The apartment complex gave me the creeps. Graffiti decorated most of the discolored walls. The concrete stairs leading to the second landing had lost its railing years ago. The whole place was so sleazy and dirty. Mina shivered. Out of all the places the Fae had taken Charlie, why here? For the first time, Mina wondered if perhaps Charlie's disappearance was not linked to the Grimm curse. What if humans had kidnapped him? Fae she could handle with the Grimiore, but humans? She was suddenly very aware that she was only a teenage girl, alone and armed with only a book. What if she met with one of the apartment residents? The hair on her arms stood on end. Visions of gangs of thugs surrounding her grew with her imagination. She took a step backward, suddenly wishing she had listened to Brody's advice. She stroked the Grimiore's spine for courage.
Strong arms encircled Mina from behind. Mina screamed, but a large hand clamped on her mouth. Mina panicked, bucking and kicking to free herself. She was pressed against a thin chest as she struggled, the familiar scent of cologne and sweat-
"Mina." A voice said next to her ear. Mina stopped struggling, dazed.
"Jared?" She mumbled through his hand, shocked. Jared laughed softly, his breath tickling her neck. Mina blushed, all too aware of how close they were. Jared let go of her, and she turned around to face him. He was smirking down at her, his shaggy black hair sweeping into his face. His grey eyes were trained on her face, a mischievous glint lighting them up. Mina relaxed a little, relieved to see someone she knew.
"You scared me!" Mina whined, pouting slightly. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Jared raised an eyebrow, amused. "Are you here to help me?" Mina asked hopefully. "Charlie's missing and-"
"And the Grimiore led you here. Yeah, I know." Jared finished, his expression darkening.
"You knew? How?" She asked, amazed. Jared snorted, flicking hair out of his eyes.
"I'm linked to the Grimiore, remember? Let's just say I know when it's being used."
"Oh." Mina said, wondering what exactly was the extent of Jared's powers.
"So you'll help me find Charlie?" Mina asked eagerly.
"Ah." Jared said nervously, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. "No, I'm afraid not." He admitted apologetically. "You see, I was the one who took Charlie."
For a moment, Mina just stood and stared at Jared in stunned silence. Jared had proved that he was not completely trustworthy before, but he always seemed to pull through in the end. He was hotheaded, mysterious, and unpredictable, but he was not a kidnapper.
"N-no." Mina said, taking a step away from him. Why was he lying to her? Didn't he understand how important this was?
"You didn't kidnap Charlie." She trembled, starting to get upset. Jared watched her sadly.
"I did." He said simply. Mina's heart skipped a beat when she realized he was saying the truth.
"Why?" She sputtered, balling her fists. "Where's my brother?!" She yelled, angry tears swimming in her eyes. As soon as she started to believe she could trust Jared, he pulled something like this on her. But now he had gotten her sweet little brother involved? She took a step toward him, protective fury making her forget that he was taller and stronger than she was. Jared shrank back, and held his hands up in a calming gesture.
"Now Mina-" He began, but he was cut off as Mina's fist connected with his face with a sickening crack. Jared staggered backward with a gasp of pain. Mina held her ground in a towering rage, her fists ready to attack again.
"What have you done to my brother?!" She screamed at him. Jared's eyes were half-closed with pain.
"The kid's all right." He grumbled, massaging his jaw. He glanced at Mina, obviously impressed by her brutal right hook.
"How could you?!" Mina yelled, advancing on him. Jared was ready this time; when Mina was only a few inches away, he grabbed her forearms to prevent her from striking again.
"Lower your voice!" He hissed, looking around anxiously.
"Take me to him. Now." Mina fumed, struggling to detach herself from Jared's hold.
"Fine, fine!" Jared snapped.
"And get- your- hands- off- me!" Mina growled murderously.
"Promise not to kill me?"
"That remains to be seen."
"Come on." Jared said, dragging her towards one of the nearby apartment buildings.
