“So you still don’t know why Eldrich wanted revenge?” Lizzy asked. “I mean, was it because he didn’t pay her for the blueprints? What was their price?”
“I asked myself that same question for many years. Why? Why had this happened to me? What had I ever done to deserve this? I never discovered the answer, though I have never stopped wondering how my father came to know Eldrich and have the blueprints created. My father couldn’t see me, but I could watch him. I saw him try to rekindle the house’s magic, but it didn’t seem to work.”
“Speaking of magic,” Marcus said, “how can you make your hair slither like a snake or put us into a trance? I know the house can do all sorts of stuff, but can you too?”
“I’m a part of the Begonia House,” she replied. “Its magic is my magic—but only on the other side of the mirror.”
“We might be able to give you a little information about how your father met Eldrich and why the family was cursed. He explains it in this letter to you, but I’m guessing you never saw it.” Fairday dug in her bag for the letter and handed it to Ruby.
Ruby carefully unfolded it and began reading. Fairday wanted to give her some privacy, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the scene. Finally, Ruby lifted her head, tears glistening in her eyes again. “Thank you. This does help answer some of the questions I’ve spent my life thinking about. Where did you find this?” Ruby asked.
“I found it in a box of bills,” Marcus replied.
“I guess I was preoccupied when I came to this side, always trying to use only a little of the precious time I had left in the real world. Time, as you know, is stopped on the other side of the mirror,” Ruby said.
“It’s always three o’clock on your wedding day,” Lizzy clarified.
“That’s correct,” Ruby responded.
Fairday’s eyes shifted to the hourglass, just as another grain fell. There weren’t many left.
Lizzy broke through the stillness that had enveloped them. “So are you stuck like this forever now? Isn’t there some way to undo the trade?” she asked.
Ruby eyed her curiously. “Eldrich did give me one final piece of the puzzle. She told me if I were to ever give the shoes away to someone who fit into them, I would be free.”
“Free?” Lizzy repeated.
“Yes, free. I would become myself again,” Ruby explained.
“Yourself, like you were when you were younger?” Fairday asked.
“I have absolutely no idea what would happen. Obviously, I have yet to find anyone who could wear them,” Ruby answered.
“Is that why you’ve been haunting us?” Lizzy asked.
“Yes, I wanted to trap you,” she said. “But you three managed to escape. I did my best to entice you to the other side in hopes of breaking the curse. I thought you’d try to get your book back, and when you didn’t come, I took your dog. Don’t worry, I tucked your book safely on a shelf in my father’s study.”
“Thanks. It’s my favorite story,” Fairday said, breathing a sigh of relief that she’d get her prized possession back soon. “So all this time you’ve been looking for someone to try the shoes on?”
“Yes, but my time is almost up.”
“Well, you’re not going to believe this, but…uh…actually, the sneakers fit me.” Lizzy’s words bounced through the room like overly heated particles.
“They do?” Ruby looked strangely optimistic.
“They sure do,” Fairday said. “Just like Dorothy’s ruby slippers.”
An anxious excitement filled the room. Once the chair released Ruby, she handed over the high-heeled sneakers. No one could guess what was going to happen, but Lizzy accepted the gift, sliding them on right before the last grains of sand fell through the hourglass.
Fairday watched the trees blur by in shades of red, yellow, and gold as the bus rumbled toward school. It was Monday, and everything was perfectly normal in the quiet country town of Ashpot. As she settled into her seat, she could hear the usual laughter and whispering that went along with the morning bus ride.
Smiling to herself, she recalled the weekend’s events as the bus trundled down the road. Lizzy’s face had been priceless as she swooped and swirled around the third-floor room, wearing the high-heeled sneakers. Even Ruby had watched in amazement as she whipped by, laughing gleefully.
After Ruby had given the sneakers to Lizzy, the enchantment broke. The red sand in the hourglass turned green and Ruby transformed back into herself, though she was much older now. Her black eyes became a more natural green, and her hair was silver and white, though streaked with hints of red.
The bus went over a whopping pothole and Fairday burst out laughing as she bounced out of her seat and landed back down with a thump. Her father had gone on and on about the charming, older lady who had mysteriously joined them for dinner Saturday night. It was quite a tale the DMS had to come up with in order to explain her presence. But after all was said and done, he had bought it. Larry promised he would look after Ruby, and when she left the Begonia House with him that night, she looked more cheerful than she had in a very, very long time.
