by Hahn, Chanda
“Just in case you get any ideas.” Lonetree hissed into her ear. The van dipped as more people clamored in. Mina saw them lower Nan's unconscious body next to her. The engine turned over and they were moving. Out the back window she could see the brick gym slowly getting smaller as they pulled away. What now?
Chapter 25
Brody lost her. He turned his back for one second and Mina was gone. He searched the dance floor, picture booth and even checked the women's bathrooms to a few girls chagrin. He tried her cell phone, knowing she probably couldn't hear it over the music. At first he wasn't worried knowing that she probably was with Nan, but when he saw Jared running through the hallway and out a side exit he knew something was terribly wrong.
Running after Jared, Brody burst out the same side door into the parking lot and had just enough time to see Jared peal out on a motorcycle. Brody didn't even have the time to wonder where he had gotten it before he saw the delivery van he was chasing. It was a white van with words that had been hurriedly painted over. But not enough, Brody could still make out blue outline of Babushka's written on it.
It couldn't be a coincidence could it? Why would the van be in the school parking lot and why would Jared be riding after it? Brody ran to find a car. If it was a mistake then Mina would call him and he would turn around and go back to the dance and apologize. But the sour feeling in his stomach and the way the hair raised on his arms told him that this wasn't a mistake.
~~~
Darn it! Jared began calling himself all sorts of names. He should have been more prepared. He caught the scent of one of the Fae wolves and followed it outside to the football field only to realize that it was a false trail. He should have been more aware, more prepared. He accelerated faster on his bike, pulling closer to the delivery van. There was only so much he could do to help without interfering totally in Mina's tale. After all this was hers to finish, not his.
Shaking his head in anger at her stupidity, Jared pulled up next to the van and then cut dangerously in front of it trying to run it off the road. The van swerved and almost clipped him. He tried two more times to cut off the van, but each time the van swerved and kept going. It even clipped his bike and he almost lost control. Jared could feel the heat of the headlamp brush his pant leg and he fell back behind the van. Two angry pairs of eyes glowered out of the back window and one disappeared and returned holding Mina's face to the window so she could see. Her eyes widened in disbelief and a flash of hope alit in her teary eyes.
Gathering his courage, Jared pointed at the Grey Tail and beckoned in challenge. The windows emptied as the wolf put Mina back down. A second later he reappeared, the back door opened up, slamming to the side. Grey Tail leaned outside, fingers digging into the van door leaving inch wide holes in the frame. A howl split the night as he arched his back getting ready to lunge onto Jared's bike.
“Well, no one lives forever!” Closing his eyes, Jared opened them to see Mina sitting on the floor of the van. Time seemed to slow as she shook her head in fear. Jared was struck by the effect that she had on him, even though he tried to deny it. Never before had the urgency to help been this strong. Never before had he acted against the very grain of his nature and for a girl. Jared pondered what would happen in the future if he saved Mina. He couldn't save her from every tale. One day she would eventually fail and could even lose her life.
He began to get choked up. That day would not be today. Jared was so preoccupied with Mina that he missed the wolf's lunge and felt the full force of two hundred pounds of muscle launching into his chest, pulling him from his bike, half human, half wolf claws digging into his chest.
Chapter 26
Mina screamed into the gag as she saw Grey Tail launch himself onto Jared. She closed her eyes in fear, when the motorcycle crashed to the ground, rolling over and over. Jared and the Fae wolf flew through the air to land in a ditch. Mina strained to see them but the van turned a corner. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. No one could survive that; she couldn't help but assume Jared was dead. There would be no one to save her.
Dread. Hopelessness. Loss. All of it consumed her. She felt as if she lost control of her own body and numbness took hold of her. She didn't fight or struggle when a different wolf reached down to haul her over his shoulder. She barely registered that they were back at the Babushka's Bakery.
Mina wasn't sure if she was surprised or not to see that the driver of the van was none other than B.J. Claire's great grandson. Claire marched forward holding a side door marked 'Deliveries Only' for them to pass through. It was dark, cold and smelled of flour and diesel fumes. They removed Mina's gag but not her bindings.
