by Liz Delesus
“Prince Ferdinand, Terrance, I want you to meet my father, David Frost.” Bianca stepped aside, and the bear that was once her father bowed to the prince.
“But he’s a bear,” the prince said.
“Your Highness is very observant, but it’s obvious that Mr. Frost wasn’t always a bear,” Terrance said.
“A spell perhaps?” The prince wrinkled his face as though it physically hurt him to think and ask questions.
“Yes, your Highness,” Bianca replied.
“A quest and a spell to break? A mighty adventure indeed! The minstrels will sing songs about me.”
“Glad you think so,” Bianca muttered. “Dad? Do you know how to break the spell?” she asked, turning her attention to her father.
He shook his head.
“Great. Just…great,” she whispered.
“Now what?” Ming asked.
“We have to find a way to get him back to normal,” she said.
“Do you think there’s something in Mirabel’s spell book?” Ming asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far into it yet. Plus…I feel weird every time I touch it. I think the book wants me to stay away,” Bianca said.
She avoided mentioning that the book had literally attacked her and left a strange mark on the palm of her hand. She resisted the urge to inspect her hand for fear that someone might notice.
“That’s ridiculous. It’s just a book,” Ming said, dismissing the importance of what Bianca was trying to say.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to misjudge it, Ming. I don’t trust it. Not one bit,” Bianca said. “I’m going to have a quick breakfast and then we’ll be on our way. Dad? Can you wait here while we get ready?”
David nodded and sat down on the ground. The dirt and leaves floated and swirled all around him. It all slowly drifted back to the soil underneath him.
Everyone went inside and had breakfast. Bianca and Ming had some cold Pop-Tarts while they changed out of their pajamas and into their jeans, long sleeved T-shirt, and hiking boots.
“Are you okay?” Ming asked.
“I’m fine,” Bianca replied quickly. She knew what that question was going to lead to. She wasn’t ready to talk about it just yet.
“Yeah, you look fine.” Ming arched her eyebrow.
“Ming…not now. Please.”
“Okay.” Ming put her hands up in surrender. “But…if you change your mind and you do wanna talk about it, I’m here for you, okay?”
Bianca nodded. She wanted to say something more, but she felt that if she opened her mouth to speak she would burst into tears and not be able to follow through with the rest of their journey.
“Come on. We’ve got a long way to go,” Ming said.
“Yeah.” Bianca nodded.
They both went outside and waited for Prince Ferdinand and Terrance. She went up to her father, who unfortunately was still a bear. She sighed and sat next to him. David grumbled and buried his nose into her neck. She was surprised over the fact that his nose was so cold.
“Oh, Daddy,” she whispered.
He shook his head, but remained silent. She patted his head and still couldn’t get over the fact that she was touching thick, black fur and not the soft silky hair she remembered him having.
She looked up and saw Prince Ferdinand and Terrance emerge out of the cottage. She gave her father a kiss on the nose and stood up.
“So, which way do we go?” Bianca asked.
“I believe the witch you speak of lives north of here, but I don’t know the castle’s exact location,” Terrance said.
“How long do you think it’ll take us to get there?” Ming asked.
“I’m not certain. Perhaps five days if we only rest at night,” Terrance guessed.
What if we end up going the wrong way? Bianca wanted to be absolutely certain that they were heading in the right direction. She remembered that she had Red Riding Hood’s cape in her backpack. She glanced over at her best friend. They had seen each other in some pretty embarrassing outfits, but she wasn’t sure she wanted anyone to see her wearing the famous blood red cape.
“I’m never going to live this one down,” she muttered.
“What?” Ming asked when she saw the annoyed look on Bianca’s face.
“If you tell anyone about this, I’ll kill you,” she warned.
“Tell anyone about what?”
Bianca remained silent and instead pulled out Red Riding Hood’s cape out of her backpack.
“Oh…my…God,” Ming said and then stifled a giggle.
