The liquor had evidently brought out her astute observational side.
Ava reached up and tilted the flask out the window. “Here, Ty. Want some?” She shook the flask a minute. “Oh wait, never mind, it’s gone.”
He smiled and raised an eyebrow at me. “Um, there’s more to drink inside if you all want some.”
My stomach did a flip-flop at that smile. “Thanks, but, we’re just um …”
Ava bolted out of her door. “We’d love something to drink. I’m parched. Are you parched, Rae?”
“Definitely parched,” Rae agreed and stumbled out of the car. They linked arms with Ty on either side.
“Ava, we really need to go,” I said.
She wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Just one drink. Then we’ll go. Promise.”
There was no way I could leave her here. She was so tipsy already—there was no way I could trust her to keep quiet. Plus, I couldn’t leave my friends drunk at a party without a safe way home.
Rae and Ava laughed and pulled Ty along with them toward Trevor’s house. This was not going to be fun. I followed them up the steps and into the house.
The music inside sounded like a combination of rap and rock. It couldn’t be any further from my beloved classical music if it tried. I wanted to go home. The three of them beelined to the kitchen, and I felt like a puppy following its inebriated master.
Ty pulled two bottles of beer from an ice chest, popped the tops off with a bottle opener and handed them to Rae and Ava.
“So fancy,” Ava giggled.
“Yeah,” added Rae. “No plastic cups for this crowd.”
Ty looked over the top of Ava’s head at me. “Want anything, Bree?”
Yes, you, with a bow on top. “No, thanks. Maybe water.”
He rummaged through the cupboard to find a glass. I held up a finger and mouthed “one drink” to Ava. She just smiled. She and Rae raised their bottles in a toast toward me, then clinked them together and drank. At least we’d be leaving sooner rather than later if she drank quickly.
Ty pushed the cup under the fridge dispenser. He handed the cup to me. “Fresh water for the prima ballerina.”
I blushed.
“Come on, guys, let’s mingle.” Rae appeared at my side, flanked by Ava. “You too, Ty. You need to show us around…we’ve never been to Trevor’s before.”
They herded him out toward the back porch where people hung out in groups. The smell of pot hung heavy in the air.
“My mother would so not approve of this,” Rae said. She and Ava dissolved into laughter again and wondered into the yard.
Ty looked confused, but I shook my head. “It’s better if you don’t ask.”
He stepped back and leaned against the wall of the house. “Congrats on being Princess Aurora. That’s awesome.”
“Thanks.” I moved a smidge closer to him. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt anyone if I talked to him. That wasn’t breaking any code of friendship. I looked over at Ava who was deep in conversation with a girl from homeroom. “Is Catelyn upset about it?”
I wanted to smack myself. He was finally somewhere without Catelyn Grey, and here I go, reminding him about his girlfriend.
“She’s okay.” He looked at me with a glint in his eye.
I laughed. “No, she’s not. She’s mad as hell, isn’t she?”
“Maybe a little.” He smiled again and my stomach fluttered.
“Hey, B, we’ll be right back. I need, um, something.” Ava called over to me. “Come on, Rae.”
“Just a sec.” Rae ran over and shoved her empty flask into the front pocket of my cargo pants. “Hold this for me, please. It keeps slipping in my waistband and I don’t want to lose it. It’s real silver. Thanks.” Without waiting for a response, she disappeared into the house with Ava. Great. They had to be getting more drinks.
Ty grinned at me. “They’re hilarious.”
“They’re something, all right.” I was totally going to kill them when we got in the car.
“Ty-man, get your ass over here. We need you on the team.”
Trevor stood on the grass with some other guys playing lawn darts. Probably not the best game to play under dim lights while drinking, but who was I to judge.
Ty waved at his friend. “In a minute. Start without me.”
Trevor looked from me to Ty. “Right. Got it.”
I shuffled my feet and tried to think of something non-dorky to say.
