Everly Academy

by V. B. Marlowe

  Molly tended to believe that. Now that Allison was stepping closer to reality, it was probably scarier.

  The doctor continued. “She’s saying words here and there, but none of it makes since. She seems a lot drowsier than usual, like the medicine is making her lethargic.”

  Ms. Halifax folded her hands on her lap. “What medicine would you prescribe for her, good doctor?”

  Dr. Meyer looked excited by this question. “I’ve been following some new medications on the market that have been showing great results. I’d like to try a couple of them. One is called Ventium and the other is Durracol.”

  Every hair on Molly’s body was standing on end. She couldn’t believe this man was so ready to pump Allison full of more drugs, especially when he saw that she was getting better. He was so anxious to get that poison back into Allison’s body. Molly wanted to know then and there who he was working for, but she had to let Bea take the lead. She wondered how she would handle it.

  Bea walked over to her cabinet. Everyone watched as she pulled out a glass bottle filled with a brown liquid and four glasses. “I don’t normally indulge myself in the spirits, but I think it’s okay every now and then.”

  Bea filled each of the four glasses halfway and handed them out. She took her seat again, and the four of them took a sip. Molly shuddered as the strong liquid warmed her chest and traveled its way down. It was strong but good.

  Dr. Meyer didn’t take small, dainty sips like the ladies. He downed his drink in a couple of gulps. “Would you like another, Dr. Meyer?”

  He nodded, and Bea poured him another glass. Once she took her seat again, things took a more serious turn. “Dr. Meyer, who are you working for? Who put you up to poisoning Allison to keep her mad?”

  Molly was confused. That was Bea’s plan? All he had to do was deny everything. Then what?

  The doctor’s eyes shifted from right to left. “The witches of the Moonhaven Coven. They came to me and promised me that after my deed was done here, I would never worry about another thing in my life. I would have all the riches and possessions that I desire, and best of all, eternal life.”

  Ms. Halifax gasped.

  “How’d you get him to admit that?” Molly asked.

  “I cast a truth spell on his drink. I try not to use it much as it requires so much of me, but this is important.”

  Molly couldn’t understand how Bea could be so calm when she should be infuriated. “So, what are you going to do?”

  Bea pressed her lips together. “Nothing at the moment. He’s under the influence of the spell so he’s not in his right mind. I need him to be present when he receives his punishment. He needs to know what’s happening to him and why. Dr. Meyer, why don’t you take the afternoon off and have a nap? We’ll look after our dear Allison.”

  The doctor climbed to his feet wearing a daft smile. “Thanks. That’s very generous of you. I could use a nap right now.”

  The women watched as he sauntered out of the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Molly turned to Bea. “So, what are you going to do to him?”

  Bea folded her arms over her chest and stared through the picture window. “I’m not going to do anything to him. But Allison will. I’ll let her be the one to decide what happens to him.”

  Molly thought that was fair. “But what about the pens? What are we going to do about those? Obviously getting them is going to require the girls leaving here.”

  Bea paled. “I understand that. I’m not happy about it, but I understand.”

  Ms. Halifax stood and stared down on Bea. “Is this all we’re going to go on? The word of a girl who is clearly not mentally stable? What if she was just speaking gibberish? We know the medicine is still very much in her system.”

  “I believe her,” Bea said sternly. “It makes perfect sense—hiding the solution in the mind of a mad girl, a girl no one would believe or pay much attention to.”

  “These villains,” Molly said. “How do we find them?”

  Bea and Ms. Halifax exchanged glances. “Everything we need to know is in the stories. Isleen is our expert in geography. She knows the real world and all its secret realms. We also have help from the outside. There’s Jack and Tinkerbell and Pinocchio, and a few others who are willing to help.”

  At this point nothing should have been surprising to Molly, but her eyes widened at the sound of those names. “That’s great, Bea,” Molly said, “but I’m sure the villains who are guarding the pens won’t give them up easily. How are the girls supposed to defeat them?”

