Escaping Ordinary

by Scott Reintgen

  The silence stretched a little longer. Indira felt heat creeping up her neck until Squalls broke into a smile. “Consider it water under the bridge.”

  Indira winced, remembering her near-death experience in the river.

  “Not my favorite metaphor right now.”

  The others laughed.

  “We all made mistakes,” Minerva agreed. “Time to fix them. I forgot to mention that more help arrived while you were gone. Our team has a new member.”

  Indira watched the crowd part. A tall girl with dark skin and thick sunglasses strode forward. It had broken Indira’s heart to lose Phoenix. The arrival of one of her other best friends thundered through the empty spaces his absence had left behind.

  “Maxi?” She ran forward and embraced the girl. “When did you get here?”

  Maxi tilted her sunglasses down slightly. “What? You think this is a face for radio? The Editors had already approved sending me before Joey destroyed the help desk. I’ve got a mobile command center in place now. We’re coordinating everything.”

  Indira’s heart leaped. “So the Editors are going to handle Joey?”

  “We’re going to help you handle, Joey,” Maxi corrected. “We still can’t intervene. They’re sticking to the rule book. The countdown continues. But I have resources and I have information. I’m going to help your crew stop the Author from doing any more damage. I’m under strict orders not to take action against him directly.”

  Indira nodded. “We can use all the help we can get.”

  Maxi gestured back to the massive gathering of characters. “We’ve got hundreds of heroes from hundreds of stories. I’ve been organizing them into teams. We’re hoping we can come up with a few potential strategies for facing Joey.”

  Indira definitely noticed that the heroes looked more organized. King Arthur was nearby, cradling his sword like a broken toy, but the others were all deep in conversation.

  “Smart thinking, Maxi. We’re bound to get a few good strategies that way.”

  There was a loud snap. Indira watched another hero from another story arrive. The man shouted something about a white whale before looking around, confused by the new setting.

  “We get a new arrival every few minutes,” Maxi explained. “Which brings me to our next problem. Thousands of heroes have arrived. We’re pretty sure the first few characters came from books that Joey’s read before. Characters he was familiar with. But now his power is going back through the entire history of stories. It’s chaos. He’s undoing every plot that’s ever existed. All the Story Houses are shrinking. And characters are being summoned back to this location.”

  “Our newest theory is pretty straightforward: when the magic finishes, it will be permanent. Imagine this as a massive, ongoing spell.”

  Squalls added in a nervous voice, “Phoenix, uh, said something about that. He said spells can be…interrupted more easily when they’re still in progress. It’s a lot harder to undo them after they’re completed.”

  Indira was putting the pieces together. “So we have to wake Joey up before the spell finishes, or else all these stories will be permanently broken. Any idea how long it will take for that to happen?”

  Maxi frowned. “It’s hard to know for sure. Based on the last few heroes to come through, we’re somewhere in the Romantic period? I’m pretty sure you’ve got at least a day. Maybe two.”

  Indira was trying to remember to involve the whole team. That had been the advice that Deus had given her first and foremost. Be a new kind of hero. She looked to Gadget first.

  “You’ve watched the video of our last attempt, right?”

  The girl nodded.

  “What do you think? Why didn’t it work?”

  Gadget looked a little surprised. “I—well—the whole point was that we needed to wake him up, right?” The crew nodded in agreement. “Look back at the video. He’s not actually afraid. His eyes widen. His heart rate increases. He stumbles backward. It looked like he was afraid. But all those reactions can also come from another emotion: excitement. Think about the profile we have on Joey. He plays a lot of video games. We know his current obsession is Pirates versus Marines, but I’m sure he’s played other games. Any way to access that info, Maxi?”

  Maxi nodded. “I’ve got a full list of titles. Most of the games involve armies and fighting and strategy. And it seems like he gets super into certain games for long stretches of time.”

  “Any dragons?” Gadget asked.

