by Chris Colfer
Lucy placed her hand on the wall of the tunnel, and the Northern Mountains started to rumble. The tunnel caved in between Lucy and Brystal, separating them by a wall of fallen rocks. Brystal cleared the debris with her wand and then sprinted down the rest of the tunnel. By the time she was outside, Lucy had disappeared from sight.
There you go again…
Losing friends left and right.…
You don’t deserve their companionship.…
You don’t deserve their love.…
You should be locked away, just like the Snow Queen.
The distressing thoughts seemed louder than the howling wind outside. Brystal wrapped her coat tightly around her body and searched the Northern Mountains for Lucy, but she didn’t find a trace of her anywhere. As far as she could tell, Lucy had vanished into the cold, snowy air.
CHAPTER SIX
THE RAVENCREST SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT
Lucy flew as far away from the Northern Mountains as her geese would carry her. She had no idea which direction they were headed in, but Lucy couldn’t care less—putting distance between her and Brystal was her only priority. Even though Lucy had said she never wanted to see or speak to Brystal again, she had imaginary arguments with Brystal for the entire journey.
The flock flew all night, and by sunrise the birds were too exhausted to take Lucy any farther. The geese unexpectedly dropped her off in the middle of a forest and Lucy landed with a thump on her behind.
“Pillow stuffers!” she yelled at the geese, and waved an angry fist.
Lucy got to her feet, brushed herself off, and continued on foot. She wandered aimlessly through the trees without a plan or a destination in mind. Although she was traveling alone, Lucy wasn’t worried about crossing paths with anything dangerous—she was so angry she was convinced that she was the scariest thing in the forest.
She walked for miles and miles without seeing another living creature. Lucy was so distracted by her heated thoughts she barely noticed the land changing around her. When she finally looked up, Lucy discovered she had strolled into the middle of a creepy part of the woods. All the trees had black bark, their branches curled into the sky, and they were completely bare of leaves. A thick mist hung in the air, making it difficult to see more than a few yards in any direction.
Eventually, Lucy found a path that curved through the forest like an endless serpent. It was paved with black stones, and a sign was posted beside it that pointed in one direction:
RAVENCREST MANOR
7 MILES
Lucy couldn’t believe her eyes and read the sign multiple times. It seemed too convenient to be a coincidence. Perhaps her journey hadn’t been as aimless as she had thought—perhaps her knack for trouble had been guiding her the whole time. She assumed the Ravencrest Manor was the same location as the Ravencrest School of Witchcraft, but there was only one way to be certain. So Lucy followed the path deeper into the woods, and seven miles later, she had her answer.
The path led to an enormous house that sat on the top of a high hill. The home was constructed from a combination of black bricks, burned lumber, and dark stones—as if the property had been damaged and rebuilt several times over the years. Thirteen crooked towers sprouted from the roof at awkward angles that broke the laws of physics. The manor was surrounded by a graveyard of uneven tombstones and miniature crypts. The whole property was protected by a tall iron fence, and two grotesque gargoyles were perched on top of a gate that was chained shut.
The grounds were occupied by hundreds of lynxes with dark fur, wispy ears, and yellow eyes. The hefty felines prowled, played, and lounged among the tombstones, and judging by the size of their bellies, they were all well fed.
Without a doubt, Lucy knew she was looking at the Ravencrest School of Witchcraft—and not just because the words THE RAVENCREST SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT were arched over the gate. The property was so ominous it had to be the home of witches. It was the exact opposite of the Fairy Territory, and Lucy couldn’t think of a better place to avoid Brystal. She cautiously walked toward the iron fence and peered through the bars for a better look.
“Hello?” Lucy called. “Is anybody home?”
Suddenly, a loud crunching noise came from behind her. Lucy turned around and screamed because two trees in the woods were moving on their own. The trees had pulled their roots out of the ground and were quickly shuffling toward her. They wrapped their curly branches around her arms and legs and raised her into the air.
“Let me go!” Lucy demanded. “Don’t make me turn you into toothpicks!”
