Hook's Pan (Kingdom, #5)

“Hey,” Trisha screamed, “somebody help me, hey!” But it was like no one heard her. Not even Julie, who was moving faster than Trisha had ever seen her move. “Julie, heeeelllp.”


And she continued to cry out for help, until the very last person ran through the door.

A creeping white fog started to roll down the aisles, curling up the stage, through the seats, until finally all she could see was the white everywhere.

Heart beating a terrible rhythm in her chest, panic making her mouth dry as a desert, Trisha jerked her legs, trying in vain to yank herself down. She’d much rather fall to her death than die of smoke inhalation at this point.

Sparks flew behind the curtains and the scent of smoke filled her nose. Screaming and twirling like a drunken bat, Trisha didn’t initially see the figure standing below her.

But eventually the voice cut through her blind terror.

“Trisha, relax, it’s just us. It’s just us…”

“Betty?”

Betty was jerking her hand at Gerard who was running behind the stage prop to grab the rope attached to her harness.

“They left me,” she stuttered, “I can’t believe…”

“No, they were enchanted. Danika made them forget all about you.”

“What?” She planted her fists on her hips. Again with the stupid fairy crap. Before she got a chance to swear about it though, Gerard had finally lowered her to the stage. Once her feet were firmly planted on the ground, Betty was on her, releasing her from the harness.

“Listen to me, Trisha, everything, and I mean, everything, I’ve told you is absolutely true. Danika is here and she’ll be taking you on a little journey. I really wanted more time, but…”

“There is no more to be had.” A woman, and Trisha used that word loosely, hopped up onto the stage.

Actually hopped was the wrong word. She glided…on wings.

Blinking, Trisha shook her head. The wings were moving—dragonfly looking things shining with a blue iridescence. They looked unbelievably real and her heart sank somewhere into the region of her knees.

“Wha… What is—”

The woman/fairy (oh God, had she died? Maybe she was dead. Or passed out…yeah, maybe passed out, was she really giving Betty’s words credence?) was looking at her. Fat, blondish-gray curls bounced around her cherubim-like face as she smiled broadly. “Well, hello Trishelle. Good to finally meet you, Betty’s told me so much.”

Whipping her head back and forth between the three of them Trisha knew she’d get whiplash soon. “Wait. Hold on.” She took a step back as the little woman-thing came closer, wings flitting faster, buzzing loudly behind her. “What’s going on here?”

Gerard had his arms wrapped around Betty’s middle as he leaned over. “We told you truth.”

Betty patted his arm. “Please, please, Trisha…this isn’t scary and I promise you’re gonna love it. Him. You’re gonna love him.”

Her smile was broad and Trisha’s eyes grew wider.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Where was the fire? Shouldn’t they all be drowning in flame by now? Hacking their lungs out as the black smoke filled it up? The air smelled like paint and flowers, wildflowers, the kind of smell that came from standing in a verdant meadow after a good, long rain.

What was going on here? She’d seen fire, she knew she had. But the woman in front of her was smiling at Trisha like she was the crazy person locked up in an insane asylum because she’d completely lost touch with reality. Except in this case, she was pretty sure she wasn’t the one who’d lost touch.

“She needs more time.” Betty clutched her hands together, looking at Danika. “She doesn’t believe us.”

Trisha blinked. And then blinked again, all the while she kept backing up, stopping only because she’d run into a stage prop.

“I’m still asleep. That’s what this is. I’m asleep and that’s why Julie bailed and why Betty’s acting like such a weirdo, and I’m seeing a woman with real wings attached to her back.” She giggled and then slapped herself, frowning when it actually stung.

“No more to give, Hook’s gone and gotten himself tangled up with Tinker. I know that man, he’s setting up his next plan of attack. We’ll bring him Trishelle and he’ll have no choice but to obsess over something else. Though…” she tsked, taking in Trisha’s appearance, “you do understand that meeting him with that get up on will be ironic, to say the least.”

It dawned on her then, she didn’t need to stand here and listen to this. Turning on her heels, Trisha bounded down the steps, thigh muscles flexing and bunching, running as fast as she could toward the door.

Something hard and heavy slammed into her back, but instead of it making her drop like a stone to the floor, she was stunned and frozen. Literally frozen with her foot mid-step.

Eyes going wide she gazed down at her body and saw the rolling undulations of something that twinkled and glowed a faint luminescent pink, completely encasing her.

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