Okidokie. We're comin' down the home stretch with this story, folks. But never fear! With this one out of the way I can write a sequel! :D Anyway, I hope you enjoy this latest installment. It's a longer one. FInally.

Chapter 12: Change

The freshman started off at a jog. He knew from experience that no matter how much he longed to sprint and get help quickly, it wouldn't help; he would just be exhausted and have to waste precious time catching his breath. He didn't even know where he was going, just that he needed to find people who would be willing and able to provide aid. There was only one person who seemed a likely candidate.

Tom stopped running for a moment and retrieved his Manual from the extradimensional pocket, already breathing hard. He needed to come up with a plan, and though he chafed at the delay, it would save both time and energy in the long run. The boy hurriedly flipped to the listings of wizards in the area, his fingers shaking and fumbling with the pages from nerves. "Kolibri. Listing for last name Kolibri in a fifty-mile radius." The Manual complied, and after a few seconds showed three results. The blonde's eyebrows rose at the listing for his physics teacher. Apparently the man was the Area Advisory. It made him think twice about involving him...

But hadn't he told him that Tom could talk to him about anything at all? And this was important business. Maybe it would be best to leave a message through the Manual so he could see who else he could possibly ask, since bringing one more person, while making some difference, might not be enough.

"Urgent message for Area Advisory Rick Kolibri," he said to the open book, his throat dry. He tried to speak clearly and more slowly than his mind wanted him to. "I am on Ordeal with Carl and newly reinstated wizard Joshua Grogan. It's in Manhattan. They're trying to contain a huge flame so it doesn't spread and hurt anyone, but the Lone Power is there, and It's trapped them. Well, It will...I did a kind of time thing, like an alternate reality. I have to be back in exactly 19 minutes. Please help me. End of message. Send."

Tom looked around and took a deep breath to stop himself from trembling. It wouldn't do any good to get back before the time was up, otherwise he'd end up creating a paradox. That much his science-fiction and fantasy books had taught him: he had to be sure to create a stable time loop so that the new reality would smoothly patch the old one.

But none of it would do any good whatsoever if he couldn't get enough help for Carl and Josh. Who else? Who else'd help...? With a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, he thought of one other person who, though not a wizard, might be just the extra force needed to tip the scales in their favor. If he didn't kill him first.

"The Powers help me," he breathed, sealed the Manual back in its pocket, and took off running toward Rose Avenue. It was close, but his pace caused the air to sear his lungs and his legs to burn with effort. Still he didn't dare slow down. He'd need time for this, and time was exactly what he didn't have. Another alternate reality would drive him crazy or kill him on the spot. Probably both.

Seventy-eight...eighty...eighty-two...here we go. Eighty-four. God help me. With his heart hammering in his throat from exertion, adrenaline, and nerves, he nevertheless struggled to put a pleasant expression on his face as he walked up the path to the front door. How he was going to get through this one he had no idea.

Tom rang the doorbell and waited, face schooled into a slight smile even though he wanted to scream and yell and snatch his friends from harm.

A dog barked excitedly inside, followed by a woman's voice. "No, Tilly, get back, you silly girl! Back, I said. Now sit. Stay. That's a good girl." The door opened and the woman's eyes widened slightly. "Hello, Tom! This is a surprise. I'm sorry, Josh isn't here right now. He wanted to go to New York. Would you like to come back later?"

"Hello, Mrs. Grogan, good to see you. Actually, I was here to see Jacob. Is he around?"

"Oh, you know Jake?"

His fist knows my ribs very well. "Yes, ma'am. May I speak with him, please? It's kind of important." That must've been the understatement of the century. He itched to go, to actually do something and not waste time on pleasantries. Fourteen minutes. Fifteen at the most, and then the Lone One would laugh and watch his Carl burn, and burn, and burn...

"Tom? Are you all right?" Susan Grogan was looking at him strangely. She looked a bit worried.

Though he hated to lie, Tom put on his best smile and gave the only acceptable response to the question. "Yes'm, I'm fine, thank you. Do you want me to walk Tilly for you? She seems a little jumpy with Josh gone." Gone, burned and gone, gone forever...NO. The young wizard roughly shoved the thought from his mind and kept his expression from wavering.

"That would be lovely," said the lady, smiling with relief. "I'll just get her leash. She's been a right mess, moping around all the time. Here you go, you little monster...no, I said sit." Josh's mother finally managed to get the leash around her neck and gave the human's end to Tom. "Good luck with her. I'll just tell Jake to meet you out here."

