A/N: Ugh, I recently realized that Mr. Canis was at the train station, meaning it was inside the barrier, so I had to change the whole beginning scene. Oh well. It would have been longer (of course sometimes shorter is better) but I had to change some stuff so it would fit in with later chapters…
Disclaimer: I still don't own anything except for Jessica…
Chapter 2
I got up in the morning having nearly forgotten about my strange encounter with Relda… actually, I don't think I'll ever forget it, it haunted me in my dreams, in every dream some other information was in the letter. It ranged from that Marcia's dog had died to that she wanted Relda's help because she robbed a bank and needed to hide all the money that she stole.
I ate the breakfast provided by the hotel and called the cab service I had used to get to the town from the train station.
To my surprise, when I said I needed a ride from Ferryport Landing to the New York City, they refused (I had wanted to avoid the train station altogether this time). They told me they didn't drive anybody away from that town. That was odd because they seemed to have no trouble getting there; it was just leaving that was the problem.
"But you had no trouble coming in," I said, trying to reason with them.
"No, the train station is inside the town perimeter, we weren't taking anybody away."
"Oh," I said, disappointed, "well would you drive up to the border of the town and then I could meet them there?"
"Sure, I don't see a problem with that," they responded after thinking for a moment.
After I hung up, I packed up the rest of my stuff into my suitcase and started walking toward the edge of town. It wasn't really that far away, but by the time I got there, the driver was already there, waiting impatiently.
"You're late," he said
I glared at him. "I had to walk."
"Oh yeah, ok then. Well, get in," he said, pointing at the car.
I walked forward resolutely and was sent crashing to the ground by some invisible force.
"See, you'd've wrecked my cab too!" the driver said, and drove away, leaving me sitting on the ground. What a jerk.
I really didn't know what to do now, except perhaps walk to the train station, but I tried to go in the same direction the invisible force had come from. I walked forward, more slowly, and less forcefully this time, but it was like walking into a brick wall- an invisible brick wall, or maybe a glass door, which was actually quite painful. Of course I had to try one more time, just once, just to be sure I wasn't able to leave. I stepped off the road and this time I ran forward. Not exactly my best idea ever, it was actually one of the worst.
I woke up on a couch in what I assumed was somebody's living room. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was a slight stabbing pain in my head.
"Ouch, where am I?" I moaned, my whole body was slightly sore.
"Hey, Old Lady, she's awake!" I heard somebody shout.
I looked around and saw the boy that had been with Relda- was it yesterday? Or was it longer than that?
"You know how long you were out for?" he said accusingly.
"Hm? No, why?"
"Two days, almost three," he said. Apparently it was nighttime.
I sat up and headache faded. "Oh. That long?"
A few seconds later, Ms. Relda walked into the room, followed by everybody else that was with her at the restaurant (aside from the boy of course, since he was already in the room).
"Oh, Jessica, you're awake, you had us worried for a while there," she said.
"So?" I waited for her to continue. I had no idea why I couldn't leave the town, but it was pretty obvious that she did.
She just stared, and so did everybody else.
"Well, what happened?" I said, slightly annoyed.
They all continued with their silence, some of them looking at each other as if asking what to do.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?"
"Well, we're not exactly sure," Relda said, but she was clearly holding back information.
"You know something. I know you do, you're just not telling me. You all know don't you?" I accused.
This only led to more uneasy glances. I noticed the old man's eyes were an icy blue, I could have sworn that they were grey the night at the restaurant. That didn't really matter to me though; I just wanted to know whatever it was that they weren't telling me.
"Tell me what's going on. Why couldn't I leave?"
"Well, how much do you know? I need to know how much to explain…"
I was losing my patience, "All I know is that when I tried to leave, there was some sort of invisible wall. Does that tellhow much you need to explain?"
"Ok, and please try to believe me when I tell you," she paused and I looked back at her silently, waiting for her to go on.
"Well you've read fairy tales right? Or at least heard them?"
