The Magic Misfits - Neil Patrick Harris Page 0,52

just like the knock Ms. Parkly had given when they’d arrived. Mr. Vernon said, “Pardon me.” Then he ran back up the aisle to let in whoever it was.

Ridley’s mind buzzed. She knew she’d had to present the letter to Mr. Vernon, but now she felt like a villain. Whatever Kalagan had wanted to happen afterward, this had been the opposite. She tried to imagine her own parents talking about each other the way the Other Mr. Vernon talked about Dante, and she almost started laughing. Some people were good at sharing stuff like that. And other people… weren’t.

But maybe that was okay too.

A group of people descended the aisle toward the stage. Ridley made out their faces in the glow of the ghost light. There were Quinn and Gregor and Tara. There was a man Ridley had seen working at the counter in the pet store where Theo bought his bird food.

One person trailed the others. Ridley didn’t recognize this woman. She limped slowly with a cane. Her hair cascaded in front of her face in white wisps. Her hips filled out a long, dark dress. She must have been the hotel guest that Ms. Parkly had mentioned—the woman who had been Leila’s guardian.

The group approached, led by a weary-looking Mr. Vernon. “Misfits, meet your guardians,” he said. “Guardians, say hello to your Misfits.”

As the adults went up to their respective kid, Helena Parkly came over to Ridley. “Are you all right?” she asked. “I imagine that was a really difficult thing to do.”

Ridley shook her head. She wanted to appear strong and brave and a little bit mean, as usual. But she also wanted to be honest. She went with honest. “It was hard.” The tears finally came. She wiped angrily at her eyes. “Sometimes I just feel like none of the grown-ups in my life are quite who I want them to be.”

“That can’t feel good. But please know that this is what Kalagan wants you to feel,” said Ms. Parkly. “That’s part of his plan. It’s what he feeds off. Like an emotional vampire. Distrust, sadness, anger, and fear make him thrive.”

“I know that. I know he’s a bad guy. But… I feel like a bad guy myself.”

“We all do sometimes,” said Ms. Parkly. “A big part of growing up is learning how to forgive yourself. It’s what Dante had to do when Kilroy Kalagan refused to accept any kind of apology.”

Leila let out a shriek. Ridley spun her chair, ready to fight, but she saw that Leila wasn’t in any trouble. She was, however, staring up at her guardian, who was holding a white wig in her hands. The hotel guest’s long dark hair was tucked into a tight black cap. She no longer needed her cane. And she appeared to have shed a few decades off her age, simply by standing up straighter. Then Ridley noticed the woman’s large brown eyes. “Sandra,” she whispered.

Ms. Parkly stood beside Ridley. “Speaking of forgiveness… She came to Dante’s Magic Circle begging for mercy. They decided to give her another chance. And here she is. In disguise as Leila’s guardian.”

“I don’t know how I feel about that,” Ridley answered. “She betrayed us. She tried to hurt us.”

“And now she’s helping again. But you’re allowed to feel what you feel, Ridley.”

“Thank you, Ms. Parkly,” Ridley said with a slight smile. She was so used to being told that her feelings of anger or frustration were wrong. She looked over to Leila and Sandra again and watched as her friend hugged their former enemy.

Something clicked into place in Ridley’s head, like a lever and a latch attached to a new invention in her lab. Mr. Vernon had come to trust Sandra Santos again because she had asked him to. Despite all he had lost, he forgave her because she was sorry. And now Leila was doing the same. Could it be as easy as that?

There was more knocking at the auditorium door, and Ridley watched awestruck as dozens of people began to pour into the room. She recognized some of them from around town over the past few weeks. To her surprise, the people began to remove wigs and thick glasses and fake, oversized teeth.

They’d all been wearing disguises, just as Sandra had done. And as the Misfits had done… pretty badly.

“Who are they?” Ridley asked Ms. Parkly.

“Members of our magical society,” she answered, pride beaming from her wide eyes. “The Circle. Mr. Vernon asked them to come and help.