Everly Academy

by V. B. Marlowe

  “Awesome. I’m looking forward to it.”

  Ms. Halifax gave her a stiff smile. “You would be. Anyway, have fun.”

  Molly stopped her before she could turn to leave. “Wait. The girls mentioned something about boys coming. How is that possible? Bea actually allows boys to come to the estate?”

  Ms. Halifax chuckled to herself. Molly had never seen her do that before. Ms. Halifax turned on her heels. “As I said, it’s all quite silly. You will see in due time. I must be going.”

  Now Molly was more curious than ever to discover what really went on at an Everly Ball.

  After Molly’s evening run, she took a quick shower and slipped into a simple black dress with black pumps for the ball. She stuck a black hairpin in her hair, threw on several gold accessories, and then headed out to the ballroom.

  Just as she stepped into the hallway, she bumped into Ember. “I was just looking for you. Ms. Halifax has informed me that you’ll be accompanying the girls to the ball from now on.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Molly said. “I’m headed there now.”

  Ember gave Molly a quick once-over. “Honey, while you look absolutely adorable, that is not Everly Ball attire. Come to the Glam Room. Let us hook you up.”

  “I can’t. The ball begins in a few minutes. Besides, I’m just the chaperone. Does it really matter what I look like?”

  Ember took Molly by the hand and pulled her down the hallway. “It sure does. Going so casual will take away from the atmosphere of the ball. Don’t worry. We’re not your everyday stylists. We’ll have you ready to go in twenty minutes.”

  When Molly entered the Glam Room, she was surprised to find it a total mess. Fabrics of every color were strewn about the room. Small piles of jewel-tone shoes took up every corner. All the tables were filled with necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Molly recognized several of the jewels as rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. “Whew,” she said. “It looks like a hurricane blew through here.”

  Anais grinned from her station, where she sat organizing her makeup. “Ten teenage girls getting ready for a ball—a hurricane—pretty much the same thing.”

  Molly chuckled and took a seat in Ember’s chair. Ember went into her drawer and pulled out a pearl-colored headband with four interconnecting feathers. She removed Molly’s black hair clip and slid the new one in her hair. Ember turned the chair toward the mirror so Molly could admire herself. She had to admit that the ivory color looked nice against her golden curls. Ember clapped her hands. “Hair’s done. Anais, it’s time for you to work your magic, doll.”

  Anais took Molly’s hand and led her over to her makeup chair. “I’ve been dying to try a smoky eye on you. It’s a little too dramatic for a regular day, but perfect for a ball.” Molly closed her eyes as Anais went to work on her eyelids. In no time Anais had applied eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and rouge to Molly’s face. It felt like too much, but when Molly finally got the chance to check herself out in the mirror, she liked what she saw.

  Ember squealed as Cinnamon pushed over a dress form draped in a champagne-colored dress. “Oh, Cinnamon, it’s perfect for her.”

  Molly took in the gown. It was strapless and formfitting at the top but flowed out around the waist. She had never worn anything like it, and she wasn’t quite sure how it would look on her. Molly stood as the three ladies proceeded to undress her and put her into the ball gown.

  Cinnamon had a faraway look in her eyes. “The Everly Ball always reminds me of my senior prom. That was probably the most fun I’d ever had.”

  Anais nodded. “Mine too. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

  Cinnamon chuckled. “I actually made my own dress out of duct tape. It’s not as tacky as it sounds. It turned out to be amazing. My mother had sworn up and down that it was going to be a mess.”

  It had just occurred to Molly that the stylists were people just like her who’d had lives outside of Everly Academy. “How long have you been here?” Molly asked quietly. No one spoke for a moment, but then Ember finally answered. “About five years. We call it the great changing-over. That was when most of us came—the kitchen staff, the groundskeepers, the maids. Apparently, the previous staff had grown too old and needed to be replaced.”

  Cinnamon zipped the back of Molly’s dress. “And you’re okay with it?” Molly asked. “You’re okay with being pulled from your lives and stuck here?”

