The Kids Alliance, Chapter 4, By Makaila Odoom

 Chapter 4

Just Fell Out of the Sky and There’s a Pizza Talking to Me

THUMP.

“OW!” I groan, my voice muffled against the cold, unforgiving floor. “Seriously?”

I push myself up, groaning as my elbows slip under me. I land sprawled out on my stomach, limbs flopped in every possible direction, like a human starfish who got rejected by gravity.

At first, I think I’ve crash-landed into some kind of intergalactic library. But no—it’s worse.

It’s a school.

A school.

I literally just went flying through a glowing, sparkly portal, and now I’m face-down on the floor of what looks like a really intense, slightly futuristic private school lobby?

This cannot be real.

“This is where the magical portal takes me?” I grumble. “Not a land of unicorns and castles and glitter dolphins? Not a fairy queen on a throne offering me a cupcake sword and a pet griffin?”

Nope. School. Because of course.

I sit up slowly and dust myself off, my brain still processing the whiplash of interdimensional travel. I mean—I just got yanked out of reality like a spaghetti noodle, and now I’m under a chandelier, surrounded by bulletin boards and... inspirational posters?

Also—what even is this place? Everything’s weirdly sparkly and way too clean, like a school funded by billionaire elves.

Focus, Makaila. Come on.

I groan again, louder this time. “That hurt.”

I pull myself to my feet, legs a little wobbly, and glance around. The air smells faintly like cinnamon and whiteboard marker. There’s an eerie silence here, like the school is watching me. Judging. Possibly filing a tardy slip.

Curious now, I wander over to the wall. It’s lined with golden-framed plaques—kind of like a hallway of fame. Each one is labeled with bold lettering:

The Kids Alliance: Class of 2002
The Kids Alliance: Class of 2003
2004… 2005… 2006…

Wait.

Wait.

I stop in front of a particular frame. My eyes lock on one of the team photos.

Is that…?

I squint, lean in, and—YUP. That’s my mom.

That’s my MOM.

My knees almost give out.

And—next to her—tall, with that same ridiculous grin I’ve seen in home videos?

My dad.

My parents were in this… Kids Alliance thing? They were students here?

My head is spinning. This feels like the kind of twist you find in a YA fantasy novel right before the main character finds out they’re the Chosen One.

Before I can process any more, I hear a loud—

“HI!!”

“GYAAAAHH!” I scream, jumping like someone just tased me with a joy buzzer. My foot clips the edge of a fancy display case, and I almost take down a giant golden trophy that reads: Community Service Hero Award.

I whirl around, heart pounding like it’s auditioning for a drum solo.

Standing behind me are three girls—all around eighteen—and all dressed like… food.

I wish I were joking.

One of them is literally wearing a full pizza costume. Like, pepperoni and everything. Another is wrapped in what I can only describe as a very committed burrito suit. The third is a walking rice bowl, complete with little paper chopsticks sticking out the top of her hat.

I blink at them.

They blink back at me.

“Do… do you know where I am?” I ask cautiously, backing up one step because honestly? This feels like a fever dream.

The food girls glance at each other—and then burst into laughter.

Not like mean girl laughter. More like the oh-you’re-adorable-and-we-knew-this-would-happen kind.

“Hi, Makaila!” the pizza says brightly.

I pause. “You know my name?”

She grins. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

That’s not terrifying at all.

“Wait, wait—okay, pause. Who are you people? And why are you dressed like an all-you-can-eat buffet?”

The pizza girl extends a hand. “I’m Natalie. That’s Camilla,” she says, pointing to the burrito, “and that’s Riley,” motioning to the rice bowl.

“Is this a prank? Am I on some hidden camera show?”

“It’s dress-up day,” Camilla explains with a shrug, like this is totally normal. “Today’s theme was food.”

“Oh. Of course. Because that makes everything way less weird.”

“Anyway,” Riley says, her eyes sparkling, “welcome to the Kids Alliance.”

“The what-now?”

Natalie beams. “The organization your parents used to be part of. The one you were literally born to join.”

“I was what?”

Camilla claps her hands. “You’re really special, Makaila. And things are about to get...interesting.”

I stare at them. I think my brain just fell over.

Riley reaches out gently. “Come with us. You’ve got a lot to see.”

Still dazed, I follow them through a hallway that looks like it was designed by Pinterest and a team of fairy engineers. There are glowing vines on the ceiling. Moving photos on the walls. I think one winked at me.

They lead me to a spiral staircase, and we descend into something that feels older—quieter. More secret.

Natalie turns and says, “Riley’ll explain everything. Camilla and I have to go round up your team so you can meet them.”

“My team?!”

But they’re already gone.

Riley smiles at me and gestures to a pair of chairs in front of an indoor garden so magical-looking, it could be the set of a fantasy movie. There are flowers that shimmer slightly, vines that curl toward the sun, and a faint humming sound, like the plants are singing.

I sit slowly.

“I know this is a lot,” Riley says gently. “But there’s a reason you were brought here. You’ve already started noticing strange things, haven’t you? People acting weird. That feeling that something’s...off.”

I nod. My mouth’s gone dry.

“It’s because something is off,” she continues. “And it all started years ago—with one regular person, who wanted to change the world…”

I lean in.

I have about a thousand questions.

But for the first time since crash-landing through a portal into what might be a cafeteria-themed superhero academy… I actually want to hear the answers.