The girls stared at her. Isleen scoffed. “That story is a waste of time. If you really know anything about it, you’d know that guy was on drugs when he wrote it. How is that supposed to help us?”
“Isleen,” Molly said, “that’s a terrible thing to say especially when you have no proof of that.” Molly knew very well that it was a working theory due to the strangeness of the story, which included a hookah-smoking caterpillar and eating mushrooms, but Mrs. Dillinger hadn’t allowed Molly to include that in her presentation.
Isleen shrugged. “I’m just saying. That story doesn’t tell all that really happened. What really happened only Allison knows, and she never says anything that makes sense. How exactly are you going to get anything useful from her?”
Molly looked at Allison again. She was now clicking her tongue and leaning against Marina. Briefly, just briefly, she made eye contact with Molly, and Molly thought there was something there that everyone had been underestimating.
Molly took down a copy of Alice and Wonderland and turned to the girls. “It’s been ages since I’ve read this, so I’m going to give this a good reread.”
“Knock yourself out,” Isleen said before heading for the door. “It won’t make any difference. Ask Ms. Pruitt. She died at the ripe old age of ninety-two. She was your age when she came here.”
Gretchen huffed. “God, Izzy. Don’t you ever stop? Must you always be miserable?”
Isleen smirked as if to say yes. “Ms. Bea had Owen and Donald bury her in Jolie’s rose garden.”
Jolie gasped. “She did not!”
Isleen raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think your flowers have been blooming so beautifully lately? It’s the new fertilizer.”
Scarlett grabbed a pillow from the couch and chucked it at Isleen, barely missing her head. “They buried her in the forest, and you know it.”
That didn’t sound much better to Molly. She shuddered at the thought of perishing at Everly Academy and her family never knowing what happened to her. Even worse, never having a chance at having a life of her own.
Isleen shrugged and disappeared through the door. Marina followed, reminding Molly that she needed to hydrate. Lily and Allison were the last to leave the room, probably because Allison had become enthralled by a design in the carpet. Molly admired the patience Lily had with her.
“Lily, what does Allison do now?”
“She likes to sit by the pool and watch Marina swim until Dr. Meyer comes to get her for her session.”
Molly was curious as to what went on in those sessions. “Do you think they’re good for her? Do you think they help?”
Lily pressed her lips together. “I don’t want to speak poorly of Dr. Meyer. He’s a very nice man, but Allison’s been the same since we’ve been here, so no, I can’t say it’s helping. I also think . . .”
Molly waited for Lily to continue her thought, but her voice simply trailed off. She looked as if she were afraid she might say too much.
“You think what? You can tell me. Everything you say will stay between us.”
Lily looked skeptical, and Molly couldn’t blame her. She had no reason at all to trust Molly.
Lily glanced at Allison, who was waving at something through the window although there was nothing there. “Well, when Allison wakes up in the morning, she’s totally out of her mind. I mean, you’ve seen it. She needs something to calm her down. But then he keeps giving her meds throughout the day, and I think they do her more harm than good.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think she would be more connected to the real world without them. They seem to keep her head in a fog. Marina and I have noticed that once her meds start to wear off, she seems more with it. She makes eye contact and sometimes even nods or shakes her head when we ask her questions. But then Dr. Meyer comes and gives her another dose of something, and she’s right back to being a zombie. We’ve told Dr. Meyer about it, but he says he knows what he’s doing. He thinks if Allison goes off her meds that she’ll be a danger to herself and other people. I don’t think that’s true at all. Even in her worst of fits, Allison has never harmed anyone.”
Molly looked into the girl’s wild blue eyes and felt even more sorry for her than she did before. It was bad enough to not have any control over your own mind and thoughts, but having to be doped up all the time on top of that had to make things even worse. “She’s very lucky to have good friends like you and Marina to look out for her. All the girls really.”
Lily nodded. “We’re sisters. Well, Izzy’s more like one of the evil stepsisters from Cinderella, but the rest of us would practically do anything for each other.”
