Fable

  “Ouch!”

  Nan wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. Brody rubbed the back of his head and refused to look at either one of the girls. “Mina, I’m so sorry—you were so quiet I completely forgot you were back there.”

  “It’s okay. I can call my mom to come get me, if you guys want to continue your date.” Her voice sounded hollow even to her.

  “No, I’ll drive you home,” Brody replied gruffly.

  Nan smiled at him in gratitude and waved at her before she stepped out of the car and headed to the doorman. She turned right before she entered the double doors, and waved sweetly and blew a kiss toward the car. Mina had no doubt that the kiss was meant for Brody.

  She stayed in the back seat of the car as Brody pulled away from the curb. The silence became deafening between the two of them. She told herself she didn’t care, that Nan and Brody belonged together. But when Teague kept interfering with her friends with the sole intention of hurting her, she hated him, hated them. Being burned from a relationship was painful, and Teague had found a wound he could keep picking at to hurt her. She had almost believed him for a second when he said he was sorry. But she knew he wasn’t.

  After a few blocks, Brody slowed the car down and came to a stop down a road lined with darkened houses. “Would you like to sit in the front seat?”

  “No, I think I’m good back here,” she said stiffly.

  “I really don’t know what came over me,” Brody said quietly, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

  “She’s your girlfriend—you don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

  “No, it was inconsiderate of me, considering our past history. I’m not even sure why I drove Nan home first. It was never my intention to hurt you like that.”

  “I know. It’s not your fault.” Her heart was being twisted in a vise, and she didn’t think she could handle it anymore. Quickly, she flipped open the Grimoire and pulled out her pen and tried something.

  Jared, she wrote.

  Mina? Wow, how are you doing this? I can see your words in my head.

  Never mind that. Can you come get me…NOW?

  Are you in danger?

  She thought for a moment.

  Yes, no. Just come get me…please.

  On my way, he answered.

  Brody squeezed his hands on the steering wheel and turned around in his seat to look at her. “You don’t really mean that. You can’t just up and forgive me for the way I’ve treated you. Mina, I’ve never been so confused before. I feel like I’m in a tug of war of emotions. When I’m with Nan, it’s like a powerful force of nature and I can’t fight it. I don’t know how to fight it. But I feel so much for you. I don’t…I’m not sure—”

  Mina didn’t let him finish because she saw the dual headlights coming down the road, and they slowed to a halt in front of the car. She grabbed her purse and notebook, and opened the door. Brody was surprised by her sudden exit and opened the driver’s door to jump out after her.

  She couldn’t just abandon him without an explanation. She turned back and took a deep breath, being careful to keep her tears at bay. She stepped up to the door and closed it. Brody’s warm hand came down on top of hers through the open window.

  “Sometimes love is worth fighting for. And if you don’t fight for it, then it slips through your fingers.” She pulled her hand away.

  He looked devastated, but she didn’t turn back, and instead continued to walk toward the Ford Boss. Jared was being careful to not make eye contact with Brody. For once he was being the gentleman. She only hoped that she hadn’t interrupted his date with Ever.

  She slid into the front seat and opened the window as Brody pulled away. The rush of wind in her hair and the hum of the engine lulled her into a place of nothingness. Refusing to think of Brody, of Jared, of Teague, she concentrated on a happy place. Of a time when she was still with her brother, playing board games. Moments later Jared pulled up to the Grimm house and waited by the gate. Mina leaned forward across him and punched in the code, and the gate opened up. He drove slowly up to the front door and turned off the engine. She sat in the car, still numb, and he walked around to the passenger side.

  He didn’t speak, didn’t ask any awkward questions, and she respected him for it. He saw that she was hurting, and he reached out to grab her arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She lost it. She threw herself into his arms and started crying, using him as a shoulder to cry on. He held his hands up in the air awkwardly before he wrapped them around her and let her cry herself out.

  When she was done blubbering, she pulled herself away and used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away the tears. “I’m so sorry.” She sighed.

  “Nonsense. I’ve watched many Grimms grieve over the years, and I think I like the way you do it the best,” he answered.

  She smiled and nodded pathetically. “It’s not fair to you and Ever that I ruined your night, too.”

  “Hey, I may be old, but the night’s young.” He tilted his head, and the moonlight illuminated his swollen and bruised cheek. He noticed where she was staring and shook his head. “He sucker-punched me with a fist made of iron.”

  “Copper,” she corrected.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah, I think he was a Stiltskin, too. How many of them are there?”

  “More than you probably want to know.”

  “Then help me get to the Fae plane and rescue my brother.” It was probably the wrong time to bring it up, but she was done wasting time. Tonight proved it. And she wasn’t going to mention what she needed to do once she was over there. If Jared learned of her plan to steal the Fae book, he would definitely refuse to help her.

  “Are you daft and dumb? No way.” He grabbed Mina’s arm, threatening her. “I won’t let you throw your life away on something that is impossible.”

  “Every quest I attempt is a life-or-death situation. So why is it that when I want to do something it’s dumb, but if it’s a fairy-tale quest or creature it’s different. It’s because finding Charlie doesn’t help break the curse, isn’t it?” She pulled her arm out of his grasp.