Ty spoke first. “Look, I know we haven’t talked a lot before, but I wanted you to know that I think you’re pretty cool. I wondered if—”
“Ava likes you,” I blurted.
Having a crush on him seemed innocent before—like lusting after a celebrity who didn’t know you existed anyway. The possibility that he was one sentence away from asking me out made my heart soar and my stomach sink at the same time.
Stealing him away from Catelyn would be one thing, but I couldn’t hurt Ava. No guy was worth that—not even Ty Wilder.
He stepped closer to me and leaned in so his forehead was almost touching mine. He brushed my arm with his finger. “That’s nice, but what if I like you?”
“Wanna tell me what’s going on here?”
Crap. Ava had reappeared with her brand new drink. Rae stepped out the door behind her, a beer in each hand, and did a double take. I took a step away from Ty like that could negate the fact we’d been an inch apart a second earlier.
“N-n-nothing, he was just telling me something.”
Ava thrust her hand on her hip, or attempted to, but missed her hip due to her drunken state. “Yeah, so I heard. He told you that he liked you.” Her voice grew louder. “Some friend you are.”
Rae put her hand on Ava’s arm, but Ava shook her off. Tears filled her eyes. “Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any crappier—I should have expected this.”
Please don’t let her say anything about Liralelle. “It’s not what it looks like, Ava.”
“Stop, just stop. I’m not stupid, you know.” She whirled on Ty. “And as for you, I don’t like you anymore. I think you’re a … you’re a…”
Don’t say it.
“You’re a troll!”
I cringed. She said it. Ava couldn’t hold back the tears anymore and fled back through the door and up the stairs to the second floor. Perfect. I had to get her out of here before she said anything else.
Ty looked crestfallen. No doubt he’d never been called a troll before. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
Rae still looked shocked, like she couldn’t process what had transpired. “Stay here,” I told her. “I’ll get Ava and then we’re out of here.”
Ty started to say something else but I raced back into the house and up the stairs. I tried the first door and came across two people who did not seem happy about being interrupted. “Oops, wrong room.” I shut the door louder than intended as I turned back to the hallway.
“Most people looking for a bedroom have another person with them. Trying something kinky, or are you looking for someone?” Jay Ashland stood against the wall where a line formed outside what must be the bathroom. He was the last person I’d expect to see at a jock’s party.
“No, I, I’m looking for Ava. Have you seen her?”
He jerked his thumb in front of them. “Yeah, she cut in line and ran in there. She looked pretty upset. Everything okay?”
“Not even close.” I jumped in front of the line and ignored the grumbling of the people in line. “Ava, open up. We have to go.” I pounded on the door.
Ava’s muffled voice came through the door. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Several girls in line started whispering. This was sure to be gossip-worthy at school tomorrow.
I knocked more loudly. “Please, A. I’ll explain everything.”
Jay came over and touched my arm. “Can I help?”
“Sure. I’m not getting anywhere.”
I’d thought he meant he would try talking to her, but instead he backed
up and headed at the door.
“Jay, wait, I didn’t mean—”
Right as he reached the door, Ava opened it. He flew into her and sent them both crashing to the bathroom floor. Luckily, Ava landed on her butt rather than her head and Jay landed on top of her. One of the girls who had been whispering behind me stepped close to me and had her cell phone raised. This little episode couldn’t go viral.
I jumped inside the bathroom and slammed the door in the girl’s face. After locking it, I offered my hand to Jay and helped pull him off the floor.
“Are you guys okay?” I tried to help Ava, but she ignored my hand and got up on her own.
Ava laughed through her tears. “I’m just great. You know, aside from the fact that this is the worst day of my life. You’re such a traitor.”
At least she hadn’t called me a troll.
Jay looked at me quizzically with his big brown eyes. I didn’t want to tell him about what happened. I didn’t want him to think badly of me.
Her tone was harsh and accusatory. “You like Ty.”
I didn’t know what to say. I mean, I did like him, but how do you tell your best friend that you like her crush?
