Alex tried to follow what Mr. Today was saying, but truthfully he had no idea what they were talking about. “Mm-hmm,” he said.

“And really, there are others that could, but none actually willing, you see. Like Claire for instance’Ms. Morning. Completely able, completely unwilling.” Mr. Today clucked his tongue.

“Ms. Morning.” Alex nodded absently. He watched the blackboard when his brother’s room came on the screen, and wished it would just freeze there. He stared at it and muttered, “Freeze.” But the scene changed as always, rotating through a few different university views.

“Yes, and I don’t blame her. She’s seen enough all right. But she’ll be wonderful help. No doubt about that. Besides, I’ve just not had this knowing feeling about anybody else before now. ”

Alex turned his attention back to Mr. Today. Sheepishly, he said, “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Today. Um . . . what are we talking about, again? Ms. Morning is what?”

Mr. Today smiled and shuffled through papers on his desk. “Good question. What are we talking about, indeed? I should start again from the beginning this time, I imagine.” He chuckled to himself as he sometimes did when trying to explain very large, complicated things.

Alex, mystified, nodded.

“You see, Alex,” Mr. Today said, and he abruptly stopped rocking his chair, took his feet off the desk, and leaned forward earnestly, “once we’ve made it through this lengthy transition period with the open border and the Necessaries and whatnot, I’ve decided that it’s time I take a little holiday.”

“A . . . a what? Where would you go? To Quill?” Alex thought he knew what a holiday was, but no one really talked about them here’definitely not in Quill, as there was nowhere to go, and not here, either, because no one desired to leave. Alex’s first experience with the word was in Quill’a “holiday” was the day of the year that the Unwanteds were purged. Here in Artimé they celebrated a holiday on the same day, but it was to welcome the Unwanteds. Alex didn’t think Mr. Today meant it like either of those. But then there was the literature Alex had studied with Mr. Appleblossom in Actors’ Studio. They’d read plays in which characters took holidays that consisted of weeks at a time. Characters would leave home to see the world.

“Dear me, no. Not Quill. I visit there often enough for my weekly peace meeting with Gunnar.” Mr. Today scratched his head. “No . . . I’ve been longing for quite some time now to go elsewhere.” He ran his bony fingers through his shock of white hair, making it stand quite straight up, impressively defying gravity. “I want to visit the island where Justine and I grew up, before we left everything and started life here in Quill all those years ago.”

Alex stared. “But . . .”

“And in order to do that, I’ll need some help running things here.” He tilted his head and looked pointedly at Alex.

“What, you mean . . . me?” Alex almost didn’t say it, because it sounded so ludicrous.

“You, and others. But mostly you, yes.”

“Why?”

Mr. Today smiled warmly. “Because, Alex. Don’t you see? Don’t you understand? Remember our conversation in the boat, when we were on the way to the palace during the battle?”

Alex struggled to remember, but that day was fuzzy in his mind from the severe injuries he’d sustained when Aaron had tried to kill him shortly after that ride.

“I told you that Justine was my twin. And I mentioned that I felt a certain closeness with you because of the twin connection, and the way we understand things. Do you remember that?”

“Oh.” Alex nodded. “Yes, I remember.”

“So now, over the years to come, I want to teach you everything about Artimé’how we got here, how I created things, how the world runs. This and that. Here and there. Then and now.” He drummed his fingertips on the desk as if they were the musical accompaniment to this announcement.

Alex sat, stunned. “Wait. You want to teach all of that . . . to me.” He almost laughed. “Why? I’m just a kid.”

“Several reasons, really. Younger people learn faster and are able to retain more information in their brains, for one, so that makes your age absolutely ideal. And because I need a temporary replacement so I can take a vacation’I’ve worked every day for fifty years, after all. Every day. I think it’s time for a break.” His eyes were bright at the thought. “I’ll also need a permanent replacement one day for obvious reasons,” he said, pointing to his wrinkled face and tired eyes. “I’m not getting any younger.”

Alex looked at Mr. Today in horror. He didn’t want to think about that.

Seeing Alex’s stricken face, Mr. Today smiled and continued matter-of-factly. “Oh, I’ll live at least another five or ten years, perhaps even more. I feel perfectly fine now, I assure you, but isn’t this the best time for me to train someone? This is not a job to be learned overnight’it took me years to build Artimé to the grandness that you see here today, and it’ll take quite some time to teach it all to you, especially when you’re still studying with your instructors every day.”

“But . . .” Alex hardly knew where to start.

Mr. Today went on. “And, well, obviously I know you are young and want some time for fun. Fourteen . . . you’ve hardly lived.” He gazed thoughtfully somewhere beyond Alex for a moment. “We were fourteen when Justine and I discovered this island and began planning Quill.” Abruptly he turned back to Alex. “But you’ll have time to grow up and do other things too, of course. This is a long process and’”