The Society of Imaginary Friends

Cyrus and Kanti left to gather supplies for their journey, and Valerie immediately concentrated on Thai. She was amazed at how effortless it was to return to Earth.

He was sitting at a table with a huge group of people that she guessed were his parents and siblings. They were a happy group, laughing and playing around with each other. It was how she imagined the perfect family would be. She had pictured it a thousand times all those years while she was waiting to be adopted.

For a second, she panicked that they would see her. Then she remembered her lesson from Cyrus on projecting to Earth. It was up to her to choose who could see her, and she only wanted to be seen by Thai.

She relaxed when his parents and siblings looked right through her. It was almost as if she were a ghost, and the thought sent a chill through her. It would be so easy for the Fractus to watch Henry without his knowledge and learn everything about him, including his greatest fears. Then they could use that information against him, to terrify him into doing what they wanted. But what would drive the Fractus to such lengths to control him?

Thai saw her and almost choked on his noodles. She couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her mouth. It was good to see him so happy. He said something to his family in Vietnamese, and then left.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I can come back later.”

“It’s fine, we were finishing up anyway. Something’s wrong, I can tell.”

She quickly explained to Thai what she had discovered about Henry and her visions. To her surprise, he didn’t seem shocked.

“I knew you were seeing something real. I watched you when you had your vision at Stonehenge, and whatever you were experiencing was really happening to you. You were so afraid that you were shaking in my arms. And no regular dream sends someone to a hospital.”

“I have a huge favor to ask. When we figure out where Henry is, will you go to him? I’m so afraid that Venu will be after him next. And Henry has no idea what’s happening to him! He’s never heard of the Globe. He must think that he’s going crazy, or that monsters are really trying to hurt him.”

“That’s horrible,” Thai said with a shudder. “I can’t imagine going through my change without Midnight’s help. I would have lost my mind.”

“I’m so scared for him.”

“Of course I’ll help in any way I can.”

“What about Tan? Will he be able to handle this trip? I know that you’re sharing your body with him more and more, and I don’t want you to sacrifice his—or your—health.”

“Tan will be okay. He’s getting stronger every day, and he’s beginning to understand more of what’s happening. I’m sure he’ll want to help you, too. So consider us both in on your plan,” Thai said confidently. “Now, where was Henry last seen?”

“If Kanti’s right and this is her old friend, then he used to live in America. Also, in my vision, he spoke English without an accent of any kind, so I think chances are he probably does live there.”

“I’ll go straight there. And as soon as you find him, I’ll be ready.”

“Thank you so much. I feel so much better knowing that you’ll be there to protect him.”

Valerie let herself be pulled back to her body on the Globe, and she opened her eyes. Kanti was rushing around the room, yanking clothes out of drawers and throwing them into a silver box that sat in the middle of the floor. It was full of food, clothes, a water jug, and an assortment of other strange objects.

“How will we carry that box on our journey? Wouldn’t backpacks be easier?”

Kanti put the lid on the box. “It’s a call box. We leave it right here in this room, and when we need something, we call for it and it appears wherever we are on the Globe. I packed you some clothes and food, and Cyrus is grabbing his stuff as we speak.”

Valerie bent over the box to examine it more closely. It seemed like any ordinary silver box, but it had a slight hum of power that indicated it had been touched by magic. “No need for suitcases,” she murmured with a shake of her head.

“It makes traveling much easier. Plus, someone is bound to stop three kids wandering around with luggage and ask where they’re going. And trust me, there is no way Dulcea is going to be okay with us traveling to another country on our own.”

“Shouldn’t we let her know we’ll be gone? I don’t want her to worry.”

“Not going to work. She’ll insist that we have a chaperone, and that could take days. She’ll probably punish us when we get back, but this trip can’t wait.”

Valerie shook her head regretfully. “I know you’re right, but let’s leave her a note so she knows we haven’t been kidnapped or something.”

“Good idea—she won’t be back for a couple hours anyway. Can you write it, Val?”

