The Magic Misfits: The Second Story

by Neil Patrick Harris

  “Love you, Poppa,” Leila added, following the group to the lounge area beyond the kitchen doors.

  “Bad, Ozzy and Illy!” Olly said. “No cheese for you!”

  “Come on, let’s get our mice back home. We have rehearsal,” Izzy noted.

  “And the rest of us should get going too,” Ridley said. “I have a new trick at home that needs my attention.”

  As the kids moved through the lounge, Leila saw that the tall-backed, pleated leather chairs and dense, dark-wood side tables were arranged into small seating areas. Moose, deer, and bear head trophies hung from the walls. Enormous potted palms, ferns, fiddle-leaf fig trees, and birds of paradise plants greened up the space, giving privacy to the people who were seated, reading newspapers or huddling together in hushed conversation. When she’d first come to Mineral Wells, Leila would play alone in this room, hiding among the grand plants, pretending the animal trophies were hunting her and she needed to be sneaky enough to escape from them. She smiled at the happy memory.

  The Misfits were almost at the exit when the sound of Sandra’s voice came from somewhere nearby, stopping Leila in her tracks. “Sandra’s still down here,” she said.

  “Where?” Ridley asked. “I don’t see her.”

  “There,” said Carter, pointing to a far corner of the lounge.

  The woman sat by herself in one of the leather chairs, wearing a worried expression. She was leaning backward as if trying to hide among the leaves of one of the giant decorative plants.

  Leila corralled the group behind a wide column. “What’s wrong with her?” she asked. “Do you think she’s all right?”

  “She seems to be talking to herself,” said Theo.

  “What’s she saying, though? Do you think she’s still trying to communicate with the hotel’s ghosts?”

  Ridley sighed. “There are lots of reasons she might be talking to herself. Maybe she’s running through her stage performance in her head. Maybe she’s thinking of supplies she’ll need. Maybe she’s just insane.”

  “That’s not nice, Ridley,” Leila said.

  “I never said I was nice,” Ridley said with a wicked little smile.

  “Izzy and I talk to ourselves all the time,” said Olly. “And we’re perfectly normal.”

  “We’re also normally perfect,” Izzy added with a tap-dance flourish. “Well, I am at least.”

  From the privacy of her leather chair, Sandra hissed at seemingly no one. “Absolutely not! I won’t do it!”

  Peering around the column, Leila could see the woman’s face turning red. Sandra was about to burst into tears. Leila stepped forward and rushed over, calling out to Sandra, “Is everything okay?”

  Flustered, Sandra scrambled to her feet. “Leila! What are you still doing here?”

  Leila stammered. “I… I…” But nothing else would come out of her mouth.

  “Everything is fine,” said Sandra, her fearful expression melting away into a sad smile. “I need to go up to my room now. But I’ll be in touch, okay? Make sure you tell Dante about the show. I’d hate for him to miss it.”

  “Uh, okay.” When Leila blinked, she found that the woman was already racing away toward the lobby staircase.

  The others came up quietly behind her. “What was that all about?” asked Theo.

  Leila’s cheeks flushed, but she forced a smile. “I’m not really sure.”

  That evening, Leila and Carter sat by the light of a long taper candle and drank sweet birch beer with Mr. Vernon in the parlor of the apartment. The sound of peeping tree frogs drifted in through the open windows as Carter told him about the day. Mr. Vernon snapped his fingers absentmindedly at the flame, changing it from yellow to green to blue to red. Each time it changed, Carter gave a small cheer. Leila was in an uncharacteristically quiet mood.

  Finally, she broke her silence. “Dad, did the Emerald Ring ever hang out at the Grand Oak Resort?”

  Mr. Vernon seemed to consider how to answer. “We did, yes. Quite a bit actually, in the rear wing of the lodge, when it was still habitable. But eventually, we drifted apart.”

  “That’s weird,” said Carter. “Sandra didn’t mention anything about that.”

  Leila wanted to ask her dad about the fire that Carter had neglected to bring up, but she was nervous that discussing the rumor would put a clamp on his sudden willingness to talk.