"Thanks, Mrs. Grogan," he said with a smile that disguised his utter terror at how this meeting might go. Tilly cut off all further conversation by pulling at him, practically choking herself. The woman laughed and shut the door.

"MasterMasterMaster where is he?" Tilly barked and whined at him. "Something's wrong, have to save him, Tom, HELP ME SAVE HIM..."

"I will help you. I know something's wrong. But we have to wait. He'll be okay for a little while. I just need to get Master's brother and someone else."

Tilly, the laid-back, friendly sheepdog, actually glared at him.

He looked pleadingly back at her. "Trust me!" he said in the Speech. "And hold on. I have to check my Manual. Please sit. I know where he is; you don't. I want to help him as much as you do, but we have to wait."

Reluctantly, the dog sat, looking morose now. Tom retrieved the book again and flipped it open. It was blinking. He had a new message. His fingers started shaking as he found the page. He nearly cried with relief when he read it.

I will help. Contact me mind-to-mind if you can and tell me where I'm meeting you.

He'd never done this before with anyone but Carl, but it seemed to be the same principle. Tom expanded his consciousness and found the older wizard. Behind 77 Rose Avenue there's a bit of woods and a clearing, he said hurriedly. Wait for me there. I'll be there soon. Thank you.

After receiving an affirmative response he broke the contact, sitting on the curb and putting his head in his hands. Tilly whined and nosed him.

They heard the door open and shut, followed by footsteps. From inside the house came the sound of a running vacuum cleaner. Susan Grogan wouldn't hear him if he yelled for help. Great. Just great. With a deep breath he stood and turned around.

Despite the circumstances, the shock on Jacob's face nearly made him laugh aloud. He was glad he didn't, though, as the surprise quickly turned into anger. "What are you doing here?" Grogan said, advancing menacingly on the freshman.

"Please, Jacob—"

"Come to laugh at me for getting suspended, huh?"

"No, of course not—"

"I should've killed you when I had the chance!" he growled, grabbing Tom by the throat.

Before the grip could tighten to much, the blonde wheezed out, "It's about Joshua! Stop, let go of me!"

He didn't, but he did loosen his hands, though he looked no less angry. "How do you know my brother?"

"We met...in the park..." he gasped, catching his breath. "I didn't know he was your brother until I met your mom. And he needed a friend."

"You...you...pervert!" he yelled, panic in his eyes. "Leave him alone, stay away from him! He doesn't need a friend. He has me. He has Tilly. He's never been the same after your kind raped him! He's just a kid, stay away from him—"

"Would you just listen to me?" Tom shouted back. Tilly was whining in the background, her body low, not wanting to hurt Master's friend, but not wanting to challenge Master's brother either. "He's in trouble. He's in the city. There's a fire there and he's trapped in it with his rapist! Let me go, he's my friend and nothing more!"

Finally Jacob dropped him. The blood drained from his face. "Josh..." he whispered, and there was pain and panic and guilt in his voice.

"Follow me. I have a fast way to get there. We only have...shit. Nine minutes." The curse word made him think of Carl. The world spun around him, then reluctantly focused again as he fought down his nausea.

"There's no way to get to Manhattan in nine minutes," Jacob said flatly, mistrust starting to creep into his tone.

"Yes there is," Tom replied in the Speech, and even Grogan felt the truth in his words. "Now come on. Tilly, find the open place in the trees over there and tell the man there that Tom's coming, okay? Go. It's to help Master. Go!" She twitched her tail in agreement and practically flew, her long, lithe body seeming not to touch the ground.

"I can't believe—what...how did—?"

"How'd she understand me? Did Josh ever tell you about that game he used to play, that one where he was a wizard?" Tom jogged off after her even though his knees were weak with combined relief and terror, trusting his friend's brother would follow.

He did. "Oh not that again," Grogan protested in disgust.

"Yes. That again. And it's real. You understood what I told Tilly. So did she."

"Who's the man waiting for you?" Jacob looked suspicious of the whole thing. "And wizardry can't be real..."

"Mr. Kolibri. He's a wizard. And don't worry about him," he snapped, somewhat bitterly, before the sophomore had a chance to respond. "He's straight. He's coming to help Josh, not rape anyone."

