“Fine, I’ll go with you, just get up.” I turned just as Jay breezed past us.
He winked at me as he strolled by. “Guess someone’s in demand tonight.”
Ava eyed me. “What does that mean?”
I shrugged. “Who knows? It’s Jay.” I tugged on her sleeve to pull her up. “C’mon. Let’s grab some lunch.”
Ava met me by Kermit after school. The catnaps during the day had refreshed me enough to be anxious on the way to the studio.
“Don’t even worry about it. You so have the lead.” Ava chattered the whole way, but I only caught bits and pieces of what she said. My mind raced with mixed up thoughts involving Sam, Her Highness, Muriel, Ava, and Jay.
We pulled into the lot and parked at the far corner by a large tree. The naked branches swayed as small gusts of cold wind blew through them.
I turned off the car and took a breath. “Ava, before we go in there and find out about the auditions, I wanted you to know that I heard what you said last night. I’m so sorry about your mom and about everything you’re going through.”
Ava squeezed my hand. “Thanks. I think a party is what we both need right now. You’re looking a little ragged yourself. Now let’s get in there. If he gave the lead to Catelyn instead of you, I swear I’m up and quitting.”
By the time we got inside, girls had already crowded around the sheet posted outside the studio door. Sighs of disappointment and squeals of joy punctuated the otherwise silent room. Catelyn stood off to the side and glared at me.
“No way! That can only mean good news for you,” Ava whispered.
Relief swept over me, but I had to see the sheet for myself.
Cary stepped away from the sheet and glanced our way. “Congrats, Bree. You deserve it.” She waved me up to see the sheet. The level of her animation told me she was pretty happy with her own results.
Ava took a deep breath and followed. “Yay. I knew you’d get it. Now please let me be a fairy.”
Another girl moved over so I could squeeze in. Sure enough, my name was right there at the top of the list:
Princess Aurora—Bree McKenna
A sigh of relief escaped. Until I saw it for myself, I couldn’t believe I really had the lead. Right under my name was Catelyn’s—she’d gotten the part of Lilac Fairy.
“Oh, schizzlesticks,” Ava muttered. She must have seen Catelyn’s part too. A second later though, she said, “Whew, at least I’m a fairy.”
I scanned down the list and smiled. “Canary Fairy. Congrats!” She might have wanted Lilac, but Canary was the perfect fit for her bubbly personality. Cary had landed the part of Carabosse which explained her excitement level.
Cary even attempted to congratulate Catelyn on her role, but Catelyn responded only with a dramatic eye roll.
“C’mon, Catelyn,” another girl said, “Lilac is a great role. We can celebrate at Trevor’s tonight.”
My stomach dropped. Why would Ty have invited me if she was going to be there? It’s not like she would ever allow him to talk to me.
Catelyn scoffed and bit at the edge of her long nail. “I have to babysit my evil little brother tonight.”
My heart did a somersault. Catelyn wasn’t going tonight. Maybe that’s why Ty had asked if I was going. A small voice inside me questioned the integrity of someone looking to play while his girlfriend was away, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t talk to the guy.
Loud claps echoed in the room. “Are we here to dance or to socialize?” Adrian snapped his fingers and pointed inside the studio. “We have much work to do if you have any hope of putting on a decent performance.”
We filed past him into the room. “For those of you who got the parts you wanted, good for you,” he said. “And for those who didn’t—”
Ava turned and mouthed his favorite words as he said them. “Practice. Do better.”
He pressed play and Tchaikovsky filled the room. I couldn’t wait until final rehearsals with the actual orchestra. Jay had never seen me dance before. I pondered this thought a second before the music erased everything in my mind except the dance.
“Geez, could he have worked us any harder tonight?” Ava asked as we took off our pointe shoes. “I mean, it was only the first official practice, and now I’m so sweaty I’ll have to shower before the party.”
