The Impossible Race: Cragbridge Hall, Volume 3 (40 page)

“Just stop,” Derick cut her off. “Let’s think about this.”

“We also have the huge problem that Muns now has keys
and
spheres,” Abby said. “He can change anything in the past or invade the present. And with our Bridge under attack we can’t really stop him.”

Derick paced for a few moments. “So, to sum it up: the good news is we have all the time—or moments outside of time—we need to think about what we should do. The bad news is that our situation might be impossible.”

They all stared at each other.

“Wait a minute,” Carol said. “There has to be a way. I mean, we have a time machine.”

“Yeah,” Abby said, “but it’s being attacked.”

“No, wait,” Derick said. “She has a point. What if we could somehow get past the soldiers and use the Bridge to go back in time. Couldn’t we stop this?”

Abby thought for a moment. “Grandpa taught us over and over again that we shouldn’t go back in time to change tragedies, but I don’t see any other way.”

“I’m pretty sure,” Carol said, “that when an evil madman is changing time and is going to conquer the world and ruin the future and destroy everything that’s good and pretty and fun and awesome that it’s an exception.”

Abby nodded. “But even if we could get back in the basement and stall the soldiers long enough to use the Bridge, where in time would we go?”

“It would be intense, but we could go back in time and kill Muns before he caused all this trouble,” Derick suggested.

“That’s gross,” Carol said. “Though part of me wouldn’t mind going back in time and kicking Muns super hard, right in the shins . . . with metal boots.” She paused. “That shoot fire.”

“Metal boots that shoot fire?” Derick asked.

“I bet I would look good in those,” Carol said.

“We could go back and stop the Race,” Derick suggested. “Maybe visit Silverton or leave a message for Chief Shar tipping them off that the blond beard guy is totally working for someone else.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Carol said.

“But then Muns will still wake up and try something else crazy,” Abby pointed out. “If we go back in time, there has to be a way we can really stop him, keep him from ever coming after us again.”

“Why don’t we go back to the beginning of the year,” Carol said, pacing around with her finger tapping her temple, “before Muns first attacked, and send in the police or something?”

“I don’t know,” Abby said. She was sitting on the white ground. “First off, I’m not sure the police would believe us. Plus—this is going to sound a little silly—what if we do that and we don’t remember what we’ve been through?” She pulled back her hair. “I mean, wouldn’t it eventually be like none of this ever happened?”

“Yeah,” Carol said. “I think that’s the point.”

“But,” Abby said, “although this year has been crazy and dangerous, it’s also the year I made friends with you. What if it changes that? And it’s when I finally figured out that I just might be . . .” Her words trailed off, as she got lost in thought.

“Might be what?” Derick asked.

Abby looked up. “Might be worth something. Might be something kind of like what Grandpa says I am.”

Derick nodded. “I know it sounds cheesy, but you are.”

“Oh, yeah, you are!” Carol said, and pumped her fist. She took a couple of slow steps. “And to tell the complete, don’t-hold-back-anything truth, this year has been really important to me too.” For once, Carol paused and slowed down as she spoke. “I know I act all crazy and excited, and I talk fast and flirt a lot with cute boys.” She winked at Derick. “And I really like that, especially the boy part.” She winked again. “And a lot of the time I do feel that excited, but sometimes I don’t. Sometimes it’s a bit of an act.”

Abby had never thought of that before. She thought Carol was always naturally excited.

“And I know,” Carol continued, still speaking slower than normal, “some people think I’m just silly. Some people even think I’m annoying.” She raised her hands. “Can you imagine that?”

Abby shook her head, though she’d heard others claim Carol was annoying. She glanced at Derick; she could tell he was trying hard not to respond.

“Well, I’ve always been around a lot of people; but sometimes I’m lonely. There’s a difference.” Carol paused again. “But this year, I made the best friends I’ve ever had in my whole life.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “See, I even cried. And that wasn’t even a fake I’m-just-acting tear. That was the real deal.” She looked at it a moment on the tip of her finger, then turned to Derick. “Do you want to keep it?”

“No thanks,” Derick refused.

Carol shrugged and flung the tear to the side. “And with my best friends, I helped save the world. Not bad for an annoying girl.”

“Not bad at all,” Abby said. “And you’re not annoying.”

“I know, right?” Carol said. She took in a deep breath. “Your turn.” She pointed at Derick.

“My turn to what?” Derick asked.

“To reflect on the year and tell us what you learned and how good of friends you made and how you really think I’m cute,” Carol said.

Derick flashed a worried look at Abby, a look that asked if Abby had told Carol about the message he had sent when he thought he was going to die.

Abby shook her head.

“You
do
think I’m cute,” Carol said, watching the brother and sister interact. “I knew it. I
knew
it.”

“Why would you say that?” Derick asked, forcing the question out.

“Because of the look you just gave Abby. You were all like, ‘Did you tell her? Because I know I’ve told you how I think Carol is absurdly attractive and fun and funny.’ But Abby was like, ‘No, I didn’t tell her, but you totally did tell me that.’ See? You think I’m cute!”

“That’s
not
what happened!” Derick defended, his face reddening.

“Then why are you blushing?” Carol asked.

“I’m not.”

“Your cheeks are red.”

“No, they’re not,” Derick denied. “They just look that way against all this white.”

“What
ever
,” Carol said. Then she added in a whisper, “You totally think I’m cute.”

Abby smiled wide. It felt good. She knew she had more than her share of troubles to deal with, but it was nice to take a break, to remember her brother and her friend. In fact, it helped her remember why it was so important to try to save everything: to help people like them.

“We’ve got big problems to deal with,” Derick said. “I’m not reflecting on the year, and we’re not talking about how cute anyone is.” He blushed a little more, but not as badly as he had before. “Let’s stay on topic.”