"Yeah," I didn't like the direction this was going at all; I was too old to believe in fairy tales- even Daphne seemed to be at the age where she shouldn't believe in them anymore.
"Well these 'fairy tales' you read are real more often than not- especially the older ones…" and she told me about how the Everafters came to America, specifically Ferryport Landing.
Nobody was the least bit surprised by this, and I figured that they all believed her.
"So you're telling me that these Everafters," I said the word with distaste, "are not only here in this town, but a majority of them are still alive after several hundred years?" I had tried to believe her, but I just couldn't, what she said just wasn't possible.
Daphne decided to speak up then, "Prince Charming is our mayor, and Snow White teaches a self-defense class." Well she obviously had no trouble believing what Relda said.
"Briar Rose runs a coffee shop, and the Blue Fairy owns that restaurant we met you at, oh and I'm Jake, by the way, Jake Grimm. You know my mother already, and Sabrina and Daphne are my nieces." He left the boy and the older man out of his introductions though.
"Hi," Sabrina said, "I know it all sounds crazy but we're telling the truth. Did you know that Gepetto owns that little toy store, I don't know if you saw it or not, but it's all true."
"Can you prove it?" I asked. If they could just show me some evidence, I would believe every word.
"Well-" Sabrina began so say, but before she finished the boy said "I can."
I looked over at him and I saw him sitting with his feet abouttwo feet in the air, and there was definitely nothing holding him up either. I definitely believed them now. But who was he- my best guess was Peter Pan, but somehow I knew that was the wrong answer.
Of course I couldn't resist making a comment anyway, "who are you supposed to be, Pete-"
"Don't even say it; I am in no way similar to Peter Pan. I'm Puck. You know, Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, any of that ring a bell?" the boy, that I now knew was called Puck said.
"Oh. I never got a chance to read it; right now it's sitting in my room back at home. Sorry." Then I turned my attention to the old man, "are you an Everafter?" I figured that was probably why Jake didn't introduce him and Puck with the rest of the family.
"Yes."
"Can I guess which one? I mean you won't mind if I'm wrong will you? Just give me one hint."
"Ok, here's your hint- I currently go by Mr. Canis"
I began to consider who he could possibly be… I knew canis meant something like dog in Latin and if that could be used as a hint than he would have to be some sort of…
"I don't think that's a very good hint," Daphne said quietly.
Dog- no- wolf… and then I had it. "No it was a perfectly good hint," I said turning again to Mr. Canis, "are you," and then I paused, and bit my lip, he probably wouldn't appreciate it if I said it and I was wrong, but I continued anyway, "the Big Bad Wolf?"
My guess was met with silence from everybody, and I figured I had gotten it wrong, "Oh dear, I'm wrong again, aren't I…"
"Well actually, you're right," he said.
"Um, wow. Well I believe all this stuff you've told me, but nobody explained why I can't leave the town."
"I was getting to that… there's a magical barrier around the town; the Everafters can't leave."
"But I'm not a… it doesn't make any sense."
"Maybe you should show her the letter Relda," Mr. Canis said quietly.
Relda handed me the letter, and I began to read it…
"Dear Relda,
"I have rediscovered a way to create Everafters. All these years, and I finally discovered the secret. If you don't believe me, just look at the girl. My living proof, of course if you're reading this it means that she has gone to Fairyport Landing and it's too late for her to leave, a small price to pay for my work. I did tell Jacob and Wilhelm that I would rediscover the secret, but they didn't believe me. (Forgetful dust is still impossible to counter you know.) If you still don't believe me, just have her walk through the barrier, see what happens…
"Don't worry about the family, there was a plane crash, and our dear Jessica was on that plane. How terrible…"
And that was all I read, no wonder she hadn't wanted to tell me what was in the letter… I let it slip to the ground. "Well, they didn't like me anyway." I don't think anybody except Relda (because she was right next to me) and Mr. Canis heard me, my voice was so quiet just then. And then I said, a little more loudly, "Now what am I supposed to do? I don't expect you know anybody who can help me…"
"We're Grimms, it's what we do."
