Free Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge

suddenly feel a long way from home.

9

    “Welcome to Fusion.”
    My jaw drops in surprise as Dad greets me and the rest of Class 6 as we stand waiting in the huge entrance hall.
    “In this immersive museum you’ll discover the secrets of the universe. Do you dare to stare into the mirror of infinity? Or take a spin at nearly the speed of light around the Large Hadron Collider? From the Chillerator, where you’ll learn how cold fusion uses the power of the stars, to the Dark Matter Detector, where you will search for the secret ingredient of space itself, every interactive exhibit will help you tolearn how science can explain the wonders of the universe.”
    Of course it’s only a hologram. A life-size 3D image of my dad beamed on to a raised platform at the entrance to the museum. The real thing is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, probably eating breakfast at the White House, but the hologram looks so realistic that I can’t stop myself from reaching out to touch it.
    “Albie!” Miss Benjamin’s voice rings out with a warning note.
    A pattern of coloured dots crawls over my skin as the image of Dad’s hand passes through my own, the beams of light coming together to create the hologram. It’s just a cheap trick to make you think that Professor Ben Bright is really here. Even in this parallel universe, the only way I get to see my dad is virtually.
    “Before you leave you’ll even have the chance to invent your own experiment in the Eureka Zone.” The hologram of my dad looks straight at me now, his face suddenly serious. “Who knows? You might even make a discovery that could change the universe.”
    I think about the Quantum Banana Theory – mymum’s laptop hooked up to the Geiger counter as the banana inside the cardboard box slowly turns brown. I already have, Dad. I just can’t tell you about it because you’re not here .
    As my dad’s hologram fades away Miss Benjamin claps her hands together to keep our attention.
    “Right, Class 6. I want you to think about the questions we’ve been exploring in class. Where does energy come from? What is matter made of? How fast is light? This morning you’re going to get active to discover the answers to all these questions and more. Work in your colour-coded groups to explore the exhibits and then we’ll all meet back together at twelve in the Collider Cafe to share what we’ve found out.”
    This is the signal that Class 6 has been waiting for. With a buzz of excitement, everyone swarms off to try and find the most exciting and potentially dangerous exhibits. Beneath the spectacular glass roof, the museum’s huge hall looks like a gigantic science theme park. Atom-shaped pods zoom in opposite directions around an elevated race track that loops around the museum, zipping past each other at high speed. Fluorescent rainbow-coloured columns gurgle multicoloured bubblesinto the air, each one popped by a giant pin that swings back and forth. I can see robot exoskeletons and dinosaurs, space probes and steam engines, an imitation volcano and something called the Big Bang Simulator. Glass bridges and galleries lead from one zone to the next, neon signposts directing you to the Clone Zone, the Cosmic Space, the Invention Station and loads more amazing-sounding places.
    This must be the best museum in the world. And it’s in Clackthorpe.
    “Catch you later,” Victoria says, giving me a peck on the cheek. “I’m going for a ride on the Large Hadron Collider with Olivia and Kim.”
    Somewhere inside my brain, my blush switch is suddenly flicked to maximum beetroot. Grabbing hold of her friends’ hands, Victoria disappears in the direction of the atomic racetrack leaving me looking like I’ve just landed from Mars.
    I don’t know which colour-coded group I belong to. I don’t know why Victoria Barnes thinks I’m her boyfriend. And as I look around the museum I don’t really know what I’m doing here.
    “Come along, Albie,” Miss Benjamin snaps,