Flunked (15 page)

“Harlow? What is going on down here?” Alva falters when she sees the Wolf on all fours. He springs toward her and Alva holds out her mirror, zapping him to the floor.

That's when I make a break for Harlow's mirror, diving on top of it. Alva screams, and I take that moment to perfect the sleight-of-hand move I've used countless times in the village. I take the fake mirror out of my sleeve and place the real one inside it. Then I prepare to crunch the phony one with my work boot. “Take one more step and I'll break the mirror,” I tell her. “You won't be able to cast the spell without it.”

Alva begins to cackle. “You foolish child! That mirror is made from fairy's blood. It can't be broken by human hands.” She uncurls her fist and places her palm up. “Give it to me.” I hold the mirror tighter, feeling my heart beat inside my chest. “I have to do everything myself,” she grumbles, and I feel the mirror fly from my hands to Alva's free hand.

I hold my breath and watch as the Wicked One caresses the mirror in her hands. Her eyes widen. “Why, you little thief!”

“Gilly, now!” Jocelyn screams and I watch as she tries to put a shield up around me.

Sliding Harlow's mirror out of my sleeve, I aim it at the real mirror in Alva's other hand. A silver ray flies out before Alva can react. The connection causes an explosion that sends us both flying backward to the ground. The ground shakes and large chunks of the ceiling begin to cave in. I feel slightly dizzy and my ears are ringing. Above us, I can hear screaming. Alva stands back up, clutching her side, which is bleeding, and I worry I'm done for. I don't think I could get up right now if I tried. We lock eyes as we hear the sound of people and footsteps heading our way.

“Down here!” I hear Pete shout. Better late than never.

Alva's face may be bruised, her once beautiful hair may be singed, but her gaze doesn't falter as she stares at me, the thief who just beat her.

“This is far from over,” she whispers and then with a
poof
, she's gone.

It took almost a week for the FTRS crew to clean up the mess left behind by Alva. It took another for the students to be allowed to leave their dorm rooms unaccompanied by a teacher, which was tough since there wasn't enough staff left to cover the students. Harlow was in the dungeons. Madame Cleo was on a month-long spiritual retreat near the Enchanted Sea. Professor Wolfington had disappeared. Most of the students I knew still didn't understand what had happened. They were rattled. And they hadn't had to fight Sleeping Beauty's tormentor.

It was time to get some answers, and there was only one person still around to give them: Headmistress Flora.

The day we were allowed to roam the halls freely again, we made a beeline for Flora's office. Painters and workers were still hanging new art, painting walls, and cleaning rugs. The area of the school near the ballroom was off-limits due to debris and unstable ground. For now, we were being schooled in the main building. Headmistress Flora insisted life get back to normal as quickly as possible.

But we all knew things were anything but normal.

“Come in,” the Wicked Stepmother says when we knock on her door. “I was going to have Miri call you down so I could talk to you myself. Please, have a seat.”

I haven't been in Flora's office since that day I stole a scroll to see what she had planned for the ball. Before that, I was there the day I arrived at FTRS. “I think I'll stand.”

Flora nods. “Understandable.” She threads her fingers together. “I believe you all have some questions for me.” The five of us start talking at once. Flora holds up her hand. “Maybe I should go first,” she suggests, and runs a hand through the tight bun in her hair. “I assume you want to know if your teachers were working with Alva.” The room is so quiet you can hear Maxine's patent leather shoes tapping. “Well, the answer is yes.” Maxine inhales sharply. “Just not in the way you think.”

Flora rises and steps around her desk, much as she did the day I arrived at FTRS. Her dark gray gown makes her look like she's in mourning. “We knew she had things planned for the royals and Enchantasia. What we didn't know was what. We met with her when we could in the Hollow Woods, making it seem as if we were ready to join forces with her. Sadly, it seems Professor Harlow wanted to for real.” She looks at me intently. “This was not a matter we wanted our students entangled in. Your safety is our utmost concern, and going up against Alva at the ball was foolish.” She purses her lips. “That said, without you and Professor Wolfington, none of us might be here today.”

“Are you going to tell
Happily
Ever
After
Scrolls
how awesome we were?” Ollie asks eagerly, rubbing his arm where it was bandaged after Jocelyn's shield singed him. “Or pardon us and let us leave early like Harlow was going to do with Gilly?”

Headmistress Flora shakes her head. “I'm afraid that wouldn't be wise. Alva knows who you are now, and the safest place for you is here at FTRS with us.”

Alva is coming for me. She pretty much said that. And no one I know is safe until she's taken care of. I think of how we fared against her when we worked together. Kayla's wings got damaged from Harlow's magic and she won't be flyable for a while. Maxine got away with a slight concussion. I have some more nicks and bruises, and Jax had some rocks fall on him during the explosion and is on crutches. Still, we're alive.

