Free The Crystal Bridge (The Lost Shards Book 1) by Charlie Pulsipher Page B

normal. But he knew his worries and fear would rematerialize very soon. Emotions without a body are weak .
The sudden shock of light, air, and life around him hurt and disoriented him for a moment. It felt like diving into an ice-cold pool. He spluttered and gasped as his body remembered what it did with air. He slowed his breathing and forced each breath to fill his lungs as he grew accustomed once more to physical reality.
Even as his breathing steadied, worry rose in his chest. Something’s wrong . This trip was strange . He now wished he’d taken more than just five, but had felt they were too dangerous without more practice with his Egg. It’s hard to know if this trip was strange or if my first five were the unusual ones.
He found himself seated, though he’d arrived standing every other time. He looked down at his hands, palms down on his desk. Desk? Did I get kicked back then? He looked up to see he sat in a clearing, surrounded by tall trees. This definitely isn’t my school. He ran a hand over his face and rubbed at his eyes while he listened for a moment to the forest sounds and the rustle of his clothes.
“Clothes? That’s an improvement at least.” His voice sounded loud in the quiet clearing, but excitement had gotten the better of him. He’d arrived every other time naked as a newborn.
Wait a second. I didn’t even mean to come here. “What happened? Aren!” Aren had done something. She saw the Egg and then the image floated toward her and…
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Part of him was very glad not to be naked, but he’d not taken anything through with him before, not a stitch of clothing, let alone an entire desk. There could be repercussions.
Like how am I going to get it all back home if I don’t know what I did to bring it with me? Someone’s going to notice a missing desk. What if I get back in reverse, naked and deskless in the middle of class? Oh, so not good.
He stood and tried to step away from the confusing presence of the desk, but tripped over something next to him on the ground. It grunted as he landed with a thud next to it.
He stared at the girl, his mouth open in shock. Oh no . This is bad. “Aren?”
She rolled over, looked up at the sky, and screamed.
    Chapter 8: Build Your Own Terrible Lizard

J ames held the soft simsuit in his hands as Mike walked beside him on their way to the BOCS prep room.
“You sure you’re ready for this, James? You did have a bit of an ordeal yesterday. Straight from the medical section; don’t you want to see your quarters first?” Mike turned left down a hallway that looked just like the one they’d been in a moment earlier.
“No. I’m good. Still can’t believe I have to live in this crazy, underground maze for a year. My family’s going to think I’m dead.” James looked down another hallway that went on forever. “And I’ll probably get lost and die of starvation down here somewhere.”
Mike smiled at the joke. “It’s not so bad. The lodging is great and you can write, email, and phone plenty. You can’t beat the pay either. Consider it a sabbatical of sorts.” Mike pulled on his white hood as they entered the locker room, transforming himself into an odd bandit. “It’s not like your family saw much of you the last few years anyway. They won’t notice a difference.”
They each stepped into a changing stall and slipped on the bodysuit part of the outfit, finishing about the same time. Mike pulled on his gloves as they made their way out of the locker room. “That sister of yours was nice though. I’ve been here over a year now and have some leeway. What is she up t—ouch, James!”
James had punched him in the arm. That felt good. “You stay away from my sister. She’s happily married and has completely forgotten about you, as I should have a long time ago.”
Mike grinned. “I’m not so sure about either of those. Really? You think you’re up for the BOCS just yet?”
James slipped on his own gloves and