  Maxi scanned the data. “Actually, yes. Fifty-five percent of the games have dragons.”

  Gadget nodded knowingly. “That confirms my hypothesis. You did everything right, Indira. But it’s like you used a pruning saw instead of a socket wrench!”

  Indira frowned. “A what instead of a what?”

  “The wrong tool,” Gadget explained. “You were using the wrong tool. It didn’t matter how effectively you used it, either. Phoenix could have been the most frightening dragon in the history of the world. It wouldn’t have mattered. Joey likes dragons. So when he saw Phoenix, he wasn’t afraid; he was excited. That’s where your plan went wrong.”

  Cavern made an annoyed noise. “Well, my second plan will not work either. A boy who likes dragons will not fear the dark of my caves.”

  Indira’s mind was racing. The second piece of advice that Deus had given her echoed in her mind. The key to defeating Joey would be figuring out what he truly feared.

  “He doesn’t like losing,” she said, thinking out loud. “He showed up in that lacrosse jersey. So we know he plays sports. And video games. I’d bet he’s afraid of losing.”

  “But we can’t beat him,” Squalls pointed out. “The only way to scare him would be to actually beat him at something. What are the odds of doing that?”

  Indira frowned. He was right. Based on what Maxi had told them about the other Authors who had dreamed their way into the world of Imagination, it had been a particular moment that frightened them awake. A sudden scare that dragged them back into the Real World.

  Gadget cut back in. “Hey! I was watching footage while we waited. I stumbled back on something that I’d forgotten. Do you guys remember going into the Foreshadow Forest?”

  Everyone but Cavern and Minerva nodded.

  “I don’t actually remember what happened, though,” Squalls answered.

  “That’s how it’s supposed to go,” Gadget replied. “Foreshadowing in stories usually occurs early on. Most of the time, you forget the clues unless you’re paying really close attention to them. Or unless you have tutor devices that record the clues for you.”

  Gadget pulled out a device that she’d used to take notes.

  “I watched all the footage. Indira, a tree told you that you’d have to lose to win.”

  She nodded. “I’ve already covered that.”

  “Phoenix touched a branch,” Gadget continued, and Indira felt a heaviness in her heart just hearing her best friend’s name. “The leaves turned into dragons that whispered something about powerful weapons falling into the wrong hands.”

  Indira frowned. “Already covered that, too.”

  “Squalls saw the word pirate in a spiderweb,” Gadget continued. “That one is pretty obvious. Joey’s whole pirate theme fits that clue. But there’s one clue that I’m still not sure I understand. I tripped over a log that stood up and said, ‘You can’t tell me what to do!’ Then it stuck its tongue out at me. It has to be an important clue! It’s the only thing we haven’t figured out yet….”

  Their crew discussed the possibilities for a while. Even though Indira admitted there was something strangely familiar about the words, she couldn’t remember why. The crew spun their wheels on the topic for a while until everyone felt like they were right back where they’d started.

  “This feels impossible,” she whispered.

  All
the momentum she’d felt walking here with Deus was starting to vanish. How were they supposed to face someone this powerful? The rest of the crew looked drained. Except for Minerva. Indira watched her pretend mother set both hands on her hips. She had a determined look on her face and spoke in a voice that only a mother could summon.

  “We’re not giving up.” Every syllable was sharp as a knife. “People are counting on us. Everyone has something they’re afraid of. All we have to do is figure out his.”

  Minerva looked at each of them in turn. Indira instinctively lowered her eyes. She knew Minerva was right, but…

  …you can’t tell me what to do….

  Lightning struck. Not actual lightning. But the first flicker of an idea. It began with Gadget’s foreshadowing clue. Listening to Minerva, though, was like a flash that illuminated a dark sky. Indira watched her thought take shape, branching out like lightning often did. It would take every single one of them to pull this off, but she knew the plan was their best shot.

  If they all played their parts, it would work. It had to work.