“My point was,” Abby said, “that I’d like to keep all I’ve learned this year. Maybe there’s a better way than changing it all. Plus, I kind of think Grandpa wouldn’t want us to change it. He taught us that it’s during the most difficult times that normal people become heroes. And maybe . . .” Abby paused for a moment. “Maybe that’s us.”

“Okay,” Derick said. “What if we only go back in time far enough to stop Muns, but not too far back? When would we go?”

For several moments, the group of friends all stood, lost in thought. Abby got up and walked around the inventions, thinking hard. A possible plan came into focus.
Would that work? But that would only solve half of the problem.
She paced some more.
But what if she . . . ? That might do it.
It may be the only way to keep Muns from destroying everything.

She thought through the scenarios a few more times. Finally she spoke. “I think we only need to go back about fifteen minutes,” she said. “I think if we go back to the time right after you stopped the bombs, I know how to stop Muns. It will take two parts of a plan and we’ll have to work fast.”

Carol rubbed her hands together. “Am I going to love it?”

Abby smiled. “You just might. But first, we have to figure out how we can get back into the Bridge and have enough of a chance to go back in time about fifteen minutes.”

Derick glanced around the room. “I’ve got an idea for that. It’s not much, but it might work.”

Fifteen Minutes Ago

Derick had his hands full. He looked down at the weird array of objects he carried. He hoped it would work.

For several moments, he stared at what he thought was the way back to the basement of Cragbridge Hall. He wasn’t sure where the exact step was that would get him back into the room with the Bridge and the fight. It was easy traveling from the Bridge to wherever or whenever they wanted to go; but once they were there, they couldn’t see their way back. He looked over at his sister. “Are you ready?”

She took a deep breath. “No, but let’s do it anyway.”

“Yeah,” Carol said, and tried to make her voice low. “Let’s do this!”

Derick stepped forward.

Nothing. He was still in the white space.

Another step.

Still nothing.

“Enough of this,” he said, and ran several steps forward. In a flash, the white disappeared and he was back in the chaos of the basement. Though Abby and Carol had been several steps behind him, they appeared at the same time. Because they were all coming from a space outside of time, no matter when they crossed back in, it would be the same moment. It was a crazy deep thought. But Derick didn’t have time to think about that. He had soldiers with guns to worry about.

Derick threw object after object at the soldiers in front of him. He had found Grandpa’s plans and, with the machine that could make lockets and boxes, had made more of the stars that could shock you. Thankfully, Grandpa had gloves with this machine as well.

He heard some yelps. One soldier fell to the ground.

Carol hurled an avatar monkey head with all her might at one of the men with a large gun barrel. It didn’t hit him directly, but it was distracting. Perhaps he’d never been attacked with a robot monkey head before. Carol had already started shooting her stun gun. Between her and Mr. Trinhouse, the soldier was stunned and fell to the ground. They just had to buy themselves a few more seconds.

Derick threw more and more objects as Abby ran to the Bridge. Carol and Mr. Trinhouse shot at anything they could. Coach Adonavich swung her makeshift metal club.

“I’m there,” Abby yelled.

“I thought of a problem with our plan,” Carol shouted, shooting again. “I know, bad timing.”

Derick couldn’t listen now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other side of the basement change. It was another Bridge with Abby and Carol there and a falcon. It was fifteen minutes ago.

Derick turned to cross into the past, but saw a soldier break free from his fight and take aim with his huge barrel. Derick threw a few objects at him, but missed the target. Thankfully, they distracted the soldier for a moment.

“Get in the past!” Derick yelled.

He and Abby ran toward the other side of the room, but Carol didn’t. She rushed toward the console of the Bridge.

“But we need to turn the keys, or they’ll come after us,” Carol shouted. “I’m on it.”

As Derick dove toward the basement fifteen minutes ago, Abby doing the same, he realized that Carol was right. Midair, he caught a glimpse of Carol ready to turn the keys.

Thaboom!

Deafening screams.

A blinding flash of light and a wave of heat.

And Derick hit the floor of the basement fifteen minutes before.

Once he hit the ground, he scrambled around to try to see what had happened on Carol’s side. Of course he couldn’t. From this side of the Bridge, no one could see back. If he had to guess, the soldier had shot and destroyed the Bridge. He probably killed Carol in the process, maybe even a few more of those fighting against Muns. He blinked hard. If Carol hadn’t stayed back to turn the keys, perhaps the explosion would have followed them, burning them to nothing. Or perhaps the Bridge would have been destroyed and their connection severed on its own. Either way she was extremely brave. And either way they only had fifteen minutes to stop Muns.

• • •

“Where did you come from?” Carol asked. It was not the Carol that had just sacrificed her life to save Abby’s and Derick’s. It was Carol fifteen minutes ago. “I thought you were right over there.” Carol looked over at another Abby, Abby fifteen minutes ago. She was still looking at a scene in the desert where two bombs had just exploded. “You
are
over there!” Carol realized.

Knowing what Carol had just done in the future, Abby hugged her. “This isn’t going to make sense, but we’re from fifteen minutes in the future, and you just saved our lives.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Carol said, still looking back and forth between both Abbys. “But it’s awesome. And you’re welcome.”

“This is so weird,” the Abby from the past said, looking at her future self.

“We don’t have time for celebrations or explanations,” Derick said. He jumped on his sync with his rings. “Guys, if we don’t act quickly, Muns completely wins in about fifteen minutes. Crash, I need your help. Call the police and security and tell them there are armed soldiers outside the gates that are planning to force their way into the school. Hopefully Abby and I will stop Muns from giving the order to attack, but just in case, I need you to grab some avatars and be ready at the gates. Lock them up, hold them tight, and whatever you do, don’t let them in.”