FROM BAD TO WORSE

Natalia hid the cover of Von Strife’s journal under her bed, but after a restless night filled with dreams of Von Strife experimenting on helpless changelings, she decided to keep it in her backpack on the other side of the room.

It didn’t stop the nightmares. That Von Strife had somehow seen them through Raven’s vision was terrifying. As long as she had visitors, Natalia was fine. The moment she was alone, panic set in. However, the bigger problem was explaining everything to her parents.

As would be expected, they were ready to take Natalia out of Iron Bridge Academy, and all of Templar society for that matter. In their estimation, the dangers were too great and the costs were too high.

“We don’t want to lose you,” her father said one morning at the hospital a few days after Natalia woke up. He was looking down at Natalia through square-framed glasses that couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes. Reaching over, he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

“I know,” Natalia said, grabbing him by the hand, “but running away from all of this isn’t going to change anything. The world is a scary place, and you and Mom can’t save me from that. If you take me out of Iron Bridge, it’s only going to make things worse. I mean, they’re teaching us how to fight against things the real world can’t even comprehend. Besides, I was chosen to do this. Don’t you want me to be prepared?”

Her father reached up to wipe a stray tear and sighed. “Of course we do,” he said. “We’re just not sure that this is the best way. Look at you. You have a black eye, you suffered a concussion, and the doctor had to use twenty stitches to close up that cut.”

“But, Daddy, I survived,” Natalia said, sitting up. “Look, as strange as this may sound, I think we were called into this for a reason, and I don’t want to stop. I can’t stop. I want to protect you and Mom and our whole family, and I won’t be able to do that if I leave.”

Mr. Romanov scratched at what little of the auburn hair remained on his scalp. Then he stood up, shook his head, and smiled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but okay.”

“I can stay?” Natalia couldn’t hide her shock.

“I’ll talk to your mother about this, but I have a feeling she isn’t going to be happy. Either way, there’re going to be some conditions,” he said, trying to sound stern but failing miserably. He couldn’t help but sound proud. “No more joyrides in flying cars. In fact, I don’t want you in flying cars at all.”

“Agreed.”

“And other than your classes, I don’t want you coming into this city.”

“Wait, you mean New Victoria?”

“Yes.”

Natalia was about to protest, but she decided against it. After all, considering everything that had happened, Natalia knew that she was lucky. She didn’t think there would be a chance that she’d be able to stay, and her father wasn’t asking for much.

He’d been sleeping on an uncomfortable cot in her room every night since the accident, while Natalia’s mother stayed with her sister, Katarina, at their house. It was a sacrifice. After all, Mr. Romanov was a tall man, and his legs were far too long for the cot. Yet he never complained, not once.

Instead, he stayed up half the night trying to catch up on paperwork that he’d neglected in order to spend more time with Natalia. Occasionally he’d leave to pick up something at his office, but only if Brooke or someone else was there to keep Natalia company.

When Doc Trimble finally signed her release papers, Natalia wasn’t sure what to do with the cover of Von Strife’s journal. Her first thought was to tie it to a rock and throw it to the bottom of Lake Avalon. She figured it couldn’t harm anyone from there.

Still, despite the fact that it gave her nightmares, the journal had proved useful so far. As much as the thought of traveling back inside its memories terrified her, Natalia knew that the journal cover might come in handy down the line. She decided to hide it in the records room inside the school library. Natalia was fairly certain she was the only person who went in there, besides Mrs. Prosser, the head librarian.

Ernie had told his parents that he needed to stay after school to work on a project. Instead, he ended up outside Obadiah Strange’s office. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

Ernie found Strange standing as he stared at several maps strewn across his desk. An antique phonograph played classical music as a fire crackled in the hearth nearby. There was ash on the floor, likely from the stack of papers that were burning atop the logs.

“I thought you were someone else,” Strange said, looking up.

“Oh, sorry.”

“Nonsense. Please, have a seat.” Strange pointed to the leather chairs in front of his desk, took a deep draft of tea, and joined Ernie.

“What are all the maps for?”

“Your field test,” Strange said. “We’ll use the jump station to transport here.” He pointed to a clearing in the middle of an enormous forest on one of the maps. He slid his finger to a dark area that looked like it might be a hill. “And this is where we should find the Schrödinger Box.”

“What does that thing do again?”

“Theoretically, it will ensure that you’re not torn apart when you travel from one universe to another.”

“How do you know it’s still there?”

“I don’t,” Strange said.

Ernie stood up and walked over to a shelf where he had spotted some tin soldiers next to a small box. They were lined up as though they were in a battle. Some stood with rifles aimed, while others rode on horseback. Then he saw tin clockworks scattered among the soldiers. There was even a suit of Mark Four armor just like the one Harley had worn.

“Where did you get these?” he asked as he picked the armor up.

“They were a gift from a man by the name of Wilhelm the First,” Strange said.

“Was he a king or something?”

“Yes, for a time.”

“What’s this?” Ernie asked. He set the tin armor down and touched the box.

“Please be careful, it’s quite delicate.”

Ernie unfastened the latch and pushed the lid back to reveal a porcelain ballerina that started to pirouette as music played. “Natalia has one of these.”

“Many young girls do,” Strange said.

“Then why do you have one?”

“Let’s just say it has sentimental value,” Strange said, walking over to shut the lid. He clasped the lock and turned back to Ernie. “Now tell me, what brings you here at this late hour? Are you out of our special brew?”

“I think I have enough,” Ernie said, referring to the dragon dung tea that was supposed to stunt the changeling transformation from human to faerie.

“Since you don’t have a tail just yet, I’d say it must be working.”

“I guess.”

“Is something troubling you?”

“I’ve been thinking,” Ernie said after a moment. “You know how you can travel through time?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Strange said.

“Do you already know what’s going to happen?”

“What do you mean?” Strange walked over to his desk and sat down. He motioned for Ernie to do the same.

“If you already know what’s going to happen, you could tell us how to save Hale.”

“I’m afraid that my gift doesn’t work that way.”

“Why not?”

“It’s true that because of my changeling gift I travel back to a certain point in time if I die, but there’s a twist…. It’s never the same world.”

“Like Mars?”

Strange sighed. “No, Mr. Tweeny. Though that would simplify things. I’m referring to an alternate universe that may resemble our own, but it’s quite different.”

“Oh, you mean like in comic books where there’s a thousand versions of Superman on a thousand different Earths?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“Does that mean there’s more than one of me?”

“More than likely.”

Ernie sat there trying to grasp the concept, but it wasn’t easy. “So what would happen if I met another version of myself? Would the world explode or something?”

“I hope not,” Strange said, laughing.

“Do you think there’s another version of me here right now?”

“I’d say the odds are against you, but more peculiar things have happened.”

Ernie sighed. “I wish I could go to another Earth right now.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because everyone at school thinks that I’m helping Otto Von Strife kidnap the changelings. You know, just like Smoke did.”

“Let me ask you a question,” Strange said after a moment of contemplation. “When a baseball team doesn’t live up to expectations, what happens?”

“I don’t know,” Ernie said. “I guess they fire the coach.”

“Precisely,” Strange said. “Right or wrong, the coach becomes the scapegoat for the failures of the team.”

“The team didn’t fail, though. I did,” Ernie said. “I mean, I didn’t do it on purpose or anything, but I’m the one who led them into the trap.”

“Perhaps, but we all make mistakes,” Strange said. “No matter what, we cannot let those mistakes define who we are.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Ernie said.

“Only you know that answer, Agent Thunderbolt,” Strange said. “But one way or the other, you must win back their confidence.”