“Are you a clairvoyant? Can you predict the future and just decide on your own not to show up?” Ms. Dreeble frowned. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Morrows and I have been talking. I admit you have good leadership skills, but you’re just not responsible enough. We’ve decided to make Clive the team captain of the new co-ed team.”
Shaking my head, I threw my pack over my shoulder and walked silently to history class, only to see six shocking words written on the board: Hand in your history term paper.
Crap! What paper?
I watched in horror as everyone placed the completed assignment on Mr. Morrows’ desk.
I sat down with a thud and put my opened history book in front of my face to avoid Mr. Morrows’ stern glance. When Mom saw my history mark, I was going to wind up grounded.
“When did he assign the essay?” I mumbled to no one in particular.
“Last history class before the holiday, when you decided to duck out before the end,” said Clive.
“I didn’t duck out,” I said in an even tone. “If you recall, I was called to the office.”
“Right, were you in trouble again?” Clive grinned. When Mitch made those kind of jokes, I thought they were funny. Clive was just plain annoying.
I kept staring at my history book, but for some reason, he kept bugging me.
“Did you hear who the new team captain of the soccer team is going to be?” he asked.
I sighed. Looks as if things were back to normal all right. Once again, as the magic dissolved around the town, I was back to starting from scratch. I’d learned a few things, though. For one, instead of letting Clive bait me, I simply shrugged and said, “Do tell! Who is the new captain?” as if I couldn’t care less. By the time I got home, though, I’ll admit I was feeling a little low despite knowing that once again, I’d managed to help drive the fairies back into the hill and keep everyone – including myself – safe.
“What’s wrong, Cat? Was school all right?” Mom had noticed my quiet mood.
Usually I said that nothing was wrong – that everything was great – but this time I said, “Clive gets on my nerves. Why doesn’t he just ignore me if he doesn’t like me?”
“Hmm,” Mom said. “Sometimes that’s a sign.”
“A sign for what?” I asked
Mom had that kind of look that parents get when they’re in on some big secret – one that only grownups can figure out.
I hated that look.
CHAPTER 31 A Cunning Girl
MY MOM HAD been making coffee and she asked me if I’d like some. I was amazed – that was a grownup offer, and she never let me buy those coffee drinks at the shops. But even though she only poured a tiny bit of coffee in a cup and filled the rest of the mug with hot milk, it was a big treat.
“Café au lait,” she said handing me the mug. “It’s all the rage in Paris.”
I knew she was trying to be funny in her own Mom way. “So what do you mean that Clive’s bugging me all the time is a ‘sign’?” I asked again.
“You know, a lot of times when a boy gives a girl too much attention, it’s because even arguing is better than her not noticing him at all.”
I almost spilled my café au lait. No, that couldn’t be it. What a dreadful thought that such an arrogant guy could be interested in me. Clive was so conceited that he couldn’t be hung up on anyone but himself. Could he?
“If that’s how he acts when he likes somebody, then I’d hate to get on his bad side,” I said sipping my drink.
But then I thought of Zach and how he was so polite to me. Only, he was polite to everyone. Yet if Emily walked in the room, his eyes followed her and no one else. So even though I was sort of interested in Zach, he only noticed Emily, and he wasn’t aware that Clive always caught Emily’s attention. And Jasper wanted Mia to notice him, but he never saw the admiring glances Amarjeet sent his way. And Mia didn’t care about Jasper. She liked Mitch. And come to think of it, even though Emily always tried to get Clive’s attention, I was the only girl he talked to at all.
“This is way too complicated,” I said. “It’s better if I just think about soccer, something I can understand.”
The phone rang, but we didn’t have to get it as Sookie beat us to it.
“Great news,” she screeched interrupting us. “Lucinda and Alice Greystone are back.” She handed the phone to Mom, saying to me, “I updated them on the latest calamity. They want to see us.”
No kidding, I thought.
“You are welcome to it,” I heard Mom say on the phone. “Sookie was just using it to play with.”
When Mom got off the phone she said to me, “Sookie offered to lend the Greystone sisters our trunk. They are apparently on a quick stopover from their travels and could really use it. How on Earth did you get to chatting about the trunk?” she asked my sister. “I thought you’d never want to part with it for your magic act.”
I wonder if Mom noticed that Sookie looked rather solemn when she shrugged her shoulders and never exactly answered her question.
***
After we picked up the trunk from the school, we pulled up to the Greystone sisters’ house, and as soon as Mom turned off the car ignition, Sookie was up the stairs and through their door. That left only me to help with the trunk. The holly scratch on my hand had left a white scar, and I noticed when I handled the trunk my hand began to burn and itch. Before we got to the stairs, Jasper came out and helped carry it. That freed me to run up the steps and give Alice and Lucinda a huge hug.
