Alice Parker's Metamorphosis (Book 1 of the new adventure series for children) (13 page)

‘
I noticed you seem to like fruit!’ said Lucinda.

‘
Er...yes,’ admitted Alice. ‘I have been eating a lot of it lately. My mum has been making us eat healthy food at home.’

‘
Well, it can’t be doing any harm, you seem to be getting brainier!’

‘
Ha, yes, it must be all the vitamins!’ laughed Alice, trying to make a joke of it. As they ate lunch, she changed the subject to Christmas, keen to steer the conversation away from her own recent behaviour. Lucinda had already been shopping for presents with her sister. ‘Did you buy anything exciting?’ asked Alice politely.

‘
No, not really. But I did get a brilliant outfit for the Christmas ball. It’s a red dress with a black hooded cloak. I got a mask too.’

‘
A mask?’

‘
It’s a medieval masquerade ball this year, since it’s being held in a medieval castle,’ clarified Lucinda.

‘
It sounds amazing,’ cooed Alice, cutting her cake. ‘Have a slice, at least,’ she insisted.

‘
OK, thanks. I’ll be back in a minute.’

Lucinda left the table and disappeared upstairs. She returned with a rolled up paper.

‘
For you and Sarah,’ she announced, handing it over with a smile.

Alice took what turned out to be a scroll tied with red ribbon. She unrolled it carefully and realised that this parchment-style paper was an invitation. Hardly daring to believe her luck, she read:

You and a guest are invited to

The

Medieval Masquerade Ball

at Aylesford Castle

on Saturday 21
^st
December.

As friends of the Rowbottom family you will be treated to an evening of festive fun and indulgence in the most magnificent setting.

Guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience.

7.30pm till late. Masks obligatory!

R.S.V.P.

to

Brian, Jacqueline, Isabella and Lucinda

This was what the village had been waiting for. Alice was now that ‘unique someone’ that her grandad had spoken of. A Finwip as well as a friend of the Rowbottoms.

‘
I don’t know what to say!’ she gasped eventually. ‘Thank you so much! Sarah will be so pleased when I tell her. Oh wow! This means we’ve only got two days to find something to wear!’

Alice was really thinking that an outfit was the least of her concerns. She needed to tell Imogen immediately and find out exactly what the plan was once she arrived at the party. That feeling of excitement mixed with fear was now stronger than ever.

‘
Don’t panic,’ Lucinda reassured her. ‘A long dress and a mask are all you need. The costume shop in town has a whole range of masks. It will be fun, you’ll see. Dad’s planning an extra special one this year.’

Bet I know why, thought Alice. ‘I can’t wait!’ she said.

As soon as Mrs Rowbottom had driven her home, Alice raced upstairs to bang on Thomas’s door. A sleepy-looking head appeared.

‘
I’ve done it,’ she said proudly, ‘I’ve got an invitation to the ball at the castle! Sarah is invited too.’

‘
You jammy thing!’ said Thomas. ‘That’s great, though. We need to let the village know so they can start making plans.’

‘
We’re going to need costumes,’ said Alice, worried. It’s a medieval theme. Do you think Freya can help? There’s not much time before Saturday night.’

‘
I’m sure something can be sorted. Listen, I’ll go and let them know. You can give Sarah the good news. I think she deserves a treat for putting up with you!’

Alice opened her mouth to say something rude, but stopped herself. He had a point.

‘
See if she can come over tomorrow,’ suggested Thomas. ‘We’ve got a lot to organise.’

By late afternoon, everything was arranged. Sarah’s sister would bring her over in the morning, then she, Alice and Thomas would go down to Finwip village to discuss the task ahead. Alice still couldn’t imagine how she would find and rescue someone in a huge castle with so many people around. Still, a few days ago she never dreamed she would grow wings or be invited to a Rowbottom Christmas extravaganza...

