1 The Bitches of Everafter

by Barbra Annino

  The mirrors, or rather, the places where mirrors usually hung—on the bathroom wall and again in the grand upper ballroom—seemed to also contain a hint of magic, although Snow wasn’t privy to how they functioned. Unless...could it be the house itself was enchanted?

  She thought about the ‘no mirrors’ rule, wondered why she hadn’t found any on her search of the house even tucked away in a forbidden closet. As ruler of her kingdom, she had had her own magic mirror for a time. It was now painted entirely black and safely stowed away back in Enchantment. She had ordered it destroyed after it had been used against her once, but her advisors warned that destroying it would be a mistake. That its power was unbound and immeasurable and that there was no telling the repercussions of shattering it. Threads of many lives could have been altered. And she wasn’t about to let that happen a second time. So the silver was glazed over to stifle the magic and to prevent anyone from using its powers for evil.

  Snow thought again about the rooms she had explored. The clocks, the clothes, the trinkets, and that baffling locked door that she hadn’t been able to gain access to. What did it contain?

  The more she thought about it, the more she considered Aura’s conviction that Granny had been taken against her will by someone who meant them all harm could be accurate. Snow wanted to believe that Granny really was on their side.

  Unless...the rooms were locked. Or marked ‘Do Not Enter’. So was she really collecting those things to jog their memories? Or did she do it to block them? Or, more worrisome, did she squirrel away those objects to hide them from someone else? Someone dangerous? Did those thrift sale finds contain magic? Or was Granny mad?

  There was no way to be certain. Not until they located the old woman.

  Bella exited the restroom and the three of them pushed through the glass doors of the community center and stepped out beneath a stifling sky.

  “What have you bitches been doing? Braiding each other’s hair?” Punzie said. “I’ve only got an hour before my shift, and if I’m late, the DJ plays his own list. Do you know how hard it is to make Build Me Up Buttercup look sexy with a bum ankle?”

  “Sorry,” Snow mumbled, wondering what kind of clientele went to strip clubs in the middle of the day. Homeless guys? Men who lived with their mothers? Mental patients?

  The five of them walked the three blocks to Gretel’s Café, chattering about Snow’s story and taking bets on the authenticity of it.

  “Admit it, you made that up just so we’d think you had some boulders between your legs,” Punzie said.

  “Guess you’ll never know,” said Snow.

  Cindy complained about the humidity the entire way. “I swear, my make-up is going to slide right off my face,” she said.

  Aura rolled her eyes and Punzie said, “Try walking in six inch heels with a thong up your crack, Miss Priss, then we’ll talk.”

  Gretel’s Café was a quaint, curtained establishment with a row of blue leather booths lining one wall, wooden tables in the center, and a long Formica bar where the waitresses served hot coffee and cold sodas. The kitchen was behind the bar, and Snow could see two cooks in white paper hats bustling over the stainless steel pass.

  They chose a table in a quiet corner. Gretel greeted them immediately with, “Hey convicts, what’s shaking? Kill anyone today?”

  Snow’s four housemates looked at her and shifted uncomfortably.

  She looked directly into Gretel’s eyes, smiled, and said, in a deadpan tone. “The day isn’t over yet.”

  Aura grimaced and Snow realized that she had slipped out of her unassuming, demure Everafter persona. That was probably not a good idea. At least not yet.

  Gretel stared at Snow for a beat, not sure how to respond. Punzie put her hands under her chin and Cindy mimicked her, batting her lashes at Gretel.

  “That’s right, fry girl, there’s a new bad bitch in town.”

  Punzie looked around, cupped her hand around her mouth and in a loud whisper, said, “What this chick did makes me look like a Girl Scout.”

  Gretel swallowed hard, tossed some menus on the table and hurried off.

  Snow was smiling when she turned back to face her roommates, who were all giggling.

  All but one.

  Bella’s face was ice.

