The New Elite

by Sarah Noffke

  Sophia made for the pink front doors of Happily Ever After, enjoying how peaceful it felt on the grounds. Even the wind wasn’t bothersome to her as it tangled her hair.

  She found Mae Ling waiting patiently for her when she entered the building. To Sophia’s surprise, the school didn’t appear to be winding down for the day. Women in their rainbow pleated skirts and pink blouses hustled down the long hallway, chatting excitedly. Many of them gave Sophia curious glances when she met her fairy godmother at the front of the school.

  “Wow, you all have night classes?” Sophia asked, noticing most of the students were carrying their books and supplies with them as they moved through the hallway.

  Mae Ling kept her eyes on Sophia as she shook her head. “We have classes at all hours of the day.”

  “Oh, really?” Sophia asked with surprise. The smell of chocolate made her stomach rumble. The cookie had barely tided her over.

  “Well, fairy godmothers don’t sleep, my dear,” Mae Ling explained.

  “They don’t?” Sophia questioned, not having expected that. Even Mama Jamba slept. Actually, the woman was very strict about getting her beauty rest.

  “Heavens no,” Mae Ling replied. “You wouldn’t want a fairy godmother who slept on the job, would you?”

  Sophia considered this. “No, I guess not.”

  Mae Ling held out her arm and directed Sophia to the back of the hallway. She followed, again studying all the interesting classrooms as she walked. Each was like a different artist paradise. There were different classrooms than before—one for making jewelry, the gemstones scattered on the workstations dazzling.

  There was one for candle making, the scents spilling from the room competing with the smell of sweets in the air. The last one they passed before turning into an office was a nursery, with green plants monopolizing the space. Sophia caught sight of several exotic plants she had never seen before.

  “Please make yourself comfortable,” Mae Ling said, holding out a hand to Sophia and presenting a chair on one side of a desk.

  The chair was something Sophia would need to duplicate at some point. It was a large pink armchair with a high back that arched overhead, creating a small roof over the person seated in it. The tufted buttons that decorated the thing were brass, and the arms were round spirals. It was more of an art piece than a place to sit.

  Sophia took a quick moment to explore the room and then slipped into the chair, enjoying its soft comfort immediately.

  Mae Ling strode to the other side of the desk, which was neat and clean of papers. Only a MacBook sat in the center. The desk was like the rainbow-striped runner that ran down the hallway in front of the college, a menagerie of colors—each of the drawers a different bright hue of pink, pastel green, pale blue, sunshine yellow, and robust orange.

  On top of the desk were whimsical images of stick figures and various shapes of hearts and suns. Also written in places were quotes like, “Life is Short” or “It’s All About You” or “Be Who You Will” or “Ain’t Life Great.”

  Behind the desk sat a chair identical to the one Sophia was sitting in.

  Like the outside of the college and hallway, the office had an interesting dichotomy to it. Whereas the desk was a splash of assorted colors and the chairs bright pink, the walls were plain brick and the floors a neutral shade.

  Mae Ling waved her hand at the desk, and a tray of tea and a tower of pastries and confections appeared in front of Sophia.

  “Now, please eat up,” Mae Ling said, taking a seat. “You have to be back in just a few minutes.”

  Sophia glanced at her clock. “No, I’m good until midnight.”

  Mae Ling smiled discreetly. “Someone will show up early from the House of Fourteen. They aren’t the best with time.”

  “Oh, who?” Sophia asked, going through the list of people she had requested Liv to bring. They all were responsible adults she thought had fantastic time management, but Mae Ling was never wrong.

  Sophia grabbed a chocolate éclair on the top rack of the assortment of foods. The glaze was so perfectly arranged, the pastry looked more like a work of art than a sweet treat.

  Mae Ling clasped her hands on her desk and gave Sophia a calm expression. “Okay, so go ahead and ask your question of me.”

  This was the way it worked, Sophia had learned. Even if Mae Ling already knew what Sophia was going to ask her and even if she already knew the answer, it was Sophia’s job to first ask the question. That was part of the magic.