  “It’s not weird at all,” Mr. Vernon said. “The best magicians know how to control their audience’s attention. Whatever happened today—those tales of a haunting followed by a séance—happened because Sandra wanted them to.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Leila.

  “Let me ask a question: When did the rumors of the ghosts at the Grand Oak begin?”

  “Olly and Izzy said it was just recently,” Carter answered.

  “Interesting!” Mr. Vernon sipped from his glass.

  “What’s so interesting about that?” asked Leila.

  Mr. Vernon licked at his mustache, as if he was pretending not to hear.

  “I think what he’s saying is that there’s a connection between Sandra arriving at the Grand Oak and the rumors of the haunting starting up.”

  “That is a strange coincidence,” said Mr. Vernon.

  “But maybe it’s not a coincidence. Right, Dad?”

  The man with the curly white hair stared out the window, a smile creeping across his face. “My, my… it finally seems to be cooling off! Do you feel the breeze?”

  Leila groaned. Her dad was doing the thing where he’d give her a tiny hint and then expect her to figure out exactly what was on his mind. “So you’re saying that Sandra arranged all of it?”

  Mr. Vernon finally faced her again. “Magicians’ tricks can sometimes have very long setups before they pay off.”

  “Can you tell us anything more about your old club, Mr. Vernon?” Carter asked. “What did you guys do in your meetings? Who were your other friends?”

  “Oh, we weren’t so different from your own magic club.” Mr. Vernon yawned and then stood up. “But it’s already so late! I’m afraid any more stories would only bore you to sleep. If only there were a place in Mineral Wells where you could search for answers to your questions.” He wandered into the kitchen to put his empty glass in the sink. Then he called out, “Good night!”

  “A place in Mineral Wells?” Carter repeated to Leila.

  “Another hint,” she said, rolling her eyes, amused that her dad was so predictable… and also… not.

  “It would be easier if he’d just tell us!” Carter said, laughing.

  Leila raised her eyebrows. “We already know that Dante Vernon doesn’t do easy.”

  And with that, the two gave each other a quick hug and went off to bed.

  But they didn’t go to sleep. Not right away. Leila could hear Carter knocking on the wall between their rooms. It followed a recognizable pattern. Ridley’s Morse code homework.

  His knocks came again:

  Leila clutched at her key, which was resting on her chest. She tapped on the wall beside her bed:

  After that, his knocking stopped. And the sound of the tree frogs peeping from outside was like a lullaby, luring Leila to sleep.

  I know, I know.… You’re probably thinking: “Again with the superstition about the number thirteen?”

  To that, I shall answer: Superstitions are not so easily eradicated. Who among you doesn’t flinch when a black cat crosses your path? Do you avoid walking under ladders? And what about broken mirrors? Seven years can seem like eternity when dealing with bad luck!

  Just like in the first book, I think it’s best we skip this chapter. While I work on my fear of thirteen, why don’t you enjoy a performance from Ridley’s Top Hat?

  That rabbit doesn’t do much, does it? Other than wiggle its cute little nose, I mean. Great! Well, let’s get back to it. Go on and turn the page.…

  FOURTEEN

  After breakfast, Leila and Carter met up in the secret room at the back of the magic shop
before it opened for the day.

  “I was thinking,” Leila whispered.

  “Again?” Carter asked with a grin.

  “Last night before bed, Dad mentioned that he and his friends would meet in the rear wing of the lodge. What if that was his roundabout way of saying, ‘Go look there’? We’ve wanted answers about his old club. The abandoned wing might be where we find them.”

  Carter nodded. “True. Even if that wasn’t what he was saying, it’s still worth an expedition.”

  “Let’s call the others and see if they can meet us after Dad gets back from the grocery store,” said Leila.

  A knock sounded at the shop’s front door. Leila and Carter leapt out from the secret room and closed the entry quietly. Leila came around the aisle and, to her surprise, found Sandra waving through the window. Her hair was pulled back in a wild ponytail, and she wore a soiled blue smock over a pair of dark jeans. The only indication that she was the Madame Esmeralda was her familiar white star-shaped earrings. Leila unlocked the door and let her in. “Good morning, my friends!” Sandra exclaimed.

