to follow him.
I entered the musty space and waited while he replaced the panel, hiding any
evidence of our entering the passage. Then, my brother guided me through his secret maze until we stopped at a cutout in the wall.
“This is Meg's room. Wait here until I make sure the coast is clear,” Miles whispered. His little face was serious.
Too serious for a child, I thought sadly.
Miles entered the walk-in closet. He quickly came back to me. "Mother is there. She's angry."
I began to enter the closet, but Miles grabbed my arm. He put his finger to
his mouth, warning me to be quiet. Guilt filled me as I saw him tremble.
Would Eliza hurt him? Hurt Meg? I couldn't sit there waiting for the answer.
However, when I tried, again, to enter the closet, Miles clutched my arm and shook his head violently. Relenting, I wrapped my arms around him and knelt down. I held my little brother as we listened to the conversation in the bedroom
beyond.
“Meg, I'm growing tired of you and your insistence that you have absolutely
no knowledge of magic,” Eliza's icy voice snapped. “Stop this nonsense. You will not continue to be the brat my mother let you turn into. It is time to act like
the daughter I always wanted. You could be so happy here if you would stop lying and just tell me what I need to know.”
“It isn't nice to tell stories. You are trying to trick me. I don't know any magic
since IT ISN'T REAL! I can't do what you keep demanding me to do,” Meg
shouted.
The next noise sounded like she slapped her hands on something hard. I had
seen her act like this when upset. Fear filled me as I prepared for the next words
that would come from Meg.
Full of anger, my sister shouted, “I'm sorry I'm not the daughter you always
wanted, but you are nothing like the mothers I already have. I have two mothers that are much better and kinder than you will ever be.”
“How can you speak so harshly to me?” Eliza cried out. Her voice sounded
full of despair. “If you want to break my heart and be so cruel, I'll go. You can be
alone. I promise I'll not come back.”
After a few minutes of silence, Eliza must have realized her tactics wouldn't
work on Meg. She said, with such venom in her voice that I felt the hair on my
arms stand up, “I know you have access to the magic I need, even if you won't
admit it. I have waited many years, and I can wait a few more days or weeks.
Your sister will be along soon enough to try and save you. Marina has access to
the magic I truly want. And, thanks to you, she will be happy to give me whatever I want in exchange for your life.”
A thud sounded.
Did Meg knock something over? It was impossible being on the other side of
the wall and not able to tell my little sister to behave. I needed Eliza to leave, and Meg engaging her prolonged her goodbye.
“Since you want to be alone, you will be…until she arrives,” Eliza snarled.
“I hope you enjoyed your dinner. It will be the last meal you have until I get what I want.”
Her words shocked and angered me. It took every bit of energy I had not to
burst into the room and scream at her.
Miles must have felt my anger because he snuggled back into my arms, patting my hand. He silently reminded me that I needed to control my emotions.
Wrapping my arms around him, I kissed his cheek. Knowing my sister was
