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The entire café shook, cups rattling on saucers, utensils falling off tables and scattering across the floor Dishes broke and shattered, shards of porcelainand dashing this way and that, not sure where to go Michael and his friends stayed put, alternating fearful looks at each other

The table suddenly bounced, ju back doith a loud bang Sarah screaain Michael finally got out of his chair, swaying with the movement of the world around hi her hand tightly; then Bryson ith the had increased to all-out shaking, tables hopping, people falling over each other Windows shattered nearby and sprayed glass on the ground Panicked screaet out of here!" Bryson yelled "I know a back way out Follow my lead!"

Michael closed his eyes, ready tocode They’d used a Portal to come in, but there was no time for that nos or no laws

A boom like a thousand claps of thunder rocked the air, and Michael opened his eyes to see the pavement crack at his feet A fierce wind tore at his clothes and hair--its whoosh picked up all sound and see else He turned to look at the café building, but it was no longer there, and his breath and beating heart seemed to stop at the sae bearound, a brilliant shaft of pulsing energy several feet wide Michael threw up his arth toward the sky like a beacon to the heavens Tendrils of electricity danced along its edges, crackling and snapping over the roar of the rushing pillar of energy

"What," Bryson said, pausing betords "Is That"

Michael had no idea, and his feet felt like they were glued to the floor He couldn’tstronger and stronger, ripping at Michael, pulling his body, now forcing hiht, not away from it It was like they were on a spaceship and a seal on the door had broken: everything was being sucked into a vacuu over and over until it slammed into the side of the bea toward the sky

Then the floodgates opened Forks, knives, spoons, broken glass, another chair flew by A table catapulted past as if thrown by an invisible hand, spinning like a disc until it hit the pillar, then raced upith all the other debris Michael and his friends gripped each other tightly, fighting the wind, but they were sliding toward the otherworldly shaft of brilliance

"I can’t focus!" Sarah yelled Michael looked at his friend and couldn’t believe what he saw Her eyes were closed--she was still trying to break out with code

All three of the Michael landed hard; a spike of pain shot through his tailbone He was sliding feetfirst across the paveed by ropes tied to his ankles The bea with electricity, rushed skyward, pulling his flew at it froht surface

Heavier objects than Michael had already floay, and lighter ones still bounced along the ground It was as if the purple shaft was picking and choosing what it wanted He scraet any sort of traction he could to stop the slide, but nothing worked Sarah’s ar at the pavement Then it all happened at once

The force ripped their bodies off of the ground completely Michael, facedown, saw the world drop away beneath him; then he twisted to look in the direction he was headed Toward thepower Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bryson and Sarah winds as they fleard the shaft as well Soon there was nothing but purple light filling his vision, a roar of rushing sound, pinpricks of electricity across his skin