UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(8)

Mina reached over and hugged Nan as tight as she could. She knew how much Nan’s life revolved around that stupid phone and her friend did help save her.

Nan made gagging noises as Mina squeezed harder and harder. “Gee, let go, let go.”

“Thank you Nan,” Mina smiled.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re indebted to me for life. You’re my eternal slave and must sacrifice yourself to save me now. You owe me three wishes, etc. etc. blah blah blah.” Nan waved her hands in the air like it was nothing.

Mina and Nan sat back down in the seats and listened to the harmony of a bus load of students, texting, talking and playing games on their cell phones. The chiming noise was a constant reminder of her loss.

“Nan?” Mina began, getting ready to apologize again.

“Don’t!” Nan snapped, holding her pink polished finger up to silence any more words. “I already regret it.”

Mina laughed.





Chapter 3


Mina hadn’t told her mother what had happened at Babushka’s because she knew how she would react…badly. Sara was an extremely overprotective mother and anytime a crazy unexplained accident happened to Mina, she would pick up the family and move. No questions asked. Mina wasn’t really sure why.

In first grade Mina took a trip to the zoo and was overcome with anxiety as all the animals in the petting zoo started following her around. They had moved the following week.

In fourth grade Mina's garden variety science project produced two car sized pumpkins over night, they moved the next day.

In seventh grade during Home-Ec., Mina kept falling asleep during her knitting projects. Sara told the school it was mono and their family was packed by the time Mina got home.

Mina knew that what happened yesterday was worse than any of her other unpleasant accidents. Which was why Mina kept the list, she hoped to one day find hidden link to these disasters that made her mother want to bolt to a different state and city.

She was just lucky that her mother wasn’t close friends with any of the moms from school. Otherwise Mina might come home from school to find their small apartment packed up in boxes and a moving truck in the alley.

“Mina?” Sara peeked her head into her daughters room and took one look at the floor and decided to try and look at the walls instead, anything to distract herself from the obvious piles of teenage debris. When Mina didn’t answer, Sara braved the obstacle course of clothes and magazines and walked into her daughter's dark room to open the blinds and window to let out the stuffiness and let in the light.

“AHHHhh MOM!” Mina answered, throwing the comforter back over her head to protect herself from the onslaught of fresh air and light. Both of which were toxic to a very sleepy teenager. Grumbling she curled up under the covers and tried to ignore her mother’s movements throughout her room. All she wanted was to lie in bed comatose for another few hours as she gathered her thoughts and strength to face another day at school. Was that too much to ask? When Sara stubbed her toe on an unidentified object in Mina’s room, she let out a gasp of pain but held back any forthcoming remarks. Mina bit her lip guiltily under the covers knowing she really needed to clean up her room and was grateful that her mother never harangued her about it.

“I have to pick up a few things before taking Charlie to school. So we are heading out now. I’ll be late coming home because Terry my boss called and I’ve been asked to drop off a Happy Maids packet at the Carmichael’s residence.”

“Wait! What? NO!” Mina shrieked sitting up in bed and throwing the comforter behind her. “I mean don’t they have live-in maids? Why would they want to employ another company?” Mina knew that whatever happened she could not let her mother go to the Carmichael’s. What if they told her mother about what happened at the bakery? What if they tried to thank Sara? No. Mina couldn’t let that happen.

“Well, maybe they heard what a great job we do and want to hire the best. We definitely could use the extra money.” Sara looked at the piles of clothes and sighed wearily. She loved her daughter so much, and tried to give her the best that a single mother could. She spoiled her in the only way she knew how. God knows that it’s been hard on her ever since her husband James passed away when Mina was six. It wasn’t until after James funeral that Sara realized she was pregnant with Charlie. So Sarah tried to be a good mother and provider and tried to not be a nag about the small things like a messy room.

“What if I do it?” Mina shot out without thinking.

“Do what, honey?” Sara nudged a pair of dirty socks with her shoe over to what she assumed was a dirty clothes pile.

Mina had to think fast. “I lent Brody my notes on a class so I have to go over there today anyhow, so give me the packet and I’ll drop it off for Mrs. Carmichael.”

Sara thought about it. “Well that would work, because then I wouldn’t be late to the Brown’s. Why thank you Mina,” Sara smiled.

Mina tried and failed to return her mother’s smile when the full implications of what she had volunteered to do hit her. Mina was an idiot.

Sara put the packet on the kitchen table and Mina watched as her younger brother, wearing a superman cape followed her out the door. Mina ran back to her bedroom, grabbed a purple pillow off of her bed and screamed hysterically into it dancing around the room.

Green movement captured Mina’s attention and she froze when she realized that her mother had opened her window and blinds. Mrs. Orn, the eighty year old cat lady from the building next store, was watching her with a look of total disdain. She happened to be watering her window box full of daisies when Mina had made her dancing debut.