Tick ran into his dad’s arms, then, almost knocking Edgar down. They hugged each other, then parted to bring Lorena and the girls into the group. In one big tangle of arms, the Higginbottom family hugged and laughed and jumped and generally made complete fools of themselves. The world had suddenly become a very bright and cheerful place to be.
Finally, Tick pulled away, looking at each of his family members in turn.
“I’ve had a crazy couple of days.”
~
Later that night, well after dark, Tick stood in the front yard under a sky thick with black clouds, not a star or moon in sight, thinking.
He thought about everything that had happened to him, but his thoughts kept returning to the bizarre incidents of the letter reappearing in his Journal of Curious Letters after Kayla had burned it, and how he’d made the Barrier Wand work even though Mistress Jane had broken it. Somehow, the two events were linked, but Tick couldn’t begin to understand why or how. Did he have some kind of weird, freaky power? Or did Mistress Jane do something to the Realities, altering how the Chi’karda functioned?
Master George’ll figure it out, Tick thought, trying to ignore how much it scared him.
He turned to walk back inside when the ground around him brightened, the slightest hint of a shadow at his feet. To the east, the full moon appeared, shining through a brief break in the clouds.
As if it were a sign, Atticus Higginbottom, Realitant Second Class, pulled out the Barrier Wand pendant from beneath his shirt and squeezed it in his fist.
Epilogue
The Thwarted Meeting
Reginald Chu, the second best inventor and greatest businessman of all time, looked at his skinwatch again. He sat atop a park bench made from the new Plasticair material his company had created, growing more furious with every passing second. The person who’d asked to meet him here was late.
And no one was ever late for the founder, owner, and CEO of Chu Industries.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the odd note that had been mailed to him several weeks ago, without any kind of return address or postmark. He unfolded the wrinkly paper and read through the handwritten message once again.
Dear Mister Chu,
You don’t know me, but we must meet very soon. I know you are aware of the Realities, but that you have never had much interest in them because the Fourth is so much more advanced than the others. But I have a proposition for you that I am certain you will accept. I know of your love for power.
As a measure of my sincerity, I will come to your Reality. Meet me in Industry Park by the Lone Oak at noon on the thirteenth of May.
Your future partner,
Mistress Jane
Reginald crumpled the note up into a ball, squeezing it in his fist. The audacity of this woman. Commanding him to meet her like he was some errand-running schoolboy-and then having the nerve to not even show up? Who called themselves Mistress anyway?
He looked at his skinwatch one last time, then stood up. The lady was obviously not coming.
As he walked back toward his building, Reginald threw the mysterious note into a roving Recycabot, angry about the time he’d wasted. There was much to be done, things he’d mapped out and set in motion long before he’d received a letter from today’s no-show, Mistress Jane.
Reginald was a very busy man.
A Glossary of People, Places, and All Things Important
Alterant-Different versions of the same person who exist in different Realities. It is extremely dangerous for Alterants to meet each other.
Annika-A spy for the Realitants who spends many months slowly gaining Mistress Jane’s trust.
Atticus Higginbottom-Also known as Tick, a thirteen-year-old resident of Deer Park, Washington. He is very smart and loves to play chess, and often suffers cruelty at the hands of bullies. He begins receiving very strange letters that lead him toward a dangerous destiny.
Barf Scarf — A red-and-black scarf that Tick wears at all times to hide the ugly birthmark on his neck.
Barrier Wand — The device used to wink people and things between Realities and between heavily concentrated places of Chi’karda within the same Reality. To transport humans, they must be in a place concentrated with Chi’karda (like a cemetery) and have a nanolocator that transmits their location to the Wand. It is useless without the Chi’karda Drive, which channels and magnifies the mysterious power.
Bermuda Triangle-For reasons unknown, this is the most concentrated area of Chi’karda in each Reality.
Billy “The Goat” Cooper-Tick’s nemesis at Jackson Middle School.
Chi’karda-The mysterious force that controls quantum physics. It is the scientific embodiment of conviction and choice, which in reality rules the universe. Responsible for creating the different Realities.
Chi’karda Drive-The invention that revolutionized the universe, able to harness, magnify, and control Chi’karda. It has long been believed that travel between Realities is impossible without it.
Chu Industries-The company that practically rules the Fourth Reality. Known for countless inventions and technologies-some that are helpful and useful, others that are malicious in nature.
Command Center-Master George’s headquarters in the Bermuda Triangle where Chi’karda levels are monitored and to where his many nanolocators report various types of information.
Edgar Higginbottom-Tick’s father. Though overweight and not exactly handsome, he is instantly loved by anyone who meets him. A very light sleeper.
Fangen-The sickening abomination of a creature created by Mistress Jane, utilizing the twisted and mutated version of Chi’karda found in the Thirteenth Reality. Formed from a variety of no less than twelve different animals, the fangen are bred to kill and ask questions later. They can also fly.
Fragmented-When a Reality begins losing Chi’karda levels on a vast scale and can no longer maintain itself as a major alternate version of the world, it will eventually fragment and disintegrate into nothing.
Frazier Gunn-A loyal servant of Mistress Jane, though he hopes to replace her one day.
Frupey-Nickname for Fruppenschneiger, Sofia’s butler.
Gnat Rat-A malicious invention of Chu Industries from the Fourth Reality. Releases dozens of mechanical hornets that are programmed to attack a certain individual based on a nanolocator, DNA, or blood type.
Grand Canyon-A satellite location of the Realitants. Second only to the Bermuda Triangle in Chi’karda levels.
Hans Schtiggenschlubberheimer-The man who started the Scientific Revolution in the Fourth Reality in the early nineteen hundreds. In a matter of decades, he helped catapult the Fourth far beyond the other Realities in terms of technology.
