“Like a lot,” Daniel commented.
I looked at the princess. “Mauvrey?”
“I changed my mind okay? I have been asleep a long time and getting my memories back is the most important, if not only important thing I have to do. If Merlin says music will help with that, it would be selfish not to start as soon as possible. So if you will excuse me.” She pivoted back to the keys and repositioned her fingers.
“Did you talk to your friend Mark yet?” Daniel asked me.
“I tried,” I said, stepping toward the couch. “I called Queen Belleny on my compact like SJ suggested, but the queen said he was asleep again.”
A noticeably wrong note played. Daniel and I paused our conversation as Mauvrey sighed dejectedly.
“See,” Kai said to her. “You’re not ready.”
Sensing Mauvrey’s gloom, I intervened. “Why don’t you guys go on,” I said to Kai and Daniel. “You’ve looked after Mauvrey for a couple hours now. I’ll stay with her for a while.”
Daniel nodded and patted me on the arm as he headed for the door. “Thanks, man.”
Kai seemed reluctant but followed Daniel out, looking back over her shoulder at Mauvrey with concern before leaving. The princess turned the page in Merlin’s music book, which was propped up on the piano.
I approached her as she started to play. After a series of notes, though, she hit an incorrect key, and then another. She sighed again in frustration. I stopped and leaned against the piano. The sunlight drenching Mauvrey’s golden hair made her appearance warm, but there was fear icing her eyes. It made me sad to look at, so I decided to change tactics.
“Jason Sharp,” I declared amicably, holding out my hand to her.
Mauvrey tilted her head in confusion. “Jason, you already know me.”
“No I don’t,” I said. “I know a blonde witch named Tara. You and I haven’t met properly.”
Mauvrey hesitated a moment, then she gave me a small smile and took my hand. “Princess Mauvrey Weatherall. Nice to meet you.”
“Back atcha.” I gestured at the piano. “Are you sure you want to be doing this right now? You just woke up. Even if you don’t want to rest, there must be other things you want to do—eat some of your old favorite foods, get some fresh air, call your parents and tell them you woke up from a curse.”
“I am not hungry, I have had fresh air, and my parents . . .” Mauvrey shook her head adamantly. “The only thing I need is a piano teacher, at least until this starts to come back to me.”
“Okay, well Javier plays the piano. He’s kind of secretive about it, but he’s really good.”
“Too bad he is at the peace talks all day,” Mauvrey replied. “I do not suppose you play?”
“Sadly, I don’t. There’s not a lot of time for piano practice when you grow up on a struggling farm. Plus, I’ve got zero musical talent. Though I can think of a good number of ways to use these instruments to take down our enemies.”
“It would be the key to their demise,” Mauvrey said. She played three ominous notes on the piano, causing me to crack a smile.
“Are you funny?” I asked.
“I am still trying to figure that out,” she said. “Though jogging my memory with Merlin’s musical instructions takes precedent over mapping out my long dormant personality.”
“It doesn’t have to,” I said. “I don’t know if I agree with this plan to push you so hard straight out of the gate. The world isn’t going to end if you take a minute to find your bearings.”
“Jason, the world is always coming to an end. People should do what they can every day to counteract it, even if it is something small like making a good decision. I need to recover Paige’s memories. You need to know where the genies are hidden and secure them before the antagonists can. The best decision I can make, therefore, is sitting here and putting in the hours. I should be doing everything in my power to stop our world from ending, especially given my involvement.”
“Tara’s involvement,” I corrected. “You were a victim.”
Mauvrey stood and stepped away from the piano. When she finally spoke, she didn’t turn to look at me. “It does not matter. I may have been a victim, but I was also the perpetrator. My only priority is unlocking my memories. I do not need to do anything more than that.”
“The genies are really important, Mauvrey, you’re right. But I think you’re wrong about that last bit. You need to give yourself a chance to adjust to your life again, like Mark.”
