by Holly Rivers
‘OK . . .’ said Demelza, raising her eyebrows.
‘My full name is: Miranda Jocasta Gwendolina Bluebell Ottilia Choudhury.’
Demelza couldn’t help but snort into her pillow. ‘Yeah, I can understand why you wanted to keep that quiet! And I thought Demelza was bad!’
The girls giggled, and finally drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 27
Crookescroft Castle
The next morning, having been given another stern warning from Nurse Miller, and with extra-large (and extra-disgusting) spoonfuls of cod-liver oil sloshing around in their bellies, Miranda and Demelza hurried out of the sickbay and made their way back to Demelza and Percy’s dorm.
Percy was awake, snuggled up in bed, engrossed in one of his comics.
‘Ooh, The Nautical Adventures of Captain Thalasso, good choice!’ said Miranda, pointing excitedly to the front cover as she walked in. ‘And that volume is especially good. The bit where he meets his estranged father is so poetic.’
‘Ufff, well, you’ve given the ending away now!’ said Percy, jerking forward and eyeing Miranda with contempt. ‘What’s she doing here anyway, Demelza? Is she threatening you again? Do you want me to fetch Ms Cardinal?’
‘Don’t worry, Percy,’ said Demelza, closing the door behind her. ‘We’ll tell you all about it later, but Miranda and I have made friends. She’s actually a bit of a softy at heart.’
‘Yeah, well, she has a funny way of showing it!’ replied Percy with a scowl. ‘She definitely didn’t seem very soft when she gave you that clump on the nose last night.’
Miranda’s smile dropped and she shuffled under Percy’s gaze. ‘I’m really sorry about all that, Percy. I’ve already apologized to Demelza, and I’d really like to make amends with you too.’ She held out a hand for Percy to shake. ‘Friends?’
Percy crossed his arms across his chest. ‘We’ll see.’
Demelza pulled Archimedes from his cage and took a seat at the desk. The little creature was long overdue a good tummy tickle, and as she ran her fingers through his fur, his whiskers began to twitch with contentment. ‘Anyway, I think Miranda might be able to help us, Percy. So we need to tell her why we’re really here.’
Percy’s mouth curled. ‘What, help us with you-know-what? Are you sure that’s wise?’
‘Erm . . . could one of you tell me exactly what’s going on?’ interrupted Miranda. ‘I still have no idea what I’m meant to be helping you with! Is it one of your inventions, Demelza?’
‘I wish!’ replied Demelza. She gestured to the chair by the desk. ‘Here, sit down and I’ll explain everything. There’s going to be quite a lot to digest but just try to keep an open mind, OK?’
For the next hour, Demelza got to work, filling Miranda in on the events of the past couple of weeks and her theory about Crookescroft Castle. She knew that it was probably another risky move, but at this point she needed all the allies that she could get.
Much to her surprise, Miranda digested all the information calmly, and even managed a polite hello when Demelza introduced her to Lord Balthazar. ‘Wow,’ she said, when Demelza had finished. ‘Well, I wasn’t expecting that. I’m sorry about your grandma. But it’s pretty exciting that you inherited those special powers. I’ve always wanted to see a spectre!’
‘So you believe in them?’ asked Demelza.
‘Oh yes! In India, where my dad is from, a lot of people do. They think that a person’s essence can live on in a different realm after death.’ She thought for a second. ‘In fact, that’s a lovely idea for a poem! I could write it in rhyming couplets . . . or maybe free verse . . .’
‘Eh? What on earth is she talking about?’ asked Percy, his nose wrinkling.
‘Miranda’s a poet, Percy,’ replied Demelza. ‘I told you she was actually a bit of a softie!’ She gave Miranda a playful elbow and they both laughed.
Percy put his comic on to the bedside table. ‘So you want to go and look in Crookescroft Castle?’ he asked.
Demelza nodded, and took a lettuce leaf from Archimedes’s cage for her pet to nibble on. ‘What do you reckon, Miranda? Do you think my grandma could be being kept there?’
‘Well, like I said, nobody really goes in and out. There’s loads of dungeons. And . . .’ Just then a thought seemed to flit across her face.
‘And?’
