Mina stared at her mother hard.
Sara finally broke eye contact and whispered out, “Over two hundred. Jacob and Wilhelm together made it through over one hundred and ninety, but they couldn't complete all of them before they died. So then it started over again with Wilhelm’s children. Honey, they were the only ones to even come close to breaking the Grimm curse, and that was almost two hundred years ago. More Grimms have tried to overcome it but didn’t survive, like your father. So I decided to try to run from it instead.”
“Mom, I don’t want to run.”
“Mina, we have to. I didn’t think the curse would pass to you because you were a girl. Your father assured me that the curse only passed to the males. After he died, I thought we were safe. I didn’t know I was pregnant with Charlie until a few weeks after the funeral. Once I knew it was a boy, there was really no choice. We had to run and leave behind our past, even your father’s name, to protect his future.
“I knew one day it would eventually come for Charlie, but I never expected it to choose you. It wasn’t until I saw you in the backyard talking to a frog that I realized your father was wrong. Too many of the fairy tales had a female heroine, and you were too gifted and kind-hearted for the story to ignore.”
“You make it sound as if it’s alive.”
“It is. There is something far greater at work here than what the human mind can process. It’s ancient, it’s old, and it’s powerful. Some say it’s God, others say it’s fate, but whatever it is, it can’t be stopped.”
“What about Charlie?” Mina asked. Her brother was back in the kitchen, and this time he was putting on every single piece of costume he owned, layer after layer. A Spiderman suit, Batman’s utility belt, and a Doctor Who scarf and hat.
“So far the story isn’t interested in Charlie, not when it has you.”
“So as long as I live, Charlie is protected?” Mina looked over at her brother and felt her heart grow with a single-minded determination to protect him.
“Yes…honey, look at Charlie. He’s not strong enough to protect himself from the fate of the Grimm Story. I can’t lose you, and I can’t lose Charlie. You two are all I have left of your father.” Sara grabbed a few tissues from the box on the beat-up coffee table. She picked at them, tearing them apart.
“Mom, I want to try to stop it.” Mina didn’t know where her courage came from, but as soon as she said it, she knew it was true.
“No! I forbid you. Nothing strange has happened since the field trip, right? We still have time to run.” Sara looked at Mina, and she could see the sliver of hope in her mother’s eyes.
“Mom,” Mina said, packing as much meaning into that one word as she could.
“It’s too late, isn’t it? What happened? What’s been happening?”
Mina mentioned practically riding over a dog and donkey, and was shocked when Sara blurted out “and a cat and rooster” before Mina had even finished. Sara blushed. “I’ve read up on my tales. Anything else? Tell me exactly what happened on the tour,” Sara demanded, and Mina did. “Oh, this sounds bad. It sounds like it could be another story, but I don’t know which one. It may already be too late. Well, at least that stupid book hasn’t appeared yet.”
“What book? Grimm’s Fairy Tales?”
“Mina, trust me, it’s better if we don’t discuss this anymore. Words have power, and it makes it that much easier for the Story to find you.”
“What about the book?” Mina asked again.
“Again, it’s better to not to mention it. The book is called The Grimoire. It’s the final piece of the puzzle. Once it’s found you, you know it’s too late. You are officially part of the Story’s tales. Only problem is, other things are looking for the book as well. So it’s best we leave before either of them find us.” Sara stood up and looked around the small living room, furnished with only a sofa, television, and a small rocker. A rarely used fifteen-inch TV was in the corner, nestled against a few tattered books given to them by Mrs. Wong. There were hardly any personal items in the home, and Mina finally understood why.
“Mom, I’m not leaving,” she said.
“Yes, you are. Think of your brother.” Sara blinked at her daughter in disbelief.
“I am thinking of Charlie, and that’s why I’m not leaving.” Mina could feel herself begin to cry again, and pushed back at her tears with the back of her sleeve. “I’m going to stop this. I can do this. I will do this, for him, for you.”
Sara started to shake her head, but Mina continued angrily, “Mom, you can either help me or hinder me, but one way or another, the Story is going to catch up to us.”