August 2007

Loneliness remained Vanessa's most enduring intimate lover. Familiarity sparked in its cold embrace and its poisoned thoughts. She wrapped it around herself like an old coat.

This solitary existence of the Quiet Box? It was old news to her.

However, it was true that n terms of disorientation, the Quiet Box compromised a different beast entirely. In a way, it felt like a single second in between being shoved in and being pulled out. Instantaneous once she had melted into the trance.

Unfortunately, this instaneousity of the Quiet Box also meant her headspace remained the same. Her boiling blood of betrayal, her biting anger, and her terror at being shoved inside all bubbled at the forefront of her mind. Of course, moments after coming into such a volatile headspace once again, Vanessa pushed all her emotions to the side and zeroed in on a single goal—negotiating an escape.

Upon being wrenched out of said Quiet Box, her immediate view included Stan, Ruth, Dale, Tanu, and Seth. Based on the fact that Stan and Ruth were still kicking and Seth still hadn't grown higher than a solid 5'6, Vanessa assumed that not much time had passed. Of course, the things to which you already knew the answers to were the best questions to ask of a captor.

Vanessa stepped out and extended her hands to Tanu's outstretched handcuffs. A bit like a dog offering the scruff of its neck, but whatever. Vanessa had descended lower before. "How long has it been?"

Stan inadvertently shined his flashlight in her eyes as he spoke. "Six weeks."

Huh. Maybe she would live six weeks longer now. Well, on the slim chance that she would die of old age and her bones would turn brittle before they broke. Vanessa cracked her neck. That felt good. Now, on to business. "Where are my animals?"

"We released some," Stan said. "Others we gave away to those capable of caring for them."

Vanessa nodded. Well, she would lose her security deposit to Torina, but oh well. She suspected the viviblix hadn't expected a return, anyway.

Surveying the bedraggled party, a smirk migrated to Vanessa's face. Well, well. It had only taken six weeks for them to come crawling back to her. "Let me guess. Kendra is no longer here, and some disaster is transpiring at Fablehaven."

More mirth bubbled as Stan and Ruth exchanged a glance. Ah, so she was right. If only they hadn't shoved their single most helpful fount of knowledge in a magical closet, maybe they wouldn't have found themselves in this situation. Figures.

Ruth narrowed her eyes. "How did you know?"

That was almost a laughable question. She had spent an entire year examining the Sphinx as one of her prime suspects for the Captain of the Knights, and half of that had descended to a more intimate level. Before that, she followed his orders for years in the Society. There were patterns. Successful patterns.

There might not be anyone in the world she knew better. Except, of course, maybe Warren. But that was doubtful.

Vanessa continued her stretching. If they were going to shove her back in after this little rendezvous, she would loosen up her muscles while she could. And if she needed to run, she would be warmed up. "Certain precautions the Sphinx takes are predictable once you understand how he operates. It's the same way I anticipated that he was going to backstab me and lock me away in that miserable box."

"How did you predict this?" Stan asked.

Vanessa reached to her toes and felt the pull in her hamstrings. "You released me from the box, and you all look serious, so obviously there has been trouble. Consider the circumstances. The Sphinx cannot afford to let his identity as the leader of the Society of the Evening Star be discovered. Even without the note I left, there were enough clues to what he was doing that you might have eventually become suspicious. He successfully acquired the artifact and freed the previous occupant of the Quiet Box. He had no more use for this preserve. Therefore, his next move would probably be to set some plan in motion to destroy Fablehaven and all of you with it—except Kendra, who he suspects may still be useful. I'm sure he created an excuse to get her away from here just in time. You're all in tremendous danger. You see, when the Sphinx commits a crime, he disposes of all the evidence. Then, to be safe, he burns down the neighborhood." She twisted her torso and felt her spine loosen. "I can't tell you how nice it feels to stretch."

"Can you guess how he is trying to destroy Fablehaven?" Stan asked.

Short answer, no. She arched her eyebrow. "Some of the Sphinx's strategies are predictable. His methods are not. But whatever he has set in motion will probably be impossible to stop. Fablehaven is doomed. I expect I would be safer if you just put me back in the Quiet Box."

"Don't worry, Vanessa," Ruth said. "We will."

Vanessa bit her tongue and breathed out through her nose. Insulting elderly women was an activity for after she secured her freedom.

The conversation continued in a similar circular fashion. At the end of their talk, she was stuffed back into the Quiet Box. She told herself she had next time to get out.

But, next time, she failed, too. This cycle simply happened again and again. They kept pulling her out to poke and prod and then would shelve her once she proved unfruitful in the development of their little plague.

Oh well. It seemed that no matter how hard she fought, Vanessa would always find herself back in a cage.

Maybe it was destiny—a really shitty destiny.