Paul noticed everyone in the room leaned forward just a little, himself included.

“Entropy,” Master George announced, looking around to see the reaction.

Paul squinted his eyes as if that would make his brain work better. “You used that word in the weird spinner movie you sent us.”

“Quite right. It refers to the rule of nature that all things move toward eventual destruction. Entropy accelerates when a branched Reality begins fragmenting. The nuclear force holding matter together weakens, and things begin to break apart and dissolve—but at a pace millions of times faster than nature’s course. A fragmented Reality can be gone—completely gone—in a matter of weeks or months.”

“What does that have to do with Tick?” Paul asked.

The skin around Master George’s eyes seemed to melt, sinking into a worried frown. “I fear that Master Atticus has no control whatsoever of the inexplicable amounts of Chi’karda stored within him. Where it comes from, and why it’s there, I’ve yet to determine. But I do know what it’s doing. It’s unleashing itself on objects that frighten or threaten Tick. And when it does . . .”

He paused, as if expecting someone to call him crazy if he continued. “Well, it’s fragmenting them. Tick is doing, on a very small scale, exactly what happens to a fragmented Reality. He’s a catalyst—triggering a heightened state of entropy that dissolves the matter around him. But because it’s so out of control, the matter slams back together, the quantum forces regaining their strength and forming the monstrosities you’ve seen along your latest journeys.”

“Whoa,” Paul whispered.

Sofia tried to sort it out. “So basically, if Tick freaks out, he can destroy and reform things, trapping whatever gets in his path.”

Master George nodded. “Yes, and depending on how far along the entropy develops—how much matter is destroyed before it reforms—the objects may retain some of their old qualities and characteristics.”

“We thought it was something Chu had done,” Sofia said. “The trees by Tick’s house, the spiders, the glass tunnel exploding and melting—all of it. We thought it was all part of the test.”

Paul looked down at Tick’s sleeping face. “Remind me not to make him mad.”

Master George sighed. “I’m afraid Tick’s life will have to move in a new direction. He’ll have to stay at home, be monitored, watched over. We’ll need an extraordinary amount of help from his parents—and we’ll have to find ways of ensuring he doesn’t have another . . . episode. At least until we sort things out.”

“What about us?” Paul asked. “We can help. We can stay with him.”

Master George shook his head. “No, no, Master Paul. I need you and Sofia to return to your homes right away and pick up on the rest of the school year. With Dark Infinity destroyed, I believe things will be quiet for awhile, and I need both of you to live your normal lives for a bit.”

Paul felt his stomach squeeze into a knot. Nothing, absolutely nothing, sounded worse than going back home and living a “normal” life.

“But,” he said, searching for arguments, “we’re Realitants. Why do we—”

Master George held up a hand. “All in its appointed time, lad. For now, you must go to school, learn, experience growing up. I promise it won’t be long before we wink you in for further training or to help with whatever obstacle presents itself to deter our mission.”

“What happened to Mistress Jane?” Rutger asked.

Master George looked at him sharply, then glanced away as if trying to hide his alarm at the question. “That, I don’t know. We can only hope she’s . . .” He didn’t need to finish.

“Maybe when Sato’s well enough—” Rutger began, but was cut off by Mothball.

“Pipe it for now, little man. One worry at a time.”

Master George stood up. “Paul and Sofia, I need the two of you to prepare to return home. I’ll send several specially prepared science books with you so that you can study beyond those things you’ll learn in normal schooling. I need a little more time with Tick, and I need him to help me resolve the matter of”—he pointed a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the holding cell—“our captive, Reginald Chu. Tick may be the only one who’ll be able to tell which Chu it is.”

Paul stood as well, trying to ignore the hurt growing inside him. He really didn’t want to say good-bye to everyone. “Yeah, what’s the deal with the Chu thing? What happened back there?”

Master George stared at him, his face serious. “Two Alterants met, lad, face to face. Such a thing is a disaster—a complete disaster, always.”

“Why? What happens?” Paul asked.

“One survives, while the other is thrown into . . .” Master George looked about nervously. “Well, we don’t know for sure. But Reginald himself always called it the Nonex, and it’s something I hope to never encounter. Whenever Alterants meet like that, it causes a terrible disturbance in Chi’karda and the Realities. I wouldn’t be surprised if an entirely new Reality, perhaps even solid enough to be a main branch, was formed from this. Dreadful, really.”

Paul rubbed his eyes and temples. “My head hurts.”

“Yes, yes, off you go,” Master George said, shooing them away from Tick. “It’s time for you to go home. Rutger, please fetch my Barrier Wand.”

Chapter

51

Awakening

Tick didn’t know how much time passed between the instant he grew aware of himself and the moment he opened his eyes. An hour maybe. Possibly two.

It was the pain that kept him hiding in his own darkness. Terrible, terrible pain, right in the middle of his skull, as if he’d spent the last week lending his head out as a neighborhood speed bump.

But he finally slid his eyelids open, scared the light would only make it worse but having no choice.

Master George sat in a chair to his left, leaning over him with a huge smile on his ruddy, puffy face. Sato sat to Tick’s right, his face swollen but somehow cheerful—for him, anyway.

Tick started to get up, but only made it an inch before thumps of pain slammed his brain like hard fists.

“Now, now, Tick,” Master George said, placing a hand on Tick’s arm. “Let’s not be hasty. You’ve been through quite an ordeal.”