First Frost (26 page)

She took a deep breath and leaned over to kiss him on the lips.

His dark brown eyes opened while Bianca was still pressing her lips against his. He reached his hand out and ran his fingers through her hair. They forgot where they were for a moment and deepened their kiss. The world vanished. There was nothing expect the two of them and their kiss.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Slowly, one by one, they roused themselves awake. David licked Bianca’s face until she patted him gently on the cheek and reassured him that she was okay.

“Are we back? Did we make it?” Ming rubbed her temples as she carefully sat up.

“I think so.” Bianca threw the sheets aside and got out of bed, staggering a little as she tried to regain her balance. She made her way toward the only window in the brick house.

She gasped when she looked outside. “Oh. My. God.”

The brick house was completely covered in black vines and thorns. Bianca couldn’t even see the sunlight. She couldn’t believe that this was actually happening to her.

“It’s like being trapped in a twisted version of Sleeping Beauty. They kind of skip her reaction when she wakes up to a castle covered in thorns,” Bianca mumbled. “Of course, they also left out what happened to Sleeping Beauty after she married the prince.”

“What are you muttering about? Speak
English
,” Ming said.

“Nothing. Story for another time,” Bianca replied.

“What’s going on out there? Why is it so dark?” Ming rubbed her eyes and stood next to Bianca. “What is that stuff? Is it what I think it is?” she shrieked.

Bianca nodded. “I think they stopped growing,” Bianca said, trying to make the best out of a sticky situation.

“Yeah, but we’re still surrounded. How are we going to get out of here?”

“We might have to cut our way out of this one,” Bianca suggested.

“That could take forever. Don’t you know any spells? Check the spell book and see if you find anything in there that can help us,” Ming said.

Bianca shook her head. She was going to save the book as a last resort. She opened the window and used every spell she knew (which wasn’t many to begin with). Nothing worked. Not fire. Not ice. Neither did wind nor water. Nothing could make the black thorns disappear.

Bianca felt like she had no choice but to listen to Ming’s suggestion. She reluctantly opened her backpack and pulled out the spell book. Chills ran up and down her spine as she opened the book. She hadn’t realized that she was holding her breath until her chest began to ache. She drew a shaky breath and searched each page carefully until she finally found a spell to control the thorns.

“Black thorns
Beneath my feet,
Hear my call,
Hear my plea,
Obey my words
And return to the place
Whence you came.”

As Bianca chanted the spell, she could feel a part of her soul begin to darken, like a bruised fruit, just before it’s about to go bad. But to everyone’s amazement, the ebony colored thorns hissed and trembled as it slowly receded back underground.

The spell worked…but at what cost?

Ming ran out of the house as soon as the thorns vanished. She headed for the trees and began to hyperventilate. The entire experience had obviously left her shaken. Bianca chased after her and tried to offer her some comfort.

“Leave me alone, B.” Ming pushed Bianca away when she got too close.

Bianca opened and closed her mouth a few times. She was speechless. Ming had never spoken to her that way. Ever. Her words stung.

“Ming…I’m so sorry,” Bianca whispered.

“I know. I know you’re sorry. I know this isn’t your fault, but I just can’t look at you right now.”

Bianca shook her head and turned away from her oldest and dearest friend.

Prince Ferdinand patted Bianca on the shoulder and walked up to Ming. Bianca stood by, feeling empty and useless as she watched the prince comfort her friend.

“Are you all right?” he asked softly.

Ming turned to him and sobbed into his chest. His blue eyes widened in surprise. His hands hovered over her back as though uncertain if he should embrace her or not. The way her body trembled with every sob that raced through her body, he quickly overcame his shyness and held her tightly against him.

“There, there. We made it out all right. No one got seriously hurt,” he whispered.

Ming shook her head and sobbed even harder.

Prince Ferdinand kissed the top of her head and let her cry all she wanted. She was scared, pure and simple. This was his world. He knew to expect strange adventures and obstacles that could shake your entire being to its core.

“I want to go home. I’ve had enough,” she said.

Prince Ferdinand gently lifted her face by placing a finger on her chin. He looked into her dark brown eyes and said, “Then we shall make it so. Please, don’t cry.”

Ming took in a shaky breath of air and wiped the tears that gathered at the corners of her eyes. She gave him a single nod and tried to smile.

Prince Ferdinand chuckled. “That has to be the saddest smile I have ever seen.”

“I think this is the best I can do under the circumstances.”

“Come, let us talk to Bianca about how we can get you back home.”

“What about you? Don’t you want to go home?” she asked.

