“Or the willow’s branches are already waiting for us,” Fairday added. “And as soon as we open the door, they’ll throw us off the balcony to our deaths. Yeah, you’re right. It probably is a trap.”
“Should just one of us go through the mirror?” Marcus looked at his friends’ worried faces.
“No, I think it’s got to be all of us or none of us,” Lizzy said. “If she gets one of us trapped, it could take a lifetime for that person to be rescued. We have no idea what she’s capable of.”
“Agreed,” Fairday and Marcus replied.
“We can’t go through the mirror because it’s the obvious path. What about the wardrobe?” Fairday suggested. “It brought us to this side, but could it go both ways?” She pointed in two different directions, then glanced at Marcus and Lizzy.
“We should try it,” Lizzy said, nodding. “I mean, she knows we found out how to get back through the wardrobe. I’m sure she thinks we’ll go through the mirror to get our stuff back, which, unfortunately, could be the only way to get to the other side. If the wardrobe does go both ways, and if we’re really lucky, she won’t suspect that we’d be coming from the other direction, and maybe there’s a chance of getting out before she catches us.”
“It’s definitely worth a shot,” Marcus added. “Two of us should run out and grab Auntie Em and the packs, then book it back into the wardrobe. The person who stays behind will be ready to knock. It’ll all only take a minute. Plus, once we’ve gotten everything back, we can devise a plan to trap her,” Marcus said.
“Are we ready?” Fairday asked.
“You betcha!” Lizzy replied.
“Definitely,” Marcus answered, and then, with a chuckle, added, “This should be fun.”
Fairday knocked: one, two, three…one, two, three. The claws unlatched, and they squeezed into the wardrobe. She placed the canister containing the blueprints onto the wardrobe floor and then pulled the doors closed. Moments later, she knocked again. Holding her breath, they pushed the doors open a crack and noticed the flames from the candles still flickering on the vanity. “Okay, it worked. We’re back,” Fairday whispered.
It had been decided that Marcus and Fairday would run out, grab Auntie Em and the packs, and then race back. Lizzy would stand in the wardrobe, ready to knock once they were all safely enclosed behind its clenched claws.
“On the count of three,” Lizzy whispered as she grabbed the inside handles. “One, two…three!”
The doors flew open, and Marcus and Fairday sprang forth, sprinting through the room. Everything was a blur as Fairday hurtled past the bed. Marcus threw open the door,
and they streamed out onto the landing. She had Auntie Em in her arms and the straps of two of the backpacks in her hands before she knew it. Spinning on her heels, she stole a quick glance at Marcus. He was just behind her carrying one of the packs over his shoulder, and right behind him was a tangled mane of red hair. Two hands reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
“AHHHH!” he yelled as he was pulled backward.
“Marcus!” Fairday shouted, trying to stop her feet from continuing forward while holding tightly to Auntie Em.
“Oh God! Marcus,” Fairday heard Lizzy cry out from the bedroom. She could picture Lizzy’s blue eyes wide with fear and knew her friend’s brain was whirring frantically with the decision of whether or not to leave her designated post to help.
He managed to free himself and bolted forward with Fairday in the lead. Once again, she could feel hot breath on the back of her neck, panting in time to her pounding feet.
They jumped into the wardrobe, crashing into the back of it. Lizzy had ahold of the door handles and quickly pulled them closed behind Marcus, Fairday, and Auntie Em. But before she was able to knock, they were forcefully flung open. In an instant, the maniacal woman was in the wardrobe with them. The doors slammed closed, cloaking all five figures in darkness.
For a few terrifying moments the wardrobe rattled and banged. Fairday could hear herself screaming as something cold touched her arm. Suddenly, she heard someone knocking and then a click. The handles unlatched and she shoved her full weight against the doors, which burst open, causing the four of them to spill out onto the floor.
When Fairday opened her eyes, forgetting they had been shut tight, Auntie Em was squirming and whimpering in her arms. Marcus and Lizzy were on either side, looking disheveled and breathing in heavy gasps. They stared up in fright at the wardrobe as they watched the figure emerge. Wispy gray strands of hair fell limply in front of cold black eyes darting furiously over the three of them. Bony fingers wrapped around the edges of the wardrobe doors.
