“Yeah, but who is she?” Paul asked. “How do we find her?”

“No, no,” Tick said. “Not a name—a thing. An anagram.”

“What the heck is an anagram?” Paul asked, stealing a glance at the creatures, now only seconds away from reaching them.

Sofia answered. “It’s when the letters of a word or phrase are rearranged to spell something else.”

“Yeah,” Tick said. “Whatever we’re looking for must be an anagram of ‘the words inside.’”

“Yes!” Sofia yelled.

But their joy was short-lived. The first spider landed on their table with a horrible crash.

~

The boy named Henry ran, bumping into people, bouncing off them, falling to the ground, getting back up—running, always running. He’d hardly said one word to a stranger his whole life, living in fear of the metaspides and their all-seeing eye. They were always there, waiting, watching.

But he’d done his job. He’d said the words, delivered the message. In doing so, he’d made enough money to buy medicine for his mom for another six months. He knew the docs were overcharging him, but he had no choice. He didn’t want his mom to die.

The creepy man who’d offered him the job stood in the same spot, lurking inside an alcove between two pubs. The man had paid him half the money beforehand, promising the other half when the deed was done. Henry walked up to him and held out his shaking hand. When they made eye contact, he couldn’t help but take a step backward.

The man looked at the boy with fierce eyes, his brow tensed in anger, his dark hair hanging in his face. A long pause followed, filled with the sounds of the metaspides launching an attack behind him.

“You did it, then?” the man said. “You think you deserve some money, do you?”

“Y-y-yes, sir,” Henry replied.

“So you do, boy. You deserve every penny. I’m a businessman, you know, and I’ve never faltered on a deal in my life.” He reached out and tousled Henry’s hair. “It’s why I am who I am. Where do you think the metaspides came from, anyway?”

Henry shrugged, wishing with all his heart he could get away from this strange, scary man.

The tall stranger reached into his pocket and pulled out several bills, which he placed in Henry’s hand. “Take this, boy, and use it wisely.”

“Yes, sir,” Henry said, turning to run.

The man grabbed his shoulder, gripping tightly. “Grow up smart, boy. Grow up smart, and one day you may work for me.” The man leaned in and whispered into Henry’s ear. “For Reginald Chu, the greatest mind in all the Realities.”

Henry squirmed out of the man’s clutches and ran. He ran and ran until he collapsed into his sick mother’s arms.

~