Everly Academy

by V. B. Marlowe

  Isleen stared at Molly for a few seconds but didn’t answer her question. Molly looked to the other girls for a hint, but they avoided eye contact and offered her nothing.

  “Let me ask you this,” Isleen said. “On the ride here, did you feel a big bump that Ms. Bea and Randolph pretended not to notice?”

  Molly’s throat tightened. “Uh, yes. How did you know that?”

  Isleen licked her lips. Molly sensed that any sympathy she had just a moment ago was gone. She seemed to be loving every second of Molly’s confusion. “Is your cell phone not working? Did Ms. Bea tell you the school’s phone system was out? Have they taken your blood?”

  Molly scratched her arm nervously, apprehensive about where the conversation was going. “Yes, but—”

  “Of course, she didn’t tell you, the sneak. This is pointless.” Isleen rose to her feet and turned to the other girls. “If she doesn’t know the truth, there’s no reason for us to be sitting here pouring out our hearts or even getting to know her.” Isleen turned to Molly. “If I were you, I would have a long, hard talk with our headmistress. Until then, we have nothing to say to you.”

  Isleen headed for the door, and to Molly’s surprise, the other girls followed suit.

  “Girls, wait,” Molly called. “We’re not done.”

  Lily helped Allison up and led her to the door behind the others. Her eyes held a look of regret. “I’m sorry, Ms. Dillinger, but you do really need to speak with Ms. Bea.”

  After the last two girls left, the door closed behind them, leaving Molly’s mind reeling. What was that all about, and what had Ms. Bea not told her?

  After gathering herself, Molly headed down the hallway to Ms. Bea’s office. She didn’t know what to think. How was she going to explain to her new boss that she had lost control of the girls on her first day and they had all walked out? She knocked on the office door. “Come in,” someone said. It was the croaky voice of Ms. Halifax.

  Molly pushed the door open and stepped inside. Bea was seated behind her desk, and Ms. Halifax stood beside her. “Ms. Dillinger,” she said, “that was fast. Is everything okay?”

  “No, not really. Something weird happened. The girls walked out of class. They said that I needed to see you because you needed to tell me the truth about this place. What did they mean by that?”

  Ms. Bea looked up at her assistant headmistress, who nodded and promptly left the room. Molly stared at the door as it closed behind Ms. Halifax. Suddenly she felt trapped with the overwhelming feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

  “Have a seat, Molly.”

  Molly lowered her shaking body into the cushioned seat. “What’s going on here?”

  Bea smiled tightly and folded her hands in front of her. “I’m afraid I haven’t been completely honest with you, Ms. Dillinger. Please forgive me for that, but if I had told you the truth, you would have never come here.”

  “What truth?” Molly’s face warmed with anger. She hated when people lied to her and treated her like a fool. She’d had enough of that from Clay and Jessica. Swallowing hard, she tried to maintain her composure.

  “The truth about Everly Academy. I told you the girls who attend this school are very important from prominent families.”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s true, but that may not mean what you think it means. These girls aren’t the offspring of celebrities or international diplomats.”

  Molly’s head was swimming as she braced herself. “Okay. Then who are they?”

  “Are you familiar with fairy tales, Ms. Dillinger? The Grimm Brothers? Hans Christian Andersen? Charles Perrault?”

  Molly nodded. “Yes. I love fairy tales. In school, my final project had been how to teach a unit on fairy tales. When I was younger, I would ask my mother to read them to me over and over. What do the girls have to do with fairy tales, though?”

  “They are fairy tales.”

  “Excuse me?” Molly was sure she’d heard Bea wrong.

  “Those stories you read as a child, they weren’t made-up stories. They were written about my girls with some of the details changed and twisted. Every girl here is the star of her very own fairy tale.”

  Molly burst into a fit of laughter. She hadn’t meant to, but what Bea was saying was so ridiculous. “I get it now. You and the girls got together on a plan to haze the new teacher. This is actually quite clever, I must say.”