“Mark has a life to go back to.”
“You do, too.”
“No, I do not,” Mauvrey replied. She finally turned to look at me, eyes revealing her anguish. “I was horrible to all the girls at Lady Agnue’s—even my so-called friends, like Jade and Girtha. The latter has barely spoken a sentence to me and I do not blame her. Tara-me manipulated her into being a bully; she is right to avoid me like an infection. I attacked many of you countless times and would have gladly killed you. I forced Crisa to release a dragon over our realm’s capital, destroying half the city. And I led an attack in Midveil that targeted my own parents.”
“Mauvrey . . .” I said slowly. “Tara did those things. Not you.”
“It does not matter,” she replied earnestly. “I may have been horrified watching Tara do so much wrong in my name, and I know we are very dissimilar people, but the consequences of every action and choice Tara made are left on my doorstep. The rest of the world is not going to see a difference between her and me when it comes to who is held responsible.”
“But there is a difference.”
“Tell that to my mother and father. They would never take me back after all that has happened. The girl on the inside may be different, but I still wear the face of the person who broke their hearts.”
We stood in silence. She radiated pain like the sun exuded light. I tried to find words to console her hurt.
“Mauvrey—”
“I should keep practicing.” She marched back to her bench like a prisoner returning to her cell. Her delicate hands began to play slowly. The music seemed more solemn and resolute.
I watched her with sadness. I had wanted to ease her mind, but maybe it was for the best that she’d cut me off. I didn’t really know what to say. The girl had been in a seven-year nightmare. While she had been dormant, the world around her kept turning. We couldn’t erase the bad memories that Tara had caused. Those bad memories were all of Mauvrey’s existence. She needed to start over, but starting over was difficult enough for a regular person. For her, a clean slate was a lot trickier.
I wished there was something I could do. For now, maybe she just needed someone to be there and listen. So I stood there and did that—leaning against the piano and listening to the melancholy in her notes, which matched her spirit.
I couldn’t believe I’d fallen asleep.
After a couple hours with Mauvrey, despite her dedication to practice, her weakness had gotten the better of her. In need of a nap, I’d escorted her back to her room before heading to mine. Once there, I put my feet up on the couch and stared at the empty blue sky through my open balcony. Next thing I knew, that sky was tinged with orange and SJ’s voice floated through the bedroom door.
“Jason, are you there?”
I wiped the drool from my mouth.
Geez, how old was I? And how tired did I have to be to take a nap for so many hours? I guess worrying about villains, girls, and lost inter-dimensional friends will do that to you.
“Yeah, come in,” I said, standing.
SJ glided into the room. She walked with such grace that sometimes I wondered if she was floating and her skirts just concealed it. Javier followed behind her.
“How was your day?” SJ asked. She held a small sack and a rag in her right hand, while Javier had an assortment of folders.
“Uneventful,” I responded. “How was yours?”
“Too eventful,” she replied. “The peace talks are never dull. But we made a little progress today and decided to end our session early i
n celebration.”
“You say celebration. I’d characterize it as exhaustion,” Javier said.
SJ shrugged. “Either way, I am enthused. I believe we can remedy the majority of our world’s societal conflicts with a few more months of active discourse and brainstorming.”
“That may be too optimistic, SJ,” Javier said.
“Optimism is the first ingredient to any successful endeavor,” SJ said. “I stand by my statement. The Godmother Supreme and I are committed to creating a lasting agreement. We all are. Which brings us to you, Jason.”
“Me?”
“As Chance told you, Merlin envisioned that music is key to unlocking Mauvrey’s memories. I discussed it with our peace talk friends today during breaks and we have a plan to accommodate this.” She gestured to Javier.
“I told them about me and piano,” he said. “How much experience I have.”
“I had no idea,” SJ said.
