At this order, the shifters leap from their seats to search for the mouse. The entire assembly hall goes berserk. The wizards race around (mostly trying to avoid the shifters). Meanwhile the fairies use the opportunity to cause general trouble. I’m talking tripping up casters, summoning rats to befriend the mice, and making the chairs dance.
Fairies really are the worst.
All in all, it takes the principals twenty minutes to get everyone to line up and return to their respective parts of the school.
At the end of the day, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. When it comes to friends, I’ll take quality over quantity any day.
Bryar Rose is simply the best.
24
Alec
Ivy keeps screeching about the evil rodent on her kneecap. Perfect. That’s completely Elle’s handiwork. If I didn’t love her before, I’m head over heels now.
Principal Babs eyes at me carefully. She’s one of many guardians that my parents have hired to watch my every move. It’s tedious as well as nerve wracking. If I swat Ivy’s hand from my ear, will Babs report that to my parents? And what would Legend and Diamond do next? I’m under strict orders to make Ivy happy, no matter what. If Diamond and Legend discovered that I refused Ivy anything, would Wilhelm and his crew get hurt?
Not a risk I want to take. At least, not over Ivy touching my ear.
Sure, I keep searching for Chesh, but without magic or technology? My options are limited. In the end, there’s only one conclusion: I can’t rely on a magical cat to get me out of this situation.
New magic is my key.
Once I get my midnight diamond working, then I’ll be able to stop all this nonsense. In fact, I’d like nothing more than to leave this room, grab Elle, and tell her what she means to me.
Yet I can’t.
The result is sad but unavoidable. Until I can find the Cheshire cat or activate my diamond, I must play along with my parents.
And today, that means enduring Ivy.
25
Elle
The good news is that sending a mouse up Ivy’s leg was a really satisfying viewing experience.
The bad news is that I still had to watch Alec be all smiley to Ivy. Not fun.
After the assembly breaks up, Bry finds me in the passageway to the fae section of the school. She grabs my wrist. “Elle, are you all right?”
“No.”
Bry lowers her voice. “Were those your stepsisters?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you go home sick today?” She makes little quotation marks with her fingers when she says the word sick. “I’ll make some excuses for you.”
For some reason, I keep speaking in one-word answers. “Thanks.”
I march out the front door and cut across Central Park. With each step, my rage fumes hotter. Ivy and Agatha? Really? A small, logical part of my brain reminds me that Alec is probably being blackmailed, but those thoughts are overruled.
Sometimes, a girl just gets to feel angry. For me, that’s right now.
I’m half way across the park when Jacoby materializes beside me. “Don’t punch my face,” he says with a sly grin.
I stop. “Not once?”
“You’re in a snit.”
“I hate it when you say that.” What is a snit anyway? And who talks like that outside of elves?
“Oh, that’s snit talk for certain. Makes it tempting for me to avoid you.”
“Act on the temptation, Jacoby. I’m not fit to be near anyone right now.”
Jacoby’s silver eyes get all wide with sympathy. No one can pull on your heartstrings like an elf. “Elle, I’ve known you since forever. I saw what happened at the assembly today.”
“If you say one word about Ivy…” I ball my hands into fists.
“Wasn’t planning on it,” says Jacoby. “I just want to be sure you’re all right.”
Normally, Jacoby is all snarky and pushy. That version of him I can deal with. But this guy is all sympathy and sweetness. Yes, it’s probably an act. Even so, it’s been weeks since anyone with a y chromosome has shown me any serious attention. Knox doesn’t count.
Jacoby steps closer and slowly wraps me in a hug. I should still punch him in the face, but it just isn’t in me right now. Being held is just so comforting. Jacoby rubs my back in slow circles. Total bonus.
“You know what you could do to feel better?” he asks.
“Hmm?”
“Attend the Autumn Masquerade.”
“I’m not going. They who will not be named will certainly be there.” Meaning Ivy and Alec. And thankfully, Jacoby knows me well enough to realize that fact.
