Whatever After #6: Cold as Ice Page 5

  “He’s in a trance,” I admit. “He’s with the Snow Queen.”

  “I knew it!” Gerda says, thumping her fist in the air. “I knew he was under her spell.”

  “He definitely is,” Jonah says. “He’s not totally frozen, though. He’s walking around and building snowmen. He’s just kind of spaced-out. He’s half-frozen.”

  “A frozen zombie,” I add. “A frombie.”

  “Ha!” Jonah laughs. “Funny. Not as funny as ‘dogsicle,’ but still funny.”

  “The Snow Queen froze our dog,” I explain to Ralph and Gerda. “Totally froze. He couldn’t even move.”

  Ralph nods solemnly. “That’s what happens when the Snow Queen blows too many kisses at you,” he says. “You go completely numb. When she blows you just one kiss, you go just a little bit numb. It’s like you’re in a trance.” He nods at Gerda and says, “Like your friend Kai. But then, with more kisses, your entire body freezes. Even more kisses and you die. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. I’ve never met her myself.” A shudder goes through the reindeer’s body.

  I swallow. At least Prince was alive when we saw him. One more kiss and he might not be. We have to get there FAST.

  “I’m sorry she froze your dog,” Gerda says. “And I hope she won’t hurt Kai.” She looks eagerly toward the door. “Sharon said she would let Ralph and me go tonight. I told her my whole story and she felt sorry for me. We’ll tell her to let you guys come, too! We’ll save all of them! Wahoo!”

  “Perfect,” I say. I like Gerda’s enthusiasm. She’s what my mom would call a real go-getter. “Is Sharon the tree girl?” I ask.

  “The who?” Gerda asks.

  “The girl who’s dressed as a tree. The robber girl.”

  “Yes! Sharon is the robber girl.”

  “Great,” I say. This is going to work out perfectly. I grab Jonah’s hand and look at his watch. It says it’s two o’clock back home. “Do you know what time it is here?”

  “Six,” Gerda says. “Sharon usually brings dinner down at about eight. Hopefully, she’ll let us go then.”

  I nod. We were right about the time difference. Every hour at home is three hours here. That means we have five home hours left and fifteen hours here. We’re cutting it close, but we can make it. This wasn’t exactly the pop-in to get Prince that I’d had in mind.

  Queasiness settles into my stomach. What if my parents wake up before we get home? For a second, I’m worried I’m going to be sick.

  I take a deep breath. I can do it. I can get back to the Snow Queen’s palace, defrost Prince, and make it home before wake-up. I can do it! I’m a go-getter, too.

  Gerda resumes her jumping jacks. “Come on, guys, let’s get some exercise. Who’s with me?”

  “I am!” Jonah exclaims, and jumps up.

  “Why not?” I say, and join in.

  “Pass,” says Ralph from where he’s lying, hooves splayed across the floor.

  “One!” Gerda yells. “Two! Three —”

  My back starts to feel kind of sweaty. This polar bear costume is hot. It wasn’t made to be worn during exercise. Also it’s itchy.

  I stop jumping and walk over to the corner to sit down. Maybe Gerda can be the go-getter while I go get a break.

  When Sharon comes back down to the basement a couple of hours later, she is no longer wearing her tree costume. She’s wearing black leggings and a long gray sweatshirt. She has blond hair that is stick straight and down to her waist. She’s carrying a tray of food and drinks.

  “Who’s hungry?” she asks.

  Gerda jumps off the floor, where she’s been resting after her workout. Jonah is sitting beside me. Ralph is napping.

  “I’m not hungry,” Gerda announces. “I’m just ready to go, go, go! Ralph, wake up! We’re going!”

  Ralph awakens with a yawn and looks around.

  “Go where?” Sharon asks with a sneer.

  Gerda keeps her chin up. “You said I could leave. Remember? You felt bad about my friend Kai and said I could go get him tonight.”

  “Oh yeah,” Sharon says lazily. She twists a strand of her blond hair around her finger. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

  Jonah and I exchange a worried glance.

  Gerda puts her hands on her hips. “Yes. You did.”

  “Maybe. But that was before.”

  “Before what?” Gerda asks.

  I get another bad feeling in my stomach.