“Heavens, no! I’m having the time of my life,” Prince Ferdinand replied, unable to stop himself from smiling. His voice softened and he said, “But for a lady such as yourself? This is no place for you. You’re wise in your desire to return home.”

“What about Bianca?” she asked.

“She will understand.”

“You think so?”

“Come, I’ll prove it to you.”

Bianca took that as her cue to walk away and left them alone. She went back to the brick house and waited for them to return.

Together, Ming and the prince walked through the front door.

Ming nibbled on her lower lip nervously as she stood in front of Bianca. “I’m sorry for pushing you,” she whispered.

“That’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it,” Bianca replied.

Ming nodded and tucked her hair behind her ears.

“Home?” Bianca asked.

Ming nodded.

“I understand.”

“Are you sure?” Ming asked, her voice laced with a mixture of relief and guilt.

“You’re my best friend. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt. I’m not mad. I’d leave too if I could. But I can’t leave my mom here.”

Ming nodded once more.

“When I get back, we’ll go shopping and have some of your mom’s famous dumplings.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. I’ll even buy you that lipstick you were eyeing last time we went to the mall okay?”

“Okay,” Ming said as she stifled a sob.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Bianca whispered.

Ming burst into tears and embraced her best friend. Bianca couldn’t remember a moment in time where they weren’t together. This was different though; this was a matter of life and death. There were risks.

“Bianca?” Ming whispered.

“Yeah?”

“What if we never see each other again? What if you never come back?”

“You don’t really believe that? Do you?”

“I-I-I don’t know,” Ming said between sobs.

“I need you to believe that we’re
all
gonna get back home safely. Okay? I’ll be back home before you know it,” Bianca promised.

Bianca stayed outside and thought about what she was moments away from doing. She was going to send Ming home. Sure, David, Terrance, and Prince Ferdinand would still be by her side, she knew that they weren’t going to be enough. Ming was the only one among them who completely understood her quirks and sense of humor.

Once more she had to use Mirabel’s book in order to find a spell that would send Ming back home. Bianca rubbed her temples; she could feel a headache coming. She couldn’t remember the last time she had such an achingly sharp and painful throbbing in her head. She took a deep breath and tried to clear her thoughts.

“Here it is,” she whispered. She turned to Ming and asked, “Ready?”

Ming shook her head. She wanted to at least say goodbye to David and her new friends. She took a moment and hugged everyone farewell.

“I think I’m ready now,” Ming said.

“Wait!” Prince Ferdinand shouted.

Ming arched an eyebrow and gave the prince a perplexed look. Bianca shrugged and waited.

Prince Ferdinand walked right up to Ming grabbed her by the waist, drew her to him and kissed her passionately on the lips.

When their lips finally parted, Ming had to take a minute to catch her breath. Prince Ferdinand looked rather pleased with himself.

“Anything?” he asked.

Ming blinked a few times and blushed. “You kiss by the book, Your Majesty.”

Prince Ferdinand gave her a blinding smile. From where Bianca stood, he looked like he wanted to kiss her again, but decided against it.

Ming straightened her already perfect hair and nodded. Bianca wondered if the kiss was enough to make her reconsider her decision, but Ming turned to Bianca and said, “Ready.”

“Later, alligator,” Bianca said.

“After a while, crocodile,” Ming replied with a wink.

“Find the shortest distance between,
My home and the faeries’ green.
A place for clear days and starry nights,
Put this door within my sight.”

The door appeared. With an ache in her heart, Bianca turned the knob and opened the portal. Tears stung her eyes as she watched Ming step through the door. Just like that, her friend was gone.

Bianca stared at the spot Ming vanished. She realized she hadn’t blinked in several moments and shook herself out of it. She prepared herself mentally for the final leg of her journey.

Bianca used her spoon to dig a hole in the ground. When the hole was big enough, she threw the spell book in it and covered it up. The book was the only bit of leverage she had against Lenore. She did everything she could to make the earth look normal and inconspicuous.

Bianca looked at the sky and saw there was still plenty of daylight left. It was time to go.

Chapter Twenty-Three

After several hours of walking in a lush, green forest, they came across some barren ash-colored trees. It was almost as though someone had drawn an imaginary line across the forest and everything beyond was decaying.

“What happened here?” Bianca asked.

“We’re getting close,” Terrance said.

“Everything here is dead,” Prince Ferdinand commented.

“Except us,” Bianca said.
But for how long?

She didn’t dare utter those words out loud. Everywhere they looked they saw lifeless trees, pale as ash. Even the soil was covered with ashes. Then—when there were no more trees to protect them or give them coverage—they finally saw Lenore’s castle. It was gray, imposing, and terrifying, even from a distance.