“I was so worried. I camped out down the hall. I knew if you came back you’d come here. God, I’m so…I’m so…” Tears swarmed her eyes. She wiped them away and breathed deep. Then, she scanned me, as if seeing me for the first time. “Why are you wet?”
“They tried to drown me,” I said right out. Kate’s big eyes widened. “They’re all against me, Kate. Desiree, Finn. It was all a lie.”
Blonde strands stuck to her cheeks. “Not everyone. Not me. I’m here for you no matter what.” She grabbed my hand and smiled. “Now, come here.”
A few doors down was the room where they sewed clothes and costumes for the drama department. I’d never witnessed a play, but someone said they have one a year. I wondered if they planned on performing any plays by Stephen Sondheim. Into the Woods seemed fitting. Danielle could play Cinderella and die. Or at least get punched, repeatedly. I’d pay any amount of money to see that show.
The door creaked as Kate pushed it open and rummaged through clothes racks. Frilly dresses, patterned pants. I needed to be invisible, not stand out. I might as well run in screaming, “You tried to kill me, but here I am. Come at me, bro.”
Frustrated, I yanked the doors open to one of the closets, and on the very bottom spotted a pile of black clothes. Over top the pile read WARDROBE: TECHIE. Winning. I rushed to strip off my soaking wet clothes and cherished the dryness of my new ones. Thank God for the warmth of the long sleeves and tight cotton pants.
“I have a plan to get us past the guards.” Kate sat on top of a table, her back turned to me as I changed. “Well, more like a potion. It’ll end at midnight, so we have precisely thirty minutes.”
A smile twitched at the edge of my lips as I twisted my wet hair into a bun. “Perfect.”
Kate handed me a pair of black sneakers. “Let’s get em.”
Kate and I stood at the bottom of the stairs, her bright blonde hair masked by a dark hood. For a few minutes we watched the guards pace, trying to count how many there were. So far, we guessed five. At least on this side. In the pocket of Kate’s coat were ten small vials, half were orange, the others bright pink. Whenever I asked what they did, she only said, “You’ll see.”
“Here, take these.” She placed five in my hand, a mixture of both colors. “I’ll go to the left, you go to the right. Use them sparingly and stay away from the cloud of smoke or the potion will get you and that would really suck.”
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the swirling smoke inside the vial. “Seriously, Kate. What the hell did you put together?”
“Payback.” A new song began, and Kate squeezed my free hand.
We moved slowly, her on the left side, me on the right. My heart raced as I realized I really had no plan.
The landing was only a few steps away. Kate cleared her throat quietly and signaled to Go and Throw. So I did.
I ran the rest of the stairs. Three guards were on my side, their stark white faces firm as they advanced toward me. Panic rose inside my chest as I tossed the vial and watched it crash in front of them. The bright pink smoke devoured them. Their cries pierced the air, but only for a second. Because once the smoke cleared, three mice scattered in different directions. No freakin way.
Kate clutched my elbow. “There still may be more.”
Instead of moving, I stared at her in disbelief. “Mice?”
“It’s a ball, right? Why not be authentic.”
We laughed and ran toward the door. Together we crept inside, sticking to the shadows in the back of the ballroom.
Blue and white peonies adorned each table. My nose tingled from the overwhelming floral scent. Pale blue satin covered the chairs and matching table cloths. Flower arrangements decorated the stage where Danielle, James, Al, Jen, Finn, and Pearl stood. Danielle’s gown was what you’d expect. A shimmering silver ball gown, the skirt so poufy I wondered how she walked. Beside her, James wore a matching tux, mostly likely made from the same material.
There was something different in his smile as they crowned him King of the ball and her Queen. Hard lines formed at his eyes. James and Danielle paraded down the stairs to the center of the dance floor. The waltz began. Music I’d hated until Wolf made me love it.
A frown took over Kate’s once smiling face. Moisture glossed in her eyes. This had to end. All of it. Danielle had to pay once and for all. And this time, I was not going down. They were.