  Sharon puts the tray of food down on the floor and smiles. “Before I brought friends for you to play with!”

  “But they want to come, too,” Gerda says, glancing at me and Jonah.

  Sharon laughs as though this is the funniest thing she’s ever heard. “You think I can let all of you escape? Are you crazy? I can’t let all of you go!”

  “Why not?” I ask.

  “Mother would be furious. I can’t disobey her like that. The band would never forgive me.”

  Jonah makes the air-guitar motion. I give him the evil eye.

  “I’m sorry,” Sharon goes on, “but with the three of you, Mother can rob all kinds of new places. Like schools! She’s making plans. And anyway, Gerda, now you have friends to hang out with down here, so you won’t get lonely.”

  “Hello?” Ralph barks. “Am I invisible? I’m right here! No one was lonely!”

  “I don’t care about being lonely,” Gerda says. “I’m on a mission. I need to save Kai!”

  “Why do you care so much about this Kai guy?” Sharon asks. “Is he your boyfriend or something? Do you looooooove him? Are you going to maaaaarry him?”

  “For your information, I’m only twelve,” Gerda says, glaring at Sharon. “I’m not getting married anytime soon. But Kai is my best friend and I do love him. And I need to find him.” A tear drips down her cheek.

  I stand up and put my arm around Gerda’s shoulders.

  “Jonah and I really need to go, too,” I tell Sharon. “We have to get our dog and get back home.”

  “Yeah!” Jonah exclaims. “According to my watch, it’s almost three in the morning at home! We have to move.”

  Sharon scowls at my brother. “I thought your watch was broken.”

  Jonah flushes and hides his watch hand behind his back. “Oh! Right. It is. Never mind! What watch? I don’t have a watch.”

  “You’re a little liar,” Sharon snaps. “And you two should be grateful. You almost drowned. We saved you. Mother is giving you a place to live.”

  “She’s making you lock us in a basement,” I say. “And she wants to use us to rob people!”

  Sharon shrugs. “We have to earn our keep.”

  Gerda covers her face with her hands. “Your mother is horrible.”

  “She’s not technically my mother,” Sharon admits. “I just call her ‘Mother.’ All the ladies in the band of robbers do.”

  Jonah makes another guitar pose. I give him another evil eye.

  “What happened to your parents?” Jonah asks Sharon.

  “My parents died when I was four,” she says, her voice cracking. “They were attacked by wolves.”

  I gasp. “That’s horrible.”

  Her eyes tear up. “If there’d been a hospital nearby, maybe my parents could have been saved. But the Republic of Blizzard is short on hospitals. It’s a problem.”

  “So you were left all alone?” I ask her. I suddenly feel really bad for Sharon.

  She nods. “Mother found me wandering the woods. She took me in. She gave me food and shelter. She still does.”

  “And she makes you steal stuff from people,” Jonah adds.

  “I don’t mind,” Sharon says with a shrug. “I like meeting new people.”

  “You’re not meeting them,” Gerda points out. “You’re robbing them. And kidnapping them.”

  Sharon’s expression hardens. “Enjoy your dinner. I’m out of here.”

  “Wait!” Gerda cries. She presses her hands together and drops to her knees. “Please, please, please let me go. You told me you would l
et me go.”

  Sharon shrugs again. “I know I did. But I can’t now that Jonah and Abby have shown up. Sorry.” She marches up the basement stairs. “Later.”

  Suddenly, I have an idea. “Come with us!” I call out.

  She stops in her tracks but doesn’t turn around. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because the robbers are horrible people! They force you to steal for them. You said you’ve always wanted to see where the Snow Queen lives. Now’s your chance.”

  “But where would I live?” Sharon asks, still not looking back at us.

  “Anywhere is better than here,” Gerda says.

  “You’re a bunch of snobs,” Sharon spits out. “I’ll stay where I am, thank you very much.” She slams the door.

  We hear the click of the lock.

  This is not good. Not good at all.

  I slump against the side of the wall.

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” I ask my brother.

  Jonah nods.

  “What does it mean?” Gerda demands.

  I sigh. “It means we messed up another fairy tale.”

  Let me get this straight,” Ralph says, trotting back and forth in the small basement space. His bell rings angrily with every step. “I was finally going to be set free, but now I’m stuck here forever? In this stuffy, dark basement? Because of you two? Is that right?”