Lucinda had lost the ghostly pale skin she’d had after spending decades in Fairy. Her face was now tanned, and both she and Alice Greystone sported close-cropped hair. They looked pretty trendy for older ladies.
When Mom drove off, Lucinda held me at arm’s length and said, “So our brave fairy fighter has succeeded again!”
Funny, after everything I’d been through, now my eyes began to tear up for real. Good thing Clive wasn’t around.
I sniffed, and as I stood in the hallway accepting the lace handkerchief Alice had offered me, I told Lucinda and Alice Greystone about the terrible battle. “What I don’t understand is that it seemed as though a robin had defeated the Holly King. The robin was a tiny bird, but when it flew over us, its shadow was as big as a pterodactyl.”
“Fairies are a warring bunch,” said Lucinda. “I fear you stumbled into an ancient conflict between the Holly King – the father of winter – and the Oak King – the lord of spring.” Lucinda looked at the scar on my hand. “You’ve made a powerful enemy of the Holly King. And when you fed the robin your slice of bread, you also made an important ally. The robin was the Oak King, lord of spring, and he saved you, Cat.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
Lucinda patted my arm. “I’m afraid that with fairies, it is better not to be noticed at all.”
Too late for that, I thought. Lucinda and Alice brought me into their parlor, which was now restored to pristine condition. All Forenza’s books and artifacts had been removed, and I could smell lemon oil after a thorough dusting.
Jasper finished dragging the trunk inside, and he and Alice Greystone took it downstairs to their cellar.
“I hope you don’t mind the white lie I told your mother about us needing the trunk for our travels,” said Lucinda. “But I wanted to make sure we could store this safely. As you found out, magical items can be quite hazardous. Especially if they land in the wrong hands,” she said glancing at Sookie.
“Why not just get rid of the trunk altogether?” I asked.
Shaking her head, Lucinda said, “Bad idea. Fairy objects have a way of turning up again in all the wrong places.”
Like the trunk turning up in our attic, I thought. Then I began to wonder whom the trunk actually belonged to, and I was going to ask Lucinda if she had any idea, when Alice and Jasper came back upstairs.
“Got it tucked away safely,” said Alice. “Do I hear the kettle boiling?”
Lucinda went into the kitchen with S
ookie, and she returned with a steaming pot of tea. Jasper rolled his eyes at my sister, who was following behind Lucinda. I held my breath as I watched Sookie teeter with a plate of oatmeal cookies in one hand and a tray of cups and saucers that tipped precariously in the other hand. I knew full well she’d insisted on helping. I hurried to grab the edge of the tray and I made sure everything was delivered in one piece onto the gleaming and freshly polished coffee table.
“Isn’t Forenza staying here anymore?” I asked.
“She cleared out fast,” Alice Greystone sighed. “She found this place very unsettling.”
“Imagine,” said Lucinda, “spending all those years studying fairy lore and Celtic mythology, and not recognizing fairies were practically tapping on her window.”
“Oh, I think she recognized it,” I said. “I’m sure that was the ‘unsettling’ bit.”
Lucinda and Alice couldn’t quite cover up their smiles. Then they each went to the bookcase and carried back three small narrow boxes wrapped in red tissue paper with big green bows.
“A belated Christmas gift from us,” said Alice Greystone.
We thanked them and then tore open the gifts. Jasper held up a finely tooled leather belt carved with what Lucinda said were “Celtic runes.” The belt had a small scabbard attached. Sookie and I had belts of a fine and delicate silver rope, with three tiny Celtic charms. There was a small clip on each belt.
“Attach your white feathers to your belts,” said Lucinda. “Don’t decide to put your feather in a safe place and then forget about it,” she said looking at me. “Or,” Lucinda said gazing fiercely at Sookie, “don’t stuff your white feather in your sock drawer when you find a new feather you like better.”
I didn’t like how guilty Sookie looked when Lucinda had said that last part.
“Do you have something for me, Sookie?” Lucinda asked. “A turban with a black feather, perhaps?”
Reluctantly, Sookie stood up and said, “It’s in my backpack.” When Sookie left the room, it was a good time to ask something that had been bothering me ever since I’d returned from Grim Hill.
“When we went into Fairy to rescue the children, they were all crying and scared – except for Sookie and Skeeter. The only reason I think they even left Fairy is because Clive and I made them leave.”
“They are cunning children,” said Lucinda.
“If you mean Sookie’s crafty and smart, I agree, but I still don’t understand.”
“I mean, when children are in Fairy they can react in two ways,” explained Lucinda. “They can pine away in misery, or they can thrive because there was already magic inside them. There have always been certain children who are sensitive to what most of us cannot see.”