‘I can’t promise anything, but I think I remember Mum saying that back in the day there was rumour that the lady of the castle had a secret room where she kept all of her jewels and gems. Apparently it’s through a concealed door hidden somewhere in her bedroom.’
‘Brilliant!’ said Demelza. ‘You can show us where the bedroom is. It will be a good place to start looking. We’ll go this evening!’
‘But what about Ms Cardinal?’ asked Miranda. ‘Should we tell her?’
Demelza shook her head. ‘She might be less strict than we previously thought, but she’s still a grown-up! There’s no way that she’d be OK with us wandering round derelict buildings late at night.’
‘But what if we’re caught trespassing?’ said Percy. ‘We could be sent to prison! We could be locked up with criminals . . . villains . . . murderers!’
Demelza turned to him and, trying to remain calm, sucked in a deep breath. ‘Percy, my grandma has been kidnapped. I’d prefer to spend the rest of my life in prison than regretting not doing enough to try and save her. Now are you with me or not?’
Percy pulled at his pyjama cuff. ‘Yes . . . sorry . . . of course I am.’
Demelza gathered her friends closer and brought her voice down to a whisper. ‘OK, here’s the plan. Tonight is Halloween. Everyone will be in costume so it’ll be the perfect time for us to sneak through the village and into the castle without being recognized.’ She popped Archimedes on the desk and reached for her Mask of Facelessness, which she held to her face. ‘And I have the perfect disguises!’
‘Brilliant!’ said Miranda.
‘Spooky!’ said Percy.
‘And me?’ asked Lord Balthazar. ‘I could wear a disguise too! A moustache and glasses, perhaps?’
‘Oh yes, because nothing says inconspicuous like a bespectacled talking skull with facial hair!’ said Demelza. ‘No, you should stay here. You can throw Ms Cardinal off the scent if she starts asking questions.’
That evening, darkness fell like a blanket over the village, and Demelza, Miranda and Percy slipped out of Stricton Academy. They were wearing some of Grandma Maeve’s skull-shaped masks which they’d snuck back to Bladder-wrack Cottage to collect; Miranda’s was blood-red and studded with garnets, Percy’s bronze with long crooked teeth. Demelza had put on her own wooden one and, under the moonlight, they looked just like any other group of children who were out celebrating Halloween.
Demelza led the way down to the high street, her satchel rattling with inventions, flying on ahead and dashing in and out of the trees. Pumpkins with jagged smiles lit up every window with their candlelit eyes. And on street corners, children dressed as monsters, witches and vampires huddled together, their excited chatter echoing through the streets. Percy gawped at the little buckets they held, each filled to the brim with toffee apples, caramels, lollipops and gobstoppers.
‘Awww, trick or treating looks like so much fun!’ he said, his voice forlorn. ‘I’ve never been allowed to go out on Halloween before. Dad’s never let me.’
‘Oh, the tricking bit is the best!’ said Demelza with a naughty grin. ‘Last year I invented some home-made stink bombs to post through the Smythe twins’ dorm! I mixed ammonia and sulphur with some of Grandma’s pongy blue cheese – their corridor smelt like a blocked toilet until Christmas apparently!’ She pretended to be wafting away an unpleasant odour from her behind and Percy and Miranda laughed.
‘That was you?’ said Miranda. ‘The twins thought it was something to do with Stricton’s drainage system! They even got their father to write a letter of complaint to Ms Cardinal. How hilarious!’
Demelza nodded proudly. ‘Come on
, let’s get moving. You never know, if we find Grandma Maeve we might be back in time to play a few pranks later on!’
The trio made short work of the journey, and within no time at all they found themselves standing outside the large front gates of Crookescroft Castle. They huddled together in its shadow, peeking through the railings at the decrepit building beyond. It was just as dark and imposing up close as Demelza had expected, with sprawling balustrades and jaunty turrets which jutted upwards like broken crowns. Ivy snaked its way around rotting window frames, and cobwebs stretched from cornice to cornice like sticky nets of lace.
‘Urghh, it’s so creepy,’ whimpered Percy. He pointed to the large oaks which twisted upwards either side of the building, cradling it in the dark, withered fingers of their branches. ‘It looks like something you’d see in a scary film.’