  “Hi, Sandra!” said Leila.

  “Are you ready for your show?” asked Carter.

  “I spent all last night going over my usual routine,” said Sandra. “Today, I’m doing some cleanup at my house around the corner and thought I’d stop by to ask Leila an important question.”

  She removed a large deck of colorful cards from the pocket of her jeans and gave them a quick shuffle. Next, she spread them out on the counter in a fan shape before plucking one from the center and turning it over. The image on the card was unlike any pictures Leila had ever seen on her dad’s regular decks. Instead, there was an elaborate illustration showing a woman kneeling by a natural pool underneath light beaming down from seven stars overhead. The woman on the card poured water from two jugs—one stream fell into the pool, and the other fell onto the land. “My tarot cards predict… that you will say… yes!”

  “Shouldn’t I hear the question first?” Leila asked.

  “I suppose so.” Sandra chuckled. “I would be honored if you would agree to be my opening act at the Grand Theater.”

  Leila glanced at Carter, who stared back in surprise. “You want me to be your opening act?” She felt faint. “Tomorrow night?”

  Sandra nodded hopefully.

  “Brilliant!” said Carter.

  “But why me?” asked Leila. “Why not the other Misfits?”

  “We won’t have time for everyone to show off their skills. But you are talented and enthusiastic, and I think you’ll be great. Don’t you think Dante will adore seeing you on stage?”

  “I hope so,” Leila answered, her voice wobbling.

  “Don’t worry,” said Carter. “I’ll give you tips on how to work a crowd.”

  “She already knows how to do that,” said Sandra. “She’s Leila Vernon. She can do anything!”

  Carter and Leila were sitting on the shop’s floor, cutting up and tying pieces of rope together in preparation for Leila’s first solo act. Mr. Vernon came through the front door, followed by Theo and Ridley.

  “Look who I found wandering around outside,” said Mr. Vernon.

  “I don’t know what we would have done if he hadn’t come along,” said Ridley.

  “We might have gone on wandering forever,” Theo added with his soft smile.

  Mr. Vernon nodded at the knotted mess on the floor between Leila and Carter. “Are we planning on tying up several tiny people this morning?”

  “Even better!” said Carter, nudging Leila. “Go on, tell him!”

  Leila’s face grew red. “Sandra stopped by and asked me to be her opening act tomorrow night at the Grand Oak.”

  “Awesome!” Ridley yelled with a raised fist.

  “Congratulations, Leila,” said Theo. “You deserve it, most assuredly.”

  Mr. Vernon knelt down and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a warm squeeze. “That is truly spectacular, honey,” he whispered into her ear.

  “We’ve been trying to figure out how her act should go,” said Carter. He snapped his fingers and a pair of thumb cuffs appeared in his hand. “I suggested using these.”

  Leila took the device from him, snapped the tiny cuffs around her thumbs, and held up her hands to show the others. “I don’t think the effect will be big enough for the Grand Oak stage.” She wriggled her fingers and the cuffs fell to the floor with a clatter. “See? Not impressive.”

  “I am impressed,” Theo said, examining the small cuffs.

  Leila glanced at Mr. Vernon. “I was hoping that Dad would teach us how to do the amazing escape act that I saw him do on the day I met him. The one with the assistants in masks, and the oil-cloth hood.”

  “That one took my friends and me months of practice,” said Mr. Vernon.

  Leila’s grin hid her disappointment. “You’ll teach me one day, won’t you?”

  “Of course! When we have more time.”

  “Sandra says the show starts at eight o’clock tomorrow. You’ll be there—right, Dad?”

  Mr. Vernon frowned. “I’m sorry, honey. I have some very important business at the store at that time.”

  Leila couldn’t believe her ears. “More important than my first solo act? I’m going to be on stage by myself at the Grand Theater. And Sandra really wants you to be there.”

  “I’m sure Sandra does,” Mr. Vernon answered. “But your poppa will come. And all your friends. You’ll have oodles of support. The whole town!”

