by Hahn, Chanda
“What do you mean it decides?” Mina argued. “Shouldn’t it just automatically help the next family member?”
“Unfortunately no. The book goes into hiding and then it chooses whether or not to appear to help. What if the next Grimm descendent wasn’t honest, was greedy and selfish? What if they were evil? Then the Grimoire would be a terrible weapon in the wrong hands. So it must protect itself and after you’ve been weighed and tested then it will make itself known to you.”
“That sucks,” Mina furrowed her brows in thought. “Where did it appear to Dad?” she asked.
“In a library in Nebraska.”
“What about our library?” Mina asked hopefully.
“Maybe, you could try.” Sara shrugged, not sure if would work two times in a row. “It couldn’t hurt to look.”
Mina turned to begin her search and stopped in thought. Turning back to her mother she asked, “Why is it called a Grimoire? I thought that was something that was evil or a book of spells or something?”
“No honey, it's just a record of the tales our family members have lived through. Over time it has gained powers of its own. If your ancestor's name was Smith it would have been called the Smithoire. But are you sure you want to do this?” Sara then spent the next hour trying to talk Mina out of following through on finding the Grimoire.
That’s what Mina had tried to do, open up every book and see if she could find the Grimoire. It looks different according to each person that held it. So it could be disguised as a children’s book, a magazine, a bible, anything.
But maybe it wouldn’t appear to Mina, because she hasn’t proven herself worthy enough. Apparently saving Brody Carmichael’s life didn’t prove herself worthy enough. Mina was about to give up, when something white caught her eye, and she stood up. Bending down she tried to see between the shelves and over the books. There it was again, a flash of white. Following it, Mina crept along, keeping herself low to the ground. There! She caught a glimpse of white feathers. What? The feathers surprised her and she stopped in her tracks confused. Was this some kind of joke? Or maybe it was a part of someone’s elaborate costume.
After a moment lost in thought, Mina hurried to catch up to her prey. The way it moved made her realize this wasn’t human but definitely a bird. The animal made a squawk confirming her suspicions of something aviary and Mina followed it down a corridor. Maybe it was a clue and would lead her to the Grimoire. Mina finally ducked into the same isle and saw that it was a goose and it was heading toward a back emergency exit, the door opened and the bird stepped through it.
Running after the goose, Mina plowed through the emergency exit door and came into a dark back alley. The sun had set and steam rose from the sewer grates creating a sinister look. Mina saw the darkness and the hair rose on her arms in fear. Something was wrong. Turning she tried to catch the door back into the library but it had shut and automatically locked.
Mina strained to get her eyes to focus, but the one light over the door was the only light in the pitch-black alley. There wasn’t any sign or a single stray feather from the stupid white goose. It had disappeared. Another tingling feeling began in Mina’s body and she began to recognize it as a warning sign. She was reacting to the power of the Story. Something or someone was here.
Chapter 8
A low growl made Mina turn with her back to the door. A large man stepped out of a darkened doorway across the alley and came and stood before Mina. He looked primeval, with long black greasy hair, pointed nose and golden eyes that seemed to reflect the light. His chest was bare, only covered by a worn black leather biker vest.
“Give it to me and I’ll let you live.” The man’s voice rumbled deep in his chest more similar to an animal growl than a human.
“Give what to you?” Mina asked.
“The Grimoire.” The man stepped closer but still kept his distance, keeping one foot out of the protective circle cast by the light.
“I don’t know what you are talking about?” she stated. Mina was proud that her voice didn’t crack with the fear she obviously felt.
“Stupid girl. We know the Story has chosen you. Where is it?” He growled again, his lips pulling back from his teeth similar to a wolf.
“I d-don’t have it,” Mina stuttered. The man flexed his fingers and walked into the circle of light, illuminating a very realistic tattoo that covered his whole chest. The tattoo was of an enormous wolf, whose proportions looked odd and stretched as if it was trying to push through his skin. But either way, it made Mina nervous and she stepped backward away from the man and tattoo in fear.
