Choose a Side
My twin brothers, Han and Hamish, look up from where they’re sitting on the floor playing with some knights. “Gilly!” They both rush to me.
“Gilly!” Trixie screams. She drops the flute she was playing in front of the fireplace and comes running as well. The three of them practically bowl me over with their hug. I squeeze back, but my eyes are peering around the living room, making sure no one is lurking in the shadows ready to attack.
Everything appears to be in order, and they aren’t fast asleep. A fire is going, the smell of something delicious is wafting in from the kitchen, and Mother is getting up from her rocking chair, where I can see she was knitting a pair of bright-blue socks. Maybe nothing fishy is going on after all. Could half the village nap at the same time?
Father walks through the door between our home and his shop and sees us. “What are you doing here?” he asks at the same time Mother reaches me to join in on the hug.
“Let your sister breathe,” she says to my siblings with a laugh. They back away, and she moves in for her own embrace. Mother looks deep into my eyes. “It’s so good to see you, my darling girl. We didn’t think you had visitor weekend again till next month.” She spies the group of kids in the doorway and smiles. “Oh! And here you brought company!”
“Hello, Mrs. Cobbler.” Jax extends his hand. “Jax Porter. It’s nice to see you again.”
“I remember you, Jax,” Mother says. “And your friends too. Come in! Don’t stand in the doorway.”
“We can’t stay,” Maxine says apologetically and gives me a pointed look. Peaches waddles into the room and sits down on the rug by the fire, looking as if she feels the exact opposite. “We should have been back to school by now.”
“I just need a few minutes,” I beg my friends.
“Quack!” Peaches says, and I assume she’s agreeing with me.
“Two,” Jocelyn stresses as she shuts the door behind her and locks it. She opens the peephole. “I’ll stay on guard.”
“En garde! En garde!” Han and Hamish shout, brandishing pretend swords.
“Now, now,” Mother scolds. “You know how I feel about weapons—even pretend ones.” She winks at me. “We don’t want to send any more children to Fairy Tale Reform School.”
Father walks into the room again, carrying a tray with a pitcher of iced tea and glasses. He smirks. “Even if it was the best thing that ever happened to one of our daughters.”
He pulls a wand out of his pocket and waves it over the drinks. The glasses freeze up, making the drinks icy cold. We all reach for a glass and guzzle it down. I was thirstier than I realized.
“Want me to make more?” he asks and takes his wand again.
“No!” Mother says and looks at me. “Your father has taken up wand studies again, and all he wants to do is whisk food and drinks into existence. It isn’t right when we already have what we need in the boot.”
Father frowns. “But how else can I practice?”
“You’re taking classes again, Father?” I’m surprised. The only work Father usually wants to focus on is shoe leathers and boot repairs.
“Yes.” He places the silver wand on the table. “It’s never too late to turn over a new leaf, right?” I nod. “I used to like learning how to use a wand from…my mother. I thought, why not try to learn again?”
“Good for you,” I tell him, and Wilson squeaks in agreement.
No one notices Peaches swipe the wand until it’s halfway down her throat.
“Peaches!” Maxine says in horror. “Give that back right now!”
“Quack! Quack! Quack, quack, quack!” Peaches says. I’ve never heard her talk back to Maxine before.
“What do you mean you’re saving it for when Gilly really needs it?” Maxine asks. “It’s not Gilly’s!”
“It’s okay, Maxine,” Father tells her. “I’ve got others. I bought several.”
“He can’t do a spell to save his life and keeps blowing up his own wand,” Mother whispers in my ear. I try hard not to laugh.
Peaches waddles away happily.
“Why do you all look so flushed?” Mother feels my head. “Are you getting ill? See? This is why I should always put on a bigger pot of stew. You never know when guests will drop in. You all need something to keep you strong and healthy!”
At the word stew, Wilson pokes his head out of my pocket again.
“Stew, glorious stew!” Han rubs his belly. “We eat a lot now that Father’s selling shoes again.”
“I was always selling shoes,” Father says. “Just not as many as I do now.”
“I got a new doll!” Trixie thrusts the floppy doll in my face and grins. I notice she’s lost her two front teeth. “Isn’t she pretty? Mother made her a new dress.”
