Jake was gone the next morning, but my mom was up before I was and had made me scrambled eggs and toast. Really, really burned toast. I took a couple of triangles to be polite, and she sighed. “I’m still getting the hang of this domestic thing,” she admitted. “You don’t have to eat them.”
“The blackened part is good for you,” I reassured her, but when her back was turned I tossed my toast into the garbage.
She pressed another bag lunch into my hand as I headed for the door. “See you tonight!” she called. “I won’t be home late from work.” She paused for just a second as I opened the door. “Love you, Amy,” she said softly. I hesitated, and the door swung closed on her anxious face.
“You too,” I murmured as I walked away.
Dustin and Madison were waiting for me when I got to school. There was some part of me that almost longed for this halfway normal new life with a mom who cared about taking care of me and actual friends who weren’t Munchkins or talking monkeys. I hadn’t realized how much I had wanted this kind of normal life until I had it (sort of). But then I remembered that Dustin and Madison were only being nice to me and my mom had only gotten her act together because I’d vanished for a month. If I’d stayed in Kansas, my normal life would have kept on the same as ever: one long, crappy day after another. It was too strange to think about, and so I decided not to.
“Ready for day two of detention?” Dustin asked me as we walked toward first period. I’d left Dorothy’s journal at home, figuring it was safe under my mattress. “Maybe we’ll find something else in the library.” I was about to tell him I didn’t think that was likely when it hit me. If Baum had interviewed the real Dorothy, maybe the secret to her shoes was somewhere in his books. At the very least, I could look up the Nome King. Baum had used the real Dorothy’s memories to write his stories, even though he’d probably thought she was making everything up. If he’d described the Nome King, I might find out something that could help.
We were just passing the dusty old Dorothy diorama when Dustin stopped short. “Here comes trouble,” he said under his breath. “Mad, maybe you should get out of here.” Assistant Principal Strachan was heading straight for us, and he looked really pissed.
“I’m not going to abandon you guys,” Madison protested. Dustin Jr. started to cry.
“Miss Gumm, Mr. Cheever,” Assistant Principal Strachan said icily as he descended on us. “I have a few questions for you about the cleaning job you did yesterday afternoon.” He stressed the word cleaning with unmistakable sarcasm. “Miss Pendleton, you may go to class.”
“But—” Madison protested as the first bell rang.
“Is there a problem, Miss Pendleton?”
Madison stared him down, and for a second I thought she was actually going to fight him. When Madison’s scariness was on my side, it was pretty awesome. Even Assistant Principal Strachan looked a little intimidated. But after a tense pause, she shrugged. “Not today, sir,” she drawled, bouncing the still-crying Dustin Jr. in his baby wrap. “See you guys around,” she added, giving Dustin Sr. an ostentatious kiss on the mouth with a satisfied smack before she turned around and sauntered away, her pink-velour-clad butt swishing saucily. I had to hand it to the girl. She had attitude.
The hallway had cleared, and it was just me, Dustin, and Assistant Principal Strachan standing in front of the dusty old glass case. I cleared my throat. “Did you need something from us, sir?”
Assistant Principal Strachan’s eyes narrowed. “I have questions for you, Amy,” he hissed. “Perhaps they are better answered in my office.” There was a strange, silvery glint in his eyes. Next to me, Dustin stiffened. I could sense it, too. Something wasn’t right. Assistant Principal Strachan had never called me by my first name. And there was something weird about his voice. It almost seemed to echo inside my head. Like the Nome King in the library. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, Assistant Principal Strachan smiled.
“Very like indeed, Amy Gumm,” he snarled. I hadn’t said anything out loud.
“Amy?” Dustin asked, a note of fear creeping into his voice.
“Dustin, get out of here,” I said in a low voice. “Now.” But it was too late. Assistant Principal Strachan’s face was stretching in front of me, his features melting away and dripping down his chest to reveal the twisted, cruel face of the creature that had confronted me in the library. His shapeless old suit peeled away from his body. Bones snapped and popped as he grew taller. And this time, Dustin could definitely see it.
“Amy, what’s happening?” he asked as the husk that had been Assistant Principal Strachan crumpled to the ground and the Nome King took a step toward us.
“Be silent, little boy,” the Nome King hissed, flicking his fingers. I felt his magic as it moved through the air like a shock wave—straight toward Dustin.
“Get down!” I yelled, throwing myself at him and bringing us both to the ground. The Nome King’s magic zap missed us by inches and slammed into the wall behind us with a huge, echoing boom. The building shuddered and ceiling tiles crashed down around us.
“Little Dorothy’s grip on Oz is weakening,” the Nome King said, his voice eerily calm. “Soon the magic of Oz will have sapped her strength entirely and she will be no good to me whatsoever. But you, my dear Miss Gumm, are made of stronger stuff. I think you might be very useful indeed.”
Absurdly, I thought of those old episodes of Scooby-Doo where a character that everyone thought was friendly is revealed to be the villain in disguise. “I could have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!” he snaps as he’s taken away. It’s always hard to tell if it’s supposed to be scary or funny.
But this situation wasn’t at all funny. Without my magic, I had no way to defend myself—and I was on my own. I had to get us out of here before the Nome King killed Dustin and grabbed me, and I had no idea how I was going to do it.
“What do you mean, useful? What did you do with the real Assistant Principal Strachan?” If I couldn’t fight him, maybe I could distract him long enough for Dustin to get away. His eyes flicked involuntarily toward the Dorothy diorama, and for the first time I noticed an extra figurine—the spitting image of Assistant Principal Strachan, down to the frumpy suit and scuffed shoes. I shivered. I’d never liked the guy, but I wouldn’t have wished that for him. And then I noticed something else. Miniature Dorothy was wearing a miniature pair of shoes that glinted under a layer of dust. Silver shoes.
Once you learn how to recognize it, magic is unmistakable. You just need to know what to look for. It’s like this talent my mom has for spotting the one shirt on the rack with a tiny hole in it, so she can get a discount. And the silver shoes in the diorama were magic as hell. They were so magic that just standing this close to them was giving me a tingly feeling in my stomach.
I’d found them. I had no idea how they’d gotten there, but the shoes had been right in front of me the whole time.
The Nome King smiled. “Indeed,” he said. “Hidden in plain sight all this time. I thought they might come in useful someday. I have no trouble moving between worlds, dear Miss Gumm, but not everyone is so lucky. If you are to be the next ruler of Oz, you will need a way to get back. Might I offer you a new pair of footwear?”
The next ruler of Oz? What was he talking about? If the Nome King wanted control of Oz himself, what possible use could I be? Had he been the one behind Dorothy’s return to Oz—and if so, why?
“Maybe we can reach an agreement,” I said carefully, giving Dustin a shove. As confused as he was, he got the message. While I slowly got to my feet, staring down the Nome King, Dustin scooted away on his hands and knees.
The Nome King laughed. “An agreement? I don’t think you’re in a position to bargain, Amy Gumm.”
“She’s not,” said a familiar voice behind me. “But I might be.”
The Nome King’s smile widened, his toothy grin even scarier than his regular expression. “How thrilling,” he said. “Welcome to the party, little wizard.”