Freddie's Shadow Cards

  Copyright © 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

  All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Press, 1101 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201.

  ISBN 978-1-368-00182-3

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  The Hand You’re Dealt

  Shadow Girl

  Unlucky Thirteen

  Discarded

  Suited

  Just Deal

  Card Trick

  Helping Hand?

  Face Card

  High Stakes

  Exposed Hand

  All In

  Winning Hand

  Raise the Stakes

  Foul Hand

  Fold ’Em?

  Bad Deal

  Dealer’s Choice

  Deal Us In

  Shuffle!

  Up the Ante

  Sleight of Hand

  Blind Deal

  Game Over

  Damp Spirits

  Wild Card

  Face Up

  Bad Aura

  Lucky Draw

  Lucky Cards

  More New Books Coming Soon in the School of Secrets Series…

  The gift wasn’t wrapped. The girl was surprised her father had remembered her birthday at all. There wasn’t a whole lot of celebration on the Isle of the Lost, an island full of fallen villains. What did they have to celebrate? They were basically all prisoners, banished there by King Beast and his royal proclamation to rid the United States of Auradon of evil.

  The girl, who was celebrating her tenth birthday that year, was used to getting dolls from her father. Not normal dolls like the ones most little girls snuggled with at night. These were voodoo dolls, full of a special kind of dark magic.

  At least, they would have been, had magic been allowed on the Isle of the Lost.

  But that year, on her birthday, the girl wasn’t sure what to make of the object her father tossed to her during their breakfast of goblin slop and crusty bread.

  It was a strange pack of cards, tied together with a piece of old yellowed string. She held the pack in her hand and studied it for a long time, turning it around and around in an effort to make sense of it.

  “What are these?” she asked her father, who was humming to himself as he cut his bread. Her father liked to hum. The girl got her musical talent from him.

  But as soon as she asked the question, he stopped humming and turned to her with a scowl. “I have failed you, ma petite, if you don’t recognize a deck of Shadow Cards when you see one.”

  The girl’s eyes widened. “Shadow Cards?” she repeated in disbelief.

  Obviously, she’d heard of Shadow Cards. Her father had spoken highly of his long-lost days in the bayou when he had made a living using those dark-magic harbingers. According to her father’s stories, the cards could predict a person’s future. They could tell you which path to take to find what you desired most.

  But she’d never seen a deck before. “Real Shadow Cards?”

  Her father scoffed at that. “Yes, they’re real.”

  “Do they work?” she asked.

  The question seemed to anger him. He refused to meet her eye across the table.

  The girl immediately knew why he was angry, and she regretted asking in the first place.

  Of course they didn’t work. It was the Isle of the Lost. Magic was forbidden there—which meant her father’s life’s work was forbidden there, too.

  She untied the string that held the deck together, and fanned the cards out in her hand. A dark and creepy image stared back at her from the face of each card: a woman with three heads, a heart pierced by a sword, a castle on fire.

  She grinned. “I love them. Thank you.”

  Her father’s dark eyes darted to her. “Do you even know how to use them?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  That seemed to make him instantly forget his anger as he tipped his head back and released an evil cackle, like he knew a secret that she didn’t. “Someday you will, ma petite,” he said, staring intensely at her. “Someday you will.”

  And he was right.

  Hi, I’m Freddie, the daughter of Dr. Facilier.

  You might know my dad. He’s most famous for turning princes into frogs and making deals with his “friends on the other side,” among other cool stuff.

  Some people call him the shadow man, but to me he’s just bad old Dad.

  Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of me yet. You soon will. I’m going to be famous one day, too. Not for shrinking heads or transforming people into frogs, like my father. That’s so last generation. I’m going to be famous for singing.

  I love to sing. And one day I’m going to move to the Bayou D’Orleans, where my father is from, and become a professional jazz singer. It’s all I’ve wanted since I was a little girl.

  But you can’t just become a famous jazz singer. You have to work your way up. You have to learn the ropes. Practice every day. Perform every chance you get.

  And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

  While most of my peeps are still stuck back on the Isle of the Lost with no Wi-Fi and no magic (major bummer), I happen to be one of the lucky few VKs (that stands for villain kids) who got to come live in Auradon.

  Sounds pretty wicked, right?

  It is. I mean, sort of. For the most part.

  Okay, the truth is the kids here at Auradon Prep are still suspicious of me. But it’s not like I care what a bunch of AKs (Auradon kids) think of me. I don’t need them as friends. I have a plan. And it’s pretty foolproof, if you ask me.

  Because honestly, when in the history of time has a villain’s plan ever gone wrong?

  Back when I was living on the isle, I never would have guessed I’d be dying to join a group of Auradon Prepsters.

  What can I say? A girl’s gotta sing.

  Freddie couldn’t believe her eyes. She stared at the sign, blinking twice to make sure her vision wasn’t out of focus. But she could see just fine. And she wasn’t imagining it. The sign read:

  AURADONNA AUDITIONS TODAY AT 3:00!