"If you've done anything to Charlie-" Mina warned, her heart thumping wildly. For all of her big talk, she was scared witless. Jared laughed humorlessly.
"Of course I haven't done anything to Charlie! If anything, he's caused the most damage. He's already gone through four boxes of my cereal." Jared complained. Mina allowed her breathing to become less rapid. That did sound like her brother. Jared led her to an apartment door, the faded painted numbers showing that it was apartment 143. Only then did Jared relinquish his vice-like grip on her. He put his hands into his black denim jeans and pulled out a key ring.
"You hid Charlie here?" Mina spat. Jared inserted one of his tarnished silver keys into the lock on the door.
"Well, yeah." Jared answered, turning the key. "This is where I live." And he swung the door open.
The interior was not as rough as the exterior led you to believe. True, there was peeling paint on the walls and sparse lighting from the naked light bulbs on the ceiling, but it wasn't half bad. A flat screen TV was mounted to one wall and surrounded by a mixture of furniture. There was a black leather couch and a worn armchair, and in the far corner there was a small kitchenette. A small table was propped against a wall with only one chair, showing that Jared was not used to visitors. There was nothing brightly colored and no decorations, but it was a decent bachelor pad. On the floor in front of the TV playing cartoons sat Charlie, surrounding by boxes upon boxes of sugary cereals. He looked up at us as we entered. When he saw me he grinned and waved. Charlie had been here enjoying his own version of heaven while my mom and I had been sick with worry. I was too happy to scold him however. Jared walked over to where Charlie sat and ruffled Charlie's hair affectionately. Charlie smiled up at him before getting up and rushing to me. Charlie hugged me, and the pent up worries and anxieties fled now that my little brother was safe in my arms. I buried my face in his hair, trembling uncontrollably. I felt weak in the legs with relief.
"Mina?" Jared asked, looking at me in concern. "Maybe you should sit down." Charlie broke away from my embrace, grabbing my hand in his smaller one and happily leading me to the couch. Jared followed us, looking worried. I sank onto the couch, and Charlie showed me his collection of Fruity Pebbles color-coded on the floor. Jared came to sit on the couch next to me, but I scooted as far away from him as possible.
"Kiddo," Jared said suddenly, trying to sound friendly and giving Charlie a weak smile. "Why don't you go into my bedroom while your sister and I talk? There are some pretty cool videogames in there." Charlie looked from me to Jared, and then nodded his consent. Grabbing a box of Lucky Charms and Honey Oats, he left the room. Jared turned back to me.
"Are you okay?" He asked, noting my pale face and quivering hands.
"I'm fine." I said shakily, clasping my hands together to prevent them from trembling. Jared looked at me disbelievingly, but didn't argue.
"Why did you take Charlie?" I started, letting the hurt and betrayal enter my tone. Jared shrugged.
"I had to. The Final Chapter is coming."
"The what?" Mina asked. Jared looked away.
"You're approaching the end of the tales." I gaped at him, first in disbelieve, then wonder, and then finally excitement.
"Really?" I asked, my eyes shining. "The Grimm Curse is ending?" Jared laughed bitterly, and my spirits plummeted.
"Not even close. True, there are only a dozen or so tales left to complete, but they will get increasingly harder. Increasingly… aggressive." My face fell at Jared's words. It seemed unthinkable that the tales could get harder, since most of them had already proved near fatal.
"Hey, count yourself lucky." Jared said darkly. "You're the first Grimm even to make it to the Final Chapter before. Not even the Brothers Grim themselves made it this far."
"You make it sound like I won't survive." I said, swallowing hard. The odds had never been in my favor when it came to the tales. I mean, a teenage girl against the powers of the Fates? But had been steadily gaining confidence with every tale completed, getting new hope for my bleak future ahead. But the way Jared said it, it sounded like I was destined to die in the end. I was painfully aware of my own mortality, my heart spreading blood through my body. I didn't want that to end, not when I could have a whole life ahead of me.