  Ember smiled tightly, and Molly knew it wasn’t okay. “We get to do what we love all day, every day. Who could ask for more than that?”

  There was so much more to ask for, Molly thought. Family. Freedom. Options.

  Anais wandered over to her makeup station and fumbled through bottles of foundation, attempting to organize them. Molly knew she had struck a nerve, so she decided to change the subject. “Will you guys stop by the ball too? It sounds like fun.”

  “Oh, yes,” Cinnamon replied. “Once we’re done with you, we’ll get dressed ourselves and head on over. It’s really the only way we have to blow off some steam around here.”

  Molly checked herself out in the mirror and decided that she loved the dress. It fit her body like a glove and reminded her of the old Hollywood glam look. Something tugged at her heart as she remembered that the dress was similar to the ones she’d been considering for her bridesmaids’ dresses. Anais handed her a pair of gold shoes. Molly frowned at the six-inch heels. “Don’t worry,” Anais reassured. “They won’t hurt one bit.” Molly thought it must have been some kind of magic to have a pair of heels that didn’t hurt your feet, but she gratefully slid them on and headed for the ballroom.

  Molly heard music playing as she approached the closed doors of the ballroom. Once she was about five feet away, the doors swung open. Two tall, slender men dressed in impeccable black-and-white tuxedos stood at either door, each holding a golden trumpet. “Introducing Ms. Molly Dillinger,” one of them bellowed at the top of his lungs.

  Molly’s face warmed. She wasn’t expecting this sort of attention. She had been hoping to slip into the ballroom quietly. Molly noticed something strange about the men. Aside from being identical, they were glowing and see-through. They weren’t real men at all. They were holograms.

  Molly stepped into the ballroom, and all eyes went to her. She paid no attention to the gawkers as she was mesmerized by the room. At the front of the room was an orchestra made of holograms. They played a beautiful symphony as the girls waltzed across the room dancing with their dates. Molly knew then why the girls had been so secretive in class. Ms. Bea did not allow boys to come to the Estate. The girls’ dates were holograms too.

  Gretchen whisked by in a deep-purple dress with a tall, blond boy who was staring deeply into her eyes. “Hi, Ms. Dillinger. You look amazing.”

  Before Molly could respond, the couple was gone. Each of the girls looked more beautiful than she had ever seen them with their impeccable gowns and done-up hair. They looked like they were having the time of their lives, and no one seemed to mind that none of the boys were actually real. Molly figured that after two hundred years, a fake boy was better than no boy at all.

  Molly watched as Dru’s date dipped her back. She wore a brilliant-yellow gown that complemented her ebony skin tone very well. Scarlett and Oriana twirled with their dates from one end of the room to the other. Tress and Isleen were holding a conversation with their dates in front of a large banquet table. The table was covered with delicious-looking foods including pastries and a huge cooked turkey. The kitchen staff was hard at work refilling the trays of food and taking the empty trays away. Molly spotted Allison sitting in a seat beside Dr. Meyer, watching the festivities. She wore a gorgeous sky-blue dress that brought out her eyes, and her hair was pulled back into a perfect bun. A few of the housekeepers danced with each other.

  The doors of the ball room burst open, and the men shouted again. “Please welcome the presence of Ms. Cinnamon, Ms. Anais, and Ms. Ember.”

  The three women made a beeline for the refreshment table, where
they filled their plates, talking excitedly like schoolchildren at recess.

  Molly took a seat beside Dr. Meyer. It was hard for her to be friendly toward him since she’d found out what he was doing to Allison, but she had to try. “So, this is the Everly Ball,” she commented.

  Dr. Meyer raised his eyebrow, watching Marina and her hologram boy dance past. “That’s right. This is your first ball. Yes, it’s a great thing. Everyone gets to come together and have a good time. During these few hours we don’t worry about anything. It’s all about letting your hair down and having fun.”

  Molly smiled. She was glad that the girls and everyone else had something to look forward to periodically. The doctor gestured toward the dance floor. “Would you like to dance?”