The party. As much as I’d love to see Ty outside of school, the two-hour rehearsal had wiped out what little amount of energy I had stored from my naps. Mom would be at work by the time I got home, so the sitter would be there with Cal. I’d have just enough time to put him to bed and catch a few zzzzz’s before the midnight tornado came for me. Not to mention I still owed him a game of catch.
“I don’t think I can go,” I said and yawned for dramatic effect. “I’m so tired, and—”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Ava interrupted. “Don’t think you can get all diva-like just because you’re the lead. I told Rae we’d pick her up at nine sharp. You promised.”
I pushed open the door and stepped outside. The wind had whipped into a frenzy and dead leaves whizzed past us. One leaf got caught in my hair and I stopped to pull it out. I remembered my mom’s saying after another long night shift at the hospital, ‘I’ll have time enough to sleep when I’m dead.’
“Maybe if I can catch a nap for an hour, maybe ...”
“You’ve been napping all day. I don’t want to hear it.”
Kermit’s green glow guided us in the dark. The wind continued to wail and an empty soda can skittered across the parking lot.
Ava pulled her coat tighter around her. It became difficult to walk against the strong winds, and my hair blew straight back from my face.
“Holy cow, I feel like I’m about to blow away,” Ava called over the gusting winds. She grabbed onto my arm for support.
“We’re almost there,” I said, looking again for Kermit. My eyes scanned the darkness but I couldn’t see anything for a second. Then I realized why.
A chill passed through me and my heart stopped in my chest. I couldn’t see Kermit because between me and my car was a large, shimmering tunnel cloud. The Queen hadn’t waited for midnight. I tried to push Ava away from me but the cloud closed in fast. It was too late. It sucked us both in.
7
“What the hell?” Ava looked around. She grabbed my arm even tighter.
One second ago, we’d been in a windy parking lot at night and now we were standing in the sunlit courtyard of a palace. I didn’t think it would work to tell her I’d driven her home and she was dreaming.
She faced me, eyes wide, and I worried she might start screaming.
“There you are darling. You won’t believe—” Rolph opened the palace door but stopped short at the sight of Ava. He flipped his pink polka-dotted scarf around his neck. “And who do we have here?”
Ava’s mouth open and closed like a fish. “What the hell?” she asked again.
Rolph looked back and forth at us.
I was going to be in so much trouble with Her Highness. Bringing an outsider to Liralelle was strictly prohibited. I gulped. “It wasn’t my fault. She was holding on to me when I was summoned ... before our scheduled time, I might add.”
Rolph’s eyes darted around to make sure no one had seen us. He pulled us both inside and quickly locked the door. “This is not good, not good at all. The Queen is going to have a coronary.” He put a hand over his own heart. “Unless I have one first.”
Ava’s face had gone completely white and I hoped she wouldn’t faint. I pulled her over to a chair inside the main entrance, sat her down, and pleaded with Rolph. “Maybe the Queen doesn’t have to know. No one has seen her. You could keep her here until I’m finished.”
Rolph shook his head. “That will never work. If the Queen sends you back, then she will be stuck here on her own.” He gestured toward Ava.
Ava’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her skull. Rolph was right. I’d have to tell Her Highness because only she had the power to send someone
from one world to another.
Ava stood. “Would somebody please tell me what’s going on before I start running?”
Rolph scratched his head. “Maybe the Queen could give her a magic sleep potion before sending her back? She’ll think she dreamed this.”
“I can hear you. I’m right here.” Ava stamped her foot and her voice rose to a squeaky pitch, like she was barely holding on.
“A, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know how to explain because it will sound so crazy,” I said.
Guards ran out of a door from the chamber down the hall. They raced past us and out the doors, without giving Ava so much as a second glance. One soldier spotted me and called out, “I’d get in there fast if I were you. There’s trouble.”
Rolph ushered Ava and I toward the Queen’s chamber. “No time for explanations now. You’ll have to catch your friend up later.”
The Queen looked bedraggled, her reddish hair frizzed around her face, like she’d either just woken up or hadn’t slept in days. I wasn’t sure which since I never knew exactly how much time passed here while I was away.
