Into the Gray

by Geanna Culbertson

  Daniel and Jason had traveled along the main road from Lord Channing’s and then phased through the portion of In and Out Spell at our school gate. Lady Agnue and our school’s security staff were not fond of our crew’s immunity to the spell, or allowing boys to waltz onto campus whenever they felt like it, but it was one of the many things they’d learned to live with.

  SJ’s gray eyes sparkled with emotion and she smiled from ear to ear. Even in that tiny looking glass, our princess friend radiated beauty. SJ (which stood for Snow White Jr.) was the spitting image of her mother. Her jet-black hair was like a smooth slice of midnight. Her skin was pale while her lips were as red as the poisoned apple that once took down her mom.

  “Thank you!” she replied. “But does it really count? I mean, since Book moves four and a half times faster than Oz and Camelot, while you all have lived twenty-three days in my absence, it has only been about five for me. So technically I have not been alive eighteen complete years in my own timeline.”

  Blue sighed. “SJ, you were born in Book. Today is your birthday. Deal with it. I got up early and am missing breakfast for you.”

  “Well, if that is not friendship, then I do not know what is,” SJ teased.

  I smiled even brighter. SJ, Blue, and I had been friends for years and roommates for just as long. We’d always balanced each other out. SJ’s logic and even temperament against Blue’s gut instinct and fiery aggression were a classic part of that dynamic.

  “We’ll celebrate properly when you get home,” Jason said. “Are you and Merlin almost done?”

  “Unfortunately, no,” SJ replied. “This potion is very complicated and we have to let it stew for long intervals in between steps. I have been spending my down time apprenticing with Merlin and also with Julian over the Mark Two. But do not worry; despite the effort involved, we are making solid progress. Goodness willing, soon we will know what happened to Mauvrey.”

  Mauvrey.

  I still could not hear her name without getting a swirl of mixed emotions inside me.

  Mauvrey Weatherall was the princess of Tunderly and the only child of Sleeping Beauty. Although we had gotten along fine as children, when we’d arrived at Lady Agnue’s six-and-a-half years ago, she’d become my enemy. She earned a reputation after that for being a sharp, confident protagonist with a flair for knowing how to hit you where it hurt and had made it a sport to belittle girls, me in particular.

  Things got significantly worse at the end of last semester when she leveled up from high school mean girl to actual villainess. It turned out Mauvrey was a Shadow Guardian working with the antagonists. She tried to kill me, fled the school, manipulated my brother into turning against his family, tried to kill me a few more times whilst dating my brother, and did a bunch of other bad stuff too.

  However, everything changed the night of the Vicennalia Aurora. This magic fluctuation event had been the climax of our latest venture. We had been racing against the antagonists to claim the memories of a former Fairy Godmother named Paige Tomkins—the only person who knew where all our realm’s genies were hidden. Conquering Book would be way easier for the villains, after all, if they got control of powerful, wish-granting genies. Regrettably, the memories accidentally got absorbed into Mauvrey. When that happened some crazy chiz went down. Mauvrey split into two girls—unconscious actual Mauvrey and a girl named Tara Gold.

  I’d had dreams of Tara before. She was the antagonist charged with leading the crusade against Natalie Poole in the future on Earth. Seeing her come out of Mauvrey was, needless to say, shocking. More shocking still was the discovery that the character we’d come to know as Mauvrey was actually Tara. Somehow, the latter had been living inside of Mauvrey—possessing her—for who knows how long.

  While Tara had escaped after the memory absorption incident, the real princess of Tunderly now resided unconscious in Oz under the care of our powerful allies. Mauvrey was lost to some kind of sleeping curse, trapping Paige’s mind and the genies’ location within her as a result. SJ was an extremely talented potionist so under the guidance of Merlin and Julian (the Wizard of Oz), she was working to concoct a potion to pull out enough of Mauvrey’s memories to understand what kind of curse the girl was under. Then we could figure out how to break it, wake Mauvrey, and get Paige’s memories back, along with the real princess hopefully.