“Shut up,” Bianca hissed.
Ming pretended to zip her lips shut and covered her mouth with her hands.
Bianca took a deep breath and put the red cape on and tied the silk ribbons into a knot around her neck. The cape swished from side to side, seemingly of its own volition. Bianca felt like an upside down red rose.
“I thought it would be longer,” Ming noticed.
“Well…remember it was worn by a little girl in the original story.” Bianca tugged at the end of the cape. No matter what she did it wouldn’t go past her waist.
Bianca knew she looked silly, yet she couldn’t help but love the feel of the velvety cape over her shoulders. It was almost as though she was putting on a piece of red armor. She could sense the soft veil of magic fall over her body. She closed her eyes and immersed herself in that feeling.
Okay, Red Riding Hood…show me the way to my mother. Help me find the right path.
She wasn’t sure that would work. Rose had never taught her how to use the cape or if it worked at all, but she hoped that being honest was enough to get the cape to work for her. When Bianca opened her eyes, she saw blue footprints softly glowing on the ground.
“That way.” Bianca pointed to the north east.
“Are you sure?” Ming asked.
Bianca nodded.
“Very well then, off we go,” Prince Ferdinand said as he mounted his white horse. He extended his hand out to Ming and helped her mount the four-legged beast.
Terrance did the same for Bianca although she barely noticed Terrance picking her up and placing her on the saddle. She was almost in a trance. All she could see was the path before her. The bright blue footsteps beaconing to her, urging her to follow them to the destination she had politely demanded from the cape.
David whined and sniffed Bianca’s feet. She could tell that he was worried about her. The horse neighed and took a few steps back, but Terrance took control of the stallion. He managed to calm the creature down. David did his best to stay away from the horses, but Bianca saw how hard it was for him. She smiled at her father; she didn’t want to be too far from him either.
“Are you all right?” Terrance asked when he noticed the state she was in.
“Just follow the path. Stay on the path,” she said in a soft voice.
“Very well,” he replied.
One by one, the witch, her friend, the prince, the servant, and the bear marched into the unknown.
Chapter Fourteen
Bianca opened her eyes. Darkness. All around her was dark, dark, dark.
Where am I? Bianca wondered.
“Nowhere,” a seductive voice replied.
Bianca gasped and turned around searching for the voice that had answered her silent question.
“Who’s there?” she asked.
“Who’s there? Who is there?” the voice echoed, mocking her.
Bianca wondered if it was possible to have a heart attack in your sleep. She took a deep breath and decided to try again.
“Hello? Is someone there?”
“Here, I’m in here,” the female voice said.
All of sudden a spotlight zeroed in on Bianca and temporarily blinded her. When her eyes readjusted to the light, she saw a mirror. Bianca furrowed her brows, she recognized the looking glass. It was the one they had in the museum.
Either the same one or its twin, she thought as she took a step toward the mirror. Bianca had expected to se
e her own reflection in the looking glass, but instead of her face all that looked back at her was an angry beautiful face. This woman was tall and blond, her face in a permanent state of anger and anguish.
Before Bianca could utter a single word, the woman stepped out of the mirror and physically attacked Bianca. She screamed and tried to fight back, but then she remembered that it was a dream, and her magic wouldn’t work here.
Who are you? Bianca asked herself as she fought off the surprisingly strong woman from the mirror.
“I am Queen Mirabel,” she hissed into Bianca’s pale ear.
“Impossible,” Bianca whispered as she shook her head and continued to fight off Mirabel.
The evil queen put her hands around Bianca’s throat and began to strangle her. Bianca tried to pry the queen’s hands off her neck, but all she felt was smoke.
What did I ever do to you?
“Bianca. Wake up.” She heard Terrance’s voice. It was distant but she could hear him. She struggled to open her eyes, but something in the dream continued to pull her against her will. She could feel her body fighting to wake up and stay alive.
