“And what happened?” I asked.
He shrugged. “He said yes. And now we’re friends.”
A moment after he finished his story, we heard a woman’s voice shrieking through the air. “Archie! Archie, there you are!”
We turned to see two women and a man sprinting toward us.
Archie started running, and when he reached his mum, she swooped down and threw her arms around him. When they let go of each other, Archie pointed our way as he probably explained how we had helped him.
“Thank you!” his mum called out, waving at us.
We waved back. “Bye, Archie!” I called out.
“Nice meeting you!” Ned yelled.
“Bye!” Archie replied.
And with that, the four of them went on their way.
“Your wish came true,” Ned said.
I looked over at the blue rooster. “I’m so glad. I love a happy ending. I had planned on wishing for something different, but it seemed like Archie was more important at the moment.”
Ned pulled out his phone to check the time. “You did the right thing, Pheebs.”
I was about to suggest we go find a place to get some chips when Ned’s phone rang. “Hello? Oh, hi, Mum. No, we were just about to go and—”
He looked down at the ground as he listened. The expression on his face looked sadder and sadder. Once in a while, he’d try to protest something that was being said, but it was like he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Finally, he said, “All right. See you soon.”
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to go home.”
“But we’re not finished yet.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But I didn’t clean my room, and my mum is furious with me. I was supposed to do it before I left this morning.”
“Ned, but I can’t wander around London by myself.”
“Well, you could, actually. Your parents would never know, right? I’m sure you’d be fine.”
“But I don’t want to. Can’t you get her to change her mind?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, Pheebs. I have to go home.”
This was horrible. We’d only accomplished three things on the list. I looked around, trying to decide what to do.
“Maybe she’ll let me go again tomorrow,” Ned suggested. “What do you say?”
“My mother barely let me go today,” I said with a sigh. “I’m not sure what she’ll say if I ask to come back to London with you tomorrow.”
“All you can do is try,” he said as he began walking. I trudged along after him. “And remember what you told Archie—whatever will be, will be!”
Why does advice always sound so much better coming from yourself rather than someone else?
When I walked through the door, Mum was happy to see me. I’d texted to let her know I was on my way, but it was like she still expected me to meet some horrible fate before returning safely home.
“Phoebe!” she said, rushing to greet me, a big smile on her face. “Did you have a nice time with Ned?”
“Yes. Up until the point where he had to go home because he forgot to clean his room.”
“Oh no,” she said. “Were you able to find a gift for his mother before he had to go?”
“No. He asked if we could meet up again tomorrow.” I hated not being a hundred percent honest with her, but what else was I supposed to do? I had to keep the story going for now. “Do you think that’d be all right?”
She scowled. “I thought you, me, and Alice might do something together. I work this evening for a while, but I have tomorrow free.”
“But, Mum—”
She just patted my shoulder and took off toward the kitchen. “Let me think on it a bit, Phoebe. We’ll talk it over later. For now, will you come along and help me make some lunch?”
I sighed. “All right. Let me put my bag away.”
When I entered my room, I couldn’t have been more shocked if a chimpanzee jumped out to greet me. My entire desk was in shambles—papers thrown on the floor, my box of colored pencils spilled all over the carpet, and every single drawer open.
I threw my bag on my bed and screamed, “Alice!” as I did an about-face and headed toward her room. I could feel my cheeks getting hotter with every step.
Her door was closed. I went to push it open, but it was locked. I pounded on it with both fists. “Open up right now.”
When nothing happened, I stopped pounding and listened. I could hear the radio playing but not loudly. And then I heard her voice, followed by a laugh.
Was she talking on the phone? Was she laughing at me?
“What in the world is going on?” Mum asked from behind me. “Phoebe? Is everything all right?”
Tears stung my eyes. “Oh sure. Hunky-dory.” I spun around. “Alice went into my room and made a mess, all because I told her to wait until I got home for me to find Nora and Justin’s address.”
Mum went down the hall and peeked her head into my room. When she turned around and came back to me, the look on her face told me she was about as angry as I was.
This time, she knocked. “Alice, unlock this door right now.”
A moment later, it opened, with my sister standing there looking extremely annoyed. “What?”
“You have some explaining to do. Why did you do that to Phoebe’s room?”
“Mum, don’t you dare take her side on this. She could have easily told me where to find the address, but she refused. She thinks this whole thing with Justin is ridiculous, so she wanted to hurt me when I asked her to tell me where I could find it.”
“That is not true!” I said. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep the tears back. “I didn’t want you in my stuff. And, wow, I wonder why?”
“Alice, there is no excuse for leaving her room in such a state,” Mum said, looking quite cross. “You need to apologize and help your sister clean up her room.”
“After she gives me the address, I will gladly help her clean up.”
I scoffed before I replied, “You think you’re getting that now, after what you’ve done?”
Alice narrowed her eyes. “Where is it?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
She lunged for me, but I ran to my room and slammed the door. I leaned up against it, my chest heaving as I looked at the mess again, and the tears started to fall.