  Bea and Ms. Halifax exchanged glances again, and Molly wanted to know what she was missing. “Ms. Dillinger, do you think me a monster? I would never allow my girls to live in this situation without an adequate way to protect themselves. I don’t have the power to break the curse, but I could counter it by giving them a gift. Each of them has a special weapon or defense mechanism.”

  “Like what?”

  “I can show you better than I can tell you,” Bea said. “Meet us in the war room in an hour.”

  “Where’s the war room?” Molly swore that every day there was a new room that she learned about. What other information was Bea holding back?

  “It takes up the entire level underneath the house. That’s where the girls train and practice. I must admit that I’ve allowed their skills to get rusty, but in light of recent events, they definitely need to stay in shape.”

  Molly excused herself, pleased to know that Bea had properly equipped the girls, and she couldn’t wait to see what they could do.

  Since she had an hour to kill, Molly decided to read Sleeping Beauty in the sitting room. A buzzing sound followed by raucous laughter came from down the hall. Molly turned to see Scarlett flying toward her on a red hovercraft about three feet off the ground. She struggled to keep her balance as the hovercraft sped up. Molly pressed herself against the wall to avoid being smashed.

  Oriana came from the opposite end of the hallway riding the same device but in pink. “Watch out, Scar!” she screamed, but it was too late. The two girls collided, ending up in a heap on the floor. The hovercrafts kept buzzing in the air.

  “Oh my God! Are you guys okay?” Molly called. Scarlett and Oriana erupted in laughter, so Molly figured they were fine.

  Just then Isleen exited her bedroom, lifting her dress and stepping over the two girls. “Children,” she muttered before disappearing into Tress’s bedroom.

  Molly went on her way. Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect because she found Owen stacking logs by the fireplace. She didn’t try very hard to keep her eyes from traveling over his backside as he bent over.

  She cleared her throat to announce her presence. “Nice view.” Molly cringed on the inside. She couldn’t believe those words had come out of her mouth.

  Owen stood, grinning, wiping his gloved hands on the sides of his jeans. “Can’t complain about my view either,” he said. Molly’s cheeks warmed.

  “Ms. Dillinger, I was just about to have lunch. Would you like to join me?”

  It was almost lunchtime, and Molly was starving. She needed to fuel herself for upcoming events as well as see if she could get any additional information from Owen. “Sure. I would love that.”

  “Dad and I usually eat together at home, but he’s running an errand for Bea.”

  Owen and his father lived in a small house off to the side of the estate. Molly often wondered what it looked like inside. With the copy of Sleeping Beauty tucked underneath her arm, Molly walked with Owen to the small cottage-style home, passing Marina splashing in the pool and Oriana, Gretchen, and Scarlett having a conversation on the pool chairs. They quieted as Molly passed with Owen. Molly could only imagine the conversation that would follow, but she tried not to think about it.

  The cottage was white with a brown roof and lovely plants and flowers planted all around. Owen opened the door and let Molly enter first. She was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of musk and a familiar smell that reminded her of her gran
dfather’s pipe.

  The inside was nice and clean. Just as simple as Molly would have expected. “Ahh,” Owen said. “Lunch is already waiting on the table. The cooks always bring it over at noon on the dot.”

  The floor plan of the cottage was open, so the kitchen was visible from where Molly stood.

  “I’m going to go wash up,” Owen said. “You can have a seat at the table. I’ll be right back.”

  Molly settled into a chair and placed her book on the coffee table. The place was simple and looked very much like two men lived there, but two very clean men. That made Molly like Owen even more.

  The living room held a tan leather couch and two armchairs. There was a glass coffee table in the middle with several books on them. Molly was interested to see what the books were. The walls were filled with several pictures of forest scenes. A bookshelf filled another wall, holding books and small figurines of men with fishing poles.

  Owen emerged from the back, grinning. “I’m starving.”

  “Me too.”

