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back to the palace.”
    “Why didn’t you tell us?” Frances asks.
    “It was just so awful,” Snow says. “I wanted to forget about it.”
    “The huntsman felt bad for you,” I say, nodding. “But he told the queen that he had done it. And I think he gave her the lungs and liver of some animal, pretending it was you.”
    Bob slams his fists on the table. “That’s awful!”
    “I remember that part!” Jonah exclaims gleefully. “Didn’t she eat them?”
    I grimace. Eight sets of eyes widen in horror.
    Sure, that he remembers.
    “She is pure evil,” Tara whispers, squeezing her braid.
    I nod. “And then she went back to the mirror and asked who the fairest person in town was, and the mirror still said it was Snow.”
    Stan grunts right through his big teeth. “She must have been really miffed!”
    I take another bite of stew. Gross. The dwarfs must like Snow’s company, because this is disgusting.
    “What’s the queen’s real name?” Bob asks.
    “Evelyn,” Snow says.
    “Evil Evelyn,” I say. Makes it easier to remember.
    “She’s definitely evil,” Snow says, then motions me to go on.
    “So Evil Evelyn decided that instead of trusting someone else to kill Snow, she would just do it herself.”
    “Wait, Abby,” my brother interrupts. “Where’s the king in all this? Didn’t you ever wonder about that? How could they write a whole story about a royal family and leave out the king?”
    I look at Snow. “I think he’s just kind of wimpy, right?”
    Her eyes tear up again. “He’s not wimpy. He’s dead. He was killed in battle when I was five.”
    Me and my big mouth. Poor Snow! She lost her mom and her dad? “I’m so sorry.”
    “It’s okay,” she says sadly. She pushes her chair back and stands up. “Does anyone want more stew? I made a lot.”
    “No thanks,” everyone says immediately.
    Everyone except Jonah. “Me, please!”
    Seriously?
    Snow picks up Jonah’s plate. “No one else? We’re going to have lots of leftovers.”
    “So what happens next?” Bob asks.
    “I forget exactly,” I say, struggling to remember. “I think your stepmom disguises herself as an old woman and tries to kill you a few times? She uses laces?”
    “It’s true!” Alan says. “She tied them so tight Snow couldn’t breathe. We came home and found Snow lying on the floor. We untied them just in time.”
    “And then she came back with that poisonous comb,” Enid says, running her fingers through her pink hair.
    “That was terrible,” Alan says. “We came home and found Snow lying on the floor again.”
    “But we removed the comb, and saved her just in time,” Alan booms.
    Frances growls at Snow, stabbing her fork in the air. “You have to stop letting strangers into the house.” Then she points her fork at me and Jonah. “Not counting you two. Maybe. I haven’t made up my mind yet. Now finish the story.”
    “Right,” I say. “So today was her third try. She was planning on giving Snow a poisonous apple to eat. In the story Snow actually eats the apple. And by the time the you all come home, it’s too late!”
    They all gasp again.
    “Too late!” Enid shrieks.
    “You mean …” Jon says, shielding his eyes. (His sparkly blue eyes. Jon really is cute. He could totally be a movie star. If, you know, they made movies in fairy tales.)
    I nod, unable to say the words.
    There’s a moment of silence.
    “Thank goodness you arrived when you did,” Enid says. “You saved Snow’s life.”
    “We should have a parade!” Bob says.
    Maybe we should. We saved Snow White. We are awesome. We are heroes! Real heroes! Yay us!
    “Not true,” says Jonah. “The prince brings her back to life in the story. Right, Abby?”
    Oh. Right. The prince.
    “He does? How?” asks Tara.
    “Well,” I say, “after you guys find her on the floor again, you put her in a” — I’m about to say coffin , but it sounds too scary — “box in the forest, and then the prince comes along and saves