Kayla Higginbottom-Tick’s four-year-old sister. Loves to burn things and have tea parties.
Kyoopy-Nickname used by the Realitants for quantum physics.
Lisa Higginbottom-Tick’s fifteen-year-old sister. Horrible on the piano.
Lorena Higginbottom-Tick’s mother. Loves to cook, and could sleep through a raging tornado.
Mabel Ruth Gertrude Higginbottom Fredrickson-Edgar’s aunt, long since widowed, who lives in Alaska. Hasn’t seen any of her family members in years.
Master George-The current leader of the Realitants. Overwhelmed by the betrayal of Mistress Jane, he sets out to strengthen his forces, sending out a series of tests and riddles to help him find worthy candidates. Loves his cat, Muffintops.
Mistress Jane-A former Realitant and the biggest traitor the world has ever known. When she discovered the Thirteenth Reality and its twisted, mutated version of Chi’karda, she quickly realized the power she could have for herself and the potential for ruling the universe. Her plans are only beginning. Loves the color yellow and is bald.
Mothball-A Realitant from the Fifth Reality, she is fiercely loyal to Master George. Regrets her name, which was given to her without much forethought by her father. Realizes she fared better than her twin sister, Toejam.
Ms. Sears
-Tick’s favorite librarian. Has funny hair that looks like a cleaning pad.
Muffintops-Master George’s cat. Can’t speak English, but loves milk.
Multiverse-A term used by Reality Prime scientists to explain the theory that quantum physics has created multiple versions of the universe.
Nanolocator-A microscopic electronic device that can crawl into a person’s skin and forever provide information on their whereabouts and Chi’karda levels, among other information.
Nitwit-The unfortunately named servant child of Mistress Jane. Like those before her, Nitwit has been given the ability to fly, based on a manipulation of Chi’karda. Replaced Jane’s prior child servant, Nincompoop.
Norbert Johnson-A post office worker in Macadamia, Alaska. Is terrified of Mistress Jane based on only one encounter.
Paul Rogers-A thirteen-year-old Realitant recruit from Florida. Loves surfing and playing the piano.
Pick-Master George’s nickname for a major decision in which a person’s Chi’karda levels spike considerably. Some Picks have been known to create or destroy entire Realities.
Quantum Physics-The science that studies the physical world of the extremely small. Most scholars are baffled by its properties and at a loss to explain them. Theories abound. Only a few know the truth: that a completely different power rules this realm, which in turn rules the universe: Chi’karda.
Realitants-An organization sworn to discover and charter all known Realities. Founded in the 1970s by a group of scientists from the Fourth Reality, the early Realitants used Barrier Wands to recruit other quantum physicists from other Realities. Their focus changes when one of their best betrays them and they decide they must seek out not only people of science, but those who have the courage, intelligence, and strength-along with the innocence of youth-to fight in the coming months and years.
Realities-A separate and complete version of the world, of which there may be an infinite number. The most stable and strongest reality is called Reality Prime. So far, twelve major branches of Reality Prime have been discovered. Realities are created and destroyed by enormous fluctuations in Chi’karda levels.
Fourth — Much more technologically advanced than the other Realities, due to the remarkable vision and work of Hans Schtiggenschlubberheimer.
Fifth — Quirks in evolution led to a very tall human race.
Eighth — The world is covered in water due to much higher temperatures, caused by a star fusion anomaly triggered in another galaxy by an alien race.
Eleventh — Quirks in evolution and diet led to a short and robust human race.
Thirteenth — A mutated and very powerful version of Chi’karda exists here. It is a world full of magic and darkness.
Reginald Chu-Tick’s science teacher who shares the same name as the person in the Fourth Reality who founded Chu Industries and turned it into a worldwide empire. They may be Alterants of each other.
Rutger-A Realitant from the Eleventh Reality, he is best friends with Mothball. Works as Master George’s right-hand man in the Command Center. Loves to throw rocks at Tick.
Sato-A fourteen-year-old Realitant recruit from Japan. He has a dark secret that makes him very reluctant to ever trust another Realitant.
Shockpulse-An injection of highly concentrated electromagnetic nanobots that seek out and destroy the tiny components of a nanolocator, rendering it useless.
Snooper Bug-A hideous crossbreed of birds and insects created by the mutated power of the Chi’karda in the Thirteenth Reality. Can detect any known weapon or poison and can kill with one quick strike of its needle-nosed beak. Pet of Mistress Jane.
Sofia Pacini-A twelve-year-old Realitant recruit from Italy. From an extremely wealthy family, she is tougher than nails and has no problem displaying it.
Sound Slicer-A small device that shoots out a heavily concentrated force of sound waves, almost too low for the human ear to register but powerful enough to knock something senseless if caught in its direct path.
Tick-Nickname for Atticus Higginbottom.
Tingle Wraith-A collection of microscopic creatures from the Second Reality, called spilphens, that can form together into a cloud while rubbing against each other to make a horrible sound called the Death Siren. After thirty seconds, this sound does unpleasant things to a human, but has never been known to actually kill one. Chu Industries has developed a way to train and program the Wraiths to form into the shape of a creepy old man’s face (for fright effect) and appear to a certain individual based on a nanolocator, DNA, or blood type.
Windbike-An invention of Chu Industries, this vehicle is a motorcycle that can fly, consuming hydrogen directly out of the air for its fuel. Based on an extremely complex gravity-manipulation theorem first proposed by Reginald Chu.
Winking-The act of traveling between or within Realities by use of a Barrier Wand. Causes a slight tingle to a person’s shoulders and back.
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The Journal of Curious Letters 1r-1 Page 30