THE PRESENT: INSIDE THE INKLINGS, OXFORD
“D id we just get the keys back?” Mr. Tick squinted at the dying Alice on the table.
“I’m not sure, Mr. Tick,” his wife said. “Alice found the keys, but I think she threw them back to Jack.”
“She also looks like she is going to pass on killing her classmates.” Mr. Tick didn’t look happy about it.
“Can’t have all the cake, Mr. Tick.”
“Of course I can have all the cake.” He pointed at the brownie in his hand. “I always do. Figure out a way for Alice to kill her classmates and make sure she gets the keys.”
“I don’t know how to do that, Mr. Tick.”
“Mr. Jay will be very upset.”
“Margaret hired us to send Alice back in time to get the keys. She never said anything about keeping the timeline intact.”
“But this will change a lot of things.”
“I know, Mr. Tick. She will also die without killing her classmates. Because she will not have found her Wonder.”
“Which means we will not even get the keys if she has them.”
“We don’t need to, Mr. Tick. We know that the keys are with Jack.”
“So?”
“Last I heard, the Cheshire managed to possess Jack’s body. With a few tweaks and digging into his mind, the Cheshire will know where they are.”
“That’s genius, Mrs. Tock. But how about Alice? Doesn’t Black Chess want their fiercest warrior back?”
“Can’t help her now,” Mrs. Tock said. “Like I said, if she doesn’t kill her classmates, she dies.”
“She is already dying.” He pointed at Alice on the bed. “Look at how fast she is bleeding.”
“Farewell, Bad Alice,” Mrs. Tock said. “We’ll miss you. You were real fun.”
“Look at the endless number of kids she inspired for a century and a half,” Mr. Tick said. “Did the kids know she was the Bad Alice?”
“Some did.”
Mr. Tick let out a long sigh, took another brownie bite, then combed his hairies. “I guess that’s it, then. Alice dies, and we get the keys from Jack.”
“I believe so, too.”
“I’m just really unhappy with the passengers on the bus staying alive,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve seen someone capable of changing the past so dramatically. It’s always been a few small changes, but not enough to change the course of the future.”
“I agree, Mr. Tick. We all know those on the bus must die.” Then an idea hit her. She rested a forefinger on her lips as if she’d discovered time itself. “Don’t you think time won’t let her change the past?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that the future always finds a way to stay on course. Rule number 47 in the Wonderlastic Guide to Time Travels .”
“I read the rule, Mrs. Tock. But every rule has an exception.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Maybe not.”