1 Two Days Ago I’m going to die of boredom here Sabrina Grimm thought as she looked out the train window at Ferryport Landing New York approaching in the distance The little town seemed to be made mostly of hills and trees next to the cold gray Hudson River Endless acres of evergreen forest surrounded it as if trying to hide its existence from the rest of the world A few two and three-story buildings huddled around what appeared to be the town’s only street Sabrina couldn’t see any movie theaters malls or museums and she felt using the word town to describe Ferryport Landing was a bit of a stretch The weather wasn’t helping It was raining and rain always made her melancholy It had been raining the day her parents abandoned her a year and a half ago and it still made her heart ache She remembered the day clearly rushing home that afternoon with a report card safely tucked inside her raincoat Excited about her As in math and English and her B in science and a little disappointed by her C in gym She proudly taped her grades to the refrigerator for everyone to see when they got home It seemed odd that her parents weren’t there but Sabrina didn’t worry until Daphne’s kindergarten teacher called to find out why no one had picked up the little girl That night the girls slept in their parents bed waiting for them to come home while thunder crashed in the sky outside When the social workers came three days later to take them away it was still raining and Sabrina’s report card was still hanging on the refrigerator awaiting its praise For all Sabrina knew it was still there The police investigated the disappearance They searched the family’s New York City apartment for clues They interviewed neighbors and coworkers They dusted for fingerprints and filed reports but Henry and Veronica Grimm had vanished into thin air Months later the police found their abandoned car deserted in a lonely park fifty miles north of the city The only clue was a bloodred handprint on the dashboard that turned out to be paint but didn’t lead to anything else The investigation came to a dead end and the cops eventually gave up the search The girls were placed under the care of social services at first A nice but overworked man named Todd searched for a next of kin someone who could take them in but came
up as empty as the police No aunts uncles grandparents brothers sisters or even distant twice-removed cousins existed Todd promised to keep trying but when Sabrina and Daphne were moved to an orphanage they never saw him again Sabrina shook off the sad memories and tucked her long blond hair behind her ear She felt like crying but couldn’t let her sister see her blubbering She needed to be the strong one after all she was almost twelve years old Not that Daphne would have noticed At the moment Sabrina’s seven-year-old sister had her face pressed against the train’s window as she had for the entire two-hour trip She marveled at each ugly little dot on the map they rolled through like they were Paris Rome and Los Angeles She only took occasional breaks from the view to ask questions about their destination Do they have bagels in Ferryport Landing Ms Smirt Daphne asked the woman sitting across from them Ms Minerva Smirt was the girls caseworker from the orphanage She was a pinch-lipped humorless woman in her late fifties As usual her hooked nose was buried in a book Sabrina knew she was reading only so she wouldn’t have to talk to them Ms Smirt looked up at Daphne with an annoyed scowl and sighed as if the little girl’s questions were more than she could bear Of course they have bagels They have bagels everywhere Ms Smirt snapped Not on the moon Daphne replied matter-of-factly as she returned her gaze to the window Ms Smirt snarled and Sabrina snickered It was so easy to get on the woman’s nerves and Daphne was particularly good at it Smirt had made a terrible mistake when she chose a career working with children Sabrina thought especially since she didn’t seem to like them The woman complained whenever she had to touch their sticky hands or wipe their runny noses and reading bedtime stories was completely out of the question She seemed to especially dislike the Grimm sisters labeling them rude uncooperative and a couple of know-it-alls So Sabrina was sure it was Ms Smirt’s personal mission to get the girls out of the orphanage and into a foster home So far she had failed miserably sending them to live with people who were usually mean and occasionally crazy Some used them as maids and house sitters while others just plain ignored them This time however Smirt had gone too far This time she was sending them to live with a dead woman I hope you won’t bother your grandmother with all these ridiculous questions Ms Smirt said curtly which was how she said most things to Sabrina and Daphne She is old and cannot handle a lot of trouble She’s dead I’ve already told you a million times our grandmother is dead said Sabrina We did a background check Sally Ms Smirt replied She is who she says she is
My name is Sabrina Sabrina sighed Whatever The orphanage would not just release you into anyone’s custody said Ms Smirt Oh really How about Ms Langdon who swore her toilet was haunted said Sabrina Everyone has their quirks Or Mr Dennison who made us sleep in his truck Daphne chimed in Some people love the great outdoors Mr and Mrs Johnson handcuffed us to a radiator Sabrina cried Ms Smirt rolled her eyes You act like it was the end of the world Imagine how hard this has been on me I was mortified when I heard what you said to the Keatons They locked us in their house for two weeks so they could go on a cruise to Bora Bora Sabrina said I think it was the Bahamas Daphne said It was Bermuda and they brought you both back some lovely T-shirts said Ms Smirt Anyway it’s all water under the bridge now We found a real relative who is actually eager to take you into her home and not a moment too soon To be honest we have run out of families looking for rude little girls Even if she were an imposter I would hand you over to her With that Ms Smirt put her nose back into her book Sabrina looked at the title It was called How to Get the Love You Want The conductor’s voice rang out from the speakers on the ceiling He announced that Ferryport Landing was the next and last stop What’s an imposter Daphne asked It’s a person who pretends to be someone she’s not Sabrina said Do you think there’s any chance she’s really our grandmother Not a chance Sabrina whispered into her sister’s ear Dad told me she died before we were even born No she’s some crackpot but don’t worry we’ll be gone before the crazy old bat knows what’s happened The train slowed as it pulled into the station and passengers got up from their seats They took down their bags from the luggage racks above and tossed half-read newspapers onto the coffee-stained floor before heading toward the doors Ladies let’s go Ms Smirt ordered Sabrina didn’t want to meet this imposter but she knew better than to argue with the old crone Smirt had a reputation as a pincher and she’d left more than a few nasty purple bruises on back-talking orphans So Sabrina did as she was told and dragged Daphne’s and her tiny suitcases down from the rack then followed Ms Smirt and her sister off the train
The rain was bitingly cold Daphne shivered so Sabrina wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders and held her tightly as they disembarked onto the crowded platform The two of you had better be polite or there’s going to be trouble Ms Smirt said No sass no back talk stand up straight and act like young ladies for once or so help me I’ll Ms Smirt A chubby old woman interrupted the caseworker’s threat She was dressed in an ankle-length navy-blue dress and had a white knitted shawl around her shoulders Her gray hair was streaked with red hinting at its original color and she wore it tightly tucked under a matching navy-blue hat with an appliqué of a big fuzzy sunflower in the middle Her face was a collection of wrinkles and sagging skin Nevertheless there was something youthful about her Perhaps it was her red cheeks and clear green eyes Next to her stood the skinniest man Sabrina had ever seen He wore a dark pin-striped suit that was several sizes too big and held a wide umbrella in one hand and his hat in the other His head was full of untamed platinum hair and his enormous watery eyes were hidden beneath wild unkempt brows Yes Mrs Grimm It’s us Ms Smirt said forcing her usual frown into a smile Sabrina Daphne the woman cried with a hint of a German accent Oh you are both so beautiful What little darlings I’m your Grandmother Grimm She wrapped her arms around the girls and pulled them close The girls squirmed to escape but the old woman was like an over-affectionate octopus
