A whistle blows. No, it shrieks, like the brakes of a train. The sound whips right through Henry’s ears and pierces their drums. It is shatteringly loud. But no one even dares to flinch.

  It’s twelve o’clock.

  CHAPTER 23

  A Most Awful Parade

  Before they see anything, they hear it: music. Trumpets and cymbals, clarinets and tubas, a big drum. The uproar causes poor Button’s ears to twitch in pain. Ladies wearing little sequined shorts and tiny bikini tops come down the street, twirling batons.

  Pirate Girl looks at Jo and rolls her eyes.

  Jo rolls her eyes back in agreement.

  “Puh-leaze,” Pirate Girl says, much too loudly.

  Henry doesn’t know where to look. It’s all quite embarrassing. Now, though, behind the sequin-clad ladies come two young men carrying a large banner. Henry has never seen any of these people before, either. They all must work in the tower. The banner features a large image of Vlad Luxor. It’s just his head and shoulders, and one waving arm. VLAD FOR THE PEOPLE, the banner reads.

  “Applaud,” Needleman commands.

  The children clap. The parade route—through town, down the cleared path through the grassy park and to the tower—is entirely empty except for them.

  A large float rolls by. It features an enormous banana made out of crepe paper. GO BANANAS FOR VLAD, the float reads. COURTESY OF VLAD’S GROCERY.

  Apollo edges his foot over and nudges Henry’s, and Henry nudges back. The Always Open is gone for sure, and here’s the proof. It’s another one of the things they most love, ruined. What next? Destroying the endangered animals of the planet? Blowing up the planet itself? Henry’s insides roil with both fear and anger.

  Now an elephant wearing a satin cape lumbers down the street. A lady sits on top in a matching satin outfit. She is waving and blowing kisses to the crowd that is made up of four children, one dog, one naked lizard, one evil man, and one hideous squirrel. Henry thinks this is the same woman who was dunking Bloops into frosting.

  “An elephant,” Apollo says.

  “Animals are not entertainme—” Pirate Girl says, and Henry jabs his elbow into her side. If Needleman hears, all he has to do is speak one word of this to Vlad Luxor, and he’ll turn her into an elephant.

  “Ow,” she says.

  Henry makes his eyes big and tightens his jaw to say STOP IT without actually saying STOP IT.

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” she snaps.

  Henry wonders if Grandfather was wrong about the DNA and the stuff and about them being the right children, because they are clearly the most wrong right children anyone could find.

  “Wave to the nice lady,” Needleman commands.

  They wave.

  “Harder. And with more enthusiasm,” he says.

  Henry waves like he’s lost at sea and hopes to be spotted by the rescue plane. A float of a giant rooster comes next. COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO FOR VLAD! the sign reads. The rooster has giant blue eyes and a beak large enough to chomp you to bits.

  A Beak Large Enough to Chomp You to Bits

  When they see the final float roll forward, though, the children gasp. Not a gasp of mere shock, but one of outright horror. The float features a large jail made out of plaster and paint. Inside, there’s a yellow-beaked starling, sitting on a perch. They know who this is. It’s their poor school librarian, Mrs. Trembly.

  “Caw, caw, caw!” Mrs. Trembly says.

  OBEY THE LAW, the float reads, in letters made out of red crepe paper roses.

  Now the parade is almost over. A group of trumpeters marches forward. Their trumpets are decorated with dropped swaths of velvet, and they’re wearing uniforms of blue and gold satin. They stop in front of the children and play a herald for the arrival of a king.

  And here he comes—Vlad Luxor, riding very high up on an elaborately decorated stretcher. It’s as wide as a mattress and is carried by the scary men with the mutton-chop sideburns, looking uncomfortable now in their satin uniforms. Atop Vlad Luxor’s ice-cream-swirl hair sits a gold crown. Sweat rolls from his face, which ladies in sequins dab at with handkerchiefs. He must be hot. Over his gold and blue satin suit, he wears an ermine cloak, favored by kings of the past.