‘We’ll be fine as long as we stick together,’ said Demelza, trying to convince herself as much as her friends. She pulled down her thinking cap, her jaw set. ‘Come on, let’s go in.’
Over the gates they went, with Miranda leading them up to the shadowy arch of the gargantuan front entrance. Demelza could feel her heart pounding hard and her palms beginning to tingle; not because she was scared of the gargoyles that looked down on them from the cornices above, or the bats that flew in and out of the smashed windowpanes, but because of what she might find inside. Would Grandma Maeve and Shiver be locked up somewhere? Would they be hurt?
Demelza reached for the rusty key in her pocket, and with a trembling hand put it in the keyhole and turned clockwise.
Breath left her in a rush.
The door creaked open, its hinges screeching like the cry of an angry cat. Her theory had been right! The key had been for the castle.
Without uttering a word she stepped inside, her friends close behind. A decaying entrance hall lay before them – it looked as if it had been frozen in time. Curtains hung tattered at the windows and the antique furniture was threadbare, as if it had provided a tasty meal for many a hungry moth. Flies buzzed around wonky chandeliers. A thick layer of dust covered every surface like lichen.
Demelza ran a finger along one of the windowsills until her skin was black. ‘My bedroom hasn’t seen a vacuum cleaner for a while, but this is filthy!’
With their torches pointed low, the children rallied behind Miranda as she guided them up the sweeping staircase which spiralled into the darkness above. The worm-eaten wood of the bannister was damp to the touch, and a musty smell hung thick and close like a cloak. The steps moaned underneath their weight, and more than once Demelza spun around, thinking that someone was following them. Don’t be scared, she told herself, as she put one foot in front of the other. Just think of Grandma Maeve. You’re doing this for Grandma Maeve.
‘Right, I think this is it,’ said Miranda, once they reached a large doorway at the very top of the house. It was intricately carved with patterns and finished with gilt, but its hinges were encrusted with rust. ‘The lady of the manor’s sleeping quarters.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Demelza reached for the handle. But as much as she rattled it, the door wouldn’t budge. ‘Ow! Plummeting protons,’ she cursed. ‘The stupid thing’s locked!’
‘Demelza, calm down,’ said Miranda, edging forward. ‘That’s a good sign – it means that there might be something hidden inside! Now step back, both of you.’
Demelza and Percy did as they were told and Miranda barrelled shoulder-first into the door like a bull. After a few tries, it crashed open with a clatter.
‘Woah! Impressive!’ said Percy, looking at Miranda with new-found awe. ‘I mean . . . quite impressive.’
Miranda blushed. ‘Thanks, Percy.’
The children found themselves in a large palatial chamber, its walls adorned with brocade tapestries and gilt mirrors. The floor was covered in a thick-piled carpet decorated with swirling filigree, and at its centre, a large four-poster bed was draped with sumptuous panels. It was in much better condition than the rest of the place, and Demelza hoped that meant it was still in use.
‘Right,’ she said, marching inside and corralling her friends like a commanding officer. ‘Search every nook and every cranny. We have to find the entrance to this secret vault. Percy, you take the shelves. Miranda, you take the cupboards. I’ll check behind the paintings and the mirrors. And remember, whatever you do, don’t take off your masks.’
The friends nodded and got to work turning over the room from top to bottom. Papers were strewn across the floor, furniture was overturned and mirrors removed. With every crash and every bang, Demelza hoped that one of her friends might have unearthed something. As she pulled frames from the walls, she tried to picture what Grandma Maeve’s reaction might be if they managed to find her. She imagined taking her back to Bladderwrack Cottage, filling up a teapot, and never leaving her side again.
But an hour later, the search party had still found nothing.
‘Demelza, I think we should just move on,’ said Percy, plonking himself on to the four-poster bed with a huff. ‘There’s nothing here. Maybe the rumours about the secret vault were just that – rumours. We could check the dungeons?’
Demelza turned to him. ‘Let’s just keep looking for a bit longer. Grandma Maeve could be only a few metres away from us. We can’t give up now!’