  Freddie checked the time on the clock hanging in the middle of the Auradon Prep banquet hall. It was 2:58 p.m. And the auditions were on the other side of the school, in the chapel.

  Freddie started to run.

  The Auradonnas were the a cappella group at Auradon Prep and they were one of the best a cappella groups in all of Auradon Kingdom. Freddie would have shrunken her own head for the chance to join the Auradonnas, but they never had spots open. So why were they suddenly holding auditions?

  Did someone drop out? she wondered. Is someone sick?

  The Auradonnas had won almost every competition in the kingdom. That was something Freddie knew only because Audrey, Princess Aurora’s daughter and the lead alto of the group, never stopped blabbing about it.

  Lately it seemed like the upcoming national a cappella championships were all Audrey could talk about. And how if they didn’t win, she’d be forced to do something really drastic, like wear black.

  Yes, Audrey had been even more stressed and cranky than usual those days.

  It was mostly because some new group had just popped up that year. They were called the Sword in the Tone, and they were rumored to be out-of-this-world amazing. It was making everyone in the Auradonnas nervous.

  Freddie picked
up the pace, huffing and puffing as she dashed past the dorm toward the chapel. It was admittedly hard for her to run in her pin-striped red velvet dress and black-and-white ankle boots, but she did not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

  Nothing like the Auradonnas existed on the Isle of the Lost. A group of people singing in harmony without instruments? Yeah, right.

  The only songs she’d ever heard when she was growing up were the dark nursery rhymes her father used to croon to her when she couldn’t fall asleep. Her favorite was the one that went:

  Masters of the Shadow Land,

  I call upon your knowing hand.

  I offer you this sinner’s song

  To guide the path I walk upon.

  She had never known what the nursery rhyme meant, but it had always helped her fall asleep.

  As Freddie darted across the tourney field, she could see the chapel in front of her. She was almost there. She just hoped they hadn’t already chosen someone. Being in the Auradonnas would definitely solve all of Freddie’s problems. Not only would it allow her to sing every single day and get her one step closer to her goal of becoming a famous jazz singer, but it might help with her recent boredom, too.

  Ever since her best friend, CJ, Captain Hook’s daughter, had set out on her great pirate adventure a few weeks earlier, Freddie had been feeling a little lonely. She didn’t really have anyone to hang out and get into mischief with.

  Of course, she wasn’t exactly kissing frogs at the idea of hanging out with a bunch of stuffy AKs, but she supposed it was better than the alternative: sitting at the banquet hall by herself for every meal—which was basically what she did now.

  When she burst through the doors of the chapel a few minutes later, the twelve girls who made up the Auradonnas were standing in a line on the stage, singing a catchy upbeat number.

  Freddie instantly recognized the song. It was called “Rather Be with You.” Since she’d learned that the Auradonnas existed, Freddie had memorized every part of every one of their competition songs—just in case an opportunity popped up.

  Freddie had to admit the song kind of nauseated her. It was extremely bubbly and cheerful. But she didn’t care. If it meant she could get into the Auradonnas and sing on that stage in two weeks for the national competition, she’d sing “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” if she had to.

  Freddie ran down the center aisle of the chapel. As soon as she reached the stage, the group stopped singing.

  Freddie bent over, resting her hands on her knees, as she struggled to catch her breath. “Sorry.” Gasp. “I’m.” Pant. “Late.” Wheeze.

  Audrey stepped forward from the line, putting her hands on her hips. “Um, what are you doing here?” she asked in her typical snooty voice. “We’re trying to rehearse.”

  Freddie stopped panting and glanced at each of the twelve singers in turn. She was waiting to find someone who looked like she knew why Freddie was there, but every girl lined up on the stage stared back at her with a blank expression.

  Well, everyone except Ally, Alice’s daughter, who was staring with great fascination at something on the ceiling of the chapel. Freddie followed her gaze to see what Ally was so mesmerized by, but all she saw was a boring old ceiling. Ally was known around Auradon for being a bit of a daydreamer. Freddie guessed it must be because she had grown up hearing her mom’s stories about Wonderland.

  “I’m here to audition,” Freddie said.

  Audrey laughed. “Audition? We’re the Auradonnas. We don’t hold auditions. You have to be invited to join this group.”

  “But the sign. In the banquet hall,” Freddie argued.

  Audrey huffed, clearly growing impatient. “What sign?”

  Freddie felt frustration rising in her. She was not going to be pushed around by a girl whose mother had been raised by fairies. She stood her ground. “It said there were auditions being held today at three o’clock. It’s now three o’clock.”

  “Technically,” someone said in a small voice, and Freddie saw Jane, Fairy Godmother’s daughter, take a minuscule step forward, “it’s three-oh-two.”

  “Be quiet, Jane,” Audrey snapped, and Jane meekly ducked back into the line.

  Audrey turned her stare back on Freddie. “I don’t know what voodoo spell you’re trying to cast on me right now but—”

  “I’m not casting any voodoo spells on you,” Freddie interrupted, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Audrey. “I know the rules.” Then, under her breath, she added, “But I’d really love to turn you into a slug right now.”

