Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

" C ome on, open it!" Dewey said as Paige hesitated.

"I know, I know, I just…it's like that whole Schrodinger's cat thing, right?"

"Huh? Whose cat?"

"The cat that's both alive and dead until you open the box."

Dewey shook his head. "Not following you."

Paige let go of the. handle. "You know, there's a cat in a box with some sort of mechanism that might kill it, but until you observe the state of the cat, the cat is both alive and dead at the same time."

Dewey stared blankly at her for a breath. "So, you think there's a dead cat in the cupboard?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Until I open the door, the key is both there and not there."

Dewey narrowed his eyes. "Have you been drinking?"

"No, I'm not drinking. How have you never heard of this?"

"It sounds ridiculous. Listen, the key is either in there or it's not. It's not both. I can't be both. "

"In quantum physics, it can be. It is. Until we open this door, it's both there and not there. Until we open this door…we have hope." Her shoulders slumped as she said the words.

"Oh, that's what you're babbling about. Yeah, well, if you're going to get kicked in the gut, better to do it earlier and waste less time, now come on and open the door."

"I guess," she mumbled as she grabbed the door pull again and whipped it open, keeping her eyes closed. "Is it there?"

"No, but there's a dead cat."

Paige snapped her eyes open, her features twisting. "Really?"

"No, I just wanted you to open your eyes. Nothing here but dust." Dewey blew at the empty shelves before he coughed, waving a hand in the air.

Paige stamped a foot on the floor. "Dang it. If we never would have opened it…"

Dewey shot her a sharp glance. "Don't say that ridiculous thing. It's like when you say…if I were a key…you can't be a key. And that quantum physics stuff is nonsense. Come on, let's finish looking around."

"You're right," she said with a deep sigh as they left the cupboard behind and retraced their steps.

They made their way back to the intersection where they'd split from the sisters and waited for them to arrive.

"Find anything?" Kelly asked as her light bobbled toward them.

"No, you?"

"Nothing. Let's try this way." She slid her beam toward the only remaining hall left to explore.

"Gosh, I hope it's down here. This certainly does fit the core of the house line."

"Yeah, though, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Jodi and I were down here when we were being held hostage– "

"What?" Paige scrunched her nose as she snapped her gaze to the women.

"Yeah, it's a long story involving a Faberge egg and the Russian mob, don't ask. Anyway, there wasn't a key that we saw, but maybe we missed it."

Paige's forehead creased as she tried to imagine the wild tale while they continued down the hall until it spilled into a large chamber.

Kelly and Jodi crossed to a covered area on the floor and shoved the wooden platform aside. "Here is where the egg was. But no key."

"Any other hiding spots in the room?" Dewey asked.

"You're welcome to look around, but we haven't found any."

They spent another few minutes poking around the large room before they gave up.

Paige let her hand slap her thigh. "Nothing here."

Kelly offered her a consoling glance. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. Maybe the others had more luck."

"We'll find it," Kelly said with a hopeful smile. "We won't let it beat us."

"Yeah," Jodi answered. "We haven't met a mystery we couldn't solve yet."

Kelly nodded. "Usually, we just stumble upon the solution, but we get it."

"Yeah, us, too," Paige said, a genuine grin crossing her features as they made their way back to the ladder. "We always come through though."

"Nellie really likes bumbling heroes," Dewey whispered.

Paige gave him a smack on the chest and shook her head.

"Oh, right, we're not supposed to talk about that."

They climbed back into the carousel room before Kelly slid the panel shut. The mechanism sprang to life again as the sisters pushed the doors open. Carefully, they leapt off the moving platform into the hall.

Paige heaved a sigh as they shuffled down the hall toward the foyer. "I wonder where Lily and Cassie are. Maybe they had more luck."

"Let's hope," Kelly said as they neared the foyer.

Excited voices floated to them as they approached. Paige quickened her steps, hoping they'd had more luck.

"Anything?" she asked as she spilled into the expansive space.

"Maybe," Cassie said as she sat on the massive staircase leading upstairs.

"Yeah," Damien answered with a nod. "We found a split here in the stairs, and we're wondering if it leads to a secret passage or panel."

"So far," Lily added, "no luck opening it, though."

Kelly climbed up to take a closer look. "Oh, yeah, I see the seam."

"Could it just be a seam and nothing more?" Jodi asked.

"No," Cassie said with a shake of her head. "It only exists on part of the stair, not across the whole thing. We just need to find a way to trigger it."

With a grimace, she pressed hard against the step. "Not spring-loaded, as you can see."

"Maybe we should grab some tools and pry it apart," Kelly suggested.

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Oh, I'd hate to tear your stairs apart and ruin your house, especially if it's a dead end."

Kelly pressed her lips together. "I know, but I hate to waste time and hold you back from moving on."

"We'll find it," Cassie said with a shake of her head. "We have lots of these in Whispering Manor. We just need to figure out what triggers the panel. "

Kelly glanced around at all the woodwork on the stairway. "It could be anything."

"Yes," Damien agreed, "but with seven of us working on this, we should find it, right?"