Her eyes passed over Ava and moved back to me. Whatever it was must be really bad because the fact that Ava didn’t belong here didn’t seem to register.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Ava gaped at me. “You mean you don’t even know?”
The Queen’s bleary eyes rested on me. “There’s been a murder in Liralelle.”
There hadn’t been a murder here in some time, unless you counted the people I killed, but Her Highness assured me that killing bad people wasn’t the same as murder. At least that’s what I told myself each time I counted my gold.
The Queen waved her hand. “No one of great importance, but she was one of my subjects and Liralelle is supposed to be a safe place.” She stared at me. “I mean, that’s why I hired you, Bree.”
Did I detect accusation in her voice, like it was my fault someone died because I hadn’t killed Muriel fast enough?
“Bree?” Ava whispered in my direction.
“Later,” I mumbled through clenched teeth.
Rolph dabbed at his eyes with the end of his scarf. “Poor Helga.”
I stiffened. “Helga from the market?”
He nodded. “Ay, the magic shop keeper. Her potions were fabulous.”
Though days must have passed in Fairyland, I’d only spoken with Helga hours earlier. She hadn’t had contact with Muriel at that point, but the bartender had. Thinking back on my conversation with him, the only thing I learned—aside from the fact that I couldn’t hold my whiskey—was that Muriel knew I was in Liralelle. I’d actually liked Helga; she’d made me reconsider my stance on trolls.
The Queen stiffened. “We don’t need potions, we need stopping power. I’ve sent my guards into the market to search high and low for that evil wench.” She sank back into her chair. “But as you well know, my guards aren’t exactly known for their competence.”
If they had been, she wouldn’t have needed me in the first place. They suffered from an inverse correlation between the size of their muscles and that of their frontal lobes.
“I need you to find Muriel immediately, before she can do more damage.” She waved me off.
I grabbed Ava’s arm and turned to leave.
“Wait,” the Queen commanded. Her eyes returned to Ava.
Crap.
“Who is this girl?”
I bowed low. “My assistant, your Majesty. I’ve never faced my family’s murderer before. I thought I might need help.”
Ava gasped. “Oh my god, your family’s been murdered? After the audition? This is so messed up.” She started sobbing. “Would somebody please tell me what the holy hell is happening—”
“Shhh.” I spun her around and pulled her out of the room, before the Queen could ask anything else. Rolph hurried after us.
I put a finger to Ava’s lips. “No, my family in our world isn’t dead. My family here is. Give me one sec and I’ll try to explain.” I whirled around to Rolph. “This murder—are you sure it was Muriel?”
Rolph looked shocked at the question. “Of course, who else would it be?”
Good question. “Okay, I’m taking Ava with me. We’ll be back as soon as we can, so I can get her home.”
Rolph hugged me. “Be careful, darling. Things are out of control.”
He opened the palace door, and I dragged Ava into the courtyard. Several puffy clouds floated across the sky, as two bluebirds danced in the air before landing on a diamond encrusted birdbath decorated with emeralds and rubies. Ava rubbed her eyes. “I seriously think I’m having a breakdown.” Tears trickled down her face.
I put my arm around her shoulder and led her to the stable. “You’re not. It’s okay.”
She sniffled but nodded. I helped her mount Majestic and climbed on behind her. She stared down as if she just realized she was on a horse. “Where are we going?”
There was no way to sugar coat it. She’d see for herself soon enough. “Um, the troll village.”
Ava gave a laugh that was just shy of hysterical. “Of course.”
I gave her the condensed version as we trotted through the forest, this time veering left toward the troll village. If the guards had gone to the center market, Muriel would have to be dumb as a stone to still be hanging out there. Tree branches swayed along with Majestic’s movements, as though granting us passage through them.
