"I am innocent," Cobweb said, slightly confused.
Just then, there was a tremendous crash and the front door to the shop blew off its hinges. The group struggled to see what had caused the commotion. Standing in the doorway were Tony Fats and Bobby Screwball. Their magic wands were held tight in their huge hands.
"How did you find us?" Bess cried.
The two goons ignored her. Their eyes were trained on Mr. Hamstead.
"You shouldn't have messed with my girl," Tony Fats said as he and his partner stepped into the store. '"Cause now, you and me… we're going to have to settle this the way we did back in Faerie."
Tony Fats raised his wand and, with a flick of his wrist, a bolt of white-hot energy rocketed toward the group.
Chapter 6
Hamstead leaped out of the way and the blast missed him by inches. Unfortunately, it crashed into a rack of polyester dresses that exploded into flames. "My spring collection!" Twilarose shouted as she desperately tried to put out the fire that was melting her gowns. She stomped feverishly on a pink, hoop-skirted prom dress, completely ignoring the peril of everyone around her. In the chaos, Sabrina watched Cobweb fly out of the shop. "Forget the dresses!" she cried, as flames rapidly spread throughout the store. "Get us out of these chains."
Twilarose turned and flicked her wand. The chains vanished, freeing the group. Unfortunately, smoke was filling the room, and Tony Fats and Bobby Screwball, who seemed to be having trouble seeing, were shooting their wands in every direction. Bobby seemed to have particularly bad aim; each blast from his wand spiraled toward a random target.
"Now I know why they call him Bobby Screwball," Sabrina said as she rushed to rescue Puck's cocoon from a nest of smoldering feather boas. She scampered over to her family, who were hiding behind a rack of capes.
"Where's Cobweb?" Daphne cried.
"He got away," Sabrina said, ducking her head to avoid a blast. "We need to get out of here, too!"
"Bess!"
Tony Fats bellowed as he fired again. "You're my girl now and always."
"They're blinded by the smoke! They aren't expecting any of us to fly out," Sabrina said, handing Moth Puck's cocoon. "Get him out of here."
"My pleasure," the fairy girl said as her wings sprang from her back and lifted her off the ground. She zipped in between the fairy godfathers' wand blasts and soared out the open door to safety. With so much smoke in the air, Tony and Bobby hadn't even noticed Moth fly by.
"Ernie, take my hand," Bess said. She reached behind her back, pushed something on her backpack, and suddenly a flame shot out that lifted her and her chubby new boyfriend right off the ground. Sabrina was stunned as she watched them rocket out of the store.
"Uh, I want one of those," Daphne said.
Twilarose hurried out next, stumbling over a stack of tiaras before making it to the door.
"Our turn!" Sabrina cried. She snatched Daphne and Granny by the hand and raced across the room. By this time, Bobby and Tony seemed to have gotten wise to what was going on. Their shots came more quickly and the Grimms had to race at full speed to get to the exit. But just as they reached the door, Daphne pulled away and raced back the way they had come, scooping something off the floor and then rejoining her family.
They tumbled out into the street, gasping for air, while Tony and Bobby continued to fire their wands obliviously inside the store. It was amazing they didn't hit each other.
Sabrina rubbed the soot out of her eyes and scanned her surroundings. Twilarose was gone, but Sabrina spied Cobweb flying down the street. "There he is!"
"We'll never catch him on foot," Granny said, whirling around in search of a taxi. She knocked into a woman carrying grocery bags.
"Did you see that?" the woman cried, staring down the street at Cobweb. "That man is flying, like an angel."
Granny nodded, reached into her handbag, and then blew forgetful dust all over the woman. Her eyes glazed over. "You had a very boring day," Granny said. "I did," the woman replied.
"Wait a minute!" Daphne cried. She reached up and felt around in the woman's grocery bag.
"What are you doing?" Sabrina asked, eyeing the doorway nervously. Bobby and Tony weren't going to stay in the store forever.
"I need something… like a pumpkin," the little girl explained, then yanked out a long green zucchini. "I hope this is close enough."
Sabrina watched Daphne place the zucchini on the ground and then take a long, thin piece of wood out of her pocket--it was Twilarose's magic wand.
"She dropped this," the little girl explained.
"Liebling, you have no idea how to use that," Granny said.
"I watched her. It's all in the wrist," Daphne said.
Daphne flicked her wrist and a bolt of energy shot out of the wand and hit the zucchini. There was a blinding flash and when Sabrina's eyes adjusted, she looked down. The zucchini was still there.