Page 48 of The Broken Mirror
Swiftly, two of the brothers lift Rosie up onto their shoulders so she’s laughing wildly in the air. The more Filomenasees of the brothers—the goofy, cute, wholesome, rambling crew—the more she begins to wonder if Rosie has a point about the League of Seven thing.
“Let’s have a party!” one brother shouts, and the rest cheer. A party?
“Rosie, take us back to the cottage,” another brother says. “Let’s throw a big bash to celebrate! It’s been far too long since we’ve had a good old-fashioned rager!”
It’s become very clear to Filomena that Rosie’s seven brothers care a lot more about having a good time than they do about saving Never After. As they walk back to the cottage, Filomena’s head is spinning. They have so much to do, so much to figure out. This rowdy group of fraternity bros is not how she imagined the League of Seven, the heroes who will save Never After from doom. Plus they have to rescue Zera, find Colette, transform Charlie, retrieve Princess Jeanne’s crown… Not to mention two of her best friends aren’t speaking. It all piles up in Filomena’s chest. And now these boys want to throw a party? It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
At the front of the group, Rosie’s brothers still have her hoisted on their shoulders as they walk, cheering and yelling and joking, back to the cottage. Behind them, Filomena, Jack, Gretel, Alistair, Byron, and Beatrice walk silently, a depressing weight hanging over their heads.
When Filomena enters the cottage, it appears the brothers have already invited the giants and their girlfriends over. Seven giants, seven giantesses, seven brothers fill the cottage, dancing, laughing.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the cottage this full!” Rosie says. She looks a little overwhelmed.
“Come on, Rosie,” one brother says. “We were just swans for goodness’ sake, don’t we deserve to have a little fun?”
Rosie shrugs and joins in. Though Filomena is happy for Rosie and her brothers, she’s having a hard time pretending to enjoy the merriment. Her heart’s not in it. It feels like too many people, too crowded. She needs some air.
Filomena steps outside, putting on her Gretel-made outerwear. She dusts some snow off a bench in the garden and sits down, taking a big breath of cold Snow Country air. The sounds of partying are muffled out here. Through the golden glow of the windows she sees Beatrice and Byron dancing, the brothers laughing, the giants standing on the kitchen table and toasting one another. It’s one of those moments when she really feels so far away from home. Her heart aches a tiny bit with the loneliness that comes from being in a crowd.
Suddenly someone is sitting next to her: Jack.
“Hey,” he says quietly, hands in his pockets.
“Oh, you’re talking to us again, are you?” she replies sharply.
“Just to you,” he says.
She softens and her pulse quickens. No matter how big of a jerk he’s been, when Filomena looks at him, she just sees Jack and his golden heart. Just to her? It feels like the party doesn’t exist anymore, like they’re in a snow globe, only the two of them. Still, she wishes he hadn’t acted so rudely earlier.
They sit in the quiet snowy night for a moment, looking at the stars. Then Filomena can’t take it anymore. “What’s going on with you, Jack? Why were you so sharp with Alistair? This isn’t you.”
He sighs. “I know.”
“You know? That’s it?”
“It’s all my fault, Filomena.”
She turns her head away from the stars to look at him. His cheeks are damp from crying, she realizes. “What is?”
“Zera. My oldest friend in all of Never After, the closest thing I had to a mother after my mother died. My guardian, my friend. She asked for my help, and I let her down. In her greatest time of need, I let her down.”
Filomena says nothing. She can feel how much he’s been holding in. He needs to vent.
The floodgates open.
“It’s all my fault for getting hurt! I slowed us down.” Jack smacks himself on the forehead, and Filomena grabs his hand to stop him doing it again. Then, somehow, they’re holding hands. They keep holding hands.
She’s holding hands with Jack the Giant Stalker.
“I’ve always been the one to make all the decisions. Why does it feel like when I make one wrong move, someone I love dies? Why is this my life?”
“I hear you. But it’s not your fault that Zera got captured.”
“But itismy fault, though!” he yells. “She was desperate and sent for help—”
“And so was Princess Jeanne. Everyone needs you,” says Filomena.
“And I let them all down,” says Jack. He closes his eyes. “Sometimes it’s hard to imagine who I even am without all these missions. Saving people and fighting and plotting… That’s who I am. I’m nothing else.”
