on the day they’d gone missing. He hadn’t thought about it since, but it had been so weird, seeing the woman from Arcane Lane in the forest. What was her name? Penelope? Poppy? Phoebe? Yes, that was it. Phoebe.
What had she been doing there? Was she following him? There had to be a connection.
He shoved his own Book of Shadows in his bag. Did Arcane Lane even exist in this reality? He had to go and see if it was still there. If it was, he could get another look at that Book of Shadows. It might tell him what the spirals meant. And maybe it would give him a clue as to who or what was after them. At the very least, he owed the others that.
Felix made his way at a jog through the forest towards town. On the path, he saw Andy walking towards him, looking bewildered. ‘You woken up yet?’
Andy’s face went a weird shade of pink. ‘Actually, I think wormholes are a more likely explanation.’
‘Yeah, well, good luck with that,’ Felix said. He didn’t have time to discuss quantum physics, not that he understood it anyway. And besides, he had his own plan.
In town, Felix veered down a side lane. He climbed the dozen or so steps behind the car park and stopped, breathless. Arcane Lane was still there. Exactly as he remembered it.
Last time he’d sneaked into the back room when Phoebe was distracted by Mia wanting her advice about making friendship bracelets. He’d found her Book of Shadows in a drawer and had flicked through it, looking for a spell that might help Oscar. He’d found something that he thought might work and, at the back of the book, he’d found a hand-drawn map of a powerful magical site in the Bremin Forest. He’d just managed to copy it down when Phoebe had caught him and chased him from the shop.
Felix took a deep breath. Hopefully, in this world, Arcane Lane would be run by a sweet old lady.
He peered through the window. Bugger. No such luck.
A grumpy-looking Phoebe was sitting behind the counter, packaging crystals in little Ziploc bags.
Felix hesitated. He needed to think this through. He couldn’t just walk in there and ask to look at her precious Book of Shadows. He looked around, searching for an idea.
A set of wind chimes hanging outside the shop clinked in the wind.
Felix considered them for a moment. If he could loosen them, he might buy himself enough time. He reached up and grasped the chimes closed to keep them quiet, then carefully loosened the string they were hanging from.
That should do it.
Felix entered the shop and Phoebe glanced up. ‘We don’t sell vampire books.’
‘I don’t want vampire books.’
Phoebe rolled her eyes and returned to her crystals. ‘My mistake.’
Felix looked around the shop. It was just as he remembered it. Dream-catchers hung from the ceiling. Strange statues of North American native people shared the floor with ceramic frogs, knee-high candles and crazed-looking fairies.
He ran his finger along the book titles, pretending to be interested: ALCHEMY, SPIRITUAL HEALING, SELF HELP, WICCA, DIVINATION.
Crash!
Perfect timing.
Phoebe pushed her chair back with a sigh and stomped her way through the shop. She wrenched open the front door and, as soon as she did, Felix slipped behind the counter.
He parted the beaded curtain and stepped into the back room. On the walls were framed diagrams. The bookshelves were heavy with dusty books and glass jars with strange-looking specimens swirling in liquid. In the middle of the room was a large wooden desk where Phoebe kept her Book of Shadows.
Felix crept to the desk. If nothing had changed, it should be in the second drawer on the right. He pulled the drawer open and there it was. He grabbed it, stuck it up his jumper, and sneaked back into the front of the shop. To his relief, Phoebe was still outside, struggling with the collapsed wind chime. Felix hid himself behind a rack of fairy costumes. He placed the ancient-looking Book of Shadows on top of a pile of books and opened it.
Inside were
What had she been doing there? Was she following him? There had to be a connection.
He shoved his own Book of Shadows in his bag. Did Arcane Lane even exist in this reality? He had to go and see if it was still there. If it was, he could get another look at that Book of Shadows. It might tell him what the spirals meant. And maybe it would give him a clue as to who or what was after them. At the very least, he owed the others that.
Felix made his way at a jog through the forest towards town. On the path, he saw Andy walking towards him, looking bewildered. ‘You woken up yet?’
Andy’s face went a weird shade of pink. ‘Actually, I think wormholes are a more likely explanation.’
‘Yeah, well, good luck with that,’ Felix said. He didn’t have time to discuss quantum physics, not that he understood it anyway. And besides, he had his own plan.
In town, Felix veered down a side lane. He climbed the dozen or so steps behind the car park and stopped, breathless. Arcane Lane was still there. Exactly as he remembered it.
Last time he’d sneaked into the back room when Phoebe was distracted by Mia wanting her advice about making friendship bracelets. He’d found her Book of Shadows in a drawer and had flicked through it, looking for a spell that might help Oscar. He’d found something that he thought might work and, at the back of the book, he’d found a hand-drawn map of a powerful magical site in the Bremin Forest. He’d just managed to copy it down when Phoebe had caught him and chased him from the shop.
Felix took a deep breath. Hopefully, in this world, Arcane Lane would be run by a sweet old lady.
He peered through the window. Bugger. No such luck.
A grumpy-looking Phoebe was sitting behind the counter, packaging crystals in little Ziploc bags.
Felix hesitated. He needed to think this through. He couldn’t just walk in there and ask to look at her precious Book of Shadows. He looked around, searching for an idea.
A set of wind chimes hanging outside the shop clinked in the wind.
Felix considered them for a moment. If he could loosen them, he might buy himself enough time. He reached up and grasped the chimes closed to keep them quiet, then carefully loosened the string they were hanging from.
That should do it.
Felix entered the shop and Phoebe glanced up. ‘We don’t sell vampire books.’
‘I don’t want vampire books.’
Phoebe rolled her eyes and returned to her crystals. ‘My mistake.’
Felix looked around the shop. It was just as he remembered it. Dream-catchers hung from the ceiling. Strange statues of North American native people shared the floor with ceramic frogs, knee-high candles and crazed-looking fairies.
He ran his finger along the book titles, pretending to be interested: ALCHEMY, SPIRITUAL HEALING, SELF HELP, WICCA, DIVINATION.
Crash!
Perfect timing.
Phoebe pushed her chair back with a sigh and stomped her way through the shop. She wrenched open the front door and, as soon as she did, Felix slipped behind the counter.
He parted the beaded curtain and stepped into the back room. On the walls were framed diagrams. The bookshelves were heavy with dusty books and glass jars with strange-looking specimens swirling in liquid. In the middle of the room was a large wooden desk where Phoebe kept her Book of Shadows.
Felix crept to the desk. If nothing had changed, it should be in the second drawer on the right. He pulled the drawer open and there it was. He grabbed it, stuck it up his jumper, and sneaked back into the front of the shop. To his relief, Phoebe was still outside, struggling with the collapsed wind chime. Felix hid himself behind a rack of fairy costumes. He placed the ancient-looking Book of Shadows on top of a pile of books and opened it.
Inside were
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