First Frost (31 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

They all returned to the spot where Bianca had buried Mirabel’s spell book. She dug it out, searched for the portal spell and ripped the page out of the book.

“What are you doing?” Rose asked, horrified at what Bianca had done.

“What
you
should’ve done years ago.” Bianca folded the piece of paper and shoved it in her jeans pocket.

Then, much to Rose’s shock, she watched as Bianca lit a match and set a corner of the book on fire. Before Rose could mutter a water spell, the old musty book basically burst into flames and was curled and singed on the ground within moments.

“That book was a priceless part of our history,” Rose shrieked.

“Trust me, it has a price. A hefty one too. It almost cost us our lives. We almost died because of that stupid piece of crap. Look at what it did to me, Mom. Look at my hand!” Bianca showed Rose the palm of her hand. It still bore the apple-shaped mark.

“It’s shrinking,” Rose whispered.

Bianca nodded. She rubbed the bruise with her thumb as though doing so would make it go away faster.

“You didn’t have to burn it,” Rose said.

“And do what instead? Put it back in the hole I found it in? Wait until some other vengeful witch comes knocking on our door looking for it? Can you go another ten years without Dad?” Bianca asked.

Rose’s breath caught on her throat. She shook her head. Bianca had never talked back or questioned her before. She had always been a meek and obedient daughter. So much had changed in such a short amount of time.

“Sweetheart…I’m so sorry.”

“I wish you’d have told me sooner,” Bianca whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Rose said.

Bianca wanted to yell and scream. She wanted to ask her mother why she’d let this happen to her? Why she’d let this happen to
them
? But as much as she wanted to put the blame on Rose, on anyone, it wouldn’t fix anything. It wouldn’t change what had happened. It wouldn’t give them back the ten years they’d missed with her father. And even though every fiber in her being wanted to run away in the opposite direction, she stayed with the group instead.

“Are you okay?” Rose asked.

“I don’t know,” Bianca muttered.

“You wanna talk about it?”

Bianca sighed. “No. I’ll be okay. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going?” Prince Ferdinand asked.

“We have to go back and get Rapunzel’s hair,” she explained.

“What do you mean
get
Rapunzel’s hair?” Rose asked.

“I brought it with me,” Bianca replied.

Rose sucked in a breath of air. “What else did you bring?”

“The brick, Red Riding Hood’s cape, the little hand mirror, and the red dancing shoes,” Bianca admitted.

Rose sighed and said, “We’ll talk about this when we get home.”

Bianca groaned.
Great, more talking.

They gathered the few items they possessed and walked away from the barren land and the castle that had once stood there.

Things settled into a strange sort of routine by the second day of their journey to retrieve Rapunzel’s hair. They walked all day, taking short breaks when necessary, and they slept in the third little pig’s brick house.

On the third night of their journey, they all decided to sit outside around the fire and enjoy the moonlight and the shimmering stars. Suddenly, Terrance stood up and flared his nostrils as wide as they could go. It was as though he wanted to fill his lungs with as much air as possible. The hairs on the back of Bianca’s neck stood on end, and her skin was covered with goose bumps.

“Terrance, what’s wrong?” Bianca whispered.

“Shh.” He gently patted her hands.

In a loud, forceful voice, he said, “Hello, Grandfather.”

There was a soft rumble, a chuckle that came out of the darkness. It seemed as though it came from all around them; there was no way to pinpoint its exact location.

“Your sense of smell is getting much better, pup,” the Big Bad Wolf said as he emerged from the shadows. With one giant paw after the other, he got closer to their camp.

David jumped in front of Bianca and Rose, and took a defensive stance as he growled at the ancient wolf.

The wolf licked his lips playfully. He looked directly at Bianca. “Tell your father to calm down. I come in peace.”

“How’s Luna?” Bianca carefully walked away from her father’s massive body.

“A little thin and her coat needs to be cleaned, but she will recover. I wanted to thank you for your help. I am grateful,” he said.

Bianca smiled. “We were headed in the same direction. I would’ve done it even if you hadn’t asked.”

“Nevertheless, should you ever need my aid, all you have to do is call my name,” the wolf said with a low nod.

“What is your name? I mean…is it really The Big Bad Wolf?” Bianca asked.

Once more the enormous wolf chuckled. “No, that is not my given name. My name is Magnus. Call it to the North Wind…I’ll hear you.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that,” Bianca said.

“Farewell, little one. I expect to hear great things about you.” Magnus gave Bianca a playful wink. He then turned his attention to his grandson.

“Terrance.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” It was obvious to everyone that he was nervous about what his very dangerous grandfather was going to say to him.

“Tell your father…tell William…he is missed,” he whispered.

