pin stuck to the back. The girl paused there, touching the pin.
“I miss school, too,” the girl said. “I miss my friends.”
“I’ve told you a million times!” the Blue Queen said. “Don’t have friends! Have underlings! Friends,” she said, “friends only disappoint.”
This sounded like very bad advice to Fern. But the girl seemed to accept it as fact. “I know,” she said, quietly. “I know.”
“Good. Now where’s my fur? I can’t leave it here or the help will steal it.”
The girl stood. “In the wardrobe,” she said.
Through a crack in the doors of the wardrobe, Fern could see the trim of a fur. It began to shake and bounce. It pushed its way off the hanger and landed on the floor on its paws. Fern could see a few pairs of eyes, raccoon eyes. It scrambled to the Blue Queen, out of sight, but Fern could imagine the coat of animals clambering up her legs and arms, resting themselves on her shoulders.
The door opened, and the Blue Queen’s voice called down the hall. “You two! Yes, you! With the feather dusters! I’m Fattler’s special guest speaker, Ubuleen Heet!”
Fern froze. Ubuleen Heet? So that’s what she meant by hiding in plain sight! The Blue Queen was in disguise as the motivational speaker! Her invitation had been sent by the Blue Queen! The Blue Queen was the head of the Secret Society of Somebodies.
“Oh, Miss Heet! What can we do for you?” a voice shouted down the hall.
“Come in here and tidy this, will you? It stinks of smoke and the awful odor of livestock, like an old barn! I have a speaking engagement, as you may know, and I can’t tolerate a room like this!”
“Yes, ma’am!” they said. “We’ll get to it! Right away!”
Fern tried to work out the names in her head:
THE BLUE QUEEN
UBULEEN HEET
There was only a single letter missing. “Q.” Her middle initial?
So Ubuleen Heet was famous. She was the speaker! How could this be? Didn’t anyone know that she was evil? That she was the Blue Queen returned, the one responsible for the dead books? That she was using the anniversary of her defeat as a soft spot in time so that she could return? Fern kept her book-hands pinned under her body, too afraid to budge.
The girl was still in the room. In fact, she was just feet away from Howard and Fern. She stood at the box, putting some of the books back into it. There was the unmistakable scent of rot, something soured or, worse, dead. She was talking to herself, repeating, “It will all be worth it in the end. It will all be worth it.”
Her mother called once more, “Don’t forget your red hat, Lucess, dear.”
Lucess? Brine? Fern’s stomach looped as if she were still on the glass elevator. She grabbed Howard’s arm. He was already rigid with fear. He looked at Fern, his eyes watery. Her mind couldn’t help but line up letters again.
LUCESS BRINE
BLUE
She came up with that quickly. What letters wereleft? “C-E-S-S R-I-N”…She flipped them. RINCESS . Again, she was only missing one letter.
“And, please,” the Blue Queen shouted. “Don’t forget to feed your father!”
Lucess walked to the fishbowl. Fern and Howard listened to her unscrew a cap and tap it on the side of the bowl.
“Here you go, Daddy,” she said, and then she added in a whisper, “Soon you’ll be with us. It will all be worth it!”
Then she walked to the other side of the bed and started rummaging through her suitcase, for her red hat, no doubt. The red hat tumbled to the floor just beside Howard’s head. When she bent down to retrieve it, Howard gave a small gasp.
Lucess whipped up the dust ruffle. Her sharp face appeared beneath the bed. She stared at Howard and Fern, dazed. Fern was ready to scream if necessary. She was already stiffening for Lucess’s attack.
But Lucess’s face went soft. “You’re here,” she said.
“You?” Fern said. “It was you trying to shut the books? Your mother is—”
“Ubuleen Heet,” Lucess said.
“The Blue
“I miss school, too,” the girl said. “I miss my friends.”
“I’ve told you a million times!” the Blue Queen said. “Don’t have friends! Have underlings! Friends,” she said, “friends only disappoint.”
This sounded like very bad advice to Fern. But the girl seemed to accept it as fact. “I know,” she said, quietly. “I know.”
“Good. Now where’s my fur? I can’t leave it here or the help will steal it.”
The girl stood. “In the wardrobe,” she said.
Through a crack in the doors of the wardrobe, Fern could see the trim of a fur. It began to shake and bounce. It pushed its way off the hanger and landed on the floor on its paws. Fern could see a few pairs of eyes, raccoon eyes. It scrambled to the Blue Queen, out of sight, but Fern could imagine the coat of animals clambering up her legs and arms, resting themselves on her shoulders.
The door opened, and the Blue Queen’s voice called down the hall. “You two! Yes, you! With the feather dusters! I’m Fattler’s special guest speaker, Ubuleen Heet!”
Fern froze. Ubuleen Heet? So that’s what she meant by hiding in plain sight! The Blue Queen was in disguise as the motivational speaker! Her invitation had been sent by the Blue Queen! The Blue Queen was the head of the Secret Society of Somebodies.
“Oh, Miss Heet! What can we do for you?” a voice shouted down the hall.
“Come in here and tidy this, will you? It stinks of smoke and the awful odor of livestock, like an old barn! I have a speaking engagement, as you may know, and I can’t tolerate a room like this!”
“Yes, ma’am!” they said. “We’ll get to it! Right away!”
Fern tried to work out the names in her head:
THE BLUE QUEEN
UBULEEN HEET
There was only a single letter missing. “Q.” Her middle initial?
So Ubuleen Heet was famous. She was the speaker! How could this be? Didn’t anyone know that she was evil? That she was the Blue Queen returned, the one responsible for the dead books? That she was using the anniversary of her defeat as a soft spot in time so that she could return? Fern kept her book-hands pinned under her body, too afraid to budge.
The girl was still in the room. In fact, she was just feet away from Howard and Fern. She stood at the box, putting some of the books back into it. There was the unmistakable scent of rot, something soured or, worse, dead. She was talking to herself, repeating, “It will all be worth it in the end. It will all be worth it.”
Her mother called once more, “Don’t forget your red hat, Lucess, dear.”
Lucess? Brine? Fern’s stomach looped as if she were still on the glass elevator. She grabbed Howard’s arm. He was already rigid with fear. He looked at Fern, his eyes watery. Her mind couldn’t help but line up letters again.
LUCESS BRINE
BLUE
She came up with that quickly. What letters wereleft? “C-E-S-S R-I-N”…She flipped them. RINCESS . Again, she was only missing one letter.
“And, please,” the Blue Queen shouted. “Don’t forget to feed your father!”
Lucess walked to the fishbowl. Fern and Howard listened to her unscrew a cap and tap it on the side of the bowl.
“Here you go, Daddy,” she said, and then she added in a whisper, “Soon you’ll be with us. It will all be worth it!”
Then she walked to the other side of the bed and started rummaging through her suitcase, for her red hat, no doubt. The red hat tumbled to the floor just beside Howard’s head. When she bent down to retrieve it, Howard gave a small gasp.
Lucess whipped up the dust ruffle. Her sharp face appeared beneath the bed. She stared at Howard and Fern, dazed. Fern was ready to scream if necessary. She was already stiffening for Lucess’s attack.
But Lucess’s face went soft. “You’re here,” she said.
“You?” Fern said. “It was you trying to shut the books? Your mother is—”
“Ubuleen Heet,” Lucess said.
“The Blue
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