"It was so nice to meet you," Mrs. Frank said. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of this place."
Granny and the girls waited at the bus stop until the next bus c
ame. They climbed inside and found a seat in the back. Moth chattered on about how ignorant human beings could be, but the Grimm women were silent. Sabrina sat by the window, watching her neighborhood disappear.
*
Back at the hotel, the little group waited for the elevator. When the doors opened, they were startled to see Mr. Hamstead and Bess inside, locked in a passionate kiss. When the couple finally noticed everyone staring, Hamstead's face went pink and his snout popped out. He quickly put his hand over it, eyeing Bess nervously as if he didn't want her to see. Bess on the other hand was grinning from ear to ear and holding him in her arms like they were lost at sea and he was a life preserver.
"Uh, hello," Granny said as the couple stepped out of the elevator. "Is Mr. Canis awake?"
"Yes," Hamstead said, his face still pink. "He's in his room and wants to speak with you. I asked him if everything was OK and he nearly bit my head off, literally." He blushed even more brightly when he noticed that Daphne was giving him playful winks.
"We just stopped by for some hot cocoa," Bess said. "Wall Street was a bust. It's incredible how fractured our community is. We live such separate, secret lives. We're going to try SoHo and Chinatown next." The blonde lady turned to Hamstead and gave him a big, over-the-top smooch on the cheek. "Sugar dumpling, I'm going to go freshen up. Mind if I borrow your room key?"
"Not at all," Hamstead said. He dug into his pocket and handed the key to her. A moment later, she was back inside the elevator and on her way upstairs.
"Mr. Hamstead, I do believe you are smitten with her," Granny said.
"What does smitten mean?" Daphne asked.
Sabrina turned to answer but then noticed something unusual. The little girl was asking Granny Relda instead of her.
"It means he's got a huge crush on her," Granny said.
"Which is a huge problem," Mr. Hamstead said. "When she finds out who I am… what I am--"
"Ernest, she's an Everafter, too, obviously," Granny Relda said.
"A human Everafter," Hamstead said. "I'm a pig. There's a big difference."
"But there are lots of mixed-Everafter couples. You're forgetting Miss Muffet and the spider."
"Miss Muffet is a crackpot," Hamstead said. "Bess is beautiful and funny and the most amazing woman I've ever met. She's not going to be interested in me when she discovers I'm just an unemployed pig from upstate."
Granny smiled. "I'm sure that Bess likes you for who you are."
"If this pointless conversation is over," Moth complained, "I'd like to get His Majesty back to the room."
"Of course," Granny said. "I'm going to pop in on Mr. Canis. I'll meet you soon."
The girls went up to their room and closed the door. Moth climbed onto one of the two queen-sized beds and propped the icky cocoon onto a pillow. "I need silence, humans," she announced.
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said turning to her sister. "I need to talk to you." She gestured to the bathroom and Daphne followed her inside.
"Daphne, Granny and I have talked and we've come to an understanding--"
"I know all about it," Daphne said, stiffly.
"Then you know I'm not going to be involved in this detective stuff anymore."
"I know you're quitting."
"I don't want you to do it, either. We should be trying to find out how to wake Mom and Dad up, anyway. Once they're back to normal, we can move somewhere normal and be a family again. Doesn't that sound good?"
Suddenly Daphne burst into tears. They streamed down her face and onto the shoebox Gloria Frank had given them, which she still clutched in her hands.
"Why are you crying?" Sabrina said, dismayed. "Don't you want to get back to normal?"
"No!"
Daphne yelled. "This is our destiny."
"You don't even know what the word destiny means." For the first time in Sabrina's life, she saw rage in her little sister's eyes. Before Sabrina knew what had happened, Daphne set down the shoebox, opened the door to the shower, turned on the water, and shoved Sabrina inside.
"You little--!" Sabrina sputtered. "I'm trying to protect us."
"No you're not! You're trying to protect yourself. You haven't once asked me what I want. You're a… jerkazoid and I don't need you. I'll be a fairy-tale detective all by myself!" Daphne turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the bathroom door behind her.