That did sound like Sookie. “So what do I do? I’m afraid she’ll start messing with magic again. She and her new friend Skeeter sing strange songs and act as if they are in on some deep secret.”
“I’m sure they are,” said Lucinda. “And I think if we try to separate your sister from the magical world, she’ll hide it from us and will be vulnerable to other influences.”
“I knew it,” muttered Jasper.
“Better she learns to develop magic wisely,” said Lucinda. Then Sookie came in carrying her purple turban with the black feather.
“I’ll pack this away with the trunk,” said Lucinda, taking the turban away from the Queen of Mystery, who I now realized was very mysterious indeed.
“Perhaps we can arrange some regular visits where we can monitor Sookie’s magic,” Alice suggested to Lucinda.
“That sounds way better than piano lessons,” Sookie agreed.
“How can I help?” I asked, worrying about what Sookie might get up to next.
“You need to watch over your little sister,” said Alice Greystone. “She is precocious, but she is still too young and doesn’t always know what she’s doing.”
“Sometimes I think I’m encouraging her to do one thing …” I said looking directly at Sookie,“… but it’s a whole other thing that she’s up to,” I continued, thinking back to the talent show.
“Helping Father Winter do wicked things was an accident,” complained Sookie
“All of you can be influenced by fairy magic. That’s why you should always keep your feathers handy,” warned Alice Greystone.
I was beginning to realize that being next to Grim Hill was only one of my problems and that my feather wasn’t the only thing I was going to have to keep close.
I was going to have to keep a very close eye on Sookie and her friend Skeeter.
THE END?
Discover the entire award-winning
“Grim Hill” Series
Grim Hill, Book 1
The Secret of Grim Hill
978-0-09920923-0-6
Uncover the secret that started it all! This suspenseful tale pits Cat Peters and her friends against diabolical fairies and their powerful spells in a Halloween showdown.
Grim Hill, Book 3
The Forgotten Secret
978-0-9920923-2-0
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so it seems only natural that Cat’s friends, her sister, and even her soccer coaches have all been captivated by romance. But even romance has a sinister side in a town with Grim Hill at its center.
Grim Hill, Book 4
The Family Secret
978-0-9920923-3-7
When Cat and her friends take part in a student exchange to Sweden, Cat uncovers an old family secret about fairy fighters and an ancient battle with Scandinavian fairy folk.
Grim Hill, Book 5
Forest of Secrets
978-0-9920923-4-4
In the most chilling “Grim Hill” book yet, Cat and her friends are in terrible danger. Sookie may be able to use her magic to save them, but is it worth the risk to bargain with the beings in Fairy?
Coming Soon, Grim Hill Book 6
Carnival of Secrets
978-0-9920923-5-1
Cat has lost the things she holds dear. A sinister carnival holds her town in a thrall, and her sister has gone over to dark magic. Cat will do whatever it takes to set things right even, if that means setting out on the most dangerous adventure of all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Linda DeMeulemeester has worked in the fields of literacy and education for many years as a teacher and program adviser. She credits her grandmother, a natural storyteller who was born over a hundred years ago, for her love of mystery and suspense. The Secret of Grim Hill was her first novel.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
reviews
Rights
Acknowledgements:
title
CHAPTER 1 The Battle Begins
CHAPTER 2 A Sucker Trick
CHAPTER 3 Practicing Deceit
CHAPTER 4 A Secret Trap
CHAPTER 5 A Slight of Hand
CHAPTER 6 The Demon Handkerchief
CHAPTER 7 Magic is Secret
CHAPTER 8 The Magic Cauldron
CHAPTER 9 The Secret Switch
CHAPTER 10 A Quick-Change Disaster
CHAPTER 11 A Not So Grand Finale
CHAPTER 12 The Magic Darkens
CHAPTER 13 Conjuring Trouble
CHAPTER 14 A Mysterious Malady
CHAPTER 15 The Last Assistant
CHAPTER 16 The Spirit Cabinet
CHAPTER 17 The Nightmare Begins
CHAPTER 18 A Perilous Illusion
CHAPTER 19 Magic is Secret
CHAPTER 20 Magic is Misdirection
CHAPTER 21 The Darkest Day
CHAPTER 22 The Longest Night
CHAPTER 23 Vanishing Act
CHAPTER 24 Entombed in Ice
CHAPTER 25 Celtic Magic
CHAPTER 26 A Human Sacrifice
CHAPTER 27 A Tithe of Blood
CHAPTER 28 A Deadly Clash
CHAPTER 29 The Secrets Deepen
CHAPTER 30 A Grim Return
CHAPTER 31 A Cunning Girl
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Grim Hill: The Secret Deepens Page 15