Thursday: The Final Hurdle

 Thursday: The Final Hurdle

By evening, they reached a clearing where a second ship hovered low. This one was different, its surface carved with symbols they couldn’t read.

The tablet buzzed again, displaying a puzzle: a series of shapes and lines that seemed impossible to decode. “It’s a test,” Jas realized. “Like a Rosetta Stone.”

Working together, they matched symbols to patterns, their minds racing. Hours passed, but they finally succeeded. The ship emitted a soft hum, and a new hologram appeared—this time of the entire Earth, glowing with points of light.

“This is what’s at stake,” Ivy Mae whispered.