“Most people don’t,” Javier responded. “Heroes at Lord Channing’s brag about strength and combat ability. ‘My mom builds pianos and I’m a music nerd’ didn’t seem like the best way to open at school orientation.” He pivoted back to me. “Anyway, given my experience, and the importance of getting Paige’s memories, I am going to be stepping away from the peace talks to help Mauvrey. Someone needs to take my place in the meantime, and you are the best choice.”
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Since we can’t tell them about Mauvrey, we lied to the assembly and said that I have a sick relative to tend to,” Javier continued. “They approved you as a substitute. You are a non-royal protagonist like me, so it’s an even swap.”
“Why me? Blue, Daniel, and Girtha are all non-royal protagonists too.”
“You are the most agreeable option,” SJ said bluntly. “I love our friends, but they all dabble in hot-headedness. You do not let your emotions control you. You are also one of the kindest, most empathetic people I have met. I insisted that you would be the best replacement.”
“But you did all that before even asking me if I’d agree,” I said.
“I knew you would say yes,” SJ said. “Was I wrong?”
“No. I’m glad to offer my help, I’m just a bit taken aback by your, uh . . . assertiveness.”
“Yeah, that’s a growing thing with her,” Javier said. “It pops out now and then. I like it.”
“Thank you,” SJ said, nodding to Javier. “Now then, on to the technicalities.”
Javier handed me the pile of folders. “These are the notes I’ve taken since the peace talks began, along with a compilation of documents and proposals that have been discussed. Reviewing it by tomorrow is your homework. Sorry to assign you so much a month before school actually starts.”
“Um, it’s fine,” I said. “I’m a fast reader. I’ll be ready.”
I hope.
“Excellent. If you have any questions, let us know,” SJ said.
“Thanks. I probably will later.”
“I’ll be here,” Javier responded. “And you can lean on SJ tomorrow if you need help. She can handle anything.”
I was really starting to believe that. SJ had changed this year, and with every passing week she owned more of her character. It was impressive to witness, especially considering where she began. At the start of our adventures—of all of us—SJ had been most rooted in the confines of fairytale traditionalism. As a result, it arguably meant she’d come the farthest. It was easier for bold people like me and Blue to defy stereotypes and convention. For the naturally accommodating and unassuming, it was far braver to break the mold because it involved more extensive change. While my change in the last year could be characterized as a caterpillar growing butterfly wings, her transformation was more like a sheep turning into a dragon.
“I guess I’ll get cracking on this.” I alluded to the folders.
“Not just yet,” SJ said. “I am hardly the type to propagate putting off homework, but I ran into Daniel downstairs. He said that you had not been able to speak with Mark yet. Perhaps you should try calling him now. With this. I should have thought of it this morning.”
She offered me the rag and sack in her hands.
I put the folders down on my nightstand and opened the sack. It was filled with sparkly powder—Mark Three powder, an SJ invention that allowed magic compact mirror abilities to extend to other, bigger mirrors.
“You and Mark have not seen each other for a year; a proper reintroduction deserves more than a tiny looking glass. While I was able to visit Mark in person yesterday, with the peace talk substitution we are essentially robbing you of that chance for the immediate future. I hope this will suffice for now.”
“That’s really thoughtful,” I said. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, Jason,” SJ said kindly. “And on that note, I want to go find Blue. I will see you boys at dinner.”
Javier waved and departed too, leaving me alone with a bunch of folders, the enchanted powder, and a rag. I closed the door then walked to my closet. Mark was a night person—I knew that from being his roommate for years. With the sun going down, maybe I did have a better shot at catching him awake now.
A full-length mirror was bolted inside the embarrassingly empty closet. The stuff I’d brought at the start of the summer was still in here, but that wasn’t much.
I adjusted the positioning of the mirrored door and dragged a chair over; then I dipped the rag into the sack of powder. Like SJ had shown us earlier in the summer, I spread the powder over the mirror and, remembering Mark didn’t have his own compact yet, said, “Queen Belleny Durand.”
