Crowns and Curses

by V. B. Marlowe

  She forced one foot in front of the over and entered the narrow opening. Molly switched on her lantern which cast eerie shadows on the walls. It might have been her imagination running wild, but some of the shadows looked like spindly arms reaching for her. The crevice's entryway was a tight squeeze. Molly had never felt claustrophobic in her life, but she did at that moment. A boulder was planted at the center of the tiny cavity. On it was a piece of paper rolled up and tied with a silky red ribbon.

  Molly dropped her pack and placed the lantern on the ground beside her. Kneeling before the large stone, she took the rolled-up paper in her hand. The words Molly Dillinger were written on the outside in neatly printed letters.

  With shaking hands, Molly slid the ribbon off and unrolled the paper, eager, yet afraid to see what was written on it.

  Molly Dillinger, here is your temptation. These are the conditions: if you choose to accept the temptation, this journey will immediately come to an end for everyone. The others will be sent back to the academy, and no elixir will be earned.

  Suddenly the wall lit up before her. A square of light appeared, and gradually a picture began to form. It was like watching a television with a blurry screen. It took a few seconds for Molly to make out what was happening. The scene was the Dillinger's living room. Her heart climbed to her throat as her mother appeared sitting in her favorite chair. Her throat tightened at the sight of her mother. Dorothy Dillinger took a crumpled tissue and dabbed her red, puffy eyes. Her mother was the strongest person Molly knew, and there were only a few times she'd seen her cry. Her mother had probably been spending a great deal of time crying. A swell of guilt rose in her chest even though it wasn't her fault.

  Her father appeared, handing her mother a cup of tea on a purple saucer. Her mother took the tea, looking up at her husband gratefully. Mr. Dillinger looked as if he’d aged ten years since Molly had last seen him a little over a month ago. He bent over and kissed Mrs. Dillinger on the forehead.

  "Mom! Dad!" Molly screamed even though she knew they couldn't hear her. Her mother took a dainty sip of tea, and her father left the room.

  Molly couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so terrible. All the time she'd spent fighting with her mother and resenting how overbearing and judgmental she had been meant nothing to Molly now. Her mother was one of the few people who would always love her unconditionally, and no matter what she did, she meant well. Molly missed her father and how he always lessened her mother's tight grip on her life. He only wanted her to be content. It didn't matter to him what career she chose or how many high-society friends she had. If she was happy, he was happy. They must have been torn up having no idea where she was or if she was even still alive and she hated that.

  Molly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “Okay!” Her voice bounced off the walls. “What does this have to do with anything?”

  As if to answer her question, a scratching sound came from the note. Molly dropped it and watched it flutter to the ground. New words appeared as if being written by an invisible pen.

  If you choose this temptation, you will be transported to your parents’ home right away and have no further dealings with Everly Academy or its inhabitants.

  Molly's mind spun. This should have been an easy decision. All she'd ever wanted was to go home from the second she discovered what Everly Academy really was. Now that she had the opportunity, all she had to do was take it. She could hug her parents and finally relieve them of the pain of not knowing. She could put the whole crazy ordeal behind her and go on with her life.

  Molly could find a real teaching job and start her life over wherever she wanted. She pictured herself meeting new people and learning to live independently.

  She thought about what would happen to the girls. They would have no idea what Molly had done. Everyone would be whisked back to Everly with no elixir and no Molly. They trusted her. Ms. Bea trusted her. Aside from the girls, Owen and everyone who lived at Everly was counting on her. If she accepted the temptation, would she be able to live with herself? Probably not.

  On one hand, she wouldn't have to face them ever again, but she knew that every minute of every day she would be thinking about them all, wondering if they ever got out. They would be wondering what happened to her and why she had abandoned them.

  Molly shook her head. “But why should I feel guilty? Technically, I never agreed to this. Ms. Bea brought me here with lies. Would it really be so bad if I gave up and left?" More words appeared on the paper.

  You don’t owe anyone anything.

  That was true. Molly turned her attention back to the wall. Where the picture of her mother was slowly fading. She would have given anything for just a few more moments. Mrs. Dillinger had never been much of a hugger, but Molly remembered how she'd held her after Clay had broken her heart. She longed for that feeling again. Molly felt safe because she knew everything would be okay. She needed that feeling to return.

  Molly closed her eyes and thought for a long time. She was almost ashamed of herself for taking so long to make the right decision. She held the paper tightly in her hands. “I reject this temptation.” Even as the words left her mouth, she wasn’t sure she’d made the best choice. What if she died before she could leave Everly? That would have been tragic considering she had been given the opportunity to save herself.

  More writing appeared at the bottom of the page. Very well. Gretchen.

  Molly took one last look at the wall. It was dark, and the picture of her mother had vanished. She slid her pack over her shoulders and grabbed her lantern. Before emerging from the small cavern, she brushed her tears away with the back of her hand. She didn't want the girls to know she had been crying.

