A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(5)

Conner gulped and his eyes grew very big. “Oh!” he said. Sometimes he forgot about the lie his family had told the school about his sister. “She’s doing great! Never been happier!”

Mrs. Peters bit her lip and nodded, almost disappointed to hear this. “That’s wonderful, good for her,” she said. “Although sometimes I selfishly wish she would move back and be one of our students again. Your mother was telling me all about the educational programs they offer up there, though, so I’m sure she is enjoying them.”

“She sure is!” Conner said, and looked to his left to avoid eye contact. “And Alex has always loved trees… and maple syrup… so Vermont suits her.”

“I see,” Mrs. Peters said, squinting. “And she’s staying with your grandmother? Is that correct?”

“Yes, she’s still with my grandma… who also loves trees and maple syrup. It’s a family trait, I guess,” Conner said, and then looked to the right. He panicked for a second when he couldn’t remember which direction people tended to look in when they were lying—he had seen a special about it on TV.

“Then give her my warmest regards and please tell her to visit the next time she’s in town,” Mrs. Peters said.

“I will!” Conner said, relieved to be changing the subject.

“Now, on to the second reason I called you in today.” Mrs. Peters sat up extra straight in her seat and slid a pamphlet across her desk. “I have just heard exciting news from an old colleague of mine who teaches English in Frankfurt, Germany. Apparently the University of Berlin has uncovered a time capsule that belonged to the Brothers Grimm. I’m assuming you remember who they are from my lessons in the sixth grade.”

“Are you kidding? My grandma knew them!” Conner said.

“Excuse me?”

Conner just stared at her for a moment, mortified by his carelessness. “I mean… yeah, of course I remember,” Conner tried to cover. “They’re the fairy-tale guys, right? My grandma used to read their stories to us.”

“Indeed,” Mrs. Peters said with a smile—she had grown so used to Conner’s strange outbursts that she didn’t even question this one for a second. “And according to the University of Berlin, three brand-new fairy tales were discovered in the capsule!”

“That’s amazing!” Conner was genuinely excited to hear this and knew his sister would be thrilled, too.

“I agree,” Mrs. Peters said. “And even better, the University of Berlin is planning a big event to reveal the stories. They’re going to read them to the public for the first time this coming September, three weeks into next school year, at St. Matth?us-Kirchhof cemetery, where the Brothers Grimm are buried.”

“All great things!” Conner said. “So what does this have to do with me?”

“Well, since you’ve become a bit of a Grimm yourself—”

Conner awkwardly laughed and looked back to his left. She had no idea how close to home this compliment was.

“I thought you’d be interested in the trip I’m planning.” Mrs. Peters slid the pamphlet even closer to Conner. “I’ve decided to invite a few select students such as yourself—students who have proven to be passionate about writing and storytelling—to venture with me to Berlin and be among the crowd that hears the stories for the first time.”

Conner picked up the pamphlet and stared down at it with an open mouth. “That sounds awesome!” He flipped it open and looked at all the attractions the city of Berlin had to offer. “Could we check out these nightclubs, too?”

“Unfortunately, missing more than a week of school for any trip is frowned upon by the school district. So no nightclubs, I’m afraid. We’ll only be there for three days, but I thought this might be an opportunity you wouldn’t want to miss,” Mrs. Peters said with a confident smile. “I feel like a little piece of history is waiting for us.”

Conner’s smile faded when his eyes fell to the bottom of the pamphlet. He saw how much this trip would cost.

“Eek, this is a pricey educational opportunity,” Conner said.

“Travel is never cheap, I’m afraid,” Mrs. Peters said. “But there are many school fund-raisers I can get you information about—”

“Oh wait! I keep forgetting my mom just married a doctor! We’re not poor anymore!” Conner said, and his smile returned. “But wait, does that mean I’m still poor? I’ll have to ask them. There’s so much to this stepson thing I haven’t figured out yet.”

Mrs. Peters raised her eyebrows and blinked twice, not sure what to tell him. “That’s a conversation you’ll have to have with them, but my office phone number is on the bottom of that pamphlet if you need help convincing them,” she said with a quick wink.

“Thanks, Mrs. Peters!” Conner said. “Who else have you asked?”

“Only a handful of students,” Mrs. Peters said. “I’ve learned the hard way that bringing more than six students to one chaperone on a trip can lead to a scene out of Lord of the Flies.”

“I understand,” Conner said. He couldn’t get the image out of his head of tribal sixth graders tying Mrs. Peters to a spit and roasting her over an open fire.

“But Bree Campbell has signed up,” Mrs. Peters said. “I believe she’s in Ms. York’s English class with you?”