by Sarah Noffke
“I think I have everything you asked for,” Sophia said, holding out her hand in a presenting fashion as John brought in the equipment. “Thanks for helping with this.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Alicia told her, coming around the workstation to check out the devices Evan and Sophia had recovered. “Yes, this should give me what I need to get your LiDAR up and running.”
“How long do you expect it to take?” Sophia asked.
Alicia considered the question, pushing out her lips. “Not long. I suppose you’re anxious to get this mission going, though.”
Sophia nodded. “Another question. What would you say if I said I was considering using the LiDAR on Lunis rather than in a plane, as most firms do?”
The smile that lit up Alicia’s brown eyes made her more beautiful. “I think that would enhance the technology quite a bit.”
“That was Plato’s thought too,” Sophia commented. “Could there be any drawbacks?”
Alicia thought for a moment. “Most certainly. However, that’s outside of my experience since I’ve never even met a dragon, let alone used LiDAR equipment around one.”
Sophia nodded, and then something occurred to her. “Well, I think it’s overdue. Would you like to meet a dragon?”
Alicia’s face turned red with excitement. “You mean the U-Haul truck out there?”
“Yes, I’ve got to send him through a carwash after this, but before that, I bet he would enjoy the opportunity to meet you,” Sophia explained.
Alicia brushed her hands off on her slacks and made for the door. When there, she paused, pointing to the back of the shop. “Oh, and Sophia…”
She paused too, picking up on the excitement in the scientist’s tone. “Yes?”
“Your 3D printer is almost ready,” Alicia said, pride in her voice.
Chapter Eighty
The smell wafting out of the kitchen of the Castle was so horrible Sophia considered skipping dinner altogether, but she needed to give Hiker an update on the LiDAR mission and the best way to catch him was at the dinner table.
Mama Jamba and Evan were already dutifully seated with expectant expressions.
Sophia gave them both a tentative look. “Anyone know what that weird smell is?”
“I thought it was you,” Evan remarked, sticking his tongue out at her.
“It’s something special Ainsley is making,” Mama Jamba affirmed proudly. “Not something I’ll eat, but she has promised to make me pancakes for dinner, since well, I’m the boss.”
Sophia smiled at Mother Nature. “It’s good you don’t let the power go to your head.”
“I just ask for pancakes at every meal,” Mama Jamba said, moving the salt shaker slightly so it was more in line with the pepper.
“If I were you, I would demand a lot more stuff,” Evan said, puffing his chest out. “No one would be able to argue with me. I would have anything I wanted instantly. And anyone who irritated me would be imprisoned.”
“Absolute rule gets pretty boring pretty fast, my dear,” Mama Jamba explained. “I tired of it early on.”
“I would probably make it mandatory that women had to wear bikinis,” Evan said, not hearing a word Mama Jamba stated.
“I think you misunderstand me if you think I created this planet to rule it,” Mama Jamba said placidly. “A mother doesn’t have children to run their lives and rule over them. If she does, she quickly realizes only suffering will be a result of such choices.”
“Why do mothers have children, then?” Sophia asked, her chin on her fist resting on the table.
“For the same reason a writer tells a story, I believe, sweet child,” Mama Jamba explained. “Because deep down, she feels there’s a part of her that needs to breathe on its own. When we bring children into this world, we do so with the understanding they came through us, but they’re not us.”
“That’s beautiful,” Sophia said, enchanted by Mother Nature’s world.
“So purdy.” Evan kept glancing at the door to the kitchen. “If this food isn’t any good, Pink Princess, will you order me food from that phone app of yours?”
“I’ll if you learn to ask politely,” Sophia replied.
Evan rolled his eyes. “Never mind. I’ll starve.”
“Your call,” Sophia fired back as the rest of the men entered the dining hall, all of their faces registering the strange smell in the air with different degrees of speculation.
Wilder appeared completely put off. Mahkah simply batted his eyes briefly, and Hiker Wallace scrunched up his nose and shook his head.