  Ammit watched her as she emerged. She shifted a bit and grunted. As Molly hurried around the lake of fire, worry gnawed at her insides. There were three temptations. Surely Gretchen would be tempted and then someone else after her. What if they couldn't deny the temptation? What would that mean for everyone else? Molly pushed the thoughts away trying to believe that they would do what was right, but she sincerely hoped that Isleen wasn’t going to be given the last temptation. There was no telling what she would do.

  When she made it back to the girls, they were eagerly waiting for her to tell them what had happened in the cavern. Molly told them about everything from the letter to seeing her parents.

  “Wow,” Gretchen said. “You gave up the chance to go home for us?”

  Molly thought the more she heard those words, the more it would make her sure of her decision, but it didn’t. “Yes. I’m in this for the long haul. I’m in this until we can all get out. They want Gretchen next.”

  The color drained from Gretchen's rosy cheeks. "Oh. All right." She retrieved her pack and sword before making her way around the lake, moving slowly as if she never wanted to reach the chamber. Molly took a seat on the ground beside the others who watched her in silence.

  23

  GRETCHEN

  The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was, in reality, a wicked witch who lay in wait for children and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there.

  Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

  GRETCHEN’S MIND WAS PULLED in a hundred different directions as she made the long trek around the lake of fire. Sweat dripped down her body as the heat permeating from the lake wrapped her in a vicious hug. If she were to take her clothes off and wring them out, she imagined that she could fill a cup with her sweat. There was a spot where the space between the lake and the cavern wall was dangerously narrow. Gretchen slowed down and moved gingerly to keep her balance. One wrong move would lead her to a quick, but excruciatingly painful death.

  Ms. Dillinger passed up the opportunity to leave this all behind and go home. She did it for us. Would I be able to do the same? “Of course, I would,” she assured herself.

  These girls are my sisters. I've known them for over two hundred years, and I could never betray them. I could never do th
at to Ms. Bea who has dedicated her life to protect us.

  She made it to the cavern before she knew it. She faltered being so close to Ammit. What if Ammit decided to gobble her up because she didn't feel Gretchen's heart was pure enough? Izzy had done a great job telling them horror stories about the creature while they had been waiting for Ms. Dillinger.

  As she neared the Ammit, she didn't move, but she observed her from the side of her eye. Pausing at the dark opening, Gretchen took a deep breath before stepping inside. She scrambled to turn her lantern on because the darkness frightened her. She never told anyone about her greatest fear because she thought it was silly to be seventeen and afraid of the dark. It reminded her of the ink-black nights she and her brother Henry spent in the woods where their father had abandoned them. They had no lanterns or candles to help them find their way. They could only depend on the moon for light, and many times the clouds felt the need to not even grant them that.

  Gretchen's gaze fell on a piece of paper rolled tightly with a ribbon. Eager to get the task over with, Gretchen quickly unwrapped it, letting the ribbon float to the floor. She read the letter aloud to herself. "Dear, Gretchen. Here is your temptation. Should you choose to accept it, this journey will be over immediately, and everyone will return to Everly Academy with no elixir. If you give in to this temptation, you will get to spend one day with your brother, Henry."

  Just reading Henry's name made her heart hurt. He had been her entire world before she came to Everly Academy. When their mother passed away, and their father had married that cruel woman who despised them, all they had to depend on was each other. Henry had been more than her brother. He was her best friend.

  She couldn't imagine what it would have been like to be left alone in the woods without Henry there. She probably would have died. When they foolishly nibbled on the candy house they stumbled upon and were captured by the witch, Henry was the reason she was free. The cruel witch had burned her brother in the oven, but poor Henry didn't die. They had been cursed with immortality and being frozen in time, so he had to live with his painful blistered skin and smoke-filled lungs. He had risked his life trying to save her, and he was still alive out there somewhere looking for her. She couldn’t wait for the day she would be reunited with him.

  Being able to spend one day with him would be priceless. They could catch up and talk about what they'd been up to for the past two centuries. They could talk about old times, even though there weren't many happy moments, the two of them had always made the best of their situation. It would give her so much peace just to know her brother was okay and to tell him that she was just fine.

  But what would it cost her? Henry was her family but so were the girls. She considered them all her sisters even when they fought or had disagreements, that's what families did. It would have been selfish for her to betray them in such a way just to have a day with Henry. Ms. Dillinger had given up the chance to be free of Everly, and she'd just met them.

  Gretchen closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Henry. I know I'll see you soon one day, but I can't accept this temptation. We're going to break the curses for all of us, you included, but we're going to have to wait just a little while longer to see each other."

  More writing appeared at the bottom of the page asking her to summon Lily next. Gretchen stared at the letter for a long time. She knew she had made the right decision, but it felt so wrong. How would Henry feel if he knew she had passed up the opportunity for them to see each other? Would he understand that it would work out better for them in the long run?

  She stepped out of the alcove and peered at the girls waiting for her on the other side of the lake of fire. She felt better about her decision. There was no way she would have been able to tell them that the journey was over and that they were no closer to breaking the curses.

  “They want you, Lily,” Gretchen said once she made it back to the group although she had no idea who “they” was.