That warmed Molly’s heart, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. These girls have been living together for over two hundred years, day in and day out, so it was only natural they would be so close after spending lifetimes together. “Lily, may I spend a few minutes with Alice? I’ll walk her out to the pool when we’re done.”
Lily seemed a little hesitant, but she nodded. “Sure. I guess that would be okay. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”
“Okay.”
Lily squeezed Allison’s shoulder and then left. Allison looked toward the door as it closed. She stared at it for a few moments like she was trying to figure out where Lily had gone, and then started to click her tongue again.
Molly was suddenly nervous. What if she did or said something that set Allison off or upset her? She had no idea what her triggers were. She placed her hand on the small of Allison’s back and gently led her to the couch. “Why don’t we have a seat?”
Molly had to press down on Allison’s shoulders to get her to sit. Once she was seated, Allison cocked her head to the side and stared at something over Molly’s shoulder.
“Allison, can you hear me?”
Click. Click. Click.
Molly hesitated for a moment, then she gently held Allison’s chin in place with her hand. Her ice-blue eyes met Molly’s brown ones. She had her attention. Allison stared into Molly’s eyes, unblinking. Molly knew she had to make the most of every second she had.
“Allison, is there something you want to tell me? Anything. I’m listening. I promise I don’t think you’re crazy, and I’ll believe anything you tell me.”
Allison froze, and then her lips began to move as if she were going to say something. Then click, click, click. Molly sighed in frustration. “Well, I tried. Maybe after you get used to me you’ll want to talk. I’ll take you to the pool, and you can wait for Dr. Meyer there.” Allison stopped clicking and gasped.
Molly smiled. “Yeah, Dr. Meyer. Are you happy to see him?”
Allison shook her head faintly and whispered, “Bad.”
10
Molly’s hands shook as she wondered if she’d heard Allison right. “Did you say bad? What do you mean by that?”
Molly was hoping for more, for some sort of answer, but Allison was gone again. She was preoccupied with a pair blue jays fluttering by the window and clicking her tongue. Molly gave up and walked Allison to the pool, wondering what she should do. Had Allison just said that Dr. Meyer was bad, or was Molly hearing things? Was Allison talking about something else? Had she even said the word “bad”?
Molly left Allison by the pool where Marina was still swimming. Scarlett and Jolie were also there, spread across the pool chairs reading books. Molly wasn’t sure what, but she knew there was something important stuck in Allison’s head that she had to get out.
Molly’s third night at Everly Academy was the first time she got to partake in the full dinner experience, and she had to admit that it was lovely. Even Isleen was probably the most pleasant that Molly had ever seen her.
Molly took her place beside Ms. Bea and across from Ms. Halifax. No meal was the same. Each woman received whatever it was she felt like eating that night. Ms. Halifax had a salad while Bea ate a bowl of creamy soup. Probably clam chowder if Molly had to guess. Drusilla had a huge bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. Scarlett had smothered
pork chops and mashed potatoes. Tress nibbled on a delicious-looking piece of salmon. Dru had pepperoni pizza, and Isleen was enjoying some type of soufflé .
One of the cooks set a silver dome before Molly. “Forgive us, miss, but we didn’t know what you wanted so we fixed one of your favorites. In the future we will give you meal cards, and you can tell us exactly what you’d like.”
Molly smiled. “Thank you. Whatever it is, I know I’ll love it. I haven’t had a thing here yet that I didn’t like.”
The cook blushed and hurried back to the kitchen. Molly loved to eat, and she had to admit being served whatever you wanted any time of day was a definite perk. Not having to go grocery shopping every week was another one.
Sitting before her was a nice chunk of lasagna with a side of spinach. Molly dug right in. As she ate, she heard morsels of the lively conversations the girls had going on around her. Dru, Gretchen, and Jolie were discussing a book they were reading. Oriana and Lily were having a debate over some band—a modern band Molly was surprised they even knew about. Allison slowly and quietly ate a bowl of cereal while Isleen and Tress shared a hushed conversation.
