Just then, Meeshell’s MirrorPad chimed.
StoryTeller2: Hi.
Seashell: Hi.
StoryTeller2: How did Club Day go? Did you join anything?
Seashell: No. I didn’t find anything that seemed right for me.
StoryTeller2: Yeah, I get that. When I first came to school, I couldn’t find the right club, either, so I started my own.
Seashell: Really? You can do that?
StoryTeller2: Sure.
Seashell: Which club did you start?
Long pause.
StoryTeller2: Well, I gotta go. I need to do something. Talk to you later. Bye.
Seashell: Bye.
Every time she tried to find out any details about the mysterious StoryTeller2, he or she stopped chatting. Why?
As the chat box closed, the Ever After High campus map reappeared on the MirrorPad screen. StoryTeller2 wasn’t the only one who needed to do something. Meeshell looked out the window.
She needed to swim!
Chapter 13
Enchanted Lake
After changing into her new bathing suit, then covering up with a coat, Meeshell told Farrah that she was going to take a walk. As she made her way down the hall, she stepped over a hedgehog who was waddling along at a leisurely pace. The Common Room was empty, except for a girl sitting in front of the fireplace, a book nestled on her lap. The girl looked up at her. “Did anyone tell you about curfew?” she asked.
Meeshell halted. “Curfew?”
The girl set a bookmark in place, then closed the book. She had lovely dark hair and matching dark eyes. Her dress was black and purple with silver lacework at the edges. “If you leave campus, you need to be back by midnight or you won’t be able to pass through the wall of thorns. It’s a magical wall that Headmaster Grimm uses to protect the school.” She glanced up at the wall clock. “You have an hour.”
“Okay, thanks for the warning.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask what you’re doing,” she said, which was a huge relief to Meeshell. “By the way, I’m Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen,” she added with a wry smile.
Meeshell’s shoulders stiffened. Daughter of the Evil Queen? Wow! Of course she’d heard about Raven. Everyone had heard about Raven. She was as famous as Apple.
Raven waited patiently for Meeshell to introduce herself. “I’m Meeshell. Daughter of…” She paused.
Raven raised an eyebrow. When no answer came, Raven sat back in her chair. “You don’t have to tell me. I get it. Sometimes it’s nice if people just know us for ourselves and not for our families.” She picked up her book and started reading again. “Good luck with whatever after you’re doing.”
“Thank you.” Meeshell hurried down the stairs. Just from that short encounter, she got the feeling that Raven was much nicer than her family’s reputation.
She only had an hour to swim and get back. Would that be enough time? She didn’t want to get into trouble; that was not the best way to start her first week. Behind her, the dormitory windows shone brightly against the twilight sky. Most students were studying or getting ready for bed. Was she the only student out and about? She hesitated, but the need to swim was stronger than her fear of getting caught. She gripped her bag. She’d stuffed a towel inside. And onward she went.
She crossed the quad, then a footbridge, passing a sign that read:
THIS WAY TO THE EVER AFTER HIGH SWAMP
She hadn’t noticed that on the map. Swimming in a swamp didn’t sound like much fun, but she’d keep it in mind as a last resort. Soon she came to another sign:
THIS WAY TO ENCHANTED LAKE
The path was narrow but well groomed, with broom marks in the wood chips. Ashlynn’s Forest Club did a lovely job. The path was also well lit, thanks to the full moon. Even though Meeshell wasn’t breaking any rules, she felt nervous as she walked. I’m not doing anything wrong, she told herself. This is my nature. I need to swim.
An unsettling thought popped into her head. Once she became a permanent land-dweller, would she lose her craving for the water? How odd that would be.
After a few twists and turns, the path opened onto a clearing. Tall willow trees grew around the perimeter and in the center was a small lake with water so blue, it had to be enchanted. The moon reflected on the lake’s surface. The only movement came from a pair of golden cranes who stood in the shallows, between large lily pads. They turned and nodded at Meeshell, not seeming upset by her arrival. She knelt and touched the water. It was perfect: not too warm, not too cool. Her toes wiggled excitedly, as if they were really looking forward to turning into a tail. She tossed her coat aside, adjusted her bathing suit straps, and dived in.