  “I don’t want the whole town! I want you!”

  “In that case,” said Mr. Vernon, perking up even more, “we’ll have a Vernon’s Magic Shop exclusive after you get home.” He waved a showman’s flourish. “Leila’s Encore! How about that?” Leila’s face fell. Immediately, Mr. Vernon softened, leaning closer to her. “I am so, so sorry. If there was any other way… but there’s not. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  He held out his hand, and a bouquet of pink feather flowers appeared in a blink. Though she took them from him, she couldn’t help but pay for them with a sad smile.

  FIFTEEN

  After they’d spent most of the day preparing for her act, Carter dragged Leila out of the shop for a well-deserved break. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To the Grand Oak Resort to meet our friends,” Carter answered with a sly smile.

  Theo and Ridley were on the back patio. Now they just waited for Olly and Izzy to arrive. Late-afternoon light streamed through the trees, tossing dappled shadows against the walls of the building. Leila thought of the strange lights that she’d seen in the windows during Madame Esmeralda’s séance. Together, the four Misfits guessed at what they might find inside the old building. Ridley perched eagerly forward in her chair, staring at the door of the abandoned wing. It was open a crack. A sliver of shadow stared back at them.

  “That bellhop must have forgotten to lock up yesterday,” Ridley noted.

  “Or maybe a ghost unlocked it for us,” Theo said.

  “I’m not sure I believe in ghosts,” Leila said, “but there’s still something about this old place that gives me the chills.”

  “Me too,” said Theo.

  “Me three,” Carter added with a grin. “We’re not here to investigate ghosts today, though. We’re here to learn more about the Emerald Ring. Let’s tuck the supernatural concerns away for now.”

  Once more, Leila clutched the key at her chest. It felt good to have something to hold on to. The key grounded her, as did having her friends at her side.

  “Always together,” a voice said into her ear.

  “Never apart,” added another voice at her other ear.

  Leila wasn’t sure which way to spin. But when she did turn, she found that Olly and Izzy had crept up on the rest of the Misfits, as they tended to do.

  “Where is Madame Esmeralda?” asked Olly, holding up one of the field mice.

  Izzy held up her own mouse, adding, “We wanted to show her the trick we taught
Ozzy and Illy.”

  “I thought it was Olly and Izzy,” said Ridley, scrunching up her forehead.

  “That’s us,” said Izzy. “These guys are Ozzy and Illy.”

  “Sandra’s in the auditorium prepping for the show,” Leila interrupted, before the conversation could grow any more exasperating.

  “We’re so excited for you!” said Olly.

  “Congratulations, Leila!” said Izzy. “It’s a huge deal to be an opening act at the Grand Theater. Think of the openers who’ve warmed up audiences for all the great performers over the years!”

  Ridley looked curious. “Like who?”

  Olly and Izzy glanced at each other, then shrugged.

  “Well, thank you.” Leila bowed graciously.

  “What is the trick?” Theo asked the twins, nodding at the mice.

  “Oh, right.” Olly presented his mouse again. Izzy held her mouse up beside his. He waggled his fingers at the two rodents. “I’ve hypnotized them both to stop speaking!” Everyone waited. The mice did nothing but sniff at the air between them.

  “They’re fast learners,” said Izzy.

  “So impressive!” said Olly. “Aren’t they?”

  “Do you really want to know the answer to that?” asked Ridley.

  Olly and Izzy shook their heads. They were used to receiving critiques about their performances, but not from Ridley.

  (Friends, take note: Sometimes, your audience isn’t going to respond the way you’d like them to. Most times, you can’t escape by running off stage and hiding, so it’s a good idea to learn to let words roll off you, like water off a duck’s back.)

  Ridley sighed. “Okay, now that that’s over with, who’s ready to explore?”

  “If the door is already unlocked, is it wrong to enter?” Leila wondered aloud as she pushed the door open. It creaked all the way until it finally stopped, and the building beckoned the children to enter.

  “That’s debatable,” said Carter, walking in first. The others followed. “I’ll ask my uncle, the criminal, the next time I see him—which, I hope, is never.”