"It's not impossible." Jared said, his eyebrows drawing together. "But something will have to change if the Grimms are to have a chance at victory. He'll need survival training to learn how to defend himself against the Story."
"He?" I asked, blinking. Jared cringed.
"Yes. I'm talking about Charlie. That's why I took him. If I could just train him, teach him how to fight and use the Grimiore-"
"No. Absolutely not." I said, breathing rapidly. "Are you crazy? I'm the next Grimm to fight the Story, not Charlie! This is why I agreed to stay here and fight instead of running away. To protect Charlie. Why didn't you take me instead? Shouldn't you train me?" Jared looked away, not daring to meet my eyes.
"Charlie's a Grimm too. It's possible that the Story will ignore you and go after him instead if he tries to engage it. There might he a way for him to take over the fight, and for you to escape the curse."
"No!" I cried out, clutching the couch for support. "I have to finish this myself."
"Think about this." Jared urged, scooting closer to me, his eyes stormy. "I'm offering you a way out. You might be able to go and live a normal life."
"And sacrifice my baby brother?!" I yelled. "Only over my dead body will the curse come to Charlie." I didn't remember standing, but I found myself towering over Jared, fists clenched.
"I will never give up." I said, my voice cracking. "Not until I'm dead, or the curse is broken." Jared stared up at me, his face unreadable.
"I would have to train you instead then." He told me, rubbing his temple. "It's your only hope. Without my help, you'll never defeat the Story."
"What do you mean, 'train'?" Mina asked. "You've taught me a bit before."
"It's not enough." Jared argued. "The tales are getting harder to beat. You barely made it out of that last one, and that was only because Deirdre sacrificed herself. If Charlie could just live with me temporarily-"
"That's not happening!" I yelled angrily.
"Then you all will die!" Jared shouted back, his own anger finally boiling over. He stood up too, glaring down at me. I crossed my arms defiantly, hot tears racing down my cheeks. It wasn't fair. Charlie was such a nice little boy, he didn't deserve this curse.
"Then take me instead." I breathed. Jared shook his head angrily. My heart froze. He was going to say no, he was going to take Charlie. I fell to my knees in front of Jared.
"Please." I begged Jared, who looked shocked at my actions. "Charlie's not strong enough. The Story will kill him, even with your help. Take me instead." There was a moment of silence as Jared just stared down at me, stunned by my plea. He knelt beside me on the dusty floor.
"You don't know what you're saying." Jared said, sounding shaken.
"I do." I said, meeting his grey eyes with my bloodshot ones. Jared looked uneasy.
"Fine." He said, giving way. "But it's not going to be easy. Here." He offered me his hand and helped me to my feet. Once I was standing however, he didn't let go of my hand.
"You're sure you want to switch places with your brother?" Jared warned. "He could be your way out of the curse, if only… temporarily." I gulped, knowing that Jared was referring to if Charlie died, the curse would be after me again.
"No. I have to do this for him." I vowed. Jared looked at me curiously, though whether admiring my bravery or foolishness I didn't know.
"When will we start the training?" I asked, afraid what the answer would be.
"As soon as possible." Jared replied, letting go of my hand and walking to his kitchenette.
"What about my mom?" I trembled, wrapping my arms around myself. "Can I tell here what's going on?"
"No time." Jared said bitterly. "Besides, how would that conversation go?"
"I can't just leave and not tell her!" I gasped.
"Don't worry, you're not leaving her. I'm kidnapping you. There's a difference." Jared remarked shrewdly.
"But-" Jared turned on me.
"Enough! Are you going to go with me or is Charlie? Enough whining, I'm already regretting my decision to let you go instead!" He snarled. I was used to Jared's hot temper, but it scalded me nonetheless.
"Let me walk Charlie out to Nan and Brody." I said weakly, grasping the full magnitude of my decision. I would be leaving my mom, my friends, my home behind. I would probably die. All of this was hard to take in at one moment.
"Nan and Brody are here?" Jared asked, surprised. I nodded.
