Ok, I am back with the next chapter of this story. Thanks for waiting.

Tanu took the book from Stan, and started reading.

Chapter Two: Collecting Clues

The next morning, Kendra sat at breakfast across from her grandfather. A wooden clock on the wall above him read 8:43. Reflected sunlight flashed in the corner of her eye. Seth was using his butter knife to bounce sun rays.

"You cruel, cruel person," said a straight-faced Newel, before bursting out laughing.

"Shup," replied Seth, tinged with pink.

She was not seated close enough to the window to retaliate.

"Doesn't mean I didn't though," whispered Kendra to Bracken.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Not telling you – just listen."

"Nobody likes the sun in their eyes, Seth," Grandpa said.

Seth stopped.

"Good boy, Seth," smirked Vanessa.

Seth just hung his head.

"Where's Dale?" he asked.

"Dale and I got up a few hours ago. He's out working. I'm just here to keep you company on your first morning."

Lena set a bowl in front of Seth and another in front of Kendra.

"What's this?" Seth asked.

"Cream of wheat," Lena replied.

"Sticks to your ribs," Grandpa added.

Seth probed the cream of wheat with his spoon. "What's in it? Blood?

Everybody related to Seth rolled their eyes, while Seth cringed at how accurate his sister's prediction thus far.

"Berries from the garden and homemade raspberry preserves," Lena said, placing a platter on the table containing toast, butter, a pitcher of milk, a bowl of sugar, and a bowl of jam.

Kendra sampled the cream of wheat. It was delicious. The berries and preserves sweetened it to perfection.

"This is good!" Seth said. "Just think, Dad is eating snails."

"There's nothing wrong with snails," said Scott, sounding hurt, before smiling at his wife and kissing her cheek.

"You kids remember the rules about the woods," Grandpa said.

"And to stay out of the barn," Kendra said.

"Good girl. There's a swimming pool out back that we got ready for you – all the chemicals are balanced and whatnot. There are gardens to explore. You can always play in your room. Just respect the rules and we'll get along fine."

Kendra coughed. "Seth."

Seth glared at her.

"When is grandma coming back?" Kendra asked.

Grandpa glanced down at his hands. "That depends on your Aunt Edna. Could be next week. Could be a couple months."

"Good thing Grandma got over her illness," Kendra said.

"Illness?"

"The one that kept her from going to the funeral."

"Right. Yeah, she was still a little under the weather when she left for Missouri."

Grandpa was acting a little peculiar.

"Busted!" said Raxtus, causing people to jump. Apparently people had forgotten that the dragon in the back was there.

Kendra wondered if he was uncomfortable around children.

"Scratch that." added Raxtus.

"I'm sad we missed her," Kendra said.

"She's sorry too. Well, I better be off." Grandpa had not eaten anything. He pushed his chair back, stood up, and stepped away from the table, rubbing his palms against his jeans. "If you swim, don't forget to wear sunblock. I'll see you kids later."

"At lunch?" Seth asked.

"Probably not until supper. Lena will help you with anything you need."

He left the room.

Dressed in her swimsuit, a towel over one shoulder, Kendra stepped through the door onto the back porch. She carried a handheld mirror she had found in the nightstand by her bed.

Glancing to her right, the Fairy Queen noticed her son look pointedly at Kendra, who nodded. What was that all about? She wondered.

The handle was mother-of-pearl studded with rhinestones. The day was a bit humid, but the temperature was pleasant.

She walked to the railing of the porch and gazed over the gorgeously manicured backyard. Paths of white stones meandered among flowers beds, hedgerows, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and flowering plants. Tangled grapevines curled along along suspended lattices. All the flowers seemed to be in full bloom. Kendra had never seen such brilliant blossoms.

Seth was already swimming. The pool had a black bottom, and it was fringed with rocks to make it seem like a pond. Kendra hurried down the steps and started down a path towards the pool.

The garden teemed with life. Hummingbirds darted among the foliage, wings nearly invisible as they hovered. Huge bumblebees with fuzzy abdomens buzzed from one blossom to another. A stunning variety of butterflies fluttered about on tissue-paper wings.