She jotted down a note for Dulcea explaining their quest and apologizing. When she was satisfied with what she’d written, she turned back to Kanti. “So how do we get to this Oracle, anyway? I’m guessing it’s not by bus.”

“You’ll see,” she said with a grimace. “It’s not my favorite way to travel, but Cyrus said you’ll love it.”

Before they left, Valerie took the flower of light from her nightstand and slid it into her pocket, where it glowed through the fabric. It somehow didn’t seem right to leave it behind, and she might be glad to have a light at night during their journey.

Cyrus met them gliding down the stairs and hopped on to their platform. “I dumped my stuff in the call box. We’d better hurry; the next car leaves the station in fifteen minutes.”

“Car, huh?” Valerie said curiously. “I thought you said—”

“It’s a surprise!” Cyrus said, and then refused to add another word.

Before they left, she dropped off the note for Dulcea for heading out.

The station seemed ordinary enough, like a train station on Earth. But when they reached the tracks, the sight made her heart leap. “Conjurors travel by rollercoaster cars?” she shouted with glee.

Stretching into the distance, the silver track was full of twists, turns, and loops. A red rollercoaster car was waiting at their station. Valerie boarded and sat between Cyrus and Kanti, and a conductor came over and strapped them into their harnesses.

“It’s totally safe, too. The harnesses are something to hold on to; the magic in the seat will prevent you from falling out,” Cyrus explained.

“Sure, you won’t die, but the magic won’t protect you from getting hit with my puke,” Kanti said. “So if I start turning green, be prepared to duck.”

“Thanks for that image,” Cyrus said, wrinkling his nose.

“Last call, Ephesus!” the conductor cried, and then the rollercoaster inched slowly forward.

Once the car had exited the station, it immediately whooshed forward at top speed. The wind yanked Valerie’s hair straight back, and she screamed with joy. It was so much smoother than the old wooden rollercoaster she had ridden two years ago on a school field trip. That time, she had been jostled so much that she left the ride with a headache. But not this time. Every loop and corkscrew was as smooth as glass, and Valerie could enjoy the speed and the thrill without distractions.

At one point, the rollercoaster sped past the lake where she had met Azra the night before. They came so close that Valerie could reach out and touch the water, sending a spray all over Cyrus, who laughed and repaid the favor. She was drenched, but she quickly dried in the wind.

Finally, the rollercoaster slowed down at the edge of the shady woods as the sun sank behind the horizon. Even Valerie had her fill of riding at that point, and solid ground had never felt so safe. Kanti was green from nausea, and Valerie hoped that she wasn’t going to throw up.

“We’re definitely walking home,” Kanti said grumpily. “You’ll never get me on that thing again!”

“I’m a little dizzy, but that was so worth it,” Valerie said. “I have to hand it to you, Cy, you know how to travel in style!”

“I knew you’d love it,” he replied triumphantly as the rollercoaster took off, roaring as it zoomed away into the distance.

“Where are we? I don’t see anything out here,” Valerie said. The rollercoaster had stopped at the edge of Arden’s forest, and stretching out before them were a smattering of trees that gradually became sparser and more ghostly, giving way to nothing but the yellow sands of a vast, barren desert.

“This is as far as we can travel by rollercoaster,” Kanti said. “Travelers to the Roaming City in Ephesus have to enter on foot.”

“The Roaming City is where the Oracle Conjurors live?”

“Yes—not many Conjurors ever get to see it,” Cyrus said, clearly excited by the prospect of the adventure ahead of them.

“How far away is the Roaming City from here?” Valerie said, straining her eyes to see anything other than miles of sand.

“That’s the tricky part. You don’t find the Oracle, the Oracle finds you. It’s called the Roaming City because it’s never in the same place twice. It can only be found by those in great need of guidance. People have come here searching for the Roaming City until they go crazy, but you’ll only find it if the Oracle wants you to.”

“Well, our need is great, so we’ll find it for sure,” Valerie said with determination. “Let’s go.”