The Reality Bug by D.J. MacHale

isn’t reading your thoughts, is it?”
    â€œI’m your phader for the jump. Remember the core we passed through on our way into the pyramid? I’m sitting in one of those control cubicles, watching your jump.”
    â€œThose video monitors!” I exclaimed. “They’re showing you what the jumpers are experiencing.”
    â€œExactly. The phaders monitor the jumps to make sure everything goes well. To be honest, it’s a boring job. Things rarely go wrong. But every so often a jumper needs some help or his wrist controller needs replacing or some minor problem arises and we get sent into their jump. But the thing is, we can’t become part of a jump unless the jumper presses the left button. That’s why I was able to show up when I did. If you hadn’t pressed that button, I wouldn’t be able to join you.”
    â€œSo can you control the jump now too?” I asked.
    â€œNo, I’m only a visitor.”
    â€œBobby? Are you going to eat this pizza before it congeals?” asked Mom. She stood in the doorway of the living room.
    â€œUh, yeah. As soon as I finish talking to my friend here.” I had no idea how to explain Aja.
    Mom gave me a strange look. “You want to run that by me again?” she asked.
    â€œShe can’t see me,” Aja said with a chuckle. “I’m not part of this jump.”
    How weird was that? Aja was like a ghost. There were a lot of rules to this bizarro experience.
    â€œNever mind,” I called to Mom. “I’ll be right there.”
    Mom did a double-take, then left again.
    â€œSo what do I do now?” I asked.
    â€œAnything you want. I think you have some kind of game to go to?”
    â€œYes! The basketball game! I can play ball?”
    â€œIf you want.”
    â€œOh, man, this is great! How long does this go on?”
    â€œDon’t worry about it. Have fun. When you get back, we’ll talk about the big picture.”
    â€œC’mon Bobby!” shouted Shannon impatiently. She stood at the door to the living room with her hands on her hips, looking irritated with me for holding up the show.
    I looked to her and said, “Coming!” I then looked back to Aja, but she was gone. Just like that. My silver control bracelet was gone too. At least I couldn’t see it anymore. I had a moment where I wasn’t sure what to do, but then decided if I was going to learn all about Lifelight, I had to go along with the program. And heck, if it meant playing a little roundball, that wouldn’t be so bad. So I decided to give myself over to the experience and ran into the kitchen and tucked into the most delicious pizza I had ever eaten. But better than that was being together with my family. Shannon told me all about a play she was in at school, Dad talked about a newspaper article he was having trouble finding the inspiration to write, and Mom announced she was up for a promotion at the library. It was all so … excellent. I was home. The only sour note was that I couldn’t tell them anything about me. My guess was that would have thrown a monkey wrench into the whole illusion, so I kept quiet. Then again, nobody asked me anything either.
    After breakfast we all piled into the SUV and headed for my basketball game. I had played some pick-up hoops with Spader on First Earth—when we went there together in pursuit of Saint Dane—but that wasn’t the same as putting on a uniform and playing five-on-five in a gym. The last time I played organized ball was for Stony Brook Junior High. If I hadn’t left home I would be going to Davis Gregory High right now. Question was, where would my mind take us? Junior high, or high school?
    Dad drove us to Davis Gregory High. I had been there before and even played a city final in their gym, so I knew the place. I left my family and went right to the locker room, not entirely sure of what I’d find. For a moment it felt like one of