With the vial tight in my hand, I marched out of the darkness. The other couples joined in the dance while some watched in awe. Placing the tube in my palm, I gave my best overhand swing and listened for the glass hitting the ground. Guilt wasn’t something I felt for these people. So what, they’d be mice for a little bit. It wasn’t like they were killed.
The pink smoke rose into the air. People choked, covering their mouths as they shifted out of the way. They weren’t fast enough. I tossed another on the other side. Dresses and tuxedos hit the floor and mice—some tiny, some plump—ran out from the pile of clothes.
I felt wicked. Wicked and ready to take Danielle and her minions out.
Madrina and a few other professors ran from the stage. Terror swarmed their faces at the sight of me. This time I didn’t need the vials. Power coursed within. I raised my hand and focused on people, turning them into animals with a single thought. By the time I finished the ground was a moving sea of critters, scattering like cockroaches across the ground.
Danielle unhinged herself from James and scowled. “You. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be…”
“Dead?” I tilted my head to one side. “Yeah, not so much.”
James seized Danielle’s arm, tugging her backward. The shock on her face was priceless. “You tried to kill her?” His voice boomed across the room in a way I’d never heard before. “I know she’s ticked you off, but killing her? You’ve gone too far this time.”
“Tell him, Danielle.” Pleasure crept through me and I stepped closer. God this felt good. “Tell James how you erased his memory because he never loved you. Not one bit. In fact, he loved Kate. But he doesn’t remember that, does he? Not only did she wipe your memory, she’s been slipping you magic pills so you do whatever she says. Well, at least until I exchanged the pills for allergy medicine.”
A beet red shade flushed over Danielle’s face and she sucker punched me. I fell backward, and Finn yanked me to my feet, twisting my arms back so I couldn’t move.
“Let go of me you piece of shit.” His grip tightened and Danielle stepped forward and slapped me again. A tingling sensation burned across my skin but I barely reacted. I was wound too tight.
“Get your hands off her!” Kate ran forward and beat her fists into Finn’s shoulders, but instead of pain, he laughed. It was dark and menacing and sent chills up my spine.
Freeing one hand, for a split second, he pushed her back. Kate skidded across the newly waxed floor and her head hit the ground with a crack. I yelped and wiggled, unable to free myself from his grasp. When the hell did he get so strong?
“Jesus, Finn.” James ran to Kate, kneeling beside her. “Are you okay?” James pulled her up and touched the back of her head. Kate stared at him, her big doll eyes swelled with love.
Flames of jealousy shot through Danielle’s eyes. “You’re going to wish you had died.”
And then, she hit me again. Hard.
I ran my tongue over my lips, tasting the blood. “You punch like a bitch.” I fought through the pain roaring in my face.
Jen stepped forward and beat her fist into my stomach, then Pearl—straight across the face. Damn, she hit hard, but I refused to show them any weakness at all. No tears, no noise. They weren’t worth it.
There was a quick break where they laughed together, mocking me. In that brief moment, Finn’s grip loosened enough for me to get a good angle. Using all my strength, I flung my leg backward and kicked him right where it hurt. He toppled forward, releasing me.
“Damnit, Norah!”
I wiped my hand over my mouth, blood streaking
across the skin. Fantastic. Running my tongue over my teeth I was happy to know they were all there.
Finn hobbled toward me and seized my chin, jerking my face so I stared him right in the eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but froze. Words cut away as Finn flew backward. My heart soared inside my chest at the sight of Wolf clutching Finn by his shirt collar. By the bite in his voice and the punch across Finn’s face, he was anything but happy.
“I will fucking kill you,” Wolf growled.
Wolf’s face shook with rage, a thick blue vein bulged from his neck as his hands tightened around Finn’s throat. I froze, unable to move as Wolf’s anger radiated from him to me. Fear bubbled within as Finn dragged his nails across Wolf’s unbending fingers, blood seeped from the scratches but never once did Wolf show any signs of weakness.
Despite how badly I wanted to stab Finn’s eyes out or rip him apart, the truth was, Finn couldn’t die this way. If he did, we were no better than them. And killing someone with your bare hands was hard to come back from.
