Derek closed his textbook and double checked his list to make sure he’d finished his homework. Just one more day of school, then the holiday. His younger cousins were already in the tv room with his brothers playing Mario Kart. It was nearing midnight.

  Hraktar rushed over to Derek, chest heaving. “Grizzizzik’s gone.”

  Derek’s stomach dropped as he pulled out his phone. “Shit.”

  “I don’t know where he is. He was there one minute, then disappeared the next. He should have—”

  Hraktar sat down on the chair across from him, and the groan from the chair cut the fighter off. He frowned, then glanced down. Derek was confused, until all at once, the chair collapsed under Hraktar’s weight and he fell back.

  Derek stood up. “Hraktar?”

  The fighter groaned, rubbing his head. The scene struck him as odd. Hraktar sat in chairs all the time, and he always had an apprehension toward them. Derek realized now that Hraktar was waiting for them to collapse under his weight, since no one here built chairs for half-orcs.

  Miguel walked into the dining room. “Derek? Is everything—” Miguel stopped talking, his eyes landing on Hraktar. Everything inside Derek froze. He should text Evelyn right now, but he instead stared at his dad. His dad, who now noticed Hraktar. “Who’s your friend?” Miguel asked.

  Hraktar rested on his hands, glancing at Derek. Derek tried to unscramble his mind to sort through his dad’s reaction. Miguel wasn’t freaking out. Not asking why there was a strange creature with green skin and tusks in his house. Derek didn’t know what his dad saw when he looked at Hraktar, but it wasn’t a half-orc.

  “Right. Friend. Um… right.” Derek and Hraktar stared at each other. The fighter said nothing, perhaps nervous.

  “Derek?” Miguel asked.

  “Um… friends.” Derek scrambled for an answer. “I have friends here.” Derek glanced at Miguel. “Some… friends. Who… didn’t have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving.”

  “Ah.” Miguel’s eyes softened considerably. “How many friends are staying at our house?”

  “F-five?” Derek asked. “Sorry I didn’t ask before. If you want, I could tell them to—”

  “No, no.” Miguel smiled at Hraktar. “Can you introduce me to them? I’ll let your mother know to set a few more plates for Thanksgiving.”

  “Right.” Derek still struggled to figure out what was happening. He gestured toward the fighter. “This is… Hraktar.”

  “Hector, hello.” Miguel held out his hand.

  Hraktar stared at Miguel before grabbing Miguel’s hand as softly as possible to shake it. “Hello.”

  “Um…” Derek rubbed the back of his head. “So, Milo, Ezekiel, and Princess Clarissa are here somewhere. Hraktar’s just worried about our other friend. Grizzizzik.” Derek glanced at Miguel, seeing if he had heard that name.

  “Perhaps Gregory hasn’t gotten here yet?” Miguel helped Hraktar to his feet. “Would you introduce me to your other friends?”

  “Yeah, of course.” Derek opened his phone and tapped on the group text without Nick. This would alert Evelyn, and he also felt like everyone needed to know about this new update.

  “I am… so sorry about your chair.” Hraktar glanced at the remains on the ground. “I… I have little coin, but I can pledge my service until the debt is paid off to fix my mistake.”

  Miguel patted Hraktar on the enormously broad shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. We have three more of these chairs in storage. That one was getting old, anyway.”

  Hraktar rubbed his arm, and Derek could almost see the fighter readjusting his point of view. The chairs, couches, and tables were all meant for humans. Now he could break them.

  “Right. Let’s find the others.” Derek moved away from the table as he tried to remember where they were last. He hoped Ezekiel and Clarissa weren’t in a bedroom somewhere. That would make things awkward.

  He passed Izzy, who glanced at Hraktar. Derek chuckled as he pointed at the fighter. “Friend of mine.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Right,” his older sister mumbled. She placed her toothbrush in her mouth as she scrolled through her phone. Derek texted on his own.

  My family can see our characters now!

  Hraktar broke a chair.

  Made an excuse that they’re here for Thanksgiving weekend.

  Does anyone know what’s happening?

  Also, Grizzizzik’s missing again.

  Evelyn? Is Nick okay?

  ***

  Nick sprinted into the house with enough time to realize Walt was still checking his room. Nick sat on the couch, covering his mouth to ease his breathing. He hardly sat down when Evelyn burst through her room and hurried over to him. “Nick?”

  Nick glanced at her, pretending he didn’t sprint the whole way home. “Evelyn, hi.”

  Her eyes were wide, terrified. “What did you do?”

  “I… what?” The truth was, he didn’t know what he did. He still didn’t know what that strange energy from Chaos was.

  “Where’s Grizzizzik?” Evelyn asked.

  Nick shrugged. Technically he didn’t do that either. Evelyn’s hands were shaking. “Okay, okay. Um… he might have done something. He’s not with the other group. I’ll teleport Clarissa, and you teleport Grizzizzik, and we can get to the bottom of this.”