  “No, it’s because finding Charlie is a lost cause that will surely end in your death.”

  “What’s the big deal? The curse will pass on to another Grimm, and you can be free of me and go on to choose to help or not help the next Grimm.”

  Jared looked taken aback. He leaned against his car and crossed his arms. “Maybe I don’t want to help another Grimm.”

  “Maybe I don’t want your help, either, then. If you won’t help me, then I’ll find someone who will,” she threatened him.

  He snorted. “Who?”

  “I don’t know—there’s got to be other Fae out there in this world who would be willing to help a Grimm.”

  Jared’s face went red in embarrassment, and he started to stutter. “Uh, about that?”

  “J-a-r-ed.” She dragged out his name.

  “There may be someone. I’ll have to think about it.” He got in his car without another word and drove off into the night.

  Chapter 13

  She was having a nightmare. Reid was in her room, standing over Nan. Threatening to turn her into copper. He kept stroking Nan’s face, taunting her. Mina was frozen in her dream state and couldn’t move. Nan disappeared, and Reid slowly morphed into Temple. His voice filled the room and echoed into her unconsciousness. He reached a gold-dusted hand toward her, and she tried to evade his touch but was still frozen. Her breath came in gasps as he touched her face, and she could feel herself start to change and become gold. She looked at her hands and they were gold, but she could still move.

  “Don’t forget your promise,” he whispered, then disappeared into the darkness, laughing at her.

  The dream changed again, and she saw Charlie locked up in a golden cage, curled up in small ball.

  She called his name, and he sat up in confusion. Then his face lit up when he saw her, and he ran to the bars. Charlie held out his hand for her
to grab him, but he was too far away.

  “I can’t! I don’t know how to save you, Charlie. I don’t know how to get over there.” His hands dropped to his side, and she could see the disappointment etched in his small face. But then it was replaced by a look of fear. He pointed behind her, and she turned to see a wall of fire erupt around them. They both were trapped within its fiery grasp, and the fire raced between them, separating them both now by fire and the golden bars. There was someone else there. She could make out a male body lying on the floor, and she knew he was dead.

  “NOOOO!” she yelled.

  She woke up, breathing hard. The dream felt real—had she really seen Charlie? She lay in her bed and willed herself to go back to sleep so she could dream of her brother again and gain a clue as to how to save him. Sleep eluded her, and after she lay in bed for two hours, no more dreams came. She threw on a pair of blue shorts and a white T-shirt, and ran to the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth and run a brush through her hair without looking at it.

  The wood floor was cold on her bare feet, and she paused when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Quickly, she opened the door to the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of her mother and Jared sitting calmly at the kitchen table, chatting amicably. Mine froze with her hand on the doorknob. Her eyes went to her mother in disbelief and back to Jared.

  He was dressed in the same clothes from last night and he looked like he hadn’t slept, but that didn’t take away from how handsome he looked. Never before had Jared shown any interest in getting to know her family. Did her mother know she was talking to the same Jared who had kidnapped her last year? No, if she did, she would probably demand that he leave the house…immediately.

  Mina waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. Sara was oblivious to the internal battle her daughter was facing. Sara saw Mina come in, and she cleared her throat and motioned to Jared with her hand.

  “Um, sweetie. This is Jared, and, uh…Terry sent him over to fix the shutters on the house.”

  Mina stared at her mom before giving a cursory glance at Jared, being careful to keep her face neutral.

  “Oh,” she responded.

  “Now, I know this is sudden, but Terry assured me that he’s a good worker, and if she trusts him, then so do I.”

  “How nice.” Her mouth felt dry, her words forced.

  Jared’s eyes narrowed in thought as he leaned on the back legs of the kitchen chair, teetering on the brink of teenage rebellion. It was obvious that he knew something was up, even if her mother didn’t. But Jared replied in a formal tone, “Nice to meet you…uh?”

  “Mina,” she answered irritably, knowing that he was only playing a part.

  “What an odd name. Is it short for something?” he taunted her, knowing full well what it stood for.

  “Yeah, a fat lip.”

  Wrong answer, because she heard a gasp from her mother, and Sara stood up.

  “Now, Mina, apologize at once to our guest.”

  “Mom, look at him. Doesn’t he even look remotely familiar?” Mina hinted.

  Sara turned to stare at Jared with bewildered eyes and shook her head. “No, sorry, honey. Is he supposed to be familiar? I don’t know—lately my mind has been pretty muddled. Can you show him the house…please?”

  Mina rolled her eyes and held the door open for Jared to precede her into the hall, but not before she snatched an apple out of the fruit dish on the counter. When they had walked out of earshot, she snapped at him,

  “Great, just great! Now you’re brainwashing my mom.”

  He looked at her, confused. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Riiiight. What in the blazes are you doing here?”

  “I started thinking about last night and what you said, and I realized that I may have acted—what happened to your hair?”

  “Huh?” Her hand went to pat it, and it was still there.

  Jared motioned with his fingers to her forehead, and she ran to the large hall mirror and gasped in shock. There was a whole lock of hair starting from her forehead that ran past her shoulders, and it was gold.