  Molly had been wanting to dance, but there seemed to be no hologram man for her. Although the last thing she wanted was the doctor’s hands on her, she wanted things to appear to be normal. She glanced over at Allison. “Will she be okay?”

  “Sure, she will,” Dr. Meyer replied. He patted Allison’s hand. “Allison, I’m going to dance with Ms. Dillinger for a few minutes, okay?”

  Allison looked at the ceiling. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Dr. Meyer stood and reached for Molly’s hand. She took his, and they hit the dance floor.

  Molly spent the next couple of hours dancing, eating, and having great conversations. She discovered that the stylists were cool and just like the people she would hang out with in real life.

  As promised, at the stroke of midnight the orchestra, the handsome boys, and the men with the bugles disappeared. There was a small murmur of complaint, but the girls headed for the doors of the ballroom giggling and chatting excitedly. Bea may have done a lot of things wrong when it came to the academy, but the Everly Ball was something she’d done right.

  19

  Molly and the girls monitored Allison closely for the next few days. Although she didn’t seem as manic and aloof as before, they still couldn’t get much out of her that was coherent. Molly told the girls to be patient.

  Five days passed, and everyone could note the change in Allison. She was no longer screaming and raving when she came down to breakfast every morning. Although she was calm, she still had that glazed-over look.

  That day in class while Molly was in the middle of the story about a great vacation her family had taken to the Grand Canyon, Allison interrupted, shocking everyone. “The pens.”

  “She’s talking about the pens again,” Scarlett announced unnecessarily. “There has to be something to them.”

  The room fell quiet, and all eyes went to Allison. Molly moved over to where Allison sat on the floor beside Lily. She took Allison’s hands gently into her own. “What pens, Allison?”

  Allison looked to the ceiling. Molly took her chin and lowered it, causing Allison to look into her eyes again. “What pens, Allison?”

  For a second it seemed as though Allison was done with what she had to say, but then she blinked a few times and continued to speak. “The pens of the authors. To break the curse.”

  The words “to break the curse” brought the girls closer to Allison and Molly. Everyone was on their knees crowded around them. No one made a sound because the slightest thing could send Allison off track. They were finally getting somewhere.

  They waited for what seemed like forever, then Allison started to speak again in fractured phrases. “The seven pens . . . the seven authors. Find the pens . . . guarded by the villains.”

  That sent the girls into a flurry. Molly had no idea what was going on, but apparently Allison’s words meant something to them. Gretchen went over to the whiteboard and started making a list: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, James Matthew Barrie, Hans Christian Andersen, Robert Southey, and Lewis Carroll. Gretchen turned to Molly as if she knew she didn’t understand. “The authors of our stories.”

  Molly rubbed her temples. “All this time we thought the answer was hidden in Allison’s story, but it was hidden in Allison. They gave her the answer and then drove her mad so that we could never get it out of her . . . or so they thought.”

  “Yes,” Scarlett added. “Allison is saying that each author has a pen, and each pen is being guarded by one of our villains from the tales.”

  Gretchen made another list. “The great crocodile . . .”

  Isleen stood and watched Gretchen. “This is all fine and dandy, but just what are we supposed to do when they’re out there and we’re stuck in here? What’s the point of all this? Bea’s never going to let us out. Our time will run out, our curses will be permanent, and Bea’s protection spell will end. That means the witches will be able to kill us if they want, and you’d better believe they will.”

  Molly knew that Isleen had a point and a good one. “I will speak to Bea. I need to tell her about this and everything with Dr. Meyer.” She had been reluctant before because she wanted to be sure of Dr. Meyer’s deceit.

  Tress’s beautiful face was crinkled with worry. “But what, what if she doesn’t listen to you? What will we do then?”

  Molly touched her cheek. “Don’t worry about that. Bea is very reasonable. She loves you girls more than anything, and these things she does, she only does to protect you. If she knows the only way we can break the curse is by you leaving here, I’m sure she’ll change her mind.” Molly hoped that was true as she left the girls alone to find Bea.

