betty’s reach. She set them on the forest floor, where they looked like a robot dog’s chew toy.
    â€œWhat is that?” Betty finally asked.
    â€œMy arlyers,” Amber answered.
    â€œHuh?” Betty questioned.
    â€œMy agency always sends me new technology to try out. These are my arlyers. They’re sort of like giant wings. Looks like they’ve made a mistake, though—they sent two instead of one. Well, that’s good for us,” Amber laughed.
    â€œYou might want to back away,” Amber said. Betty did as she was told and watched as Amber clicked the red button in the middle of one of the metal balls. Betty saw the ball expand into giant wings. They were probably both four feet in height and six feet in width. They were made of metal, these arlyers. Shiny metal. Betty circled the arlyers so she could observe them better. On the inside was a battery pack, and a green button and a bar were located by the straps. She didn’t touch them, afraid Amber wouldn’t want her too.
    â€œThis is so cool,” Betty finally breathed.
    â€œRight? I heard they even return to you when you whistle. And since they sent two, we’re at an advantage. C’mon, pop open the other one, strap it on, and let’s get going,” Amber urged.
    â€œNow?” Betty squeaked.
    â€œYes, now,” Amber said impatiently.

Chapter 9
    â€œWait! Not yet! I have so many things to ask you. What if we die before I get the chance?” Betty pleaded. Her stomach was in knots. She finally realized how dangerous this could be. What if she never saw her family again?
    But she was with Amber. Amber was tough. She knew how to handle