Slippers and Thieves Special Edition

by Christina Bauer

“I don’t care what MNN says,” grumbles Legend into his headset. “I promised Oprah an exclusive. MNN is out for an interview with me and Diamond.” He pauses. “Then let MNN shoot some stuff at Alec’s school. There’s a dance or something coming up.” He hits a button on his cell and ends the call without saying goodbye. That’s classic Legend.

  For my part, I pretend to be enraptured by whatever nonsense is happening in this TV show. It’s all BS, by the way. For instance, this week’s episode features a pair of so-called potion masters, Axe and Baxe. These overly-ripped dudes spend forty minutes mixing up a love serum on the kitchen stove. They use black kettles, empty eye dropper bottles, and something called dragon dust.

  What a crock. Potion masters only mix in glass bowls. That way, they can see how their spell is working. In terms of bottles, they only put their creations into glass containers that are hand-blown and magic-ed up not to explode. So a manufactured eye dropper bottle is a big no no. And finally, there’s no such thing as dragon dust.

  Question: Did Axe and Baxe people even meet an actual potion master before they signed up for this show?

  Legend plunks onto the couch beside me. The fact that Axe and Baxe are still presenting potion tips doesn’t stop my father from interrupting the show. Not that I’m really watching. Even so, it’s all part of the stuff I’ve been realizing lately. Mostly, it’s becoming more and more clear how my parents want me to be some kind of Alec doll in their plans. Right now, that plan involves talking to Legend at this very moment.

  “Good day at school, son?”

  I pointedly raise my remote and turn down the sound. “Fine.”

  “Principal Babs told me all about the assembly. Great way to introduce Ivy and Agatha to the community, eh? Their mother is a powerful potion master.”

  “Maybe, but neither of her daughters know the first thing about brewing up a spell. I heard they couldn’t boil water. Honestly, I wonder if West Lake Prep is the best place for Ivy and Agatha.”

  “It’s perfect.” Legend grins. “I was just on the phone with Giselle, our new publicist. She agrees with me. It will be great for MNN to get some footage of your Autumn Masquerade.”

  “MNN. As in Magicorum News Network?”

  “Brilliant, right?

  “It’s a private school event.”

  Legend has many kinds of laughs. I’ve categorized them over the years. His current guffaw is a blast of noise that says, you’re totally wrong.

  “I’ll talk to the principal,” says Legend. “It will be fine.”

  “Whatever you say.” I pick up the remote and crank up the volume again.

  “Now wait,” warns Legend. “Your mother and I have been talking.”

  For the record, no conversation with my Legend has ever gone well that includes, your mother and I have been talking.

  “And?” That’s what I ask, although I’m pretty sure where Legend is going with this conversation. MNN will be at the Autumn Masquerade. My father will want to create a viral moment for them.

  “We think you should ask Ivy to the gala.”

  I screw up my mouth, as if seriously considering this idea. “I can’t take Ivy.”

  Legend hops to his feet. “Why not?”

  “The media is building up a lot of excitement over the Glass Slipper Ball. Taking Ivy will ruin all the tension.”

  “Please. All you have to do is walk through the door with her on your arm. You can flirt with other girls or whatever.”

  “No go. At the senior masquerade, it’s tradition for dates to share a kiss—as in a serious kiss—precisely at midnight. If I walk in with Ivy as my date, then where’s the drama?”

  Obviously, I’d rather have my leg broken in at least three places than take Ivy to the Autumn Masquerade. Some examples why (and these are all from today alone):

  One. Excessive grabbing of my thigh at the assembly. Not acceptable.

  Two. Calling the cafeteria the yum-yum room. Many times.

  Three. Referring to her own sister, Agatha, as that hag.

  Four. Persistently asking me if I hated Elle, or really really REALLY hated Elle.

  Legend retakes his seat beside me. “Speaking of Ivy, how did today go?”

  “It went well.” And by this I mean, it meant as well as having a hole drilled into my cranium. Not that I’m giving that detail to my parents. I’m lucky not to be chained up somewhere.

  “Did you give her a tour of the school?”

  “I did.”

  “Excellent!” Legend now launches into his classic hiss-laugh. It’s a series of low pitched sounds that are appropriate for an attacking snake. From Legend, it’s meant to convey that we are now having real man talk. “How much time did you two, you know, spend together?”

  “Two hours, fourteen minutes, and thirty seven seconds.” And I loathed all of it.

  “So, you’re getting to know each other.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Great. I’ll call Giselle now. We need to lock in MNN for Saturday.”

  As Legend fires up his cell phone again, I grip the midnight diamond more tightly in my pocket. The Autumn Masquerade is just four days away.

  I simply must speak to this stone before then.

  28

  Elle

  Saturday night

  THIS is fine.

  This IS fine.

  This is FINE.

  Maybe if I keep saying that, I won’t feel like tonight’s Autumn Masquerade will go sideways.

  Bry and I hang out in my bedroom. As reward for his snark, we’ve moved the creepiest dolls into Knox’s room. Still, I’m glad mine still all have their mini sunglasses in place. Bry wears a sleek little black dress with matching heels. She looks sophisticated and all-around gorgeous.

  Not for the first time, I wish I was in the shifter part of school. They can wear whatever they want tonight. Since it’s a masquerade ball, we girl fairies must dress up like someone from history. And it’s not like we can choose our person, either. The principal picks for us. I got Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie. Not only that, but Principal Goldie specifically warned me not to cook up some kind of sexy prairie dress.

  Like I’d do that.