To make matters worse, the gargoyles on top of the gate suddenly came to life as well. The statues leaped to the ground and landed directly in front of Lucy with two heavy thuds.
“Looks like we’ve got our first visitor of the day,” the first gargoyle said. “What do you think, Stone? Is this one a grave robber, a witch hunter, or a traveling salesman?”
“To be honest with you, Brick, I’m not sure what’s worse,” the second one joked.
The gargoyles shared a laugh. Their chuckles sounded like stone scraping against stone. Lucy groaned as she struggled to free herself from the trees’ branches.
“Hey, Stoney-Dee and Stoney-Dumb! You better tell these overgrown weeds to put me down or you’ll be sorry! I’m a member of the Fairy Council—well, I’m usually a member of the Fairy Council! You’re going to be in big trouble if you don’t release me!”
The gargoyles studied Lucy with their hollow eye sockets and smelled her with their stone snouts.
“That’s funny, you don’t smell like a fairy,” Brick said.
“Nope, she smells like bird poop,” Stone said.
“Look who’s talking, mildew breath!”
“You don’t sound like a fairy either,” Brick said.
“Nope, she sounds like a sailor,” Stone said.
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Is there a manager I can speak to?” she asked. “Where’s that Mistress Mara lady? She invited me here personally, and I don’t think she’d appreciate how you’re treating me!”
“Hear that, Stone? The smelly fairy says she knows the Mistress,” Brick said.
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” Stone asked.
“I hope not—I love watching what the Mistress does to intruders.”
“Me too.”
The gargoyles grinned and turned toward the gate. All the chains slithered away like snakes and the gate opened by itself. Brick and Stone headed up the hill to the manor, and the trees followed them, keeping Lucy suspended in the air as they went.
All the lynxes stopped what they were doing to stare at Lucy. The felines were so interested in her that Lucy could have sworn there was something strangely human about the way they watched her.
The manor’s enormous front door was made from stained glass depicting a terrifying owl preying on an innocent mouse. Brick pulled the lever for the doorbell, and instead of a traditional chime, Lucy heard a high-pitched scream echo through the house. A few moments later, the front door opened a crack and a butler peered outside. He wore a gold monocle, a three-piece suit, and white gloves—but besides his clothes, the butler was completely invisible.
“Tell the Mistress there’s a rude teenager who wants to see her,” Brick instructed.
The butler nodded—or at least his monocle bobbed up and down in the space above his collar. The invisible servant stepped back inside and shut the large door behind him. A few moments later, the servant returned and gestured for them to enter. The trees dropped Lucy on the doorstep, and the gargoyles pushed her inside the manor.
The interior of the Ravencrest School of Witchcraft was nothing like its mismatched exterior. In fact, Lucy was very impressed by its eerie yet elegant design. The floor was covered in black and white tiles laid in spirals to resemble spiderwebs. The walls were completely blank and had the same color and texture as old parchment.
The entryway had an enormous chandelier of live hanging bats that fluttered through the air.
An enormous taxidermy bear stood in the center of the entryway and had been turned into a grandfather clock. The bear clenched a ticking clockface in its mouth while a pendulum swung in its empty torso.
A grand staircase with railings made of bones curved around the bear. As Lucy’s eyes followed the staircase up toward the high ceiling, she discovered it was connected to a labyrinth of bridges, landings, ladders, and other staircases that crisscrossed, zigzagged, and looped as they ascended to the upper floors. The layout was so complex Lucy became dizzy just from looking at it.
“What a pleasant surprise!”
At first, Lucy couldn’t tell where the airy voice was coming from. Eventually, she saw Mistress Mara descending from one of the many levels above her.
“Thank you, boys,” the witch said. “I can take it from here.”
The gargoyles bowed to her and returned to their posts outside. Mistress Mara reached the ground floor, leaving a trail of smoke on the stairs behind her. The witch was so delighted to see Lucy her pale face was practically glowing. Lucy tried to greet the witch with a handshake, but Mistress Mara only stared at the gesture and wouldn’t touch her.