The entire mirror shimmered and then a full-body reflection of the queen appeared—from the top of her head to the hem of her violet dress.
“Jason, dear, good evening. When SJ rang me earlier, she mentioned you would be calling tonight using some kind of updated magic mirror. I must say, I find the technology fascinating. Can you see me clearly?”
“I can. What about you?”
She nodded, eyes wide in awe. “Yes. And it is the most miraculous thing. When I answered my compact, your reflection appeared within the device’s small looking glass for a moment. Then your image jumped to a bigger mirror in the corridor I happened to be walking through. That is where I am seeing you now.”
“Okay, great. Just don’t close your compact.”
“Yes, SJ told me the person receiving the call needs to keep his or her compact open. Now I suppose you would like to speak with Mark? His father and I appreciate you respecting his rest earlier, but I know he is eager to talk with you and the rest of his friends.”
The queen started walking. It was then that I discovered something new about SJ’s innovation. The effect of my image jumping to the nearest, bigger means for reflection was not limited by movement or type of reflective material. As the queen strode—compact open in lowered hand—my connection with her kept changing angles dizzyingly as the magic tech transferred me to every mirror, slice of glass, and reflective piece of metal she passed.
By the time she arrived at my friend’s room, I was pretty disoriented and clutched the arms of my chair. My visual changed one last time and I finally faced a steady reflection of my friend sitting on the couch in his room.
“I will let you boys catch up,” the queen said. I watched her pass her compact to Mark. “Nice to see you again, Jason.” She walked off screen and then it was only my friend and me. He grinned. I grinned back—relief washed over me to see he was okay.
“So, you’re not dead,” I jested.
“I was just thinking the same about you,” Mark replied. “SJ flew over here like a phoenix out of the fire when she learned I was awake. And I already talked to Blue a few hours ago. She wanted to conference us in together, but apparently you were asleep on a luxury couch in your room all afternoon. Giving your resident Sleeping Beauty Jr. a run for her money?”
I rubbed the back of my head, a bit embarrassed. “It’s been a rough go lately,” I admitted.
“I think a lot of stuff may be catching up with me. But I did try to call earlier. My timing wasn’t lucky. And I would come and visit you too, it’s just—”
“Dude, it’s fine,” Mark interrupted. “I’m not trying to give you a hard time. SJ called me during her lunch hour and filled me in about the peace talks substitution, some of the stuff you’ve been through in Dreamland, and . . . what happened with Crisa.”
I was silent for a second. “It’s going to be hard to carry on as usual without her, but it’s all we can do.”
“She’ll be fine,” Mark replied.
“That’s what everyone keeps saying. Myself included.”
Mark’s face shifted to hold more scrutiny. “You don’t believe that?”
“I want to. I am trying to for my own sake, and the sake of our friends, but our enemies are ruthless and unpredictable. We don’t know what they’ll do if they catch Crisa before the next full moon. They may not plan to kill her, but they’re cruel and creative. Look what they did to you. They didn’t know anything about you past that you could theoretically threaten them, and they stuck a Shadow monster in your mind and cursed you for a year. I don’t even want to imagine what they’d do to Crisa. Unlike you, she’s earned their hatred.”
“I guess I should work on improving the prominence of my storyline then,” Mark joked. “I want to be taken seriously.”
I cracked a smile, but it quickly disappeared. “You don’t have to do that, you know. You’ve been through a lot. Jokes aren’t necessary.”
Mark looked at me thoughtfully. “They are, Jason. Because without them there’s only pity. I don’t want that from you or anyone. I lost a year of my life, but I didn’t feel any pain and I’m awake now. So I don’t need extra people tiptoeing around me. I am already getting plenty of that from my parents. You’re my friend. Be my friend, not a shadow of the bad stuff that’s happened.” He paused. “Sorry. That was a poor choice of words.”
“Mark, I respect the outlook, but it’s because I’m your friend that I am concerned about you. While we’re on the subject . . . I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“For what?”
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