“What is that woman up to this time?” Hiker asked, thundering across the dining room and taking his seat.
“No good,” Evan answered. “I’m certain of it, sir. You should fire her.”
“It doesn’t matter if I do,” Hiker replied. “She refuses to leave.”
Sophia flashed him a punishing expression. “Maybe she would if she could. If she had not sacrificed herself for—”
“Have you figured out how to fix Wilder?” Hiker interrupted her, knowing what she was about to say. “Since he was hit with Cupid’s arrow while with you and is now hardly much use to me.”
“I’m fine, sir,” Wilder argued.
“You’re not thinking clearly since becoming infatuated with Sophia,” Hiker countered. “I asked you to do research for me, and what happened?”
Wilder’s eyes cut to the side. “I was distracted, sir.”
“Funny thing.” Sophia tried to take the heat off Wilder. “When I met with Cupid, he had something interesting to say about you, sir. And Ains—”
“Dinner is served,” the housekeeper chirped, backing into the dining hall carrying a large platter of fish.
When she set it down, everyone but Quiet, who Sophia had not seen enter the room and take a seat, backed away from the table.
“What is that?” Hiker asked, narrowing his eyes at the dish.
“Surströmming,” Ainsley answered. “It’s a fermented fish that—”
“I know damn well what it is,” Hiker cut in. “Why are you serving that when you know no one will eat it?”
“His name is Quiet,” Ainsley corrected. “Not ‘No One.’ Gosh, you would think after all this time you would learn my name isn’t ‘Would You’ and the groundskeeper isn’t ‘No One.’”
To everyone’s surprise, Quiet was digging into the herring, loading it onto his plate.
“Hey, Quiet,” Evan said in a sugary, sweet voice. “If you want, little guy, you can have my serving.”
The gnome mumbled something and took a bite.
A sharp cackle fell out of Ainsley’s mouth as she made for the kitchen. “You feel the same way about Evan, Quiet, as I feel about you.”
“Wait, what?” Evan asked, looking between the housekeeper and groundskeeper. “I’m trying to be nice to him. Why doesn’t he like it?”
Sophia shook her head at him. “Because being nice to get something is wrong. You should be nice because that’s the right thing to do. Better yet, because that’s what is in your heart.”
Evan pretended to gag. “I think you made it here by accident, Sister Sophia. The convent is down the street and much better suited for your holy ways.”
“I hope you’re going back to the kitchen to fetch real food we can eat,” Hiker called over his shoulder.
“Ainsley is still mad at Quiet for keeping being the Gullington thing a secret, I see,” Wilder said in a whisper in Sophia’s direction.
She was about to respond when Hiker leaned forward, a challenging expression on his face. “Don’t talk to her. It makes you act weird.”
“Weirder,” Evan corrected.
Wilder shook his head. “It doesn’t, sir. I’m totally fine, I tell you.”
“Okay, then answer these questions for me,” Hiker demanded, folding his hands on the table. “What is your name?”
“Wilder Thomson,” he proclaimed at once.
“Who are you?” Hiker continued.
“
A rider for the Dragon Elite.”
“Are you in love with Sophia?” Hiker asked.
“One-thousand percent,” Wilder said, brandishing a wide grin.
Hiker pounded his fist on the table, making the plates jump. “See, you’re not well. Cupid has corrupted you and I’ll not stand for it.”
Ainsley returned, a sneaky grin on her face as she laid down another tray. This time everyone but Quiet jumped up from the table as if the housekeeper had served a severed head. It was a mound of custard looking rice, but the smell was what repelled them.
“Is that…” Mahkah asked, looking sideways at the dish.
“A mistake I made, my dears,” Mama Jamba apologized. “I’m sorry. Durian was supposed to…well, not smell quite so horrible. The taste isn’t bad if you can get over that it smells—”
“Dead?” Evan supplied.