“She’s very pretty,” I say, my heartbeat slowly returning to normal. Nothing is out of order. But still, I feel a tingling at the back of my neck. Is that what Kayla meant by fairy intuition? It can’t be. I’m just on edge. “So everything is okay? Nothing is the matter?”
“No.” Mother looks at Father in alarm. “Should there be? The village has been on high alert since the warnings about those people.” She hesitates to say what’s going on in front of my smaller siblings. “But other than a few practice raids, we haven’t seen or heard a thing.”
“Who’s at the door? Just hit the floor! Hide under the cupboard stairs, even if it’s just Goldilocks and the three bears,” Han and Hamish say in unison.
I look at Mother in confusion. “I find the rhyme drives the point home with them. They’re young,” she says. “Now what is going on?”
I glance at my siblings. “I am not sure I should say in front of you-know-who.”
“Han? Hamish, is it?” AG pipes up. “I’m Allison Grace, and I’ve never been in a boot house before. We live in a pop-up castle.”
Mother looks at me for understanding.
“Her parents are royalty—Beauty and Prince Sebastian, the former Beast.” Mother nods knowingly.
“Could you show me your room? You too, Trixie.” She offers her hand.
“We all share one, so that’s easy!” Trixie takes AG’s hand and leads her up the stairs. “It’s a lot roomier now that Gilly and Anna aren’t here.”
Mother smiles sadly when she sees my reaction to hearing Anna’s name. “They’re having a hard time with her being gone too,” she says.
Father swallows hard. “We haven’t found the right way to explain to them that their sister is…”
“A villain?” I blurt out. Mother and Father look shocked.
“Gilly.” Maxine puts a hand on my arm. “You’re upsetting them.”
“They need to know the truth,” I say, my voice hardening. “Anna is a villain. We can’t deny it anymore. She had her chance to escape Stiltskin when we were in Cloud City, and instead she tricked me and sided with him. She’s helping him cast a curse that will erase Enchantasia and all of us in it.” Mother clutches her sewing needles to her heart. “That’s why I’m here. To warn you. The Cobbler family is in danger. Grandma Pearl says—”
“Grandma Pearl?” Father interrupts. “How do you… Why do…” He looks at my mother. “How does she know who she is?”
Mother stands up straighter. “I gave Gilly her information. The children deserve to know their grandmother!” Father starts arguing with her.
“I went to see her,” I say, and both of them look at me in surprise. I touch the strand of pearls with the red vial around my neck. For some reason, the vial has started glowing. Maybe it knows it’s no longer with its owner? “She’s pretty cool.”
“I’ll say!” Ollie pipes up. Father gives him a look, and Ollie hangs his head. “Sorry.”
“She told me about you as a child, Father, and how we can use our fairy ancestry to hone our gifts to form a quorum and stop this curse.”
Father puts his hand up. “Enough. I have never felt like a fairy. And I don’t want to talk about my mother.”
“Why do so many fairy tales have mother issues?” Maxine whispers.
“Father, please. You have to listen.” I try again. “Alva and Grandma Pearl were best friends till Grandma betrayed her. Alva cursed her not to love. That’s why she abandoned you. She’s had a protection charm over her this whole time, but now she’s given it to me. My teachers say Rumpelstiltskin’s villain book shows our family is wrapped up in this curse somehow, and we can stop it. If we just try to focus on our fairy traits—”
“No,” he says.
“You should come with us to Fairy Tale Reform School to help stop him,” I continue to try.
“I’m not leaving my shoppe!” Father argues.
“You’ll be safer at the school,” I say. “Stiltskin is looking for me, and if he’s looking for me, he’s got to be looking for all of you too.” Father is suddenly quiet.
“We have to keep the children safe,” Mother says. “If Gilly’s right…”
“I don’t trust anything my mother says,” Father disagrees. “She left me when I was smaller than the twins. She doesn’t even know us.”
“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love us in her own way,” Mother says.
“If Alva is after us, let her come,” Father insists. “She already has one of my daughters at her side. How much worse can it get?”
