No Happily Ever After

Chapter 18

Thenext day, Kimberly's mother assigned her chores to do that occupiedmost of the day. She conducted her business with aggravation, sincethey delayed her from making it to spend time with her grandmother. By the time she was finished, darkness had fallen again. But she wasdetermined to still get a visit in.

She packed herbasket and donned her red hood. "Mom, could you give me a rideover to Grandma's?" Kimberly asked grudgingly. By that time,her mother was home from work and reclining leisurely watching TV.

Ms. Crimson sighed. "Oh, Kim, let's just stay in tonight. It's freezing and awfulout, I don't want to go back in the snow."

Kimberly frowned. "I'm going to Grandma's, mom. And you're right. It is awfulout. So it would be nice if you gave me a ride!"

"Not tonight,Kimberly," Ms. Crimson snapped, giving her a warning glare.

With a groan,Kimberly turned and walked out the front door. She was angry withher mother, and decided she would just stay overnight at hergrandma's house.

She traveled asquickly as she could in the frigid weather. It was only a mile and ahalf trek to her grandmother's place just outside of town. But inthe snow and wind, it still seemed to take ages. She was chilled tothe bone by the time she swung open the white picket gate in front ofthe cottage.

The windows of thecottage were all dark and seemed to stare down at her like emptyeyes. An internal alarm began to chime inside Kimberly, as it wasunusual to not see warm light spilling out onto the snow coveredshrubbery. She rushed for the front door.

Once inside, shestomped the snow off her boots and shed her cloak. The place wasutterly dark. She stood for a moment listening intently to thequiet. It was too quiet. Something was missing. Usuallythere was sound from the TV as the evening nurse watched in theliving room. That sound was absent. But something else should'vebeen there as well but was not.

It was the beepingof her grandmother's machines. The sound was an increment part ofher grandmother's environment now. Where was the beeping?

"Nadine?"Kimberly called out hesitantly to her grandmother's nurse.

"Up here,dear!" came the reply.

Relief washed overKimberly. All was well apparently. Nadine must've simply elected tospend time at Grandma's side since she hadn't made it over earlier inthe day. Kimberly happily bound up the narrow stairway to find hergrandma. Knowing every nook and cranny of the little cottage byheart, she didn't even bother to turn on lights as she went.

But she stoppeddead in her tracks when she burst into grandma's room.

"What are youdoing here?" Kimberly exclaimed.

Mr. Bar was perchedon her grandmother's bed, comfortably reclining against the laceypillows. Next to the bed, Mrs. Bar, her school guidance counselor,stood with her hands demurely clasped before her, and smilingpleasantly.

Blood rushed toKimberly's head, causing her ears to ring and her heart to pound. "WHERE IS MY GRANDMOTHER?" Kimberly demanded.

Mr. Bar smiledhandsomely. "You know, when someone is polite to you, andoffers you a ride, you should accept young lady," he said in acurious, hollow tone that was at odds with his nice looking face. "Iwould've just taken you home, like I said that I would. But, youwent and hurt my feelings."

Tears cloudedKimberly's vision. She turned to run.

But, when shereached the top of the stairs, Benjamin Bar stepped out of theshadows. And, with a wicked, childish smile, he shoved her down.

***

"Try not tomove."

Kimberly writhedand moaned as consciousness found her in an alarming level of pain. She opened her eyes and looked around frantically. She saw NicholasMonarch and Ella Cinder crouching nearby, looking at her from theother side of some rusty bars. To her right, she noted Aspen Briar,slumped in a corner, leaning against a stone wall, bleeding, andstaring ahead with glassy eyes.

Cailyn Pure kneltright next to Kimberly and clasped her hand. "Kimberly,shhhhh," Cailyn said softly. "Stay still, sweetheart. Wethink your leg is broken. And you won't be getting any help..."