“Will you allow them to stop you from attending? Everyone will talk.”
Jacoby has a point here. If I don’t go, it will definitely be noticed.
“There’s still time to decide.”
“Not really. The masquerade is this weekend.”
“Oh.” I make some quick calculations. Once again, Jacoby is right. That snuck up on me there.
“Bry and Knox will be there,” says Jacoby.
“True.”
And did I mention the back rub is nice? It is.
“I would consider it an honor if you would allow me to accompany you. I can take punches to the face or dole them out to others, whatever you prefer.”
I open my mouth, ready to tell him no. Then an image appears in my mind. It’s Alec, grinning up a storm at Ivy. At this rate, he’ll definitely be attending the Autumn Masquerade. Maybe Ivy will even go as Alec’s date. I refuse to think about the whole Glass Slipper Ball plus marriage situation.
Oops, just thought about it.
Barf.
Jacoby is right. I can’t not show. And if I do attend, walking through the door alone isn’t as nice as having Jacoby along. Besides, I’ve known Jacoby forever. He’s a good friend. We’ll have a fine time.
That said, I can’t deny that it’s pretty clear Jacoby might want more than being my buddy.
“You should know,” I say. “I’m not much for relationships or anything right now.”
“Hey, I’ll take what I can get.” Jacoby plays with the ends of my hair. That’s also very sweet. “I just want to spend time with you.”
This may be a bad choice, but screw it. I just released a mouse on my evil stepsister. I’m on a roll. “All right, I’ll go.”
“Excellent,” says Jacoby. “Would you like me to walk you home?”
“I can manage.”
“Very well. I’ll be in touch.”
And in perfect Jacoby style, he vanishes into thin air.
26
Elle
No question about it.
Bry and I are under some kind of apartment curse.
It all started when we were evicted from our new place in the Le Charme building. Then we went to the dust bunny haven that was Az’s safe house in New Jersey. Now we’re in one of Knox’s apartments. The spot is free of dust bunnies, which is cool. And the tenant, Jillian, is just away for six months, so she left her stuff. That should be a huge help, too. No need to buy new furniture and schlep it around, right?
Wrong.
Trouble is, Jillian’s obsessed with baby dolls. They are every-freaking-where. And those things stare at you. I’m so not lying. Bry and I put them in a closet, but then we felt like they were going to break free and kill us in our sleep. Did I mention that Bry and I have very active imaginations? We do.
Long story short, I went to a dollar store and bought a bunch of baby sunglasses. I’ve since put all the dolls back in their original spots with new eye gear so it doesn’t seem like they’re staring. It’s a little better. I can’t wait until my place in the Village is finished being magically cleansed. Not sure how Alec’s family got in there, but dang, they did a serious job. I had to call in some favors from Hecuba, a powerful witch who keeps getting her rings stolen.
So after my Ivy encounter today at school, I’m not looking forward to baby doll central. But at least Bry will b
e there, so I focus on that.
I step into the apartment and find Bry in the kitchen. We tend to hang out there as it’s the room with the fewest dolls.
“Hey, Bry!” I give her a big hug. “Thanks for standing up for me at today’s assembly. You know, literally.”
“What else could I do?” She lowers her voice. “Is it just me, or was that doll—” Bry points across the kitchen “—not there yesterday?”
I follow the direction of her point and, sure enough, a new baby doll sits atop the fridge. She’s a cute thing with a pink sun hat and a shocking lack of sunglasses. Her beady eyes glare in our direction.
“Um, no.” I lower my voice as well. “Do you think Knox moved her?” This place has three bedrooms, which is pretty big for New York. Too bad they’re all filled with baby dolls. I’ve noticed that Bry and Knox don’t even snuggle on the couch these days, let alone kiss in the apartment. We always feel like someone is staring at us.
Did I mention I really want my studio back? I do.