  Lily didn't move for a moment. Everyone watched Gretchen, and she knew what they wanted. They wanted to ask her what had happened, but she wasn't ready to share the details. "I didn't take the temptation," she said before moving away from the group. She needed some alone time.

  24

  Lily

  When Lily arrived at the alcove, she wasted no time reading her temptation. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to accept it. One thing she knew about temptations, the result of succumbing to them was never good.

  Her letter read:

  Dear Lily, should you give in to this temptation, you and your group will immediately return to the academy, no elixir earned. Here is your temptation: Part of your curse will be broken. While you will remain at Everly until you obtain an elixir, Peter Pan and Wendy will never revisit you.

  Lily’s eyes watered because she’d never wanted anything more in her life than to never see those two again. It may have sounded silly to some, but a person who had experienced unrequited love would understand. It was like having a blade permanently wedged into her heart. When Peter and Wendy came to her room, she couldn’t breathe, think, or even move. The pain of lost love paralyzed her.

  Peter Pan had come into her life with no warning like a tornado. She had never met anyone like him before. Her father had been trying to marry her off to a high-standing man in her tribe, but she wanted none of them. She had no idea how to put it into words, but there was just something about Peter that captivated her.

  He wasn't afraid of anything. Nothing got under his skin. Lily loved the way he led and took care of the Lost Boys. It was the same way she looked out for Allison and her friends. For a while, the feeling had been mutual. Peter was falling for her just like she'd fallen for him, but then Wendy happened.

  Wendy and her two brothers had somehow been tossed into Lily and Peter's world. Lily could never put her finger on it, but there was something about Wendy that she didn't like right off the bat. She was almost too perfect, and people who seemed too perfect were always hiding something. Tink, Peter's fairy friend, hadn't cared much for Wendy either and Lily considered fairies to be outstanding judges of character.

  Lily never knew what made him choose Wendy over her, but it was something. Wendy was undeniably beautiful; tall and lean with milky skin and brunette curls. However, Lily was a beauty herself and Peter wasn’t the type to be caught up in superficiality.

  Lily was gutted when Peter declared his love for Wendy, but she knew somehow she would get over it. People got their hearts broken every day, and they moved on. Unfortunately, at that time she had no idea that they would come to her balcony to rub their undying love in her face every night. Salt in the wound over and over again.

  Lily had no idea how that even worked. Peter and Wendy weren’t cursed children. They hadn’t been cursed to stay frozen in time like Lily and the other girls at Everly, so Lily didn’t know if it was their ghosts, spirits, or what. She just knew it was pure torment.

  Wendy would sing a love song she wrote for Peter. She had the most beautiful voice. Peter would tell her how she was the most amazing girl in the world and how he would always love her no matter what until the end of time. It was absolutely impossible to get over the person who broke your heart when they made personal visits to your balcony every single night. Even if she were somewhere else in the house, they would find her. There was nowhere to hide. Lily always thought she would give anything to get rid of those two, but now that the situation had presented itself, she couldn’t. She wasn’t willing to betray the other girls.

  New words appeared at the bottom of the page. Are you sure? Lily found that a bit disturbing because she hadn't spoken any words aloud. It was like the piece of paper could read her thoughts. Even though she didn't want it to, her mind wandered. She imagined what it would be like to have one peaceful night without Peter and Wendy. In fact, she had experienced it the night before when they'd slept in the desert. Thankfully they couldn't follow her into the alter-realms. She wanted to have that serenity every night. She wanted to have sweet dr
eams for once.

  She pictured the girls and how disappointed they would be if they had gone through all that only to go back to the academy being no closer to reaching their goal. How could she look Ms. Bea in the face after she'd used so much of her limited magic to create the portal? Lily would still be stuck at Everly, and she would have to look them in the face every single day. How could she possibly explain it to Allison?

  Lily set the paper down. There was no way she could betray her best friends in that way. She knew, except for Izzy, that none of them would do it to her.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” she said aloud. “You can keep your temptation.”

  Lily shielded her eyes as the paper started to glow. It blanked, and different words appeared. Her eyes widened at the new message.

  A sweeter offer . . .

  Here is your temptation. Your journey will come to an end with no elixir. Your prize—Isleen, your arch nemesis, the girl who tried to murder you will be bound to the lake of fire for eternity. The choice is yours.

  Lily read the words seven more times before they sank in. She could get rid of Izzy forever. She would not only be doing herself but everyone else a favor.

  She had to think about what that really meant. Izzy would spend the rest of eternity in unimaginable pain with no relief. That was a fate she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy who happened to be Izzy.

  Lily took several deep breaths. Izzy was the worst. No matter how hard Lily tried to be patient and understanding with her, she just couldn't stand her. All she did was cause trouble, spout wisecracks, and try to make everyone as miserable as she was. Even when Lily gave her chances and tried to be her friend, Izzy would do something to remind her why she couldn't be trusted.

  Izzy had done a lot of horrible things over the years, but trying to kill Lily took the cake. Lily wasn't surprised. Izzy's mind hadn't been right since she'd known her and perpetual insomnia only made it worse.