Pi in the Sky Read online

  “Who’s going to eat all this food?” I ask.

  Aunt Rae grabs a pitcher of lemonade from the counter and brings it to the table. “I don’t know how much a human needs to eat, so I figured better too much than too little.”

  Annika runs in, steadying her leaf hat with one hand. “Did someone say food?”

  I point to the table. “Sit. Eat. Sleep. I have to go home for a little while, but I’ll come back for you and we’ll plan our next move.”

  Aunt Rae walks me back to the door as Annika dives into a piece of cherry pie with gusto. I would have picked the pie first, too. With her mouth full, she calls out, “Don’t start re-creating the solar system without me!”

  “I don’t think you need to worry about that,” I call back. I can’t help but glance at Kal’s drum set as we pass by. I haven’t heard his drumbeats since we were in the first simulation. I get a pang of fear that maybe that was my last chance.

  Aunt Rae sees me looking and puts her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, he’ll be okay.”

  I nod, not at all sure she’s right. I’m about to thank her for watching over Annika again, when I suddenly realize what she said. And she must have heard Annika’s comment about the solar system! We’re not supposed to be talking about it in front of Aunt Rae! This is what happens when there are too many secrets. You lose track! What does she know? And how does she know it?

  “Um, what do you mean?” I ask nervously. “I’m sure he’s having fun OnWorld somewhere with his parents.” I have to look away when I say that last part.

  “I’m certain you’re right,” she says, opening the door for me. As she closes it behind me, she says, “You can do more than you think you can.”

  “What do you—”

  But the door shuts behind me before I can ask anything else.

  Women!

  You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.

  —Ray Bradbury, writer

  I’m about to knock on Aunt Rae’s door for more of an explanation, when a voice behind me shouts, “It’s about time you’re alone!”

  I whirl around. “Kal?”

  “Head over to the street and I’ll meet you there,” he says. His voice sounds very clear this time. Hardly muffled at all.

  I run down the path to the street. I look both ways to make sure we’re alone. Two young boys are kicking a ball down the block but they don’t even glance my way. “Kal, are you here?”

  “I’m here,” he says, hurriedly. “Who’s the chick?”

  “The chick?”

  “That’s human-speak for girl.”

  “Oh, the girl! That’s Annika. She’s the one who saw Aunt Rae baking the pie!”

  “For real?” Kal says. “What’s she doing there?”

  “She’s, er, staying in your room for now. Aunt Rae’s watching over her.”

  “No, I mean, why is she there in The Realms?”

  The two boys have stopped playing catch and are watching me now. “Is there somewhere else we can talk?” I ask.

  “Just hold up your holoscreen like you’re talking into it.”

  “Oh! Good idea.” I fumble in my pocket and pull out the little-used device. Pretending to speak into it, I say, “All I know is that she showed up right when you left. She’s going to help me rebuild the solar system and get Earth back. And you and your parents along with it.” I don’t add the word hopefully, although I’m thinking it. “Where are you, anyway? How are you talking to me?”

  “You wouldn’t believe it. This other universe is totally bizarre and freaky beyond measure. I’m using gravitons to transmit my voice.”

  “Gravitons? How can you do that?”

  “It isn’t easy, I’ll tell you that. They’re the only things that can travel between us. My dad figured it out. It’s like… wait, what? Mom? Wait! I’m talking to Joss! I didn’t get to tell him yet, I was jus—”

  “Kal? Are you there?”

  A woman’s voice answers instead. “Joss? Can you hear me?”

  It’s Kal’s mom! “Yes! I can hear you! We’re trying to get you back! We have a plan. Well, sort of a plan!”

  “Joss, you have to listen.” Her voice is urgent. “The PTB know what they’re doing. If Earth had to be taken out of time, you need to leave it there.”

  Figures Kal’s mom would feel that way. She works for the PTB and is very loyal. But I’m not going to let her sacrifice herself and my best friend. Not when I can do something about it.

  “Joss? Do you hear me? You must—”

  I wait for her to finish, but she doesn’t. I must what? “Hello?” I call out into the air. “Are you still there?” The two little boys are giggling behind me. I’ve forgotten I’m supposed to be talking into my holoscreen.

  No one answers. “All right, then,” I say, directing my voice toward my screen. “Thanks for the, uh, visit.”

  I run all the way home, and by the time I get there, I have a plan. Or the beginnings of one, anyway. I stand in front of the face reader. I expect to see the rest of my family’s pictures up on the screens, since anyone who misses Family Picture Day has to deal with the wrath of Mom, and that’s not pretty. But only one other face shows up—Ash’s. Fortunately, Ash is just the person I need to see to put the plan into action.

  “Hello?” I call out.

  “Up here,” he shouts from the second floor.

  I find Ash at his desk, hunched over a book thicker than his arm. Even though we don’t sleep much, we each have our own bedrooms where we can go to be alone. It seems like a long time since I’ve been alone in mine, just playing, or doing homework. Which reminds me that I never wrote my essay. Hopefully my teacher will decide that saving a solar system is more important.

  “Hey,” I say, plopping down on his bed.

  “Hey,” he replies, turning the page of his large book.

  “Where is everyone? Isn’t it picture day?”

  He nods, not looking up. “Rescheduled.”

  “Really?” That almost never happens. With time being so flexible in The Realms, there’s rarely a need to change anything around.

  “Apparently Dad had some important meeting he couldn’t miss. After that, everyone else just left.”

  “That’s too bad,” I say, relieved. Picture day is the worst. “Ash, can I ask you something?”

  He doesn’t reply. I take that as an invitation to continue. I dig in my pocket and pull out one of the confidentiality agreements, which I place on his open book.

  “What’s this?”

  “Just read.”

  When he gets to the part about cleaning my room for the next millennia, he tosses it aside. “What’s this all about, Joss? I’m sorry, but I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  Ash has a very important job, even though, like Bren and me, he’s still in school. “I know you’re busy creating species in far-flung corners of the universe. I’ll be quick.”

  He closes his book and gives me his full attention. “Is that what you think I do? Create species?”

  “Isn’t it?”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t actually create anything, or anyone. I just monitor things. I compare the rise of a certain species on one planet with another. I look for mutations, and their sources. I also track the cross-pollination of species via interstellar travel. But create species… no.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say, somehow feeling the need to apologize. “That’s still a really important job with a lot of important-sounding words. All I do is deliver pies.”

  He tilts his head and studies me. “Fine, I’ll sign it. But only because I’m really curious.” He hands back the paper and I blurt out my story, the same one I told Ty in the Afterlives. Only this time I add the stuff about meeting Annika’s grandfather and the astronomer. I end with, “So then he disappeared before he got to tell us what chemicals were in the people. Gluck said I could find out by testing Annika somehow. Can you help me with that?”

  “Why don’t you jus