Fairday recalled something her father had said while they were moving in. He had predicted that moving into the Begonia House was going to be a real adventure. If this last case was any indication, she knew the DMS was going to be busy over the next year. After all, she lived in a magical house, which came with really cool instructions; Lizzy had amazing high-heeled sneakers that could make her fly; and they had initiated an awesome new member into their club, whose father just happened to be an FBI agent. Not to mention they had met two useful contacts to help them solve future cases: Larry Lovell, investigative journalist, and Ruby Begonia, the no-longer-missing bride. Plus, they had each learned something about themselves, just like the characters in her favorite book. Things were pretty darn good!
The bus pulled up to the front of the school and Fairday grabbed her backpack. As she hopped off the last step, she caught Marcus’s eye in the crowd. He immediately began pushing his way through the throng of kids and slipped in next to her.
“So the DMS is meeting again this Saturday?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” Fairday replied. “Be at my front gates at noon.” She glanced around to check that no one was watching, then leaned into Marcus. “Lizzy said she’s figured it all out, and she’s going to use the sneakers to fly over. Get ready, because you’re not going to believe what I found.”
“Fear not the unexpected, right?” Marcus smirked.
“Exactly!” Fairday exclaimed as they merged into the crowd of kids and disappeared inside the brick building.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This has been an incredible adventure so far, and we couldn’t have done it without a whole cast of characters.
We’d like to begin with our amazing editor, Krista Vitola. Her attention to detail is brilliant, and because of her comments and suggestions we were able to bring Fairday’s story to greater heights. Krista’s willingness to work with us, even though we were new authors, is truly appreciated. We’d like to thank Roman Muradov. His illustrations are unique and capture the mystery perfectly. We’d also like to mention our copy editors for their keen eyes and the way they polished the story to a shine. We are so lucky to get to work with the wonderful people at Delacorte Press.
We can’t imagine a better agent than Rachael Dugas, from Talcott Notch Literary. Her determination and enthusiasm were just what we needed. Hearing her thoughts on our characters made our hearts soar. Thank goodness we connected with Gina Panettieri at a writing conference and she passed our manuscript on to Rachael.
Thank you to our family and friends. Between us there are too many to list, but we know you know who you are! Your love, encouragement, and support have meant so much to us. Knowing you were behind us helped us to pursue our dreams.
We read the first version of our book to Mrs. Robinson’s class many years ago, and each year we have read it to a new group of students. Their feedback has helped
our story grow and change. There’s nothing more exciting than hearing from young readers. We were lucky enough to have our very own test audience, and we are so grateful for their honesty.
The bloggers and authors we met online and in person have given us feedback that has made us better writers. Their words allowed us to see our writing through a different lens, and although it was tough at first, we were able to take their advice and rise to the challenge. The writing community is filled with strong, inspirational people, and it has been magical sharing stories with friends across the world.
To those of you who agreed to read and edit the story in any of its various stages: you are the best, and we know we had a lot to learn!
Connecticut schools Flanders Elementary in Southington, Hop Brook Elementary in Naugatuck, and Middlebury Elementary in Middlebury each welcomed us and allowed us to share our book with their students. What a thrill it was talking to kids, teachers, parents, and librarians about our writing process.
Living with a writer can’t be easy. While the crazy ideas are brewing, time is dedicated to writing, editing, and collaborating. This means other chores and obligations might be put aside. A special thank-you to Ron and James, not only for being patient with us through the winding journey that led us to this point, but for their constant love and support.
Lastly, we’d both like to thank the best coauthor anyone could ever ask for. Fear not the unexpected, right?
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jessica Haight is a true New Englander, with a deep desire to be near the ocean and a love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up, and cultivating magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages of a good story and is still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts. Jessica lives in Connecticut with her charming fiancé, James; their dog, Jack; their cat, Bill; and a very entitled bunny named Alice.
Stephanie Robinson lives with her husband in a quiet town, though it is not as quaint as Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years, she is now enjoying her role as a school media specialist. One of the many benefits of her job is that she learns something new every day. When Stephanie isn’t working, she spends her time creating stories, getting lost in books, and traveling to new places.
To learn more about the authors, visit fairdaysfiles.com.
The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow Page 17