  “It seems that way,” I admit.

  “You two are the worst!” Ralph blurts out.

  “We’re sorry,” I say. “We’ll figure out a way to escape.”

  “And what do you mean you messed up another fairy tale?” Ralph asks. “Are you in cahoots with fairies? Fairies and witches are a bunch of troublemakers!”

  “They really are,” Gerda says. She’s back to doing jumping jacks. “A witch trapped me in her house for months!”

  “This has nothing to do with witches. Or fairies,” I say. Even though Maryrose, a fairy, did technically bring us here. What I meant was that since we interrupted the fairy tale, Gerda won’t be able to escape and save Kai like she was supposed to. We messed up the story and now we need to fix it. Changing the subject, I turn to Ralph. “How long have you been stuck here?”

  “Years,” he says. “And I am sick of carting around people dressed as trees and cold-weather animals, helping them steal from other people. It’s irritating!”

  I hang my head. “It is. And I’m sorry. And I have a plan. I do! We’re going to escape!”

  “Yeah!” Gerda exclaims, and pumps her fist in the air. “How?”

  “I don’t know,” I admit. “I haven’t worked out that part of the plan yet.”

  “We need disguises,” Jonah speaks up. He puts his finger over his lips. “We should wear mustaches!”

  “Why mustaches?” I ask.

  “They’re a great disguise,” Jonah explains.

  “Oh, sure, disguise yourselves as humans,” Ralph whines. “Just forget about me.”

  I glance down at my polar bear suit and then over at Jonah’s penguin suit. “We can’t disguise ourselves as humans when we’re dressed as animals. But we don’t need disguises, anyway. No one will see us! We’re going to sneak out in the middle of the night.”

  “Yeah!” Gerda cheers. “But how? There’s only one door.”

  “And one window,” I add, pointing up to the oval-shaped piece of glass. “Is the window locked?”

  “Of course it’s locked!” Ralph hollers. “Do you think we’d still be here if it wasn’t locked? No! We wouldn’t! We would have left!”

  “Okay, okay, no need to get so mad,” I mumble.

  “Have you actually checked the window?” Gerda asks him.

  Pause.

  We all look at the window. It’s about ten feet up.

  “No,” Ralph finally says.

  “Is there a ladder in here?” Jonah asks.

  “Do you see a ladder?” Ralph barks. “No, there is no ladder! There’s no furniture in here at all!”

  “Where do you two sleep, anyway?” I ask.

  “On the cold floor with the itchy blankets,” Gerda says with a sigh.

  I study the situation. “Maybe we can climb on each other’s shoulders to reach the window and then climb out. Then we’ll pull the last one of us up and out with one of the blankets.”

  “Hello! Hello!” Ralph shrieks. “Is anyone thinking about me? No, no one’s thinking about me. You’re all just thinking about one another. Do you think I could ever hold a sheet with these things?” He holds up his front hooves. “No. I can’t. But it doesn’t matter anyway because I would never fit through that window. Never! And you’re just going to leave me here! I will never see my herd again! Never! Leave me! See if I care!” He falls to the ground, puts his head on his hooves, and sobs.

  Oops. I hadn’t thought of that. Ralph is kind of huge. And look at those antlers.

  “We’re not going to leave you,” Gerda coos, petting his back. “Right? We’re not going to leave him.”

  “I was considering leaving him,” Jonah admits. “He’s kind of annoying.”

  “We’ll come back and get you,” I assure Ralph.

  “When?” he yells. “Never! That’s when!”

  “Not never.” I think fast. “The rest of us will go through the window, and then one of us will sneak back into the house and unlock the basement door.”

  Ralph snorts. “Sure you will.”

  “No, we will. I will. I promise.”

  “That’s risky,” Jonah says.

  “Well, we can’t leave him,” I say. I think about FRA. Unlike Robin, I would never leave a friend behind. “We’re a team!” I add emphatically. “We’re FRA! I mean, we’re AJRG! Um … JARG! Jonah, Abby, Ralph, and Gerda! And JARG doesn’t leave a person behind.”

  “JARG?” Ralph repeats. “What are you talking about? Jonah, does your sister always make up words?”

  “Yes,” my brother says.