  “I-I thought it was a dream,” she whispered, fearing to touch it.

  “What dream?”

  “I dreamed about the Fae, about Reid and Temple and…and my brother. He was in a golden cage, and there was fire everywhere. He touched me in my dream, and now this.” She swallowed and turned to Jared. “What do I do now?”

  He stood there, looking at her in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. You can do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Do you understand what this means?” He was getting angry, and reached forward and grabbed her forearms.

  “No, I don’t know what it means, except that I’m scared.”

  “I—I’m sorry. I was wrong, and this proves it.” He touched her hair in wonder. “If anyone can finish all of the quests and break the curse, it’s you. And you’re right—just because I can’t help you with the Stiltskin, doesn’t mean someone else can’t. The old broads are going to hate me for this…well, they already hate me, but they will be very interested in this new development.”

  “Who?” she said impatiently.

  Jared ignored her and headed down the hall to the front door. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Go? Go where?”

  “To the old biddies. It’s time to stir up the henhouse.”

  Chapter 14

  Jared led her outside to his motorcycle. She looked up at the house and the broken shutters he was supposed to fix. “What about the shutters?”

  He turned toward the house and snapped his fingers, and the shutters reattached themselves to the house magically.

  “And the front porch.” Mina wasn’t letting him out of his ruse that easily. Jared leaned toward the porch and barely looked at it before the step was fixed.

  “Can we go yet?” Jared was chomping at the bit.

  “The house needs painting.”

  “Done, now get on,” Jared demanded.

  Mina looked up, and the house was a pristine sparkling white.

  He grinned and helped Mina put her helmet on, even going so far as to move her braid off her shoulder.

  She looked up at the cloud-filled sky and frowned. Jared noted her look. “Trust me, I won’t let a little rain ruin our parade.”

  She gave him a shocked look. “Trust a Fae? Never. But you’d better keep me dry, or next time it’s the bus for us both.”

  He grinned, showing his white teeth, and flicked his visor down. Mina swung her leg over the back of his motorcycle and didn’t know where to place her hands. This wasn’t the first time she had ridden with him, but every time it was the same discombobulated feeling of what to do with her hands. She quickly got over it when the motorcycle roared to life. She wrapped her hands around his body to hold on as he sped toward the gate. He didn’t slow down to enter the security code but sped up the closer they got.

  Her heart thudded loudly and she squealed, thinking they would crash right through it, but it was all for nothing. At the last second, because of Jared’s Fae power, the gate opened, letting them dart through. Jared laughed at Mina’s scream and did nothing but go faster, making her squeeze him even tighter.

  It was a twenty-minute drive before he pulled up to an old recycling plant on the waterfront. The building was a faded pea green, with the words Green Mill Recycling Center barely legible. The windows were boarded up, and even the doors had chains on them, deterring unwanted visitors. She headed toward the front door, but paused when Jared passed her and headed around back.

  Jared searched around in the piles of “to be recycled bins” until he found the metal entrance door to a cellar. This door, unlike the others, wasn’t chained or boarded up. It was sealed with a metal disc. The disc itself was bronze, with a sun and moon engraved on it. Ancient lettering was scrawled around the edges. He reached down, placed his palm upon the emblem, and whispered something unintelligible. Seconds later the seal glowed, then unlocked.

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; Jared grinned, opened the doors that led into a dark stairwell, and beckoned for Mina to enter. “Ladies first.”

  Mina hesitated. “Uh, age before beauty.”

  “Grimms never win.”

  “Prince before pauper.”

  “Oh, fine. Just don’t say chivalry is dead. ’Cause you had your chance.” He went down the steps first, stepping confidently over the plastic bottles and cardboard containers.

  “Do you have a flashlight?” she asked, feeling uneasy.

  “You’re not scared of the dark, are you?”

  “No, it’s not the dark that scares me. It’s the unknown…and you,” she whispered.

  He wasn’t supposed to have heard the last two words, but he did. He turned on his heels quickly to face her, making Mina stumble on a glass bottle and skid into him. He deftly caught her against his chest, and when she struggled to remove herself from his grip, he didn’t let go at first.

  “Careful,” he said. Pushing her back away from him roughly, Jared reached down, picked up a glass Coca-Cola bottle, and closed his eyes. A few seconds later a bright light emanated from inside the bottle. “Here you go. It will only last for a few minutes, but it should help chase the scary monsters away…including me.”

  Mina took the glass Coke bottle from Jared and stared at it in wonder. It was beautiful, a treasure, and it indeed lit up the passageway quite nicely. Walking with it, she could feel soft warmth coming from the bottle, but it never once burned her.

  “It’s right up here.” He led them another twenty feet before he came to a dead end.

  “There’s nothing there.”

  “Aren’t you the observant one,” he replied sarcastically. “I bet you could always find Waldo, too. Now, bring the bottle closer so I can see.”

  She complied, and Jared reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small metal box. He selected two odd-shaped objects and inserted them into a miniscule hole in the wall. She could hear a few clicks of metal on metal.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.