The Magic Misfits - Neil Patrick Harris Page 0,51

quizzically at the page in her hand.

“What’s that, Ridley?”

“A letter that you wrote a long time ago. A letter to your old friend, Kilroy Kalagan.” She saw Mr. Vernon’s face grow pale, and she glanced at the others, none of whom could meet her eye. Or Mr. Vernon’s. She considered reading it out loud, but then figured maybe the Other Mr. Vernon didn’t need to hear the letter’s contents, so she just handed it over.

The paper crinkled loudly in Mr. Vernon’s grip. He squinted to read the old words written in his own handwriting. As he scanned to the bottom of the page, his eyes grew wider, and then he shook his head. He glanced at the Misfits and sniffed. “Let me guess,” he said. “Kalagan made sure this ended up in your hands.”

“He sure did make sure,” Ridley said with a nod. “In all of our hands. He put one piece into each of the old Emerald Ring puzzle boxes. We opened them the other night. We weren’t sure we should show you immediately. We wanted to get more information from Dean.”

“A very unwise move, Ridley,” said Mr. Vernon with concern. He glanced at each of the Misfits. “You all could have gotten seriously hurt. What were you thinking?”

“We were thinking we couldn’t trust you!” Ridley’s voice echoed throughout the auditorium, just like it had at the cave earlier that day.

Mr. Vernon winced as if she’d slapped him. He was quiet for a moment. “And are you still thinking that?” he asked.

Ridley held out her hand, nervously indicating the letter. “What do you expect us to think? We want to trust you. Of course we do. But it seems you’re always keeping something from us, and this is the biggest something yet.”

The Other Mr. Vernon interrupted. “Is anyone going to tell me what’s happening here?” Mr. Vernon gently put the page into his husband’s palm, and the Other Mr. Vernon began to read.

Mr. Vernon turned back to Ridley. “This was an apology letter.”

“An apology for causing someone’s parents to die,” Ridley came back, her voice on the verge of breaking. “For causing your friend Mick to be horribly burned.”

“So then, you did write the letter, Dad?” Leila asked quietly.

“I did. And I meant every word.” Mr. Vernon let out a long breath. “I wish… everything had turned out differently. I wish I could go back in time. Make a different decision. But what’s past is past.”

The Other Mr. Vernon folded the paper and placed it on the stage behind him. Ms. Parkly stood off to the side and crossed her arms, looking uncomfortable. Ridley couldn’t tell what either of them were thinking, but their silence told her it wasn’t good. Had Kalagan achieved his goal of turning Dante Vernon into a villain? Had Ridley helped him?

“I’m sorry I never told you any of this,” said Mr. Vernon. “I really am. But there are certain things that we feel such shame over, such fear, such anger, it’s hard to not keep it secret.” He faced his husband. “I made a horrible mistake. And I made another mistake when I kept it to myself.”

“But you didn’t keep it to yourself, Dante.” The Other Mr. Vernon shook his head. “You apologized directly to the person who you hurt. He was the person who you were supposed to talk to. And that’s what you did. How he responded was not up to you. To be honest, how he responded is horrifying.” He held out his arms and then wrapped his husband in a tight embrace. Holding Dante, the Other Mr. Vernon went on. “I’ve always believed that a person’s character is revealed in how he, she, or they face adversity. In my view, you have extraordinary character. You’re a loving father. You’re an attentive partner. You’re a fighter. You’re a magician. You want to share wonder with the world. How amazing and how pure! I would never let someone with a grudge try to steal that from you. Or from me. Or from them.” He nodded toward the kids sitting in the front row. “I love you. And I know they do too.”

Mr. Vernon whispered into the Other Mr. Vernon’s ear. “Thank you, James. I’m so sorry.”

Ridley felt her face burn with embarrassment. She glanced at Leila and Carter and saw them wiping tears from their eyes. Theo bit at his lip and picked at a fingernail. Olly and Izzy sat still, oddly quiet.

There was a knock at the auditorium door. It sounded