Sabrina turned to her sister. Daphne was sound asleep, as if the Wolf’s threats meant nothing. She was so trusting—so naïve. Like the rest of her family, she was tucked in her bed, never thinking that death might crawl out of the closet and gobble her whole. There would be nothing Sabrina could do to stop it, either, not as long as her sister refused to retrieve the secret weapon the three pigs swore could save them all. Why had Hamstead entrusted such a huge responsibility to such a little girl? Daphne was too young for such a heavy burden. Sure, Daphne had a knack with enchanted items, and Sabrina—well, Sabrina and magic didn’t mix, but whatever was in that safe-deposit box had to be used by someone who saw things clearly. Someone who put sentimentality aside and fought for her family. That key could stop the Wolf, maybe even put Mr. Canis back in control. Either way, the danger would be over. If the family had this weapon things might even get easier for them in the town. They could fight the Scarlet Hand. With such a weapon, the evil group’s threats would be meaningless. There were lots of reasons to have the weapon. It was time to go get it, even if Daphne didn’t think so. Sabrina knew what had to be done.
She leaned over and gently unfastened the chain from her sister’s neck. The little girl was such a sound sleeper, she didn’t seem to notice it was gone. Sabrina held up the key and studied it, imagining the possibilities. Then she crawled out of bed, pulled on a pair of jeans, a black shirt, and sneakers and padded down the hallway to Mirror’s room. Once inside, Mirror’s horrifying face immediately appeared, accompanied by frightening bolts of lightning and a wall of flames that streaked across her path.
“Who dares invade my sanctuary!” Mirror bellowed.
“Turn off the special effects,” Sabrina said. “It’s me!”
The threatening image faded and the fire snuffed out, replaced by the kind face of her friend. “Up a little late, aren’t you, Starfish?”
“I’m on a secret mission,” Sabrina replied.
“Is this mission secret from your grandmother?”
Sabrina nodded, then turned her attention to the traveler’s chest. She recited the address to the bank and bent over to lift the lid but it was locked tight. Uncle Jake must have taken the key. She’d have to use plan B to get to the bank, even if it nauseated her. “I need the flying carpet.”
“What for?”
“I can’t tell you,” she said.
“No surprise, there. Still, where’s your sister? Where’s Puck? You never go alone.”
“This time I have to,” Sabrina said, holding out her set of keys to the Hall of Wonders.
“I don’t know about this, kiddo,” Mirror said.
“I won’t be gone long. Trust me. I’m doing this for everyone’s good,” Sabrina said as she opened the spare room’s one and only window.
Mirror’s hand broke the surface of the reflection and took the keys. “I swear, you’re giving me gray hair,” he said as he faded away. Moments later he returned with Sabrina’s keys and Aladdin’s carpet. “Would you listen if I asked you to be careful?”
Sabrina nodded as she opened the window. “I always listen.”
“Yes, but do you hear me?”
She unrolled the rug on the floor, admiring the beautifully embroidered designs of the stars, moons, and sabers. Then she sat down in the center and clenched its tassels in her hands. “OK, rug, take me to the Ferryport Landing Savings and Loan.”
“What’s at the bank?” Mirror asked.
“The answer to a lot of our problems,” Sabrina replied.
Moments later, the rug was darting toward downtown, the air whipping Sabrina’s hair behind her as she soared over the treetops. She concentrated on the weapon she would soon possess. Whatever it was, Swineheart and Boarman said it was powerful. If it helped three out-of-shape piggies beat a monster, it might just be what her family needed. She clutched Daphne’s little key in her hand and imagined what might be inside the safe-deposit box. Perhaps it was a bazooka, or a laser gun, or some kind of device that fired lava.
Soon the bank came into sight and the little rug floated to the ground. It landed on the deserted sidewalk in front of the building. Sabrina glanced around, careful that no one was watching as she stepped off the carpet. It automatically rolled itself up and Sabrina stashed it behind a nearby bush.
The streetlights that once illuminated the quaint neighborhood were black and burned out. Ferryport Landing’s Main Street had never been Broadway, but now it seemed desperately lonely. With the coast clear, she climbed the steps of the bank. Before she tried the door she noticed a sign that read closed. Sabrina could have kicked herself. Of course the bank was going to be closed. It was nighttime. Her over-eagerness to retrieve the weapon kept her from thinking clearly. Now what was she going to do? She couldn’t go back home and try during the day. Her family was always around and Daphne would notice that the key was missing.
She sat down on the stoop, contemplating her limited choices, when a crazy thought popped into her head. Why not break into the bank? She had done lots of crazy things since moving to Ferryport Landing. Why would this one be any crazier? She could break a window and crawl inside. If she hurried, she could open the safe-deposit box, grab the weapon, and escape before Nottingham arrived. It was as good a plan as any.
She stood up and studied the bank, sizing it up like it was an adversary. She had broken out of many places in her lifetime. As foster children, she and her sister were constantly escaping the lunatics the state sent them to live with. She recalled the Deasy family, who owned and operated an ostrich farm in Hoboken, New Jersey. The birds were mean and frightening, chasing Daphne nearly nonstop for the first three days. When one of them spit in Sabrina’s face, she knew that the sisters Grimm had to go. After a week of trying, Sabrina managed to pick the lock on the front gate, freeing herself and Daphne and the entire herd of stinky giant birds. She and her sister hopped the gate on the underground train that led to New York City, and they were back in the Big Apple hours before the Hoboken Police Department managed to track and capture the first of the Deasys’ twenty-five ostriches. If Sabrina could pick a lock, she could certainly throw a rock through a window.
Sabrina searched the street for a stone heavy enough to crack the bank’s thick security windows. She found a good sharp one and headed back to spot a place to fling it. She circled around the back of the building, found a window low to the ground, and peeked inside. There were wires attached to the window that led to a bright red bell on the wall. She guessed the bell would start to wail if the windows were broken. Once she was inside, she’d have to act fast. The last thing she needed was for Nottingham to show up and decide to be a police officer for once. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, then reared back, aimed, and tossed the rock. She prepared for the shattering of glass but it never came. Instead she heard a voice.
“Sabrina Grimm turns to a life of crime. I’m so proud of you.”
Sabrina recognized the voice immediately. It was Puck, and he had her rock clenched firmly in his hand.
“What are you doing here?” Sabrina demanded, dragging him into the shadows.
“Keeping an eye on you,” Puck said. “You slipped past all my security.”
“I’m not going to stay locked up in the house just ’cause you say we should,” Sabrina said. “I can take care of myself.”
“You are truly an ungrateful jerk. Do you know how much money I have to pay the troglodyte to sit inside the dirty clothes hamper? Not to mention the brownies living in the bushes outside and the ogre under the couch. Professionals are not cheap. Plus, I have to pay their dental insurance and contribute to their 401(k) plans. But do you appreciate it? NO! You run around this town willy-nilly, as if you had a death wish. Well, listen, bub, if your family gets killed, then I’m out in the cold. That means no more free meals. No more cable TV. Do you know what would happen to me if I had to go back down to just three or four channels?” Puck shuddered.