  “I’m… so confused right now,” Nick said.

  “Hurry. In the front lawn so they can make a hasty getaway in case dad sees.”

  That alone made Nick’s heart drop. “Dad… sees? What?”

  Evelyn thrust her phone into Nick’s hands before she grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. Evelyn had the group text open, and he started reading. Derek reported that his family could see all the characters. Some sort of magic barrier kept them from seeing Hraktar as a half-orc, but they could still see him.

  Could Nick or Grizzizzik have done something? It was from Alejandra.

  No way. Not something like this, Tyler texted.

  Nick felt his stomach churning as he read Derek’s reply.

  Then can anyone possibly explain why my dad is currently popping a cold one with Milo, Ezekiel, Princess Clarissa, and Hraktar?

  Followed by a picture of Miguel doing just that. It was almost strange to see Miguel with a beer in hand, talking to the mana fusor and the druid as Ezekiel looked like he was helping Hraktar open his can of beer so the fighter wouldn’t crush it to a pulp.

  Well, came Rafael’s reply. Miguel’s always been incredibly kind to complete strangers. It’s a Perez family trait.

  Dad shouldn’t have been able to see them, though. Derek texted. Is the deadline getting that close?

  No, it isn’t. No one should see these characters for another month or two. Something happened. Tyler texted.

  Nick’s knees gave out, and he collapsed. Realization dawned on him as he remembered the d4 Chaos rolled. It landed on a two for Grizzizzik. A two the coin toss said was in his favor.

  Months. Chaos rolled for months on their deadline. Grizzizzik’s toss created two more months on their deadline. Nick’s coin toss made them lose four.

  Evelyn’s phone slipped out of his fingers as he stared at nothing. It already felt impossible to complete when the apocalypse was coming in August. Now they had until June. If he didn’t take Evelyn’s car for a ride this week, the apocalypse would happen in February.

  “Where is Grizzizzik?” Clarissa asked. Evelyn had made her appear, but Nick was too shocked to bring Grizzizzik.

  “Nick?” Evelyn prompted.

  “It’s… all my fault,” Nick said. This was what he got for getting another option. For being willing to do anything to have his future with Mr. Morgan.

  “Teleport Grizzizzik, Nick. We need to know where he is!” Evelyn said.

  Nick couldn’t talk. Despite being outside, he felt how small outside was. It was all crashing down around him. Chaos tricked him. He curled his fists again, wanting to punch that eternal being all over again. Nick closed his eyes, grabbing Grizzizzik and pulling him. Grizzizzik grunted, falling over. Clarissa pulled out a scimitar, and Grizzizzik saw this action immediately. He stood up, brushing himself off.

  “Really, Clarissa?” Grizzizzik asked.

  “You will use my rightful title,” she said. “What did you do?”

  Grizzizzik furrowed his brow. “What?”

  “These people here can see us. As humans. Derek believes the deadline has been shortened. What did you do?”

  Grizzizzik was doing the math in his head. Nick folded his arms, glaring at his character. He knew the rogue got it when his yellow snake eyes snapped to Nick.

  The front door opened. “What the hell are you doing out here? I told you to wait on the—”

  Nick forced himself to look up at Walt. At his father. With Grizzizzik and Clarissa behind them. Nick watched, horror overcoming him as Walt’s gaze lifted to land right on Clarissa and Grizzizzik. Walt was not Miguel. Walt would never offer Grizzizzik or Clarissa a beer from the fridge.

  “Who the hell are you two?” Walt asked, his voice quiet. The quiet that meant danger. A quiet that made Nick shake off the numb feeling and prepare himself for mental battle.

  Clarissa spoke first. “Hello, sir. My name is Princess Clarissa. I am not from this land, and I need your help.”

  Walt blinked, confused. Evelyn glanced at Clarissa, her eyes wide. Clarissa stood, and Nick was curious to know what Walt saw. Did he see Clarissa’s deep blue dress? Her sapphire tiara? There was no way Walt would see her elf ears. He must see a very beautiful woman in her twenties, though. Did he even hear that she was a princess in another land?

  “My… friend, Grizzizzik, and I, are lost. We are friends of Derek Perez’s family, and have lost our way. Could you point us in the right direction?” Clarissa asked.

  “The Perez family?” Walt asked, eyebrows raised.

  “Yes. Do you happen to know?”

  Walt blinked again, then glanced at Grizzizzik. For once in his life, the rogue was being smart and not saying anything. Nick could see the thousands of questions churning through Walt’s mind, but for now, he pulled out his phone.

  Nick and Evelyn exchanged a glance. How the hell did Clarissa stop Walt from getting angry? Nick decided the best thing to do was to not do anything to draw attention to himself.