  Ms. Bea didn’t crack a smile. If this was a joke, she was playing her part well. “I know this sounds crazy to you, but I need you to understand that I’m telling you the truth. Ms. Dillinger, in order for this arrangement to work, you’re going to have to open your mind and believe in things you may consider impossible.”

  Molly stopped laughing once she realized Bea wasn’t joking. If she was serious, there was only one more plausible explanation. The woman was insane.

  “Really? You want me to believe that these girls are characters from fairy tales? Fairy tales written centuries ago, yet they’re teenagers.”

  Bea nodded. “They have been cursed. Part of their curse is to remain frozen in time. They have stayed the same age they were from the moment they were cursed. They will never age until the curses are broken.”

  Molly stared at Ms. Bea for a moment. “I should have listened to my mother. I should have known this was too good to be true. I don’t know what’s really going on here, but I think it’s time I leave. This isn’t the place for me.”

  Molly stood abruptly. Bea also rose to her feet. “Ms. Dillinger, please. You can’t leave.”

  “Watch me,” Molly called over her shoulder. She was pleased that Ms. Bea hadn’t followed her. What she’d first thought to be a sweet old lady was clearly a lunatic. Molly didn’t know what Ms. Bea’s deal was, but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out.

  6

  Molly stormed to her room, thinking about all the time she’d wasted. Now she’d have to start all over looking for a real job. Groaning at the fact that she had no job and no place to live, she grabbed one of her rolling suitcases from the closet and stuffed as many important things into it that would fit. Her plan was to get as far away as she could on foot and then call an Uber. She’d send for the rest of her things later.

  Molly grabbed her cell phone from where it had been charging on the nightstand. Still no reception. Hopefully once she was outside and had walked a small distance, she’d be able to get a signal. She had to. As far as she knew, there was nothing else within miles of the estate.

  She switched her heels for a pair of sneakers and headed downstairs. Just imagine, she thought to herself, just this morning I was waking up so happy that I’d found the perfect job, and now I’m already looking for a way out.

  She rolled her suitcase along to the front door. “I can’t believe I gave up my apartment for this,” she muttered to herself.

  “Where are you going?” a soft voice asked just as Molly approached the front door.

  Molly turned to see Tress sitting on the sofa in front of the unlit fireplace reading a book. Although she shouldn’t have, she felt a sudden stab of guilt. “Oh, Tress, I’m sorry. But this just isn’t going to work out.”

  Tress stood, clutching the book to her chest. “What did we do? Is it because we left class?”

  “No, Tress. You guys didn’t do anything.”

  “Is it Izzy? She comes off strong at first, but she’s not so bad once you get used to her.”

  “No, Tress, it’s not even Izzy, it’s just . . . this isn’t for me.” Molly didn’t know how to diplomatically tell Tress that her headmistress was a complete loon.

  “Is it because of what we are?” Tress asked. “We can’t help it. It’s not our fault.”

  Molly furrowed her brow. “What do you mean by that?”

  Tress lowered herself into an armchair, gently placing her book on her lap. “Ms. Bea told you the truth, didn’t she? About who we really are. That’s why you’re leaving.”

  Molly thought Ms. Bea and
Tress were just as mad as Allison. She didn’t know what else to say. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave now.”

  “But you can’t,” Tress argued, shaking her pretty head.

  “I have to,” Molly said as she opened the door.

  “No, Ms. Dillinger, you don’t understand—”

  But Molly had closed the door before Tress could finish her sentence. Molly hurried down the front steps with her suitcase, her gaze settled on the large gate out front. How was she going to bypass that? She figured she could climb it if she had to.

  Once Molly reached the gate, she set her suitcase down and attempted to climb. She thought back to the days she used to climb trees as a kid, much to her mother’s dismay, and hoped the climbing skills she’d learned would be put to good use.