  Owen took two plates from the cabinet and set them on the table. He removed the silver dome, revealing two massive roast beef sandwiches. They each took one and set them on their plates. “Dig in,” Owen said.

  Molly took a big bite, and by this time she wasn’t surprised by how impressed she was at the roast beef. Everything the cooks made at Everly Academy tasted like magic. It wasn’t until she was halfway through the sandwich that Molly realized she hadn’t been taking the small, dainty bites that her mother had taught her to take. She was eating as if she hadn’t had a bite to eat for days. She realized Owen didn’t make her nervous like other guys did. She felt comfortable with him, and he didn’t seem to mind that she was practically inhaling her sandwich.

  “So, what’s going on with the girls?” Owen asked.

  Molly told him everything from what Dr. Meyer had been doing to what Allison had revealed to them about breaking the curse.

  “Good for you, Ms. Dillinger. This is the most progress they’ve ever made. Or should we call you Detective Dillinger?”

  Molly rolled the thought over in her mind. “That does have a nice ring to it. However, I can’t take credit for it. It was the girls who brought the concern to me in the first place and Dru who made the placebo. That girl is brilliant.”

  Owen nodded. “That she is. I was having a conversation with her the other day and she made me feel dumber than a bump on a log because I had no idea what quantum physics was. They are all gifted in their own ways, and that’s what’s going to get them out of here, with a lot of help from their teacher, that is.”

  “I wonder what Bea is going to do to Dr. Meyer, though.”

  Owen shook his head. “Whatever it is, it isn’t going to be pretty. Bea doesn’t play games when it comes to those girls. They’re like her own children.”

  Molly thought for a second. “You would think Bea, being a fairy godmother and all, would have been able to detect that something was wrong with Meyer. She is the person who sought him out and brought him here.”

  “She’s a fairy. That doesn’t mean she’s perfect or knows everything. She had been reading articles on him and the great strides he had been making toward mental health and thought he would be perfect for Allison. When she found out he had a background in medical too, she just had to have him. Bea can be trusting to a fault, but she meant well. And then there’s . . .”

  Molly waited a moment for him to continue after his voice trailed off, but he never did. “Then there’s what?”

  Owen shoved the last bit of his sandwich into his mouth. “Don’t say anything. She doesn’t know we know, but Dad and I have noticed.”

  “Noticed what?”

  “That her magic isn’t as strong as it used to be. I don’t know why—fairies of her kind are supposed to be immortal—but I do know there’s things she used to be able to do that she can’t anymore.”

  Hearing that tugged at Molly’s heart. Being a fairy, magic was probably Bea’s most prized possession and the only real way she had of keeping the girls safe. She didn’t want to think about it.

  Owen pointed to the half of roast beef sandwich resting on Molly’s plate. “Are you going to finish that?”

  Although the sandwich had been perfectly delicious, Molly was stuffed. She couldn’t eat another bite if she wanted to. “Help yourself.”

  She wanted to steer the conversation away from Bea losing her magic. It was depressing. “Since we are one step closer to breaking this curse, what are you going to do when you get out of here? What was your life like before you got here?”

  Owen was quiet for a few moments as he thought. “Truthfully, as much as I want to leave this place, the thought is kind of scary. I’ve been here for five years, and it feels like home.”

  Molly could understand that. It was probably the same feeling a person got when they were released from prison after serving decades. Molly didn’t want to stay so long that the world she knew became a totally different place that she no longer belonged to. “I get that. Imagine how the girls must feel being here after two hundred years. What kind of life did you leave behind?” Molly asked.

  “My father and I owned a business where we remodeled people’s kitchens, mostly cabinets. We stayed busy and made a good living at it.”

  “Was it just you and your father?”

  Owen nodded. “Yes. Only child. My mom passed away when I was fifteen, and Dad never remarried.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that,” Molly said. “What was your social life like?” Molly hated herself for even asking the question. She wasn’t far from asking him if he had a girlfriend that he’d left behind. That was what she’d really wanted to know.