  “I need to find the captain’s hat that belonged to Quiet’s father,” she said in between bites. “Can you tell me where to find it?”

  Mae Ling shook her head. “No, but I can tell you who knows where it is.”

  Sophia nodded, having expected it wouldn’t be so easy. She finished the chocolate éclair, pretty much inhaling the pastry.

  Mae Ling held up her finger, twirling it, and the teapot rose to pour Sophia a cup.

  “You will want to text your sister and ask her to bring King Rudolf Sweetwater with her tonight,” Mae Ling instructed, resting her hands on the surface of the desk once more.

  Sophia stopped chewing the brownie she had just taken a bite of, her face frozen. “Why?”

  Mae Ling smiled slightly. “Because he knows where the hat is, of course.”

  With an annoyed sigh, Sophia finished chewing. She took a sip of the tea and found it the perfect temperature. “Of course, King Rudolf is involved in this.”

  “Naturally,” Mae Ling said simply.

  Doing as she was told, Sophia pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to her sister to give her enough time to coordinate things.

  Almost immediately, Liv messaged back. “Are you sure? Ru? Are you mad at Hiker and looking for a good way to punish him?”

  Sophia giggled at her phone. “I just need his help with something. Will you tell him to come through the portal with you?”

  Liv shot back a confirmation: “I will tell him now. We are having nachos. I warn you, he won’t be alone.”

  Sophia’s brow scrunched up. “I wonder what that means?”

  Mae Ling appeared amused when Sophia glanced up at her. “It means you will need this.” She twirled her hand once more, and a small velvet pouch appeared on the center of the desk.

  Sophia gave her a skeptical expression. “What’s in that?”

  “You will find out when you know exactly when to use it,” Mae Ling told her mysteriously.

  Cautiously, Sophia grabbed the sack only to find it strangely heavy for its size.

  “Okay, well, I guess that is all then,” Sophia said, grabbing a truffle and popping it into her mouth.

  “Not quite, my dear.” Mae Ling tilted her head to the side.

  Sophia again stopped chewing mid-bite. “I can’t think of anything else I need your help with. Well, unless you want to tell me how to fix the Gullington or how to catch a cyborg pirate. I will take that information.”

  Mae Ling smiled good-naturedly. “I’m afraid a fairy godmother can only help with so much. What I want to talk to you about is more of a personal nature.”

  Sophia pulled her mouth to the side, not having expected this. “Personal. Like my personal life or yours?”

  This seemed to amuse the woman. “Yours, of course, my dear. I’m afraid I don’t have much of a personal life. When is there time for such things?”

  Sophia nodded, relating. “Well, same here. I’m a dragonrider, after all.”

  “You are also a young woman with your own thoughts and feelings,” Mae Ling corrected. “Now, for a change, I have a question for you.”

  Sophia didn’t respond as she waited for her fairy godmother to continue.

  “Do you remember the story of Cinderella?” Mae Ling asked her.

  It was such an unexpected question Sophia was momentarily speechless. “Yeah, of course.”

  After reflecting, it made sense her fairy godmother would reference this story, although it was still strange when she was used t
o discussing worldly affairs with the wise woman.

  “Now, you are aware you are the reason the winds are restless lately?” It was more of a statement from Mae Ling than anything else.

  Sophia tensed. This wasn’t a topic she wanted to discuss right then, maybe ever. She hadn’t figured out what tumultuous emotions she had rolling around inside of her she was ignoring, although Lunis liked to insinuate she was in denial.

  “Yes, Mama Jamba mentioned it,” Sophia admitted.

  Mae Ling nodded. “Of course, she did.”

  “Are you going to tell me about these internal feelings?” Sophia asked, relieved and hopeful she would get advice from her fairy godmother on the subject.

  To her disappointment, Mae Ling shook her head. “I’m afraid that is not my job, dear. Did Cinderella’s fairy godmother tell her how she should feel about Prince Charming or console her on the situation?”

