Chapter 1 Keep It Up February 19 2238 Galaxy Games Village Pluto Team Earth had kept the balloon in the air for two hundred seventy-three hits It was quite possibly the longest rally of keep-it-up in recorded history Like any great keep-it-up session it started by accident The team was fresh off their fifth consecutive hockey win Although they were headed to the gold-medal match they were bruised and battered and beat sipping hot chocolate in the Pluto cafeteria But then Felix Rip their fearsome enforcer began batting around a Galaxy Games balloon Soon everyone on Team Earth was at it diving to the floor leaping chairs and sliding across tables to keep that half-deflated balloon from touching the ground 6
There were dozens of other alien races in the cafeteria And at first they looked on with confusion and annoyance at the Earth team jumping and diving like malfunctioning robots But soon enough an alien from the Coopra System figured out what the game was all about and got into the action It helped a great deal that the Cooprans had flexible hands with webbed fingers It wasn’t long before nearly everyone in the cafeteria was immersed in keep-it-up Gemma Estrella co-captain of Team Earth with her twin brother Jones leaped across a chair and just got her fingertips under the balloon The little pink balloon fluttered and seemed destined to hit the ground Get it get it she yelled at a pair of giant boots From her spot on the floor she saw a large beefy hand reach down and grab the balloon Oh no she shouted You can’t catch the But then she watched as the beefy hand 7
placed the balloon on the floor right underneath one of those giant boots The boot came down The balloon popped making a pathetic squeaking sound Nooooooooo nearly everyone in the cafeteria screamed Hey Why’d you Gemma began until she looked up at the face belonging to those boots He was huge and round and thick His skin was gray and calloused as if he’d spent his childhood hauling bricks and shoveling ice But then she saw his eyes You’re human she said Lobelian the boy said That’s not possible Gemma said I’d recognize a human face anywhere You’re from Earth aren’t you Don’t worry about my sister Jones Estrella said helping Gemma up I’m Jones Jedidiah the boy grunted He nodded at another giant kid sitting across from him My baby brother Cojo 8
