“Uh-uh. Another time. One of us had better keep his feet.”
Jill tried other movements, whirling and doing flip-overs. Then she grew bolder, moving more swiftly. She teased Ted into trying to catch her, and he finally got into the game. He lunged at her but missed her fleet form every time. The game grew more active. Presently both of them were scampering about in the space-ship compartment, laughing and having great fun.
Jill paused in one corner beneath an air-vent box. “Try and catch me!” she taunted, her eyes shiny with merriment. “I’ll let you get real close.”
Ted glided catlike across the floor, his metal-soled shoes clicking at every step. Only when he was nearly upon her did she move. She flexed her knees and soared off above him, laughing. His hands raked the air but missed her agile form.
Suddenly Ted’s heart seemed to stop dead. “Jill! Look out! You’ll hit that air vent!”
She saw the danger too late. She screamed and crashed heavily into the metal vent, head on. Her head lolled in unconsciousness, and her body hung limp as a broken toy against the ceiling of the space-ship room.
CHAPTER TWO
Hurtling Danger
His heart pounding in anxiety at Jill’s plight, Ted opened a door and dashed into the next room of the suite.
“Jill!” he cried. “She’s hurt!”