"Funny how it goes from 'there's all of this stuff making the yard look so nice, hey look, Seth is swimming, and there's some more stuff making the yard look nice..." Doren noted.

Newel looked at him. "Who cares?"

"Ouch," said Seth

Kendra passed a small, waterless fountain featuring a statue of a frog. She paused as a large butterfly alighted on the rim of an empty birdbath. It had huge wings – blue, black, and violet. She had never seen a butterfly with such vivid coloring. Of course, she never visited a world-class garden. The house was not quite a mansion, but the grounds were fit for a king. No wonder Grandpa Sorenson had so many chores.

"Actually, Stan doesn't do any of the gardening here. That would be the fairies," Kendra heard Grandma Sorenson say.

The path finally deposited Kendra at the pool. Variegated flagstones paved the poolside area. There were a few recliners and a circular table with a big umbrella.

Seth leaped from a stone outcropping into the swimming pool, legs curled up, and hit the water with a big splash. Kendra set her towel and mirror on the table and grabbed a bottle of sunblock. She smeared the white cream over her face, arms, and legs until it disappeared into her skin.

While Seth was swimming underwater, Kendra picked up the mirror. She angled the face so it reflected sunlight onto the water. When Seth surfaced, she made sure the bright splotch of sunlight covered his face.

Kendra smirked, and Bracken had to laugh, opening the door for everybody else to laugh (except Seth of course). Almost immediately everybody stopped laughing, noticing the uncomfortable look on Seth's face. Then Newel whispered something to Seth, and he grinned, which worried Kendra greatly.

"Hey!" he shouted, swimming away from her. She kept the glare from the mirror on the back of his head. Gripping the side of the pool, Seth turned to look at her again, throwing up a hand and squinting to ward off the light. He had to look away.

Kendra laughed.

"Cut it out," Seth called.

"You don't like that?"

"Quit it. I won't do it anymore. Grandpa already yelled at me."

"I didn't yell!" exclaimed Stan indignantly.

Kendra set the mirror on the table. "That mirror is a lot brighter than a butter knife," She said. "I bet it already did permanent damage to your retinas."

"I hope so, then I'll sue you for a billion dollars."

"Good luck. I have about a hundred in the bank. It might be enough for you to buy some eye patches."

He swam toward her angrily, and Kendra walked forward to the edge of the pool. As he started climbing out, she shoved him back in.

Kendra high-fived Bracken.

She was almost a full head taller than Seth and could usually handle him in a fight, although if they ended up wrestling he was pretty squirmy.

Seth changed tactics and started splashing her, making quick scooping motions across the surface of the pool. The water felt cold, and Kendra recoiled at first, then leapt over Seth into the water. After the initial shock, she swiftly grew accustomed to the temperature, stroking over to the shallow end away from her brother.

He chased her, and they ended up in a splash fight. Locking his hands, Seth swung his arms in wide arcs, skimming the top of the water. Kendra pushed at the water with both hands, a churning motion that generated smaller but more focused splashes. Soon they grew tired. It was hard to win a water fight when both participants were already soaked.

"So true," said Doren.

"Let's have a race," Kendra suggested as the splashing subsided.

They raced back and forth across the pool. First they raced freestyle, the backstroke, breaststroke, and sidestroke. After that they created handicaps, like racing with no arms or hopping across the width of the shallow end on one foot. Kendra usually won, but Seth was faster at backstroke and some of the handicapped races.

When Kendra grew bored, she got out of the pool. Walking toward the table to retrieve her towel, she stroked her long hair, enjoying the rubbery texture as the wetness made the strands cling together.

Seth climbed on top of a big rock near the deep end. "Watch this can opener!" He jumped with one leg straight and the other bent.

"It was a pretty cool can opener," said Seth.

"Good job," Kendra said to placate him when he surfaced. Shifting her gaze to the table, Kendra froze. Hummingbirds, bumblebees, and butterflies swirled in the air above the handheld mirror. Several other butterflies and a couple of large dragonflies actually rested on the face of the mirror itself.

"Those are very vain bugs," noted Marla.

"Seth, come look at this!" Kendra hissed in a loud whisper.