  “I didn’t do much. I liked to play sports. Spent my weekends with my friends on the court or at the sports bars. That is when my girlfriend wasn’t dragging me from one play or museum to another.”

  Girlfriend. He had a girlfriend.

  “Had you guys broken up before you came here?”

  “Nope. Bea sent her a Dear John letter, and that was the last she’d ever heard from me. Even though it wasn’t my fault, I feel awful for just disappearing on her. I can only imagine what she was thinking.”

  “So, you’re still technically dating. There’s a woman out there waiting for you.”

  Owen looked at her like she had two heads. “Molly, it’s been five years. I’m sure she’s moved on, especially after she got that letter from Bea. For all I know Haley’s married with kids by now. I’m sure I’m the farthest thing from her mind.”

  Molly guessed he had a point and felt silly for being jealous about a woman he hadn’t even seen in years. “Was your relationship serious? Did you love her?”

  “I did. She was the woman I was going to marry. I was saving for a ring. Haley was very particular about the ring she wanted, and I wanted her to have it.”

  Talk of engagement rings made the roast beef turn sour in her stomach. She thought back to her beautiful engagement ring, the one she had pawned. The one that now meant nothing.

  “How about you?”

  Clay was the last thing Molly wanted to talk about, and she was relieved that she had to get back to the house to meet the girls down in the war room. “I’d love to give you the lovely details of my last relationship, but some other time. I have to meet the girls now.”

  “Sure. I’m not going to forget, though. I need to know everything I can about Molly Dillinger.”

  Molly’s cheeks warmed, and she wasn’t sure how to reply to that. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”

  Owen walked her to the door, but before stepping out, Molly turned to him. “Where do you and your father go on Monday nights?”

  Owen squinted and gave her a half smile. “Nowhere that would interest you.”

  “Then tell me.”

  “I’m sorry, but Ms. Bea has sworn us to secrecy about that.”

  Molly was about to ask again when Owen cut her off. “Don’t you have to get back to the
girls?” He obviously wasn’t going to tell her what she wanted to know right then so she gave up—at least for the time being. Molly thanked Owen again for lunch and hurried back to the house where she found Bea waiting for her by the back door looking very solemn. “What’s the matter?” Molly asked.

  “The girls are in the war room waiting for us. I wanted to speak to you first.”

  “Okay.”

  “I have to warn you that we’re opening a can of worms here that we may not be able to close.”

  Molly scratched her chin. “What does that mean?”

  “I gave them their powers to protect themselves. Ms. Halifax and I have been working painstakingly hard to keep the girls working together instead of turning on each other.”

  Molly thought back to the Midnight Society and the alliances the girls had built. Did Bea know about them?

  Ms. Bea continued. “The last thing we need is the girls using their powers on each other. The first rule of this house is that powers may only be used in the war room for practice purposes and the weapons must be kept locked away at all times.”

  Molly understood. These girls’ lives lay in each other’s hands. They could take each other out at any time, and Bea had to keep that from happening. “I get it. I’ll reiterate that powers should only be used against enemies.”

  Bea still looked plenty worried. Molly couldn’t blame her. The more desperate the girls became to break their curses, the more cutthroat things could become. She hoped things wouldn’t take an ugly turn. She followed Bea down two flights of stairs where they ended up in a dark, deserted corridor. They came to a metal door. To the right of the door was a pad with numbers on it. Bea punched six buttons and the door slid open, revealing the largest room Molly had ever seen.

  The room had marble floors and golden walls. There was a huge pool in the middle and a large wooden cabinet against the side wall. The girls stood around in a group chatting. They fell quiet when Molly and Bea entered.

  “Girls,” Bea began. “I shouldn’t have to remind you of the rules, but I will anyway. Your weapons and powers are for practicing only, never to be used on each other. Anyone who cannot follow these rules shall have their weapon or power taken away, rendering them defenseless. Do you understand?”