  “We are JARG, and we would never ditch our friend!” I cheer.

  “Yeah, JARG!” Gerda exclaims. “Go, JARG, go!”

  “Will whoever comes back to get Ralph wear a mustache?” Jonah asks.

  “Where are you even getting a mustache from, Jonah?” I ask.

  “From Ralph’s tail?” he offers.

  “Whoa, there!” Ralph says, backing toward a corner. “No one is taking any of my tail, thank you very much.”

  Jonah tries to reach for it. “But it would make a great mustache.”

  Ralph backs himself into the wall. “No one is touching my tail but me, understand?”

  “Why do we need a mustache?” Gerda asks.

  “We don’t need a mustache!” I shout. “Stop with the mustache! Can we focus on the human ladder?”

  “Human-reindeer ladder,” Ralph growls. “Or have you forgotten about me already?”

  “The human-reindeer ladder,” Gerda says, patting Ralph on the head. “He’s very sensitive,” she whispers to me.

  “No kidding,” I whisper back. “Okay. Let’s do this. Heaviest to lightest. Ralph on the bottom. Then me. Then Gerda. Then Jonah. JARG!”

  “Go, JARG!” Gerda cheers.

  We exchange a smile. I like Gerda. A lot. I wish she went to school with me. We would totally be friends. Maybe even best friends.

  I stiffen. Not better best friends than me and Frankie, of course. I would never ditch Frankie. I’m not that girl. I’m not Robin.

  Jonah eyes the tray of food. “Can we eat before we escape? I’m starving.”

  “Good idea,” Gerda says. “We need our energy. And we want to wait until the robbers are asleep anyway.”

  “Is there any hot chocolate?” I ask, stepping over to the tray.

  “Mmm,” Jonah says. “That stuff was tasty. I could definitely have more.”

  Ralph cackles. “You’re kidding, right? They only give you hot chocolate when they’re trying to woo you into the sled.”

  I look down at the pathetic meal. There are four cups filled with gray water
. Black flecks float on the surface. There are four limp sandwiches, too. I can’t tell what’s between the slices of stale-looking bread, but it looks bluish. Gross.

  “What about ketchup?” Jonah asks. Jonah is obsessed with ketchup.

  I shake my head. “There’s no ketchup, Jonah. There isn’t much of anything.”

  “Last time I complained to Mother,” Gerda tells me, “she threatened to serve me reindeer for dinner.”

  I almost gag. Ralph lets out a sob.

  Gerda nods. “I stopped complaining. So we should just eat what’s here.” She passes out the sandwiches and cups.

  I slowly, nervously nibble on a corner. It’s … it’s … it’s not that bad. I think the inside is a type of cheese. Blue cheese, maybe?

  “It could still use some ketchup,” Jonah says. “But it’s okay.”

  We munch away.

  “Do you guys know Rorse code?” Ralph asks, his mouth full.

  “What’s that?” I ask, swallowing.

  “It’s a way to spell a word by blinking when you can’t talk,” Ralph explains. “It might be helpful to use during an escape. I taught it to Gerda. We needed an activity in here.”

  “Wait. Do you mean Morse code?” I ask. A long time ago, people used Morse code to send messages to each other.

  “Rorse code,” Ralph clarifies. “Rorse. R. Like reindeer.”

  “Right. Rorse,” I say with a laugh.

  “Cool. I love codes!” Jonah exclaims, putting down to his sandwich.

  Then something occurs to me. “Oh! Is that why you were blinking at me by the lake? Were you trying to tell me something?”

  “Um, yes,” Ralph says. “I was telling you to R-U-N.”

  “Oops,” I say. “I didn’t exactly get that.”

  “Let me teach you the alphabet,” he says. “A is one short blink, one long one, and one short one. B is —”

  “I don’t think we have time to teach them the whole alphabet,” Gerda cuts in.

  I nod. “She’s right. Maybe we should just make up a code to use if we see Sharon. Or any of the robbers. A code for danger.”

  Ralph sighs. “Fine. How about two long blinks and one short one? That’s S. Like S for Sharon.”

  “Perfect,” I say.

  We wait until after midnight to begin our escape.

  “Okay. Are we ready?” Gerda asks. She stands up and puts on her matching orange hat, which was under the blankets.