Jodi let out a harsh laugh. "Seventy of us may have been better with all the woodwork in this house."

"Well, it's usually close to the panel," Cassie said. "So, let's start with everything close to it and spread out from there. We've already tried sliding, pulling, pushing. Now we're going to move on to search for triggers elsewhere."

Kelly climbed a few steps past them, tugging at the spindles before she tried to twist a few. "The carousel panel is triggered by twisting one of the horse's poles. I wonder if it's the same here."

Paige and Dewey climbed closer, working on the railing on the opposite side of the stairs. They spent thirty minutes poking and prodding every piece of wood available but found no way to open the panel.

Kelly plopped onto a stair, wiping at her brow. "Okay, I need a break. And maybe a snack."

"Snacks?" Dewey asked. "Are there snacks? I love snacks."

"Yeah, I think a snack is in order," Jodi agreed. "We'll go grab a few things from the pantry. Why don't you all take a break."

With a sigh, Paige eased herself to the stair below her, a frown forming on her lips.

"Don't give up, Paige," Cassie said. "We'll figure it out. Right, Mom?"

At the foot of the stairs, Lily rubbed her chin, staring at one of the lions.

"Mom?" Cassie called again.

"Yeah, we'll get," she said with a fleeting smile before she returned her eyes to the lion's snarling mouth.

"Got an idea?" Cassie asked .

Lily furrowed her brow. "Maybe. This lion's tooth is different from the other ones."

"Different how?" Damien asked.

"It's twisted. Just slightly, but definitely twisted."

Damien scurried down the stairs, his eyes flicking between the two lions. "Oh, yeah, I see it."

Lily rubbed a finger against the tooth. "I wonder if it's just a defect, or if it has some meaning."

"Have you tried pulling it?" Cassie questioned.

"Not yet. Let me give it a go," Lily answered.

She reached forward and wrapped her fingers around the large wooden tooth, giving it a tug. It didn't budge.

Paige's heart sank again as nothing happened. They'd never solve this, and they were probably wasting time here. Maybe she and Dewey should move to a new location.

Lily grunted as she wiggled the tooth to no avail. "Darn thing."

She crossed her arms, staring at it for a moment before she reached toward it and tugged straight up. The tooth popped skyward and the panel on the stairs clicked open.

"Mom! You did it!" Cassie exclaimed.

Paige's heart raced as she scrambled across the wide stair toward the panel. "Is there anything inside?"

"A wooden box. I wonder if there's anything in it." Cassie withdrew the carved item, blowing dust off of it before she wrinkled her nose.

She thrust it forward toward Paige. "Here. Open it."

"You sure? You found it."

"Just open it," Cassie said with a smile.

Paige balanced the box on her lap, her heart pounding against her ribs. She lifted the top, searching the inside for the key. Her stomach twisted as she spotted a piece of fabric. With shaky hands, she lifted it from the box and unwrapped it .

A grin spread across her features. "The key!"

"We found it!" Dewey exclaimed.

"We did!" Paige said with a pump of her fist. "Two down, two to go!"

Lily, Cassie, and Damien applauded as Kelly and Jodi returned with a large bowl of popcorn.

"What happened?" Kelly asked.

"That's celebration popcorn now," Lily said. "We found the key. And if you ever need to know, the lion's tooth opens the panel."

Kelly grinned at them as Jodi stepped forward to study the lion. "I knew these lions were cool."

"Well, at least they have a purpose other than being creepy," Kelly said. "Aw, I'm so glad that you found it. That's great."

Paige sat back, beaming at the key. With any luck, they would find the other two keys just as quickly and return to Buckville for the serum.

"You're not rushing off, are you?"

"No, I think we'd better stay the night," Lily said. "Salem Falls is a pretty good drive. We'll get an early start tomorrow morning."

Paige's heart plummeted at the words even though she understood the delay.

"Great. Well let's have our celebration before we head off to bed. Come into the living room." Kelly motioned for them to follow her.

Paige carefully placed the key back in its box and closed the lid.

"Halfway, Paige," Dewey said as they descended the staircase.

"I know. I can't wait to find the others. I hope they're all this easy."

"You and me both. I can't wait to go back home where I can be me."

"Don't worry," she said, clapping a hand onto his shoulder. "We won't stay long, then you can take a break."

"I can't wait. Although, that popcorn smelled delicious."

They entered the living room, spending some time with their newfound friends before they retired to their respective bedrooms.

After a few minutes alone, a knock sounded at her door. Paige pulled it open to find Dewey in human form. "Mind if I bunk with you? There are creepy cherub carvings all over my room."

"Sure," Paige said as she motioned for him to enter.

He stepped inside. The moment she closed the door, he tugged off his magical ring, popping back into his dragon form. "Ahhh, that feels better."

"Nice to see you again, buddy."

"Nice to be me again, Paige. I hate my human form."

"You know," she said as she crawled between the sheets. "I kind of don't like it either."

Dewey wrinkled his nose at her. "Thanks, Paige. You're so mean."

"I'm serious. I like your dragon form. It's…cute and fun. Your human form is…stuffy."

"I'm not stuffy." He landed on the bed and adjusted the covers over him.

