“You lost your powers,” Miss May shook her head sadly. “And all because of a stupid cookie.”
“She did this to me!” He pointed to Wolf. He shook his fist at her, and I could see the way Wolf’s face suddenly looked crushed.
“What is with your vendetta against Miss Wolf?” Mr. Potts asked. “She’s done nothing but try to save the day. You have no right to be yelling at her. We all know it was Anastasia’s cookies that ruined your magical abilities. Everyone told you not to eat it.”
“She’s a wolf!” He said, practically screaming.
“Yes, yes, we all know. Natasha’s last name is Wolf,” Mr. Potts shrugged. “No big deal.”
“No,” Codsworth shook his head. “She’s a shapeshifter. She’s an actual wolf!”
A gasp went through the auditorium, and for a second, I thought Wolf was going to be upset. After all, this had been her closely guarded secret for a long time. She stepped forward then, but her face didn’t look angry. In fact, she looked confused.
“That’s why you don’t like me? You don’t like that I’m a shifter?”
“So, you admit that it’s true!”
“Of course, it’s true,” she said. “There are many shapeshifters at the school. That doesn’t make us bad students. It just means we’re different.”
“This is a school for serious magic users,” Codsworth screamed. “You don’t deserve to be here!”
He raised his hand as though he was going to slap Wolf in the face, but Mr. Potts caught his arm and bound both of Codsworth’s hands quickly behind his back with magical rope.
“What are you doing?” He snapped. “This is preposterous!”
“You openly admitted to hating students who are shifters,” said Potts. “Not only that, but you publicly outed a student whose shifter status was quite private. I believe Miss Hex would be quite interested to know that not only have you been bullying her students, but that you’ve been embarrassing them and discriminating against them, as well.”
Codsworth continued to fuss and complain as Potts led him away, but the other teachers gathered around Wolf, Beast, and me.
“Where is Anastasia now?” One of the teacher’s asked.
“Stacy...Anastasia...she’s in the tower,” Wolf managed to say. “Red is there watching her. His grandma is there, too. She was put under a sleeping spell by Stacy. She’s awake now. The spell wore off, but she’s still very groggy and quite weak. She might need help.”
Miss May shook her head.
“That’s why we all call Anastasia Sleeping Beauty,” Miss May said. “She got in trouble for casting a sleeping spell last year, and if rumor serves correct, she was playing that game in middle school, too. Her magic isn’t very strong and the spells never last too long, but damn if they aren’t annoying as hell to deal with.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes,” said Miss Thomas. “Anastasia has been causing quite a stir, but I didn’t think she’d go this far.” She shook her head sadly and gathered up the cookies. “I’ll dispose of these.” She took the two plates and left, wandering out of the room. I wondered how she was going to destroy magically poison cookies, but it wasn’t really the time or place to ask questions.
“All right,” Miss May turned to the auditorium. “The bake-off is canceled. If you are a student, return to your dorms. If you’re a teacher, please come here so we can gather up and go help Red and Granny. I know you all appreciate her cookies and cocoa as much as I do. Let’s show her how much Enchanted Academy truly cares.”
Nobody argued. Everybody just started getting up and moving around.
“Wow,” I said to Wolf. “You did it. You stopped her before she could hurt Grandma.”
“No,” she shook her head. “We did it. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“And without me,” Beast added cockily.
“Students,” Miss May said. “Back to your rooms. I’ll come talk with you later to ask you for your full statements about what happened. I know Miss Hex will be curious to hear what happened, as well, once she returns.”
“Okay,” I said. Wolf and I turned to leave. Beast did, too, but Miss May stopped him.
“Not you,” she said.
“What? Why not me?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Word on the street is that you were spotted in the girl’s dormitory this afternoon.”
“What? But I was busy saving the world!”
She shook her head. “Beast, you know what that means.”
He was totally, completely grounded.
Chapter 13
“So,” Beast said. “I guess you know my secret now.”
“I guess I do.”
“You don’t think less of me?”
“No.”
“Not at all?”
“Not even a little.”
I was sitting in the hallway on campus and he was in the detention room. Obviously, I couldn’t go into the boy’s dormitory. I didn’t want to experience Beast’s punishment for myself. There was an invisible wall in place that kept him in the detention room for a set number of hours each day. He could go in when he liked, but once he was in the room, the magical barrier prevented him from leaving until his sentence was served.
It had been three days since everything happened and this was supposed to be the last day.
It was the first time I was seeing Beast, though, because everything had been so chaotic and crazy. Helena Hex had come back from her trip and was quite surprised to find her entire school almost completely in chaos. She was not surprised to hear that Stacy had been causing trouble, but she hadn’t expected she would poison anyone.
Stacy had been sent away. I didn’t know where she’d been sent or what the punishment for her offenses had been, but it sounded pretty bad. None of the teachers would talk about it, so I wondered if there was some sort of jail for bad witches. Either way, I thought Codsworth was there, too. Helena had been beyond pissed to discover that he’d been harassing Wolf simply because she was, well, a shifter.