  “Well, anyway,” Audrey went on, giving her hair a toss, “there are no auditions. Do any of you know about any auditions?” She quickly glanced back at the group members, who were all silent and completely still, and then returned her attention to Freddie. “See? No auditions.”

  “Auditions?” Ally said with her posh British accent, suddenly coming out of her daydream and joining the conversation for the first time. “Is someone here to audition? Oh, splendid! I was hoping people would show. I put up a sign in the banquet hall.”

  Audrey reeled on Ally. “You did what?”

  Ally suddenly looked a lot less confident. “Our final competition song is feeling a little stale,” she said, fidgeting with her blue-and-white dress. “I just thought maybe we should bring in some fresh voices.”

  “But we’re a four-part harmony,” Audrey said through gritted teeth. “And we have twelve members. Three singers per part. If we added a thirteenth member, everything would be out of balance.”

  “Not if we—” Ally started.

  But Audrey promptly cut her off. “And besides, you really shouldn’t be holding auditions without checking with me first.”

  “I am the captain of the Auradonnas,” Ally reminded her. But there was very little conviction in her voice. “I have the right to let anyone I want into the group.”

  Audrey’s whole body stiffened. Freddie covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. Thank badness, Ally seemed to be on Freddie’s side. She might be Freddie’s only shot at getting into the group. And it was nice to see someone finally standing up to Audrey.

  For a good five seconds, Audrey seemed to fumble for something to say. Her mouth kept opening and then closing again. Freddie thought she looked like a dying fish, which only made her want to laugh more.

  Then, finally, Audrey blurted, “Yes, but you want to be a fair captain, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” Ally said, clearly unsure of where Audrey was going with that.

  “So you should at least ask everyone what they think before making decisions. You don’t want to be seen as an evil monarch like the Queen of Hearts, do you?”

  Ally seemed to shrink as she shook her head. “Oh, dear me, no.”

  Audrey stepped back to address the line of girls. “Very well, then. All in favor of allowing Freddie into the group?”

  Ally tentatively raised her hand. She was the only one. Everyone else looked at Audrey with almost frightened expressions and kept their hands at their sides.

  Audrey turned back to Freddie and crossed her arms. “There you go. Thanks for coming by to audition.”

  Freddie’s mouth fell open. “But you didn’t even hear me sing!”

  “We’ve heard you sing,” Audrey said dismissively. “And we just think you’re more of a soloist. You know, an independent singer. You don’t really have the right voice to sing in a group. Sorry!” She flashed Freddie a fake smile and then returned to her position in line. “Okay, everyone, let’s start from the top.”

  As the Auradonnas launched back into their competition song, Freddie looked hopefully at Ally, but Ally wouldn’t meet her eye. With a mix of disappointment and outrage, Freddie turned and walked out of the chapel, accompanied by twelve bright and cheerful voices singing in perfect four-part harmony.

  I should’ve known those girls would never let a VK into their precious group.

  Freddie stared at her own shadow on the sidewalk as she stom
ped back across campus. The sun was low at her back, so her shadow walked tall and long in front of her, and Freddie’s tiny purple top hat with the single peacock feather made the shape of it look like a bird resting atop a pole.

  “How dare Audrey ice me out like that!” she ranted to the shadow.

  She’d always spoken to her shadow, ever since she was a little girl. It was what you did in the Facilier family. And right then it seemed like her shadow was her only friend.

  “I’m a good singer!” she went on. “Maybe even the best singer at Auradon Prep! And I can sing in a group. I can harmonize! I just need an opportunity to prove myself. But how am I ever going to do that when Audrey won’t even let me audition?”

  The shadow didn’t respond. It never did. But Freddie didn’t need its advice. She already knew the answer to her question.

  Her best chance of getting into the Auradonnas was with Ally. That was obvious. The problem was getting Ally to stand up to Audrey. Ally was captain of the group and yet she let Audrey make all the decisions. Why was Ally (and everyone else at that school) so afraid of that intolerable pretty pink princess?

  Audrey wouldn’t last an hour on the Isle of the Lost.

  It was on days like those that Freddie really wished she had some of her dad’s magic. Her father, the once-great Dr. Facilier, would never have put up with that. He would have cast a voodoo spell on Audrey ages earlier.

  But Freddie had never learned the great voodoo arts. Magic was forbidden on the Isle of the Lost, where she had grown up, so her father had never had a chance to teach her. Her father had given her a pack of Shadow Cards for her birthday, but of course they didn’t work on the island, so she’d just stashed them somewhere and forgotten about them.

  “Are you all right?” someone asked, interrupting Freddie’s thoughts. She looked up to see Mal and Evie standing in front of Mal’s open locker door. Evie, who was the one who had asked the question, was looking at Freddie, but Mal was turned toward her locker, seemingly searching for something.

  Ever since Freddie and CJ had snuck out of Auradon Prep a few weeks earlier and gone on a wild adventure, Mal had seemed distant toward Freddie.