Annaliese’s eyes widened before she broke into a jog. After they drew even with Coraline, Phoebe, and Mabel, all three of whom were breathing heavily, something that suggested the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies might want to introduce some physical exertion lessons into their schedule, they continued plowing their way through the crowd.
After dodging a man hawking brightly colored scarves, something that had all three girls slowing their pace until Annaliese sent them a look, Seth spotted a tent that had a poster of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat positioned by the front flap.
Before he could do more than realize that the time on the poster stated the last magic act had been held over an hourbefore, the sound of giggles drifted to them, a sound that had Annaliese snagging hold of his hand and pulling him along behind her as she ducked into the tent.
An unusual urge to laugh immediately struck when he caught sight of Velma Chickering’s head sticking out of a box that was sitting on top of a small table. To add to his amusement, there was another box separated from Velma’s box by a good three feet that had a pair of feet wiggling out of it.
“Mrs. Chickering is not going to be happy if that magician can’t put Velma back together again,” Mabel breathed, earning nods from Coraline and Phoebe as all three girls shuffled closer to the makeshift stage.
“I fear Mrs. Chickering is going to be far more upset over the fact that I was negligent with keeping track of her daughter over her being sawed in half, especially when those aren’t Velma’s feet in the other box,” Annaliese said before she lifted her chin and marched forward.
“Why doesn’t Miss Merriweather think those are Velma’s feet?” Mabel asked.
Before Seth could explain to the girls that Velma was squished into the top part of the first box while Norma Jean was stuffed into the bottom of the second one, his attention snapped back to Annaliese, who’d just made a sound like one would hear coming out of an angry cat—or ferret, in her case. The reason for the sound was obviously because her path to the stage was now being blocked by a huge brute of a man with bulging muscles and a face that looked quite as if it had been carved from stone.
“Why do you think the strongman won’t let Miss Merriweather by?” Phoebe asked.
“How do you know that’s the strongman?” Seth asked.
Phoebe wrinkled her nose. “I would think his muscles would give that away, but we saw him earlier standing by a sign that saidStrongestMan East of the Rockies.”
“I wonder how he decided he’s the strongest man east of the Rockies?” Mabel asked.
“I don’t think we’re going to have an opportunity to ask him,” Coraline said, sending a nod Annaliese’s way. “If you didn’t notice, he just said something to Miss Merriweather that she evidently didn’t appreciate because she’s glaring at the man and ... Pippin’s waking up from her nap.”
Having seen firsthand what could happen if any of Annaliese’s ferrets thought someone was upsetting the person they considered their mother, Seth jolted into motion. “You three stay put, and I mean that,” he tossed over his shoulder.
“As if we’re going to sneak away knowing how much trouble Velma and Norma Jean are already in,” he heard Coraline grumble as he strode to join Annaliese, who was now exchanging heated words with the strongman.
“And while I appreciate that you’ve been watching over the girls, Mr....?”
“Flick,” the man supplied as he crossed his arms and seemed determined to hold his ground even though Annaliese was bristling with temper and Pippin was making rather concerning chirping sounds, something that usually preceded an attack.
“As I was saying, Mr. Flick,” Annaliese continued, “it’s truly commendable how you’ve—”
“It’s just Flick, not Mr. Flick,” the strongman interrupted.
“Duly noted,” Annaliese said. “And with that out of the way, Flick, if you’d be so kind as to move aside, I need to get my students out of those boxes.”
It was less than reassuring when Flick shook his head. “No can do.”
Annaliese drew herself up as Pippin began chirping faster than ever. “Why not?”
Flick flexed his impressive muscles, which didn’t leave Annaliese retreating a single inch. “Maybe they had a reason for running off. Maybe you’re one of those mean instructors theyneeded to get away from, one who’s now going to punish them for giving you the slip.”
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t make it a habit to punish students, especially when it’s my fault they gave me the slip.”
“But I bet you’ll blame them once you get back to your school and find out your position is in jeopardy.”
Deciding an intervention was in order before Pippin went airborne or Annaliese decided to use the fist she’d balled up at her side, Seth stepped forward, drawing Flick’s attention.
“Miss Merriweather has no need to worry about her position as she’s one of the owners of the academy she teaches at,” he said, earning a frown from Flick before the strongman shot a look to Velma, who immediately sent him a brilliant smile paired with a nod, which sent hair that had escaped Velma’s bows straggling over her forehead, something she certainly couldn’t address as her arms were nowhere in sight.
“Miss Merriweather really is an owner of the Merriweather Academy,” Velma said in a downright chipper voice. “And there’s no need for you to worry that she’ll be overly stern with us regarding the whole wandering off business as she’s a delightful lady whom all the students adore.”
“I second that,” Norma Jean called in a muffled voice from her box, pairing her seconding with a vigorous wiggle of her feet as if to add credence to exactly how delightful she found Annaliese.
When Flick didn’t budge, Velma shot a glance to Coraline, Phoebe, and Mabel, who’d not moved from where Seth had told them to stay, their abidance of his request suggesting they knew exactly how much trouble they might be in for neglecting to ’fess up earlier to Annaliese regarding Norma Jean and Velma’s whereabouts. Some type of telling look was exchanged because a second later, Velma attempted to blow the hair out of her eyes before she leveled another bright smile on Flick.
