Rashad Jennings - Arcade and the Triple T Token

The IF in Life

ZONDERKIDZ

Arcade and the Triple T Token

Copyright 2018 by Rashad Jennings, LLC

Illustrations 2018 by Rashad Jennings, LLC

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zonderkidz, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Epub Edition December 2018 9780310767404

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jennings, Rashad, 1985- author.

Title: Arcade and the Triple T token / Rashad Jennings.

Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : Zonderkidz, [2019] | Series: The coin slot chronicles | Summary: Just before starting sixth grade in New York City, a stranger gives Arcade Livingston a necklace that sends him and whoever he is with on wild adventures. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2018045498 (print) | LCCN 2018051288 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310767404 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310767411 (hardback)

Subjects: | CYAC: Adventure and adventurersFiction. | Middle schoolsFiction. | SchoolsFiction. | Brothers and sistersFiction. | MagicFiction. | BullyingFiction. | New York (N.Y.)Fiction.

Classification: LCC PZ7.1.J4554 (ebook) | LCC PZ7.1.J4554 Arc 2019 (print) | DDC [Fic]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018045498

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.

Illustrated by: Alan Brown

Art direction: Cindy Davis

Interior design: Denise Froehlich

Printed in the United States of America

18 19 20 21 22 /LSC/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

From myself and that little overweight kid with

glasses, asthma, a 0.6 GPA, and an impossible

dream; and to all the present and future kids

of the Rashad Jennings Foundation

If there was one place I could grab you by the hand and

take you right now, it would be to that day in your life

when you finally decided in your heart that,

No matter what it takes,

Im going to become the absolute

best version of myself!

Truly, that is when your own Arcade adventures begin.

And may they never end...

Contents

A rcade, you cant have all those books!

Mom tilted her head back to look at the tower of books I had arranged on the check-out counter at the Ivy Park Public Library. It resembled the Empire State Building, just a little shorter.

But I need em, Mom. I flashed my brightest smile her way. Im interested in all these topics.

And how are you going to carry them home on the subway?

Ugh. The subways a cool way to travel, but theres only so much room. And I only have so many arms. I frowned. Okay... Ill take half.

Mom shoved a fist on her hip. Arcade, youve got twenty or thirty books sittin there! You can take three. Thats all.

Oh, man. Three?

This was going to take some thought. I disassembled my collection and carried the first seven books back toward the childrens section.

Ms. Weckles, the childrens librarian, saw me coming. Arcade Livingston! You spent an hour picking those out. Are you changing your mind now?

I shook my head. Nope. Just cant carry them all. But dont worry, Ms. Weckles, Ill shelve these for you. Ive been studying up on the Dewey Decimal System.

Its a good thing. Ms. Weckles stood up and pointed her index finger toward the ceiling. Because we all know, a misshelved book is a...

Lost book! we said together. With a smile, Ms. Weckles sat down and went back to her work.

I rounded the corner toward the nonfiction 900 section: Travel. I reshelved the Switzerland guide book. I really wanted to explore those Alps. I patted the spine and pushed it in until it lined up with all the other cool travel titles. Catch ya next time, I whispered.

Excuse me, young man...

I turned toward the weak voice to find an old, dark-skinned woman about my height, staring into my eyes. She wore a glittery silver-and-gold ballcap that said Triple T on it.

Yes, maam? I bobbled the books and had to bend to catch one that tried to escape the stack.

She grinned. I see you like books.

Yeah. A little too much. I gotta put these back. I stepped aside to make room for her to pass, but she just kept staring. And now it seemed like her cap was glowing.

And did I hear your name right? Its... Arcade?

Uh, yeah. Arcade. I know its unusual, but yeah. Thats me. I flashed a smile and adjusted the books again.

Then this... is for you. The woman reached up with her crooked fingers and removed a chain from around her neck. Before I could stop her, she dropped it over my head and around mine.

What? Oh, no, I couldnt... I bobbled the books again. She moved around me, as agile as a cat, and began walking away. Fast. Wait! I yelled. What is this? Who are you?

She stopped for a second, turned, and looked at me one last time. Happy travels. She winked, gave me a thumbs-up, and then vanished behind the aquarium, her silver-and-gold glow radiating around the clownfish.

I dropped the books and sat down cross-legged in the travel section. A round object dangled from the end of the chain. I pulled it up to take a closer look. It was shiny golda brand-new arcade token. On the front side, toward the bottom, there were three Ts connected together. I ran my finger over the raised design. It sort of vibrated at my touch and, was it my imagination, or was it glowing? And then, it turned on its own! A surge of energy shot through me as I read the letters that curved around the borders of the top and bottom:

Arcade Adventures

W ere very impressed with you, Mr. Livingston. In fact, youre number one on our list to fill the position of sixth-grade teacher at Forest Park Middle School in the fall. We just have one more question to ask you to help us make our final decision...

Sure! What would you like to know?