  For now, we knew nothing about Mauvrey. Like literally. She had a protagonist book, but it wasn’t helpful. The visions Liza had of Mauvrey in the past were of Tara-Mauvrey, not this new one.

  I felt a strain in the back of my brain. This whole Mauvrey situation was all very complicated and hard for me to make peace with. My former teenage archenemy—who’d tormented me in school, tried to kill me multiple times, and dated my brother—was not who I thought she was. That had been Tara, not Mauvrey. I didn’t know who Mauvrey was at all. The answer to that question, and so many others, lay inside her sleeping mind.

  “Crisa,” SJ said, interrupting my confliction. “Merlin mentioned that you and Blue are coming to Camelot on Friday. He said he knows you will want to stop in Neverland first to finally see things through with Dorothy, but after that you are to come here and help him.”

  My friends pivoted toward me.

  “You are?” Kai asked.

  “We are?” Blue echoed.

  Oops.

  I’d meant to tell Blue at some point yesterday, but I’d completely forgotten.

  I had a lot going on, okay.

  Besides, so many visions plagued my nights that it’s not like I shared all of them with my friends. I kept most of them to myself.

  I really should go back to writing visions down though. If only I hadn’t lost my dream journal in Camelot . . .

  “Merlin came to me in a dream two nights ago and summoned us,” I explained.

  Blue looked at me in disbelief. “Were you going to give me a heads up? Why does he want us in Camelot?”

  “I just forgot. I’m sorry.” I waved a hand. “And you know Merlin—he keeps it vague. All I really know is there’s a wormhole opening in Adelaide on Friday night.”

  I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of doing what Merlin told me to, but I was looking forward to finally healing Dorothy (as in Wizard of Oz Dorothy). She and King Arthur had lived in Neverland for years because they’d both been victims of fatal poisonous wounds. Neverland existed in a weird time bubble that froze biological clocks, so it was the only place the two of them could stay alive. Just as the realm kept people from aging, it kept the poison in their injuries from finishing them off.

  Dorothy and Arthur would’ve been stuck in Neverland forever if I hadn’t come along. I could counteract the life-draining nature of their wounds with my own life-giving abilities. I’d already done this for Arthur, but not Dorothy thanks to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’d promised her that I would return to Neverland at the earliest opportunity to help her in the same way; thanks to Merlin’s summons I now had that chance. This trip would kill two birds with one stone.

  “All right then.” Blue nodded. “We can head there after dinner on Friday via dragon.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Daniel volunteered.

  “We have a Twenty-Three Skidd match on Saturday, Daniel,” I said. “I have to tell Javier and Gordon that I’m going to miss it. You shouldn’t bail too.”

  “Then I’ll go,” Jason volunteered. “Our team doesn’t play this weekend.”

  “Should I come?” Kai asked.

  “You should stay with Daniel,” SJ responded. “Bigger groups are more conspicuous and Crisa and Blue need to keep a low profile. Camelot has plenty of magic hunters who would love to capture them. Everyone here knows about Crisa’s and Blue’s unique powers. Adding another magical person to the mix would not help matters.”

  “We’ll send your birthday gift with Knight, Jason, and Blue then,” Daniel said to SJ.

  “You did not have to get me anything,” SJ replied sweetly. “It is just nice to speak with
you all. Honestly, thank you for remembering my birthday. I really do wish I could spend it with you.”

  “Us too,” I said. “Do something fun to celebrate. We love you, SJ.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up the call. I was left with a bittersweet feeling inside me, like I’d consumed dark chocolate pancakes.

  “I miss her,” Blue said, a soft register in her voice that we seldom heard. Jason put his hand on her shoulder briefly. I was about to say something when Daniel touched my arm.

  “I’ll see you at practice,” he said.

  “Bye, Danny.” Kai swooped in and gave him a quick kiss. Then she motioned to Blue and me. “Come on. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late for Damsels in Distress class.”

  “Oh no,” Blue said sarcastically.

  I hated the class too, but Kai was right. Being late for any course was a punishable offense, but in that one the consequences could be more severe.

