UnEnchanted (19 page)

“
The brothers discussed at
length what to do, for the quests were numerous. They couldn't
possibly achieve all of them in their lifetime. So they agreed, on
the condition that if they couldn't finish the quests, then the
next of their bloodline would be given a chance.”

“
It sounds too easy,” Mina
commented.

“
It was, of course, but
the ruling Fates were crafty. Fae can’t lie, you know. But they
can, and do, manipulate the truth.”

“
What’s the difference?”
Mina asked.

“
Like, if you asked me if
you were ugly, I couldn’t say yes, but I might tell you that you’ll
probably never be prom queen.”

“
Pfft. Like I’d want to
be.”

“
Only if Brody Carmichael
were king.”

Mina threw a stick at him, feeling the heat
rush into her face.

“
Mina, what I’m saying is,
the Fates tricked your great ancestors. What the brothers didn't
know was that the quests would start over from the beginning if the
chosen Grimm couldn't complete them.”

“
But that's not fair! I
shouldn’t have to be shouldered with their unfinished business. My
family wouldn't be cursed if they were able to finish where the
others left off. The gate could have been closed long ago, and I
would still have my father! I HATE this. I hate the Fae!” Mina let
out a frustrated growl.

Jared's eyes darkened at her words, and Mina
pinched her lips closed in remorse.

“
Yes, the Fae are crafty.
They don't want the gates closed. It means their playground would
be off limits and they couldn’t toy with the humans. So the Fae
continually try to impede the Grimms’ progress. They learned to
hide their essence between planes and appear human, normal. But if
you were able to see onto the next plane, you would see them for
what they really are.”

“
You mean I would see that
Grey Tail isn’t human.”

Jared nodded. “Grey Tail is very much a Fae
wolf, and like all wolves, they do run in packs.”

Mina shivered and rubbed her hands together
over the fire.

“
And what do you look like
on the next plane?”

“
Imagine me now, except
twice as handsome.”

“
Yeah, right.” Mina smiled
for a moment, but the thought of facing others like Grey Tail truly
scared her. Swallowing, she tried to regain focus on what Jared was
saying. The clue to beating the curse lay somewhere with him, she
knew it. “So what about the Story? You, my mother, everyone keeps
referring to the Story as if it’s a living, breathing
thing.”

“
It wasn’t at first, but
it is now. And it’s very dangerous.”

“
I don’t
understand.”

“
Well, when the ruling
Fates set forth the quests for Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, they kept a
record of the tales on the Fae plane as their way to keep an eye on
the brothers' progress. I told you the Fae love stories, and they
loved to read the completed tales as the brothers finished each
one. But anything that resides within the Fae plane that long
eventually gains power, and it did. It became self-aware, a Fae in
its own right, known as the Story. It liked the attention it was
receiving from the Fae, so the Story began to interfere on its own
and set up the tales for the Grimm descendants as a way to gain
more power.”

“
It doesn’t sound real.
This sounds made up.” Mina bit the inside of her cheek.

“
Believe me, I know how
unbelievable it is. Over the years the Story grew on its own. It
became obsessed with re-creating the Fae tales, even forcing the
occupants to participate so it could grow more
powerful.”

“
And the ruling Fates
don't care?”

“
Hardly. The Fates became
bored after the Grimm brothers passed on and cared little about
their descendants. Few were entertaining enough for them.
They…petered out too quickly. Maybe if someone came close to
breaking what you call the Grimm curse, they might peek their head
out of the throne room and look, but not likely.”

“
Did my father know all of
this?” she asked.

“
No.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because he didn’t ask for
help.”

“
And I did? When did I ask
for help?

“
In the alley, you called
and you got me.”

“
And you are?”

“
Not important. All you
need to know is that you’re lucky you’re so cute, and I decided to
help you.”

“
But not prom queen
cute.”

“
Definitely
not.”

They both smiled, but Mina realized with a
start that he’d never answered her question.

“
So about the Grimoire,”
Jared continued. “It was initially a token bestowed upon the
brothers by a sprite. She didn't agree with the Fae running amok in
the human world – not all of us do, you know. So instead of
impeding the brothers like so many other Fae, she became their
ally. She stole the Story when it was new in power and split it in
an attempt to limit the damage. She essentially made its
doppelganger and gave it to the Grimm brothers as a guidebook. Only
when you split a powerful object, the lines of good versus evil
aren't separated equally, and there are always side
effects.”

“
Let me get this straight.
So you’re saying that the Grimoire is like the Good Witch of the
East, here on the human plane, here to help me, and guide me. While
the Story is the same Wicked Witch of the West, only more powerful
and evil, and essentially wants to kill me?”

“
More or less, that about
sums it up.”

“
Yikes. I really am
doomed.”

“
I wouldn't say it wants
to kill you. It wants you to complete the tales. Remember, the more
you complete, the stronger it becomes. I just don't think it wants
you to complete all of them.”

“
So how do I know how to
complete the tales?”

“
Some of it is based on
intuition. The Grimms were always a smart bunch, or so they say.
And through years of participating in the story, Grimm descendants
seem to have their own kind of magic. You’ll pick up on things,
notice coincidences. A coincidence is often a sign that something
in the Fae world is interacting on this plane.”

Mina thought about showing up at the
Carmichaels’, and Brody running over her bike. Coincidence, or was
it more likely the Fae meddling in her affairs? After a few
moments, Jared got to his feet and changed the wooden sword into a
small knife, and began explaining different ways to hold the knife
and how to use the forearm to block downward thrusts. He ran her
through some exercises and then asked her to attack him.

“
I can’t,” Mina
whined.

“
Yes, you can.”

