Chapter 1: The Maple Lane Crew Everyone knew each other on Maple Lane. It was a small, quiet street – rows of old brick terraced houses with tiny gardens on one side, where lavender and mint filled the summer air. On the other side stood a new, bright building with balconies draped in colorful towels and school uniforms drying in the breeze. Down the middle ran a pavement lined with maple trees that showered golden leaves each autumn, piling so thick that children could jump in them ankle-deep. Maya, Alex, Lena, Phil, Casper, and Sophie called themselves the “Maple Lane Crew.” It wasn’t about numbered jerseys or club badges. They were a crew because they stuck together – in games, on the school playground, and when watering the neighbor’s flowers or hunting for lost footballs in the hedge. Most evenings after school and after-school club, they gathered in Maya’s living room. The coffee table groaned under mugs of tea and plates of biscuits. Phones lay in a semicircle on cushions, alongside an old tablet that once belonged to Maya’s older brother. When the familiar Brawl Stars logo appeared, conversations died down, and excitement crackled in the air. That evening, they were playing Gem Grab. The plan was simple: “I’ll carry the gems,” Sophie announced. “Alex covers me. Maya controls the center.” “Sounds like serious strategy,” Phil laughed, “but let’s not get distracted by the biscuits.” Casper, reaching for another one, theatrically pulled his hand back. The colorful map appeared on screen, dynamic music filled their ears. The game began. The crew worked like clockwork – Sophie collected gems, Alex kept opponents at bay, Maya guarded the strategic center. They laughed and communicated in half-sentences. Then something strange happened. For a second, the game dimmed, and in the corner, a new glowing animation flickered – like pixelated ribbons scattering in the air, forming the words: Path to the Brawlers’ Realm. “Probably a new seasonal event,” Phil muttered, not even looking up from the screen. None of the Maple Lane Crew suspected this wasn’t an ordinary event. It was an invitation. And they would answer it very soon. Chapter 2: Through the Screen The next day after school, Maple Lane smelled of rain. Drops still clung to maple leaves, and shallow puddles gleamed on the asphalt. The crew gathered at Maya’s as usual – faster this time, as if an invisible hand of curiosity pushed them inside. “That animation yesterday…” Phil began, sitting cross-legged on the carpet. “You all saw it, right?” “We saw it,” Maya nodded, her eyes bright. “Let’s see if it comes back.” Phones found their way into hands, tea steamed, and the Brawl Stars logo bloomed on screens again. They chose Brawl Ball because Alex insisted “football’s the best test of teamwork.” The first seconds passed normally: quick passes, dodges, laughter at Casper’s failed shot attempt. Then it happened again. Pixels lit up in the corner, but this time they didn’t fade after a second. They spread wider, like a luminous puddle from which a quiet sound emerged – something between glass chiming and bells playing. The words formed clearly: Path to the Brawlers’ Realm. “Now?” Sophie whispered. “Like… now?” “Maybe it’s just a wallpaper, relax,” Lena soothed, though she leaned closer herself. The glowing puddle suddenly trembled and… moved toward the table. It slid along the edges of tablets and phones, as if searching for a dock, then shot upward in a thin ribbon toward the ceiling. For a second, Maya’s room seemed larger, and the game sounds felt more real, closer, as if someone had opened a door to a hall full of musicians. “I think… it’s an invitation,” Maya said. “But we can refuse. Really.” Silence fell. Outside, a bus passed – distant, ordinary, utterly unromantic. And perhaps that’s what made Alex nod first. “Together?” he asked. “Always together,” the others replied. The ribbon waited. Maya reached out and touched the edge of light – it was cool like morning metal on stair railings, yet soft as down. The light trembled, parted like a curtain. The children stood shoulder to shoulder and, before they could count to three, took a step. The world spun like a ball on fingertips. For a moment, each saw both Maya’s living room and something entirely new: grass wet with rain, fields of colorful banners, moving boards with flashing signs: Gem Grab, Brawl Ball, Showdown, Hot Zone, Knockout, Heist. The air carried the scent of freshly cut grass and something else, like sparks after fireworks. “Whoa!” Casper wobbled and laughed, catching his balance. “That was like a slide, but without the slide.”