“I don’t know.” Bry’s eyes widen. And since most of her face is brown eyes, that’s another scary sight, right there. “Did the fridge baby blink? I think it blinked!”
“This is nuts.” I whip out my cell and text Knox.
CallMeElle: Hey, did you do this?
I take a snapshot of the doll and attach it. A few seconds pass before Knox replies.
FortMe: Why, does it bug you?
I show Bry my screen. Knox totally did it. I take a picture of Bry making a nasty hand gesture and send it back. Knox replies with a bunch of ROTFL memes.
Most of the time, Knox is a chill guy. That said, he does have his moments of downright Alec-ish behavior. Setting up the fridge baby is one such example.
Speaking of the fridge baby, Bry tiptoes over and flips it so it’s facing the wall. “Much better,” she says.
“How was the rest of your day?” I ask.
“We had more pack activity time.”
“Where?”
“Harbor Trampoline Park.”
“What?” I make sure my mouth hangs extra-wide for dramatic affect. “That’s not even remotely a school activity.”
“It is for shifters.” Bry starts pulling stuff out and laying on the counter. I count coconut milk, lima beans, and parsley.
Yipes.
Bry grew up with her aunties controlling everything in her life. She never even learned how to cook. Now, my best friend is free from her aunts and experimenting in the kitchen. I don’t want to rain on her culinary parade, so I don’t stop her. Although it’s very tempting to point out that you can always Google recipes instead of, you know, making stuff up. Again, it makes Bry happy so I keep my trap shut. Once the meal is served, I’ll choke down a few bites and then order pizza later.
And yes, I get extra slices for Knox.
Bry pulls out some flour, sea salt, and chocolate mints. Wow. This will be an epic creation. “How was the rest of your day?” she asks. “I was surprised I got home first.”
“I went for a walk in Central Park. Jacoby found me. We chatted.”
“That’s nice.” Bry gets out a big bowl and starts pouring in ingredients at random. “What did you talk about?”
“The Autumn Masquerade. He asked me to be his date.”
Bry stops pouring random stuff into her bowl. Little by little, she turns to face me. When our gazes meet again, her eyes are super wide. “And what did you say?”
“I said yes.” Bry’s giving me her big doe-eyed look, so I keep going. “Alec was chatting up Ivy and Agatha today. They’re my stepsisters. Maybe I got a little jealous. When Jacoby asked me to go, it seemed harmless enough. And I know Alec is going through some strange stuff, but it still hurts to be alone.”
“Okay. Well.” Bry nibbles her thumbnail. That’s never a good sign.
“What is it?”
“Hmmm.”
“Bry.”
“You know how Knox as my first real kiss.”
Where’s going with this? “Sure.”
“And we’re both founding members of the Eighteen And Never Been Kissed In Manhattan Club.”
At the time, Elle and I felt we were the only girls on the island who could possibly join. You never know how many girls say they’ve been kissed when you admit that it’s never happened to you.
“Right,” says Bry.
“So?” I ask. “Now I’m the only one left.” I frown, trying to figure out the deal here. “You know if I had a real kiss, I’d tell you. I mean, Alec gave me a peck on the lips once. That doesn’t really count.”
“It’s like this. Part of the tradition of the Autumn Masquerade is that you share a real kiss with your date at midnight.”
I take a half-step backward. “You do? How come no one ever told me this?”
Bry shrugs. “It’s on all the posters. Don’t the other fairies talk about it? It’s all the gossip in the shifter cave.”
“Well, that’s my problem right there. I don’t like other fairies. We don’t talk.”
“You know how I feel about that,” says Bry. Which lead into to an age-old disagreement between us. Bry thinks I’m more witch than fairy. I think the whole warden of all fae magic thing seals the deal. Plus, I can’t enchant anything if I tried. Not that I’ve tried a ton, mind you.
“At this point, I’m set in the fairy school. If I had to watch Alec all day long, that would be super tough.”
Bry goes back to making her whatever that is. “Because you guys are such great friends.”
