"Mr. Seven, pull that fire alarm," the mayor commanded the little man. Mr. Seven rushed to the alarm and yanked it down hard. A siren wailed, drawing everyone's attention.
"There is a fire in the boiler room, people," Charming shouted. "Please evacuate to the parking lot."
"Thanks, Mayor," Granny Relda said. "Now we have to find Farrah."
"Who in the blazes is Farrah?" the mayor cried.
From the evacuating crowd stepped the waitress. She still had on her work uniform with its little nametag. She looked bewildered and vulnerable. "I am."
"I'm sorry to do this to you," Granny said, handing her the sack. "I know how important your privacy is, but we are in the middle of a dire emergency."
Farrah looked into the sack. "Of course," she said, removing the bubble gum from her mouth. Granny quickly tore a sheet of paper out of the notebook she kept in her purse and handed it to the woman, who used it to wrap up the sticky substance.
Suddenly, a sky-blue light began to seep out of Farrah's clothing. It engulfed her body and grew so bright it made her impossible to look at. When the light dimmed, Farrah the waitress was gone. In her place was a tall, beautiful woman with light blue hair and skin like milk. Her eyes were twinkling stars and she had two pink-streaked wings on her back that fluttered softly.
"It's the Blue Fairy," someone said from the crowd. Many of the Everafters who had exited the gymnasium rushed back in to get a good look at the mysterious figure.
The Blue Fairy held out her hand and a little ball of blue light appeared. It crackled with electricity and Sabrina could hear a soft humming sound coming from it. The ball zipped out of her hand and flew into the sack that held the sword pieces. The bag immediately filled with blue light. After a moment, the light faded and the Blue Fairy reached inside. When she removed her hand, she was holding the Vorpal blade, perfect and whole.
Granny took it eagerly from the woman and thanked her.
"Relda, give me the sword," Mr. Canis said. "You can't handle the monster and the child."
"You are in no condition, old friend. Don't worry; I've had to fight a lot of monsters in my day. I suspect there will be plenty more," she said and then turned to the crowd. "Folks, I recommend that you find somewhere safe to hide. Something wicked this way comes."
As if on cue, the Jabberwocky, with Red Riding Hood on its shoulders, stepped into the room. The monster set the little girl on the ground and sized up the crowd as if deciding whom to eat and in what order.
"Grandma! Doggy!" Red Riding Hood cried as she rushed
toward Granny Relda and Mr. Canis. "I have my family back. Now we can play house." Granny lifted the sword threateningly.
"My, what a big sword you have, Grandma," Red Riding Hood continued.
"Child, I am not your grandmother," Granny said. "The two people you have kidnapped are not your mother and father. Your family is dead. They died hundreds of years ago and nothing you can do will bring them back. Pretending to have a family is not the same as having one."
"But we can play house," the little girl said.
"Playtime is over, little one. Where are Henry and Veronica Grimm?"
Sabrina thought she saw a glimmer of understanding in the little girl's face. As she stared up at Granny Relda, Red Riding Hood seemed to have a million terrible questions to ask. Maybe it was all too overwhelming for her, because she shook her head violently and her contorted, insane expression returned.
"Kitty! Let's take Grandmother and Doggy home with us," she shouted.
Granny raised the Vorpal blade to defend herself, but the monster was on top of her in a flash. It grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ground. The old woman dropped the sword and it clanged loudly on the gymnasium floor. "Granny!" the girls shouted.
Mr. Canis leaped at the beast but a flick of its tail sent the old man sailing across the room and into the crowd.
"I'll go for the sword," Sabrina said. She dashed across the floor, but before she could reach it, the monster slammed its foot down on top of it. Sabrina tried to pull it out from under the beast but it was too heavy.
Just then, Sheriff Hamstead rushed through the crowd. He had his billy club held high. "Put her down!" he shouted. The monster turned toward the pudgy policeman and swatted the cop across the gym with one of its awesome paws. Hamstead sailed through the crowd and landed painfully at the foot of the podium. Snow White tried to rush to his side but Charming grabbed her arm and held her back.
"I have to help them," Snow White cried.
"You'll get yourself killed," he said. "There's nothing anyone in this room can do to stop that thing."
"Billy, what happened to you?" Snow White said. "Where's my white knight?"
Sabrina tugged at the sword once more, but still couldn't free it. When the monster turned all of his attention on her,
Daphne took advantage of its distraction. Sabrina watched helplessly as her sister rushed to the monster's side.
"First you bow to your opponent," Daphne said and then bowed to the monster who was now hovering over her.