Free Astrid Maxxim and Her Amazing Hoverbike by Wesley Allison Page A

armrest and i t’ ll take you upstairs . ”
    He did as directed and the chair began to slowly ascend.  He grinned.
    “ This is like Captain Kir k’ s chair on the old Star Trek ,” he said.  “ Does it only go one speed ? ”
    “ I’ m afraid so.  I t’ ll take about two minutes to get to the second floor . ”   Astrid shot up the stairs and was waiting when her friend reached her.
    “ Tha t’ s pretty cool ,” said Austin.  “ I t’ s not very fast though . ”
    “ No.  I used to like to ride it when I was a kid, but not so much anymore . ”
    “ So, is your room up here ?” asked Austin.
    “ Yes.  My room and my parent s’ room, and their studies are here on this floor.  There are a few rooms we do n’ t use too, like the music room.  Sometimes I go in there to play my oboe, and ther e’ s a piano.  We do n’ t use the third floor at all.  Too bad too, cause ther e’ s a laboratory and an observatory.  When I’ m grown up and this is my house, I might use them . ”
    “ This house is huge.  How can your mom keep it so clean ? ”
    “ So, you think i t’ s automatically the woma n’ s job to keep the house clean ?” Astrid asked pointedly.
    “ Um, n o… I guess not.  But your da d’ s a famous scientist . ”
    “ And my mother is Chairman and CEO of Maxxim Industries.  All three of us have our evening chores, but we do have people come in to clean twice a wee k— the Burtons, a brother and sister.  They do the Bundersmit h’ s home too . ”
    Astrid led Austin to her room.  It was a cozy bedroom dominated by a large four poster bed.  Against the wall was her computer desk.  The rest of the room was filled with a dresser and several bookcases.  From the ceiling, which was painted to resemble a blue sky with a few wispy clouds, hung models of the planets and all the different manned spacecraft from Vostok to the space shuttle.
    “ I expected it to be bigger ,” said the boy.
    “ There used to be a really big bedroom here ,” explained Astrid.  “ When I was four, my mom had it remodeled.  They cut off that end of the room and made a closet and a bathroom.  There used to be only one bathroom on this whole floor.  Now there are four.  Then they cut off that end of the room and made a play room for me.  I never really used it very much . ”
    “ You said you played the oboe ?” he asked.
    “ Yes.  Tha t’ s it right over next to the computer . ”
    “ How come yo u’ re not in band or orchestra ? ”
    “ I was last year at Thomas Paine.  I had to give up the class to open up my schedule for other things . ”
    “ But you have Independent Study and Fencing . ”
    “ You have to take P.E.  I t’ s required.  I took Swimming first semester and Fencing second semester.  I’ m doing nineteenth century European novels in Independent Study, so I can get a year ahead in English.  I need an extra Science class next year . ” 
    Astrid sat on her bed and waved Austin to the computer chair.  He sat and slumped.
    “ My old school only had six classes.  Rachel Carson is really hard ,” he said.
    “ Where was your old school ? ”
    “ It was called West Willows High School.  It was in Washington . ”
    “ State, right?  Not D.C . ”
    “ Right.  It was sort of next door to the ocean.  But I only went there for a few weeks.  Then I had to move here . ”
    “ Why did you have to move ?” asked Astrid.
    Austin stared at his feet for a moment.
    “ You do n’ t have to tell me if you do n’ t want to . ”
    “ No, i t’ s alright ,” he said.  “ My parents were killed in a car wreck.  They got hit by a drunk driver . ”
    “ I’ m sorry, Austin . ”
    “ Yeah.  I went to live with my cousins Bart and Mary for a while, but my Aunt Pam did n’ t want me to stay.  Then I went to live with my Uncle Dan, but he does n’ t have a wife or kids and it did n’ t work out either.  So the only place I could go was here, to live with my