Beyond the Scarlet Door

By Susie Ireland Read

If youre like most kids, you sometimes dont get along with your brothers and sisters. But if your siblings needed you, you would do everything you could to help them.

In author Susie Ireland Reads Beyond the Scarlet Door, Maleeya and Kieran Wright have an older sister, Sierra who is very ill. Their whole world begins to fall apart when Nurse Pippy arrives on their doorstep insisting she is there to take care of the ill teen. Unfortunately, after the nurses arrival, Sierra gets worse instead of better.

When Sierra asks to see a pink fairy, the girls assume she wants to see a fairy statue. Anxious to do anything that will make their sister feel better, Maleeya and Kieran, along with their dog, Mi, go on a quest to find the pink fairy. Little do the sisters know that such an innocent request would lead them to the beautiful, yet treacherous world that lies beyond the scarlet door.

Follow Maleeya and Kieran, reduced to the size of white mice and carrying a backpack filled with seemingly useless items from home, as they overcome fears that lie deep within their souls. Can they outwit Raven, the evil fairy and bring back seven items needed to save their sister? What magical creatures will they meet in this new world, and will they be friends or foes? Lastly, what family secrets will the sisters discover that could change their lives forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Oct 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781480844483

Susie Ireland Read

Susie Ireland Read has enjoyed writing for many years. She lives with her husband in the Kansas City area and they have two grown daughters. Beyond the Scarlet Door is her first novel.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Susie Ireland Read.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4449-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4447-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4448-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017906267

Archway Publishing rev. date: 10/2/2017

For Keith, Danyel, and Mikelle,

my family,

my inspirations.

Contents

1     Nurse Pippy

2     The Cottage

3     The Pink Fairy

4     Raven in Disguise

5     Lavarus

6     On Their Own

7     The Blue Shorn

8     Mother of Pearl

9     Lavender Moss

10   Coral Cave

11   The Youkora

12   The Rootura Vines

13   The Lobelation

14   Secrets Revealed

15   The Battle

16   The Deception

17   The Surprise

About the Author

1

Nurse Pippy

Standing in the doorway of their older sister’s sickroom, twelve-year-old Maleeya gave her younger sisters hand a reassuring squeeze. Maleeya couldn’t say it out loud, but as she stared at the four-poster bed that seemed to be floating in a cave of darkness, she was beginning to think that the fifteen-year-old might never get well. Mustering all of her courage, she quietly called out their sister’s name. Sierra.

Ma—leeya? mumbled the groggy teen. What time is it? Is it the middle of the night?

It’s just a little after lunchtime, replied nine-year-old Kieran, dragging Maleeya across the black abyss surrounding the ailing teen.

Will you have to go to the hospital? asked Maleeya, switching on the bedside lamp.

Most certainly not! exclaimed a harsh voice.

Commander Pippy, whispered Maleeya under her breath. A huge knot formed in her stomach as she watched Sierra slowly sink deeper and deeper beneath her denim-blue quilt.

Nurse Pippy, dressed in an unusual black uniform, stalked across the room and slammed a mug down on the wooden tabletop. With the flare of a matador, she ripped back Sierra’s covers with one hand and thrust a thermometer into her patient’s mouth with the other.

Maleeya couldn’t believe the changes that had taken place in their lives during the past few days. First, Sierra had fallen ill from what Mom and the Dr. thought was an allergic reaction to food. Then, their grandmother had been injured while traveling, and their mother had flown to Ireland to help her make the trip back home. She, her father, and her sister had gladly accepted the task of taking care of Sierra, and the three of them had been doing a pretty good job of it—until the militant nurse had shown up on their doorstep. She shivered at the thought of that first meeting as the memory came flowing back to her.

The doorbell had rung. Mi, their usually mild-mannered dog, stood growling in the hallway. A cloud of dread had enveloped her when she opened the door that fateful day. She had stood face-to-face with a woman dressed in black, a burlap bag hanging from her shoulder like a huge growth.