Terrance nodded and promised to deliver the message to his father. The old wolf vanished into the darkness of the forest.

“That was terrifying,” Rose said. She shuddered and tried to rub the goose bumps off her arms.

“Then you should be happy you haven’t seen him angry,” Bianca replied.

“Really?” she asked.

“Really, really.”

“Tell me everything.” Rose clapped her hands excitedly.

Bianca sat down with her mother. It was funny to have the roles reversed. Bianca was now the storyteller and Rose, the eager listener.

The sky above them was midnight blue, and the stars were twinkling and shimmering with delight. The cool wind brushed over everyone, reminding them that it would be a cold night.

“Wow,” Rose said once Bianca finished telling her incredible story.

“Yeah,” Bianca said.

“You did all of that?”

“We all did.”

“And you really stayed in the castle of the True Bride?”

“Yeah. Old Woman kept us there for a few days and taught me a few things: how to use herbs, stones, and a couple of useful shield spells.”

“Did you explore? Did you see the cellar door where the True Bride’s mother fell down to her death?”

“Not really. I was kind of tired after all my training. All I did was eat, train, and sleep.”

“That sucks.” Rose pouted. If it was one thing Rose lived for, it was details. The more accurate, the better.

Rose yawned.

“Going to bed?” Bianca asked.

Rose was still yawning as she forced a nod out of her exhausted body.

“I have some clean clothes for you in my backpack.”

“Oh, God, you’re an angel!” Rose kissed Bianca on the cheek and thanked her.

“You’re welcome.”

“Good night.”

“Night, Mom.”

Soon everyone except Terrance and Bianca were inside the little brick house. Bianca turned toward him, ready to ask him something—anything—she just wanted to enjoy another moment with him before she had to go back home with her parents.

“For God’s sake, man. Kiss her already!” Prince Ferdinand shouted.

Bianca turned around and all she saw was the top of his wavy blond hair at the bottom of the window.

“Ever heard of a little thing called
privacy
, Your Highness?” Terrance shouted back.

Ferdinand chuckled, and he stretched his neck as far as it would go so he could spy on the budding couple. Once his sky blue eyes came into view, Bianca stuck her tongue out at him and gave him a raspberry. She grabbed Terrance’s hand and together they walked away from the brick house and prying eyes.

Only the inky blue sky and the sparkling stars were above them. The only visible light came from the silver moon, giving them both a pearlescent sheen upon their skins.

“Bianca…I…” Terrance’s words died before he could finish his sentence.

Bianca stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him. She certainly caught Terrance by surprise. His hands hovered behind her back, as though he were afraid of his own actions if he touched her. As their kiss deepened, he ran his fingers through her dark hair. She was overwhelmed by the butterflies that fluttered wildly in her stomach. For a moment she wondered if she would float away from the joy she felt at that moment. This was the first time she felt like herself since she arrived to Everafter. There was no one else she had to rescue. No one she needed to fight or defend herself against. She could finally let go. When they finally came up for air, they were both panting and doing their best to catch their breath.

Terrance tucked her hair neatly behind her ear. “Do you really have to go?” he whispered.

Bianca nodded as she wiped the tears that gathered on the corners of her eyes. She didn’t want to cry anymore. But regardless of what she wanted, she still sobbed. There was no way she would be able to stay in Everafter. Her parents (at least the one that was still human) would never allow it, no matter how hard she begged.

Terrance caressed her cheek and kissed her on the mouth. This time they didn’t rush into it. They took their time and enjoyed the feeling of each other’s lips.

“Stay,” he whispered into her ear.

Feeling his hot breath so close to her skin sent a tiny shiver down her spine. She would never be able to make a decision if he asked her questions like that. Of course she wanted to stay. The only things that waited for her back at home were homework, a weak social life, and a return to her normal life. No Terrance. No magic. No adventure. She would be invisible to everyone once more.

Do I really want to go back to that? Do I really want to answer that question?

Bianca shook her head. She wanted her head emptied of all the confusion and all of the thoughts buzzing in her head nonstop. She gently placed her fingers over Terrance’s soft lips and said, “Shh. No questions. Don’t ask me anything anymore. Just hold me…please.”

Terrance did as she wished. He remained quiet. And did as she wished; he kissed and held her. That would have to be enough for the night. At least for the time being, they forgot where they were and the decisions they had to make in the morning.

Chapter Thirty

The next day everyone was on the final leg of their journey. Bianca was quiet and pensive throughout most of their walk through the forest. The sun hung above them, taking with it the magic of the previous evening.

“You okay?” Rose asked.

“Yeah,” Bianca replied unconvincingly.

“Right…and the sky is purple and the moon is made out of cheese.” Rose laughed. “I’m your mother, remember? I know better.”