‘But I’m tired!’ groaned Percy, flopping back on to the bed. ‘I’m having a rest.’
‘Fine!’ snapped Demelza, annoyed by Percy’s lack of dedication. ‘In fact, why don’t you just go home? Miranda and I can do this without you. You’re even more of a daddy’s boy than I thought you were!’
Percy’s shoulders drooped. ‘Hey, that’s not fair. I’m not a daddy’s boy!’
‘You are!’ combated Demelza.
‘Am not!’
‘YOU ARE!’
‘AM NOT!’ Percy jolted up and stamped his foot hard on to the floor with anger. ‘AM NOT! AM NOT! AM NOT! You’re just a massive bossy-boots who doesn’t like it when anyone disagrees with her!’
‘Oh, come on, you two,’ said Miranda, flitting between them. ‘There’s no need to argue. Why don’t you both just apologize and—’
She stopped mid-sentence.
A high-pitched rattling sound was coming from the other side of the room. The three children spun around.
To their complete amazement, one of the bookshelves was opening up like a gigantic hinged door. It swung around, hitting the adjacent wall with a clunk.
And beyond it was the hidden vault.
CHAPTER 28
The Vault
The three children stood agog in the middle of the bedroom.
‘H-how did that just happen?’ said Percy. ‘How did that bookcase just open up like that?’
Miranda’s eyes darted around the room. ‘Look!’ she said, pointing to Percy’s foot. ‘You opened it! There’s a button, right there.’
Percy and Demelza looked down, and indeed a small red button was concealed within the swirly pattern of carpet beneath his shoe.
‘When you stamped your feet you must have stood on it and unlocked the bookshelf,’ said Demelza. ‘Maybe I should make you angry more often?’
Percy scoffed.
Demelza’s voice softened. ‘Sorry for shouting at you.’
‘Me too,’ Percy replied.
‘Guys, as much as I love the slushy stuff, what are we waiting for?’ said Miranda with a wry grin. ‘Let’s look inside!’
Demelza teetered towards the hidden room. It was pitch black inside but an oppressive musky smell was wafting from within it, making her head spin. It was familiar somehow. A scientific chemical, maybe? Or an Ingredient of Awakening?
She fumbled for a light switch and found one on the inside wall.
Click.
The space beyond was illuminated, and for a moment Demelza, Miranda and Percy stood, dumbstruck, as if peering into the entrance of Ali Baba’s cave.
For inside the secret room, every centimetre of every wall was cove
red in photographs of Demelza and Grandma Maeve.
It was like a shrine!
With Miranda and Percy close behind, Demelza crept forward and gazed around. Some of the photos were from as long as a year ago, but some had been taken as recently as last weekend! She pulled one from the wall to take a closer look. It showed her cycling to school, and underneath it a handwritten note said:
Tuesday 18 June – Zero sign of supernatural powers as of yet.
Another photo showed her relaxing in the garden with Grandma Maeve. From its viewpoint, it had probably been taken from high up in one of the cherry trees in the back lane, and next to it was scrawled:
Saturday 31 August – Still no talk of supernatural activity to date.
Demelza screwed up her eyes with both disbelief and horror. It was as if she were seeing her life mapped out in front of her – a collage of all her recent movements, arrivals, departures. Her stomach began to curdle, and she felt her skin tighten with goosebumps. The Snatcher had been following her for months! How hadn’t she realized?
‘OK, this is seriously weird,’ said Miranda, looking over Demelza’s shoulder. ‘Who’s been taking all of these pictures? And how haven’t you noticed?’
‘I . . . I . . .’ began Demelza, but she was starting to panic, and she reached for the wall to steady herself. She slumped down onto the floor, her heart racing, her body trembling.
Percy quickly leapt to her aid. ‘OK, this has gone far enough, Demelza. We’re taking you back to Stricton right now. This crazy person needs to be put in jail! Even if the police don’t believe in what you Spectre Detectors can do, this is more than enough evidence to arrest someone for stalking and kidnap!’
Demelza felt too weak to argue. The activities of the past few days had finally caught up with her and this latest discovery was the nail in the coffin. How did she ever believe that she was going to bring down the Snatcher and save Grandma Maeve? She was just a child.