Page 77 of The Bleak Beginning

“It’s not working,” I say, frustration creeping into my voice.

Alfie tsks. “You’re not believing hard enough, Alex. Really focus. Imagine the impossible becoming possible.”

I sigh, but comply, squeezing my eyes shut tighter. I concentrate, imagining the balls dissolving into nothingness. My brow furrows with effort. My hands start to tingle, a strange warmth spreading through my palms.

Suddenly, I feel…lighter. The weight in my hands seems to have lessened. My eyes fly open in shock.

The balls are gone.

I stare at my empty palms, mouth agape. “What happened?”

“Magic!” Alfie beams, clapping his hands. Glad at least one of us thought that was impressive.

“Great. So does this mean I’m in now?”

“That was only your first test.”

I feel my jaw drop open. “First test? You’ve got to be kidding me. What more could you possibly want?”

Alfie’s grin widens, if that’s even possible. “We’re just getting started! Now that you’ve proven you can make things disappear, it’s time for a real challenge.”

“Real challenge?” Hadn’t I done enough by agreeing to join?

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? Club Bedlam is exclusive for a reason.”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small, ornate key. It looks ancient, with intricate designs etched onto its surface. “Your next task is to unlock the impossible door.”

I raise an eyebrow. “The impossible door? What’s that supposed to mean?”

He lifts an indifferent shoulder. “That’s for you to figure out.”

“How am I supposed to—”

Before I can protest, Alfie snaps his fingers. In an instant, a thick cloud of smoke erupts around him, obscuring him from view and filling the air with the sharp scent of sulfur.

Not this again.

I wave the fog from my vision, getting really tired of this particular trick. Unlike the times before, I don’t spot him though, it’s only me left in the tent.

I turn the key over in my hand, studying its intricate patterns. It feels heavier than it should, like it’s made of something denser than metal.

“You couldn’t have at least given me a hint?” I yell into the empty room.

I wait a ridiculously absurd number of seconds for an answer. I get none.

Of course, the one time I want Alfie to speak up he decides to quit talking.

My hand tightens around the key. “Find the impossible door. Doesn’t sound too difficult,” I say, trying to ease my doubts. But in reality, I have no idea where to even begin.

Chapter 15

Alex

Iclick open my mailbox and can barely contain my excitement when I see multiple items inside. Most importantly, who one of the letters is from. There’s another one, but I immediately reach for the one with Clara’s name on it, pushing the letter from Elle to the bottom of the pile.

A small note informs me that I have a package waiting for me, so I make my way around the corner and hand in the note. The person behind the counter checks the box number and hands me a plain brown package. The return address is also from Clara.

Finally.

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