  An Ermine Cloak, Favored by Kings of the Past

  It’s time. It’s finally their chance for Rocco to hide in plain sight. The children meet one another’s eyes. Henry feels Pirate Girl’s hand slip into his, and Jo is holding her other one, and Apollo holds hers. Henry can feel the weight of Button leaning against his legs. He glances at Rocco, and if you’ve ever seen a reptile tremble, well, that’s what’s happening now. Rocco is shaking, and his big orbs blink and blink. Henry holds his breath. He silently pleads to Rocco. Please, Rocco, he thinks. Please don’t dive into Apollo’s pocket. Don’t hide or make a move. Don’t be silly. Don’t do anything to get attention.

  PLEASE.

  Vlad Luxor smiles. His chin is raised, and his face is tilted to the sky to take in every admiration. He waves to one side, and then he waves to the other, even though no one is there. And it would be ridiculous, you would laugh your silly head off, if he weren’t so cruel and evil and dark. If he weren’t so dangerous.

  Henry feels a horrible twist in his stomach. He could be sick. Pirate Girl squeezes his hand. Apollo lets out a little groan. Henry sneaks another look at Rocco, who is utterly still and utterly silent.

  “Applaud,” Needleman says.

  They release hands and clap.

  “Cheer.”

  They cheer.

  “Call his name, and wave your arms.”

  “Vlad,” they say.

  “Louder.”

  “VLAD!” they yell.

  So of course, he looks over to them, to this small group of children, plus one dog and one lizard who is being absolutely one-hundred-percent perfectly well behaved. But they are the only people there, and so Vlad Luxor sets his gaze on each of them, one at a time. First he looks at Henry. When he does, Henry feels the evil of today and the evil of a million years ago. His insides turn to ice, as if he is standing right next to the coldest planet.

  Standing Right Next to the Coldest Planet

  Next, Vlad Luxor locks eyes with Pirate Girl, and then Jo, and then Apollo, and they each shiver in turn. And finally, it happens. Vlad Luxor stares right at Rocco, little Rocco who is doing his absolute best, better than they ever could have asked for, better than they ever could have hoped. A best that is still not good enough, because all of them are there in plain sight. Vlad looks at Rocco, sees him, and smiles with his yellow-white teeth.

  They walked through those iron gates. They climbed the mountain. They passed underneath that banner, and stood before the most evil man on earth. They even shook his hand. They looked and listened and were aware and brave. So brave.

  But they have failed.

  CHAPTER 24

  Things Get Worse

  And then . . .

  Things get worse. Things get way, way worse. The kind of worse where all your most terrible fears begin to come true. The parade disappears up through the park and around the tower. From behind, the children can see a long tail of toilet paper trailing from the back of Vlad Luxor’s blue satin trousers. But it’s not even funny. Nothing is. Henry feels empty and shivery and afraid. And their failure hits, too, with a great clap of disappointment.

  “That went well,” Needleman says. Mr. Reese chee chee chees. In squirrel language, Henry’s sure this means something awful. Something like I am about to leap on your head and scurry around in your hair.

  The children stare down at their feet. Jo takes Apollo’s hand. For Henry, this is one more thing that makes the world seem as if it’s lost its last hope.

  “Don’t you think, children? Wasn’t that a stunning display? Come on, what’s with the long faces? What could you possibly be sad about? Your days are full of Lolly Sweets and dollies and trucks and rainbows. All you have to do is play and laugh and have cheerful thoughts, since children never have worries. And who is this? Why did I not notice this little slimy, disgusting reptile before?”

  He looks right smack at Rocco. And Rocco—well, he continues to do an excellent job. He’s not saying a word. He’s being polite and quiet and unwiggly. He’s the best little lizard-boy ever. Of course, he’s too terrified to do anything but blink and tremble and clutch his brother’s shirt with his reptile toes, but still. On top of everything else, Mr. Reese is eyeing him as if he’s an especially tasty squirrel snack. It’s clear, quite clear, that there will be no hiding in plain sight, not from Vlad, or Needleman, or Mr. Reese. Not from anyone.

  “This is my pet lizard,” Apollo says.

  “He’s naked.”