“
No, I don’t think I can
anymore. I’m cold, tired, and don’t want to hurt you.”

“
Mina, you have to. Your
life depends on it.” Jared was getting angry.

“
I told you, I
can’t.”

“
Do it for your brother.
Do it for Charlie!” he yelled. “Do it for your father!”

That was what made Mina step back and blink
in surprise. How did he know so much about her father? Was this
some sort of sick joke? Mina gripped the stupid knife and felt
herself go tense in preparation to attack. He was lying to her, or,
as he said, manipulating the truth. He knew more than he was
telling.

“
What do you know about my
father?” Mina yelled angrily, hot tears burning in her
eyes.

“
I know that he was full
of himself. James didn’t think he needed help and wouldn’t take it
when offered. He tried to face the Story on his own terms,
unprepared, and paid the ultimate price for his stubbornness. And
you’re going to end up just like him if you don’t prepare
yourself,” Jared called. Mina felt her body tense up like a tightly
wound spring. “You’re weak,” Jared continued. ”If you don’t get
stronger, you’re going to doom your mother to mourning not one
child, but two.”

That was the final straw; Mina grabbed her
wooden knife and jumped at Jared, trying to push him more than hit
him.

Jared pushed her back easily until she
stumbled in the sand. “Come on, you can do this. Fight me.”

Mina hung her head in shame, her heart
pounding frantically in her chest. She wanted to protect her
family, her brother, but Jared’s boot camp, encouragement had the
opposite effect. She didn’t want to watch her mother suffer again.
Perhaps her mom was right—they should leave, and get as far away
from here from possible. They should try to outrun the Story.

Mina tossed the enchanted knife as hard as
she could, watching as it created spirals in the lake after it
disappeared into the dark depths. She wiped her eyes with the cuff
of her jacket and walked away from Jared toward the road.

“
Where are you going?” he
asked.

“
Away, far away.” Mina
kept walking toward the main road. It seemed really far, and her
calves were burning from walking in the sand.

“
You can’t escape the
Story,” Jared called, hoping to spur her back to
fighting.

“
No, I can’t. But I can
run.”

Jogging to catch up with her, Jared tried to
grab her shoulder and turn her to look at him, but she started
pushing and hitting him.

“
Go away. Don’t touch me!”
Mina was crying hard. “You’ve brought me nothing but pain. I hate
you.” She turned her face up to him in defiance, her brown eyes
sparkling with tears. Jared’s sculpted jaw twitched with hidden
anger.

Mina flailed, but Jared grasped her wrists
to keep her from hitting him. Eventually she quit struggling and
stood still, quietly looking out over the water, refusing to make
eye contact. When a soft tear fell on his hand, Jared let go of her
as if her tear had burned his hand. As soon as he released her
wrists, Mina pulled away from him and marched toward the road.

She had no plan, but at the moment she
spotted a familiar green pick-up truck barreling down the road.
Mina waved her arms furiously, and soon she had a bewildered Asian
couple in a green truck opening the back door to let her in. She
refused to look out the window at Jared as the truck sped away.

Chapter 17

As soon as Mina got upstairs, she decided to
call Brody and apologize for not meeting him after school. But
there was no need, because once she reached the top landing there
was a beautiful present with a large red bow on top. Mina screamed
with delight, and Sara opened the door and laughed.

“
It arrived a few hours
ago. I couldn’t wait for you to see it.” Sara gently touched the
bow and fingered a brown paper envelope. “There’s even a card for
you, Mina.”

Mina ran her fingers over the handle bars of
the red, fully restored vintage bike. It was the exact year as her
other one, but with actual working brakes and a kickstand. She tore
the red card open without even bothering to read her name on the
front.

Mina,

Please forgive me for running out yesterday.
I had a lot on my mind, mostly you. Ever since you risked your life
to save me, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, and I
don’t want to.

I want to be more than friends. I want to be
the one to rush in and save you time and time again. I want to be
your Prince. Please accept this gift and go with me to the
Enchanted Dance.

Yours forever,

Brody Carmichael

P.S. Please say you will go.

P.P.S. If you don’t say yes, you can still
keep the bike.

P.P.P.S. Say YES!

Attached was also Brody’s phone number. Mina
jumped up and down in excitement and showed her mother the note.
She rushed inside and grabbed the cordless phone from its hanger by
the fridge. Her fingers were shaking so badly, she had to redial
the number twice.

When Brody’s deep voice answered the phone,
Mina almost lost her nerve and found she couldn’t immediately
speak.

“
Mina, is that
you?”

“
Yes, it’s me.” She
smacked her head, wishing she could have thought of something
better to have said.

“
I missed you after
school. Is everything okay?”

“
Yes, it’s fine. I’m
sorry, it was, um…family business that kept me from meeting you,
but don’t worry. I wasn’t in any danger.”

“
Oh!” He sounded relieved.
“Is that why you called?”

Mina smiled into the phone. “I called
because I love the bike. Thank you. When did you have time to find
one just like it?”

Brody laughed softly into the phone, a
whisper of breath that made Mina shiver in delight. “I actually
ordered it the same day I rode over yours. I was going to tell you
about it in the car but decided to surprise you instead. So have
you decided about the dance?”

Mina couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
“I don’t know if dancing is how I would want to spend my
birthday.”

“
Friday is your birthday?
I didn’t know. We can do something else, if you want.”

“
No, I think spending my
birthday with you would be the perfect gift.” Mina smiled over the
phone.

“
So decide on what fairy
tale couple you would like to go as, and then give me a call. I
would prefer to not go as the frog prince, if you get my drift.
Green and slimy doesn't look good on me.”