Water! How glorious! She kicked once, twice, and her legs became a tail. Joy flowed through her as she swam beneath the surface. Then she leaped from the water, flipping into a forward roll. She leaped again, this time soaring through the air in a backward arc. Oh, the freedom! She swam the entire circumference of the lagoon, around and around until she was breathless. The cranes watched with curiosity. Then she floated on her back, looking up at the twilight sky, the water cradling her. All was still. All was good.
The cranes made a sudden screeching sound. They twisted their long necks, staring warily at the path. Footsteps. Someone was coming! Meeshell sank until her shoulders were under the water, then she slipped into a shadowy place beneath the boughs of a weeping willow.
A person appeared around the corner. It was Humphrey. What was he doing out here? He wore a pair of checkered swim shorts and little flotation devices around his arms. Meeshell had seen kids wearing those on beaches. He stood at the edge of the lagoon, staring at the water. “You can do this,” he said to himself. He put one foot in. Then the other. Ever so slowly, he waded up to his ankles. His brow furrowed. Was he scared of the water? He waded up to his knees. Then up to his waist. “You can do this,” he said again. Meeshell didn’t really know Humphrey, but she wanted to encourage him. Go ahead, she thought. It’ll be okay. The water will hold you up. Well, at least it does for mermaids.
As if hearing her thoughts, he tossed the floaties onto the shore. And that’s when everything went royally wrong.
Humphrey disappeared under the water.
Little bubbles appeared at the surface, but Humphrey didn’t come back up. Meeshell waited. How long could a land-dweller hold his breath? She wasn’t quite sure. Even the cranes watched nervously. And then the bubbles stopped.
Uh-oh.
Meeshell dived, swimming as fast as she could. She found him, struggling at the bottom of the lake. His back was to her, so she put her arms around his waist and pulled him to the surface. He took a huge gasp of air. Once she was certain he was breathing, she gave a strong push with her tail, sending him onto the shore. Then she swam into the depths so he wouldn’t be able to see her tail. “You okay?” she asked.
He sat up and coughed a few times. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He looked at her. “You… you saved me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She swam a bit deeper, worried the full moon would give her away.
Humphrey coughed again. “I didn’t know anyone was here. I… I thought I was alone.” He was still struggling a bit to catch his breath.
“Maybe you should take some swim lessons,” she said. She was trying to be helpful, but he looked insulted.
“Swim lessons?” He scrambled to his feet. Water dripped down his legs. “I don’t need lessons. I can swim. I’m not afraid of water. What gave you that idea? I… I swim all the time.”
“Uh, okay, I didn’t mean to—”
“I came here to get some exercise, because I’m not afraid of the water. And because I can swim. But then I got a cramp. In my leg. That’s why I sank to the bottom.”
He wasn’t going to admit that he couldn’t swim. As if he was ashamed of that fact. She wanted to tell him it was no big deal, that everyone has something they can’t do, and that she of all
people knew how embarrassing it was to have people think you’re afraid of something most other people aren’t afraid of… but she felt too shy to tell him something so personal. Plus, she knew he was trying to teach himself, and she’d been a witness to something he’d wanted to keep secret.
A chime sounded. Humphrey looked at his watch. “Curfew. We’d better go.”
She couldn’t get out of the water and let him see her tail. “Um, could you turn around? I need to change.”
“Of course,” he said, turning his back. She pulled herself out, grabbed the towel, and dried quickly. Her legs returned and she slipped her coat back on. Then together, they hurried down the path. He didn’t say anything else, nor did she. But as he headed toward the boys’ dormitory, with his floaties in hand, she realized something.
She’d saved a prince from drowning, just like her mother before her. Did this mean that Humphrey was her destined prince? No way. She and Humphrey seemed to have nothing in common. Except for the fact that they were both shy. And everyone knows that two extremely shy people could never work together.
Could they?
