The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, Book 3) (11 page)

Jake hugged the little man tightly, causing him to drop a small book he was carrying. "It's good to see you, Mirror."

"It's good to be seen," Mirror said as he squirmed to break from the younger man's embrace.

"You're looking great," Uncle Jake said, finally releasing him.

"Well, I do what I can. I drink a lot of water, and of course my Pilates instructor has really helped."

Sabrina leaned down and picked up the man's book. It was a paperback collection of word games like crosswords and jumbles.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Oh, Relda picked it up for me at the supermarket. She said she thought it might help pass the time. I could just kill her. I'm addicted to it now. Next time you see her, tell her to get me some more of them," Mirror said, turning his attention back to Uncle Jake. "What's with the family reunion, Jakey?"

"Jabberwocky stuff," the younger man said, gravely. "Yes, I heard it was back," Mirror said, turning to Sabrina. "That thing has been running loose for far too long. Unfortunately, there's nothing in any of these rooms that can stop it."

"Oh, I knew that." Uncle Jake sniffed. "No, the reason we're here is I've got a niece in desperate need of a little experience with magic stuff."

"I smell trouble," Mirror warned.

"I think that's the salve," Sabrina replied. The noxious medicine was still making her feel nauseated.

"Mirror! Don't worry," Uncle Jake said flashing his quirky grin. He handed the little man his huge set of keys. "Let's start with some hats."

"As you wish," Mirror replied. He turned and led them down the hallway.

Lining the walls were doors of all shapes and sizes. Some were made of metal, others wood, and one looked as if it was made of ice. Each door had a little bronze plaque that told what was behind it. POISONED SPINNING WHEELS, TREE SPRITES, CRYSTAL BALLS, LOVE POTIONS, ALL THE KING'S HORSES (right next to ALL THE KING'S MEN). The doors went on and on down a hallway that seemed to go on forever. Sabrina wondered if anyone had ever walked to the end or even if there was an end.

"Relda will not be pleased," Mirror commented, as he escorted them down the hall.

"Mom is just being stubborn. The girls need to know what's in these rooms. Dad made sure that Hank and I knew how to use this stuff and it got us out of a lot of close calls."

"It also got you into a lot of close calls, as I remember it," Mirror said.

Uncle Jake ignored the comment and turned to Sabrina. "Your dad and I spent hours in here every day, learning how the wands worked, testing out the magic shoes, learning how to fight with the swords and armor, and learning to use the translation spells so we could speak with birds, fish, and forest animals. These rooms are filled with useful stuff."

Mirror stopped at a door with a plaque that read HATS, HELMETS, BEANIES, ETC. He found the key for the lock and opened the door. He stepped inside and soon returned with a metal helmet that had small antlers mounted on each side.

"Good choice," Uncle Jake said. "The Midas Crown."

"What does it do?" Sabrina asked, as her uncle placed it on her head.

"It makes you strong. Try to pick me up," Uncle Jake said.

"But you're three times my size."

"Try it!"

Sabrina reached over and grabbed her uncle by the shirt and lifted with all her strength. It was more than she needed. Uncle Jake went flying into the air and plummeted back into Sabrina's arms. His landing was awkward but he wasn't hurt.

"Oh, man am I going to have fun with this!" Sabrina cried as she felt the power of the helmet course through her limbs.

"Sabrina, wait for me in the hall," a voice said behind them. Sabrina turned and saw Granny Relda. The old woman's face was red with anger. Daphne stood next to her with sleepy eyes and a confused expression.

"Busted," Uncle Jake whispered.

"I want everyone out of here right this instant," Granny Relda demanded, fixing her eyes on Sabrina, showing the girl how disappointed she was.

"Hey! Your arm is healed," Daphne said.

"I suppose you used magic," Granny said.

"It was silly to have her in pain," Uncle Jake said. "Why wait three months when it could be perfectly fine today?"

"And what is the cost of that, Jacob?"

"I don't understand the question."

"There is a cost with magic. There is always a cost."

"There's no cost. Her arm is healed," Uncle Jake said defensively. "The magic asked for nothing in return."