“I'll start with the blonde one,” Claire croaked out. She went over to Nan, hauled her up by her hair, and looked into her face. Reaching out with a sun marked wrinkled hand; Claire rested it over Nan's mouth. Faint glowing lines began to pour out of Nan and into Claire through her hand.
Nan opened her eyes in fear as she began to age in front of Mina. Her blue eyes turned grey, her ivory skin turned clear. Nan went from 16 to 86 in seconds. All the while Claire reversed in age. Her hair grew out and became blonde, her face filled out and she grew younger, but stopped when she reached about 50.
“That's all I can take without killing her,” Claire's voice was stronger. She turned to Mina with a predatory smile. “I know you don't want me to destroy her, so I suggest you give me the Grimoire now, before I finish with you.”
Mina shrunk back in fear.
“What did you expect? It's easier to take a few years off a bunch of unsuspecting teenagers than to leave a dried out corpse. To make this permanent I need your life energy and the Grimoire. So give it to me or I will take what little years she has left and at least one of you will survive this!”
Claire thought she was scaring Mina into compliance, but was really giving her the extra courage she needed. Claire moved toward the feeble body of Nan and reached out a hand threateningly.
“No wait!” Mina struggled to stand. “I'll give you the Grimoire, but I need to be somewhere more private.”
“Don't take me for a fool, girl!” Claire grunted.
“I don't. It's just that...” Mina tried to play the part of a shy, reserved girl, which wasn't that hard for her. Blood rushed to her cheeks in embarrassment. “I strapped it in with my corset. I need to undress to get it.”
Claire snorted and laughed at Mina's awkwardness. She pointed to a shelf piled high with cans of lard. “Behind there, but that is all the privacy I'll allow. Just so you know, there is nowhere to hide in here.”
Mina bobbed her head and slowly walked behind the shelf, as if she was resigned to her doomed state. But once out of sight she reached into her bodice and pulled out the Grimoire easily. Opening it up she was surprised to see the pages blank still. She was hoping for a little bit of information.
“C'mon, I need your help!” she whispered to the book. “You are supposed to help me and now would be an ideal time.” The book was lifeless; there was no glow or hum. “Please! I beg you.” Nothing.
Mina curled up on the floor and held the notebook to her chest rocking herself. Images flooded in her mind of the variations of children's books she read in the library. Their images panned through Mina's mind like a documentary on wolves, little girls, and then hunters.
She was waiting for a hunter to come save her, but that wasn't how it always happened. Sometimes Red saved her grandma from the wolves. The story had changed. They were in Grandma's house. Babushka was Russian for Grandma right? Mina hoped so. Nan is now old enough to be Mina's grandma. The Story had worked that out and obviously she was little Red who had to outsmart the wolves in Grandma's house to save her. Jared had said Claire's story was over. It was completed, just not finished yet. So Mina needed to focus on the villain in this story, which is not Claire but the wolves.
Mina had been waiting for Jared or Brody to save her because that was what the story called for. But not if Mina had any say in it.
&nbs
p; “I'm the hunter,” Mina whispered to herself. “I'm now the hunter, not the hunted, she whispered louder. “I will not lose!” Mina screamed those last words holding onto the notebook and running toward the side wall and the closest Fae wolf. The book thrummed once, twice, three times until it beat faster and faster like a beating heart coming back to life.
Mina believed in the power of the tale. She knew that the Story wanted her to finish this tales. If what Jared said was true, then it wanted her to complete tales so that it could gain more power. It hadn't had a Grimm to complete quests in almost a decade; it must be hungry for power. She had to trust in the Fae Story to help her finish the first quest. Her brother was too young, too easy a target, it couldn't gain power from him. The Story needed Mina. And just because the Grimoire wasn't aiding her didn't mean that the Fae book couldn't. She had to put trust in the Fae book and hoped it would aid her. It needed her, Mina didn't need it.