Chapter 14
Sports Day
We didn’t find you a club, but I have a really good feeling that today we’ll find you a team,” Apple said as they were finishing breakfast in the Castleteria. The Welcoming Committee list peeked out of her pocket. She’d highlighted and double starred the last remaining item on the checklist. “We won’t fail,” she told Meeshell. “Determination is one of my best attributes. And I am determined to make this happen.” Apple clearly wanted to add the Welcoming Committee to her high school resume, and so she needed Meeshell to join something. Meeshell also wanted to find something—she really wanted to have a full experience at Ever After High, like her father had—but Apple’s list was adding pressure to the situation. Meeshell didn’t want to disappoint anyone, especially Apple, who’d been so nice to her.
Sports Day was similar to Club Day, except that it was set up on the athletic field. All the teams were represented, with athletes present to answer questions, and coaches ready to hold tryouts.
“Ashlynn mentioned cheerhexing. Would you like to give that a try?”
At that moment, a pair of fairies flew past, the gust from their wings nearly knocking Meeshell over. The fairies laughed wickedly. They wore matching shimmering skirts, T-shirts with the letters EAH, and carried red pom-poms. They landed next to other students who were dressed in the same outfits. Ashlynn was among them. She called out Meeshell’s name and waved.
“I… I guess I’ll give it a try,” Meeshell said.
But as they approached the squad, Meeshell realized she was about to make a huge mistake. The cheerhexing squad was no longer standing still. They’d erupted into a frenzy of movement, flinging themselves around, leaping, twirling, flipping, then landing on their feet with precision. Meeshell had leaped out of the water many times, and she’d done her fair share of flips, but those moves had been propelled by the power of her tail. She didn’t know how to use her legs to do such things.
Then the squad performed a cheer.
“Spell!
Say what? Say what?
Spell!
That’s what we do!
We spell,
We spell for you!”
Meeshell cringed. Those moves were way too complicated!
“What do you think?” Ashlynn asked Meeshell when the cheer was over. “You think you want to join? It’s really fun.”
“Uh…” There was no chance to opt out because a tall, scowling fairy was flying straight toward Meeshell. A thick turquoise streak ran through the fairy’s shimmering blond hair. Her wings were iridescent and caught the sun’s rays like a prism.
Ashlynn looked nervously at the fairy, then hurried back to the squad. “Good luck!” she called to Meeshell over her shoulder.
The fairy hovered in front of Meeshell. “Don’t tell me you’re going to try out,” the fairy said in a snippy way. Meeshell recognized her. This was the same fairy who had made fun of her dress on the first day.
Faybelle didn’t wait for Meeshell to answer. Instead she turned to Apple. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here because I’ve been assigned to help Meeshell. I’m her Welcoming Committee representative.” Apple leaned close to Faybelle and frowned. “Be nice to her, Faybelle. She’s new and that means she’s not used to your…wickedness.”
Faybelle’s mouth turned up, ever so slightly, and ever so wickedly. “Oh, I’ll be nice to her.”
“Good. I appreciate that.” Apple beamed. Hadn’t she heard the sarcasm in Faybelle’s voice? Apple patted Meeshell’s shoulder. “I’ll wait over there while you try out.” Then she grabbed Meeshell’s bag and MirrorPad, and sat on a nearby bench.
Faybelle, still hovering, crossed her arms and gave Meeshell a very long, very intense look. “So?” she asked. “What can you do? Front flips? Backflips? Somersaults? Cartwheels? Handstands?”
At this point in time, Meeshell was grateful that she could stand without falling over. But obviously that wouldn’t be enough.
“I’m not sure what I can do,” she answered. “I’ve never been a cheerhexer before.”
Faybelle rolled her eyes. “Oh, that’s just spelltacular news.” Her wings folded and she landed on the soft grass. Then she did a forward roll and sprang back to her feet. She pushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “Let me see you do that.”
Apple gave Meeshell two enthusiastic thumbs-up. Ashlynn beamed an encouraging smile.