Jay exhaled like he was relieved. “Obviously, but that’s no big deal. She’s liked him for forever.”
Ava looked like someone slapped her in the face.
I wanted to kill Jay. He had no idea how much worse he just made things.
Ava took a deep breath. “I’m out of here. I’ll find my own ride.” She stormed toward the door, and I grabbed her arm to stop her.
Jay reached for me. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
It came out of nowhere.
The swirling black funnel appeared in the middle of the bathroom and engulfed all three of us.
9
We appeared in a small chamber room in the Queen’s quarters. I reached down to find that Rae’s small flask had made the trip and was in my tunic pocket. Rolph, scepter in hand, stared in horror at us. “Darling, the Queen doesn’t even know you left. She thinks you’re out looking for Muriel. How on Earth am I supposed to explain … this …” He eyed Jay. “… this peasant?”
Jay stared from the castle room around us to Rolph. “What … where … did he just call me a peasant?”
“Rolph! Rolph! Where are you?” The Queen’s voice called from a nearby room.
Rolph dropped the scepter into a chair. He spoke in a hushed whisper. “She woke up earlier than usual. You all have to get out of here now. Go!” He shooed us away with his hand. “And Bree, you need to keep this … person … out of sight, or the Queen will have my head.”
“Coming, your Majesty,” Rolph called in a loud voice.
I tugged on their sleeves. “Let’s go.” We had to get into the forest quickly or we’d be seen by someone for sure. We couldn’t even take Majestic since we’d have to stay off the paths.
As we ran into the thick foliage, I attempted to explain Liralelle to Jay. He wasn’t nearly as receptive to the idea as Ava had been.
“This isn’t possible. Someone must have put something in my drink.” Jay smacked himself in the face, which I had wanted to do when we were back in the bathroom. He looked around and found himself still surrounded by leafy green trees with bright flowers. “This isn’t possible,” he repeated.
“Oh, it’s possible,” Ava said. She wouldn’t look at me as she swatted away a low-hanging tree branch. “I’m still mad at you, you know.”
I moved in front of them to help clear some sort of path with my sword. I whacked at the thicket to make it easier to pass through. “A, you have to believe me, I never in a million years thought he would notice me.”
Ava scoffed. “Well, he’s definitely noticed you, but that’s not the point. The point is that you knew I liked Ty, but you never once told me that you liked him too.”
Jay stopped in his tracks, staring at me. “Wait, how do you have a sword? Why are you dressed like that—did you change clothes or have you been like that?” Then he shook his head. “This is ridiculous. And how can you both be arguing over a guy when we’ve taken a ride on some crazy train? Am I the only one here who thinks this is nuts?”
Ava stepped around him and patted him on the shoulder as she went by. “Oh, I’ve been here before. Don’t worry.”
“Seriously? You’ve been here?” He looked kind of cute with his mouth hanging open.
“Well, yeah, that tornado thing brings us back and forth.” She glared and stomped ahead like she knew where she was going. “I’m still helping with Muriel, but only because it’s the right thing to do. After that, we’re through—”
Ava tripped and fell on her face.
It took me a second to realize that it wasn’t a tree limb that she tripped over. It was an actual limb.
“Oh, good God,” Jay gasped. “Is that a leg?”
Fear clamped my throat shut.
“What the hell kind of place is this?” Jay sounded horrified.
“L-leg?” Ava craned her neck to see what she tripped over and a strangled cry escaped her lips.
“Shhhh! Be quiet—we don’t know who else is here.” I scanned the surrounding trees but heard nothing. Just a few birds tweeting like it was the most beautiful day ever.
The body was face down with the head turned to the side, but my stomach tightened into knots. I’d heard about the missing teenage girls from the village, but this one hadn’t been missing last time I was here.
Her face was obscured by the matted hair that fell across her cheek. The luster was gone, but it was still black as night. Torn fishnets covered her legs, and her hand reached out on one side, chipped red nails still clutching at an unseen assailant.
