The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis by Sharon Ledwith Page A

bad. I thought you were freaking out on me.”
    “I-It’s so beautiful,” Melody whispered.
    “Amazing,” Professor Lucas muttered, getting his breathing under control.
    “Do you know what it is, Uncle John?” Jordan asked.
    “Not what. Who,” Amanda replied, as she wiped her mouth.
    Treena’s jaw dropped, and she stared at Amanda. So did Jordan.
    “Has that light shrunk your brain cells, Sault?” he asked.
    “Amanda’s right,” Drake added. “I saw her too—a woman’s face in the archway.”
    Ravi snorted. “Did this floating face tell you what she wanted, Bailey? Hey, I know, maybe she’s looking for a body to snatch and brains to eat.”
    Drake wrung his hands. Amanda gently nudged him. “No, Drake, remember what you felt? There was nothing hostile about her.”
    “Really?” Treena blurted. She pointed to the book of riddles peeking out of Amanda’s bib. “Here’s a newsflash for you, Amanda, maybe she’s looking for that book. Maybe you should give her what she wants.”
    Amanda shook her head. “She doesn’t want the book, Treena.”
    Treena wrinkled her nose. “Details, please. What does she want?”
    Amanda’s whole body relaxed. “She wants us.”
    As if on cue, the brilliant white light started to speed up and spread out like freshly spilled milk. Nobody moved. The light mimicked the sun by swallowing their shadows and caressing their bodies. It warmed Amanda through to her core, and from somewhere deep inside, she knew she could trust this light, this radiance. As the light continued to bathe them, an incredible pulling sensation—what Amanda would imagine a tractor beam from a sci-fi flick would feel like—fused with it. Like being on a moving walkway, there was nothing to fear as her body was gently drawn toward the glowing stone arch. Amanda noticed Treena trying to brake with both feet, but she couldn’t. She glanced down and jerked. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Treena’s feet weren’t touching the ground. She was levitating. They all were. Whoever wanted them, wanted them bad.
    “Whoa, we’re floating!” Jordan blurted. “We gotta be a least two feet off the ground!”
    Ravi grabbed Treena’s arm. “Are you feeling what I’m feeling?”
    Treena nodded. “I think so. I feel warm, light, and tingly, like a bubble in a tub.”
    They were within a few feet of the stone archway. Its mottled marble shone more brilliantly than before. Feeling calm and relaxed, Amanda gave in to a sigh. Nothing mattered. All her problems, any worries, seemed gone and solved.
    “Hey, my cell phone won’t work,” Ravi said. “I’m not getting any signal.”
    “You’re right, Sharma,” Treena said. “No bars on mine, either.”
    “Crap, my cell’s not receiving anything,” Jordan added, holding it up.
    “Maybe the white light is full of radiation particles that are interfering with the cell tower’s frequency,” Drake said.
    “Great,” Treena muttered, stuffing her cell phone into her pocket. “How’s my drama coach supposed to get ahold of me?”
    “I-I-I think you’re gonna have plenty of drama to deal with any second, Mui,” Ravi stammered.
    They were almost inside the glowing archway. Its light felt warm and welcoming, like the rising summer sun. Treena stuck her thumbs in the straps of her khaki backpack as if it doubled as a magic parachute. Amanda mimicked Mui and grasped the straps on Jordan’s backpack that she was still wearing. Ravi was the only other person wearing one, so all the rest had nothing to break their fall if that light suddenly cut them loose.
    The brilliant, fathomless glow swallowed Amanda, blinding her. Calm and silence overrode her senses. In that moment, two things happened—Amanda sensed that there was no separation between her and the others—as if they were all connected by these tiny threads of light. Second, she started to feel as though she were free falling, moving fast and out of control. She regained her vision, just as