Well that’s not what I expected, Dorothy Su thinks as she steps up to a crosswalk on a busy city street. She gazes skyward at the Excelsior Building and makes a harrumph sound. The structure is about seven stories tall – an ordinary glass cube with the word EXCELSIOR in faded crimson stamped across the brow. You wouldn’t even notice it was there unless you were looking for it.
Dorothy unconsciously straightens her outfit, a sensible blouse and skirt with a cardigan on top in case the office is cold. VROOOM! As she continues to stare, an open cockpit hover ship zooms down the Los Angeles thoroughfare. It floats to a stop up alongside the top of the building.
Dorothy is dumbfounded. She thinks it looks like a coin operated kiddie ride. A masked figure with a flowing cape hops out of the vehicle and onto the rooftop of the Excelsior building. The car then takes off down the chasm on autopilot, with a rocket-blasting boost.
Before Dorothy can react to the flying car, a pair of massive wings temporarily blocks out the sun. A feathered girl glides overhead like an angel, followed by a flock of sparrows. Dorothy’s eyes go wide with wonder. WHOOSH! Suddenly a pink streak zooms by, creating a massive gust of wind in its wake. Leaves and debris whip down the street as Dorothy holds on to her flapping skirt and struggles to remain standing upright.
A woman, bundled up in a raincoat while also waiting at the crosswalk, is splashed with water from a nearby puddle. Unfazed, she chuckles at Dorothy as she tries to find her face beneath her wild hair. “You have to dress for the Excelsior like you do for the weather, girlie!” the woman
cackles.
She crosses the street, opening an umbrella as an invasion of feathers drift down around her. Dorothy watches her go, incredulous and worried. “Oh goodness. What have I gotten myself into?” she wonders out loud.
Stay tuned for Chapter 3 next Tuesday!
You’ve reached the end of this chapter.