Naturally, Sabrina thought the old woman was off her rocker. Until Granny Relda was kidnapped by a giant.
The girls rescued her and were soon caught up in the fight to stop other deranged Everafters from destroying the town. They discovered that all the bad guys they came across had one thing in common: They were members of a shadowy group known as the Scarlet Hand. No one knew how many Everafters were members or who their mysterious "Master" was, but one thing was for sure--the Scarlet Hand planned on taking over the world.
Sabrina had fought her destiny for a long time. She wasn't interested in becoming a fairy-tale detective like her father, grandmother, and everyone before them, even though her sister embraced the job. For Sabrina, the danger, chaos, and just plain craziness of the family occupation had taken some getting used to. Only recently, after a trip to New York City, had Sabrina realized that there were many ways to be a Grimm. She also realized it was time for her to give the family business a chance.
Unfortunately, avoiding a glop grenade wielded by a mischievous flying boy was part of the package. Sabrina and Daphne's days were packed with training: lessons on clue finding, self-defense, crime-scene investigation, tracking, and the use of magical items. The latter was a class Daphne excelled in, primarily because Sabrina didn't feel right around too much magic. She had learned that she didn't like who she became when she used it--she was addicted, or "touched" as some of the Everafters said. Still, Granny felt it might be useful if Sabrina understood how magic worked and, more important, how she might defend herself and her sister against it. The training never ended and the pace was exhausting. But Sabrina was secretly enjoying herself--especially when it came to things she excelled at, like tracking and self-defense. She was a natural at clue finding, and she enjoyed criminal psychology, taught by former police deputies Boarman and Swineheart. That's where the girls learned that thinking like criminals helped you catch them. All of it was fun... except for the glop grenades, of course.
As Sabrina sat on the bed she spotted a large, bulbous head with thick, muscular features in the ornate mirror she and her family had just stepped through. Mirror's face looked very different when he was peering out at them. He could seem intimidating, almost frightening. Sabrina supposed this face was to protect the secrets that were hidden on the other side of the reflection.
"How are the sleepyheads?" he asked.
"The same," Sabrina said with a sigh.
"Well, that's what the party is for. Maybe someone will have the key to waking them up."
Sabrina nodded hopefully. "Granny asked everyone that's ever been enchanted over tonight. Daphne is nearly jumping out of her pants. She's in a princess phase."
"All little girls have them," Mirror said with a smile.
"Not me," Sabrina said.
Mirror chuckled. "Of course not. You're rough and tough."
"You bet I am," she said, ignoring his teasing. Mirror had become a good friend since she and her sister had moved in with their grandmother. Unlike other enchanted items, the magic mirror was also a person--flesh and blood, though he couldn't leave the confines of the great hall inside his reflection. He had become a confidant to Sabrina, and she turned to him more than anyone else. He always seemed to understand how she felt.
"By the way, you haven't told me what you want for your birthday yet. It's four days away," he said. "It's not easy to shop when you're trapped inside a mirror. My computer is still on dial-up."
"The only thing I want is to find a way to wake them up," Sabrina said, looking at her parents.
Mirror shook his head pityingly. "It'll happen, sugarplum. Now, you better get downstairs. I hear people arriving, and you've got to keep an eye on your uncle. He's also going through a princess phase, from what I'm told."
Sabrina laughed. "That's Uncle Jake. He's girl-crazy."
Mirror's head faded from the reflection. Sabrina leaned over, kissed her mom and dad each on the cheek, and got up from the bed. "We're going to wake you up," she told them. "I promise."
Chapter 2
The house was filled with guests, most of whom were very unusual. Among the crowd were witches, princesses, a dwarf, and a few knights of the round table. Everyone was munching on snacks and drinking punch.
In one corner Sabrina saw a trio of women known as the Three. They were a coven of witches who used to work for the former mayor of Ferryport Landing. They used magic to cover up things the Everafters didn't want the town's human population to see. One of the women was Glinda the Good Witch, whose life was chronicled in L. Frank Baum's