The table was lined with beautiful candles. Everyone seemed so happy, but according to Bea, things would change in a few hours when the girls’ curses took effect. Dessert was even more magical than dinner. They were served a variety of cakes and pastries and even ice cream. Even though Molly was stuffed, she managed to make room for a brownie that she could only describe as edible perfection.
Bea turned to Molly. “After dinner we all retire to the sitting room and get comfortable before the fire. There I, or one of the girls, shares a story. After that it’s off to bed for the girls, and you’ll make your rounds before turning in yourself.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
Once the desserts had been devoured, everyone left the table and headed to the sitting room where coffee and hot chocolate were served before the fire. Molly made herself comfortable on the couch between Gretchen and Oriana. Everything was so comfy and homey, Molly could really get used to it.
Molly noticed that Ms. Halifax hadn’t joined them. That didn’t surprise her. She didn’t seem like the sit-around-the-fire-and-talk kind of person.
Ms. Bea clutched her teacup. “So, should I tell the story tonight, or would one of you like to tell it?”
“I’ll go,” Isleen offered, and all the girls groaned.
“Forget it, Izzy,” Dru said. “You tell the most morbid tales. No one wants to have nightmares.”
Isleen looked into the fire, her green eyes sparkling. “This one won’t be morbid, I promise.”
Bea shook her head and took a sip of her tea, and Isleen went forward with her story. “Once upon a time, there was a young princess from a faraway land. She had golden hair and eyes like amber. Most people thought she was beautiful.”
Scarlett stirred her hot chocolate with a spoon. “Is this another story about you?”
Isleen glared at her. “It’s not about me. My eyes are green, now shush.”
“Girls . . .” Bea warned, and Isleen continued. “Anyway, this princess from a faraway land was invited to a castle. She was sent a royal invitation. The invitation promised her riches, beautiful clothes, and most importantly of all, a handsome prince to marry. The girl traveled to the faraway land with stars in her eyes, eager to receive all that had been promised to her. When she arrived at the castle, everything seemed to be like it was stated in the invitation. The castle was the most beautiful place she had ever seen, one hundred times better than her own castle.
“When she stepped inside, the doors slammed shut behind her and she quickly realized that once she’d entered, she’d never be able to leave. Everything the invite had promised her was there, but it neglected to tell her one thing—the castle was simply a beautiful tomb and she would die there.”
Molly’s stomach twisted in knots. She knew exactly where Isleen was going with this story. Everyone knew. The girls threw furtive glances her way, and Bea looked as if she were going to shut the story down at any moment.
“The princess’s favorite part of the castle was the garden outside. The garden was full of a variety of beautiful flowers, but there were five flowers that stood above all the rest. They were the largest and most beautiful she had ever seen. One day a fairy appeared and told her that the flowers, the tall beautiful ones, had once been princesses just like her. They had been lured to the castle under false pretenses. They had each been given ten days to find a way to free the others from their curse or they would have to join them, and the same was going to happen to that princess. She could save the princesses from their prison before ten days was up, or she would become like them.”
Isleen’s voice trailed off, and everyone leaned forward, waiting to see what would happen next. “And?” Oriana asked.
Isleen smirked. “I’m afraid I lied. This is going to be a morbid story.”
Molly knew exactly where she was going with this narrative, and she wasn’t about to let Isleen get the best of her.
“So, what happened next?” Molly asked, appearing to be unbothered.
Isleen cleared her throat. “Getting to that. She tried everything she could. She went through every remedy, book, and magical potion in the castle, but none of them worked. That’s because the answers lay outside of the castle. So, her ten days flew by, and needless to say, she ended up just like the other princesses who had been lured into the castle. Now the garden had six flowers. She hadn’t helped them at all but ended up just like they were. And the story goes on and on. Soon another princess would come and be added to the garden.”