  Sophia thought for a moment before saying, “Yeah, I guess not.”

  “A fairy godmother’s job is to prepare their children for what is to come, not to tell them how to deal with it,” Mae Ling explained.

  “Is this when you stick me in a big dress with glass slippers,” Sophia joked.

  Mae Ling didn’t laugh. “Not today, my dear. But I do plan on helping you prepare in other ways.”

  Suddenly, Sophia wasn’t as hungry. She ran her eyes over the pastries, wishing she could stuff them all in her mouth.

  “What most don’t get about the story of Cinderella,” Mae Ling continued, “is that her curfew was self-imposed. She could have stayed at the ball past midnight.”

  “But then the prince would have seen her for who she was,” Sophia argued at once, for some reason feeling a strong conviction for the story.

  Mae Ling flashed her a knowing smile. “That is exactly right. He would have, and what would have happened?”

  Sophia considered. “Well, he would have loved her just the same. It was never the dress or the shoes that made him want her. It was who she was deep inside. It was because she was a good person and he saw that. She lit up the room even without the clothes.”

  Mocking offense, Mae Ling clasped her hands to her chest. “Now, that makes the fairy godmother of this story sound unnecessary.”

  Sophia, knowing Mae Ling was messing with her, just smiled.

  “Of course, the fairy godmother’s job was to give Cinderella confidence,” Mae Ling went on. “But at the end of the night, she ran because she didn’t want to be found. She was afraid of being loved and not just that, she was afraid of being loved for who she was.”

  Sophia opened her mouth, and the words spilled out. “Because she didn’t think anyone could love her because she was different and poor and—”

  “Yes, yes,” Mae Ling cut in. “Her circumstances made her think she wouldn’t be right for the prince. She thought they were incompatible. And yet, even as she ran, she left behind a shoe, because if we are honest, Cinderella in her heart, wanted to be found.”

  Sophia was more confused than when they started the conversation.

  “You see, my dear, sometimes we feel certain ways and think we’d rather avoid certain things,” Mae Ling continued. “But we leave behind glass slippers because the heart wants what the heart wants regardless of whether the mind says it will work or is right for us.”

  Letting out a weighty breath, Sophia looked at her fairy godmother. “I don’t understand.”

  Mae Ling bobbed her head, a knowing look on her face. “And that is why we are having this conversation. You know you are conflicted about something because your mind says it doesn’t make sense. That it won’t work, but the heart, well, will it leave behind a glass slipper?”

  “This is how I make the wind calm down?” Sophia asked.

  The woman smiled, standing up from her desk. “The winds are never still, especially for a person like you. But yes, when you deal with this, the breeze will be gentle once more, for a time anyway.”

  She glanced at the clock on the wall and nodded. “Now, you will want to hurry back to the Castle. Rudolf will be waiting for you.”

  “Oh,” Sophia said. “He is the one who doesn’t do well with time. That makes more sense.”

  Mae Ling ushered her to the door. “All things make sense in hindsight. The key is to try and make them make sense before then.”

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  The wind that hit Sophia in the face when she stepped through the Barrier into the Gullington was sort of an insult after her conversation with Mae Ling. She didn’t have time to think through all that and to feel her way through things right then.

  What Mae Ling had said did make sense. The mind put obstacles in place the heart was happy to leap over. The heart often got people into trouble when they ignored their rational side. At some point, Sophia was going to have to figure out things and decide whether she would run from the ball and if she did, would she leave behind the glass slipper?

  For the time being, she had a series of meetings to attend and a lot of changes coming to the Gullington. She glanced at her watch and wondered why King Rudolf was going to be early.

  As she hurried up to the Castle, she mused at how strange it was going to be to have people who were not Dragon Elite or those who served them in the Gullington. This was a first, except for when a bunch of cyborg pirates broke into the place and stole one of their dragon eggs.