  We said farewell to the boys and headed up the lawn toward the main building. I stole a glimpse back as the guards opened the gold-leaf-encrusted gate for our friends.

  When Daniel and Jason passed through the In and Out Spell outside the gate, the surrounding area lit up. While normally invisible, small sections of the barrier illuminated with patchworks of light whenever the spell was disturbed. The light fizzed out seconds later as the spell shut like a curtain.

  “Hey, what’s on your mind?” Blue said, noticing my staring.

  “Two hundred things at once, like always,” I replied wistfully.

  “Damsels in Distress class will help with that,” Blue replied.

  “How do you figure?”

  “Well, that’s where I do all my best spacing out. Just because we have to be on time doesn’t mean we have to pay attention.”

  The last few minutes of Twenty-Three Skidd practice wound down. Per usual, we were ending practice with a scrimmage match. As I darted through the skies, Daniel was by my side exactly when I needed him. I grinned because he always was.

  Sadie and I merged left. We were protecting Gordon as he made a run at the goal. Daniel guarded his other side. We bobbed and weaved, taking a few swipes at the opponents in our way. Gordon heaved the ball over the player acting as opposing keeper and scored.

  Javier blew his whistle and we descended. The mini match was over. We removed our helmets but held onto the reins of our steeds as Javier and Gordon motioned for us to gather for announcements.

  “Solid practice, team,” Gordon said. “We appreciate how hard you’re working, especially as big things are coming. Next weekend brings us to the countdown of one month left in the semester, which means the beginning of elimination matches. We all know what happened last year.” There were some groans. “The Seven Suns lost in the championship match and we don’t want to go down like that again. When I graduate this year, I want to leave behind a team of victors, so Javi and I are going to keep pushing you every practice until then. Got it?”

  The team responded in affirmation.

  “Gordon and I will let you know of any changes to the player roster after Thursday’s practice,” Javier said. “Kurt and Bailie, meet us in the captains’ office after you put away your gear. We have a few notes for you. Everybody else, dismissed.”

  Daniel extended his hand. “Here, I’ll take Sadie back to Redwood. Go talk to Javi and Gordon.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I handed him the reins and stroked Sadie’s mane goodbye. As Daniel went to turn in our steeds, I bounded after our friends.

  “Gordon! Javi!” I called, catching up to them.

  “Solid practice today, Crisa,” Gordon said.

  “Thank you,” I replied. “Listen, I’m sorry to have to do this, but I can’t make the match on Saturday. I have magical business in other realms and don’t think I’ll return in time.”

  Gordon frowned. “Is it serious?”

  “I’ve got to heal Dorothy in Neverland and answer a mysterious summons from Merlin in Camelot.”

  “So, a typical weekend then,” Javier replied.

  “Be careful,” Gordon said.

  “I will,” I responded. “I hope you’re not upset.”

  “We are,” Gordon replied. “But we get it. Twenty-Three Skidd isn’t a priority for you what with everything that’s happening.”

  The comment wasn’t intended to be mean, but it made me a little sad because it was the truth. I loved this sport, but that didn’t matter. I had responsibilities that were bigger than my passions and preference.

  “You’re right, and I’m sorry about that,” I said. “I respect the heck out of you guys. And I love being on this team and will always give a hundred percent when I’m here. But I am needed in a lot of places these days.”

  “It’s fine, Crisa,” Javi said. “Really. We’re training to be heroes, so we get the whole, personal-sacrifice-for-the-greater-good thing. You do you. We’ll see you at practice on Thursday and the following Tuesday when you’re back. You will be back by then, right?”

  “Giant snakes couldn’t stop me.”

  “You have a lot of experience with those?” Gordon asked.

  “You have no idea.” I smiled slyly.

  The boys and I parted ways, and I went to the dugout to stow the communal armor we used for practice. I always looked forward to getting it off. Not to sound like a prissy princess, but it took a certain state of mind to wear it. It was cleaned and polished regularly, but who knew how many sweaty boys had donned this armor over the years. The permanent smell was a hint that the number was high.