"They're waiting in Brody's car just outside the apartment complex." Jared was silent for a second.
"If I let you walk Charlie out, do you promise you'll come back?" Jared asked accusingly.
"Yes."
"Alright." Jared muttered, running a hand through his hair. Jared disappeared into his bedroom, only to reappear with Charlie. I smiled at my brother, but my chin trembled slightly. I fought back tears as I wondered when the next time I would see Charlie was, if at all. I grabbed Charlie's hand, and Jared opened the front door for us. As I walked passed him, Jared whispered in my ear.
"Remember, Grimm. Come back."
"I will." I breathed back. Jared nodded, and closed the door behind us.
Charlie and I made our way through the maze of old apartment buildings and found our way back to the parking lot. Charlie wanted to skip around but I stubbornly clung onto his hand, not allowing him to run ahead. We found a gate in the chain link fence and went through it. Up ahead, Brody's sports car was waiting for us. There was a double honk of greeting; I couldn't resist smiling when I saw Nan was the one honking, waving at us wildly. Brody got out of the car and ran toward us.
"You found him!" Brody said incredulously, staring at the happy Charlie in bewilderment. Brody grinned at me appraisingly, and my heart gave a painful lurch.
"Yup." I said, my knees like jelly. I led Charlie to the car and opened the car door; Charlie crawled into the back seat, than looked at me expectantly. I closed the car door, and turned around to find myself face to face with Brody.
"Aren't you going to get in?" He asked, puzzled. I breathed in, steeling myself.
"No." I said calmly, "I'm not." Brody stared at me as if judging whether I was joking or not.
"I think I found out who kidnapped Charlie." I said, pulling an excuse out of thin air. "I want to see if I can find any more information."
"No way." Brody said at once. "You've already found Charlie, you don't need to do anymore. It's okay." He said, patting my arm comfortingly. My skin tingled where he had touched me. "You don't have to do everything yourself." He smiled at me, and I could feel my resolve dissolving. I wanted to go home, safe and sound. I wanted to get in the car and laugh with my friends and cuddle with Charlie. I wanted to see my home and tell my mom what I was going and why I was doing it and confess that I was scared. Really, really scared. But I would have to confront the Story eventually. I needed to be prepared. I gave Brody a false smile.
"I'll be okay. You guys go on ahead. I'll take the bus back home later. I'll be fine, I promise." Brody still didn't look convinced.
"Are you sure? I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone." He said, looking at around the bad neighborhood with reservation.
"Don't worry. I'll call the police if I get nervous." I assured him, not caring to remind him I didn't have a cell phone.
"Can I convince you otherwise?" Brody asked dejectedly,
"No."
"This is mad!" Brody groaned. I ignored him and walked over the passenger side of the car and opened the door.
"Nan," I said urgently, struggling not to break down in front of my best friend. "Tell my mom that I'll be home soon, okay? That-" I licked my lips, wondering how to phrase it. "That her and Charlie will be safe. And that I love her." Nan looked up at me suspiciously.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm staying here."
"What?!"
"Trust me, Nan." I said, feeling incredibly guilty that I was playing the trust card on her. "Like you said before, I've never failed you before, right?" Nan nodded slowly.
"If you're sure…" She said. "Okay. Come on, Brody."
"You think we should just leave her here?" Brody protested. Nan raised an eyebrow.
"Mina's a big girl. She can take care of herself. Her hunches have never steered her wrong before. See ya later." Nan said, winking encouragingly.
"Bye." I echoed, wondering if I was doing the right thing in not confessing to her what was really going on. Brody still looked unconvinced, but he got back in the car anyway.
"Stay safe, Mina." He said as he started the car. All I could do was nod; my heart was lodged in my throat. I stepped away from the car, letting it drive passed me. Charlie's face was staring at me out of the back window. Mustering the remains of my courage, I gave him a little wave goodbye.
The car was getting smaller and smaller as it drove away.
Going.
Going.
Gone.