Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories #6)(82)

As friendly as the twins seemed, the president wasn’t in the state of mind to make friends.

“Are you telling me that an army of fictional characters attacked New York City in real life?” she asked.

“You know, there’s literally no easy way to put it, so I’m just going to say yes,” Conner said. “But the army is gone, New York City is safe, and the whole world is asleep right now—so there’s nothing to worry about.”

According to the look on the president’s face, she begged to differ.

“What do you mean, the whole world is asleep?” she asked. “Will one of you please explain what’s going on?”

“Madam President, you might want to have a seat first,” Alex suggested. “There’s a lot we need to fill you in on.”

President Walker took Alex’s advice and had a seat on the sofa across from them. Once she was seated, Alex and Conner sat down, too, and did their best to explain.

“As you probably know by now, this isn’t the only world,” Alex said. “There’s another dimension very similar to this one. We refer to it as the Land of Stories because it’s the home of all the fairy-tale characters we love; unfortunately, it’s also home to all the characters we don’t. Recently, a portal between the worlds opened, and the villains of the fairy-tale world emerged and tried to conquer this one.”

“Once we defeated the army, Alex put the entire planet to sleep while we cleaned up all the damage they made,” Conner said. “You were sleeping for a lot longer than you think.”

“How long was I asleep?” the president asked.

“Two hundred years,” Conner said. “Everyone you know and love is dead.”

“What?”

Conner slapped his knee and burst into laughter. Alex shot him a dirty look.

“I’m just kidding, you’ve only been out for a week,” he said. “Sorry, I’ve had a really serious month, so I’m getting my jokes out where I can. The good news is New York is completely back to normal—well, as normal as it was before.”

“How did you rebuild an entire city in just a week?” President Walker asked.

“With the flames of an albino dragon,” Alex said like it was obvious. “It’s a magic fire that restores and heals everything it touches.”

“It’s also great for getting stains out of your clothes,” Conner said.

“We covered Manhattan in the flames, and once the city was reassembled, we transferred all the sleeping New Yorkers back to their homes—that part took the longest,” Alex said. “Then we erased the entire New York incident from everyone’s memory. The whole world will wake up tomorrow morning and go back to their regular lives like none of it ever happened.”

“If everything is taken care of, why bother telling me? Why not erase my memory as well?” the president asked.

“Because we need your help,” Alex said. “Unfortunately, during the battle a few witches escaped. We thought the majority of them were dead, but when we rebuilt the city, their remains were gone. A secret society known as the Sisters Grimm has agreed to track down the witches. Here’s a list of their names, contact information, and the government clearances they’ll need in order to start.”

Alex handed over a thick stack of papers, and the president gave the documents a quick scan.

“Who are the Book Huggers?” she asked.

“Oh, they’re the Sisters Grimm’s newest recruits,” Conner said. “The Book Huggers asked us to use their alias instead of their real names. They said the government would frame them if we disclosed their identities—you’d understand if you met them.”

“There’s one more thing,” Alex said. “I did everything I could to close it, but the bridge between worlds is here to stay. However, I managed to move the bridge from the New York Public Library into the pages of this book.”

Alex handed the president a thick storybook with a magenta cover. The title was written in gold: The Land of Stories: Volume Two.

“You have to keep the book shut or the bridge will reappear,” she explained. “We figured it was probably best to leave it with the president of the United States instead of leaving it lying around our mom’s house. You have to keep it somewhere safe and quiet so it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.”

“Put it next to the flying saucer from Roswell,” Conner said with a wink.

“Why are you trusting the United States with this?” President Walker asked. “I can keep this book as safe and quiet as I want, but if the next president has a different agenda, I won’t be able to stop them.”

“We can cross that bridge when we get to it,” Alex said. “Due to a strange phenomenon, our worlds have collided, and I don’t think something that significant happens by accident. So rather than fighting against it with more secrecy, maybe it’s time we come together? Who knows, it might be what the worlds have been planning from the beginning.”

“And why should I trust you?” the president said. “You say the curse is over, but how do I know the two of you aren’t a danger to national security?”

Alex and Conner looked at each other, and both burst out laughing.

“Madam President, we are absolutely a danger to national security,” Conner said. “But luckily for you, we’ve got each other to check and balance.”