ctober 15 (part 2)
So, our attempt to boost the morale around the castle has sort of backfired. Well, not sort of—totally. Mainly because our latest recruit has freaking terrified everyone. Baba Yaga has been walking around eyeing everyone and licking her lips like they were all pieces of fried chicken. The Pied Piper and Wendell barricaded themselves in one of the cabins. Puss in Boots darted underneath a shed and refused to come out. The Scarecrow burst into tears, ruining his face. He had to paint on brand-new eyes and a mouth, which in my opinion makes him no less creepy than Baba Yaga. Bunny is trying to assure everyone that they are safe and that the old witch is a big part of the plan. I’m wondering what this plan is, ’cause I feel like we’re wandering in the dark.
Anyway, now that the coven has been built I guess it’s my turn to do my part—leading everyone to their deaths. I did a head count of my “troops” to see what I’m working with, and our grand total is 24 people. We’ve got two old men, a beauty queen, a little boy with a harmonica, some circus bears, a man made out of hay, a bird, a cat wearing work boots, a feng shui consultant, and now a flesh-hungry witch and her walking house. And these people have the nerve to look at me like I’m going to let them down.
Bunny says she’s going to get me help, but she’s asked for something in return. She wants us to keep our mouths shut about Atticus. She says she doesn’t want to make things any more complicated, especially with Snow, who already keeps her mother at arm’s length. We agreed, but in my opinion Snow has a right to know about the man and more importantly she has a right to know what her mother did to protect him from her. I suppose Bunny is trying to find the right way to explain it all.
Oh, and on a side note, Puck told my dad he was going to marry me.
Worst. Day. Ever.
That night, Sabrina and her sister slept in one of the fortress’s cabins with Elvis. They pushed together two cots so they could sleep as they had been doing for years—side by side—and snuggled close to each other to fight off the room’s many drafts. Elvis lay at the foot of the bed, eventually making his way between them and then entirely on the pillows. It was a fitful night for Sabrina, filled with terrible nightmares. In each dream, Mirror was strangling her and laughing. She woke several times, breathing hard and grasping at her throat. Daphne lay next to her, her little arms wrapped around the Book of Everafter. Elvis, who was usually as heavy of a sleeper as Daphne, snuggled up with Sabrina and licked her chin, but his attempts at comfort didn’t help.
“I heard your shouts,” a voice said from the shadows and Mr. Canis stepped forward. “I came to investigate.”
Sabrina nodded. “Bad dreams.”
“You have my sympathy,” the old man said. “I’ve suffered all my life. I find meditation before bed to be the most effective.”
“What are you doing up so late?”
“Trying to be useful,” the old man said, then pointed at the Book of Everafter. “This camp is filled with people who are untrustworthy. Perhaps I should take the book for safekeeping.”
“I’ll talk to Daphne about it in the morning,” Sabrina said. “She’s convinced she’s going to find something in it that will help.”
“Very well,” Mr. Canis said, and was soon gone.
Sabrina lay still listening to the wind and the forest and the world. Meditation might help, but right now what she needed was some air.
She snatched an extra blanket from under the cots and wrapped it around her like a cloak, then stepped out into the frosty air. The moon hid behind storm clouds that turned its light dull and milky, and a wind brushed through leaves and branches.
She wandered around the grounds wirhout a destination, just content in her aloneness. Eventually, she came across Briar’s grave. There, she spotted Uncle Jake sitting in his chair. She was happy he was back and wanted to rush to him and tell him that she loved him and that he wasn’t alone in his grief, but she suddenly understood that, like herself, he probably wanted to be alone. She was about to creep away when she heard his voice. At first she thought he was talking to himself, but then she realized he was talking to Briar. Sabrina listened as he talked about what he had seen in the forest that day: the colors of trees, the crunch of his feet under leaves, the signs of animals preparing for winter, and the beauty of the long, red sunset. But mostly he talked about how hard it was not to share those things with her firsthand.
Before Sabrina knew it, she was wiping tears off her cheeks.
“You got something to say, Sabrina?” Jake asked.
Sabrina stepped into the light. “I didn’t mean to spy. I couldn’t sleep.”
Jake smiled. “I like to talk to her,” he said as he gestured to the grave. “I like to think she can hear me, wherever she is. I tell her how much I miss her and how I’m going to avenge her.”