This is another ongoing discussion between us, by the way. Bry feels that it’s her role as best friend to point out that I am kidding myself about my feelings for Alec.
I set my fist on my hip. “That’s right. Buddies forever.”
“Okay, fine.” She starts mushing stuff in her bowl. Odd scents waft through the kitchen.
I tap my chin and think this through. “The masquerade ball doesn’t have to be a disaster. It’s not like I have to kiss anyone.”
“You don’t.” Mush mush mush. “But everyone does.” Mush mush mush. “And folks will notice if you skip out.”
An image chills my blood. It’s Alec and Ivy, smooching. “If Alec has a date, he’ll kiss her.” My icy shock quickly heats into fiery rage. “In that case, I’m definitely going. I’ll kiss Jacoby’s mouth off, too.”
Bry shoots me a dry look. “Eew.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Dinner will be done in a few minutes.” Bry lifts up her spoon. Some brown goop with coconut shards drips off the utensil and into the bowl. “Or I can order pizza.”
“Pizza would be awesome.”
On reflex, my hand goes to my purse. That’s where I keep my two little glass slippers and pumpkin carving. It’s the only part of my parents I have left. Knowing I just agreed to kiss Jacoby? For some reason, that makes me miss Mom and Dad more then ever.
My thoughts turn to the Queen of Hearts and finding her Cheshire cat. Maybe I should start doing my own nightly prowls around the city. I don’t need to sleep, really. Prowl by night and school by day? I could make that work.
Anything to find that cat.
Bry speed-types on her cell. Her tongue sticks out one side of her mouth, which is her classic face for ordering pizza from an app. Once she looks up, I launch into my next question.
“Any word from the shifters?” There’s no need to explain more. There’s only one topic where I’m looking for shifter updates. The Cheshire cat.
True fact: sometimes, it’s like I can see Chesh from the corner of my eye. But when I look, there’s nothing there.
“Sorry,” says Bry. “They’re searching but no cat yet. Sorry.”
“It’s cool,” I say. “I appreciate them looking for a feline. It’s not a fave wolf hobby or anything.”
“I’ll keep calling out to Colonel Mallory, too,” adds Bry. “He said he’d be stuck in the Faerie lands for a while and out of touch and well, that’s turning out to be true.” Colonel M
allory is Bry’s adopted father as well as a big bad dragon shifter.
“Thanks for trying.”
Bry rests her hand on my shoulder. “We’ll find Chesh.”
“Absolutely.” But even as the word leaves my mouth, I know it’s a lie.
With every passing day, I get farther away from finding Chesh. Or doing any of the things I really value, for that matter. The animates are lost to me. My parents’ store is a ruin. Alec is locked out of my life. And I’m attending a school that I hate with fairies I can’t stand.
If I’ve ever been further from myself, I can’t imagine the time.
27
Alec
I sit on my gaming couch and pretend to watch Real Warlocks of Manhattan. In reality, I’m toying with the midnight diamond in my pocket. In my mind, I reach out to the stone.
Hello?
No reply, but that happens. The great gem caster, Horus Agrippa, once spent a decade reaching out to a stone before it spoke back. And if Horus Agrippa can do it, so can Alec Le Charme.
So while I pretend to watch this show, I’m keep pouring my mind into the stone and looking for a reply.
Still nothing.
It doesn’t help that one of my parents are always nearby and staring. Today, Legend is on duty. He paces the penthouse and makes calls for the Glass Slipper ball. My father’s looming presence only reminds me there’s so much I still need to do.
Like contact Elle.
Find Chesh.
And, last but not least, rescue Wilhelm and his crew.
Sadly, there’s nothing I can do as long as my powers are blocked.
The other day, I grabbed a regular casting stone, just to see what would happen. My parents transported into the room within thirty seconds. Whatever tracking spell they have on me, it’s serious stuff. I can’t break it without some power of my own.
Slippers and Thieves Special Edition Page 16