"The magic most certainly asked for something. It asked for experience. Sabrina broke her arm doing something I told her not to do. The healing is her experience in learning about the consequences of the choices she makes. Sure, it is easier to wave a wand or rub some magic medicine over our injuries. It's always easier. But what do we learn? How will Sabrina know her limitations?"

"Mom, you talk as if Sabrina and Daphne were normal little girls," Jake replied. "But they are not. They are Grimms and their lives are going to be difficult. Let the rest of the children learn about limitations. They don't have a Jabberwocky and a certifiable nutcase like Red Riding Hood chasing their family. The girls have to learn to fight. If they knew how to use some of the stuff you have locked up in here, Sabrina might not have gotten hurt in the first place. They need to be trained like Hank and I were. Dad had us exploring these rooms when we were five years old and--"

"Your father was wrong," Granny Relda said. "The girls will explore the mirror's rooms when I say they are ready. Until then, the best lesson I can teach them is that magic always has a price!

"That's ridiculous!" her son complained.

"Is it Jake? Is it still so hard to see after everything that has happened? Your father is dead because…" Granny Relda stopped in mid sentence and there was a long silence between the two.

"You don't have to tell me why Dad is dead," Uncle Jake said. "I'm the one who killed him."

"Jake, I didn't mean…"

But Uncle Jake didn't let her finish. He turned, walked back down the hallway, and disappeared through the portal.

Sabrina and Daphne followed their grandmother into their bedroom. She said nothing, only pointed at the bed. It spoke volumes, and the girls crawled in. "Did Uncle Jake really kill Grandpa?" Daphne asked, but the old woman just shook her head. Sabrina wasn't sure if her grandmother was saying no to the question or just didn't want to talk about it.

"I think Uncle Jake is right," Sabrina said. "When are you going to teach us how to use the magic in the Hall of Wonders?"

The old woman cringed slightly as if the question physically hurt her.

"We have plenty of time for that," she said.

"We don't have any time at all," Sabrina said. "Uncle Jake and

I discovered Red Riding Hood's plan. She's trying to rebuild her lost family. She's got Mom and Dad and some poor family's baby. Now she's coming after you." Daphne gasped. "Is that true?"

"That's not going to happen," the old woman said, as she pulled the covers over the girls. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me."

"Can you guarantee that?" Sabrina said. "Because if you can't, the two of us would be left alone in this town, and you saw how angry everyone got at the school. If something did happen to you, would the two of us be able to protect ourselves?"

"Sabrina, stop!" Daphne demanded.

Sabrina's angry words rang in her own ears. It had been a heartless thing to say to her grandmother. She wished she could take it back.

The old woman looked stunned for a moment and then turned and exited the room without even a good-night.

"You know what? I have a question, Sabrina," Daphne said. "When are you going to stop acting like such a snot?"

"Daphne, you didn't see Red Riding Hood or the Jabberwocky," Sabrina grumbled. "I did, and Granny needs to take this seriously."

Daphne crossed her arms and huffed, then turned her back on her sister. She pulled the pillow from underneath her and put it over her head to block out Sabrina's voice.

* * *

The next morning Sabrina woke early in hopes of having some time alone with Uncle Jake. Maybe they could go through the journals and look for any information about Red Riding Hood and the Jabberwocky she might have missed. Unfortunately, he was gone when Sabrina got downstairs. Instead, she found Granny Relda parked in her chair at the dining room table, sipping tea and writing in her own journal of fairy-tale accounts. When she saw Sabrina, she smiled as if the previous night's argument hadn't even occurred.

"I called the pharmacy to find out if there is anything we can do about the marker on your face," the old woman said. "Unfortunately, it looks as if only time will help. They assured me it will fade in a couple of days."

Sabrina scowled.

A couple of days!

"What do you want for breakfast? I'll make you anything you want," the old woman said, but before Sabrina could answer, Uncle Jake burst into the house and set a bright-pink donut box on the table.

"I brought breakfast," he said as he walked around the table and planted a big kiss on his mother's cheek. "Hello, beautiful."

The old woman tried to keep a serious face but Sabrina could see Uncle Jake's charm was working on her. Soon she surrendered a grin. "Jake, the children need something healthy in the morning."

