First Frost

by Liz Delesus

  “Maybe we should ask it another question,” Bianca said.

  “I don’t know, B. This is all you…you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah,” Bianca whispered.

  “Mirror, mirror on the wall

  Where in the world

  Is my mother?

  Can you make sense of it all?”

  She didn’t know if the mirror only replied to questions in rhyme…but she figured it was worth a try.

  Whatever, it’s worth a shot.

  An ivory white face emerged from a fog deep within the darkness. He stretched his jaw as though he hadn’t used it in centuries. He opened his pitch black eyes and stared at Bianca with a bored expression on his pale face. It took every ounce of strength within her to meet his gaze.

  “Rose Red is held against her will

  In another land

  By a witch who wishes you ill.”

  “I already know that,” Bianca said.

  “Umm, okay. How about…

  “Mirror, mirror on the wall

  How can we get Rose Red

  Back to us

  Give us a suggestion…instead?”

  Ming shrugged. Bianca knew that Ming wasn’t very good at rhyming; she hoped the mirror would reply.

  The face inside the mirror curled his thin lips as though getting ready to growl at them. Bianca wondered if the mirror was going to answer Ming’s question or tell them to leave him alone.

  “Queen Mirabel’s book you must find,

  Within it is a spell

  That will take you

  To where the witch dwells.”

  “Okay.” Bianca thought about asking the mirror another question, but she already had the clue her mother gave her in the letter. All she had to do was figure it out.

  “Thank you, Magic Mirror,” Bianca said and then gave it a quick bow.

  The bone white face inside the mirror gave her a single short nod in return and then vanished in a puff of smoke.

  “That was twenty different kinds of creepy, B.”

  “You say that a lot. Are you sure there are twenty different kinds, Ming?”

  “Yep.”

  “You’re going to have to list them for me one of these days,” Bianca said.

  “I can do that right now.”

  “You really don’t have to.”

  “I’m going to prove my point once and for all.”

  Bianca groaned.

  “There’s creepy, obviously, quickly followed by kooky, spooky, mysterious, ookey,” Ming said.

  Bianca raised her hand and interrupted her by saying, “That’s the beginning of The Addams Family song.”

  “Those words still make my list,” Ming argued. “Sinister, eerie, weird, strange, abnormal, uncanny, frightening, odd, scary, unnerving, chilling, unsettling, disturbing, bizarre, and abominable.”

  Bianca blinked several times and waited for Ming to say something else.

  “Are you officially finished?” she asked.

  “I am,” Ming replied, looking really pleased with herself. “You know it took me weeks to memorize all of those words in case I needed to list them someday.”

  “So that’s what you do with your spare time?”

  “Oh, shut up.” Ming stuck her tongue out and gave Bianca a raspberry.

  Bianca thought about the clue and tried to piece everything together.

  Black veins…that’s definitely the spell book. No doubt about it. But what did Mom mean by “the First Frost”?

  Then she gasped.

  “What?” Ming shrieked.

  “Snow White! The First Frost is Snow White! God, I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out. I’m so stupid,” Bianca shouted as she threw her hands up in the air.

  “Okay…the riddle says hiding under the First Frost, does she mean Snow White’s apple? Where she’s buried? What?” Ming asked.

  “I don’t think it’s in a cemetery, Mom wouldn’t do that to me…at least I don’t think she would. But I’m pretty sure it’ll be in the Snow White Room. So we’ll try there first. If we don’t find anything there, we’ll ask the magic mirror for more clues.”

  They each took a side of the Snow White Room and explored every nook and cranny they could think of. Ming examined the glass case that held the ribbons while Bianca took on the case with the poisoned apple.

  Then Bianca wandered over to the portrait of Snow White. She gazed into her blue eyes and whispered, “You know where the book is, don’t you?”

  The portrait only looked back at her. It said nothing. No matter how many times Bianca asked, it would never reveal its secrets. Snow White was after all—a painting.

  “Humph. Fine. I’ll take that as a yes,” Bianca replied. “Ming?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I need you to help me bring this painting down, please,” she said.

  Together they struggled to pull the heavy portrait off the wall. After a few minutes of swearing and struggling with the bulky frame, they managed to rest the painting against the massive table in the corner of the room. Bianca wiped the cobwebs off the wall with her hands and looked for something out of the ordinary. But all she could see was a smooth wall.

  Bianca ran her hands over the wall, hoping to find something…anything. It took several tries, but eventually she felt a loose miniscule corner, almost as though someone had painted over wallpaper with pale pink paint. She picked at the corner until she had a large piece to pull on. Little by little, the wallpaper came off and revealed a wooden box neatly tucked between two bricks.

  “Whoa,” Ming said.

  “Why didn’t we think of this in the first place?” Bianca asked.

  “Because we have no idea what’s really going on?” Ming replied.

  “Very true.” Bianca pried the box out of its hiding place.

  “If my face melts off like that guy from the Indiana Jones movie, I’m gonna be one very pissed off Asian ghost,” Ming warned.

  “Duly noted.”