"What?"

"Just come here."

Seth boosted himself out of the pool and padded over to Kendra, arms folded. He stared at the cloud of life whirling above the mirror. "What's their deal?"

"I don't know," she replied. "Do insects like mirrors?"

"These ones do."

"They not bugs," rumbled Hugo, startling everybody.

"Look at the red and white butterfly. It's enormous."

"Same with that dragonfly," Seth pointed out.

"I wish I had a camera. I dare you to go get the mirror."

Seth shrugged. "Sure."

He trotted over to the table, grabbed the mirror by the handle, dashed to the pool, and dove in. Some of the insects scattered instantly. The majority drifted in the direction Seth had gone but dispersed before reaching the pool.

Seth surfaced. "Any bees after me?"

"Get the mirror out of the water. You'll ruin it!"

"Thanks. Your brother was possibly chased by bees, and all you care about is a mirror," said Seth in mock hurt.

"Settle down, it's fine," he said, stroking over to the side.

"Give it to me." She took the mirror from him and wiped it dry with her towel. It look undamaged. "Let's try an experiment."

Kendra placed the mirror face up on a lounge chair and backed away. "Think they'll come back?"

"Of course." said Seth.

"We'll see."

Kendra and Seth sat down at the table, not far from the lounge chair. After less than a minute, a hummingbird glided over to the mirror and hovered above it. Soon it was joined by a few butterflies. A bumblebee alighted on the face. Before long another swarm of small winged creatures crowded the mirror.

"Go turn the mirror face down," Kendra said. "I want to see whether they like the reflection or the mirror itself."

"Obviously the reflection, Kendra," said Doren. "You couldn't tell, what with them landing on the mirror and all?"

"Hey, it just looked like bugs having an odd fascination with a mirror. Would you expect a bumblebee to check itself out in a mirror?" Kendra replied.

"No..."

"Exactly."

Seth crept toward the mirror. The little animals took no apparent notice of his approach. He reached forward slowly, flipped the mirror over, and then retreated to the table.

The butterflies and bees that had landed on the mirror took flight when it was overturned, but only a few of the winged creatures flew away. Most of the swarm lingered. A pair of butterflies and a dragonfly landed on the lounge chair at the edge of the mirror. Taking flight, they flipped the mirror over, nearly sliding it off the chair in the process.

"That must have been quite the sight," said Scott.

"It was," replied Kendra.

With the reflective surface showing again, the swarm pressed close. Several of the creatures landed on the face.

"Did you see that?" Kendra asked.

"That was weird." Seth said.

"How could they be strong enough to lift it?"

"There were a few of them. Want me to flip it again?"

"No, I'm scared the mirror will fall off and break."

"Okay." He draped his towel over his shoulder. "I'm going to change."

"Would you take the mirror?"
"Fine, but I'm running. I don't want to get stung."

"Scared of bees, Seth?" asked Vanessa, teasingly.

"Maybe..." he said sheepishly.

Seth moved toward the mirror slowly, snatched it, and ran off into the garden toward the house.

When Kendra reached the attic playroom, Seth was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved camouflage shirt. He picked up the cereal box that served as his emergency survival kit and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business, unless you want to come."

"How will I know whether I want to come if you don't tell me where you're going?"

Seth gave her a measuring stare. "Promise to keep it a secret?"

"Let me guess. Into the woods."

"Want to come?"

"And here comes an argument," Marla predicted.

"You'll get Lyme disease," Kendra warned.

"Whatever. Ticks are everywhere. Same with poison ivy. If people let that stop them, nobody would ever go anywhere."

But Grandpa Sorenson doesn't want us in the woods," she protested.

"Told you."

"Grandpa isn't going to be around all day. Nobody will know unless you blab."

"Don't do this. Grandpa has been nice to us. We should obey him."

"You're about as brave as a bucket of sand."

"What's so brave about disobeying Grandpa?"

"So you're not coming?"

Kendra hesitated. "No."

"Will you tell on me?"

"If they ask where you are."

"I won't be long."

Seth walked out the door. She heard him tromp down the stairs.

