"I hope you don't think I was in a big hurry to get my body back," Alan said to Prunella as the two walked back to Lakewood. "I kinda liked being a girl. Trying on new clothes, getting my hair done..."

"Being a boy was disappointing," Prunella responded. "I hoped it would get exciting when I went to the boys' locker room, but..."

"You don't need to say any more," Alan stopped her.

They politely waited until the period ended before returning to Mr. Boughton's classroom. The zebra man regarded them sternly. "I want to see you two after school," he ordered.

"We're really sorry," said Alan. "An emergency came up. A really serious emergency."

"Funny," said Mr. Boughton. "I didn't see anybody come in and talk to you."

"It...it was my amnesia," Prunella tried to explain. "I suddenly remembered something that had to be done, like, right away."

"Fine," said the teacher sympathetically. "I'll let you off this time, but from now on, you don't leave class without permission."

Afternoon recess came next, and Prunella took the time to lie down in the nurse's office, as the running that Alan had done in her body had worsened her headache.

Meanwhile, Arthur finally succeeded at something he had been trying to do all day, that is, finding Nadine without D.W. around. "Psst," he called to her from behind a row of lockers. "Hey, Nadine."

"What do you want?" asked the curious squirrel girl.

Arthur bent down and whispered into Nadine's ear. "Does D.W. have a boyfriend? I need to know. This is very important."

Nadine grinned mischievously. "There's a boy she likes a lot," she whispered back. "But he doesn't know she exists."

"Who's the boy?" Arthur asked with urgency. "I'll make him aware of her existence."

"His name's Justin," Nadine replied.

"Justin who?"

"Justin Timberlake."

Arthur slapped his forehead in consternation.

----

A few hours after school let out, the Reads invited Roger and Penny Simon to their home, hoping to provide support and solace. The Simons' daughter Beat was still missing, having disappeared without a trace or a clue.

"It's too horrible to think about," said Mrs. Read. "Poor little Beat in the clutches of kidnappers. Especially with her body the way it is."

"If you want my opinion, she wasn't kidnapped," said Mrs. Simon. "I think she just decided to leave for a while. Maybe she's working on one of Putnam's old projects. We had her psychologically tested—she has the mind of an adult. She knows how to take care of herself. Why does she need us?"

In D.W.'s room, the little girl was assembling a jigsaw puzzle with her good friend, Nadine, when Arthur stepped in, a look of grim determination on his face. "Get out, Nadine," he commanded. "I want to talk to my sister alone."

Without a word, Nadine jumped up and bolted from the room. Arthur closed the door and seated himself on D.W.'s bed, looking over his younger sibling like a protective hawk.

"You need to find a boyfriend," he told her. "Now."

D.W. stood up and glared incredulously at her brother.

"Are there any boys in your class you'd like to marry someday?" Arthur asked. "What about James?"

"I'm not a piece of meat, Arthur," D.W. protested. "Yeesh."

"I'm trying to save your life, goshdarnit!" Arthur snapped. "The unicorns are selecting human children to live underground with them, so they won't be destroyed when Dark Augusta comes. They chose me and Francine because we like each other and want to get married when we get older. I want them to choose you instead, but they won't unless you have a boyfriend."

"I'm not into unicorns anymore," said D.W. proudly. "I'm almost six now. My tastes are maturing. I like Justin Timberlake now."

"I saw Greta," said Arthur.

"Greta?" said D.W. with a delighted smile. "How's she doing?"

"Arthur!" came an outrage voice from the doorway. Looking up, D.W. and Arthur saw Francine glowering at them.

She gestured for Arthur to follow her. "Stay here," he instructed his sister.

Francine dragged him into the bathroom and closed the door. "How much did you tell her?" she demanded angrily.

"Pretty much everything," Arthur replied sheepishly.

"How could you? Now she'll go to her grave thinking you're the worst big brother in the world!"

"I can't do it," said Arthur sadly but firmly. "I can't hide underground while my whole family dies. I want D.W. to go in my place, but she needs to choose a boy first."

"There's no time for last-minute changes," Francine insisted. "Dark Augusta could show up any day now."

"Why should we be the lucky ones?" Arthur complained.

"Listen, Arthur. This isn't like the lottery, where you can give the money to someone else if you think you don't deserve it. This is life and death for the human race."

Summoning courage, Arthur looked Francine straight in the eye. "You can go with the unicorns if you want, but if D.W. dies, I die with her. I'm not changing my mind."

Francine's expression softened.

"Okay," she said quietly. "If that's how you want it, then I'll stay too."

Within minutes she was at Fern's house, typing away on the computer keyboard, Arthur watching at her side. WE CHANGED OUR MINDS. WE DON'T WANT TO GO UNDERGROUND AFTER ALL. WE'D RATHER DIE WITH OUR FAMILIES.

Greta's response was quick and mirthless. IT'S TOO LATE. YOU HAVE NO CHOICE.

Francine exchanged amused glances with Arthur. She then typed in, WHAT WILL YOU DO? KILL US?

The chat window suddenly closed.

----

In Augusta Winslow's apartment, the rabbit woman was admiring a flat, rounded, green stone that filled her entire hand. "I never imagined something so small could be so powerful," she remarked to Portinari, who was laboring in front of a futuristic console. "Thanks goodness for Kron materials science."

"Once we use it against her," said the alien Time Enforcer, "she'll have only a second or two to either surrender her magical powers, or destroy herself. I hope that's enough time for her to act."

"What does the scope say?" Augusta asked him.

Portinari scanned the console display with his beady red eyes. It featured a holographic image of the trail of planets Dark Augusta had visited and destroyed, and an estimate of how soon she would arrive at Earth if she continued at her present rate.

"Her speed has increased," said the alien solemnly. "Her trajectory hasn't changed. We have three days, maybe four."

----

to be continued