  Bianca took several deep breaths and opened the little wooden box. And there it was: a thick, brown leather book. It looked so harmless. No title on the cover. Nothing to let anyone know its true contents, which probably didn’t matter because not everyone could read in the seventeenth century.

  “Ye Olde Spell Book?” Ming whispered.

  “Yeah.”

  “Not what I expected it to look like.”

  “Me neither,” Bianca said.

  Don’t worry, Mom. I’m gonna save you. After this is over, I’m going to burn this book. This ends with me. Bianca made that silent oath to herself. She was going to make everything right again, even if she died trying.

  Chapter Eight

  Bianca put the wooden box in her bag and said, “Come on. Let’s go home.”

  “Okay, let me grab my purse,” Ming replied.

  “Where did you leave it?” Bianca asked.

  “Under the counter at the gift shop.”

  “You shouldn’t leave it there. I’ll show you where I keep mine tomorrow.”

  “Cool. Be right back.”

  Bianca waited for her best friend at the front door. Moments later, Ming returned. “I’m ready.”

  Bianca punched in the code to activate the alarm system for the museum. She pulled her keys out of her bag and locked the doors.

  “I’m hungry,” Ming said.

  “Me too,” Bianca said as she stood by Ming’s car and waited for her to unlock the door.

  Ming pointed her keychain and pushed a button at her brand-new light blue hybrid. A loud clunk sound let them know that the car doors were unlocked. Bianca sat on the passenger seat and waited for Ming to start the car.

  “You got anything in your house that’s edible?” Ming pulled out of the museum’s parking lot.

  “Not really. You know I can’t cook, maybe we should pick something up on our way to my house,” Bianca suggested.

  “Good idea. I’ve never met anyone who can burn water. Seriously, B. It wouldn’t kil
l you to watch the Food Network instead of Nickelodeon.”

  Bianca rolled her eyes and made a face at Ming.

  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t distract me from my driving,” her friend scolded.

  “Oh, suddenly you’re Miss Careful?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since my dad bought me this brand new car, and he’d murder me if I got a scratch on it. So if you would please cut it out, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Fine.”

  When they got closer to Bianca’s house, they talked about what they wanted for dinner. After much debate, they decided to stop at McDonald’s. As soon as they got home, they ate their food as quickly as possible. They were both curious as to what the contents of the spell book were. Mostly, Bianca wanted to see what it was that Lenore wanted so badly that she was willing to sacrifice a person’s life for it.

  Bianca retrieved the wooden box from her black bag and placed it gently on the dining room table. She used a damp paper towel and wiped the thin film of dust and dirt that covered it. She opened the wooden box that held Mirabel’s spell book. She half expected there to be an evil looking skull and a pentacle of some sort on the cover. But all she saw was a plain brown, leather book that could’ve easily belonged to anyone. The book smelled like leather and wood.

  “Are you sure you want to do this now? I mean…what if there’s something in there that makes me wanna throw up? I just ate, B. You know?” Ming asked.

  “I have to know,” Bianca replied.

  Ming took a deep breath, sat beside her friend. “If I blow chunks on the table, I’ll expect you to go get me some more chicken nuggets to replace the ones I lost.”

  “Deal.”

  Bianca carefully opened the book before she had a moment to change her mind. She found that the yellowed pages smelled like herbs and lavender. Once more, she had expected to see something horrible but instead found a tiny inscription on the first page.

  Remember, my child, magic is all around you. In the herbs we use, the ground we walk upon, and the intangible feelings that swim inside our hearts. Beware of whom you share your secrets with.

  Love,

  Mother

  Bianca couldn’t believe it. Mirabel’s mother gave this book to her? It seemed to her that it was Mirabel’s mother who taught her everything the wicked queen knew.

  She turned another page and found the first official entry of Mirabel’s spell book. In it, Mirabel described some of the herbs she discovered in the castle’s garden and some of their basic uses and ailments they could cure.

  “That’s not so bad,” Ming whispered.

  “I guess we have to keep reading it to see what happens next,” Bianca muttered.

  “I don’t like where this is going, Bianca,” Ming warned.

  “Then go watch TV or something. I’ll call you if I find anything interesting.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Ming got up and headed to the family room.

  Bianca ignored the voices coming from the television and focused all of her attention on the spell book. The book started out innocently enough with spells like Banish Evil Spell, Luck Oil, Happy Harmony Spell, Blessing Oil, and Destroy All Evil Bath. Bianca wondered if she had the wrong spell book because she had read a third of the book and had yet to find anything that led her to believe that the spell book was evil. It was a subtle change…very gradual, but some of the spells took on a slightly darker aspect. Spells on how to give someone nightmares, how to command a magic mirror, and the proper usage of mirror charms. Once the book began taking a more sinister turn, Bianca slammed the book shut and walked away from it. She joined Ming in the living room, took the remote control and changed the channel.

  “Hey! I was watching that,” Ming protested.

  “Gossip Girl can suck it,” Bianca said and changed the channel.

  “You suck.” Ming pouted.

  “This whole situation sucks,” Bianca said as she clicked the buttons on the remote so fast it was difficult to tell what was playing on the television screen.

  “You okay?” Ming asked.

  “No.”

  “I can tell. You’ve usually settled on a show by now.”