Kendra crossed to the nightstand. The handheld mirror rested on it beside the ring with the three tiny keys. She had spent a long time the night before trying to find what the keys fit. The biggest key opened a jewelry box on the dresser that was full of costume jewelry – fake diamond necklaces, pearl earrings, emerald pendants, sapphire rings, and ruby bracelets. She had not yet discovered what the other two opened.

She picked up the keys. They were all small. The smallest was no longer than a thumbtack. Where could she find such a miniscule keyhole?

"What about the dollhouse?" asked Newel.

"How'd you know?" gaped Kendra.

"Lucky guess."

The night before, she had spent most of her time on drawers and toy chests. Some of the drawers had keyholes, but they were already unlocked, and the keys did not fit. Same with the toy chests.

The Victorian dollhouse caught her attention. What better place to find tiny keyholes than inside a little house? She unlatched the clasps and opened it, revealing two floors and several rooms full of miniature furniture. Five doll people lived in the house – a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, and a baby.

The detail was extraordinary. The beds had quilts, blankets, sheets, and pillows. The couches had removable cushions. The knobs in the bathtub really turned. Closets had clothes hanging inside.

The armoire in the dollhouse's master bedroom made Kendra suspicious. It had a disproportionately large keyhole in the center. Kendra inserted the tiniest key and turned it. The doors of the armoire sprung open.

Inside was something wrapped in gold foil – opening it, she saw it was a piece of chocolate shaped like a rosebud. ("And you told me it was soap!" cried Seth.) Behind the chocolate she found a small golden key. She added it to the key ring. The golden key was larger than the key that opened the armoire, but smaller than the key that opened the jewelry box.

Kendra took a bite of the chocolate rosebud. It was soft and melted in her mouth. It was the richest, creamiest chocolate she had ever tasted. She finished it in three more bites, savoring each mouthful.

"I wish we could have tried some of that at some point," said Marla.

"You have. It's the same flavor as the chocolate milk that we have," said Kendra.

Kendra continued scouring the tiny house, investigating every piece of furniture, searching every closet, checking behind every miniature painting on the walls. Finding no more keyholes, she closed the dollhouse and fastened the clasps.

Scanning the room, Kendra tried to decide where to look next. One key left, maybe two if the golden key also opened something. She had been through most of the items in the toy chests, but she could always double-check. She had searched through the drawers in the nightstands, dressers, and wardrobes thoroughly, as well as the knickknacks on the bookshelves. There could be keyholes in unlikely places, like under the clothes of a doll or behind a bedpost.

Kendra ended up beside the telescope. Improbable as it seemed, she checked it for keyholes. Nothing.

"I know where the last keyhole is!" Seth cried out.

"Shush. Just let people figure it out from the book." Kendra berated him.

Maybe she could use the telescope to locate Seth. Opening the window, she noticed Dale walking along the lawn at the outskirts of the woods. He was carrying something in both hands, but his back was to her, impeding a view of what he held. He stooped and set it down behind a low hedge, which continued to prevent her from seeing the object. Dale walked off at a brisk pace, glancing around as if to ensure nobody was spying, and soon passed out of view.

"That's not suspicious at all..." said Newel sarcastically.

Curious, Kendra rushed downstairs and out the back door. Dale was nowhere in sight. She trotted across the lawn to the low hedge beneath the attic window. Grass continued for about six feet beyond the hedge before stopping abruptly at the perimeter of the forest. On the grass behind the hedge rested a large pie tin full of milk.

An iridescent hummingbird hung suspended over the pie tin, wings a faint blur. Several butterflies flitted around the hummingbird. Occasionally one would descend and splash in the milk. The hummingbird flew away, and a dragonfly approached. It was a smaller crowd than the mirror had attracted, but there was much more activity than Kendra would have expected around a small pool of milk.

She watched as a variety of tiny winged animals came and went, feeding from the pie tin. Did butterflies drink milk? Did dragonflies?

"Apparently." said Scott.

Apparently so. It was not long before the level of milk in the pie tin had markedly fallen.

Kendra looked up at the attic. It had only two windows, both facing the same side of the house. She visualized the room behind those gabled windows, and suddenly realized that the playroom consumed only half the space the attic should fill.