Mina held the book like an axe and swung down at the Fae wolf who jumped back in surprise at the glowing light that pierced from the pages. The notebook transformed into an ethereal battle axe of light. Mina giggled in a moment of pure insanity as she realized she must look like a crazy character from some anime. The wolf howled when its light touched his skin. Mina could see the light burn through the human illusion to the wolf underneath.
The light was cutting through the physical plane and hurting the wolf on the Fae plane. The skin was fur, the legs where skinnier, the eyes glowed. With each swipe the Fae wolf howled and tried to dodge the glowing light from the axe.
With another swipe of the axe, another layer peeled from the Fae wolf and he dissolved into thin air. Turning, Mina headed toward another wolf, but he panicked and ran down the hall, not wishing to be a part of the same fate as the other wolf.
Turning toward Claire, Mina held the axe and stepped forward threateningly. “Change her back!”
Claire's eyes squinted as she studied Mina. “I can't.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Doesn't work that way. But maybe if you give me the Grimoire, we can find a way to extend her life. After all she doesn't have Fae blood like me.”
“No, I don't bel...” Mina couldn't finish as she was knocked forward to the ground, the Grimoire flying out of her hands and sliding across the floor. It slowly changed back from an axe to a passive notebook lying at Claire's feet.
“Why thank you.” Claire reached down to pick it up. “I do so love it when things go my way. Don't you agree, Lonetree?”
Mina felt herself get pulled upward off the ground as Lonetree hauled her to the cold cement floor in front of Claire, grunting his assent.
Claire opened the notebook and frowned when she saw that it was blank. “Come now,” she shook it. “Show me my story. I've seen the Fae copy when I was a child; I know that this one records a duplicate. I want to see mine to make sure it gets the story right. It needs to keep a delicate record of the differences in my tale,” Claire chuckled and flipped a few more pages and ripped out a page in anger. “Show me! Or I'll rip out more!” The book stayed blank. “Never mind, as long as you understand that this story doesn't have a happily ever after for Gretel.”
“You’re wrong!” Mina spoke up defiantly.
Claire glared at Mina. “What do you know?”
“I know your story. It's finished. You are destined to die, whether it be today or tomorrow, your tale is finished. Nothing you do will change the final outcome.
“You stupid girl! Everything can be changed. Look how many times this story has progressed over the years.” Claire screeched in anger.
“But we are no longer in your story. You're in mine. And in my tale, I win!” Mina held up her chin in defiance, a small trickle of blood dripped down it onto her dress, a wound from getting tackled by Lonetree.
“I don't understand.”
Banging doors and a few crashes later, Mina heard her name being called. It sounded like Brody. He was coming!
“Do you want to know why your tale isn't in my copy of the book? It's because I finished your tale weeks ago. But the Story needed you for one more task. I don't have a living grandmother. So the Story kept you around long enough to create a Grandmother for my current quest. It used you to satisfy the needs of a different tale, to create someone that I loved enough to risk my life for. Nothing more. The Grimoire didn’t help me, I don’t know why, but it couldn’t aide me in defeating the wolves. The Fae story did. I felt its power flow through the Grimoire to defeat the wolves. And I finished that tale moments ago.”
Mina stood up and walked over to Nan who was lying on the cold floor. She held Nan close hugging her. “I just killed the wolf and saved my dear grandmother. This tale is over. I won. See.” Mina pointed to the Grimoire as it began to glow. Slowly etched pencil sketches began to fill in a page that mirrored the surrounding scene. Mina knew that somewhere on the Fae plane a similar picture was appearing in the Fae Book. She could almost hear an audible sigh, coming from beyond. Looking back toward the notebook, the words 'The End' appeared underneath the picture. And with it a loud rushing wind that rattled the windows.
Mina gripped tightly onto Nan as the earth shook and shelves clanged. The room seemed to spin and bright light burst from Nan's body. Mina screamed in fear that she was losing her best friend out of her grasp. Nan was being pulled toward the Grimoire and Mina was losing hold of her.