Terrance shook her until she opened her ice blue eyes and gasped for air.
“Are you all right?” he whispered. He had a tight grip on her hands.
Her entire being shook violently. She was drenched in sweat.
She looked around. It was still dark outside; her friends and her father were sleeping peacefully beside her beneath the stars. She envied their peaceful slumber. The fire had long since died out, and all that was left of it were the soft orange embers that continued to glow despite the evening breeze. Bianca welcomed the cool wind that caressed her burning skin.
“I don’t know. I think so.” She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
“Your hands were on your neck,” he said.
“What?”
“Your hands were around your neck…as if you were strangling yourself,” he repeated. Terrance frowned; she could see the concern in his dark brown eyes. Bianca looked away, not wanting him to see the fear that no doubt showed on her face.
“I heard your voice. I heard you calling my name. I kept trying to wake up. I tried. I just…I just can’t believe Mirabel was forcing me to kill myself.” Bianca’s voice wavered. Never in her entire life had she ever had suicidal thoughts, even on her worst days. She enjoyed life and looked forward to the following chapter in her life. There was still so much she wanted to do, see and learn.
“Is that what you were dreaming about?”
“That wasn’t a dream; it was a nightmare,” she said very quietly, so she wouldn’t wake up David, Ming, and Ferdinand. Bianca yawned and rubbed her eyes. She was still so tired. How would she ever get any sleep after the experience she just had? She then explained her nightmare to Terrance.
“It’s Mirabel, all right,” Terrance said grimly after Bianca finished telling him about her nightmare.
“I thought Snow White had Mirabel executed.”
“Yes, but remember where you are. My world is not like yours. Magic is part of our everyday lives. For all we know she could still be out there somewhere, casting her evil shadow everywhere she can,” he said.
Bianca shuddered. Even though every fiber in her being told her that what she had experienced in her dream was indeed very real, there was a part of her that wanted to believe it was just a nightmare. The rest of her was terrified.
The cool evening breeze rustled the leaves in the trees above them. She could’ve sworn she saw something glowing in the darkness.
Bianca gasped. “What was that?”
“Shh. There’s nothing there that will hurt you,” he said, doing his best to reassure her.
“God…I just want this to be over. I want to go home.” Bianca drew her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.
She could feel Terrance’s eyes upon her. She felt so incredibly small. A far cry from the confident young woman she had been when they’d been in the woods. Out there with the sun shining high above them, she had known what she had to do. She’d had the confidence to make a plan and see it through. But here in the dark? She was just a frightened young girl who needed all the help she could get.
“Don’t worry. This will all be over soon,” he said.
Bianca nodded, but wasn’t too sure she felt comforted by his words. Terrance moved to go back to sleep on his blanket when Bianca grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. The action surprised her more than it did him. She released her grip on his hand. She wrung her fingers together nervously.
“Yes, Bianca?”
“Terrance? Is it okay…could you hold me for a little while? Until I fall asleep? Please?”
“Of course, I’ll hold you all night long if I have to,” he said with warm smile and an affirmative nod. He grabbed the shirt he’d rolled up into a pillow and shared it with her.
An immense amount of relief washed over Bianca as she felt Terrance’s strong, warm arms around her waist. She felt certain that no more strange dreams or nightmares would plague her that night. And surely enough, within minutes they were both sound asleep.
When Bianca opened her eyes the following morning, she found she was still in Terrance’s arms. She was surprised that he had kept his word and held her all night long. He held her tightly against his chest. He was snoring lightly, but she didn’t find that annoying at all. If anything she thought it was cute. Bianca tried to wriggle out of his embrace, but he snorted, muttered some incoherent words and held her even tighter.
“Terrance, wake up,” she whispered as she nudged him on the shoulder with her free hand.
“Hmm? What?” He sat up still half asleep. He never relaxed his grip on Bianca.
“Terrance, I need to use the bathroom,” she whispered.