“Wolf. Please.”
He flinched at my touch, then stared, his dark eyes full of anger and pain. Pain for what they did to me. Anger for the betrayal. But also, beneath it all, in the tiny gold flecks of his eyes, I saw how vicious his love was for me and thinking he had lost me had, in fact, made him go a little mad.
“Let him go,” I said. “Killing him won’t make you feel any better. You think it will, but I promise. I promise it won’t.”
“How can you say that? He tried to kill you.”
“I know. But I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere.” My hand trailed along his arm, his skin like fire against me, until I reached the blazing tattoo on his arm. I traced the image of a wolf, slowly praying I could relax him enough to release Finn. “I promise. I’m safe.”
One by one, his fingers loosened until Finn fell free from his grasp and hit the floor. I blew out the breath I held. “Thank you.” My hand found his, our fingers lacing together for the first time in what felt like forever.
“My gods, you guys are ridiculous!” the voice echoed through the empty ballroom, shivering me as if something dipped me in icy water all over again. “All you had to do was kill her! And you couldn’t even do that right.”
Desiree strutted toward us, shaking her head. Wolf stared at his friend, the reality slamming him in the face. My hand tightened around his, and I closed the space between us.
“Desiree?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t act so surprised. I’m a villain, so are you. Yet, you act like some pathetic fool in love. And love, love makes you weak.”
“No,” I breathed, staring at him. His skin against mine was like a burst of confidence exploding through my veins. “It doesn’t. Love is bigger than any force out there. Love makes us stronger.”
But she wouldn’t know that. Her heart was made of stone, her mind warped. No morals, no beliefs, no conscience. The fun girl I thought of as my friend stared at me with different eyes now. The eyes of a traitor. The eyes of someone who wanted me gone because I challenged her beliefs. Beliefs she helped me go against.
“We’ll see about that.” She raised her arm and snapped her fingers.
The lights dimmed and smog circled between us. The only sound was their heels pattering against the floor as they ran. Danielle grabbed James, pulling him away from Kate, but I clung to Wolf, afraid that this smoke was the same as the kind tucked in my pocket.
“Come!” Danielle said.
“No,” James said through clenched teeth. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Her eyes jolted back and forth between him and Kate, confusion and pain riddled her glass features. “Fine. Die for all I care!” And then she ran, disappearing into the smoke.
James didn’t miss a beat, rising to his feet and helping Kate to hers. Her big brown eyes were wide with confusion as she covered her mouth and coughed.
“Why did you stay?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It just felt right.” And then he grabbed a hold of her arm and the two of them hurried to our side. My heart already warmed for them. “There’s no magic in this.” James pointed to the fog. “It’s creating a clearing, that’s all.”
“Clearing for what?”
In the silence that followed, I heard it. The swooping. The slight scraping of nails along the walls. I glanced up through the smoke and almost choked.
“Um, guys.” I tugged at Wolf’s arm and pointed. “I think we have company.”
A low growl from Wolf sent chills up my spine. From the top of the grand ballroom flew monkeys. Were we in Oz? Their faces were more like gargoyles come alive, sneering and howling as they plunged lower, ready to attack. Their wingspan was at least five or six feet for the big ones.
The ground rattled as one slammed down in front of us. The height nearly towered me, and it was definitely bigger than Kate. These were like flying monkeys on steroids. Wolf brought my hand to his face, kissed the top, and whispered something I didn’t hear because monkeys surrounded us on every side. This is so not good.
“Aim for the stomach or tail.” Wolf said quietly. “Go out the back door. We’ll meet on the landing.”
Wolf lunged forward and I did as he said and aimed for the stomach, kicking each one as they came close. Suddenly I was grateful for the daily training I’d had in class. I tried not to see them as creatures because I always liked the flying monkeys. But these wanted me dead. And I was in no place to die yet.
James knocked them out of the way to get Kate to safety, which was all I really cared about at the moment. I could help myself and while she rocked at potions, she wasn’t really the best when it came to defense.