“Have you heard from Professor Wolfington?” Maxine asks. “I always liked him, even if he did try to bite me in the dungeon.”

Flora shakes her head. “He'll resurface when he's ready. I know he is inconsolable about letting his dark side out. It isn't easy letting the world see the monster you once were and hoped to never be again.”

“Professor Harlow has no problem with that,” I mumble.

Flora raises an eyebrow. “No, I'm afraid she doesn't. Hence her living assignment in the dungeon until further notice.”

“I can't believe you let Jocelyn go,” Jax complains. “She practically let Harlow kill Gilly!”

“Jocelyn is a troubled girl,” Flora agrees, “but she has assured me she was not aware of her sister's actual doings with Alva.” We start to protest, but Flora cuts us off. “Until I know otherwise, it is my job to believe her. She will stay here as a student—under my watchful eye, of course.”

I'm not sure that's smart, but we have bigger problems than Jocelyn. No one knows when Alva will strike again or what she has planned next. Jax hasn't been able to find out anything from his father. He's made us swear not to blow his cover with Flora. For now, we have to keep some secrets of our own. I'm sure the formerly Wicked Stepmother is doing the same.

“My job is to watch over all of my students, including you, Kayla.” Flora puts a hand on Kayla's shoulder. “I know all about your deal with Rumpelstiltskin, and I promise that together we will find a way to lift the spell on your family.”

Kayla tears up. “Thank you.”

“So what's our next move?” I ask.

“
Your
next move is to go back to being students,” Flora says. “Take a day off from all these dark doings and have fun.”

Fun?
We look at her like she's grown three heads.

“Miri, tell them what I have planned,” Flora says.

Miri's brass mirror begins to glow. “There's a picnic lunch set up in the garden and a game of dodgeball waiting to be had in the courtyard, which has just been cleared of debris. And I'm told the ice cream is melting, so you don't want to wait too long to get out there.”

“I'm up for that!” Ollie cheers.

“Good! Now go before I change my mind and have you write a paper!” Flora jokes. I never thought I'd see the day. “Oh, but first, I have something for Gillian.” She pulls a note with a royal seal out of her desk drawer. We gather around to read it.

“Wow. Does that mean someone in the royal family is actually nice?” Jax says, feigning shock as he shifts from one crutch to the other. “Who would have thought that would happen?”

I give him a look. “Thanks,” I say, blushing as I look at our headmistress. “I'm sorry for calling you a stepmonster. And for, you know, thinking you were a villain again. I still have a lot of questions though.”

Flora looks mildly amused. “Apology accepted, and I promise to answer more of your questions when your professors are back. You know, Gillian, villains
think
they have power, but the mistake they always make is the same—they have no idea how to use it.” She scratches her chin. “True power is learning how to put others first and not judge a book by its cover, so to speak. I think you're doing a good job of that here at FTRS.” She pauses. “But you still have a way to go before your stay is up.”

“That's okay,” I say. “I don't mind it here anymore.”

Miri's mirror starts to glow again. “Flora? Call from the castle. Are you free to talk to Rapunzel?”

“Yes, please put her on hold, Miri.” Flora points to the door. “Now all of you go and let me worry about villains for the rest of the day.”

I watch Miri's mirror glow green, then purple, and close the door.

“Ice cream?” Ollie asks.

“From curses and villains to ice cream,” Maxine says as her eye droops. “Kind of a boring afternoon, don't you think?”

We walk toward the doors leading outside. When Ollie opens them, I bask in the warm sunlight on my face and the sound of laughter in the meadow. Balloons and bright pink tablecloths on the tables blow in the wind. As far as the eye can see, trolls, gnomes, fairies, ogres, and even the mer-folk have come up to sit on rocks at the lake nearby. It's nice to see everyone in a good mood.

They're happy.

At reform school.

Who would have guessed it?

I look to the right of the castle and see the crumbling exterior walls of the ballroom that are being redone. “I could use boring right now.”

“Me too,” says Kayla. For a moment, her wings appear, battered but resilient, and then they're gone again. I know it won't be long before they reappear. Or I want to snag something we could use in battle. Or Jax and Ollie sweet-talk their way into some intel we could use. The Hollow Woods lie in the distance, looking ominous and full of secrets that Maxine can't wait to uncover. Like where Alva is hiding. And how desperately a trapped Harlow wants to help her.

But those are all questions for another day.

“Dudes, come on! They've got vanilla and chocolate!” Ollie has reached the ice cream table and is already dishing it out. The ice cream oozes over the sides of the cups onto the table.

“Let's go be bored together,” I say, squeezing Jax tight as we head for the melted ice cream and an afternoon bound to give us the best kind of bellyache.