  “Yes. He’s a naked lizard. Lizardo Nakedismo,” Apollo says. “One of five thousand six hundred species of—”

  “I do believe he looks a little familiar. I do believe he looks like a little boy.”

  Needleman winks. The wink isn’t really a wink. It’s a thing that’s pretending to be friendly when it’s not. There is nothing worse than when someone pretends to be friendly or honest or trustworthy or good or caring when they’re none of those things. It’s the meanest kind of trick. Henry hates him. Henry is not the hating sort, but he does. He hates Needleman with everything he has.

  “I think we need to be going now,” Henry says.

  “Go? You just got here. Of course you won’t be going. Don’t be silly. Vlad Luxor wants all the children of the province to enjoy the fair that he has created, so you—the only children foolish enough to appear—will stay here and do as Vlad Luxor wishes.”

  “My parents are expecting us home,” Apollo says.

  “With the milk you never got, I suppose,” Needleman says. “And what about your parents, Henry Every? I imagine they’re checking their watches, counting the seconds until they can see their darling boy again.”

  When Needleman says this, Henry feels like he’s a boxer who’s just received a terrible blow to the head.

  A Boxer Who’s Just Received

  a Terrible Blow to the Head

  “You think I don’t know who you are? Or should I say, what you are? I knew about you from the first time I saw you all together. Separately, you appeared to be normal, annoying, little drooling babies, but gathered in a huddle and having a meeting . . . Four particular children from four particular family lines . . .” He hisses the words that come next, and they sound terrible, but powerful, too. “Spell breakers.”

  The chills slither up the back of Henry’s spine. The children look at each other again with horror-filled eyes that speak one truth: If Needleman knows, it won’t be long until Vlad Luxor does, too.

  “You’re lucky that Vlad Luxor wants to see happy children at the fair,” Needleman says, “or I would have gotten rid of you already. So be HAPPY. CHILDREN. AT. THE. FAIR. For now.”

  With one hand, Needleman grabs Henry’s wrist. With the other, he reaches for Pirate Girl.

  Henry tries to twist free. Pirate Girl flings one boot out and kicks him hard in the shin, but Needleman only chuckles. Henry knows it’s a chuckle that isn’t a chuckle, like it was a wink that wasn’t a wink and a flick that was really a punch.

  “Little spitfire, eh?”

  Pirate Girl glares.

  “You would be pretty if you weren’t so ugly,” he says.

  “You will be eternally ugly,” she says.

  “What she means is—” Jo interrupts.

  “What she means is that your heartless heart is as ugly as an armpit,” Pirate Girl says. “With apologies to armpits.”

  Needleman bends down and stares straight into Pirate Girl’s eyes. “I would be rid of you like that, small pirate,” he says, snapping his fingers. “But since our magnificent and respected HRM wants to see the little children of his province having a beautiful time at a celebration in his honor, you are going to play some games. You are going to go on a ride. You, all of you, will laugh and sing and smile before you disappear forever. I hope I’m making myself clear. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Very clear,” Apollo says.

  “Say, ‘We can’t wait.’”

  “We can’t wait,” Jo says, through her gritted teeth.

  “Count your blessings that I need you, you shin-kicking brats. But when I no longer do . . .” He points to Henry and Apollo and Pirate Girl and Jo and Rocco. “Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone.” Finally, he points to Button. “And gone.” A low growl starts in Button’s throat. “For now, I am being a kind and generous man. Say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Needleman.’”

  “Thank you, Mr. Needleman,” they say.

  Needleman is squeezing Henry so tightly under the arm that his skin throbs. Needleman has Pirate Girl’s arm, too, gripping her hard enough that her boots are almost up off the ground. Needleman shoves them forward. Apollo and Jo are too scared to do anything but follow. “Come along, Mr. Reese, let’s take the children to a nice game.”

  Olympic Diver

  Button eyes that squirrel and bares her teeth. “Chee chee chee,” Mr. Reese says. He twitches his tail. He scurries in a zigzag fashion that makes Rocco fly into Apollo’s pocket like an Olympic diver.

  “And don’t forget to laugh and be delighted like the happy-go-lucky children you are,” Needleman snarls.

