The Grimm Legacy

“Anytime,” I said, embarrassed. 

“So can you find the objects he stole from the Grimm Collection?” asked Doc. 

Ms. Callender nodded. “I saw his records—he was making me help with the paperwork. He sold a lot of the objects, but he kept track of where they went. It might take a while, but the lawyers should be able to get them back—we have a clear title.” 

“How did he do it?” asked Anjali. “We couldn’t figure out whether he was stealing the magic out of the objects or replacing them with copies.” 

“He used a dereifier. At least, he did before he got ahold of my will. The latest few objects he just made me steal from the collection, but the earlier ones, before he got his hands on the kuduo this morning, he had his interns borrow them from the collection and then he copied them with the dereifier.” 

“What about Zandra, the page who got fired? Was she working for him?” 

“Yes. He was mad that she failed the Grimm Collection key test. She only had access to the stacks, not the Special Collections.” 

“What about Mona Chen?” asked Doc. 

Ms. Callender shook her head. “He tried to get her to work for him. He threatened to get her family deported, but she refused and disappeared with them. I imagine they’re hiding. He was furious about that too.” 

“That’s a relief,” said Doc. “We’ll have to figure out a way to let her know it’s safe to come back.” 

“So he just told you all this?” I asked. “Wasn’t he worried you’d try to stop him?” 

“He answered all my questions and boasted about everything. He had my willpower, so he thought he was safe. He always did like to gloat.” 

“But wait a minute,” said Aaron. “How did Mr. Stone make the copies? I thought you couldn’t copy magic with a dereifier.” 

“Not fully and permanently, but you can approximate it for a while,” said Ms. Callender. “They’re working on some pretty advanced dereifiers up at MIT. Wallace managed to make fairly convincing temporary copies. That’s why they lost their magic after too many people checked them out.” 

“So if my mermaid comb is a fake, where’s the real one? Will I get my sense of direction back?” I asked. 

“I think it’s in Hollywood now. I’m sure we’ll get it back eventually, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. They have deep pockets and stubborn lawyers. I’m sorry, Elizabeth.” 

“I’ll take you wherever you need to go,” offered Jaya. “I have a great sense of direction.” 

“Thanks, Jaya,” I said sadly. 

“The sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll get it back,” said Doc. “Your sense of direction and everything else. You still have the Golden Key, Aaron?” 

Aaron held it up. 

“Good. Marc, will you carry the kuduo?” Doc started around the fountain, under two spouting streams, and led us through the winter wood, Polly flapping loudly overhead. We came to a high wall that seemed to circle around forever. Through a low wrought-iron gate I could see the flat, fluorescent white lights of Stack 1, the Dungeon. Aaron took out the Golden Key and opened the gate. 

Polly settled on the top of the gate and looked at us expectantly. 

“Not you, little roc,” said Dr. Rust. “I’m sorry, but you can’t go home with Elizabeth. You’ll have to stay here for now.” 

“Crrrick,” said the bird, putting her head through the gate. She sounded angry. 

“It’s nicer in the garden. And Elizabeth will come visit you,” said Dr. Rust. 

“How will I get in?” I asked. “I mean out? Do I need to borrow the Golden Key? Or will my sneakers work?” 

“You can use the Golden Key, when you can find it. It doesn’t always let itself be found.”

“Good-bye, Polly. I’ll come soon,” I said. “It’s not everybody who gets to be friends with a former terrifying monster who lives in a magical garden!” 

Chapter 27: A carpet ride

The rest of the weekend was something of a letdown. Not that I would have expected my parents to notice my adventure; I made it home in time to help with dinner, after all. But after being shrunk down to the size of a soda can and almost eaten by a rat, defeating a crooked art dealer, helping rescue a prince and a princess from an obsessed collector, and traveling to Nowhere and back, I almost resented being expected to peel potatoes. At the end of the fairy tale, the scullery maid usually gets a promotion.

Monday at lunch, Marc waved me over to sit at his table with the basketball stars and their girlfriends. “This is my bud Elizabeth Rew,” he said, draping his arm around my shoulders. “We work together after school. She saved my life when I got in trouble with the boss.”

“Hey, Elizabeth,” the team said, nodding at me. The girlfriends smiled politely.

Then they all went back to talking, and I felt very out of place. Still, it was the thought that counted.

After lunch, Mr. Mauskopf stopped me in the hall. “Nice work,” he said. “Lee Rust told me about your adventures. It would have been even better if you’d stopped Marc from stealing the kuduo, of course—the arrogance of princes! And you both should have come to me at once for help. But still, you and your friends rescued Lee from a tight spot and did the collection a great service. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mauskopf,” I said, blushing.

My phone rang that evening. “Elizabeth? It’s Jaya. What do you think I should do with all these princesses? There aren’t any princes to kiss them. But they’ve got to be bored out of their minds, just sitting there.”

“What does Anjali think?”

“She’s no use. She told my mom she was going to your house and went off to hang out with Marc.”

“Oh. I’ll ask Doc about the princesses next time I’m in the library.”

“Thanks. Do you think maybe I should play with them?”

I thought about it. If I were a doll, would I want a frenetic ten-year-old bumping me around as she acted out her fantasies? “Maybe you could play some music for them? Or put them where they can see the TV?” I suggested.

“My parents won’t let me have a TV in my room. Oh, I’ve got to go, my mom is calling.”

At the repository, I spent a long time looking for Doc’s office. “Did you get the mermaid comb back yet?” I asked when I finally found it. Then I noticed something odd. “Your freckles! They’re back,” I blurted out.

Doc nodded. “They’re what connects me to the Garden of Seasons. In the garden, they’re stars in the sky. Out here, they’re only freckles on my face.”

“That’s . . . cool,” I said. “How do you get star freckles?”

“They came when I took the job. Now, your sense of direction. I’m sorry to say we don’t have the comb back yet. I expect it will take at least a year, maybe longer. In the meantime, I thought you could use this. The board of governors approved the loan for as long as you need it.” Doc handed me a ring made of some gray metal—it looked like iron or steel—with a silvery, mirrory stone in it.

I put on the ring. “Thanks. What does it do?”

“If you think about what you desire, it shows where to go to find it. Try it.”

I thought about lunch. I felt the ring gently pulling me toward the door. I thought about my friend Nicole. The ring pulled me gently toward the door. I thought about the skating rink in Central Park. The ring gently pulled me toward the door.