Mama Jamba nodded. “Yes. All my creations haven’t been fantastic. Sometimes I lucked out and created something like the cocoa bean, and then sometimes…” She gave the durian dish a long look of regret.
“Sometimes you didn’t,” Hiker stated, shaking his head before glancing at Ainsley. “Tell me you made something edible for tonight’s dinner.”
“I did,” Ainsley said, sticking her hands on her hips. “There you go.” She threw her chin in the direction of the surströmming and durian.
“Ainsley!” Hiker bellowed.
She smiled sweetly. “Yes, sir?”
“You’re fired!”
She nodded obediently. “Well, if there isn’t anything else you all need, I’m going to take my dinner in the kitchen. My chicken pot pie is just fresh out of the oven.”
“Wait!” Hiker called as she retreated. “We want chicken pot pie!”
“Oh, too bad,” Ainsley said over her shoulder. “I only made enough for me.”
“Why are you eating that instead of this?” Wilder asked.
Ainsley laughed. “Because that stuff is gross.”
Hiker growled when the housekeeper went into the kitchen. He gave Sophia a pointed expression. She nodded at once and pulled out her phone. “Fine, do you want Chinese or Mexican?”
“Pancakes,” Mama Jamba stated.
Sophia was about to order something from Uber Eats when she noticed she had a message from her fairy godmother, Mae Ling. Her eyes widened. “Actually, I’ve got to run right now, but I’ll order you all something on the way out.”
“Where are you going?” Hiker asked as she ran for the exit.
She turned, her eyes briefly meeting Wilder’s. “To see someone. They think they know how to fix him.” She pointed at the guy who always regarded her with such affection.
At the conclusion of her words, he shook his head, disappointment on his face. Hiker didn’t notice.
Instead, the Leader of the Dragon Elite urged Sophia to leave. “Yes, get on that. And order me something with lots of meat from Really Eats.”
“Uber Eats,” Sophia corrected, trying to catch the look on Wilder’s face before she rushed away.
Chapter Eighty-One
Sophia was never so happy she had to eat a macaroon to open the portal to Happily Ever After College than right then. She was hungry after not eating at the Castle, although she had ordered food for the others before leaving. Ainsley was acting out and Sophia could not blame her.
The housekeeper was hurt Quiet had kept his secrets from her. She was confused that she could not leave the Castle without getting sick. There was no doubt a lot more confusion over why she didn’t have any memories from early on. Then there was Hiker Wallace, who took her for granted, but Sophia suspected he was keeping her at a distance for a very good reason.
After stepping through the portal to the fairy godmother college, Sophia expected to find herself on the lawn outside the front door. She should not have had such expectations. The young dragonrider should always expect when things were supposed to follow a pattern, they would be turned upside down.
When Sophia stepped through, she found herself in a garden nursery she had only ever spied traces of at the back of the college when headed to Mae Ling’s office. On that trek, she had seen through the window to the large greenhouse that seemed to have many strange and mysterious plants.
Now Sophia was standing in front of one that was more akin to a monster than a plant. It reminded her instantly of Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors. The carnivorous plant was the size of a bear and arched over its huge pot, towering over her.
She looked up into the giant mouth of the beast with teeth full of bits of flesh and its bad breath wafting over her face. The Venus fly trap-like plant appeared ready to eat Sophia, but for whatever reason, she didn’t pull out her sword. She just looked up at the gaping mouth that was ready to snap shut on her at any moment.
There were a long few seconds where Sophia didn’t breathe and her pulse stopped beating. She prepared for these to be her last moments on Earth.
Then the plant let out a high-pitched wail and shrank back, twisting round and round as it grew smaller until it sat in its pot of fresh soil as a tiny, unassuming seedling.
Sophia hardly had a moment to digest what had happened before applause broke out all around her. It wasn’t until then that Sophia realized she was surrounded by a class of students from Happily Ever After College.
