The Void of Mist and Thunder (The 13th Reality #4) (47 page)

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 Persiphone—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.

Rager—An advanced weapon that harnesses extreme amounts of static electricity. When unleashed, it collects matter in a violent, earthen 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.

Reality—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, thirteen major branches off of Prime have been discovered. Realities are created and destroyed by enormous fluctuations in Chi’karda levels. Examples:

Fourth—Much more advanced technologically 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 that were 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.

Reality Echo
—An object that literally exists in two Realities at once, making the object indestructible.

Reginald Chu—Tick’s science teacher in Reality Prime. Also the person in the Fourth Reality who founded Chu Industries and turned it into a worldwide empire. They are Alterants of each other.

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.

Sato Tadashi—
Former Grand Minister of the Fifth Reality, killed by the Bugaboo soldiers. An Alterant of the Realitant Sato.

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, this weapon is the 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.

Sleeks—Creations of Mistress Jane. Wispy and strong, lightning fast. They guard the forest that surrounds the Factory.

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—An imprint or stamp on Reality, created by natural energy and Chi’karda, that becomes a lingering piece of one’s self that will never cease to exist.

Sound Slicer—A small weapon outdated by the much more powerful Shurric.

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

Squeezers
—A grenade that shoots out strong wires that contract and curl up.

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.

Tollaseat—Mothball’s father, from the Fifth Reality.

Void of Mist and Thunder—An elusive, mysterious, extremely dangerous entity that has been trapped within the Fourth Dimension since before mankind.

Voids—Tick’s name for the monstrous creations that are spawned from the Void of Mist and Thunder.

Waterkelt—Creation of Mistress Jane. A monster made completely out of water.

William Schmidt—A Realitant from the Third Reality.

Windasill—Mothball’s mother, from the Fifth 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.

Discussion Questions

1. Tick has to make some really difficult decisions in this book, many of which relate to working with the two people he sees as his mortal enemies: Chu and Mistress Jane. Could you work with someone you hate in order to bring about the greater good? What would that be like?

2. This last book is full of adventure and peril. Which scene did you think was the most intense? Were you ever scared that one of the four best friends would die? How would you react in such scary situations?

3. The bond of friendship between Tick and his friends becomes stronger throughout the series. Why do you think that is so? How do their experiences together create that special bond? Do you have someone you are not related to that you’d be willing to risk your life for?

4. How did you feel about Master George throughout the series? How did his death affect you? Did it seem inevitable? Do you believe that the next generation is now ready to take over the Realitants?

5. How do you feel about the role of Karma in the story? Is it symbolic of anything to you? Do you believe in any kind of higher power that might give you just the nudge you need when you need it the most?

6. At the end of the book, Tick makes an incredible and ultimate sacrifice to save the world. Would you have had the courage to do the same thing? How do you think he felt?

7. What is your interpretation of what Tick has become at the end of the book? How powerful is he? What do you think his role will be with the Realitants? What would a typical day be like for him?

8. What do you think awaits the Realitants in the future?