Molly wasn’t too fond of people writing her story for her. “That’s a very imaginative story, Isleen, but I’d like to add an alternative ending to that. This princess was different from all the others. She studied and she tried something different that none of the others had thought of. She was able to break the curse and free all the princesses from the garden.”
Ms. Bea clapped her hands. “Oh, yes, Ms. Dillinger. I like that ending much better. Bravo!”
Isleen glared at Molly with her lips pursed. “For the record, Ms. Dillinger, it’s extremely rude to hijack another person’s story.”
“That’s enough, Isleen. Now, girls,” Bea said, “it’s time to turn in.”
The girls set their empty mugs on the coffee table before heading down the hall to their bedrooms. Ms. Bea smiled at Molly. “You handled that quite well. That girl will get under your skin if you let her.”
Molly stood. “I can tell. I’m sure I can handle her. I suppose I’ll give the girls a chance to settle in before I start my rounds.”
“That sounds fine. I should warn you, once you do that and retire to your room, you should probably stay there for the night.”
“Why?”
“It’s just safer that way.”
Molly’s gaze landed at the entrance of the dark hallway. “Safer? What do you mean by that?”
“Ms. Dillinger, it’s very important that you just do as I say for now, please.” Bea reached into the pocket of her dress and removed a ring full of silver skeleton keys. “The keys are numbered.”
“Okay,” Molly said, taking the keys from Bea. Though she wasn’t happy with her question not being answered, she figured she had enough time to shower and slip into her pajamas before checking on the girls.
Each door had a small window that could be opened from the outside. Molly felt as though she was invading their privacy, but she had a job to do. Room number one belonged to Marina. Since Marina was permitted to leave her room as needed, Molly wouldn’t lock her in. At that present moment, Marina lay across her bed on her back, reading a book. She smiled at Molly. “Good night, Ms. Dillinger.”
“Good night, Marina.” Molly slid the door shut and moved on to room number two, Scarlett’s bedroom. Another door that wouldn’t be locked since she would leave around midnight when she shifted into wolf form. Molly peered through the window to find Scarlett
jumping on her bed like a little girl, her red locks bouncing around her face. Suppressing a laugh, Molly shut the window.
In room number three, Lily sat in a golden rocking chair with her back to the door, staring through the window. Molly wondered if she were anxiously waiting for Peter Pan and Wendy to appear. She watched her for a moment before locking the door.
Room number four belonged to Tress. She sat in front of her mirror brushing out her long, flaxen hair. It was wavy from being in braids all day. She paused and caught Molly’s gaze in her mirror. “Good night, Ms. Dillinger.”
“Good night, Tress. Sleep well.”
For the first time since Molly had been there, Tress looked sad. “No one sleeps well here.”
Molly silently scolded herself for saying something so stupid. Of course, she wouldn’t sleep well. Molly shut the window, locked the door, and left her alone.
Next to Tress’s room was Oriana’s. She lay on her back on the floor wearing earbuds. Her head bobbed along to whatever she was listening to. Molly closed the window and walked across the hall to Jolie’s room. Jolie sat on her bed wearing a green face mask. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be meditating.
Molly moved on to Dru’s room. Dru was already tucked in bed and appeared to be sleeping soundly. Molly figured she was trying to get some sleep in before her curse kicked in.
In Allison’s room, the girl lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, wrapped in a white straitjacket. The sight broke Molly’s heart. She couldn’t imagine having to live that way. She didn’t want to imagine it.
In her bedroom, Gretchen sat at her desk writing something in a journal. Since Gretchen needed access to the kitchen, Molly left her room unlocked.
Molly headed to the last room at the end of the hall—Isleen’s. When Molly looked inside, the room appeared to be empty. Just when she’d put her hand on the doorknob to go inside, she heard Isleen’s voice. “Looking for something?”
Everly Academy Page 9
