NOT MUCH HAD CHANGED in Amy’s colorful dream world. The sky was violet blue, the sun had a laughing face, and soap bubbles were still floating in the air along with brightly colored butterflies. Today the carousel was turning to the tune of “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” and Amy was sitting on a swing that was fixed to the branch of a huge chestnut tree and going back and forth of its own accord.
“In real life she hasn’t quite mastered the trick of it yet,” said Henry. “You have to push her for hours on end. But since the day before yesterday, she’s been able to ride her bike,” he added proudly.
I smiled at him and then looked up at the sun. The famous English weather had begun in London by now, and it seemed to have been raining for weeks without stopping, so it was good to see the sun in a dream, at least. It was early November. Halloween had come and gone, and nothing had happened. No demon had shown his face; no one had lost what was dearest and most precious to him or her; everything was all right.
Henry guided me over into the shade of a balloon tree, so that two rainbow-colored ponies could trot past us.
“How is Arthur?” I asked. He’d been back in school since a couple of days ago, but we hadn’t spoken to each other yet. And as it was my doing that he’d had to go around with his jaw wired and splinted for three weeks, I didn’t suppose he wanted to say anything very nice to me. For instance, “I’m sorry I handed you over to my crazy girlfriend.”
Henry watched the ponies trotting away and shrugged. “As you might expect, I assume. We don’t talk much these days. He does swear he’d never have let Anabel harm you, but I … I just can’t forgive him.”
He wasn’t the only one. Grayson, too, had broken off contact with Arthur. He didn’t want to talk about it, but on the first night after the ball, when I’d been afraid to close my eyes for more than a minute because when I did I saw Anabel coming toward me with that knife, he had come into my room as if it were the most natural thing in the world, brought an armchair over to my bed, and said, in his serious way, “You can go to sleep, Liv. Don’t worry, I’ll be here.” Like a real big brother. Grayson had also helped me to give our family (and Emily) a plausible explanation for why they’d had to collect me from Accident and Emergency at the Royal Free Hospital on the night of the ball. Luckily Mom had immediately believed that I’d tripped over my long dress on the steps and fallen. And Secrecy had written it up in her blog as if she’d seen it with her own eyes. The wound on the back of my head had needed four stitches, and I had to stay in bed for a few days with a mild concussion.
Amy, over on her swing, began singing. Our presence didn’t seem to bother her—if anything, the opposite. Now and then she glanced at us and gave us a cheerful wave.
“Where did that book come from, anyway—I mean, how did it get into the possession of Anabel’s family?” I asked.
“I assume it came from the estate of her mother. She left Anabel’s father when she was in the clutches of a weird Satanic cult, and she took Anabel with her. It was months before the father and his attorneys managed to get custody of Anabel and take her away. The mother went into a psychiatric hospital. Three guesses what the diagnosis was. She died in the hospital a few years ago. Anabel didn’t have any more contact with her, but she probably has memories of that time.…”
“How come you know all this?”
Henry didn’t reply. He reached up to a branch and picked me a green balloon.
“Thanks.” I held the balloon up and let it rise in the air. A few seconds later it was just a small green dot in the blue sky. Henry hadn’t changed. He answered only the questions he chose to answer. But that didn’t particularly bother me. We all need our secrets, and Henry obviously needed more than other people. I was just glad that it was over and no one had to believe in a demon anymore.
“I have something for you.” Henry took a small black box out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Wait a minute.” A red bow appeared on the lid of the box. “Better? Or would you rather have a blue bow?”
“No, red is fine,” I said, undoing the bow. “Dream presents are so practical. You can give me an eight-carat diamond or the Koh-i-Noor without paying a penny or breaking into the Tower of London to get at the crown jewels. I’m thinking of giving you a yacht for your birthday. Along with a nice little Caribbean island…”
Henry grinned. “Open it.”
With a sigh, I lifted the lid. “Oh,” I said, and wondered for a moment whether I ought to feel disappointed. It was a small silver key, on a thin, black leather string.
“Take the key and lock her up, lock her up, lock her up,” Amy sang at that very moment.
“It’s the key to my door,” said Henry. “So you can visit me yourself.”
“That’s…” I was touched. “Does it fit all three locks?”
“No,” said Henry hesitantly. “Only the middle one. But I’ll just leave the other two unlocked.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “And if they’re locked after all, then I’ll know you’re dreaming something you don’t want me to know about, right?”
“Not very romantic?” He gave me a crooked grin.
“Yes, it is in a way,” I said, putting both my arms around Henry’s neck. “Thank you very much.”
Henry closed his eyes before my lips touched his. Kissing him had lost none of its charm—I felt like I’d never have enough of it. Henry put his hands on my waist and pushed me back against the balloon tree, only to take a step away, breathing hard and shaking his head. “No, this isn’t right.… Not really rated for viewers of all ages,” he said, looking at his little sister. “Come on. Let’s go this way.”
He led me through the pink door and out into the quiet corridor. When he finally let go of me, I saw real color in his usually pale cheeks for the first time.
“I’m in favor of waking up right away,” he said, rather breathlessly. “I could be at your place in twenty minutes. In real life, I mean.”
I smiled at him. “But it’s the middle of the night.”
“I could throw pebbles at your window.…”
“Or you could simply come to breakfast in a few hours’ time.”
“Yes, that’s another good idea.” Henry was stroking my hair and looking at me so intently that I felt slight goose bumps running down my back. “Do you know why I began believing in that demon?” he asked quietly.
I shook my head.
“Because my wish came true the moment I met you.”
“You’d wished to meet someone with a stinking cheese in her bag?”
He didn’t laugh at my joke, which admittedly wasn’t very funny, but ran his forefinger around my lips. “You’re like me,” he said seriously. “You love puzzles. You like to play. You’re happy to take risks. It’s when things look like they’re getting dangerous that you feel really excited.” He leaned a little closer to me, and I could feel the warmth of his breath. “That’s what I wished for. To meet someone I could fall in love with. You’re my heart’s desire, Liv Silver.”
“How touching!” said a voice as clear as a bell behind us, just as our lips were only half an inch apart.
We stepped back and spun around in alarm. Anabel was leaning against the wall beside Henry’s door. Her golden hair flowed over her shoulders in shining waves, her big blue eyes were gleaming. She looked beautiful, but at the sight of her all the butterflies that had been dancing in my stomach went away, and I had a queasy sensation instead. The last time I saw her, Anabel had been about to cut my throat with a knife. For real. And before that she had given me a wound to the back of my head and a concussion. Also for real. The shaved patch on my head reminded me of it every day.
“You’re in the way, Anabel.” Henry put an arm around my shoulders.
Exactly. So shove off.
Anabel twisted her lip scornfully. “You think you’ve won, don’t you? You think that now you’ve burned the book and separated me from Arthur, that’s the end of the story.”
Right.
“Although the fact that we’re talking to each other here in this corridor proves the opposite?” Anabel looked at us challengingly.
“No,” said Henry calmly. “We think so because at this moment you’re lying in a hospital bed in Surrey, stuffed full of mind-bending drugs and tied down for your own safety.” He smiled sympathetically. “It’s over, Anabel.”
Anabel’s lips twitched, and for a moment it looked as if she would burst into tears. But then she threw back her head and laughed.
“Oh, you’re so wrong, Henry,” she said. “In fact, it’s only just begun.”