Page 46 of The Broken Mirror
Seriously, still no swans?
“Alistair and I are going to go for a little walk,” Gretel says. “Can you call us when the swans come? We’ll stay within earshot.”
“Sounds good,” Rosie says as they walk away.
Still no swans…
“You don’t think they got…,” Filomena starts. Her brain is racing with worst-case scenarios. “Eaten by ogres?” she blurts out, and then immediately regrets it. They are Rosie’s brothers, after all!
Thankfully Rosie just laughs. “Don’t worry, I don’t think swan tastes very good,” she says. “I don’t know why the ogreswould eat them. They’re already cursed by Queen Christina; how much worse can it get?”
They fall into silence, once again waiting. Filomena figures she may as well try to get to know Rosie better while they wait. “What do you want to do when you’re able to leave the giants’ cottage, Rosie?”
“That’s almost too hard to think about,” Rosie replies. “Too exciting. I’ve been in that cottage for so long now, it feels like it’s all of Never After.”
“I know what you mean,” Filomena replies. “In the mortal world, I spend a lot of time inside. My parents can be pretty intense about keeping me safe. Plus I honestly didn’t have a lot of friends before I met Alistair and Jack.”
“I hope they stay friends for your sake,” Rosie says. “Do they fight a lot?”
“No, never! Absolutely never. I’ve never seen them act like this,” Filomena says. “And they’ve been friends for, like,ever. For so long. But don’t avoid my question!”
Rosie giggles. “Okay, fine. To be quite honest, all the work I’ve been doing in my laboratory… I really love it. I want to be an inventor, I think. I want to make things that are useful for people in Never After. I think, if I could combine my own ideas with a bit of magic, I could make some really interesting things.”
“I love that you can add magic to inventions in Never After,” Filomena says.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot you guys don’t have magic inthe mortal world. How weird!” Rosie laughs. “I mean, no offense.”
They laugh together. Filomena’s impressed by Rosie’s smarts and her creativity. She wants to be an inventor, how cool is that? That would have never even occurred to Filomena!
They both realize at the same time that it’s getting pretty dark.
“I’m sorry to say it,” Rosie says, “but it doesn’t seem like we’re going to have much luck tonight. I don’t know where my brothers are, but I don’t think they’re coming.”
Just as Rosie says this, Gretel and Alistair walk back over. Alistair looks at the ramen sadly. “They aren’t coming tonight, are they?” he asks. “It’s probably stone-cold by now, anyway.”
The four of them pick up the ramen bowls and the star flower shirts and start walking back to the giants’ cottage.
“Rosie, I’ve been meaning to ask you if I could get a pair of those glasses…,” Gretel calls, running up to walk next to Rosie.
Several paces behind them, Alistair and Filomena walk side by side. It’s the first time she’s seen Alistair alone since the whole thing with Jack.
“Hey, buddy,” she says, bumping his shoulder lightly. “How are you holding up?”
He just shrugs.
“Have you and Jack talked at all today?” she asks.
“Nope. Not a peep.”
“That was pretty nasty last night. I’ve never heard him talk to you like that.”
“I don’t think he’s ever talked to me that way before. He usually loves my jokes. But I was being annoying about Sadie, I suppose. Hey, I’m sorry about that, by the way. That was stupid of me to say in front of you,” he adds.
Filomena feels nerves flutter in her stomach. “What do you mean? Why would it be stupid in front of me?”
“Oh…” Suddenly Alistair looks nervous, like he’s let something slip. “Just because…,” he hedges. “Well… you know, in case you feel weird about it. Sadie, I mean.” He’s flustered now.
Did Jack say something to him? Or is Filomena so obvious that everyone in Never After can tell she has a crush on Jack? But does she still, after the way he’s been acting? It’s all too confusing.