“Much worse,” Jocelyn speaks up. “Considering she wants to erase all of us.”
“Yeah, but didn’t Anna say Stiltskin agreed to keep the Cobbler family around?” Ollie asks.
“And you believe he will?” Jax is incredulous.
Everyone is talking over one another. I try to get a word in, but no one is listening. Suddenly I hear a bloodcurdling scream.
“Trixie!” I bound up the stairs, the others at my heels. I reach the top step and BAM! I get thrown backward. I look up in surprise.
A crackling, bright-yellow force field separates me from the landing to my siblings’ bedroom. The shimmering wall of magic is transparent so I can see exactly who is on the other side.
The Stiltskin Squad.
Led by my sister Anna.
AG, Trixie, Han, and Hamish are trapped on the other side of the force field with them. I wait for AG to transform into the she-wolf I know she can be in times of trouble, but she doesn’t. Then I realize why: she’s been immobilized midscream. The Squad grabs the boys and Trixie and starts pushing them toward the window. Trixie is in tears, but the twins are too confused to understand what is going on.
“Get away from them!” I shout as Jocelyn shoots a fireball at the wall. It ricochets and nearly takes my father’s head off.
“Get down!” Jax shouts to my parents. He fumbles for his pocket watch.
“Don’t,” I whisper, pushing him behind me so the squad doesn’t see him trying to retaliate. “We may still need that.”
“The children! Gilly! Do something!” Mother cries.
My heart is beating fast. My beloved younger sister, Anna, is walking toward the force field that separates us. Her brown hair is longer and wavier than it was a few months ago, and her FTRS uniform has long been abandoned for a tan jumpsuit, belted at her thin waist. We stare at each other.
“Quack!” Peaches waddles up the stairs and starts to dry heave. Next thing I know, Father’s wand, miniaturized, is lying at my feet, covered in saliva. I pick up the wand and wipe it off on my skirt. Will it still work in this size?
Hansel bursts out laughing. “What are you going to do with that thing? Make a mouse house?”
Wilson pokes his head out and starts squeaking madly.
I concentrate hard on bringing the wall between us down, aiming the wand at the force field. “Retract!” I shout. A small hole begins to burn in the center of the shield. The squad starts to look nervous. If I keep going, it’s going to come down. “Retract!” I yell again, aiming at the same spot, but this time the beam shoots straight through and comes dangerously close to hitting my brothers. The pair of them scream.
“What are you doing?” Anna says. “You’re scaring them!”
“You’re scaring them!” I counter. “Let them go.”
“I knew you’d come,” Anna says with a sneer. “You just can’t stay away from home.”
“Unlike you,” I spit out. Maxine coughs. She hates when I’m mean—even to my double-crossing sibling. “You should go or things will get ugly.” My hand is on the mirror in my pocket to call for backup. “You may be a villain now, but even a villain wouldn’t harm their family.”
Anna flinches as if the word hurts her as much as it hurts me. “I would never hurt… You don’t understand!”
I throw my hands up. “What don’t I understand, Anna? How you felt left behind when I was sentenced to Fairy Tale Reform School? How you felt left out when Mother and Father were proud that I reformed? That you felt I had abandoned you because I wanted to better myself at school? Get over yourself!” I snap, finally having had enough. “Not everything is about you!” She winces. “I’m trying to help save Enchantasia while you try to destroy it.”
“You don’t—”
“Understand,” I interrupt. “Yes, you keep saying that.” I pull an arrow out of my pack and nock it. “Now go or I’ll take this whole force field down with my…magic arrows.”
“You have magic arrows?” Maxine whispers. Jocelyn stomps on her foot.
Anna raises an eyebrow. “I’d like to see you try. I’m not leaving till I get what I came for. I’m just surprised you didn’t figure out what I was up to earlier. Half the village is asleep.”
“That was you!” Kayla says. “I knew it!”
Anna stands up straighter. “I know lots of spells now. No thanks to any of you. The only reason I didn’t put a sleeping spell on this house is because I needed everyone awake.” Her eyes flicker to our mother.
Mother steps forward. “Anna Bear, stop this at once. This isn’t you. Come home.”