  CHAPTER 25

  A Large Vlad Head and Other Catastrophes

  Around them, Henry hears the shuffle of their own footsteps, and the creak and groan of the rides. No flies dare buzz, and no mosquitoes bite. Even the litter seems to have scurried off to hide in the sewer grates. Vlad Luxor, in his blue satin, strolls among the booths while the people from the tower eat Banana Sticks and ride the Swing Zing and play the games, still wearing their sequins and uniforms.

  Creepy Squirrel Claws

  “I knew we shouldn’t have come,” Apollo whispers to Jo. Over his shoulder, Henry sees Jo take Apollo’s hand again, and entwine her fingers tightly with his. Button growls even more fiercely as Mr. Reese, the squirrel, scurries around her legs, rubbing his creepy squirrel claws together.

  “Play,” Needleman commands, and the children spray shoots of water into the mouths of clowns.

  “Toss,” Needleman commands, and the children throw balls into tilted hoops.

  “Aim,” Needleman commands, and the children try to hurl darts at a wall of balloons that cannot be popped.

  “Fling,” Needleman commands.

  They stand before a large table of milk bottles. Needleman hands them colored rings, which are supposed to land around the bottle necks. Above the booth, in every size, there are stuffed heads resembling Vlad Luxor. Pirate Girl flings her ring and misses on purpose, and so does Jo, and then Apollo. It’s Henry’s turn.

  “Win one of the toys, child,” Needleman says through his teeth. “Do you hear me?” Henry flings the ring wildly, and it hits the ground. Needleman thrusts another over the neck of the nearest bottle. “Hurrah! A winner!” he shouts, loud enough so that Vlad Luxor, eating a Crow Crunch on a stick, looks their way and beams.

  Needleman shoves an enormous stuffed Vlad Luxor head at Henry. It’s so huge, he can barely get his arms around it. The ice cream hair alone is almost as tall as a moderate sand dune.

  Henry must hold the horrible thing next to his whole body in order to carry it. Vlad’s stuffed pink face is scratchy and hard and hideous next to Henry’s innocent cheek. He has the urge to bite it, but he knows that teeth and fuzz are a shuddery mix.

  A Moderate Sand Dune

  Henry wonders how long they have left. The minute the fair is over, Needleman will tell Vlad about their spell-breaking abilities, and who knows what will happen then. They’ve got to figure out a way out of here.

  “We’ve got to figure out a way out of here,” Pirate Girl whispers, reading Henry’s mind. Needleman is up ahead, clapping his hands for them to hurry along.

  “We’ll look and listen, and the answer will appear,” Henry whispers back, though honestly, he’s not so sure.

  “And then we’ll take the next chance we can to escape,” she says.

  “Ah, yes. Here we are at last,” Needleman says when they catch up. “Our final stop.”

  Oh, horror of horrors. In front of them is the Cage Lurch, the most rickety-looking and to-the-sky-high ride of all. It’s an oblong string of cages, which rotate in a circle and rock back and forth like little midair—

  Jails, Henry suddenly realizes.

  The ride stops. One of the cages sits at the platform. Needleman opens the door and grins. “A perfect place to keep you until this silly fair is finished.”

  “Just tell us,” Jo moans. “When will Vlad Luxor know about us? In two minutes or five? And what will he turn us into? Lemurs? Kitchen appliances? Nightstands? A terrible snow globe?”

  A Terrible Snow Globe

  “Never, and nothing, I hope, to answer your questions in order.”

  “What do you mean?” Apollo says. “If you know we’re—” He doesn’t even dare say the words. “Won’t you tell him the first chance you get?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t tell him that! If Vlad Luxor finds out that spell breakers even exist, do you know what he’d do to me? I’d be turned into a terrible snow globe! No one can know! It is my job to make sure there are never, ever any of you, and we’ve all seen what happens to people who don’t do their jobs.” Needleman stares at Mr. Reese, who twitches his tail. Then he turns to Henry. “I’d have gotten rid of your grandfather, too, but the entire province protects him, and that librarian of his knows jujitsu! Thankfully, Vlad Luxor believes he’s just a harmless old lighthouse keeper. But you four . . .”