“I never tell anyone,” he told me. He looked nervous about this.
“You don’t have to worry. Your secret it safe with me.”
I wasn’t about to go telling anyone at all what he’d confided in me. I wasn’t that kind of girl. I wasn’t the type of person who would just go spreading rumors or sharing gossip. Whether or not it was true didn’t matter. What mattered was that this was his secret.
I was going to keep it for him.
“Thanks,” he said. “You know, you’re not as bad as I thought you were going to be.”
“Is that your idea of a compliment? Because no offense, but it sort of sucks.”
“Sorry,” he looked a little crestfallen.
“What’s with you, anyway?” I said, scooting closer to the barrier. “Sometimes it seems like you’re really nice and sometimes you seem...I don’t know. Bossy.”
“You think I’m a bully?”
Should I lie? I used to, back when I was a foster kid. Back then, it was the only way to stay even sort-of alive and out of harm’s way. Lying was what got me dinner. It got me to stay under the radar. It kept me from being hurt.
Enchanted Academy was supposed to be a fresh start for me, though. It was supposed to be the one place I could go to escape from my own reality.
I’d known plenty of bullies during my time at Millbrook High, but had I ever known a guy like Beast? That was the real question.
“Sometimes you’re mean,” I said slowly. “But you also have a lot of redeeming qualities.”
“Yeah, like what?” He said, as though he didn’t think I could come up with a single thing.
“Well, you came with us to find Grandma.”
“Red made me.”
“Beast, I don’t think anyone’s ever made you do a single thing in your entire life.”
“He totally forced me.”
“And you climbed up the tower with me,” I continued listing things. “And you f
lew us back to save the day. We halted the event. I mean, Codsworth still got a bad ending, but we saved all of the other judges and any students who might have sampled the goods, so to speak.”
He looked at me through the little barrier, and he held up a hand to it.
He waited, looking at me, but he didn’t say anything, and I knew this was another one of those moments where everything changed.
Or nothing, depending on what I did.
This was, once again, my chance to take a leap. I could take a stand. I could make a difference.
Or I could do nothing.
But oh, I was so past doing nothing.
I lifted my hand and pressed it against his. Even through the magical barrier, I could feel his touch. We sat like that for a long time.
“You didn’t have to save me,” I told him. “You didn’t have to save everyone, but you did. You’re a hero.”
“I don’t feel like a hero,” he said sadly.
“You’re my hero,” I whispered.
He looked up at me sharply, as though he couldn’t believe what I’d said. I needed to say something quickly to fill in the silence, but just then, Red and Wolf came scurrying down the hallway. They were holding hands and laughing. They came right up to us. Beast and I dropped our hands.
“What’s up?” They said, sitting down next to me on the floor.
“Hey, sorry about your detention,” Red said. “Totally not cool.”
“Well, you could have done the honorable thing and admitted you were with me,” Beast said drily.
“Uh, yeah,” Red shook his head. “So not going to happen.”
“Whatever, man. Enjoy your making out.”
Wolf blushed about thirty shades of red, and I started laughing loudly.
“You deserved that one,” I said.
“I mean, I know but,” she shook her head. “You don’t have to call me out, Beast.”
Beast just smiled.
“So how did everything go with Miss Hex?” I asked. Red and Wolf had just met with her to discuss Grandma’s condition.
“Good,” Red said. “Grandma is recovering really well, but she’s still in the medical ward for a few more days.”
“Will she be able to go back to baking cookies?”
“Feeling hungry?” Red asked.
“No,” I lied. I had missed her baking, but I’d missed her just being around. It always felt nice having her on campus. She was like a grandmother to absolutely everyone.
“She’ll be back next week,” Red laughed.
“Miss Hex also suggested that Grandma move into the dorms,” Wolf added.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, so she’ll get her own suite on the first floor and then she’ll be close by.”
“What will happen to her house?” Beast asked.
“I’m not sure,” Red said. “They might turn it into a museum or even a classroom. I’m sure we’ll find out.”
We sat together, chatting and laughing for awhile. Everything felt comfortable and relaxing. Everything felt good, like this was how it was supposed to be. Everything felt absolutely complete.
It was perfect, really.
It was everything I’d ever wanted it to be.
For the first time in a very long time, I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t stressed. I wasn’t worried. I was hanging out with my friends and the boy I liked and somehow, it seemed like no matter what happened next, everything was going to be just fine.
And even if it wasn’t, that’s what friends were for, and we could figure it all out.
Together.
Epilogue
Tinkerbell peered out from her hiding spot. She’d been here before. She’d been here a million times, in fact. The stage was the one place she felt like she belonged. Life at Enchanted Academy had always been confusing for her, and strange. She’d never really fit in completely. Not entirely.
And she wanted so very much to fit in.
