Confusion clouded John's mind as he looked around at the unfamiliar place. Suddenly, warm sunlight streamed down, hitting his face. He blinked, and as his eyes opened fully, he saw a tall building right in front of him. He even recognized the window – the same one he remembered falling from.
I'm back! Relief washed over him like a cool wave. Thank God, it was all just a bad dream. He quickly scrambled to his feet. Falling from the window, ending up somewhere else… it had felt so real, but it had to be a dream, right? He figured he must have just fainted after coming here and slept right through the night.
He checked his bag anxiously. Yes! His school project was still safely inside. Good, he thought with relief. And look, it's time for school. I need to get going. With a new sense of purpose, John hurried off towards the school building.
Meanwhile, things were tense inside Luna's laboratory. Several doctors stood around, their faces serious. Dr. James, one of the senior doctors, listened carefully as Dr. Thomas spoke.
"I still can't believe it," Dr. Thomas said, shaking his head. "That stone… somehow it became so smart. It could even change how it looked! Dr. James, when you last saw it that day, what condition was it in?
Dr. Thomas went on to explain everything that had happened – how they had locked the strange stone away, thinking it was safe.
"But now, it's gone," he finished grimly. "We thought it couldn't escape. It didn't have much energy left. If it tried to change back into its stone shape to get out, it would just become a normal rock again, unable to even speak. That's why we thought locking it up was enough. But… this stone was much cleverer than we realized."
Dr. James frowned. "And speaking of missing things, where is Luna?"
Dr. Thomas sighed. "Actually, her brother has been missing for two days now. Luna went to the school looking for him, but he hasn't been seen there either. And you know that project she was making for her brother? That's gone from here too. But," he added thoughtfully, "when we first came in that day, everything was broken, things were thrown around, some even fell out the window. It's possible her project just got lost somewhere in all that mess."
Just then, Dr. Thomas's phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw a message from Luna. As he read it, his eyes widened in shock. He suddenly remembered seeing John walking away from the hospital earlier. Luna must have found him! he thought instantly, figuring she wanted him to meet her. Without wasting another second, he turned and ran out of the lab, heading straight for the school. He had no idea what was really happening there.