  Mama Jamba, who had put the Barrier back up and was maintaining the security field for the Gullington, had made it so the visitors from the House of Fourteen’s portal could come through. Otherwise, the portal would have worked the same way it always had. Those in the Castle could pass to the other places like the House of Fourteen or the Great Library, but the outsiders from those places couldn’t come into the Gullington.

  For the first time ever, members from the House would enter the Castle. Things were really changing. Hiker Wallace was using technology and asking for help from outsiders.

  Sophia froze after rounding the corner at the top of the stairs. It appeared the first outsider was already in the Castle. Never would Sophia have expected it to be King Rudolf Sweetwater and his triplets.

  “She is like yay high,” Rudolf was saying to Ainsley, holding his hand down by his waist. “And she loves horsey rides on my knee and thinks I’m the smartest person she has ever met. I’m like her uncle, you see.”

  The housekeeper scratched her head. “You will have to excuse me. I have recently fallen ill, but the description of the person you just gave me doesn’t ring any bells.”

  Rudolf, who had one baby strapped in a carrier to his chest and another on his back in between his large wings and the third in a stroller in front of him, waved his hands in front of him. “Okay, let’s try another approach. How about you describe the people who live in this Disney castle, and I will tell you if one of them is Sophia.”

  “Sophia…” Ainsley said, musing on the name. “Yeah, we don’t have anyone by that name here. There is Evan, the bane of my existence, and who has apparently grown a tolerance to the poison I lace his food with.”

  Rudolf shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like her because she would probably die from too much poison.”

  Sophia rolled her eyes but stayed hidden at the far end of the hallway, too entertained by this strange exchange to interrupt it. She had never considered a reality where these two laffy taffies met and had a conversation.

  “Okay, and there is Wilder,” Ainsley went on. “He has got great hair, piercing blue eyes, and a sharp wit, but he is also totally full of himself and has smelly feet.”

  “Hm,” Rudolf said, combing his hands over his chin. “That description almost fits, but I wouldn’t say Soph is overly confident. I mean, there was this one time I wanted to accompany her to this social affair, and she was like, ‘No, Rudolf, I’m too embarrassed to be seen with you.’” He laughed. “I mean, poor girl. She has such low confidence she thought she had embarrassed me in front of a bunch of highbrow magicians.”

/>   Ainsley nodded. “Okay, well, we have Mahkah, who is Native American and a few hundred years old. He has got long black hair and hardly ever talks.”

  “What color are his eyes?” Rudolf asked quite seriously.

  “Brown.”

  He shook his head. “No, that is not her.”

  “Oh, well, the only other dragonrider here at the Gullington is S. Beaufont,” Ainsley stated. “She is petite with blonde hair, blue eyes, and quite the sassy disposition. When she sleeps at night, she mumbles the name—”

  “I’m here!” Sophia called suddenly, interrupting and hurrying down the hallway.

  “Oh, there you are,” Rudolf said, his face brightening at the sight of her.

  He glanced back at Ainsley and bowed slightly. “Thanks for your help, but I have found her. That S. Beaufont sounded close to my Sophia, though. I will have to meet her at some point.”

  Ainsley smiled at Sophia. “I’m off to bed. Will you make sure your friend finds a place to put his pets?” She pointed to the babies strapped to the fae and the carriage.

  Sophia opened her mouth to correct the shapeshifter but decided against it. Instead, she simply nodded. “Get some rest, Ains.”

  The housekeeper turned like Sophia was talking to someone else. Then she shrugged. “Sure. But I don’t know why you call me that.”

  Sophia sighed. It was obviously too much to ask for the people she spoke with to be normal or have their wits about them.

  “Hey, Rudolf,” Sophia greeted him in a low voice, noticing the three babies were all asleep.

  “Hey there, Soph!” he exclaimed and wrapped her in a tight hug, pressing one of the babies into her.

  She shook her head as she pulled away. “You are early.”

  “Well, when Liv said you were desperately seeking my counsel, I decided to come right away.” He indicated the babies. “I thought it would be good to come while the Captains were asleep. I never know how long it will last.”