“Then you must die.” The man with the wolf tattoo lunged at Mina and grabbed her upper arms. Mina had tried to run, but he was too fast, inhumanly fast. Screaming for help, she kicked and punched. The man hit her hard in the face and then lifted her as if she was a rag doll and tossed her off of the steps into the alley. Mina’s scream was cut short as she landed in a pile of cardboard boxes, that an employee had fortunately forgotten to break down.
The wolf man sauntered toward Mina, who was paralyzed with fear, and grabbed the front of her hoody in one fist. With a grin that told her he was enjoying this too much, he lifted Mina into the air, her Converse shoes dangling helplessly below her. His grasp on her collar choked her and Mina began to see spots. She dug her nails into the man’s hands hoping to make him loosen his hold. Blood appeared along the cuts made by Mina but it only seemed to make the man more excited at the sight of blood. Darkness began to fill her vision when she saw movement.
A loud crack split the air followed by a howl of pain. Mina was dropped to the ground and she went limp. Opening her eyes, she saw Brody standing over her attacker with a broken 2x4. She tried to tell him to run but couldn’t catch her breath, her throat was on fire. The man was stunned for a minute and then lunged at Brody grabbing his midsection, knocking him to the ground. Brody held his own and fought back because the man was still dazed. After a few unsuccessful lunges and missed punches, Mina’s attacker ran off, swearing at her.
“We will be back, one way or another, we will get it.” The man howled.
Brody was immediately at Mina’s side. “Mina, are you hurt? Are you okay?” He ran his hands gently up and down Mina’s arms searching for broken bones, but his touch sent shivers up them instead.
“I’m fine,” Mina answered, trying to shake off Brody’s warm touch.
Brody grabbed Mina’s face between his hands and searched her face for bruising. She would have a huge bruise on her cheek and her throat looked scraped and raw, but otherwise fine. Guilt washed over him in waves. Why didn’t he notice her absence sooner? Why didn’t he search the parking lot and alley first, he should have known she would duck out to avoid him. And she was attacked while under his care. He felt responsible for her.
Brody helped Mina to her feet and then tucked her against his side protectively. Mina leaned into Brody’s chest for support and took comfort in his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Even if it was for this one intense moment, he acted like he cared. Breathing in the warm scent of his shirt, cologne and sweat, Mina felt safe, secure, until she stumbled on her own feet.
Brody felt Mina falter, so without thinking he bent down and picked her up in his arms, intent to get her out of the alley and somewhere safe. Carrying her seemed the fastest solution. When he got to his car, he put her inside and buckled her in. Mina knocked his hands out of the way, trying to get him to quit messing with her buckle. Brody felt tense, uneasy like he couldn’t breathe easily until they were far away from here.
He peeled onto the road and pushed on the gas making the car accelerate with barely a sound. It wasn’t until Mina saw that he was going forty over the speed limit that she thought to panic.
“Brody, slow down!” she yelled.
He pounded the steering wheel in frustration, his blue eyes stormy with anger. His face was cold as steel as he took the turns with the ease of a seasoned Nascar driver.
“STOP! Let me out!” Min
a cried. He didn’t seem to hear her and she began to panic, grabbing the door handle for safety.
Brody sensed Mina’s fear, got his temper under control and slowed the car down. “I’m so sorry Mina. I should have been there to protect you.” He reached out to touch her bruised cheek but Mina flinched back in fear. He dropped his hand dejectedly to the ground. She had hurt him unintentionally.
“You see, now you’re scared of me. I’m not angry at you, I’m angry at myself that you got hurt.” Brody looked at Mina and she could see the fear written there in his eyes.
“Brody, it could have been worse, but you saved me.” Mina gently reached out to touch Brody’s arm, to comfort him, to show him that she wasn’t afraid of him.
“Who was he, Mina?” Brody’s jaw clenched and unclenched in anger.
“I don’t know,” Mina answered truthfully.