  32

  I Spy With My Fae Eye

  Tink had never considered her small stature to be an advantage. For one thing, she couldn’t watch a movie in an actual theater because inevitably someone would sit directly in front of her obstructing her view. She also had trouble reaching the pedals of any normal sized automobile because she needed a booster seat just to see over the steering wheel, and—most infuriating—people tended not to take a person seriously who couldn’t hop onto a bar stool without the aid of a pogo stick.

  However, as she sat in a corner booth at Gretel’s Café, Tink realized that being a small person was perfect for spying in a restaurant, because (a.) she could hide behind the giant menu and (b.) she could slip into a bathroom like a whisper and comfortably crouch on top of a toilet seat undetected like she was doing right now.

  She had been at the café for half an hour and hadn’t heard a lot of the women’s conversation. While Tink’s hearing was superior, she had a difficult time filtering out background noise. She hadn’t anticipated just how much background noise littered a busy restaurant until she was at the mercy of it. The whir of a blender, the obnoxious cackle of teenagers, the constant chime of bells, waitresses rattling off the specials, the telephone—all of these noises penetrated Tink’s delicate ears, making it difficult to eavesdrop. So when two of the parolees rose to head for the restroom, Tink dashed in ahead of them low and fast like a rat terrier.

  After a minute, Cindy’s obnoxious perfume was slapping at Tink’s nose and she had to pinch it to keep from sneezing.

  “So the old bat didn’t come home, big deal. Maybe she’s on a bender,” the blonde said.

  Aura responded in a scratchy voice that grated on Tink’s nerves. “I don’t think so, Cindy. I think something might be wrong.”

  Tink realized they were talking about their housemother, Granny.

  Her ears pricked with interest. If Granny wasn’t supervising the house, what would the judge do? Would she arrange for an alternative living situation? Or would she appoint a new den mother? Someone who would keep her eyes and ears glued to the situation, perhaps. Someone who might even find violations that would send that awful Aura back to the slammer. And maybe even Snow White.

  Tink didn’t like the way Doctor Bean looked at the dark haired beauty during the session she had just spied on. She didn’t like it one bit. Of course, she only caught brief glimpses of his adoring gaze while she was jumping outside the window of the gymnasium at the community center, but still. It made her angry.

  And oh, what she wouldn’t give to get out of the judge’s house and away from that horrible wolf.

  She was so elated at the thought that she let out a tiny squeal.

  Aura said, “Who’s there?”

  Tink held her breath as she heard the soft click of heels approach the stalls.

  The clicking stopped and Tink saw the top of Aura’s head poke beneath the stall door. She scrambled on top of the toilet tank and pressed herself to the wall.

  Cindy said, “What the hell are you doing?” A door opened and closed. A lock slid into place.

  “I thought I heard something,” said Aura.

  “So you’re going to poke your head underneath the stalls like a pervert. Oh, and speaking of crimes, I found my shoes in your closet, you whore.”

  Aura’s head vanished. “You did?” Her voice faded just a bit and Tink heard another stall door open.

  Shoes? What shoes? Tink wondered. The judge ordered Cindy to donate all her shoes.

  “Yes I did, you klepto. Did you think you’d get away with it?”

  “Calm down, Cindy...um...” Aura stammered. Quickly she added, “You asked me to hang onto them, remember?”

 
; Cindy’s tone faltered. “I did? That doesn’t sound like me.”

  “Yes, the other night.”

  “Now why the hell would I do that? Those things are worth more than your whole life.”

  A flush.

  Valuable shoes? Tink was thrilled at this. She would have a violation on Cindy now and the judge would be so pleased with her impeccable detecting. She was way better at this than that stupid oaf, Robin.

  “I don’t know. You said something about Granny finding them.”

  A zipping sound and another flush.

  “I did?” Cindy didn’t sound certain.

  “Yep. You were pretty liquored up.”

  “That sounds like me.”