I’m here to take care of Sierra Wright. Please let me in, commanded the woman, taking a step toward the threshold.

Scooping up the now-barking dog, Maleeya blurted out, I’ll have to get my father, and she slammed the door in the scary woman’s face. She raced down the hall and skidded to a stop in front of her father’s desk. Gasping for air, she stuttered, There’s a … strange woman at the door. She says she’s here to take care of … Sierra.

That’s odd! exclaimed Daddy, rising to his feet and stepping around his desk. I was just about to call the doctor and ask for a nursing-agency referral. I wonder if your mother had something to do with this.

Nervously stroking the white terrier’s soft head, Maleeya asked, You wouldn’t let just anyone take care of Sierra, would you, Daddy? Mi growled at her, and he’s never done that to anyone before.

Daddy put his hands on his daughter’s shoulders and gently steered her out of the room. She can’t be that bad, Maleeya. I’m sure Mi will get used to her once she’s been here awhile.

A low grumble filled Mi’s throat as Daddy answered the persistently ringing doorbell.

Greeting the scowling woman with a smile, Daddy said, I’m William Wright, and this is my daughter Maleeya. Won’t you come in, Ms. …?

Pippy, stated the irritated woman, shifting her cumbersome bag from one shoulder to the other. Looking more like a commando than a nurse, Ms. Pippy continued on, Your wife called for a nurse to take care of her ill daughter. I am the nurse you were expecting.

I’m sorry, but I wasn’t expecting anyone, replied Daddy, ushering the woman into their sunlit living room. But it’s just like Leigh to think of our children first. You see, my wife left quite suddenly; we found her cell phone here at home, and we haven’t been able to reach her. Can you show me some type of identification or give me some references, Ms.—what was your name again?

The nurse plucked a badge that hung from a strap around her neck and flashed it through the air as if she were wielding a sword. N-nurse Pippy, stuttered the woman through clenched teeth. She said that she didn’t have her hand phone and that she was calling on a bad—

Phone line, added Maleeya a little sarcastically. Did you also mean cell phone?

Yes, yes, cell phone and phone line. I am old-fashioned in my ways, but I assure you I am more than capable of taking care of a bedridden child. If you would just show me the way!

You must be mistaken, Miss Pippy; my daughter is not bedridden.

The child is lying in a bed, is she not? snapped the rattled nurse. It’s Nurse Pippy.

"That she is, Ms.—Nurse Pippy," replied Daddy, a slight smile on his lips.

Maleeya urgently pleaded her case. We should wait! I’m sure Mom will call soon.

We don’t have that kind of time, said Daddy, frowning. "My book is under a deadline, and I’m—I mean, we’re having trouble taking care of—just about everything around here. We need a nurse, and your mother was thoughtful enough to send us one. You take Mi to the kitchen while I show Nurse Pippy the guestroom and introduce her to Sierra."

Maleeya’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Once her father had made up his mind, it could not be changed.

Kieran squeezed Maleeya’s arm, bringing her back to the present. Slowly Sierra’s room came back into focus, and she let out a long sigh. She had been right about the nurse, but she couldn’t convince her father of it. The nurse had turned out just as nasty as Maleeya had felt she would be. She was always downright rude and had shooed the two girls away every time they attempted to see their ailing sister. It was Nurse Pippy who had turned Sierra’s bright and cheery room into the tomb of gloom.

Rest is what my patient needs, if you little humans would just leave her alone, stated the angry nurse, pulling the thermometer from Sierra’s grim mouth and shoving the steaming mug into her hand.

Please let them stay, begged Sierra. Trying to appease the monstrous woman standing over her, Sierra held the shaking cup to her lips and took a sip. The mug suddenly tipped sideways in her unsteady hand.

Stablizing the cup, Nurse Pippy spat out a reply. That is completely out of the question! You’ll never get better with them around. She then turned to Maleeya and Kieran and said in a loud voice, Leave now, or I’ll cur—call your father.

