"Is something burning?" Sabrina Grimm asked, directing the question at her younger sister Daphne. The two were standing outside the kitchen, from which drifted a smoky, not altogether pleasant aroma that reminded Sabrina of oven cleaner and burning vegetables.
Daphne nodded enthusiastically, her ratty pigtails flying. "Granny Relda is cooking breakfast."
"Well," Sabrina muttered, "that certainly explains the smell."
Just then, the kitchen door flung open. Standing in the doorway was a short, chubby old woman with gray hair streaked with red. She was wearing a floral-patterned dress, and a hat with a matching sunflower appliqué. "Good morning, lieblings!" she said cheerfully in a light German accent. "Breakfast is on the table."
Sabrina peered into the kitchen. Elvis, the family's two-hundred-pound Great Dane, was cowering on the floor behind Granny Relda. He had his paws pressed over his muzzle, and was whining piteously.
"Uh, Granny? What's wrong with Elvis?" Sabrina asked.
Granny Relda looked thoughtful. "I'm not entirely sure. He was hungry, so I let him try some of our breakfast, and he's been like that ever since."
Sabrina wondered what exactly was in the breakfast to make even Elvis cower like that. She didn't really want to know.
She followed Daphne into the dining room and sat down at the table. The plate at the spot in front of her was heaped with what looked like tree bark covered in a bright blue sauce. Sabrina poked the bark-like-substance, only to have it wobble like jello. She hurriedly pushed the plate away, resisting the temptation to be sick. Across the table, Daphne was digging into the strange dish with relish.
Granny Relda rushed into the room, carrying a pitcher of a thick green liquid that seemed to be bubbling. Sabrina made a mental note to avoid drinking it at all costs. Granny set it down on the table and sat down. "What's wrong, liebling?" she asked Sabrina, looking at her untouched food. "Are you not feeling well?"
"Oh, nope, definitely not feeling well," Sabrina lied. It wasn't that far from the truth, looking at that stuff was making her feel sort of nauseous.
Before Granny Relda could respond, someone else stepped into the room. It was a shaggy haired boy wearing a filthy green hoodie and jeans that could hardly be seen under all the muck. He had dazzling blue eyes, and looked like he might be thirteen.
"I am starving." Puck announced, taking a seat at the table. "Grimm, pass me a plate," he ordered Sabrina.
She scowled at him. "What's wrong with your arms? Get one yourself."
Puck smirked. "But you're so much better than me at doing unimportant things. You wouldn't want to let your talent go to waste, would you?"
Sabrina hissed, but before she could retort, Granny Relda interrupted. "Lieblings, lieblings, let's not get into an argument this early in the morning."
"Fine," Puck grumbled, getting up to retrieve a plate. "But she started it."
Sabrina opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when Granny shot her a warning look.
"So, children, what are our plans for today?" the old woman asked, helping herself to more breakfast.
Puck, who had been scarfing down a huge plateful of the jello-like substance, looked up. He swallowed, but didn't let having to talk deter him from eating as much food in one time as possible. "Actually," he said between bites, "I have something I need to do today. And I'm gonna need your help, Grimm."
Sabrina stared at him. Even Daphne stopped eating to look up long enough that her food started to slip off the end of her fork. Granny Relda merely looked at Puck curiously.
Sabrina was flabbergasted. Puck had never, ever admitted that he needed her help to do anything. Never. So whatever this was about, it must be big.
"Umm," Sabrina said slowly, not really sure what to say. "What do you need my help for?" She was becoming suspicious that he wanted to use her as a test subject for more of his glop grenades.
Puck polished off the rest of his breakfast in one bite and washed it down with a gulp of the bubbling green juice. Finally, he spoke. "A cousin of mine is in town. And I want you to come with me when I talk to her."
` A million questions erupted into Sabrina's head. Who was this "cousin?" Why was she coming to Ferryport Landing? And what did Sabrina have to do with her? "Why would you need me to go with you to talk to your relative?" Sabrina asked, blurting out what felt like the most important question.
Puck belched. "Because," he said, rubbing his stomach, "there's something she needs to know, and I figure that if she has someone she can relate to there to help explain it to her, she'll be able to understand it easier."
Sabrina was surprised at the logic of Puck's statement. "So what is it that she needs to know?" she asked the fairy boy, looking at him with a new respect.
Puck met her gaze calmly. "That she's a half-fairy."