Both Fairday and Lizzy instinctively scooted backward at the wretched sight. But Marcus shot up, pointing at the wardrobe authoritatively as he bellowed, “It is my wish that you stop her.” He looked confused as she continued to advance on them. Revelation washed over Marcus’s face as he added, “I mean, Wardrobe, would you please stop her.”
Lizzy looked baffled as she watched Marcus. Fairday thought he had momentarily lost his mind, but suddenly, the wardrobe lurched forward with a loud, heavy clunk. Extending its iron fingers, the furniture reached out and clamped down onto the ghost-white arms of their pursuer.
It was now holding the scary woman hostage. She jerked and struggled against the shackles, but to no avail. Finally, the expression on her face fell, and she let out a terrible cry of defeat. Hanging her head, she allowed the wardrobe to support her frail figure. Auntie Em was barking nonstop at the scene, trying to escape from Fairday’s arms.
“Whoa! I thought we’d had it for sure!” Marcus said.
“Marcus, that was brilliant!” Lizzy clambered up from the floor and flung her arms around his neck in a quick hug.
“How in the world did you know how to do that?” Fairday asked, trying to calm her dog down.
“I remembered the spell from the blueprints: ‘Fortune find and fortune told, everything is yours to hold. State your wish as the one in charge, and oblige it will, no matter how small nor large. But don’t forget to be polite, or choose it may to ignore your plight.’ I just figured it meant you could ask a chair nicely to be more comfortable, or be friendly to a lightbulb to get it to turn on, or something. I had no idea it would work like this,” he said, gesturing to the bizarre sight. He added boastfully, “See, I told you that you’d be really thankful I came along. Who knew I had a photographic memory in the face of danger? Detective tools are awesome, but a good memory is even better!”
“Great job, Marcus! I must say, you nailed it,” Lizzy said, her cheeks turning pink.
“You really are a detective superhero, Marcus Brocket.” Fairday grinned. “And I’m definitely glad you’re in the DMS.”
“I almost forgot to be polite, though,” he said.
Auntie Em was still squirming and barking. Not wanting to attract her parents’ attention, Fairday quickly walked over to the door, gave her a quick kiss on the head, and shooed her down the stairs. The little pug moved faster than Fairday had ever seen her.
“Thank goodness Auntie Em is safe!” Fairday said, walking to her friends.
“I’m so glad we got her back,” Lizzy said. “I can’t imagine this family without that little drooling sausage.”
“She seems okay,” Marcus chimed in.
“Auntie Em’s fine,” Fairday replied, sounding relieved. “I’m sure she’ll soon be snoring away somewhere.”
They turned their attention to the prisoner. Standing a safe distance away, they began to consider the situation. “That’s who we saw on the balcony,” Lizzy said in a hushed voice. Fairday could tell Lizzy felt awkward talking right in front of the woman, even if she had been trying to kill them, or capture them, or whatever she had been trying to do.
Marcus replied, “I know it was the red-haired lady who followed us into the wardrobe. They must be one and the same—the lady we think is Ruby Begonia and this thin—uh…her,” he added uncomfortably.
“I a
m Ruby Begonia,” the voice said in a raspy moan, tears welling up in the corners of her black eyes.
Fairday noticed something odd reflected in the dark pools of Ruby’s eyes. There was a sparkle swimming around amid the two black irises. She glanced down to see where the colors were coming from, then gasped. “Lizzy, look at her feet!”
Lizzy’s eyes shot downward. “I don’t believe it! She’s wearing the sneakers!”
Dangling from under the hem of the tattered blue dress were the ruby- and diamond-covered high-heeled sneakers. The moment seemed to freeze as they all fixated on the shoes. Fairday noticed that something wasn’t quite right. When Lizzy had tried the sneaker, it had slid on like Dorothy’s ruby slippers, fitting her perfectly. On Ruby, however, both feet appeared to be stuffed into the shoes. Fairday could see the skin around her spindly ankles was swollen, and her toes practically popped out where the white laces were tied up. Peeking at Lizzy, she saw that her friend also looked confused. Why would anyone wear shoes that clearly didn’t fit?