But we just got here! cried Kieran, clenching her sick sister’s hand. We haven’t seen Sierra all day.

Nurse Pippy fluttered her boney hands out in front of them as if she were chasing a flock of chickens. Out! she shouted.

Knowing the only person who had upset Sierra was the crabby woman dressed in black, Maleeya grabbed Kieran’s hand and quickly fled the room.

She’s always saying something weird, like calling us little humans, said Kieran, dragging her feet all the way down the hall. Why do we always have to leave? Why can’t she just give us time to see Sierra? All Sierra does is rest.

Maleeya, who usually followed all adult rules whispered, We may be little humans, but she’s not human at all. We’ll go back when that disgusting queen of gloom leaves the room.

Kieran stifled a giggle with her hand.

Angling the door to their room so that Maleeya could press her eye up against the crack, the two sisters sat down to wait.

It seemed like an eternity before Sierra’s door slowly opened. Looking both ways like a thief in the night, Nurse Pippy slipped into the narrow passage and disappeared from sight.

We need to go now, urged Maleeya.

They were just about to enter Sierra’s room when they heard voices.

Wait, whispered Kieran, tugging on Maleeya’s shirttail. Nurse Pippy’s back.

Nurse Pippy had to have used the back stairs in order to get back to Sierra’s room without passing us, thought Maleeya. She probably came back hoping to catch us in Sierra’s room. Maleeya put her finger to her lips, signaling quiet. Gently, she pushed their sisters already cracked door open a few more inches.

I can’t believe you’re here! exclaimed the weakened teen.

The room was once more bathed in darkness. A figure stood beside the bed, its face hooded. From the tone of Sierra’s voice, Maleeya knew that she was not talking to Nurse Pippy.

I had a feeling your illness was keeping you from the forest, whispered a woman’s voice. How long have you felt like this?

It started with an upset stomach, mumbled Sierra. I must have accidentally eaten some of the pansy blossoms we served at the feast last week. I was just starting to feel better when Nurse Pippy showed up on our doorstep. Now I feel horrible again. That nasty woman said that she was sent b—

Maleeya strained to hear the conversation, but much of it was lost in the vastness of the room. She held her breath until the women began to speak a little louder.

Nurse Pippy has to be from the forest, whispered the woman, plumping Sierra’s pillows.

I’m sure she is, replied Sierra. I’ve been too weak to challenge her. She’s been horrible to me, and she’s been giving me something that makes me really sleepy.

Maleeya was completely confused. When had Sierra attended a feast? Better yet, what forest was that woman talking about? They had a small wooded area on the back of Grammy’s property behind their play cottage. Even more baffling, what was Sierra supposed to use for this challenge—a broken Peter Pan sword?

I can’t challenge her myself, said the woman. She mustn’t know that I’m here. If Nurse Pippy is who I think she is, she could harm your father and your sisters. You must se—

Maleeya strained to hear their words, but their voices were too soft to understand.

Kieran, who had been squatting below Maleeya, suddenly lost her balance and fell against Sierra’s door. A loud squeak pierced the air, and the unknown woman started to move away from the bed. Maleeya grabbed Kieran by the arm and they both raced down the hallway. Maleeya literally shoved her sister into their room and slammed the door.

Who … was that? whispered a panting Kieran. And why was she wearing a hood? It’s too early for Halloween.

I don’t know who that woman is, replied Maleeya softly, shoving a curtain of dark-brown hair behind her ear, but there was something familiar about her.

I know who she is, said Kieran, grabbing a timeworn doll blanket off of her bed and pulling it over her head. "Remember the hooded lady in Snow White? she croaked in her best old-lady voice. She was the wicked witch in disguise."

The only wicked witch we have to worry about is Nurse Pippy, replied Maleeya sadly.

We just can’t sit around here and wait! exclaimed Kieran, throwing the blanket on the bed and rushing to the door. We need to know what’s going on!

Come back here, Kieran, hissed Maleeya,