I knew it wouldn’t matter, but I had to try anyway. I knelt down and touched her arm. “Snow?” I nudged her arm a little harder. It wasn’t rigid yet, so whatever happened hadn’t been long ago.
I brushed the hair back from her face, and her black-rimmed eyes stared straight ahead. The saddest part was she didn’t have the shocked, surprised look I’d seen on many of the witches and other assorted creatures I’d killed. She looked resigned, almost like she expected that being killed was something that would happen to her someday. The look wasn’t too different than when I’d seen her last in the bar—hopeless.
“She’s dead.” Ava huddled on the ground with her legs tucked under her. She rocked back and forth.
I closed Snow’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” I said to her, though I didn’t know why. Something was odd about her skin. It was whiter than it should be, even for a dead person, even for someone as pale as Snow was to begin with. I pulled her hair back further and noticed the mark on her neck.
“Oh crap.” Jay leaned over me and covered his hand with his mouth. “There are vampires here?”
“No, no vampires.” The mark wasn’t made from teeth. It didn’t even look like a slash. The cut was clean and straight. The end result was the same as a vampire though— she’d been drained entirely of blood.
Ava whimpered. “I changed my mind about helping. I want to go home.”
“I want to go home too but I can’t yet. I promise to get you home as soon as possible.” I stood up and looked around. “We can’t leave her like this. Jay, will you help me?”
He grimaced but nodded. We turned her over. I grabbed Snow’s ankles and he hoisted her under the shoulders. There was a small clearing to our left, and we carried her into it. I figured that Her Highness could send people for a proper burial when we got back, but this would have to do for now. Ava sobbed silently but picked flowers from the trees and sprinkled them on top of Snow’s body. I placed a few pink ones in her hair, and they shimmered against the jet black tresses. Such a waste.
“Thanks, guys. We need to go. Muriel can’t be far from here, and we need to find her.”
Ava choked back more tears. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“Who’s Muriel? And why are we going after her? Aren’t there police for that?”
Jay’s mouth dropped open again. We hadn’t had time to give him the full story before, but it’s not like this was a great time to catch him up to speed. For all I knew, we were being watched. We went back toward the spot where Ava had tripped. I stole a final glance at Snow before we moved into the trees. Dappled sunlight shone on her pale arms crossed in front of her. The strewn flowers made her look like a sleeping angel. Maybe she’d finally be at peace.
I faced ahead and moved as quickly as I could, slicing my sword through the tangled brush. Every time I heard the snap of a branch, I’d turn back to see Ava shrug sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s just me,” she whispered.
Jay stayed near her side and right behind me. Every once in awhile he’d give his opinion in a low voice. “This place is awful. Dead girls in forests, evil witches. Fairyland is worse than Detroit.”
“Did you not read any Grimm’s fairytales?” Ava whispered back. “Hello, witches killing children all over the place. It wasn’t until Disney took over that everything became all innocent and magical.”
“Shhh. Both of you, just shhhh.” A twig snapped in the distance, and I knew it wasn’t Ava this time. I put my arm out to stop them and surveyed the woods. The light had grown dimmer, so it had to be late afternoon. Jay and Ava stood still behind me with baited breath.
I stepped toward the trees where the sound came from. Maybe it was just an animal, hopefully a small one at that.
“AAAAARG!” The battle cry preceded the raised sword of someone who crashed through the trees toward us.
Ava, who’d crouched into a kickboxing pose, ran behind me and ducked. Jay, who to my knowledge had only ever been armed with a weapon of the trumpet variety, put his arm across me as if he could protect me from a sword with his bare skin. It was dorky but sweet.
“Halt!” I cried. “Unless you are prepared to die. I am Bree, witch slayer of Liralelle.” I stepped in front of Jay’s arm and readied my sword.
The sword-wielding attacker broke through the last trees, but he was already lowering their sword. “Bree? Is that you?”
“Evan!” The delight in Ava’s voice was unmistakable.
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