The Kids Alliance, Chapter 7, By Makaila Odoom

 Chapter 7

The Room That Knows You

Elowen and Willow showed me to our room, which was—get this—on the fourth floor of the building. The theatre had been on the second floor, so we were climbing higher into the magic.

The hallway was quiet, like the walls were holding their breath. Our footsteps echoed off shiny floors, and Elowen walked ahead with a bounce in her step, humming something that sounded suspiciously like the Mario Kart theme.

Finally, we stopped in front of a white door. On it were the names Elowen and Willow, glowing gently—hers in yellow, Willow’s in green.

Elowen turned to me with a mischievous little smirk. “Go on. Turn the knob.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is it gonna explode?”

“Only if you have terrible taste in room décor,” Willow deadpanned.

“Rude,” I said, but I turned the knob anyway.

The second my fingers touched the cool metal, it lit up—a brilliant pulse of blue glowing beneath my hand. My name started etching itself into the door, letter by letter, glowing like a constellation under Willow’s and Elowen’s.

“Ohhh that’s so cool,” I breathed.

“Told ya,” Willow said, grinning.

“Okay but what just happened?” I asked, eyes still glued to the door.

“It’s a part of your bond to the Kids Alliance,” Elowen explained, practically glowing herself. “And that’s not all. The room builds itself around your personality. Your side’s probably still forming now.”

Wait, my personality builds the room?! That’s both exciting and vaguely terrifying.

I turned the knob and opened the door fully—and my brain practically exploded.

There were three clear sections, and each one looked like someone’s Pinterest board had come to life.

Elowen’s side looked like a lemon-lime ninja dojo. Her walls were blindingly yellow, plastered with posters of famous karate experts in flying side kicks. Colored belts were draped on the wall like decorations. Her bed was a top bunk with a desk underneath, sheets a swirl of green and yellow, and a punching bag hung near the closet. Her bookshelf was full of martial arts manuals and biographies of people who could definitely kick my butt in one move.

“Sprite explosion,” I muttered.

“Thank you,” Elowen said proudly, like I’d just complimented her fashion sense.

Willow’s side was completely different. The walls were a soft magenta, with butterflies and skulls stuck to the surface in a weird but somehow aesthetic combo. Her bed was queen-sized, decked out in lavender and white with LED lights that slowly changed color. On her shelf were spy novels, hacking guides, and a mini pink lava lamp. She had a makeup mirror on her desk, but it folded into a monitor when she tapped it.

“She’s secretly the deadliest person in here,” Elowen whispered.

Willow didn’t deny it.

Then I turned to my side—and my jaw hit the floor.

“Oh. My. CHEESE,” I whispered.

The walls were painted my favorite shade of orange, with tiny golden stars twinkling in the corners like constellations. I had a bunk bed with sprinkle-covered sheets on the bottom, and planets on the top. The stairs lit up as I walked toward them. Below the top bunk was a white desk with a glowing keyboard and an orange swivel chair. A shelf ran along one wall, and it was loaded with books: martial arts, technology, spy tactics, even teleportation theory. (Wait—is that a real thing?!)

I spun in a slow circle. A carpeted floor. A walk-in closet. A full drawer of cute clothes. There was even a bean bag shaped like a donut.

“I’m gonna live here forever,” I breathed.

Willow chuckled. “We all say that on day one.”

I flopped on my bed dramatically. “This room is the ultimatest room to ever ultimate.”

“And that’s not a word,” Elowen pointed out.

“Let her have this,” Willow added with a smile.

For a second, everything felt warm. Like this was exactly where I was meant to be.

But then I remembered something.

“Elowen? Willow? Where are we, exactly? Like...what’s outside this building? What planet are we even on? This isn’t, like, Narnia, right?”

Elowen shrugged. “Still Earth. The Kids Alliance ‘school’ is under a cloaking device. We’re in California.”

I blinked. “Wait. I was in Florida two seconds ago.”

“Yeah,” Willow said casually. “Teleportation does that.”

“Bro.” I stared. “I’ve always wanted to go to California. Like, really go. I want to be a director one day. You know, big movies, red carpet, the works.”

“Well,” Elowen said, “we’re not allowed to leave the compound without a whole mission request, but maybe on our day off, we can ask Holly to get us clearance. She’s kinda the boss.”

“Holly—as in the Holly?” I asked. “The one who started everything?”

“Yup!” Elowen said, eyes sparkling. “She’s 30 now. Doesn’t do field missions anymore, but she’s still here. She’s like our mentor. And my godmother.”

“Am I gonna meet her?”

“When the time is right,” Willow said with a mysterious smile.

Right as I was about to ask what that meant, someone knocked on the open door.

It was Zac.

He leaned against the doorframe like he lived in a movie, arms crossed, a lopsided grin on his face. “So, new roomie. How’s life in the sparkle zone?”

I blushed. “It’s… cool. Cooler than cool.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So me, basically.”

“Oh please,” Elowen muttered.

Zac stepped in and looked around at my side. “Orange walls? Sprinkle sheets? LED stairs?” He looked at me with an approving nod. “Not bad, not bad. It’s very…you.”

And okay, maybe my heart did a little whoosh thing. But I played it cool.

“You’re just jealous mine has teleporting books.”

He grinned. “A little.”

Willow cleared her throat loudly. “Anyway. We were just finishing the tour, Romeo.”

Zac rolled his eyes but smiled at me before backing out. “Catch you later, Makaila.”

He said my name like it was a secret. And I may have smiled too much after he left.

“Your face is red,” Elowen sing-songed.

“Shut up,” I said, but I was grinning.

Maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad after all.