That didn’t look so difficult, Meeshell thought. In fact, it reminded her of the kind of roll she did all the time when she was swimming and wanted to change directions. She decided that she might as well give it a try. How else would she know what she was capable of if she didn’t try? So, with a deep steadying breath, she stepped onto the field and attempted a forward roll.
Graceful was not a word to describe what happened next. Nor was skillful or coordinated. Meeshell wasn’t sure how she ended up sideways. She’d closed her eyes, she’d leaned forward with the intent to roll, but somehow she went wonky.
“How embarrassing for you,” Faybelle said with a snort once Meeshell sat up. Then Faybelle rose into the air again, her wings beating with annoyance. “Newsflash, new girl, I don’t have time to train amateurs.” Then she flew over to another hopeful candidate.
“Okay, so cheerhexing’s not your thing,” Apple said as Meeshell picked blades of grass out of her hair. “It’s not for everyone—mostly just for fairies, in fact! But there are many more tryouts going on. Follow me.” With a tug on Meeshell’s hand, Apple exuberantly pulled her down the field, her determination steadfast. As much as Meeshell liked Apple, she wished she could make that Welcoming Committee list disappear. Maybe Farrah could grant that wish for her?
Apple led Meeshell right up to an odd little man. His neck, arms, and legs were equally thick and blocky. His shirt was tucked into his gym shorts and he wore a pair of kneesocks with his tennis shoes. A whistle hung around his neck. While he looked kinda funny, he smelled delicious, like something that had been baked in an oven. “Coach Gingerbreadman, this is Meeshell, our newest student. Can she try out for the team?”
“You want to try out for Track and Shield?” Coach Gingerbreadman asked. “What are you interested in doing?”
Meeshell remembered that her father had been on the Track and Shield team when he went to Ever After High. “What choices do I have?” she asked.
“Well, we’ve already got a long-jump champion.” He pointed to a boy who was jumping across a sandpit. It was the same prince she’d seen earlier, the one who’d turned into a frog. Wow, could he jump! “And we’ve got plenty of students for the shield toss.” He pointed to a bunch of students who were flinging shields at a target. “But you know, I could use some more sprinters. Can you run, run, run as fast as you can?”
Both Apple and Coach Gingerbreadman looked expectantly at Meeshell, who gulped. She hadn’t yet tried to r
un, let alone as fast as she could. How did that work, exactly? “I have a good feeling about this,” Apple said. “I’ll just sit over here.” Once again, she sat on a nearby bench.
“Start on this line,” Coach Gingerbreadman said. “And run to that line.” He pointed down the track. “I’ll time you.” Waddling on his thick legs, he made his way to the finish line. Then he turned and hollered at her. “Take your mark!”
She stood on the start line.
“Get set!”
What was she supposed to do? She looked down at her legs.
“Run, run, run!” He blew his whistle.
Fast was not a word to describe what happened next. Nor was swift or speedy. She told her legs to move. And they did. But her knees came up real high at first, as if she were a prancing horse. Then, once she’d gotten the knees to settle down, she couldn’t keep a straight line. She’d veered to the left, then to the right. By the time she’d reached the finish line, completely out of breath, Coach Gingerbreadman was standing with his mouth hanging open, aghast at what he’d just witnessed.
“What was that?” he asked.
“That was…” She took a huge breath. “That was running.”
“Not in my playbook!” He shook his head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d guess you’d never used your legs before.”
Meeshell didn’t disagree with him.
Apple was beginning to look a little desperate. “You want to keep trying? What about Grimmnastics? Oh no, that won’t work since you’d probably have to do somersaults. What about Sorcerer’s Soccer? Oh drat, that requires running. What about swim team? Oops, that won’t work either, since you’re afraid of water.” She frowned. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“It’s okay,” Meeshell said. She could tell how disappointed Apple was, and she felt badly. Especially knowing she’d be a perfect fit for the swim team… if only she could tell Apple the truth about who she really was.
While other students walked past, wearing their new uniforms and carrying banners for their new teams, Meeshell had nothing.
Ever After High Page 7