The girls, all wearing their school uniforms and pleased expressions, continued to applaud her as Mae Ling stepped forward. “And that’s exactly how one faces off with an Audrey, my lovies. Sophia Beaufont, dragonrider for the Dragon Elite, showed you the perfect strategy. Good work, my Cinderella.”
“Thank you,” Sophia said, her eyes shifting from side to side as she tried to figure out what was happening.
“One must never try to fight an Audrey,” Mae Ling continued, lecturing the class as she strode along with the crowd of girls. “If you do, then you’ll only anger them and make the situation worse. They simply want a stare-off in a way, although I get they don’t have eyes. Be the last to react, and they will become bored and go back into hibernation.”
“Miss Ling,” a student asked, holding up her hand. “When would we encounter an Audrey?”
Mae Ling nodded, having expected the question. “It isn’t common, but many of your travels to aid Cinderellas will be hampered by evil witches, bad queens, and other villains who want nothing more than for you to fail, preventing more love from entering this world. You must overcome these obstacles, help your charge, all while looking fabulous and spreading glamour.” Mae Ling spun around, looking very theatrical in a way Sophia had never seen her. “How does that sound, students?”
“Wonderful!”
“Fantastic!”
“Awesome!”
The group of women cheered.
“Very well, my lovies. Now off to lunch,” Mae Ling said, clapping her hands and ushering them toward the exit. “Get your refreshments and be punctual for your math lessons this afternoon.”
This was met with reluctant groans. “Do we have to?” a girl with braids complained.
“Yes, you have to,” Mae Ling told her. “We’re changing the curriculum, and you’re all going to embrace it. Most of you are messing up your crochet patterns and baking recipes because you can’t do simple math. We were wrong to keep it out of our studies, so you’re going to like it, or you know where the door is. Others would love to have your positions here.”
“Okay, Miss Ling,” many of the girls agreed with dutiful nods.
The fairy godmother nodded proudly and waved them toward the door.
When they all had exited, Mae Ling swung around to face Sophia with a smile. “Just as I planned, you performed perfectly!”
Chapter Eighty-Two
“Wait,” Sophia nearly stuttered. “You planned for that? I was supposed to show up and nearly get eaten by a plant?”
Mae Ling nodded. “Yes.”
“But what if I had tried to fight it, and it attacked and killed me?” Sophia asked in a rush.
“Then I would have had a free lunch period,” Mae Ling observed matter-of-factly, heading for the door of the nursery.
Sophia took the hint and followed her fairy godmother out of the nursery, although she would have enjoyed some time to explore the greenhouse. There were so many strange plants surrounding her, and the sweet smells of the flowers were intoxicating. Not to mention the sunlight streaming through the glass warmed her up just enough, making her the perfect temperature, like an incubating plant, waiting to bloom.
They passed several chatting students on their way down the now-familiar trek to Mae Ling’s office. Once inside the private area, Sophia’s fairy godmother took a seat behind her desk by throwing herself down in her overly large pink chair quite dramatically, as though she was exhausted from the events of the day.
Sophia stayed standing in the entryway and watched the strange woman roll her head back and forth, her eyes closed. Finally Mae Ling rose, her eyes open and disapproval on her face.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” she scolded. “Take a seat and eat your meal before it melts.”
“My food…” Sophia wondered. Her eyes found the hot chocolate fudge sundae that had just appeared on the other side of the desk, next to the empty oversized pink chair opposite Mae Lings. “Oh, that’s for me?”
“Of course, silly girl,” Mae Ling said, a chocolate sundae appearing in front of her too, along with a long whimsical spoon. “You didn’t have dinner, and I dare say if you had gotten food from Uber Eats, you probably would have ordered some vegetables or chicken something.”
“I’ve been trying to eat fewer fruits and vegetables,” Sophia admitted, taking a seat.
“Good girl,” Mae Ling said. “I’m sorry for my outburst. I’m just so tired having to deal with the girls adjusting to the new curriculum, but it really is for the best.”