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seatbelt,” he complained. It was at this point he noticed something else: there was no flight attendant to ask for help.
    Miss Li walked to the front and immediately had everyone’s attention. “You will probably notice that this is a private plane, as opposed to a regular airliner. You’ll need to fasten your safety equipment. Sit back in your seat and press the blue button on the arm rest. But be sure you are sitting back as far as you can in your seat when you push the button.” She then sat down quietly, as if to demonstrate, and pushed the blue button on her console. There was a faint purr, and several restraining devices automatically deployed, firmly securing her to the chair. Ryder heard several other purrs and clicks. He looked at Rebecca, and then pushed the button. A moment later she did the same.
    The plane moved out onto the runway and left shortly thereafter.
    Rebecca had a concerned look on her face, but then opened her book and started to read. Ryder guessed that further discussion would be futile and pulled out a book of his own. The seat was very comfortable, although more restraining than he had experienced on the previous flight. He felt more secure somehow.
    Two hours later, he put down his book and looked out the window. It was nice to be able to have the window seat for a change. They had passed over the last of the landmass. They were now crossing over the Atlantic. Off to the side, he saw another plane that looked a little more familiar in style than their own. He thought they were awfully close, as he could make out the plane ID, J-773. Wait a minute , he thought, the tail of our plane was J-773. That’s when things really started to get strange.
    The ping of the announcement system went off, and the pilot’s voice came back over the intercom. “Please be sure that your restraining devices are firmly in place. We will be accelerating in one minute.”
    Miss Li got out of her seat, as did Mr. Small, and checked everyone’s restraints. “Looks good up here,” called out Mr. Small.
    “We are clear back here as well,” responded Miss Li.
    After the teachers were reseated, Ryder could feel the pressure as they accelerated and angled sharply upward. The crushing sensation continued for several minutes, and Ryder’s ribs started to ache. The sky began to turn purple, then finally black, and for a moment, Ryder thought he was passing out. The stars, I’ve never seen them so bright, he thought. Wait a minute, what are we doing up here! He then panicked and tried to get out of his seat. The securing system was locked. They were trapped!
     

Chapter 5: Kidnapped
    Ryder’s stomach was doing flip-flops trying to escape through his throat. He was having trouble with his orientation. His eyes knew which way was up because he was braced into his seat, but the rest of his sensory system was struggling. About the time he figured out that this was what being weightless felt like, he heard the hum of what sounded like the air filter his mother used in her bedroom. His system did another lurch. He closed his eyes, trying to hold the contents of his stomach in place. He hated throwing up. The burning sensation and acrid taste of half-digested meals returning through his throat was something he had religiously avoided, even when he was sick. He willed his system to deny the volcanic eruption, and little by little his stomach settled back down. When he opened his eyes again, up was up and down was down. He didn’t think it was possible, but somehow they had weight again. Perhaps they were speeding back toward the earth.
    Miss Li unbuckled her restraining harness and slid toward the front of the “vehicle.” Ryder wasn’t sure that “plane” was an appropriate term anymore. Can I call it a plane if it is outside the gravitational pull of the earth? he wondered.
    “We will be taking a detour from our originally scheduled flight,” Miss Li announced. “I’m sure you are all wondering what is going