  She’d made it a quarter of the way up when a male voice shouted to her. “Hey! Get down from there!”

  Molly looked over her shoulder to see a man running toward her. He wore overalls with a blue-and-brown flannel shirt underneath and a weathered pair of brown work boots. He didn’t look any older than twenty-five.

  She ignored the stranger and continued to climb.

  Next thing she knew, the man’s strong arms were around her waist. He pulled her away from the gate with what seemed like little effort on his part. Molly remembered everything she had learned in a self-defense class she’d taken with Jessica. She attempted to elbow him in the stomach and kick him in the groin, but the man was much too strong for her. He tightened his grip, pressing her body so firmly against his that she could only thrash her arms and legs aimlessly.

  “Listen, I’m not trying to hurt you,” the man said into her ear. His warm breath hit Molly’s skin, sending shivers down her spine. “You’re going to hurt yourself trying to get over that gate, and it’s pointless. There’s a boundary spell cast two miles of this place in all directions. You won’t be able to pass that. Once Ms. Bea takes a drop of your blood, you’re bound by it.”

  “A boundary spell? What the hell are you talking about? Who are you, anyway?”

  The man let go of Molly, and she shoved him away.

  “My name is Owen, and I’m one of the groundskeepers here.”

  Molly narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, Owen, why don’t you go on about your business of keeping the grounds? What I’m doing is not your concern.”

  “Actually, it is because if you leave the property and get lost, it’s my job to go after you and bring you back. So, to avoid all that unnecessary drama, you should just stay put. I already have enough to do today.”

  Molly’s eyes widened. “Are you people crazy? This isn’t a prison. You can’t make me stay here if I don’t want to.”

  “I’m sorry, dear, but you cannot leave,” Ms. Bea said from behind her. Molly hadn’t even heard her approach. “I apologize again for bringing you here under false pretenses, but you will not be able to leave until your job is done.”

  Molly swallowed hard. “What job?”

  “I brought you here to help the girls break their curses. The last thing they need is an academic teacher. They know everything there is to know about the Earth and math and science and literature. What they need is a teacher well-versed in fairy tales. They need someone with young blood and hope who can help them see things differently. That’s where you come in. Please, come inside and let us explain more, but as Owen has told you, you simply cannot leave. It’s not possible.”

  Molly turned back to Owen, who looked at her as if she were the most pitiful thing in the world, before making his way around the side of the house. Molly focused on Bea again. “I’m sorry. I still don’t understand.”

  Bea nodded. “I know, dear. Please give us a chance to explain.”

  Molly had no intention of staying at the academy, but she knew for the time being that she had to play along. The first chance she got she was out of there. She grabbed her suitcase and followed Bea inside, where they had a seat on the sofa beside the dragon’s mouth fireplace. Bea snapped her fingers, and the fireplace roared to life. Even though it hadn’t been cold out as it was the end of summer, the warmth of the flames soothed Molly. One of the cooks brought a pot of tea from the kitchen and poured Molly a cup. “Chamomile,” she said as she handed Molly the cup. “It will calm you.”

  Molly took the cup gratefully and took a sip. Although at that moment she would have preferred a much stronger drink, the tea was like none she ever tasted. She closed her eyes as the warm liquid traveled down her throat.

  Bea patted her knee. “Now for the truth. Again, I need you to have an open mind. Long ago there were seven kingdoms spread across the seven continents. All was well and peaceful, or at least as peaceful as it could have been until witches initiated a reign of terror. They caused all sorts of problems—killing livestock, burning down forests, stealing and eating children. They were destroying everything they could get their hands on, and there came a time when they had to be dealt with. The rulers of the seven kingdoms banded together and vowed to destroy the witches. They gathered their armies and the strongest men in their kingdoms, and for a moment the world turned into a giant witch hunt. Most of them were caught and burned, the only way to kill a witch, but there was one coven who survived—the Moonhaven Coven.”