“Welcome to Ravencrest, Miss Goose,” Mistress Mara said. “I hope the trees and gargoyles didn’t alarm you. They’re just a few minor precautions I’ve put in place to keep the school safe. Witches can never have too much protection.”
“If those were minor precautions, I’d hate to see your version of a fire drill,” Lucy said.
Mistress Mara threw her head back and cackled at the remark. Lucy couldn’t tell if the witch was genuinely amused or not, but it was nice to hear someone laugh at one of her jokes for a change.
“You just kill me,” Mistress Mara said. “So, what brings you here?”
“Well, I was in the neighborhood and decided to check it out,” Lucy said.
“Were you thinking about joining our school?” the witch asked.
Lucy shrugged. “Maybe,” she said. “To be honest, I don’t really have a game plan right now. I could use a break from the fairies, though. There’s someone I’m trying to avoid and I didn’t know where else to go.”
“How delightfully vengeful,” Mistress Mara said. “In that case, why don’t you spend a few days with us?”
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“Oh, I insist,” she said. “It’d be our treat to host you. Who knows, you might even like it here and decide to stay. Shall I give you a tour of the manor?”
“That’d be great,” Lucy said. “Thanks, Double-Em.”
“No nicknames, dear,” the witch said. “Please, follow me.”
Mistress Mara showed Lucy around the spooky yet sophisticated manor and, once again, made a point to not touch her.
The ground floor had a sitting room with furniture that was upholstered in reptile skin and porcupine needles. Next to the sitting room was a dining room with a long table and benches built from coffins. There was also a small library that seemed more like a zoo because all the books growled and hissed behind cages. The kitchen was in the basement—or at least, Lucy thought it was a kitchen. Instead of pots and pans, the room had a variety of cauldrons, and instead of a traditional pantry, it had shelves of colorful elixirs and grotesque ingredients.
“This place is so dreary it’s almost charming,” Lucy said.
“Thank you,” Mistress Mara said. “I’ve put a lot of work into it.”
“Have you always lived here?”
“I’ve lived so many places over the years I’ve lost count. When I decided to open a school of witchcraft, I looked for the perfect location, and Ravencrest Manor was exactly what we needed. It was originally the home of our benefactors, Lord and Lady Ravencrest. The couple didn’t have any children to leave the property to, so they kindly donated it to us.”
“Wow, that’s one heck of a gift,” Lucy said.
“It was so generous even they couldn’t believe it,” the witch said.
As they toured the different chambers, Lucy noticed each room had the same illustration drawn on the wall. It was of a black goat with long horns and a short beard, and the illustration had such an inquisitive expression Lucy was convinced there was a soul behind its eyes. She examined it closely and gasped—the illustrated goat suddenly moved and roamed across the wall! Apparently, the manor didn’t have the same illustration in every room, but one illustration that moved from room to room.
“What the heck is that?” Lucy asked.
“Oh, that’s just Old Billie,” Mistress Mara said. “She’s an illustration that lives in the walls. She’s also a mischievous little creature, so try to stay away from her.”
Like the lynxes outside, the goat watched Lucy with a level of curiosity that seemed strangely human.
“Why is she looking at me like that?” Lucy asked.
“Knowing her, she’s probably hungry.”
The witch snapped her fingers, and a quill appeared in her hand. She drew a patch of grass on the wall, and Old Billie gobbled it up. Lucy could have watched the living illustration all day, but Mistress Mara escorted her back to the entryway.
“How big is this place?” Lucy asked.
“The last time we counted, the manor had thirteen floors and seventy-seven rooms,” the witch said. “Only one room is off-limits and that’s my personal study on the seventh and a half floor.”
“That’s assuming I can find it,” Lucy said.
Once again, Mistress Mara threw her head back and cackled at Lucy’s joke. This time Lucy knew the witch was only pretending, but she appreciated it nonetheless.