  Bianca groaned in frustration, turned the television off and threw the remote control on the floor so hard it shattered. She ran her fingers through her jet black hair several times.

  “She was a good person, Ming. She was a good witch that practiced good, healing magic, and she just lost it. How can someone lose their way like that?” Bianca turned to Ming, hoping that her friend would give her the answer. She was met with a blank stare. Once more, she found herself wishing for her mother.

  Ming’s eyes softened. “That bad?”

  “It’s like watching someone spiral into the darkness and feeling helpless…like…I can’t do anything to stop it.”

  “Have you found the spell to open the portal?”

  “Not yet. I’m scared to read the rest of that book, Ming. I don’t want to know what was inside that woman’s mind.”

  For a while neither one said anything. They just sat on the couch and stared off into space. Bianca was afraid of voicing her worries for fear that they would somehow come true, that the universe would be cruel enough to turn her thoughts into a reality.

  I don’t have a choice. I either read that book or resign myself to a life without Mom.

  The following morning, Bianca and Ming discussed what they were going to do that day while having breakfast.

  “Isn’t the repairman supposed to come today?” Ming asked as she broke the yolk on her sunny-side-up eggs with a corner of her toast.

  “Yeah, at nine o’clock,” Bianca replied.

  “What are you going to do about the museum?”

  “I dunno. I was thinking about asking you to stay here while I go to the museum and open the doors and get everything ready for the day. Then we’ll switch, you stay in the museum, and I’ll come home and deal with the repairman.”

  “Why don’t I just go to the museum and you stay here?”

  “Because I have to disarm the alarm system, put money in the cash register, turn on all the lights, and make sure the credit card machine isn’t on the fritz again.”

  “I think I’ll stay here and wait for the repairman,” Ming said and then took a bite of her buttered toast.

  “Good.” Bianca gave her friend a tight lipped smile and ate her breakfast, which consisted of Cinnamon Chex with lots of ice cold milk.

  “Did you find anything in the book last night?”

  “I forced myself to stop. It was just too creepy. It gave me nightmares,” Bianca said.

  “Really?” Ming had a worried look on her face as she waited for Bianca to reply.

  “That book is seriously evil.”

  “But we need to use it. Do you think you can handle it?”

  “I hope so,” Bianca whispered.

  “You’re not leaving me alone with the book, are you?”

  “I have to leave it here. It’s the only place I know where it’ll be safe. If I take it with me, who knows what could happen to it.”

  “Can you tell me where it is? I really don’t want to touch it,” Ming said.

  “It’s in my mom’s room.”

  “Good to know.”

  They finished their breakfast, and Bianca headed to the museum. Most of the time there would be a line of people at the entrance waiting to go inside. But on that Wednesday morning…it was completely deserted. Bianca sighed, unlocked the doors and got everything ready for the day. Once she took her post behind the gift shop counter, she called Ming and asked if the repairman had arrived yet.

  “Yeah, he’s here. Got here about five minutes ago,” Ming replied.

  “Okay. Tell him I’ll be there soon. I’ll leave as soon as you get here,” Bianca said.

  “You want me to leave him alone in the house?” Ming whispered.

  “If he meant any harm, the wards Mom placed on the house wouldn’t have
let him walk in. Trust me, it’ll be okay. Just tell him you’re going out and that I’ll be there soon.”

  “Okay…if you say so.” Bianca could hear the hesitation in Ming’s voice. Once more she reassured her that everything would be okay.

  “See you later,” Bianca said.

  “Bye.”

  Twenty minutes later, Ming appeared.

  “Wow. This place is dead,” Ming said as she took in her surroundings.

  “Yeah, word spreads real quickly around here. Anyway I’m gonna go home and make sure everything is okay with the repairman,” Bianca said.

  “Okay.”

  “Does he…you know…does he seem nice to you?” Bianca fidgeted with her car keys.

  “Oh. My. God. He was super cute, and yeah, he seemed nice and polite. Very professional looking,” Ming replied.

  “Cool. I’ll see you later.” She waved at Ming and walked away.

  Bianca drove back home and found the repairman outside by his black pickup truck unloading supplies and materials he needed to fix the window.

  “Hi,” Bianca said as she approached.

  “Hello, you must be Bianca.” He set down his toolbox and extended his free hand to her.

  She shook his hand and smiled. Ming was right; he was very cute. He had dark blond hair, chocolate brown eyes and dimples. He looked like the sort of man that liked to spend all of his free time outdoors, which was a stark contrast to Bianca, who loved nothing more than to be in her room, drawing or reading a book.

  “I’m Don Carlson, and I’ll be fixing your window today,” he said and then flashed her a smile.

  “Great. Do I need to do anything?”

  “We’ll, if you wanna stick around that’s up to you. I do need you to sign some papers before I get started, and then once I’m finished, I’ll need you to sign some more paperwork. But other than that I’m good to go,” Don said.

  “Okay, I’m going to stay here in the house. I have some reading to catch up on anyway,” she said.

  “Cool.”

  “How long should this take?”

  “A few hours give or take. I have to replace some of the frame and put in the new glass.”