"What the girls need is to try these. I waited outside the Baker's shop for an hour to get them. He makes his donuts in the middle of the night and if you're there when he opens the shop at five a.m., you can get them while they're fresh and hot. You should have seen the line! It was around the block! Even the Butcher and the Candlestick Maker were there, and those three can't stand one another."

"Being lost at sea in an old tub can strain a friendship," Granny explained. She reached in and took out a glazed donut. When she took a bite, a huge smile came to her face. "Oh, these are heaven."

"I know," Uncle Jake said with a laugh. "I already had seven. I'm as hyper as a three-year-old so I hiked up to the top of Mount Taurus. Sabrina, you have to go up there with me some time. From the top, you can see the whole town."

"I was up there last week running from the Jabberwocky," Sabrina said sarcastically.

"Not quite the experience I had, huh? I had forgotten how beautiful Ferryport Landing is in winter!"

Yeah, all four blocks of it,

Sabrina thought.

Daphne and Elvis entered the dining room. "I smell donuts!" Daphne said. Elvis's tongue was hanging out and dripping drool on the floor.

"Help yourself," Uncle Jake said, opening the lid of the box. Daphne reached inside and took two donuts.

"Two?" Uncle Jake said with a grin.

"One's for Elvis," the little girl explained, tossing one into the air. The Great Dane leaped up and snatched it in mid-flight. Sabrina wondered if he even tasted it before he swallowed it whole.

Daphne bit into hers first and sank into her chair in a dreamlike state. "Oh… my… gosh," she mumbled with her mouth full.

"Sabrina?" Uncle Jake said, offering her a donut. She reached in and took one. They were warm and sticky. She took a bite and couldn't believe how delicious they were. It was like biting into pure happiness. It was all sugar and butter and love.

"Good, huh?" Jake said with a wink.

Sabrina nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth to talk, some of the experience might escape.

"Mom, I got to thinking. You said yesterday that you and the girls have been pretty busy since they arrived. That's a real shame. This town has a few interesting spots, and I bet the girls would love to see some of the places where their dad and I used to hang out," Uncle Jake said.

"You mean the places you two used to get into trouble?" she said knowingly.

"Exactly!" He leaned over and kissed the old woman on the cheek again. "It'll be fun."

Granny nodded reluctantly.

"Great!" Uncle Jake said. He scooped up the pink box of donuts and raced out of the room. "I'm going to make sure Mirror gets one of these."

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be this early in the morning?" Granny wondered aloud.

Sabrina shrugged and went to the door. When she opened it she was so surprised she nearly fell over. It was Mayor Charming. Snow White stepped out from behind him, followed by his personal assistant, Mr. Seven, who was wearing the biggest grin she had ever seen.

"Good morning, Sabrina. Is everyone home?" Snow White asked. "Billy has something he'd like to say to your family."

The mayor looked annoyed.

"Well, Captain, permission to come aboard?" he said sarcastically.

Sabrina scowled and prepared to slam the door in his face when Granny came up behind her and invited everyone inside.

"Relda, I know it's early but I wanted to make sure you and the kids were OK after what happened yesterday," Ms. White said.

"Oh, no harm done," Granny said, flashing the mayor a disappointed look.

"Billy also has something important he wants to say to you and your family," the pretty teacher added. "But first, he has to get ready. Mr. Seven, if you would be so kind."

The little man reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small wad of paper. He unfolded it quickly and handed it to the mayor. Charming stared down at it with a scowl. Sabrina recognized it at once. It was a paper hat with the words I AM AN IDIOT written on it in big black letters. The Mayor often forced Mr. Seven to wear it.

"Do I have to?" Charming groaned.

"Billy Charming!" Ms. White scolded. "You promised!"

The mayor scowled and set the hat squarely on his head. Sabrina couldn't help but laugh, not so much at Charming's humiliation, but at the expression of triumphant satisfaction on the face of his diminutive sidekick, Mr. Seven. The dwarf looked as if he had just won the lottery.

"I'm sorry," Charming whispered.

"I don't think they heard you," Snow White said.

"Well then they all need hearing aids!" Charming snapped.

"Billy! You said you would do the right thing and if you don't I will never speak to you again," Ms. White threatened. "And you know I mean it. We went a few hundred years without saying even a word to each other!"