Page 47 of Switched

Jax hangs back to talk to me. So does Jocelyn. “Your sister still seems sort of fascinated with him, don’t you think?” His eyes search mine. “And the way she spoke to that giant…”

“You heard her,” I say. “She’s been with Rump too long. His attitude is rubbing off on her. When I get her home, she’ll be fine.” I hope.

“It’s kind of convenient that everyone is at dinner and the harp is unguarded right now.” Jocelyn lips are pulled tight. “We should watch our backs.” I quiet the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.

“Come on,” Anna calls to us. “The harp is upstairs.”

I hurry after her, walking through a very messy dining room. Maps wallpaper the walls, crisscrossed with red strings linking one kingdom to the next. Papers and books cover the table, and crumpled pieces of parchment litter the floor.

Jocelyn makes wild hand motions toward the dining room mantel, where a jar is glowing iridescent green. “Beans,” she mouths. “Those are the beans Anna was talking about!”

Jax and I look toward the mantel. I remember seeing a jar like that at Fairy Tale Reform School when Stiltskin was in charge.

“That’s our ticket home,” Jax whispers. “You heard Anna. Those beans can open doorways and lead us anywhere we want to go.”

“What are you guys doing?” Anna startles us. “We only have fifteen minutes!”

“I spotted a map of Fairy Tale Reform School.” Jocelyn points to the blueprints on the back wall. I didn’t even notice it. “I wanted to see what he wrote on it. If he’s going to attack again, we should know what he’s after.”

Anna walks past the beans, and I inhale sharply. Her hand rests on the map. “That’s a map of everywhere we’ve looked for his villain origin story. His gut tells him the book is at Fairy Tale Reform School, but so far we’ve turned up nothing.”

We?

Anna grabs my hand—she hasn’t done that since we were little—and smiles tentatively. “Now we really must move. We have a trickster to stop.”

CHAPTER 16

Music of My Heart

Stiltskin’s house is bigger than it looks from the outside. We move past dorm-style bedrooms with bunk beds, common rooms filled with jars of candy, and even a second kitchen. Pots and pans crowd the sink, and flour covers the table. Finally, the house opens up to an atrium with a dome-like glass ceiling. In the center is Alva’s statue. And it’s sitting next to the golden harp. The wood looks strong yet weathered, as if it’s been around for a long time, and flecks of gold shine on the strings. A shadow crosses the atrium glass, and I look up. One of Erp’s giant-sized eyes is watching us through the glass.

“Go away!” Anna shoos him. “You’re going to give us away!” Erp’s eye moves out of view. “There are too many people in this room! Someone is going to trigger an alarm.”

“While you guys try to get the harp to play, we’ll go to the dungeon and try to rescue the others,” Ollie suggests. “We’ll meet back here. Okay?”

“Yes.” Anna looks relieved. “I don’t have a key to the cells, but there must be one down there somewhere. You guys are good at picking locks, aren’t you?”

Ollie salutes her. “I’m on it, Captain. Who wants to help?”

“My mum and cow are down there,” Jack says. “I’m definitely going.”

Kayla and Maxine volunteer too. Jocelyn decides to keep watch at the door with AG. Jax walks over to the harp and attempts to strum the strings. There’s no sound, but it doesn’t try to zap him at least. He’s not evil.

“See what I mean?” Anna tsks. “It won’t even play for a royal.”

Since when does Anna say royal like it’s a bad word?

I step around the harp, looking at it from all angles.

“Are you ready to sing?” Anna asks hopefully. “I know the harp will play for you. It knows how hard you’ve fought to find me and how true your love is.” Her eyes are like saucers, and I worry she’s going to cry again. “You’ve always looked out for me.”

“You really mean that?” I ask. As a hard lump develops in my throat, I realize just how badly I needed to hear her say those words. She really does know how sorry I am for pushing her away. I love her so much and just want her to be happy. That’s what I’ve always wanted, even if I never said it till now.

“Of course,” Anna says. “You’ve always been there for me. Now it’s my turn to be there for you.” She gives my hand another squeeze, and I beam. “Sing something.”

I try to think of a song from my heart, a song that means something to both of us. “What about Father’s lullaby? The one he always sang at bedtime.”

“Yes! The one he sang on the evenings he was actually done making shoes in time to see us off to bed?” Anna says. “Do you still remember the words?”