  Still warm from practice, I started tying my jacket around my waist as Daniel entered the dugout. We nodded to each other, and then he began to remove his armor. When he lifted off the chest plate his shirt got caught and his six-pack came into view. Suddenly I felt even warmer and I turned away from the shocking abs, looking out at the field.

  Members of the Lyons team were filing in for their practice. I spotted Divya and Girtha and told Daniel I was going to say hello.

  “Just the person we were hoping to see,” Girtha said as I trotted over.

  “That’s not something I hear very often,” I replied. “What’s up?”

  “Today we are acting as ‘wing women’,” Divya said, holding up her fingers in air quotes.

  “How so?”

  “Are you busy on Thursday after practice?” Girtha asked.

  “Um, no. Just dinner then homework.”

  “You would be totally okay if you skipped a school dinner though, right?” Divya said. “Still eat, but not all proper in the banquet hall.”

  “I guess,” I replied slowly. “But school dinners in the banquet hall are mandatory.”

  “But if Lady Agnue gave you permission to ditch, you would be open to it?” Girtha clarified.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said. “What’s with all the questions?”

  “We’re just laying the groundwork,” Girtha responded.

  “For what?”

  “For him.” Divya gestured to Chance, who was talking with some of the other guys on his team. When he saw me looking his way, he walked over to the three of us.

  He held up his hand to cut off my questions. “Before you say anything, this was not my idea.”

  “It’s true,” Divya said. “We volunteered to steer you into this conversation because the prince was reluctant about approaching you, and you have a tendency to evade topics that make you uncomfortable.”

  The extra warm feeling I’d experienced in the dugout came back, and I had a tingling intuition about where this was going.

  “And on that note,” Girtha said. “Crisa, given your answers to my previous questions, please give this guy an honest response.” She turned to Chance and patted him affectionately on the shoulder. “We’ll leave you to it.”

  She and Divya headed to the dugout to change into their armor. I was left standing on the green with Chance.

  “Sorry about that,” he said, rubbing the back of his head in a shy, un-Chance-like way. “On our w
alk over here, I mentioned to them that I wanted to ask you out for Thursday, but I wasn’t sure if you were busy with, well, everything. Before I knew it, they were telling me to stand down and that they’d suss things out.”

  I blinked. “You want to go on a date on Thursday?”

  He nodded. “I do.”

  This was an important moment. I’d known something like this was coming. Chance had feelings for me and I’d grown progressively fond of him. He’d done a lot to prove himself. We’d trusted him with the secrets of our antagonist, magic, and otherworldly dealings. And he was becoming a good friend and good guy. Even though the thought of going on a date with him made me feel uncomfortable and flustered, I suspected this was only my disinclination toward an unfamiliar activity, not my disinclination to the boy.

  “You should spend some more time with the guy. You never know what could happen,” Blue had said.

  Maybe she was right.

  “Then ask me,” I said bluntly.

  Chance tilted his head and gave me a curious look. “All right.” He straightened up and gave me a gallant but somewhat sarcastic bow. “Crisanta Knight, will you do me the honor of going on a proper date with me?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Sure, Chance. Why not.”

  “That’s an enthusiastic response if I ever heard one,” Daniel said, abruptly arriving at my side.

  Chance’s expression stiffened. “Daniel.”

  “Chance.”

  “So . . . Thursday?” I said.

  “Right.” Chance angled away from Daniel as if to shut him out. “I actually already asked your headmistress for permission and she said you could skip formal dinner on Thursday if you accepted my offer. I can’t pass through In and Out Spells like you can, so I figured when you ride Lucky back to Lady Agnue’s after practice that day, you can keep him there and then use him to return to Lord Channing’s and meet me outside the arena at seven.”

  “That sounds good,” I said. “How in Book did you get Lady Agnue to agree to that?”

  “I think it’s better if you ask her yourself,” Chance replied. He shot Daniel a quick glance and smiled at me. “So, I’ll see you?”