Page 3 of Switched

“Yes, that’s Brooke Lynn. My mother and sisters are working in the library,” Kayla says proudly.

Kayla seems so much happier now that she has her family back. Her fairy wings have taken on a healthy, glittery appearance, and she’s always singing in the hallways. (Thankfully, she has a decent voice.)

“Professor Harlow felt we should all live on school property till we find out what Rumpelstiltskin is up to and what he wanted with my family in the first place.”

“They still don’t remember anything?” I ask.

Kayla frowns. “No, but they hope having access to the library will help. My mother is a big reader, and she’s hoping they’ll come across a book that will jog their memories. Mother says our new librarian is the best in all the lands. Not that they’d tell me who she is.”

“Greetings, Fairy Tale Reform School students!” a glowing, white mirror says to a group of kids standing in front of it. “Who can tell the difference between a book you can trust and a book you can’t?”

An ogre laughs. “Why wouldn’t you trust a book?”

“Well,” says the mirror, “it depends who wrote it. Would you trust advice from a villain? What if the villain wrote the book under another name, and you had no idea who the author really was? That’s what the librarians are here for. To guide you.”

“I don’t care what that mirror says. There has to be a section on villains,” I tell the others quietly so Flora can’t hear me. “We are a school run by former villains, so they must have books about them and where their stories started, don’t you think?”

Maxine frowns. “I see a lot of picture books and stories my mother used to tell me in the forest. All these books look safe. Nothing villainous.”

They can’t all be Mother Goose stories! I scan the spines on the shelf till I find something that looks dark and mysterious. Aha! The Siren Call of the Deep Sea. That sounds villainous! Rumpelstiltskin could be mentioned in there. “Look at this one.” I glance at the cover. It has gold lettering and a weathered spine that smells a bit like sea air. How can that be? “It has a skull and crossbones on it. Definitely evil!”

“Thief, you’re going to get us in trouble,” Jax says warily. “We were told not to touch the books till the librarian gets here.”

“Don’t be such a do-gooder, Prince.” Jocelyn takes the book from my hands and feels the raised detail on the cover. “What’s the harm in touching a book? I love how wicked this book looks.” Her eyes flash darkly. “It’s like you can feel the battle between good and evil seeping from the pages.” She hugs the book to her chest, and we all look at Jocelyn strangely. “What? Is it wrong to love a good power struggle?”

Ollie quickly takes the book from her. “No, but I think this is a pirate tale.”

“Because there is a skull on it?” Jocelyn frowns. “Skulls also stand for poison.”

“Or pirates,” Ollie counters. He turns the book over in his hands, which are covered with pirate skull and crossbones tattoos he’s conjured up.

I can’t stand waiting any longer. “Let’s take a sneak peek at the first chapter to be sure.”

“I think we should wait,” Jax says, but I reach over Ollie and crack the book’s spine before anyone can stop me. Immediately, I hear a whooshing sound like wind.

“Uh-oh,” Ollie says as Flora and Rapunzel come running from opposite directions.

“Don’t open that book any further!” Flora cries, her hands outstretched to snatch it.

Too late. The book jumps from Ollie’s hands and spins in the air. The pages blur before the motion stops on an open page. All is quiet.

Ollie sighs. “Oh good. For a minute, I thought—”

His voice is cut off as a pirate leaps out of the pages and points his sword at Maxine’s throat.

CHAPTER 2

Time to Duel

Maxine does not appear alarmed by this course of events. “The book came alive!” she says excitedly as the sword presses harder against her wide neck. “The pirate jumped right off the page. Hi, pirate!”

The pirate growls at her, and I yank on Maxine to get her to move. As the pirate charges toward us, water flies from his dirty, ripped clothing, and blood trickles from a fresh cut above his right eye. He looks ghostly, like you could walk right through him, and for a minute, I am sure I’m seeing a mirage, but then he keeps coming.

“Who dares disturb me slumber?” The pirate narrows his eyes at Flora as she finally makes it to our side. “Are ye trying to steal me treasure?”

“No one is stealing your treasure, sir.” Flora picks up the book on the floor. “If you would kindly step back inside your story, we can return you to your nap.”

The pirate looks around. “Where am I? Where is me ship? I smell sorcery at work.” He bares black teeth. “Prepare to duel, me mateys!” He smacks the book out of Flora’s hands and a half-dozen pirates spring from the book’s pages.