Page 51 of Switched

“Oh?” Gretel smiles slyly. “Why not?”

AG bares her teeth, which are starting to sharpen. “Because I am so much more.”

I step back as AG’s chest heaves harder and her body begins to twitch.

“Go, AG, go!” Maxine cries as the others look around in confusion.

“What’s wrong with her?” Gretel asks as AG falls to her hands and knees and her back contorts. She writhes in pain as hair sprouts from her arms and legs and covers her whole body. Then she lets out a roar so fierce as she breaks through her restraints that it makes even my knees shake. AG lifts her head and locks her yellowed eyes on Gretel.

“She’s a beast!” Gretel cries.

The pretty little princess is now full wolf. She pounces at Gretel, and Gretel screams. Squad members start running. Anna’s jaw drops at the sight of the chaos.

“This is our chance,” Jack tells us over the yelling. He opens his hand to reveal a magic bean. “It can get us out of here.”

I don’t ask where he got it or how long he’s had it, but I still hesitate. Jack places the bean in my hands. “You’re in charge, Gilly. I’m sorry about before. Tell the bean where you want to go, and we’re there.”

“No, I don’t want that responsibility,” I say and try to give the bean to Jax as AG continues to howl and charge through the room. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Just because you screwed up before doesn’t mean you’ll screw up now,” Jax shouts. “Trust yourself!”

But I don’t. Not around Anna. What if I think of the wrong place? What if we wind up stuck here?

“Gather everyone around,” Jax tell the others. “Someone grab AG.”

“AG!” Maxine whistles. “Here…um…girl!” AG comes running, and Maxine tackles her.

“What are they doing?” Hansel shouts, looking at the group of us, clinging to one another as other squad members, clearly terrified of AG, continue to hide.

Crash! Shards of glass begin to rain from the glass ceiling. Erp has punched his hand through the ceiling. The remaining Stiltskin Squad members guarding the kids run for cover.

Now’s our chance. I dive for the pile of weapons, grabbing my bow and arrow as Jax grabs Ollie’s sword and swings it straight for Stiltskin. He rolls out of the way before it can hit him, but Anna is coming after me.

The sight of her trying to stop me is almost more than I can bear. Her face is so full of anger it looks…evil. I fire a warning shot in her direction and she drops to the floor, but then she bounces right back up and keeps coming. That girl is a fighter.

Jocelyn yanks me back as I fire off arrow after arrow, trying to keep Anna and Stiltskin down.

“They have the harp pieces!” Gretel points at Kayla and Jocelyn, who now have the tin box.

“Don’t let them get away!” Anna cries. “Block the exits! They have nowhere to escape!”

“That’s what you think, traitor!” Jocelyn shouts.

Jax and Ollie gather Jack, his mum and cow, and the other kids around the tin box. Maxine holds tight to a thrashing AG. I hold the bean tightly in my now sweaty hand.

“Erp!” I hear Kayla shout as his hand reaches through the ceiling for our group. “Get us out of here!” Squad members begin wanding spells at him, but Erp’s hand keeps coming. Kids gather tight around the box, some climbing on top to make our group as compact as possible.

Rumpelstiltskin reaches for his wand. He aims at us, and this time I know he’s not hoping to stun. But before he can fire off a spell, Erp scoops us up and lifts us through the ceiling. I feel a pang of regret as I look down to see Anna’s face turn ghostly white. “No!” she screams. But as we clear the building, I know I have to leave Anna behind. Not because I want to, but because she has to figure this out on her own.

Erp sets us down on a cloud and crouches next to us. I can hear the commotion behind us. They’ll be out of the building and here any second.

“Now!” Jocelyn shouts, and I get ready to throw down the bean.

Take us home, I think.

The bean explodes, shattering into a thousand pieces, each one radiating a bright-white light. The break is followed by a loud gush of wind that threatens to pull us all apart. We hold on tight as a swirling vortex of clouds spins around us, tight like a funnel. Below them, I see the leaves of a beanstalk start to form. There is another bright flash of light, a screeching sound, and we’re gone.

CHAPTER 18