The Girl in the Garden

Chapter 16

To Ben's surprise, the boys didn't get caught as they snuck back in from the garden. He could hear Ms. Herrier and Lolly in the hallway as he rushed to the stairs, but both women seemed so full of glee from their night of games that they didn't even see the boys.

Ben caught a glimpse of Ms. Herrier laughing, a sight he hadn't seen before, and as he and Sparrow slipped unnoticed up to their rooms, he found himself replaying her laugh in his mind. It was nice to see her happy, and he wished it happened more often. It made him regret those early days at the manor when he found his fun by bothering her.

In their common room, Ben threw himself down on the couch and said, "Wow, that was wild. Do you believe any of it? I don't know...."

"Goodnight, Ben," was all Sparrow said as he walked toward his bedroom.

"Hey! Wait, you can't just go to bed now. What about all those things she said? Aren't we even gonna talk about—"

"I said, goodnight." Sparrow looked into Ben's eyes, and Ben saw sadness there.

"Are you okay?"

Sparrow slipped into his room, and when the door closed, Ben heard the lock slide into place. He stood quietly and stared at the spot where he wished Sparrow was still standing. Trying to understand what had just happened, he replayed their evening in his mind as he went to his own bedroom.

Ben remembered how Sparrow looked after he admitted he thought strange things were happening to him and wondered if Sparrow felt like Ben was keeping secrets. In truth, he was. He wanted to tell Sparrow about the day the chair lit on fire, but how could he? Why would anyone believe him if he said it out loud? I light things on fire with my mind! He shouted with his thoughts, and he knew it was a crazy idea.

The girl visited Ben in his dreams that night. She was dancing, and the music box was playing, and all around him, the garden was spinning. Or was he spinning? Either way, he woke up dizzy and uneasy the next morning. It was like his energy had been drained while he slept rather than replenished.

When he went down for breakfast, Ben was disappointed to hear that Sparrow had already eaten and left. When he got to the library for lessons, he was again disappointed to see that Sparrow wasn't there. He took a seat at his desk, staring back towards the door.

"I hope you and Sparrow made good use of your time together last night," Rani said to him.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Ben said, too distracted to look back at his teacher. A thought crossed his mind and set his stomach into a queasy, anxious, pit. Rani had done everything but open the door to the garden for him. Did she know the girl was trapped in there? Did she send him in there after her? He looked at Rani and said, "I think I learned a lot, and that's what this place is about... right? Learning?"

It wasn't what he really wanted to say. He wanted to directly ask her what she was up to, but she had spent so much time reminding him that she wasn't going to tell him anything. He knew better than to take the direct route. Perhaps getting her to acknowledge that Bramble Manor used to be a school would confirm at least one thing the girl told him.

Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to push the subject further as Sparrow chose that moment to waltz into the library.

"About time you showed up," Rani said, and Ben knew he wouldn't get anything more out of her. "Let's get started then, no chit-chatting. We have a lot to review today."

And that was how it went for days. Sparrow avoided any opportunity for Ben to speak with him during the day, and at night Ben dreamed about the girl and the music box.

It was a week after they'd snuck into the garden when Rani asked Ben to stay after class. "Been up to some mischief?" She asked when Sparrow was gone.