Minecraft / Minecraft: The Shipwreck

CHAPTER ONE

JAKE

Here we are, home sweet home!

Jake steps out of the truck and shuts the door. The tar on the street almost seems to sink under his feet as he stands. It s fresh, still soft from the hot sun, marked with crisp, clean, recently painted lines of white.

Dad whistles, the sun hitting the top of his balding head just right. He puts his hands on his hips, nodding to himself.

Jake follows Dad s proud gaze and looks across the street at the gray building situated on the corner of a tree-lined street. A wide swath of grass separates it from the sidewalk. The apartment complex seems just as drab and dull as the rest of the buildings on this street. It s a far cry from the beachside paradise Dad had been gloating about on their three-state road trip. The neighborhood has seen better days: rows and rows of mismatched apartment buildings and peeling paint, yellowing lawns and trash-lined streets. Jake sighs and shakes his head as Dad turns back to flash him a grin.

This is the place you re tearing down? Jake eyes the ancient apartment complex.

Yup. Already did one of the buildings in this complex, the one we re moving into. Oh, you re gonna love it. Everything is brand new and perfect, eh?

Three towers of apartments are clustered behind the first building. One is clearly new; gleaming white, shining glass windows reflecting the pale blue sky, almost as if the tower is trying to be a part of the sky itself. The other two are built from the same dull gray concrete as the first, occasionally spotted with bricks flecked with color for a bit of artistic flair. Jake can t help but smile, thinking about lines of ore in Minecraft. He imagines destroying the entire complex, one row of blocks at a time, gathering the jewels, coal, and different types of rock from the building s sides. He sees two, maybe three different building materials. They look a lot more sturdy than whatever the new building is made out of, although the glass

C. B. Lee is a Lambda Literary Award–nominated writer of young-adult science fiction and fantasy. Her works include the Sidekick Squad series, Ben 10, and Seven Tears at High Tide.