One of the animals squealed as I kicked its abdomen and took off running. The numbers weren’t dwindling, in fact, every time I knocked one out, three more appeared. Damn magic.
“Run, Norah,” Wolf yelled, socking one right in the jaw. “Now!”
As I took off toward the door, two came alongside me, latching onto my hands and flying into the air. I thrashed in their grasp, screaming for Wolf. He ran toward me, pouncing on the balls of his feet and jumping high enough to grab my ankles. Unable to handle the sudden weight, they dropped us. Wolf maneuvered me so he got the brunt of the fall.
“Stay down!” Kate yelled.
A vial traveled through the air and landed in the mass of monkeys headed out way. We didn’t stick around to wait for a transformation, instead, we hauled ass, slamming the door behind us. I collapsed against the door, my breaths jagged and burning from inhaling smoke.
“When the hell did we get flying monkeys?” I asked.
They stifled a laugh. One that shattered quickly at the sight of Danielle, Jen, Pearl and Desiree before us. Each had a different weapon. A pitchfork, axe, blade, and chains.
Behind her minions, Danielle watched me, like a hawk perched on the limb of a tree, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Thick chains whipped at Kate’s head, she ducked, missing only by an inch. Desiree lunged at her again and I prayed Kate would be fast. The grunts of Wolf fighting an armed Finn ricocheted within my heart.
I should’ve killed Danielle when I’d had the chance, all those nights we shared a room together. Now I had nothing but one vial. They had us out numbered. Jen and Pearl had to go.
Pearl slipped past James and Wolf and headed straight for me, the pitchfork in her hand, ready to stab me with it. Her grip was weak, one kick and the weapon fell from her hand. Throwing all my weight on Pearl, we fell to the ground.
“They s-said I had to k-kill you.” Her eyes were wide and naive, though no one bum rushing me with a pitchfork dressed in a tight turquoise leotard was innocent. “K-killing you would bring back my happy ending.”
Freeing one hand, I pulled the top off the tube and jammed it in her mouth. “Happy endings are a lie.” I lifted off her, careful not to breathe as the smoke coiled inside her, taking control like a rabid animal.
Pearl coughed and rolled onto her stomach,
spitting out the empty vile, but instead of a mouse, she turned into a pumpkin. A very bright orange pumpkin with a face almost identical to hers.
I hurried to the pitchfork as Jen ran toward me. I had no more vials and for some reason, my magic refused to work, so I swung hard, hitting her in the head. She crumpled gracelessly to the floor. Despite how much I hated her, I was relieved to see she was only unconscious instead of dead.
Danielle stood only a few feet away, the axe in her hand like she’d finished chopping someone’s body apart. I shivered as lightning illuminated the sky. Danielle’s killed before. Her own flesh and blood. There was no telling what she’d do to me. Tiny droplets of rain splashed on the concrete.
“This could end now.” Danielle’s voice was taunting and full of pleasure, as if she already had my head on a platter. Sparks flew from the sword fight between James and Alvin.
I tried to breathe steady. I had to do this for Kate and James. For me and Wolf. For everyone who had a dream. I had to save them all.
“You really don’t want to fight me.” I pushed away any doubt I once had. “I have an A in physical combat.”
Danielle grinned, tightening her fist around the handle of the axe. “You’re right; I don’t want to fight you. I want to kill you.”
With that, she lunged forward and swung the axe with more control than I’d ever expected from a girl who looked like she had no upper body strength. I jumped back, the tip just missing me. Oh, this is so on. Using the pitchfork as a sword, I blocked her blows, but she drove me further and further back, toward the edge of the balcony where the stairs led down to the garden.
The newly fallen rain didn’t help. The pitchfork was heavy and weighed me down more than a sword. I tripped several times, catching myself, until she went for my knees.
The blade coasted past my kneecaps and, as I shifted to dodge it, I slipped and fell face first on the ground. The rain was so heavy, the lighting so frequent, I could only see her by the bright blonde hair and raging, sinister smile.
The Forgotten Fairytales Page 24