The Hunt for Dark Infinity (The 13th Reality #2) (46 page)

Haunce, The
—A mystery of the Realities that Master George has yet to explain.

Henry
—A boy from the Industrial Barrens of the Seventh Reality.

Hillenstat
—A Realitant doctor from the Second Reality.

Jimmy “The Voice” Porter
—A Realitant from the Twelfth Reality. He has no tongue.

Katrina Kay
—A Realitant from the Ninth Reality.

Kayla Higginbottom
—Tick’s little sister.

Klink
—Guard of the Execution Exit at the End of the Road Insane Asylum.

Kyoopy
—Nickname used by the Realitants for quantum physics.

Lemon Fortress
—Mistress Jane’s castle in the Thirteenth Reality.

Lisa Higginbottom
—Tick’s older sister.

Lorena Higginbottom
—Tick’s mother.

Mabel Fredrickson
—Tick’s great-aunt in Alaska.

Master George
—The current leader of the Realitants.

Metaspide
—A vicious robotic creature from the Fourth Reality that resembles a spider. Chu’s security force.

Mistress Jane
—A former Realitant and ruler of the Thirteenth Reality. Has an uncanny power over Chi’karda.

Mothball
—A Realitant from the Fifth Reality.

Ms. Sears
—Tick’s favorite librarian.

Muffintops
—Master George’s cat.

Multiverse
—An old term used by Reality Prime scientists to explain the theory that quantum physics had created multiple versions of the universe.

Nancy Zeppelin
—A Realitant from Wisconsin in Reality Prime.

Nanolocator
—A microscopic electronic device that can crawl into a person’s skin and forever provide information on their whereabouts, including Chi’karda levels.

Nonex
—When Alterants meet, one disappears and enters the Nonex. A complete mystery to the Realitants.

Norbert Johnson
—A post office worker in Alaska who helped Tick and his dad escape an attack by Frazier Gunn.

Paul Rogers
—A Realitant from Florida in Reality Prime.

Phillip
—Owner and operator of The Stroke of Midnight Inn in the Sixth Reality.

Pick
—Master George’s nickname for a major decision in which Chi’karda levels spike considerably. Some Picks have been known to create or destroy entire Realities.

Priscilla Persephone
—A Realitant from the Seventh Reality.

Quantum Physics
—The science that studies the physical world of the extremely small. Most scholars are baffled by its properties and at a loss to explain them. Theories abound. Only a few know the truth: that a completely different power rules this realm, which in turn rules the universe: Chi’karda.

Quinton Hallenhaffer
—A Realitant from the Second Reality.

Ragers (Static Ragers)
—An advanced weapon that harnesses extreme amounts of static electricity. When unleashed, it collects matter in a ball that can shatter whatever gets in its way.

Realitants
—An organization sworn to discover and chart all known Realities. Founded in the 1970s by a group of scientists from the Fourth Reality, who then used Barrier Wands to recruit other quantum physicists from other Realities.

Realities
—A separate and complete version of the world, of which there may be an infinite number. The most stable and strongest is called Reality Prime. So far, twelve major branches off Reality Prime have been discovered. Realities are created and destroyed by enormous fluctuations in Chi’karda levels. Examples:

Fourth
—Much more technologically advanced than the other Realities due to the remarkable vision and work of Hans Schtiggenschlubberheimer.

Fifth
—Quirks in evolution led to a very tall human race.

Eighth
—The world is covered in water due to much higher temperatures caused by a star fusion anomaly triggered in another galaxy by an alien race.

Eleventh
—Quirks in evolution and diet led to a short and robust human race.

Thirteenth
—Somehow a mutated and very powerful version of Chi’karda exists here.

Reginald Chu
—Tick’s science teacher in Reality Prime. His Alterant is from the Fourth Reality and founded Chu Industries and turned it into a worldwide empire.

Renee
—An inmate at the End of the Road Insane Asylum.

Ripple Quake
—A violent geological disaster caused by a massive disturbance in Chi’karda.

Rutger
—A Realitant from the Eleventh Reality.

Sally T. Jones
—A Realitant from the Tenth Reality.

Sato
—A Realitant from Japan in Reality Prime.

Shockpulse
—An injection of highly concentrated electromagnetic nanobots that seek out and destroy the tiny components of a nanolocator, rendering it useless.

Shurric
—Short for Sonic Hurricaner, more powerful version of the Sound Slicer. Shoots out a heavily concentrated force of sound waves almost too low for the human ear to register but powerful enough to destroy just about anything in its direct path.

Slinkbeast
—A vicious creature that lives in the Mountains of Sorrow in the Twelfth Reality.

Snooper Bug
—A hideous crossbreed of birds and insects created by the mutated power of the Chi’karda in the Thirteenth Reality. Can detect any known weapon or poison and can kill with one quick strike of its needle-nosed beak. Pets of Mistress Jane.

Sofia Pacini
—A Realitant from Italy in Reality Prime.

Soulikens
—A mystery of the Realities that Master George has yet to explain.

Sound Slicer
—A small weapon outdated by the much more powerful Shurric.

Spinner
—A special device that shoots out a circular plane of laser, displaying video images on its surface.

Tick
—Nickname for Atticus Higginbottom.

Tingle Wraith
—A collection of microscopic animals from the Second Reality, called spilphens, that can form together into a cloud while rubbing against each other to make a horrible sound called the Death Siren.

William Schmidt
—A Realitant from the Third Reality.

Windbike
—An invention of Chu Industries, this vehicle is a motorcycle that can fly, consuming hydrogen out of the air for its fuel. Based on an extremely complex gravity-manipulation theorem first proposed by Reginald Chu.

Winking
—The act of traveling between or within Realities by use of a Barrier Wand. Causes a slight tingle to the skin on one’s shoulders and back.

Acknowledgments

S
omehow we made it to Book 2, so there must be a lot
    
of people to thank.

I’m extremely grateful to my agent, Michael Bourret. He has single-handedly taken my career to an entirely new level. If it weren’t for him, I’d never be doing what I love for a living. Thanks, Michael, and I look forward to more great things to come.

Just like last time, I owe a lot to Chris Schoebinger, Lisa Mangum, and everyone else at Shadow Mountain. It just baffles me how much hard work goes into getting a book in the hands of readers. Thank you all very, very much.

Thanks to Bryan Beus for his awesome artwork. You are one talented dude, and I’m honored to be partnered with you.

Thanks to those who read the manuscript and provided valuable feedback: My wife, Lynette, of course—she’s always first. J. Scott Savage, friend, fellow author, and constant lunch partner. LuAnn Staheli and her incredible middle school class. Danyelle Ferguson, a very talented and up-and-coming writer. Heather Moore, good friend and brilliant editor, and her son, Kaelin. And probably others. If I forgot you, please forgive me and call me for a free dinner.

Thanks to Lisa Guerrero, a cancer research scientist from Chicago, for her services as a consultant and science genius. She’s way smart, yo. Like, really, really smart.

Once again, thanks to the dude who invented football. I could never thank you enough. Oh, and I also really appreciate the guy who invented Tiger Woods.

Thanks to the cow that provided a very juicy steak at Hamilton’s in Logan, Utah, in February of 2008. You will be missed.

Thanks to the mother of Christopher Nolan for going through the pain of birthing him. I never thought I would say this, but Christopher is now tied with Peter Jackson as my favorite directors. You are both geniuses.

Last but never least,
thank you
to my readers. You’re what it’s all about. I look forward to sharing stories with you for a very long time.