  It took her a while, but she finally found the fairy along with Ms. Halifax in a small room filled with shelves and books. Molly had never seen the room before. The two women were seated on a couch with their backs to her, speaking in hushed tones. Molly cleared her throat, and they turned to her. Bea smiled brightly. “Ms. Dillinger, do come in. We were just talking about you.”

  “You were?” Molly was curious as to what they had been saying about her, but what she had to say to them was much more significant. “We need to talk. It’s important.”

  Bea patted the space between her and Ms. Halifax. Ms. Halifax reluctantly scooted over as Molly took a seat. “What is it, dear?” Bea asked.

  Molly considered speaking to Bea alone, but this was something Ms. Halifax needed to hear too. “First, you may be upset about this, but it needed to be done. If I had told you about it, you would have tried to stop me.”

  Bea frowned. “Stop you from doing what?”

  “I told you my concerns about Allison’s meds. The girls and I felt that they were making her worse and keeping her out of her mind. Dru made placebos, under my instructions, so please don’t blame her, but she made pills that looked identical to the ones Allison has been taking. We switched them, and we noticed right away that she was more with it without them. She could focus and communicate. Today in class she had a breakthrough.”

  “What do you mean, a breakthrough?” Ms. Halifax asked. She knew the woman wanted to scold her over taking Allison off her meds without permission, but she probably also wanted to know what had happened as a result.

  “Allison knows how to break the curse. She told us. The authors each have a pen, and those pens are being guarded by enemies from the tales. We have to collect each of those pens for the curse to be broken.”

  Both women stared at her wide-eyed. Molly realized that this was a lot to take in. “First, there’s someone amongst us that shouldn’t be. That needs to be dealt with first, or any progress we make can be sabotaged. Dr. Meyer was clearly keeping Allison drugged for a reason. Why would he do that? Those pills contained poison that has really been harming her. According to Dru, she’s lucky to still be alive.” For a moment Molly was afraid that Bea wouldn’t believe her. After all, she had just arrived at the academy, but Dr. Meyer had been there for decades.

  Bea’s eyes brimmed with tears, and Molly thought it was probably the result of guilt. “I thought I was doing right by her when I brought her one of the best doctors I could find. I can’t believe I trusted him with her.”

  Molly placed her hand on Bea’s knee. “It’s not your fault. It’s h
is. But now that we know, what are we going to do about it?”

  Ms. Halifax sat up straighter. “I think before we risk blaming an innocent man for something that we best have our facts straight. How do you know for sure that this wasn’t accidental?”

  Bea flicked her hand. “Oh, Mildred, we both know what was going on here. We were talking about the miraculous changes we’ve seen in Allison just this morning. Of course, it’s because of the placebo. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  Ms. Halifax huffed. Did she hate the fact that Molly had discovered it and not her? “I will deal with Dr. Meyer in my own way. One thing I do know is that someone has put him up to this, and we need to find out who that someone is.”

  Just then there was a knock on the door. Bea told whoever it was to come in. Molly’s heart skipped a beat when Dr. Meyer opened the door and stuck his head in. Had his ear been pressed to the door? Had he heard them talking about him? What would he do if he had?

  Dr. Meyer slipped in and shut the door behind him. The expression on his face was quite pleasant so Molly figured he didn’t know anything. “Ah, Ms. Bea. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I’ve been meaning to speak to you about a change in Allison’s medications. Can we talk in my office?”

  “No,” Bea said sternly. “We can discuss it right here. Have a seat, Doctor.”

  The doctor nodded and reluctantly took a seat in the armchair across from the three women sitting on the couch. “Ladies,” he said, nodding to them. “So, I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time to switch Allison’s medications. You know after a while they seem to become ineffective. This is common. It’s a sign that it’s time to try something else.”

  Bea frowned at him. “Why, Dr. Meyer? I would have to insist on the exact opposite. We were just commenting on how much improvement she’s been showing over the past couple of days.”

  The doctor nodded. “I can see how her behavior might seem like an improvement from the outside, but trust me, I’m noticing something different in our sessions. She’s a lot tenser and more anxious than usual.”