"You are as a human. It's like you're not having any fun at all." She switched off the light.

"I'm not," he answered in the darkness, "I have a killer headache almost all the time."

"That stinks. Well, try to get some rest. Tomorrow's a new day and a new headache."

"Yeah. I can't wait until this is over." Dewey yawned and within seconds, his breathing turned rhythmic.

Paige tossed and turned most of the night despite her exhaustion as worry coursed through her. What if they couldn't find the keys?

She hoped they'd go back to Shadow Harbor triumphant, but she prepared herself for disappointment.

When the sun peeked through the curtains, the next morning, she opened her eyes, weary and miserable. "Ugh," she groaned, smashing a pillow over her face.

"Rise and shine, Paige," Dewey said to her. "We've got a full day of finding keys ahead of us… after a five-hour car trip."

She pulled the pillow away with a grimace. "I barely slept."

"Drink some extra coffee," Dewey said. "We've got to get a move on. I want to get home."

Paige flung the covers back and nodded. "Me too. I just want to save my mom. I'm so nervous we won't find one of these keys."

"Yeah, I know." Dewey landed on the bed next to her and patted her shoulder. "But we'll keep trying until we do, Paige. That's all we can do."

"Thanks, buddy. Well, I guess I should get changed and head down to start this day."

Dewey rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. Five hours cramped in the car with those stupid legs. Ugh."

"Well, take solace in the fact that I, too, have a blinding headache from lack of sleep. So, we'll be a pair."

"Do you think Lily and Cassie would lose it if they saw me in dragon form?"

"Yes. I think they would. Don't do that. We don't need to introduce dragons to another realm."

"Why not? I mean, if this realm is fictional, which I know we said not to assume, but just if," Dewey said as he buzzed into the air, "would it really hurt? "

"It would probably lead to chaos," Paige answered as she tugged on the borrowed tunic from Cassie.

"Nellie seems to like chaos. Look at Dominique."

Paige raised her eyebrows. "Hmm, look at our lives. Complete chaos."

"Right, so maybe I could– "

"No," Paige said with a shake of her head. "Don't reveal your dragon form. Not cool. Even if any of this is real about the worlds being fictional, let's not take a chance. What if someone captures you and keeps you for experiments or something."

"Good point. Okay, guess I'll play human again." He slid the ring onto his finger with a shake of his head. "There, happy?"

"Very. Let's go." Paige slung her bag over her shoulder.

They collected Dewey's things from his room before they made their way downstairs, finding three bags waiting at the bottom.

"Looks like everyone else is up," Paige said as she dumped her duffel next to the others.

"Yeah, and I smell food." Dewey hurried down the hall toward the dining room they'd spotted last night.

Chatter and laughter flowed from within as they entered.

"Ah, there you are," Lily said with a grin. "Come in and get some breakfast before we hit the road."

Paige and Dewey crossed to the server and grabbed plates. "Sorry," she said, "I had trouble sleeping, then slept in."

"No problem. We'll get on the road whenever you've eaten. I've already spoken with Ellie in Salem Falls, and she's ready for us."

Paige settled into a seat at the dining room table. "Any chance she's seen the key?"

"No," Lily said with a shake of her head. "But her bed and breakfast has a lot of hidden spots and secrets, so we'll be solving another mystery."

Paige's shoulders slumped at the words. "I'd like just one of these to just be sitting out on someone's mantel."

Lily chuckled at the words. "Don't worry, we'll find it."

"Got a long drive, huh?" Dewey asked as he stabbed at his eggs.

"About five hours."

Dewey whistled as he shook his head. "That's a long drive."

"It's not too bad. Cassie and I like to travel, so we're used to drives. And the scenery is lovely."

Paige pushed the food around on her plate as she nodded.

"Don't sweat it, honey," Lily said with a consoling smile. "We'll get there."

Paige forced a smile onto her lips as she nodded. "Yeah, thanks. I'm just…anxious."

"Of course, you are," Cassie answered. "It's your mom. But we'll find it."

Paige shifted in her seat. "Do you think we should split up. Maybe some of us go to Salem Falls and some of us go to Midnight Hollow?"

Lily and Cassie exchanged a glance.

"I don't mind doing that," Cassie answered, "but sometimes it takes all of us to figure it out."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I know you're both trying to help us, and I'm just being a huge pain."

"You're not. It's fine," Lily said. "I think we'll head out to load the car while you two finish your breakfast."

"Okay," Paige said with a nod. "Thanks. We won't be long."

"Speak for yourself, Paige. I'm going back for seconds."

The women and Damien disappeared from the room to load up the luggage while Paige shoved her plate away .

Dewey sat down with a fully loaded second helping and dug in.

"Ugh, how can you eat that much?"

"I can't help it. The food is good. And we have five hours in the car."

"With snacks," Paige reminded him.

He shrugged. "So?"

Cassie appeared in the doorway, her features twisted into a frown. "Hey, just wanted to tell you to take your time. We won't be leaving right away. We've got a little problem."

Paige's heart sank at the words. What was the problem and how long was it going to hold them up?"