  Liquor? That was another violation of Cindy’s probation. Tink clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from shouting with joy.

  “Did you try them on?” Aura asked, her voice shaking a bit. A faucet turned on and Tink had to strain to hear the rest.

  “Not yet. I saw a dress at a boutique that would go perfectly with them and I wanted to try the whole ensemble on at the same time.”

  “Maybe you could model for us later.”

  “Don’t be weird.”

  The faucet stopped gushing, and a hand dryer howled to life.

  After they washed and dried, Aura said, “Come on, I have to get to my service.”

  The door opened and closed and Tink waited a few beats before exiting the stall.

  She pulled out her tiny recorder and spoke into it, kicking herself for forgetting to turn it on when she had first snuck into the bathroom. “Tink’s spy notes, volume two.”

  Tink made a record of the conversation she had heard between Aura and Cindy, flipped off the recorder, and stepped out of the restroom. She hurried out of the café. She would call the judge as soon as she got to her car.

  33

  Desperate Judges

  Judge Redhood was growing desperate, and she wasn’t happy about it. Desperate people do desperate things, and she had already done something so drastic even she couldn’t believe it. The judge did not like plot twists, especially in a plan of her own creation. Well, mostly her creation. She wasn’t the headliner of this operation—more like the emcee. One who had just thrown a monkey wrench into her own lineup, but what choice did she have? She couldn’t very well let things escalate, though she suspected they already had. There was no proof —yet—but she was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on even if it killed her. Or someone else, preferably.

  It had taken nearly a year to get to this point. A year of strategic planning, careful crafting, arranging all the players just so. Not to mention developing not only the perfect spell, but the perfect cloak to veil the spell. It was brilliant, really. The effects of her magic, well, their magic, was like nothing she had ever seen before. She was so proud of herself.

  Until of course she was betrayed. Again. The thought of it made her blood boil. She picked up a golf club that was leaning up against her desk and smacked a glass lamp with it. The lamp flew to the far wall and shattered into tiny pieces, leaving a modest dent to match the others.

  Fang came rushing around the corner, jaws dripping with saliva. He growled at the shattered lamp, head low, hackles poking the air.

  “Nothing to worry about, my pet. Mommy was just unleashing a bit of frustration.” She blew out a deep breath, feeling a bit more in control of her emotions. She would need that control for what she was about to do. She couldn’t go off half-cocked. Not now. There was too much at stake. She had come too far.

  The judge smoothed her navy fitted jacket over her matching slim skirt and fluffed her fiery hair. Her phone was on her desk, and she picked it up and, slipped it into her pocket next to the key. Then she climbed the stairs to the second level of her woodland estate.

  She wasn’t certain how long the curse was going to cling to its targets, but she could feel magic seeping into this land through the seams.

  So who had brought it? And more importantly—did the princesses have any? She hoped Tink would provide some answers. Robin had been of no help at all, the useless toad. Tink should have been following those bitches all morning. Hopefully the girl would arrive any moment with a report, and hopefully it would give the judge just cause to lock one of them up again. Separately, they would be much easier to control, and the magic—if it had found them here—would dissipate.

  She shook her head at the notion that they had found each other in Everafter. Oh, she’d had no doubt that four of them would wind up standing before her bench at one point or another. They were spoiled rotten princesses, after all, with everything handed to them on a silver platter most of their vapid lives. But that they came through the courtroom in succession and in the same timeframe baffled her. She had no explanation for it, but she would soon. Even if she had to use the threat of Fang himself to get some answers, she would have them.

  It was Snow White’s crime that really had her stymied.

  Pure of heart, innocent, doe-eyed Snow White had been such a goody two-shoes as long as she had known her that she was still dumbfounded by her actions. Perhaps, the judge thought as she unlocked the door that led to the third floor of the house, the spell had been even more powerful than she’d thought. Perhaps it had tamped down their true selves so deep that they would never recover their memories. Or their crowns.