“The girls are going to love your sense of humor,” Mistress Mara said. “Now come with me and I’ll show you to the bedroom. You’ll be sharing a room with the other girls in the East Tower on the eleventh floor. Pay very close attention to how we get there—it’s easy to get lost in a house like this. The maid went missing two months ago and we still haven’t found her.”
Lucy let out a nervous laugh. “Good help is hard to find,” she said.
After six flights of stairs, four walkways, and three windy hallways, Mistress Mara and Lucy finally arrived at the East Tower on the eleventh floor. The witches’ bedroom door was shaped like a star and there was a sign pinned to it that said WITCHES ONLY—NO WARLOCKS ALLOWED.
“Girls, are you decent?” Mistress Mara asked as she knocked on the door.
She and Lucy squeezed through the doorway and stepped inside the bedroom. To Lucy’s surprise, instead of regular beds, the witches were lounging in large nests like a family of giant birds. The girls were dressed in striped pajamas and were in the middle of different activities when Lucy entered. Sprout was brushing her bushy green hair, Stitches was sewing limbs onto a knitted doll, Beebee was shaking a container of bugs, and Hareiet was braiding her long purple hair. Pip, on the other hand, seemed sad and was silently gazing out the window. Pip hadn’t been at Ravencrest for a whole day yet, and Lucy could tell she was already homesick.
“Ladies, we have a special visitor,” Mistress Mara announced.
“Lucy!” Pip was thrilled to see a familiar face. “What are you doing here? Are you joining Ravencrest?”
“To be determined,” Lucy said. “I thought I’d stick my toe in the witch pond before I jumped in.”
“Miss Goose will be spending a few days with us,” Mistress Mara told them. “Let’s all make sure she has a very enjoyable visit.”
The witches had different reactions to the news. Stitches stared at Lucy like she was a new toy to play with. Beebee was so excited about another roommate she was practically vibrating. Sprout seemed completely indifferent about Lucy; in fact, she was more interested in a piece of lint floating through the air. Hareiet wasn’t happy about the situation at all—she crossed her arms, and her nose twitched with suspicion.
“Mistress Mara, are you sure this is a good idea?” Hareiet asked. “She’s part of the Fairy Council—the Fairy Godmother probably sent her to spy on us!”
“Then I�
�m certain she’ll have nothing but good things to report back,” Mistress Mara said.
“Actually, I was recently suspended from the Fairy Council,” Lucy said. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever go back to the Fairy Territory. There’s some bad blood at the moment.”
“Blood is never bad,” Stitches whispered.
“I hope you decide to stay with us,” Pip said. “We were just getting ready for bed. Here, you can sleep in the nest next to mine.”
“You’re getting ready for bed?” Lucy asked. “But it’s morning.”
The girls cackled at Lucy’s obliviousness.
“You don’t know much about witches, do you?” Hareiet asked.
“We sleep during the day and stay awake all night!” Stitches said.
“B-b-because we’re c-c-creatures of the moon!” Beebee stuttered.
“Actually, witches are just naturally nocturnal,” Sprout noted. “You know, like bats, owls, moths, foxes, badgers, raccoons, mice, the northwestern hedgehog, certain breeds of tree frogs—”
“I think she gets the point, Sprout,” Mistress Mara interjected. “Now, Lucy, why don’t we get you something more comfortable to wear for bed? And maybe something more appropriate to wear around the manor?”
Mistress Mara guided Lucy to the back of the bedroom and she stood in front of a wardrobe with a mirrored door. They stared into the mirror for a few moments, and just when Lucy was about to ask what they were waiting for, the wardrobe popped open on its own. Hanging inside were a pair of pajamas, a black cloak with a pointed hood, and striped stockings in Lucy’s size.
“Well, unless you have any other questions, I think I’ll head to bed myself,” Mistress Mara said “Everyone try to get some rest—we’ve got a long night ahead of us. Good day.”
“Good day, Mistress Mara,” the witches said in unison.
After Mistress Mara left the bedroom, Lucy changed into her pajamas and sat on the edge of her nest. The witches watched her in complete silence and Lucy suddenly felt like a lamb in a lion’s den.