"The other half is used for 'storage'" said Stan knowingly.

Abandoning the tin of milk, she walked around to the opposite side of the house. On the far side was a second pair of attic windows. She was right. There was another half to the attic. But she knew of no other stairway granting access to the uppermost story. Which meant that there might be some sort of secret passage in the playroom! Maybe the final key unlocked it!

Just as she decided to return to the attic and search for a hidden door, Kendra noticed Dale coming from the direction of the barn with another pie tin. She hurried toward him. When he saw her coming, he looked temporarily uncomfortable, then put on a big smile.

"What are you doing?" Kendra asked.

"Just taking some milk to the house," he replied, changing direction a bit. He had been heading toward the woods.

"Really? Why'd you leave that other milk behind the hedge?"

"Other milk?" He could not have looked more guilty.

Everybody laughed.

"Yeah. The butterflies were drinking it."

Dale was no longer walking. He regarded Kendra shrewdly. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure."

"Oh, so you'll keep Dale's secret, but not mine?" asked Seth. "That's mean."

"You're my brother. I'm meant to get you in trouble."

Dale looked around as if someone might be watching. "We have a few milking cows. They make plenty of milk, so I put out some of the excess for the insects. Keeps the garden lively."

"Why's that a secret?"

"I'm not sure your grandfather would approve. Never asked permission. He might consider it wasteful."

"Actually, I came up with the idea." said Stan.

"No, I came up with the idea. You just asked Dale to do it." said Ruth.

"Same thing."

"Seems like a good idea to me. I noticed all the different kinds of butterflies in your garden. More than I've ever seen. Plus all the hummingbirds."

He nodded. "I like it. Adds to the atmosphere."

"So you weren't taking that milk to the house."

"No, no. This milk hasn't been pasteurized. Full of bacteria You could catch all sorts of diseases. Not fit for people. Insects, on the other hand, they seem to like it best this way. You won't spoil my secret?"

"I'll keep quiet."

"Good girl," he said with a conspiratorial wink.

"Where are you putting that one?"

"Over there." He jerked his head toward the woods. "I set a few on the border of the yard every day."

"I'm glad I didn't step in it on my way out of the forest." said Seth.

"You would have deserved it," said Kendra. "For breaking the rules on Day 1."

"You know what you deserve?" said Seth, standing up.

"SETH MICHAEL SORENSON, SIT DOWN!" yelled Marla. "Kendra, that was also uncalled for."

"Sorry," said both of the kids simultaneously, Seth a little more regretfully than Kendra.

"Does it spoil?"

"I don't leave it out long enough. Some days the insects consume all the milk before I collect the pans. Thirsty critters."

"See you later, Dale."

"You seen your brother hereabout?"

"I think he's in the house."

"See? I did keep your secret, Seth."

"Hmph."

"That so?"

She shrugged. "Maybe."

Kendra turned and started toward the house. She glanced back as she mounted the stairs to the rear porch. Dale was placing the milk behind a small, round bush.

"Well, that's that," said Tanu. "Who's reading Chapter 3?"

"I will."

Who offered to read? You'll have to find out in the next chapter.

A/N I got a lot of reviews about this fanfiction, and I am going to address them, FAQ style.

Tell me you are going to continue this!

Well, what's the purpose of writing this if I am not going to continue it? But, if it will make you happy, yes, I am going to continue this.

How often will you update?

This really depends on what is happening in life. In an empty week I may get it up after a couple days. If I have stuff going on, I will work on this when I can, but it may be longer before the next update.

Can you update sooner/type faster?

I type as fast as I can with this, but it takes time to type the words from a book word for word perfectly. Again, I will update as quick as I can.

Are you going to have a pattern for when you post? (Like on certain days?)

No, I am simply going to post when I have finished the chapter.

Thanks so much for making this!/This is amazing!/This is the only "Fablehaven reads Fablehaven" anywhere! Thanks for making this!

I know these aren't really questions, but thank you for your support, and I actually never realized that this was the first of its kind. Interesting.

Where did "shup" come from?

My friend's family says "shup" instead of "shut up," as it is quicker and easier to say.

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