Strong hands grabbed her. Mina recognized Brody as he embraced her and pushed her to the floor covering her with his body.
“I got you! I won't let you go. I promise!” Brody anchored Mina, similar to how Nan anchored her when she was about to fall off of the catwalk.
Mina's eyes stung as she watched the book float off the ground and began absorb a scared Lonetree and a screaming Claire. Mina's teeth chattered in fright as Claire reached toward Mina. Whether she wanted Mina's help or the last few years of her life she didn't know. But Claire was sucked into the pages of the Grimoire.
When the wind, the noise, and the ground quit moving Mina tried to push herself off of Nan, but was held captive by a Brody's body.
Brody moved off of Mina and looked her over for injuries. Other than a cut on her face and a few bruises, she looked okay. “You are alright! Thank God!” He pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. The kiss tasted salty and sweet. “I'll never let you go again,” he whispered, kissing her head. Mina pulled away to check on Nan.
Nan's skin was still glowing and she was slowly turning back to her younger normal self. Mina felt her skin start to prickle and could feel the build up of power that happened whenever the Story seemed to get involved. Mina looked around in apprehension and couldn't find a source. Then she felt it coming from the Grimoire. Mina walked over to the book and could feel a buildup of power before it snapped closed with finality, knocking her and Brody off of their feet with its power.
Mina looked over at Brody who was now lying prostrate on the floor next to Nan, he looked to be out cold.
“Brody!” Mina screamed, running to him. Mina ran her fingers over his tan skin and around his head looking for any large bumps or bruises. He seemed to be fine.
“Gosh! Stop pawing over him already and help me up,” Nan mumbled sleepily as she tried to pull herself up. She looked around the room. “What are we doing here?”
“Don't you remember?” Mina asked. “Claire from Babushka's showed up at the dance and brought us here.
“Babushka's what? I have no idea what you are talking about. We are missing out on the dance! And what is he doing here?”
Mina was dumbfounded. Nan didn't remember anything. Was this a joke or a side effect of being healed too quickly? “Don't you remember? He was my date.”
“No Mina. He's not. I distinctly remember we both had decided to go stag. He was Savannah's date not yours.” Nan stood up and began to limp around the room.
“But I saved his life at this bakery three weeks ago during the tour. There was a big rally and we started dating and he even gave me a cell phone,
see.” Mina looked around on the floor for the phone but couldn't remember where she had lost it.
“You! Own a cell phone. Ha, that will be the day. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? I don't know how to tell you this, but we didn't go on a field trip here. Look at this place; it hasn't been open in years.”
Nan was right. Mina looked around and what once was a working baking factory with white washed walls and stainless steel equipment, was now a dank, dirty broken-down factory. Broken crates and spray paint littered the inside, and Mina could have sworn she saw a rat.
It was like it never existed. The Story had created it all, set it all up, and once the tale was completed, it erased everything, so there was no lasting impact on the human world. Mina started to feel her chest heave with pain. Her hand went to her heart as she turned to look at Brody lying on the ground. It wasn't real. Had the Story created his feelings for her? Maybe it hadn’t, but would he remember?
Nan was still talking, “If something that cool had happened, don't you think I would be the first to know about it? I would have a million followers on Twitter!” She had moved over to the red notebook and nudged it with her foot, before picking it up.
“Don't touch that!” Mina cried. Rushing over she snatched it from her best friend’s hands. Nan backed away, hurt by Mina's harsh tone. “Sorry. But don't you think we should get out of here before we get in trouble?”
“And, we better get Brody. I don't want to be the one to explain to Savannah White that we took off with her date and left him abandoned in an old run down cookie factory.” Nan was right. Brody began to stir.
Mina took two steps back from Brody as he leaned forward and looked around at his surroundings. He looked dazed and confused. Mina held her breath as his gaze finally came to rest on her. She was waiting for a spark, a glimmer of recognition, and his eyes to crinkle up in happiness when he saw her. There was nothing. He looked at her like a stranger before resting his warm brown eyes on Nan.