And this time, I didn’t stop them.
“Phoebe?” It was Mum.
“Can I be alone for a little while?” I sniffled. “Please?”
It was quiet for a moment before she said, “All right. Can I bring you a sandwich to eat? You must be hungry.”
I had no appetite whatsoever, but I knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Not now. Maybe in a while?”
“All right.”
I heard her voice, softer now, talking to Alice. I leaned my ear to the door. “Give her some time to cool off, and then you need to apologize.”
“She better give me that address,” Alice replied.
I glanced over at Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on my bookshelf and smiled. I’d tucked the sheet of paper with Nora’s information in between the pages when we returned from Paris, because both Nora and I are huge fans of the series.
I knew Harry would keep my secret safe. Because for now, that piece of paper was staying put.
I texted Ned after I cleaned up the mess myself. The last thing I wanted was my sister in my room again.
Me: Did you get your room clean?
Ned: Working on it.
Me: You’re not done yet???
Ned: Cleaning is so boring. Plus I’m hungry. Time for tea and biscuits.
Me: You better finish. I think my mum will let me go again tomorrow.
Ned: That’s good! How come?
Me: Because my sister is horrible and rotten to me. And my mum feels bad.
Ned: Well, hooray for rotten and horrible sisters, then. Are you sure you want this spell to work, if she is truly that awful?
It was a good question. I had to think for a second before I responded.
Me: She needs me in her life. I think that might be why she is so horrible.
Ned: Makes sense. Let me know what time to meet you. Going to eat something now. Wait. Scratch that. I’m going to go back to cleaning now.
Me: Sure you are. See you tomorrow.
I put the phone down and realized I was famished. I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Just as I was about to leave the safe and secure walls of my room, there was a tap at the door.
“Who is it?” I called out.
“Me,” said my mum’s sweet voice. “I’ve brought you some food. Figured you must be hungry by now.”
I couldn’t get to the door fast enough. “Thank you,” I said as I opened the door. She had a tray with a tuna sandwich and some crisps, along with a glass of juice. “You can set it on my desk, since it’s back to normal.”
“I’m so sorry about that kerfuffle with your sister. I don’t know what has gotten into her lately. Maybe she’s anxious about university. Or—”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said as I picked up half of my sandwich and took a bite.
“It most certainly does,” she replied.
I finished swallowing before I said, “No, I mean, it doesn’t matter what’s causing it. It’s impossible to know for sure, isn’t it? So it doesn’t make sense to try and guess.”
She sat down on my bed. “But Phoebe, if there’s a reason, I think it would help you feel better. It’d certainly help me feel better.” She sighed. “I asked her, you know. A little while ago. I asked her if there was something she’d like to talk to me about. If something might be troubling her. And all she said was that she’s just really sad about Justin being so far away.”
I rolled my eyes as I nibbled on my sandwich some more. “Lovesick. That’s what I keep saying.”
“Hm. Maybe that is all it is. If so, time is probably the only cure. In the meantime, I suppose we try to be as understanding as possible.”
“And keep a padlock on my bedroom door?” I asked.
“She’s going to apologize for that,” Mum said. “Coming in here and going through your things was wrong, and you have every right to be angry with her.”
My sister’s ears must have been burning, because just then she popped her head into the room. “Can I come in?”
“Please do,” Mum said. That was not the answer I would have given if my mum hadn’t been there. Mine would have been something like, “Enter at your own risk.”
“I’m sorry, Phoebe,” she said softly. “I shouldn’t have cluttered your room like that. But I was angry. It felt like you were keeping the address from me on purpose.”
I munched on my crisps. As long as my mouth was full, I couldn’t say anything mean that I might regret. Fortunately, my mother spoke logically for the both of us. “Your sister asked you to wait until she got home, and you should have done that, love,” Mum said. “You know what I’ve always said.”
“I know, I know. Patience is a virtue,” Alice replied. “You might like to know I didn’t really understand what that meant until recently.”
I looked at my mother. “What does it mean, exactly?”
She smiled. “It means patience is a wonderful quality to possess.”
Alice sighed as she fiddled with the doorknob, like she was nervous. “Lately, it feels like I’m waiting for everything. It’s a terrible feeling. Like nothing right now is any good, it’s all in the future.”
Mum looked at me and winked. Like this was what she was talking about earlier, when she said maybe there was something causing Alice’s obnoxious behavior. But I didn’t get it, because there was stuff right now that was good. Like me, her fun and wonderful sister, sitting right in front of her!
“Anyway, Phoebe,” Alice continued, “may I please have Justin’s address?”
I bit my lip as I considered her request. “How about I give it to you tomorrow? Waiting a bit longer can be your punishment for what you did to my room.”
“Mum!” she whined. “That’s not fair.”
“I think it’s perfectly fair,” Mum said. “What you did was wrong. And so you’ll get it tomorrow.”
Alice was about to argue some more when her phone started ringing. She popped that thing out of her pocket so fast, I wondered if she had magical abilities. But of course she didn’t. It was simply a side effect of the lovesickness. It might be Justin calling her, after all.
