Kallie spent the next morning at the hospital. Grandpa Jess lay unresponsive in intensive care. The doctor said he had run a battery of tests but could not figure out what was wrong with the man. He looked so pale and emaciated, Kallie thought, as though he were nothing but skin and bone.
The next piece, she thought, panic-stricken, was a skull. She simply had to figure out how to stop whatever was happening. Before it was too late.
She had wanted to spend the entire day by Grandpa Jess’s side, but her father insisted there was nothing she could do and she should go to school. She decided he was right—she could not help Grandpa Jess by sitting there. She had to figure things out, and quickly, and for that she needed help.
As she followed her father out of the emergency area, a nurse stopped her.
“Is your name Kallie?” she said.
Kallie nodded. Her father was focused on the parking payment. He hadn’t heard and kept walking.
“I was on duty last night.” She smiled warmly. “While I was changing his IV bag, your grandfather regained consciousness for a short time. He kept saying your name over and over. Kallie. Tell Kallie. I reassured him I would so he might calm himself.”
Kallie swallowed her upset. “What did he want you to tell me?”
The nurse tilted her head. “It didn’t make any sense to me, but maybe it does to you. He said, escape sparky. Does that mean something?”
Kallie thought about it. “The Escape is his boat. I’m not sure what he meant by sparky.”
The nurse put a hand on her shoulder. “I hope he recovers quickly.”
Hopefully, Kallie thought. But all she could picture was the skull carved into the next piece. A skull. And then a dagger. And then … nothing. Her insides quivered with apprehension.
“What did the nurse want?” asked her father as they got into the Malibu.
“She said Grandpa had spoken in the night. He said my name and to tell me: escape sparky. Does that mean anything to you?”
Her father frowned and shook his head. “At least he spoke. That has to be a good sign. I’ll head back there later and see if the doctor can tell me anything more.”
Kallie arrived at school at lunchtime. She made a beeline for Pole and Anna.
“I heard,” said Pole, putting a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry.”
Anna nodded sadly. “Me too. Will he be okay?”
Kallie knew Pole would not like what she was about to say—she may even risk losing him as a friend—but she had to tell them she was now certain it was all somehow connected to the box.
“I told you!” said Anna. “It’s those bewitched bones!”
Kallie expected Pole to refute the idea, but instead he shocked her by saying, “I’ve been giving this careful thought. Ever since you told me about the box and their pieces. There is always a scientific explanation for things. And I think I may have it.”
Kallie’s eyes widened in anticipation and gratitude, as did Anna’s. If Pole could find a logical, scientific explanation for all that had been happening, that meant there would be a logical, scientific way to correct things.
“You’ve become entangled,” he said solemnly.
Entangled. Kallie searched her memory. She had read about this phenomenon in the textbook Pole had lent her on quantum physics. “Entanglement? But—that’s all just theoretical, isn’t it?”
“What’s entanglement?” asked Anna. “It sounds awfully painful.”
“It’s like this,” said Pole. “The universe is made of matter. All matter is made of particles.”
Anna looked slightly insulted. “I know all about atoms.”
“Particles are even smaller than atoms—they’re what make up atoms,” said Kallie. “Protons, electrons and neutrons…”
“Entanglement,” said Pole, “is a word used to describe how particles of energy and matter can become connected to one another. Even if they are far apart in time as well as space, two particles can interact with each other in a strange and predictable way.”
“That’s weird,” said Anna.
“It’s spooky,” said Pole.
Anna nodded. “Yeah. Ghostly.”
“Not ghostly,” corrected Pole. “Spooky. It’s actually a scientific term. Spooky action.”
Kallie’s whole body slumped as it all started to make sense. She sighed heavily. “I’ve become entangled.”
“With a story,” said Anna excitedly.
“But, how did I get entangled in the first place?”
Pole shook his head. “I don’t know. Unfortunately, life is a game of chance, played by quantum physics’ rules.”
“Okay, then,” said Kallie, letting it all sink in, “so how do I get un-entangled?”
“When my hair gets really dirty and it’s a knotted mess,” said Anna, “I use a detangler. One of those sprays that make the comb glide right through even the toughest knots and undo them.”
Kallie and Pole stared blankly at her.
“It’s simple, don’t you see?” she continued. “What you need is some sort of quantum physics detangler.”