“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sabrina said.
The Editor sighed impatiently. “Just like a Grimm to leap into a magic book without knowing how it works. Let me explain this in simple terms. A hundred years ago the Book of Everafter was created by the Everafter community as a sort of history book of its people—a living, breathing diorama of the places and events cherished most by the fairy-tale folk of Ferryport Landing. Many of the stories mirror those documented by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, L. Frank Baum, Hans Christian Andersen, et cetera, but unlike the writings of those men, a person can actually walk into this history book and interact with the characters. This provided the community with the opportunity to vacation away from the town and its barrier, if they so desired—reliving their glory days, as it were. For nearly four decades, it was enjoyed by many, until an Everafter abused the privilege and altered the magic for her own personal gain. She turned the Book’s magic into something its original creators never imagined.”
“What did she do?” Daphne cried.
“She linked it to real history.”
“Huh?” Puck said.
“Pay attention!” the Editor snapped. “The changes she made were very dangerous. Now when someone steps into the Book of Everafter, they can choose to change things they don’t like, and history, in the real world, is forever changed. They can marry a different princess, choose not to kiss a frog, or arrive in time to make sure the Wolf does not eat their grandmother. Whatever they change in these stories will change history. The real world will bend and twist to fit the changes. No one will remember that anything is different. This Everafter did just that—she went into her story, caused havoc, and her changes changed history.”
“Who was it?” Daphne asked.
“That is privileged information. All I will say is that her tale was tragic and heartbreaking and now, it is not. Needless to say, the woman made a mess and couldn’t put the story back together in a way that made any sense. So she created me, and the revisers, to help her fill in the holes. Since then, it has become my duty to clean up any further changes made by visitors, and to keep the status quo. But you fools are messing things up. Every little change you make changes reality—that is, if I don’t fix it back before it’s too late.”
“We didn’t know!” Daphne cried.
“Clearly,” the Editor said.
Sabrina scowled. “We’re not a bunch of meddlesome kids joyriding in your stupid book. We’re trying to rescue a member of our family. Once we find him, we’ll go.”
The Editor frowned as he sat back in his big chair. “I can feel his presence, as well as two others—the Magic Mirror, and Pinocchio, the marionette who wished to be a real boy.”
“Pinocchio helped Mirror kidnap our brother,” Daphne said.
“Regardless of their real-world transgressions, you do not belong here.” The old man gestured to the other side of the room and another doorway materialized. The door swung open. On the other side stood Granny Relda and the girls’ parents in the Hall of Wonders, looking down into the Book of Everafter. From their confused expressions, Sabrina could tell they couldn’t see the girls or the library in which they were standing.
Sabrina considered the Editor’s explanation. Perhaps one of the adults might do a better job than she would. If she went back, her mother or father could step in and take up the hunt. Granny Relda would know what to do. The temptation to let someone else make the big choices was incredible.
“We’re not going without our brother,” Daphne said, jarring her sister from her conflicted thoughts. “Mirror is planning on stealing his body. We won’t go until he’s safe. I don’t care if we wreck every story in this book.”
The Editor shifted in his chair. His face showed anger and surprise. “Leave now or my revisers will devour you,” he seethed.
Puck shrugged. “I’ve been eaten before. It’s no big deal.”
Daphne pulled Puck and Sabrina back toward the doorway they and the revisers had just stepped through. She opened it and faced a terrible wind layered with heat and humidity, and smelling like something untamed and dangerous.
“You are making a terrible mistake!” the Editor shouted over the sound of the wind.
“If I had a nickel for every time a bad guy told me that, I’d be a rich detective,” Daphne said. She pushed everyone through, and suddenly there was a stomach-dropping moment, and then the Editor and his creepy pets were gone.