Beyond: Snillotia Trilogy Book One by Donna Wagner (books you have to read TXT) 📕

them, but he won’t let up. This morning I heard him thinking about talking to Ollie about it, since he remembered what Ollie had said when you went through the portal in front of him. I think we need to explain things to him before that happens. I trust him, Tim. He won’t tell anyone if we explain why he shouldn’t.”

They had started walking as they had been talking and soon discovered that they were in front of their house. Evan was standing there waiting for them. Anna held her hands out to both boys. “Secret room?”

Tim nodded, knowing it would be empty. Only Adam and Myra went in there and it wasn’t very often anymore, plus they were both at work. Tim slowly opened the front door and shut it quickly as they went inside. When they reached the hallway where the secret door was located, Tim flipped the switch and watched the doorway appear. Tim stopped the door before it opened all the way and Anna walked through first. Evan and Tim followed and pulled the door closed behind him with a soft click. They stood quietly for a moment, making sure no one heard the secret door open or close. When it seemed they were safe, they entered the secret room and settled themselves on the couch. Anna looked around then looked down and saw her hand that was still entwined with Tim’s, although she’d let go of Evan’s. She’d almost forgotten she was holding it; it had started to feel so natural. She pulled her hand back and Tim let go. “Right, I guess we don’t need to be invisible anymore,” he said.

“No, I guess not.”

There was an awkward silence. Evan spoke first. “So, what is going on? It must be good since you missed a test for it!”

Anna grimaced slightly, remembering that fact. “Evan, I know you have questions about what you saw. I’ve told Tim and I think we can trust you.”

“What does Tim have to do with it?”

“Everything,” she turned to Tim, “How should we do this?”

“First I want to try something,” Tim said, holding his hand out to Evan.

Evan gave Tim his hand, which Tim grasped tightly. “Do you promise you will keep what we tell you to yourself. That you will tell no one?”

“Yes, I promise!”

Tim felt a brief pass of power leave his hand and enter Evan’s. Evan didn’t react. Feeling better about what they were about to do, Tim released Evan’s hand. Anna was looking at him curiously.

I bound him. He can’t break his promise, even if he wanted to.

Anna nodded, understanding. “Evan, you should sit down again. This is a long story,” she started.

As they all relaxed, Anna started to explain, much the way she had when she’d first met Tim. Evan’s face didn’t show any reaction. Tim couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. When Anna finished the short version of everything that had happened to them, Evan finally spoke, and his question surprised them all. “So, my name is Nave?”

Tim laughed. “That’s the only question you have about everything you just heard?”

Evan shrugged. “Well I already saw Anna disappear and if that’s real then everything else must be too,” he paused, thinking, “Wait, Tim. Your mom’s books. Does that mean they’re true?”

“Well, we don’t actually know. We think maybe she made some of it up, but based it around stuff she did know, about Snillotia, where she grew up.”

“Actually, Tim,” Anna said, “what you said in English class made me think. You said your mom told you these stories when you were little, before she wrote the books. So, I think you may know how the story ends, even if you don’t remember it. It sort of clicked for me when Mrs. MacDonald explained the assignment. I think if you actually think about the story and how you think it may end, it might actually be the same ending your mom intended.”

Tim frowned. He hadn’t been expecting her to say anything even remotely like what she said. “But even if that’s true, how would we know?”

“I didn’t think that far ahead,” Anna admitted, “I just thought that you may actually know how the story ends. I have a feeling knowing how it ends is important and will help us figure out what we need to do next.”

Tim didn’t know what to say, he had actually been thinking about something else that had stuck in his mind from English class. “That girl, Ashley, had a good point. Authors usually have notes and things they use to keep track of ideas when they write their stories. Besides, that manuscript Goldie brought to us was typed. My mom had a laptop, but it wasn’t in her Y room when we found it, was it? I don’t remember seeing a laptop there.”

Anna thought back to when they had discovered his mother’s Y room. She shook her head. “No, I don’t remember seeing one either. Do you know where she usually worked?”

Tim shrugged. “It was always different. Sometimes she had her laptop on the table in the dining room and sometimes she sat on the couch with it.”

“So, it’s possible that her laptop was still here when the house was packed up.”

Tim nodded. The Rebels wouldn’t have known to take her laptop. At least he didn’t think they would have. Tim pulled on the string that was around his neck, pulling the key hanging on it out from under his shirt. “What’s that?” Anna asked.

Tim looked at the key and sighed. “Adam told me when the bank foreclosed on the house and put it on the market, it was as is. That means everything- all my parents’ things and furniture were left here for the new owners. Adam and Myra kept some of the furniture but packed up all the smaller items and put it into a storage locker for me. Adam had said he always hoped he’d be able to give it to me one day. He gave me