Fairday spoke up. “What do you want with us?”
Raising her eyes, Ruby tilted her head to the side and smiled; it was a horrid grin, exposing yellow teeth and blackened gums. “Why, my dears”—her voice was gravelly and cold as she spoke through cracked lips—“I only wanted to talk with you. I’ve been here alone for so long now.”
“Most people who want to have a nice chat don’t chase down their guests and throw them into a closet,” Marcus said, staring back at her.
Ruby’s dark eyes welled up with anguish. “How else was I going to get you to listen to me? Look at me! I’m a monster!”
“Why do you look completely different on the other side?” Lizzy asked, moving a bit closer to her.
“I’m cursed,” she whispered, dropping her head again.
“Cursed?” Fairday questioned. “Who cursed you? Eldrich? Does it have something to do with the sneakers?” She didn’t know why she went right to the sneakers being the reason for the curse; it just seemed right. Perhaps because she would feel cursed, too, if she had to wear shoes that caused her to have blisters on her heels. They looked so uncomfortable that Fairday involuntarily wiggled her own toes, simply because she could.
“Yes! These damned sneakers are the reason I am what I am now.” Ruby kicked out her feet, leaning forward against her restraints, as she spat a disgusting spray of green spittle down at the sparkling shoes.
“Ugh,” Lizzy moaned, and quickly turned away. Fairday knew that Lizzy hated the sight of spit, and this particular spit couldn’t have possibly been any more disgusting.
Ruby spread out the bony fingers on both of her hands and wiggled them teasingly. “I know you’ve read my diary but I can tell you the whole story, if you want to hear it. That is, if you’d kindly ask the wardrobe to release me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Fairday said.
Marcus rounded on Ruby. “Yeah, as far as we’re concerned, lady, you’re a madwoman. You kidnapped Fairday’s dog, chased us down, froze us, threw us into a closet, and left us there in the dark. Plus, you’ve been creeping around this house and spooking Fairday. Why should we believe anything you say?”
“You tried to steal my baby sister!” Fairday said.
“Actually, my dear, she stole something from me.” Ruby let the words hang in the air as she shifted her gaze down and jiggled a foot.
“But…” Fairday started to speak and then stopped. That was true. Margo had taken the high-heeled sneaker from her. “Maybe we should get my dad?” was the thought that came out instead. She was feeling unnerved and completely unsure of what to do next.
“Fairday, we can’t tell your parents. I mean, how on earth would we explain all of this?” Lizzy said.
“I think we should listen to her story before we decide to tell anyone else,” Marcus suggested.
“I don’t think we should release her, though,” Fairday said, her voice cracking. “I mean, we have no idea what she’ll do.”
“Ah,” he said, smiling. “Once again, I think I have an idea that will help us solve this problem!” He walked up to Ruby Begonia but fixed his stare on the wardrobe. “Okay, Wardrobe, would you please set Ruby Begonia down in that chair in the corner?”
The wardrobe lurched forward, clunking down heavily on the floor, then began to hop over to the chair. Ruby was tossed up and down like a sack of potatoes as it banged its way over. Fairday couldn’t help but smile. Now, that’s something you don’t see every day, she thought, noticing Marcus and Lizzy trying to suppress grins.
Just before the wardrobe reached its destination, Marcus spoke up again, this time talking to the chair. “Chair, could you please hold Ruby Begonia in her seat once she sits down?”
The wardrobe shifted on its wooden feet so that Ruby was suspended over the striped chair like a swinging pendulum. Fairday held her breath as it released its grip and dropped her onto the requested target. The second she hit the cushions, the striped ribbons began to twist out of the fabric. They ensnared her arms and legs as they quickly wrapped around her thin body. When it was over, Fairday thought she looked like a bizarre Christmas present tied up neatly with red and black bows.
“Marcus, you’ve got to be the smartest person alive,” Lizzy beamed.
“You really get that spell, don’t you?” Fairday added.