Chapter 11

The Best Laid Plans

Alice had never seen Sarah so excited. For one who was usually calm, she could hardly keep still, she was so thrilled about the party at the castle. As soon as her sister had driven off, she began her happy ramblings. ‘I never ever dreamed I’d be invited to one of the Rowbottom’s parties. You really have excelled yourself this time, Alice. And I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way, for once. It’s unbelievable. First my best friend grows wings, then she takes me to an amazing secret village and now the ultimate Christmas ball! So much has happened in such a short space of time! Life doesn’t get much better than this, surely?’

‘
Glad you’re enjoying it,’ said Alice dryly, standing in the hall with her arms folded.

‘
Oh...sorry, I didn’t think. I’m so looking forward to the party, I almost forgot the real reason we’re going.’

‘
Shame I can’t. Are you ready to go, Thomas?’ she called up the stairs impatiently.

‘
On my way!’ he shouted, slamming his bedroom door and hurrying down. ‘Good job the folks aren’t here,’ he said as he put on his coat. ‘We don’t have to make up a story as to where the three of us are going. Mind you, you’ll have some explaining to do, Alice, if Mum realises how much you’ve eaten for breakfast again.’

‘
She’ll think it was you.’

‘
Why?’

‘
I didn’t clean up the mess I made.’

‘
Charming.’

They stepped out into the winter sunshine for a brisk walk down to the oak tree. Thomas and Sarah chatted about Christmas parties, while Alice was racked with guilt in the knowledge that she had deceived Lucinda. She wasn’t a bad person. Not only that, but worse was still to come. How could she smile at her at the ball, then try to find the man her father had kidnapped? It was hard to believe that someone could be held captive where a party was taking place. Twisted, in fact. She rubbed her eyes as if hoping it would help her see the situation more clearly. All she knew was that she had a responsibility to help the village and to protect the secret existence of Finwips all over the world. When they arrived at the tree lift, Alice and Sarah went first, while Thomas waited outside to follow. Alice was silent.

‘
You look worried,’ Sarah commented as they travelled down.

‘
Wouldn’t you be, in my shoes?’

‘
Probably. But don’t forget, you won’t be alone, you’ll have me with you. Whatever the plan is, they won’t want to put you in
real
danger, will they? You seem to be very important to them.

‘
I suppose so,’ replied Alice, sounding unconvinced. Was she? Or did they just want Theo back, whatever it took?

When Thomas joined them, they made their way along the corridor to the dining hall, where they could hear muffled voices already. On entering, they realised that the voices were coming from a small meeting room to the right-hand side of the main room. There was a group, including their grandad, sitting at a long table with Imogen standing at one end. She turned to greet them.

‘
Welcome, come and sit down,’ she said with a business-like efficiency. ‘Congratulations Alice, on what you have achieved for us already. This morning, with your help, we’re going to confirm a plan to finally rescue Theo.’

Alice nodded and forced a smile. She took the empty seat next to her grandad, while Sarah and Thomas sat further along.

‘
This is Theo’s daughter, Anna,’ Imogen added.

She waved her hand towards a lady with shoulder-length black hair, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table. She was noticeably pale and looked exhausted, with dark rings under her eyes. Alice felt sorry for her immediately.

‘
I’m very grateful to you all,’ said Anna quietly. ‘Especially you, Alice. I’ve heard good things about you.’

‘
Er, thank you,’ said Alice, unsure how to respond. She began to feel more nervous as she realised just how much people were pinning their hopes on her. Her grandad squeezed her hand.

‘
Now,’ continued Imogen, ‘as you all know, the party takes place at the castle tomorrow evening, so we haven’t much time to prepare ourselves. Alice and Sarah will be attending as guests.’ She turned to the girls. ‘Freya is currently working on your outfits. Dresses, cloaks and masks in dark colours will be best – I have suggested black and navy blue.’ Sarah smiled, nodding in agreement.

‘
You will also have velvet bags in which to carry torches, food and a party costume for Theo. You will need to take fruit and juice for him. He may be lacking energy. He will not be easy for two young girls to support if he is struggling to walk.’