She watched as Brody’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. “He threatened you, and you don’t know who he was. He seemed to want something; he said he would be back.”
“I told you, I don’t know who he is and I don’t have what he wants.” Mina felt her own anger rise.
“But you know what it is he wants?” Brody asked unbelievably. “If you know what he’s after, than give it to him!”
“I don’t have it, and even if I did, I couldn’t give it to him. You have to believe me,” Mina pleaded with Brody.
“Maybe I could, Mina, if you told me what’s going on?”
Mina’s silence was the only answer that Brody got.
“Please take me home now,” Mina spoke a few minutes later.
“I think we need to go to the police!” Brody argued.
“No, I want you to take me home. I don’t want to go to the police and if you take me I will deny everything.” Mina turned on Brody angrily. “I never asked you to get involved, I never asked you to sit with me and chauffeur me around. You have no idea what’s going on with my life and hanging out with me for two days does not give you the right to decide what I should and should not do. This would never have happened if you hadn’t run over my bike! I never asked for your help and I don’t want it. TAKE ME HOME!” The last words flew from her mouth and she instantly regretted her tone. But it was too late to take them back, the damage was done.
Neither one of them spoke a word until they reached the international district. Brody drove through the shops that had the different Mexican stands and restaurants. He was one block over from her home, but she still didn’t want him to know where she lived. “Stop, here!” she pointed and Brody pulled over.
“Mina, I’m sorry!” Brody began but was interrupted my Mina’s sudden exit from the car.
Mina jumped out and ran between the stalls and people trying to lose him. She waited until his car pulled away into the night and she could no longer see his taillights. When Mina was sure Brody wasn’t on her street she ran home. She grabbed her key to the blue street level door, ran straight up the stairs, yelled goodnight to her mom, claiming she was tired. Mina crawled into bed curled her hands around her knees and cried herself to sleep, wishing she had’n’tstumbled on the Pandora’s box that was her family’s curse.
Chapter 9
The next morning Brody waited for Mina to walk her normal route to school, she didn’t come. Thinking she must have gotten a ride already, he looked for her at school. She never showed up.
She didn’t show up the next day.
Or the next.
Chapter 10
Mina had the full intention of going to school the day after the attack, by covering her bruises with makeup. She was about to tell her mother about the attack at the library, but then decided against it, when Sara took one wide eyed look at the bruise and began to shake. Mina quickly played it off as another clumsy gym class incident, which was not uncommon for Mina, and it seemed to ease her mother’s fears.
If Sara knew that her daughter was attacked by a large man in the alley, she would make them run again and Mina wasn’t ready for that. Mina went to the small closet that housed the family stackable washer and dryer and reached into the dryer to pull out a clean hoody. “What the..?” Mina spoke aloud. It was red! She hated the color red.
She reached up to pull out another zippered jacket. This one was red too. In fact all of Mina’s hoodies were now permanently red. Her mother warned her that the Story would try and mold Mina’s lifestyle into a fairy tale, but she didn’t believe it until now. Mina could tell this new event scared her mother even more. Sara didn't blink an eye or argue when Mina asked to stay home from school for a few days. Something about the red jackets terrified her mother into compliance.
Sara went on a one woman war against the color red. She threw every piece of red clothing in the house in the garbage. She scoured the house high and low for every red ribbon, washcloth, marker and pens and even burned the Christmas stockings. Gone. All of it, gone.
Sara even bought Mina new clothes and hoody jackets at the store, despite their limited budget. She brought home blue, lavender and white zippered jackets to replace Mina’s other ones.
That lasted a day. The next morning Mina opened up her closet and pulled down her new jacket with the tag still on it and threw it on the bed in disgust.
It was a beautiful royal blue yesterday, it even said so on the tag, but today it was a deep red. Mina grabbed the next jacket, red. The next one, red. Once again, all of Mina’s clothes had turned a deep red. Reluctantly Mina put on the white shirt and red jacket and was thankful that the curse hadn’t tried changing her jeans or shoes red too.