  “Gadget, you’re a genius,” Indira said. “I know how to beat him.”

  Indira found herself surrounded by heroes.

  After she’d explained the plan, Maxi had rounded up a crew of characters she thought would have the best advice for Indira. There was Penelope—queen of Ithaca—who had dealt with all sorts of powerful people in a story titled The Odyssey.

  Next to her sat Wendy Darling, who knew a thing or two about traveling between worlds with a boy named Peter Pan. Indira’s favorite of the bunch was a young girl named Juliet. It surprised her to learn that the girl had costarred in a story with Indira’s least favorite professor, Dr. Montague. The four of them sat around a fire, discussing strategies.

  Penelope was working a loom as she spoke, her fingers guiding the thread along, nearly done with the piece of cloth Indira needed for her task ahead. “I’ve plenty of experience with gods. Not to mention unwelcome guests. I always found that the key to facing someone more powerful than myself was to distract them. Set them a task, or else invite them to a competition. Powerful people cannot resist a challenge.”

  Juliet nodded in agreement. “I think that is how you can lure this Author of yours. Pretend that beating him at his own game would be the easiest thing in the world. No one can resist the temptation to prove their own ability. He’ll take you up on it, surely.”

  Wendy smiled. “And then the real game will begin.”

  The three advisors laughed. Indira had been mentally working through her role in the plan. She was doing her best to take their advice to heart, too. There were still so many ways it could all go wrong. The first part of the plan was one domino that would topple hundreds more. If just one was out of place…

  Indira stood. “Any final words of wisdom?”

  Penelope’s eyes shone. “Aim true.”

  “It sounds like an awfully big adventure,” Wendy said. “Do not forget to have some fun.”

  Juliet smiled. “Defy the stars.”

  Indira grinned back. Adrenaline was pumping through her chest as she circled around the rest of camp. She felt like a general overseeing operations. The entire camp hummed with nervous, excited energy. All hands were on deck for preparation. Indira paused at each station to check in. “Gadget, how are those tutor devices coming?”

  She glanced up. “I’ve coded them so they perfectly match Maxi’s description of the room. The only tricky part will be what happens when Minerva walks inside. The device will take a second to account for her presence. It’ll probably look like a glitch. Just a quarter of a second. She’s going to have to play her role convincingly if we want him to forget that detail.”

  Indira nodded. “And we know she can do that. Great job, Gadget. There’s no way we could pull this off without you.”

  She was surprised when the girl held out a fist. Indira reached out to bump knuckles. A second later, Gadget was back to crunching numbers and analyzing data, but Indira felt like they’d just become real friends finally. She smiled to herself before checking on the others.

  Across the clearing, Minerva was hunkered down with a set of headphones on, staring at a screen on Maxi’s mobile console. Maxi had hijacked the necessary footage from the Editors’ databases, confessing she wasn’t sure how legal that was. So far none of her superiors had showed up to interfere. Maxi was busy analyzing the same footage as Minerva, providing pointers here and there.

  Down the hill, Allen Squalls and Cavern were practicing their parts. She saw they were using a toppled oak tree for test runs. Allen’s new confidence had given him a little more control over his gift. As Phoenix had predicted, he no longer had to fall asleep to summon his powers. It was a huge step for him, and it couldn’t have come at a more crucial time.

  She watched him use a practice gust to lift Cavern into the air. For such a massive character, Cavern’s landings were surprisingly graceful. There was one particular technique Indira had wanted to know more about. She’d asked him to explain the shadow-teleporting trick he’d used on them when they first met. He’d explained that he had to be within ten to fifteen paces to use it.

  Indira had grinned back at him and said that would work just fine.

  Characters kept appearing. Maxi’s best guess was that they had until sundown the next day before all their stories would be permanently altered. Every single story that involved the Hero’s Journey would be ruined permanently. No more adventurous quests. No more portals to other worlds. It would just be a bunch of characters—all dressed as pirates or soldiers—who remained in the Ordinary World. Every reader would be bored to death.

