Victor raced down the hallway in his sock feet, skidding past the kitchen with a soft swish-swish. He stretched his arms wide like rocket wings and made his best engine sound. 'Whoooooosh!' He zoomed around a chair, ducked under the table, and nearly boinged into the laundry basket.

'Careful, Captain Comet,' Mom called, laughing as she packed apple slices into a lunch box.

Victor stopped just in time. His hair stood up in a sleepy puff, and his cheeks were pink. He grinned at the silver helmet he had made from a mixing bowl and a strip of shiny paper.

Today was not an ordinary day. Today, Victor was going with his dad to the astronaut training center.

Dad came into the kitchen wearing navy exercise clothes and carrying a plain black bag. He was tall, kind-eyed, and calm, even when Victor felt like a whole box of popcorn popping inside his chest.

'Ready?' Dad asked.

Victor bounced once. 'Ready, ready, ready!'

Dad tapped the tip of Victor's bowl helmet. 'Then say it with me. Step by step, star by star.'

Victor loved that saying. He said it at once. 'Step by step, star by star!'

It was Dad's mission phrase. He used it when tying knots, checking lists, and learning giant complicated things. Dad was training for a mission to the moon. Not pretend. Real. In a real rocket that would blast off with thunder and light.

Victor thought the moon sounded soft and glowy. But Dad said getting there took hard work, careful practice, and a very strong team.

At the training center, the building looked plain on the outside. Inside, it hummed with busy sounds: beep-beep, clack-clack, swish! Screens blinked. Doors whooshed. People in jumpsuits carried folders and tools.

Victor held Dad's hand tightly at first. Everything felt bright and enormous.