01_-_The_Alchemyst

Every so often, some spiraled to the floor, and covered it in a soft, almost
furry carpet.
“Where are we?” Sophie asked finally, unaware that she had spoken the
thought aloud.
“California?” Josh said softly, but in a voice that suggested he didn’t
quite believe what he was saying.
“After all we’ve seen today?” Sophie asked. “I don’t think so. We’re
inside a tree. A tree big enough to house the whole University of San
Francisco campus, a tree so old it makes the Methuselah Tree look like it
was just planted. And don’t try to tell me it’s a building shaped to look like a
tree. Everything here is made from natural materials.” She drew a breath and
looked around. “Do you think it could still be alive?”
Josh shook his head. “Can’t be. The whole inside is scooped out.
Maybe it was alive a long time ago; but now it’s just a shell.”
Sophie was not so sure. “Josh, there is nothing modern and nothing
artificial in this room, no plastics, no metals, no paper; everything looks hand
carved. There aren’t even candles or lanterns.”
“It took me a while to realize what those bowls of oil were,” Josh said.
He didn’t tell his sister that he’d been about to drink what he thought was
some sort of sweet-smelling fruit juice when he’d seen the wick floating in it.
“My room is identical to yours,” Sophie continued. She lifted her phone
again. “There’s no signal, and look”—she pointed—“you can actually see the
battery draining away.”
Josh brought his head close to his twin’s, their blond hair mingling, and
stared at the rectangular screen. The battery indicator on the right-hand side
was visibly falling, bar by bar. “You think that’s why my iPod has no power
either?” Josh asked, pulling it from his back pocket. “It was fully charged
this morning. And my computer is dead.” He suddenly looked at his watch,
and then he lifted his arm to allow his sister to see it. The face of the chunky
military-style digital watch he wore was blank.
Sophie looked at her own watch. “Mine is still working,” she said in
surprise. “Because it winds up,” she said, answering her own question aloud.