  “And wouldn’t that be delicious.” A smile spread across her face.

  As she ascended the final stairs, the judge reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile phone. She had purchased one for Tink, but the careless girl often forgot to carry it with her. Still, she’d try to reach her. See if she had uncovered any wrongdoing. It rang five times before she hung up.

  The door at the end of the dark hallway loomed before her and the judge stopped. She hesitated, contemplating her next move. She needed answers, sure, but how far was she willing to go to get them? She needed to secure the town of Everafter, too. But was she prepared to risk her own happiness to do it?

  The key was in her pocket, and she could smell Fang’s earthy scent trailing down the hall behind her. He must have followed her up the stairs. She found his steady breath comforting, the rhythm of his heartbeat soothing. A calmness washed over her. There was something about Fang’s sheer survival instinct that penetrated her very soul. She gathered strength from the wolf, inhaling it into her lungs.

  “There is only so much magic stored here,” she said to herself. “Do what must be done.”

  She still hadn’t decided how to rectify her predicament, nor had she come to any light-bulb realization of the best action course. All she knew was that she had to do something soon. She couldn’t let them remember, couldn’t allow the princesses to gain control. Or it would be her head on a platter.

  The phone rang in her hand and the judge jumped.

  She looked at the number and groaned. She’d been dreading this call, fearing it even, but she had proven her loyalty time and again and she would continue to do so.

  She answered the call with, “Everything is under control.”

  She waited for instructions. Then she plucked the key from her pocket, slipped it into the lock and entered the room that she alone knew existed.

  34

  A Trail Of Glitter

  Snow looked up from her spinach salad just in time to see a trail of glitter flash down the hall toward the restaurant’s bathroom before it dissipated. She didn’t think much of it until she recalled what the pixie had said about taking Robin Hood’s place.

  She made mention of this to Bella and Punzie who laughed so hard at the absurdity of the tiny girl acting as their parole officer that Snow was afraid one of them might choke.

  Upon returning from the restroom, Aura didn’t find it so amusing. “I think we need to stage an ambush.”

  Punzie said, “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of that little gnat.” She popped a fry in her mouth.

  Aura said, “No, but I am afraid of what her boss could do to us.” She gla
nced at each of her housemates.

  Bella stood. “She’s right.” She dropped some money on the table. “Let’s roll.”

  The five of them waited just around the corner and lo and behold, after a few minutes, they spotted Tink skipping down the sidewalk holding a recorder in her dainty hands and giggling.

  Bella rounded the corner first. “Well, well. If it isn’t the fly on the wall.”

  Tink shoved the recorder in her pocket, jutted her lip out, and said, “Leave me alone.”

  “Bzzzt! Try again,” Cindy said.

  Tink glared at all of them as they formed a circle around her. “I’m not afraid of you. Any of you.”

  Bella stepped forward. “You should be.” She gestured behind her where Snow stood outside the circle. “You see, Snow White back there wanted to take a crack at you, but she’s already killed once, and any more than that in a month is just bad form.”

  Tink slid a fearful gaze to Snow White, who sighed.

  Bella crossed her arms and said, “But I drew the short stick. So to speak.”

  “Oh, a short joke. Very original,” Tink said. Her voice was steady but Snow saw the sprite quiver.

  “Bella, please, let’s not make it worse.” Snow stepped forward. “Look, Tink, we know what you’re up to, but it’s not polite to eavesdrop on people’s private conversations. So why don’t you just give us the recording and we can all be on our merry way.”

  Punzie looked at her watch. “Can we speed this along? If DJ Ray takes his break before I get there, he plays the jukebox and every damn record skips. If I Can Turn Back Time is repetitive enough, believe me.”

  Cindy said to Tink, “Listen, you little moth. Whatever you think you heard, you don’t know the whole story. So just give us the tape and we can forget all about it. There’s no need to report any of this to the judge.”