To Tom's utter shock, the older Grogan boy looked ashamed of himself. The look was quickly replaced by horror and a boiling rage. "I am going to kill that bastard," he said quietly. "With my bare hands."

"I wish you could, but He's kind of...oh here we are."

"I told him I told him now we have to get to Master NOW—"

"I know, Tilly, I'm working on it! Gimme a few minutes, then I promise you can get to him. It won't do him any good until it's eight minutes from now."

"Tom, what in the Powers' sake happened...?"

Jacob looked at Mr. Kolibri and Tom with growing disbelief and astonishment.

Tom started to draw up the diagram to transport them directly inside the building, his hand shaking, but his voice curiously flat. "Josh was on hiatus because he was raped and then tried to kill himself, and he rejected wizardry, but he still remembered and wanted it subconsciously. I was in two of his dreams, Carl was in one, and then he said we had to go to Manhattan to be there today. We were going to go by bus, but then we got Josh to remember wizardry and reclaim it, and he's insanely powerful. Then we teleported there and found the burning building and fed power to Carl so he could control it. And then the Lone Power showed up. Turns out that It was Josh's rapist. Josh got knocked out, It gave us three minutes to plan because It thought we'd be too boring otherwise, I came back to get help, and then I did this time thingy...I kind of went back in time 45 minutes, and called you and Jacob and Tilly to help out, and now here I am drawing a spell diagram."

"Time thingy." Rick's flat tone matched Tom's own. "How on earth did you get the authorization for that?"

Tom paused in his work and looked at his Advisory. "Authorization?" he queried, confused. "I just made up the spell—"

"You made up a timeslide. I should've known. But how are you still standing? You should be dead on your feet!" The physics teacher drew out a wand and helped his student draw the rest of the spell and write in some of the parameters.

"Blank check." Tom's face was blank. It was only by sheer force of will that he was standing up in the first place.

"It can't be helped, sometimes," Rick said quietly, sighing sadly. Then he turned toward the dog and the other boy who were watching in awe. "Okay. Both of you, listen up," he said in the Speech to make sure he wouldn't have to say it twice. "We're going into something very dangerous. There will be a lot of heat and fire. Stay inside the spell. When we're reading the spell, stay as still as you can so nothing happens to you. I can't guarantee you'll both stay safe, or even alive. I can't guarantee anything. Beware the Lone Power. Try to protect Josh; he's very powerful and might be our best chance at survival if he wakes up. If you don't want to go, I don't blame you, but make your choices now."

Both dog and boy looked scared, but determined. "That bastard who did that to my brother is gonna pay," Jacob said, his anger chasing the fear away. Tilly stayed where she was and made a little whine in her throat.

Tom checked his watch. "Three minutes." Then he took a breath and wrote in his name as Mr. Kolibri did the same for his own. The teacher also wrote in the basic physical forms of Jacob's and Tilly's names. "I could've done that for Josh," Tom said, a lump in his throat. "But I didn't know how, I could've gotten him out, there wasn't any time—"

"Come on, Tom. That's no use. You did what you could. Read the spell with me. Tilly, Jacob, inside the circle now, and for the Powers' sake stand still."

"Who's this Lone Power you keep talking about?" asked the older Grogan boy, his voice small but curious.

The Advisory looked at him then and smiled without mirth. "Not who, but what. You would probably equate It to Satan. Luckily you'll only be fighting one of Its facets. It might still not be enough." Then he turned to Tom and began to read.

For the fourth time that day Tom found himself reading some sort of a teleportation spell. He remembered the one from the morning. Josh had been there, delighted with his rediscovery of wizardry. And Carl. Carl...fierce, determined Carl had read alongside him, his slightly Brooklyn-influenced Speech twining itself with his own. A lump formed in Tom's throat, but he held his emotions at bay, maintaining the flow of power, getting caught in the bending of the universe itself. And Jacob and Tilly were quiet, and they watched with awe as the spell began to take hold. And then, as the final word was said, the final syllable pronounced, the four were deposited into a room of ash and flame.

Heh heh heh. Don't hate me for not making Jacob Grogan evil. He's just really protective of his kid brother is all.

Oh yeah, and I just read The Book of Night With Moon, the book by Diane Duane with kitty wizards! That's how I realized that you need an authorization for a timeslide. Whoops. So I made it a loophole here, he didn't have to get it authorized because he made it up. And no, he didn't make up the concept of a timeslide. This particular method of creating one was just different enough that the Powers That Be haven't put a condition on it yet.