What she knew was that when you were on stage, you were equal. Everyone was. No matter what you were going through, no matter what demons you were wrestling with, no matter what: when you walked across the theater stage, you were all the same.
It was strange for her to be watching, rather than performing, but that’s what she was doing. Tonight, she was just an observer. She was watching to see how the other actors prepared for their scenes the next day. They weren’t supposed to use magic to remember their lines or to incorporate props into the production. That just wasn’t allowed, even though she knew some people did.
No, theater at Enchanted Academy was all about using the non-magical things in the world to make everything seem more wonderful than it was.
And oh, she knew they could be wonderful.
Peter was on stage tonight. He was performing his scene with Hook. Together, the two of them stood in the center of the elevated stage, and they went through their lines for the upcoming production of: A Very Witchy Wish.
“It’s not fair,” Peter said loudly.
“Oh, it’s completely fair,” Hook countered. She stood a few steps away from him, and turned toward him while he spoke. Excellent stage presence. That’s what Hook had going for her. She wasn’t particularly nice and she wasn’t always kind or sweet, but she could command the audience to look at her, and they always did.
“No,” Peter shook his head. “It is not. When my father sent me to study as your apprentice, he never dreamed that you were as evil as you actually are.” He frowned, narrowing his eyes at Hook.
A shiver shot through Tinkerbell.
If she didn’t know they were acting, she might have thought they were actually having a fight. It certainly felt like it at a time like this. Peter was a tall, lanky boy. He towered over Tinkerbell and he was just slightly taller than Hook. Together, Peter and Hook did a great job communicating with each other. Their banter on stage was always beautiful to watch.
Tonight it was practically unbeatable.
Hook stepped across the stage. She moved swiftly and with purpose. As she walked, her gaze centered directly on Peter. As far as Hook was concerned, nothing else existed. The rest of the world just faded away and the two of them were left wanting one another.
Needing one another.
Desiring one another.
“Say that again,” she said.
“Never.”
“Say it,” Hook demanded. “Say your words. Say them again so I can hear just how vile and cruel you truly are.”
Peter shook his head.
Tinkerbell held her own hands tightly, anxiously. She was so nervous that she thought she might freak out if she wasn’t careful. She needed to stay calm. Okay, so she wasn’t supposed to be watching this private practice session. Peter and Hook had to run their lines and they liked doing it when no one was around. They had the stage to themselves at night and they trusted that they were alone.
It was just that Tinkerbell really liked watching.
Observing Peter and Hook was like watching a beautifully choreographed dance. One person took a step forward and the other one took a step back. Then they reversed. They made their movements in time and that was how they moved the production forward.
“You are nothing,” Peter said harshly.
Hook stood still and dropped her hands to her sides. Even though this was part of the play, Tinkerbell felt the pain and the agony in her heart that Hook’s character was feeling.
“Nothing,” Peter repeated. “And don’t even let anyone think that you are.”
“You thought I was more than nothing,” she stage-whispered. “Once upon a time you did, anyway.”
“That was a long time ago,” he said.
He glared at her and lifted his fake sword. It was harmless, Tinkerbell knew, but this scene was the one that would change everything. In this scene, Peter and Hook would duel. They hadn’t worked out all of the kinks in their choreography. There were still some places where the movements were sloppy and messy. There were a few places where they had to tight
en up their movements so that everything would appear seamless and wonderful.
Right now, though, all they had to do was move.
And so they moved.
Hook pulled out her sword and instantly dove forward. Peter dodged, moving to the side. He laughed loudly, and his voice filled the theater.
How beautiful was this going to look on opening night?
How fantastic?
Tinkerbell couldn’t wait. She had been dreaming of working with these actors since she started school at Enchanted Academy and now it was finally her chance. Now she had finally learned enough to be able to make a name for herself, and she was going to do an incredible job in their play.
She stayed where she was for what felt like hours. She watched as Hook and Peter repeated their lines and went through their fight sequence again and again. They spent more than two hours working on their scenes, but Tink didn’t mind. She stayed right where she was: hiding in the rafters, and she looked at them like nothing else mattered.
Because to her, it didn’t.
Hook and Peter were her heroes.
She’d do anything for them.
“You’ll never defeat me,” Peter yelled out, charging at Hook in slow-motion.
But suddenly, something didn’t feel right.
A sort of chill swept through the auditorium. Hook and Peter seemed to feel it, too, because they stopped what they were doing.
“Did you feel something?” Hook asked. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Yeah,” Peter said, but before he could finish his sentence, the lights went out for just a moment. They flickered, turning off completely, and then they came back on.
Only Peter was gone.
Well, thought Tink. That certainly wasn’t supposed to happen.
The Fairy
Enchanted Academy
L.C. Mortimer
Story copyright by L.C. Mortimer
Once upon a time...
To taking chances.
Boarding schools aren't for the faint of heart.
Neither are fairy tales.
Enchanted Academy Box Set Page 20