“I guess, once you realize the potential, it’s all open for experimentation,” he said. “I was goi—”
But they never got to hear what Marcus was going to do. He was interrupted by the sound of pounding feet racing up the spiral staircase.
Fairday reacted fast, running over and snatching a sheet that was crumpled up on the floor. She tossed it to Lizzy, knowing her friend would understand what she wanted her to do with it. Fairday, her heart beating like a runaway train, hoped she would appear calm under the scrutiny of whichever parent awaited her. She had no idea how she was going to keep this whole crazy situation from getting even more out of control.
As she reached the door to the room, she glanced back and saw Lizzy whipping the sheet over Ruby Begonia, hiding her from view. Marcus started shuffling things around noisily, while Lizzy began chattering away in a loud voice. Fairday knew they were trying to make enough ruckus to drown out any sounds their concealed captive might make.
Wiping her palms on her jeans, she grasped the handle and casually opened the door. Stepping out, Fairday pulled the door behind her so that it was open just a crack, then stood directly in front of it. Using every bit of acting ability she possessed, she attempted to appear completely normal as her father rounded the corner. His face was flushed and his hair was a mess.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” she asked, managing to keep her voice calm, though the words came out slightly faster than usual.
“What is going on up here? Is everyone all right?” he asked, his voice reflecting both concern and annoyance. “I heard banging and who knows what else. I thought someone was hurt! I had images of the floor giving way or…something falling on one of you kids.” He was breathing hard and his voice was shaking a bit.
“Oh, that.” Fairday shrugged, knowing she couldn’t lie completely when her dad was clearly this upset. Wanting to ease his mind, she said in her most truthful voice, “Well, we wanted to move the wardrobe to make room for a game”—she shrugged—“or at least, we tried to move it.”
“You tried to move that thing? By yourselves?” Mr. Morrow exclaimed. He leaned to the side, trying to peer through the slightly open door.
Fairday shifted her feet and blocked his view. “I know!” she said, trying to sound as believable as possible. “It was way too heavy for us, so it started to teeter a bit. I guess it came down hard on the floor. We had no idea it weighed that much! I guess old furniture can be full of surprises!” She laughed lightly, hoping her dad was buying her story. Well, it was partially true, she reasoned; the wardrobe had moved, and it was full of surprises.
“I don’t want you kids moving any mo
re furniture. If you want something moved, let me know,” Mr. Morrow said sternly. At that moment, Lizzy let out a completely fake-sounding laugh. Luckily, Mr. Morrow seemed to think nothing of it. He raised an eyebrow at Fairday as he strained to peek once again over her shoulder into the room. Some of the items strewn about were visible through the crack in the door. “I guess everything seems okay in there. Sounds like you’re having fun. Hmm, I see most of the boxes have been sorted through,” he noted, his voice much more even now. “Well, you can regale me with stories about all the interesting items you’ve found when we sit down for dinner, which will be served in a little over an hour.”
Fairday’s heartbeat quickened as his words sank in. They would never have this situation solved in time. She had to stall. Thinking fast, she was struck by the craziest idea. Suddenly, she knew what, or actually who, they needed: Larry Lovell. Throwing caution to the wind, she asked, “Dad, is it all right if I call Mr. Lovell and invite him over for dinner tonight?”
Mr. Morrow’s expression was one of bewilderment. She pressed on with her ploy, praying she’d be able to convince him it was a good idea. “You know, the reporter I’m doing my project on? I…um…he was really intriguing and…and I’d really like to get to know him better.” Lame, she thought. He’s going to know something’s up. Crossing her fingers behind her back, she hoped that her far-fetched plan would play out.
“I don’t know, Fairday. We don’t want to bother him on a Saturday evening. It’s really short notice.”
“He told me to call him if I had any more questions, that…that he’d be happy to help me,” she stammered. If anyone could shed some light on this mystery, it was the man who had written about it. Plus, there was just something about Larry Lovell that she trusted, and he had told her to call if she needed his help. “Seriously, Dad, he said I could call him anytime.” Fairday gazed pleadingly into her father’s eyes.
The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow Page 14