Sisters Grimm 05
Magic and Other Misdemeanors
Michael Buckley
PROLOGUE
Puck flapped his wings hard, but nothing he did could stop his body from being pulled toward the black, gaping hole that hovered above him. He looked like a worm struggling to avoid the hungry jaws of a catfish.
"Hello! We've got a problem," he cried as he flailed in midair.
Sabrina did the only thing she could think to do. She grabbed Puck's foot as he sailed past, hoping that their combined weight would stop his drift. Unfortunately she, too, was jerked off the ground. She cried out, but her grandmother, uncle, and Mr. Canis were too far away to reach her. Only Sabrina's sister, Daphne, was nearby. The little girl latched onto Sabrina's pant leg and was yanked off the ground as well. Now all three of them were caught in the hole's swirling gravitational pull.
Puck's face passed through the black hole and his head disappeared. His upper torso and arms followed, then his waist, and finally his knees. All that was left in this world of the boy fairy were his sneakers. Sabrina clung to them with all her strength, attempting to defy the impossible force.
"We're losing him," Daphne cried desperately.
"Puck, you have to fight it!" Sabrina shouted.
But her own words sounded laughable in Sabrina's ears. How could he fight something with such a powerful hunger? What could any of them do to stop themselves, and soon the rest of the world, from being sucked into nothingness?
Puck's shoes disappeared into the hole, though Sabrina could still feel them. She knew if she let go he would be gone forever, but she had problems of her own. The hole was starting to swallow her up. Both her arms sunk into the empty, dark pool. She took a deep breath and said a final silent prayer for her soul, hoping that God would find her on the other side, wherever that might be.
And then the hole quadrupled in size.
Chapter 1
Four Days Ago
"I'm sure this could be seen as child abuse," Sabrina groaned as she pulled a pillow over her head. She wondered how many children had grandmothers who woke them up by standing over their beds banging a metal pot with a spoon. She peeked out at the old woman. Granny Relda looked like a member of the world's most annoying marching band.
"Up and at 'em!" Granny cried as she continued her obnoxious drumming. Granny Relda was fully dressed, wearing a bulky coat, mittens, a scarf, and boots. She might have looked as if she were going whale hunting if not for her bright pink hat with the sunflower applique in its center.
"I'm up," Sabrina said.
"Sorry, liebling,"
Granny replied in her light German accent. "But this is the only way to wake your sister."
Sabrina rolled over and eyed her seven-year-old sister, Daphne. The two of them had shared a bed for some time now and she was well aware of how soundly Daphne slept. The little girl could doze through a class-five hurricane, so Granny had resorted to finding the loudest, most ear-shattering methods to rouse the little girl. In an effort to save her own eardrums, Sabrina vigorously shook her little sister until Daphne's eyes opened.
"Whazzamattawitalllthebangin?" she grumbled.
"It's time to start the day," Granny said, finally setting down her pot and spoon. "We've got to get in a little escape training before everyone arrives."
Both the girls groaned.
"Granny, we hate escape training. We're no good at it," Daphne complained.
"Nonsense," the old woman said, helping the girls out of bed. "You're both very good at it."
"Then how come we've never escaped?" Sabrina grumbled.
Granny did her best to hide her smile. "Get dressed, girls. Like I said, we have a big day and there is no time for dillydallying."
"What do we wear?" Sabrina said, crossing the room and opening the closet door.
"Dress warmly," Granny said as she left the room. "Dress very, very warmly."
The girls dressed as quickly as their tired bodies would allow. They had come to understand their grandmother and knew to prepare accordingly. If she said to dress lightly, that meant shorts and Tshirts. If she said bring a towel, that meant bring a dozen. If she said dress warmly, that meant two pairs of long-johns, four pairs of socks, heavy blue jeans, boots, two sweaters, scarves, mittens, and a down coat. Very, very warmly might well mean bringing along a portable space heater. Sabrina added a little wooden sword to her ensemble, shoving it into her coat pocket.
"What's that for?" Daphne asked, eyeing the weapon.