  Indira knew that meant her own story would be corrupted. She also knew there was a chance that Joey’s magic could run deeper, destroying all of Plot. This was their last opportunity to stop him.

  When all the pieces of the plan had been worked out, Indira found an empty blanket and lay down. The others eventually joined her, but there was a noticeable gap where Phoenix had been the night before. Indira could not help imagining him forced into flight, roaming the skies to the south, enslaved by their ruthless enemy. She whispered to the stars.

  “We’re coming for you.”

  The next morning dawned cool and clear.

  Indira’s team gathered their materials before climbing into a carriage. Juliet and the other advisors waved as Indira’s crew started down the road, ready for one final effort.

  “Update,” Gadget announced. “We’ve got audio confirming that Joey is prepared to move on. Ledge has been telling him all about Fable. It sounds like he’s ready for a new game. We can’t wait until the afternoon. Indira, you’ll have to make your challenge as soon as we get there.”

  She nodded. That first meeting would be the part where things had the highest likelihood of going wrong. Indira kept rehearsing in her head all the advice she’d been given. But like anything else in life, knowledge wasn’t enough. Now she actually had to perform the task.

  “Is everyone okay with that timeline?” Indira asked.

  There were nods all around.

  “And everyone feels good about their role?”

  More nods. Their crew was ready. The sun had barely risen over the distant hills when the carriages slowed to a stop. Indira leaped from the back and landed with a thud on the road. In one hand she carried her hammer; in the other, a flag that Penelope had woven for her. It had two skulls staring in opposite directions. The rest of the crew stayed inside the carriage. Indira met their gazes, head held high.

  If you’ve ever been on a team, dear reader, you’ll know how Indira felt in that moment. She was preparing to face the impossible, but she was doing so shoulder to shoulder with people she loved. Each one of them felt like a piece of armor. All linked together, Indira knew they had a strength that Joey would not be expecting. A strength that Joey coul
dn’t understand.

  Indira cleared her throat, preparing to give a speech, but Gadget spoke first.

  “I’ve been running the numbers. We have about a 1.7 percent chance of succeeding if all of this goes right.” The others exchanged glances. It was a pretty depressing number. “Not the best odds. But you know what? Everyone else has a zero percent chance of stopping Joey. We’re the only ones who can do this. Our plan is as good as it can be. Now it’s time to take action.”

  Allen Squalls nodded at that, his eyes already glowing with power.

  “This whole time, I’ve been imagining all the ways I might die,” he said. “Wild turkey attacks. A vending machine falling on my head. All of them sounded so awful….” His eyes roamed the walls of the distant city. “But dying to save everyone else? To rescue my best friend? Well, I guess that wouldn’t be the worst way to go.”

  Gadget glanced at him. “Best friend?”

  “Well, yeah—I mean, Phoenix hasn’t made it official or whatever. But I’m pretty sure we’re best friends. Haven’t you noticed? A fire mage and a water mage? It’s like the perfect combo. So, yeah, best friends…”

  Indira found herself grinning at that. She knew Phoenix would be proud that Allen had decided to stay and fight. Her eyes flicked over to Cavern next. The antagonist had been shifting uncomfortably as he listened to their speeches. After an awkward pause, he shrugged.

  “It’s been kind of fun being good. Whatever. Let’s go hit something.”

  Indira laughed. “I couldn’t have asked for a better crew. The only way that we beat Joey is by doing it together. See you all on the inside. Let’s go save the world.”

  The crew echoed her words. Turning, Indira started the long march to the city. As the carriages parted and the town came into view, Indira felt another presence walking beside her. She glanced that way. The only Plot sister who Indira hadn’t spent time with was finally making an appearance. End’s crown glistened in the bright sunlight. Her queenly dress flowed elegantly behind her. Indira nodded in her direction.