Now Sarah looked worried. The gravity of their task was only just beginning to sink in. Alice raised her hand as if at school.

‘
How do I know where to look for him? The castle is so vast, I wouldn’t know where to start.’

‘
I can help you there,’ said Grandad. ‘I’ve spent days there with my OAP annual pass and I’ve been watching Rowbottom’s movements carefully. He has been going to the South Tower at least three times a day, taking a brown paper bag with him and leaving without it. I’m pretty sure Theo is in there.’

‘
What if there’s another reason for Brian to go to that tower?’ asked Alice.

‘
I can’t think of one. It hasn’t been in use since the fire three years ago. It destroyed a couple of floors quite high up in the tower and rather than go to the expense of restoring it, the previous owners simply closed it to the public. As far I can tell there’s nothing wrong with the other floors.’

‘
And what happens if I
do
get recognised as a Finwip? What will Brian do?’

There was a tension-laden silence. Grandad took a deep breath. ‘Firstly, that won’t happen. You cannot possibly be detected until twelve months after your wings emerge. Secondly, we only know of two other Finwips who have been caught by Brian. And they’re still with us.’

‘
But what happened to them?’ persisted Alice.

‘
They were locked up and deprived of food until they revealed their ability. Neither of them proved useful to him, so he humiliated them for a while in front of his Sinwip cronies, then demanded a ransom for their release. We had to pay. Unfortunately, Theo is too valuable to let go. Somehow Rowbottom knew about his ability – this is the first time he has plucked one of us off the street. There’s no doubt, a brain like yours would be a great asset to him. I don’t want to think about how he’d use it.’

Sarah and Thomas had turned pale. All eyes were on Alice, who was biting her bottom lip.

‘
Fair enough,’ she said, after a few seconds. Though I can’t see him doing that to a friend of Lucinda’s. We’ll see, won’t we?’ She shrugged her shoulders. Grandad patted her on the back and nodded to Imogen to carry on.

She handed out copies of a map of the castle. ‘We have these courtesy of Daniel here, who works on the maintenance team.’ This must be the Finwip they had mentioned before, who was virtually impossible to detect. Daniel removed his green cap with the Aylesford Castle emblem embroidered in gold and bowed his head to everyone, revealing his small, pointed ears.

‘
This is my bunch of keys,’ he said hesitantly, looking at Alice. ‘They’re all labelled. This one is to the South Tower,’ he said, pointing to a very large, rusty one. The internal doors shouldn’t be locked, there’s nothing in there worth protecting. Please keep these keys safe, I could lose my job if I’m found out.’

‘
Oh, I will, I promise,’ vowed Alice as she accepted them.

Her grandad leaned over to explain the map. ‘As you can see, the difficulty lies in getting from the dining hall or ball room, where the party is being held, to the South Tower, without drawing attention to yourselves.’

Alice nodded. Thomas and Sarah looked at each other, raising an eyebrow.

‘
The best way will be to walk around the outside of the building. Trying to access it from inside will be far too complicated and involve too many locked doors and alarms. The external door to the tower is here,’ he pointed out, marking it with his pencil. ‘That’s the one with the large key. Once inside, you will need to check several floors as quickly as you can. Just open every door and call his name, no one else should be in there. Chances are, if you find a locked door, that’s where he is. Let’s hope you have the key on that bunch.’

‘
OK,’ said Alice, fiddling nervously with the keys.

‘
Once you have offered him something to eat and drink, you must get him to change into the party costume immediately, so that he won’t look out of place as you pass back through. When you leave the castle via the main entrance, you need to turn right and make your way across the grass to the river, there will be two boats waiting.’

‘
We’re getting out of there by boat?’

‘
It’s the best option. There will be no access for vehicles, even visitor car parks are far away from the main building. On the night, guests will be dropped off at the end of the drive and taken up to the castle by horse and cart.’