“Bathroom?” He frowned. He didn’t seem to understand the word.
What else do you call a toilet? Bianca wondered as she searched her memory.
“I have to relieve my bladder…umm…use the latrine,” she explained.
“Oh.” He nodded, finally understanding.
“Um…you have to let me go,” she said with a smile.
“So sorry.” He blushed and finally released his grip on her.
Bianca sighed and thought that Terrance was completely adorable in the morning. She wondered if he was like this every morning, or if she was witnessing a rare moment.
She walked several feet away and stood behind a tree. She double-checked until she was sure no one could see and relieved her bladder. Ming soon followed and waited a few feet away for Bianca to finish.
“Morning, B,” Ming said.
“Morning.”
“I brought you your toothbrush.” Ming handed Bianca a purple toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste.
“Cool. Thank you.” Bianca took these items from Ming’s hands.
“So…you and Terrance were looking pretty cozy this morning. Anything you wanna tell me? Hmm?” Ming asked half joking, half serious. She wriggled her eyebrows up and down playfully.
Bianca groaned as she brushed her teeth. “I thought you were asleep,” she said while the toothbrush bobbed up and down in her mouth.
“I’m a friggin’ ninja, B. You know I have mad radar skills. You can’t get anything past me.” She took on a fighting stance and did a few air kicks. “Hiya!” she shouted.
Bianca rolled her eyes and spat the toothpaste foam out of her mouth. Ming then handed her a bottle of water. Bianca took it and used a mouthful of water, gargled and spat out the residue. She also rinsed her hands for good measure.
“Nothing happened,” Bianca explained and then wiped the water off her chin with the back of her hand.
“Terrance is hot. Don’t tell me you weren’t hoping something would happen.”
“I was having a nightmare last night, and Terrance woke me up,” Bianca said.
“And then?” Ming smiled. She wiggled her eyebrows, obviously hoping that Bianca was about to give
her some juicy bit of information.
“He saw that I was strangling myself with my bare hands and couldn’t wake up,” Bianca admitted.
“Wait. What? You tried to kill yourself in your sleep!” Ming shouted.
“Shh,” Bianca whispered and then tried to cover Ming’s mouth to keep her from making more noise. She didn’t want anyone else to know about her dream, especially her father. The last thing she wanted to do was worry him. Ming slapped her best friend’s hands away and, just like that, her playfulness vanished.
“No! You shh!” Ming shouted angrily. “Don’t shush me. This is too much, B.”
“I know,” she replied, her voice somber.
“I can’t do this.” She pulled on the ends of her jet black hair.
“You wanna go home?” Bianca asked.
Ming let go of her hair and nodded.
“I don’t want to die here, Bianca. I mean…working in the museum is one thing, but all this craziness with evil witches and now this? It’s too much,” Ming admitted.
“I know,” Bianca whispered.
“Listen…I’m not going to ditch you or anything like that right now. That would just not be cool. But you gotta promise me that we’ll leave if it gets to be too much, okay?” Ming looked at her with pleading eyes.
Bianca shook her head. “I’m not leaving without my parents. But I do promise to find a way for you to go back home.”
“I can’t leave you here,” Ming argued.
“You’re gonna have to.”
Ming sighed. “I think I’m going to let Future Ming and Future Bianca handle it when the moment arrives.”
“I agree.” But no matter what they said to each other, Bianca couldn’t ignore the fact that the worst had yet to come.
Chapter Fifteen
After two days of traveling in the forest, they all fell into a false sense of security. That night they decided to settle near the mouth of a small cave. Bianca had finally, albeit reluctantly, removed Red Riding Hood’s cape for the night. She was scared that she wouldn’t be able to find the right path again. Regardless of that, she let out a sigh of relief as she felt the magic peel itself off her body.
They all sat around the crackling fire, enjoying their simple meal of smoked venison, bread, and sweet wine, when the horses neighed and whined for no apparent reason.
