Of Giants and Ice (Ever Afters, The) Read Free

Mom hadn’t sent me there.
    “Hansel has led the juniors and seniors ahead,” the Director continued.
    “Hansel? As in Hansel and Gretel?”
    I hadn’t meant for anyone to hear me, but without looking up, the girl sitting on the roots answered, “Yes.”
    “Now, follow me. We’ll need to hurry if we’re going to get back in time.” The Director rushed down the foot ladder behind the podium and led us across the courtyard, her skirt raised in bothgloved hands. The train of her dress dragged behind her over the grass. It was embroidered with a flame-colored bird. “Don’t forget to take a flare as you enter the passage.”
    They were taking this a little far. “Who’s she supposed to be? Cinderella?”
    “No,” said the same girl. She stood up, still flipping through pages in her book, Dragons for Dummies: Dos and Don’ts , as the crowd meandered across the courtyard. Her thick, old-fashioned glasses made her brown eyes look huge. “Ellie’s Cinderella. The Director is Sleeping Beauty.”
    I laughed a little, but the girl gave me an odd look.
    As we lined up, she read one final page, closed her book, and tucked it behind a box holding open a yellow door. Then she held out her hand with a smile. “I’m Lena.”
    “Rory.” I shook her hand, relieved that she’d made the first move.
    The hallway we walked down was dark, lit only with strips of tiny lights on the floor like you see in airplane cabins and movie theaters.
    “We know who you are,” said a boy walking behind us. It was Chase. His blond hair hung in shaggy curls around his ears, and he looked a lot taller up close. “Ms. White came back from your school and dragged Rumpy into a conference about you for two whole hours—”
    “Don’t call him that.” Lena glanced back nervously.
    Chase ignored her completely, which I didn’t like much.
    After being the new girl so many times, I’d gotten better at figuring people out. Chase seemed like he couldn’t decide what he wanted to be exactly—the class clown or the school bully. It was probably better to avoid him until he made a decision.
    So I turned to Lena. “Why were they talking about me?”
    Lena sighed. “We were hoping you could tell us.”
    “Was it because of my parents?” It would not be a good sign if even the adults running Ever After School got excited over Mom and Dad.
    “Why?” asked Lena. “Are they Characters?”
    I stared at her blankly, wondering if “Character” was a code word in role-play speak.
    “Your dad’s not an Aladdin, is he?” Chase asked darkly.
    That had to be the single weirdest question anyone had ever asked me about my father.
    “His name is Eric,” I said hesitantly.
    “That name sounds familiar. . . .” Lena said. For a second, I thought she would make the connection and ask, Eric Landon, the director? But she just looked thoughtful.
    Maybe, just maybe, nobody here knew anything about my parents.
    Most people couldn’t tell just by looking at me. Everyone recognized Mom. She was the petite, elegant blonde they’d seen on magazine covers. I looked more like my dad—athletic and on the tall side, with wavy brown hair so thick that it went everywhere no matter how tight my ponytail was. The only part of me that came from Mom was my eyes—hazel with dark, arching eyebrows.
    “Sometimes parents don’t talk about it,” Lena added with a sympathetic smile. “They don’t want to get your hopes up—in case you don’t turn out to be a Character.”
    But if these kids didn’t know— Well, it made this role-play deal look a lot more promising.
    I wanted to ask what a Character was, but then Chase nodded to his left where three boys with light brown hair and brown eyes walked with flashlights. “These are the Zipes brothers—Conner, Kyle, and Kevin.”
    “Nice to meet you,” one of them said.
    “We’re triplets,” said another.
    “Fraternal,” added the last.
    “So you can tell us apart,” said the first.
    “Great,” I said.