  Molly shifted in her seat. For a moment she felt like she was listening to a fairy tale her grandmother used to tell her when she was a little girl, then she remembered that Bea actually believed the story was real. Molly was filled with disbelief, but still, she wanted to hear the rest.

  “They were the worst witches of all, and they vowed to get revenge on their fallen sisters. The Moonhaven Coven is made up of seven sisters. They were determined to get revenge on the kings and the men who’d played a part in killing the witches. They avenged their fallen by cursing their children. Being wicked as witches are, they didn’t want the curses to last just for a lifetime; they wanted the curses to last for an eternity. They wanted the men to know that long after their deaths, their children would still suffer. They cursed the children, making them frozen in time, amongst other things. They don’t age, and they won’t die from natural causes, but they can be killed, so they’re not exactly immortal.”

  Molly’s head was reeling. She tried to focus on what Bea was saying, but her mind was really on getting out of there. Molly was thinking of ways she could get over the tall wrought-iron fence without being detected. She wondered if she could outrun the groundskeeper if she needed to.

  “What do you mean, amongst other things?”

  Bea twirled her teacup with the tips of her fingers. “Despite outward appearances, these girls don’t have an easy life. That’s why I try to make their lives here as comfortable as possible. This is also why I didn’t want you to meet them last night. Nighttime is when the curses take effect.”

  Molly remembered the uneasy silence and the feeling of eeriness she had the night before. “What happens to them at night?”

  “I’ll let them tell their own stories. Their tales have been twisted enough throughout the years. It’s best you get the truth from its source. See, the witches bound them to storybooks. They enchanted the authors they deemed to be the most talented in the world to write the girls’ tales and place them in books. Over the years the stories were fractured, turned, added to, or deleted, but they know their real stories.”

  Molly just couldn’t wrap her head around all she was being told, but she pretended it was no big deal. She needed Bea to think she was buying all this, so the old woman would let her guard down and Molly could make her escape. “If the girls are characters from fairy tales, who are you?”

  “I’m a protector fairy. It is my job to protect children of royalty. Upon their births, I visit them and place a protection spell around them. As you can see, my spell apparently wasn’t strong enough. That’s why it’s my life’s mission to help and protect them. It’s my duty.”

  “So, you’re like a fairy godmother?”

  “Something like that.”

  �
�You can do magic and spells and stuff?”

  Bea nodded. “To some extent.”

  Molly remained silent, staring into her tea. “What should I do now?”

  Bea looked toward the hallway that led to the great study. “I’ve gathered the girls, and they’re waiting there. You should talk to them. I’ve asked them to be patient because this is overwhelming for you.”

  Molly’s face warmed. “They probably know I tried to leave. At least Tress does. How are they going to feel about that?”

  Bea shrugged. “They understand. You’re not the first teacher they’ve had, so they know what to expect by now.”

  A knot formed in Molly’s stomach. “Wait . . . what happened to the other teachers?” She wondered if they had tried to climb the gate too. Where were they now?

  Bea stood and smoothed out her satin aqua dress. “They’re waiting for you, dear.”

  Molly rose on her shaking knees and forced herself toward the great study. The whole while she was willing herself to wake up from this dream. As bad as her life had seemed before, she would have much rather been lying on the couch in her tiny apartment crying over her broken engagement and dodging calls from her nosey mother.

  Her hand shook as she turned the doorknob. Unlike before when there had been lively conversation going on, the room was dead silent. The girls watched her expectantly as she entered. Molly settled herself into the armchair. “I guess I have some explaining to do. I’m sure by now you know I tried to leave.”

  Isleen sat up straight on the couch. “Tress told us. But we also saw you trying to climb the gate. You wanted to get away from us that badly.”

  “Not you, but this place. I’m sorry—it’s just that—”

  “You don’t have to explain,” Lily said. “We get it. The other teachers reacted the same way. We don’t blame you.”

  Isleen snorted. “Speak for yourself, Lil.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Lily snapped.