Ava turned around to face me several times as I spoke, her mouth gaping in astonishment. She absentmindedly petted Majestic’s mane with her hand that wasn’t gripping the saddle. When I finished, she blinked slowly. “So, to clarify, you’re saying we’re in a parallel universe that just happens to be the same Fairytale world we’ve read about since childhood, except it’s really called Liralelle, and oh yeah, nothing is really the same as we were told.”
“Pretty much. The PR department thought “Fairyland” sounded prettier than Liralelle. You have to agree with that one, right?” Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard on her after all.
Ava’s voice rose an octave. “And you, Bree the Earth-sent ballerina, are the one who kills the witches because the princes are really homely cowards.”
Uh oh. “Well, that’s the gist of it, but I get paid well, and the princesses don’t know about me since they’re either imprisoned or sheltered. They marry the princes and everyone lives happily ever after. It’s a win-win.”
“Hold on. I’m still stuck on the part that the woman we’re going to find is who murdered your entire ‘parallel universe’ family. As in, I’m about to get killed, and if I die in this world, I’ll probably be gone in my world too, right?” Her speech had reached a shrill pitch.
I slowed Majestic for a minute and put my hand on Ava’s shoulder. “Technically, yes, but I’m not going to let that happen.”
A sob tore from her throat. “Right, because you’re going to plié the witch to death?”
“Ha-ha. No, look.” I pulled out my sword from its sheath and waved it in front of her. “I’ve got other skills in this world.”
“Put that thing away.” Ava wiped at her eyes. “I still don’t understand all this. I mean, how did you end up in our world in the first place?”
“That’s a much longer explanation. I—”
“Bree!”
We turned to see Red skipping toward us, her cape flapping behind her.
“Red, what are you doing out here?” I asked. “I told you it was dangerous to be out alone.”
She stopped when she reached us and patted Majestic, who snorted in greeting. Red peered up at Ava.
“Hi, I’m Red.” Red grinned at me. “Thanks to you, I can run around all I want.” She turned to Ava. “Bree gave me the coolest magic potion ever.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re welcome, but that’s supposed to be for emergencies only.”
She reached into her basket and pulled out the blue colored bottle. “But it’s so much fun.” Red turned to Ava. “Watch this, then tell me
if I need to be worried about being in the woods on my own.”
Before I could say anything, she’d uncorked the bottle and taken a swig. Her head and body morphed into a ten-foot tall, two-headed snarling monster. Each head contained about one thousand, sharp teeth. The teeth were small but pointed.
Ava jerked back and screamed. Majestic reared up in defense against the monstrosity that had appeared before us. I grabbed onto her reins and tried to calm her.
“Red!” I yelled. “There’s only so much in the bottle. Save it for when you really need it!”
A sound like laughter came out of both its mouths, and she waved with a huge, clawed paw, and ran off toward her house, looking like a freakish child-monster.
Ava glanced back at me. “That wasn’t, I mean, was that—”
“Little Red Riding Hood?” I finished, nudging a still-fearful Majestic onward. “Yep. Don’t worry. That potion I gave her will wear off in an hour, but I wanted her to be able to fend off an attacker, you know?”
We crossed a bridge over a small, but rapidly moving river. I pointed at a small hut in the distance. “That’s her house back there.”
Ava shook her head and called over her shoulder. “Let me guess. Over the river and through the woods, so her grandmother’s house is back the other way somewhere?”
I frowned. “No, that part never happened. Red’s mom was a gypsy who ran away from home as a teenager. Red’s never even met her grandma. The Department of Eternal Records thought the grandma-in-peril aspect would gain more sympathy from readers.”
“Unbelievable.”
“We only have about another half mile before the troll village. That’s where Helga, the one who was killed, lived. I want to see if anyone there knows anything.”
Another, larger cottage sat nearer to the trail as we rounded a bend in the woods. A white picket fence with peeling paint encircled the yard. Though it looked like it had once been lush and beautiful, the rose bushes had shriveled and the grass had been taken over by weeds. A dwarf sat chain-smoking on the front porch.
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