“Let us help you,” Father adds, his voice soft. Trixie, Han, and Hamish are still crying.
“Mama? Why’s she doing this?” I hear Han’s small voice, and it nearly breaks my heart.
Anna looks away. “It’s too late to help me. I need to finish this and get what I came for.”
Hansel and Gretel move toward the force field, coming straight toward me. “Drop the barrier, Heidi,” Hansel tells the girl who is concentrating on the magic that keeps us apart. “I’m tired of listening to this. Let’s just take her now.”
I hold the wand at the ready. “You’re not taking anyone.” I step closer to the force field. I can hear it sizzling. “Leave now before you regret coming here.”
Hansel and Gretel do the opposite, a look of hatred written all over their faces.
I keep my eyes trained on Anna and the squad. “Jax? Maxine? Get my parents to safety. Jocelyn? When the barrier comes down, get AG. Ollie, help me with my siblings. I can take care of myself.”
Anna laughs. “Of course, you can. It was me who couldn’t, and you left me out here alone.” Her face hardens. “I would never do that to you or my family. What I’m doing is for all of us.”
“You’re helping a villain!” I shout.
“Girls, that is enough,” Father interrupts, but Anna is looking at me curiously.
“Drop the barrier like she wants. I’m not scared of fighting her,” Anna says.
Heidi looks briefly at Anna. “But Stiltskin said—”
“I know what he said,” Anna snaps. “Drop the barrier.”
The girl lowers her hands, and the barrier begins to fade away. I hold the wand ready to zap Anna or anyone else who tries to hurt my siblings.
Anna holds up her wand, and the two of us face each other. As soon as the barrier drops, we both send sparks flying at the same time. They hit one another and bounce back, causing a huge hole in the bedroom wall. Jocelyn hurls three fireballs in quick succession that knock several squad members to the floor. Hansel and Gretel get their wands blown out of their hands by Kayla’s quick wand work.
“Retreat! Retreat! They’re gaining on us!” I hear Hansel shout. “We will come back for her!”
“No!” Anna cries stubbornly, her eyes ablaze in the flames. She and I aim at each other again. I fire first and hit her in the shoulder. I see her stumble backward in surprise. In the middle of the firing, I spot a clear path to my brothers and Trixie. I take it, dashing toward them. Han sees me and holds his arms out wide to grab me.
But before I can reach him, Hansel fires, and the blast hits me in the thigh. I falter for mere seconds and watch in horror as Hansel yanks both boys toward him. He knocks them down and throws a magic bean on the bedroom floor. I watch in horror as a portal opens in the floor, a swirling vortex of yellow light funneling into the unknown.
“What are you doing?” Anna cries.
“Making her come to us!” With a sick smile, Hansel pushes Han and Hamish in before I can even scream. Gretel, Heidi, and some of the others jump in after him.
“No!” I cry as Anna leaps for the portal before I can reach it.
She dives in as it closes up. Father and Mother reach the spot at the same time I do, but the portal is already gone. I slide across the floor feeling for an opening, but I know already there’s none. My brothers are gone.
“Mama!” Trixie cries, diving into my mother’s arms.
“Where’d they go?” Father thunders, stomping the floor as though looking for a trapdoor. The others rush forward as AG collapses like jelly onto the floor. Ollie and Maxine help her up. “Where are they?” Father screams.
“Gone,” I whisper.
I’ve lost my brothers to Anna. How could I have been so foolish as to come here? She knew I’d come home for them. They were the perfect bait, and I fell for it.
“Gilly, watch out!” Kayla cries as a gargoyle comes crashing through a window, a Stiltskin Squad member on its back. Another gargoyle comes roaring through the opposite window, and a Stiltskin Squad member jumps off and comes running toward us, shooting her wand. Father grabs Mother and Trixie, and Jax ushers them down the steps as the wand fire keeps coming. Jocelyn gets off a few more fireballs and one hits the ceiling, setting it ablaze. Maxine and Ollie drag me to my feet before my childhood bed goes up in flames. Three more gargoyles and squad members come flying through the broken windows.
A boy with dark eyes sees me and grins. “Get her.”