These events only encouraged Mina more, by Saturday, she was even more determined to find the Grimoire. She had to, her life depended on it.
Hearing voices, Mina entered the kitchen and smiled when she saw her best friend Nan sitting at the breakfast table with Charlie. Nan wore a stocking cap over blonde braids and had layered long and short sleeve shirts. She had helped herself to a bowl out of the cupboard and filled it with three different cereals. Charlie had a huge grin on his face and Nan was chomping down with barely contained disgust.
After she managed to swallow a bite without puking she stood up and pointed her finger at him. “See I told you, I could eat whatever concoction you came up with.” Nan did a little victory dance around the table and Charlie shook his head and pointed to his own bowl of cereal.
Frowning, Nan leaned over to look at his bowl. “What? I used the same cereals that you did! I’ve got Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, Raisin Bran and Mini Wheats, what else could you have fit in there?” There was obviously some contest going on between the two and Charlie was finding a discrepancy in the winner.
Nan was one of the few people Mina knew that had no problem carrying on a one-sided conversation with Charlie, and seemed comfortable doing it. Well, also considering that Nan usually talked enough for three people, anticipating what Charlie was going to say was probably easy for her.
Nan picked up Charlie’s spoon and began to dig around in his bowl to see what else he had done to make his different. “I don’t see it. I made mine the same and I ate half of the bowl, so I win Pip Squeak.” Dropping the spoon back into the bowl with a clank, Nan leaned back and put her foot on the table. “Pay up.”
Charlie grinned again and shook his head no. Standing up he went over to the small refrigerator and yanked the door open. A few seconds later he emerged holding a brown bottle of caramel syrup, walking over he put it down next to Nan’s half eaten cereal bowl with a loud clank. Nan sat up in disbelief.
“NO WAY!” She leaned back over and looked closely at the tan colored milk in Charlie’s bowl. Nan’s victorious grin faded as she realized she was going to have to add caramel flavoring to her cereal. “That is some serious sugar going on there. How in the world do you sleep at night?” Nan asked respectfully. She never criticized Charlie, or ridiculed him for his weird eating habits, but praised him for his uniqueness. “So I have to add this to my cereal, huh?”
Charlie’s smile got wider.
Nan gulped visibly and her hand wavered for an instant in front of the bottle, but she took one look at the smiling boy and she regained her resolve. Popping open the top, she poured a few good tablespoons into the bowl and mixed it up with her spoon watching Charlie the whole time. Right before she was about to eat it, she paused and pursed her lips in thought. Nan jumped up and went to the fridge, rummaged around inside, slammed the door and plopped a white and blue container on the table. With a clean spoon, Nan scooped a huge tablespoon of the mixture into her cereal and Charlie’s face went green with disgust. It was cottage cheese. Charlie hated cottage cheese and Nan knew it.
Nan stood and stared down the eight year old boy, grabbed her spoon, dipped it into her intensely gross breakfast and put a spoonful of the mixture of cereal, caramel and cottage cheese into her mouth and chewed slowly. Charlie watched Nan chew in awe, and then he visibly paled and looked like he was starting to gag. The boy dropped his spoon and raced for the bathroom.
As soon as the bathroom door slammed, Nan turned to the sink and spit out the mouthful of food. She turned on the water and leaned forward to rinse out her mouth. When that didn’t work, she reached back into the fridge and grabbed a container of orange juice and began to chug it right from the container.
“Nan, that’s disgusting,” Mina laughed.
“Tell me about it. I’m the one who actually had to taste the thing. I don’t think I will ever be able to eat cottage cheese again.” She gargled orange juice.
“What possibly possessed you to put cottage cheese in the cereal?”
“I asked Charlie what he was eating and he pointed to the cereal boxes and I casually challenged him to an eating contest. Winner gets to pick out a movie and make the loser watch it. Believe me, I had no idea he added caramel to his cereal. Blech!” Nan shuddered at the mere mention of the food again.