“It’s Kiera,” Alice said. “I should take this.” She looked at me. “You win. I’ll get it from you tomorrow. So we’re good, yes?”
Of course, in typical Alice fashion, she didn’t wait for my reply—just ducked out of the room and that was that.
Mum stood up, a big smile on her face. “That was nice, wasn’t it? She apologized and told us how she’s feeling. It makes sense now, doesn’t it, Pheebs?”
I felt like they’d been speaking a language I didn’t understand, because it didn’t make any sense to me. But I decided I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. So I tried my best to smile and replied with a simple, “Yep.”
“Wonderful,” she said. “Finish your sandwich, and then maybe we can work on that jigsaw puzzle Dad brought home from the shop. How’s that sound?”
“Fine, I suppose.”
Even though the last thing I needed was one more puzzle in my life.
When supper was almost over, I decided it was time to try again. “Mum, since our trip into London was cut short, can Ned and I go again tomorrow? Please?”
Alice scowled at me. I ignored her and continued looking at Mum, who balled up her napkin, placed it on the empty plate, and leaned back in her chair. Like she was carefully considering this request, even though she’d had hours to think about it. After everything that had happened that afternoon, I honestly thought this would be an easy question for her to answer. Not only did I think I deserved a bit of kindness after what Alice had done to my room, but I also believed Mum would see that maybe it was best to keep us apart as much as possible for the rest of our break. Although once the spell worked its magic, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue for us to be around one another. At least, I hoped that would be the case.
“I don’t think she should go,” Alice said as she picked at a pea with her fork. “The whole thing sounds dodgy to me. How do we know what she’s up to, exactly?”
I turned and stared at my sister the way a teacher stares at a student who has been very, very naughty. “Be quiet,” I told her. “This is none of your business.”
Mum looked at Dad with a sigh. Dad looked at Alice. “I think Phoebe is right. You need to stay out of this discussion.”
I wanted to kiss my dad in that moment, while Alice looked like she might want to poke him with her fork.
“Please?” I said again. “Ned is really counting on me. And everything went fine today, didn’t it?”
“I suppose it did,” Mum said. She looked at my dad. “Is it all right with you?”
“Yes,” he said as he stood up, his plate in his hand. “Now, who is going to help me with the dishes?” He stared at Alice but she stood up and handed him her plate.
“Sorry. Can’t. Heading over to Kiera’s for a while.”
She went to the coat closet and grabbed a jacket. “Be home by eleven,” Mum called out.
Alice didn’t reply. In fact, she didn’t even say good-bye. Just walked out the door like she was Queen Elizabeth on her way to a jubilee.
“That’s it?” I asked as I stood up. “No questions about what she’ll be doing or anything?”
“What is there to ask, Pheebs?” Dad replied as he picked up Mum’s plate as well. “She’s going to her best friend’s house, where she’s been hundreds of times.”
“Yes,” Mum said. “It’s quite different from what you’re doing with Ned. Please don’t be upset with us for worrying about you. We’re your parents. We have to make sure you’re safe, you see?”
“Bu
t sometimes you make me feel like I’m a small, helpless child. And I’m not.”
Mum stood up from her spot next to me and rubbed my back. “We know you’re not, lovey. Believe us, we know all too well. You are growing up into a fine young woman and we understand you want to spread your wings. But we were just as protective with Alice when she was your age. You simply don’t remember, that’s all.”
“Phoebe, will you come along and help me with the dishes while Mum gets ready for work?” Dad said. “I want to hear about your morning around London.”
I gulped as my mind raced, trying to figure out what I should tell him. After I picked up my plate and silverware, I said, “We came across a lost boy and had to help him find his family.”
Dad looked at me with his eyes wide before he turned toward the kitchen. “Now that sounds like a fascinating story.”
Hopefully, I could stretch it out to last a good, long while, so I wouldn’t have to tell him all of the other things Ned and I did involving a very secret letter.
*
Once the kitchen was clean, I went to the piano and played for twenty minutes or so. It had kind of been a stressful day, and playing always helps me to relax. When I finished, I went to my room and grabbed a blue notecard, because I wanted to remember the one truly great thing that had happened that day.
I helped Archie find his family.
Maybe we didn’t get to do all of the things to complete the spell, but at least we did help a little boy. It was the highlight of the day, for sure. Dad said we did a great thing, and even if Archie was too young to truly appreciate that now, someday he would. After all, who knows how long he would have stayed hidden in that corner spot, beneath the giant blue rooster.
After I texted Ned that tomorrow I’d meet him at the same time, same place, I went to my bookshelf and pulled out the piece of paper with Nora and Justin’s address. Part of me still wanted to keep it hidden away, to make Alice hurt because she’d hurt me lately with her comments and obnoxious behavior. But the other part knew it was best to hand it over. After all, I’d told her I would. And sometimes, as hard as it might be, I knew it was best to be nice. Even when it was really, really hard.
Sealed with a Secret Page 6