  And on top of everything, I was given a fake pair of fairy wings to wear at the event. That’s so not happening. The prairie dress is drab but fine. Plus, comes with a big droopy hat that will easily hide my looks of loathing during tonight’s event. And it could have been worse. One girl I know, Dawn Blossom, needs to show up as a shoe. How is that even a character from history? It’s just fairies being mean. Again.

  Bry does a final twirl in the mirror before turning to me. “What do you think?”

  “You’re stunning.”

  “Thanks. You look, uh…” Bry eyes my floor-length gingham monstrosity. “You know I’m a terrible liar. That’s not your best look.”

  “No complaints here. I could have been forced to dress up like a shoe. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Bry frowns. “How is a shoe even an historical figure?”

  “One word, Bry. Fairies.”

  She nods slowly. “True.”

  Knox steps into the room. Tonight he looks especially handsome in his new tuxedo. Like all the shifters, Knox also wears a simple black mask. Bry pops on her matching version. Together, Bry and Knox look like a million dollars. They chat about the fastest way to get to the L Center, which is where the Autumn Masquerade is being held. All the while, their phones go berserk.

  Bzzz, bzzz…

  Meep-meep, meep-meep!

  Knox moves on to discussing the weather, and that’s when I call it quits.

  “Guys,” I say. “Your phones are blowing up. Let me guess. Your pack wants you at the L Center.”

  “Maybe?” asks Bry.

  “You have my full permission to take off now. It’s not like me and Jacoby aren’t alone all the time. Plus, there will be the inevitable open the door moment when Jacoby gets here. Lying will most likely be involve
d. I’d rather not have witnesses.”

  Knox and Bry share a long look. “All right,” says Bry at last. “We’ll see you there.”

  “Have fun.” I give Bry a quick hug before walking them both to the front door. They’re about to leave when Bry pops her hands over her mouth.

  “Oh,” she yelps. “I almost forgot.” Bry hoofs it back to her room and comes back with a little gingham sack bag. “I got this for you.”

  “Why?” I ask. Nights like this, I put my credit card and door key in my shoe. Purses can be a pain.

  “So you can take your glass slippers and pumpkin with you.” Bry jiggles the tiny bag. “Good mojo.”

  My eyes get all watery, which is fine because I didn’t even bother putting on makeup. “Thanks, Bry. You’re the best.”

  She winks. “So are you.”

  And as she and Knox leave, I come to a big decision.

  I am one lucky girl.

  Once I’m alone, I have lots of quality time to ponder this evening. Mostly, I worry about the whole midnight kiss thing. My thoughts retread a familiar theme. Namely, I’m still eighteen and haven’t really kissed anyone. That little peck with Alec but it doesn’t count. Not that I don’t think about it all the time.

  Tonight, I have a chance to change that. Jacoby is attractive in that I’m an elf an you can’t resist me sort of way. The whole kissing issue is already making me nervous. If I wait until midnight, I’ll lose my nerve. Or worse, I’ll slobber all over his face or something. And the entire school will be watching, let’s not forget that part.

  On a side note, how rude is it to have a tradition like this? You’d think adults would be a little more responsible about our emotional development. Then again, all these adults are all Magicorum and a third of those are fairies. So, there’s that.

  As I pace the doll’s den, I come to another big decision. That makes two biggie realizations for me in one evening; it’s a record night for this Ellie Belly.

  Anyway, here’s my plan. I’ll keep my eyes open for a private spot to quickly smooch Jacoby. That way, I can get it over with fast and just as importantly, away from the crowd. I’ll just grab his face and kiss, end of story.

  A knock sounds at the door. Must be Jacoby.

  I smile. This is a sign from the universe that my Stealth Attack Kiss Plan is obviously amazing. I’m only thinking about my cleverness when I saunter to the front door and swing it open. Jacoby looks devastatingly handsome in a tuxedo. Because, of course, the fairy guys all get to wear tuxes. Life sucks that way. Jacoby takes one look at me and bursts out laughing.

  “What…” Jacoby gestures at my dress in a general way “…is that?”

  “There’s also a hat.” I pop that part on. “Get it out of your system.”

  Jacoby bends over, he’s laughing so hard. I step back and make room for him to enter. “Get inside. I don’t want my neighbors sharing this humiliation.”

  “So…” bwah hah hah “Sorry.” Jacoby strolls inside the apartment while keeping his hands on his stomach. I’ve seen him do this before; it’s his way of trying to calm down.

  I close the door behind him. At least, that awfulness is over.

  Turning around, I find Jacoby has stopped laughing. That would be good, only now he’s walking about in a slow circle and staring at our apartment. And that’s when I remember. All the dolls. Jacoby knows Bry and I had to move, but he hasn’t actually been inside yet. Even worse, I didn’t warn him or anything.

  “Hold on there, elf,” I warn. “Don’t you dare say a thing. Elle and I had to move at the last minute. This is the only place we could find.”

  Jacoby tries hard to keep a straight face. He sucks at it. “This place is interesting.” His mouth twitches with the urge to laugh. “Can we have a Chucky film festival here?”

  “Ha, ha. No.”

  “Oh, I’ve got it. We don’t even have to watch the movie.” Jacoby waves his hand. Silver fae dust flies from his fingertips, creating a magical cloud beside each doll. When the mist congeals, each girl now has an evil Chucky boy beside her. And in a matching outfit, no less.

  “I hate you right now, Jacoby.” Yet I might be smiling a little as I say that.

  The many Chuckies blink in my direction. “But we looooove you, Elle,” they say in unison.

  My eyes narrow. Jacoby wants to play? I’m game.

  Pulling on my own power, I send out clouds of fairy dust toward the girl dolls. The spell quickly congeals around them. All the girls hop down from their respective shelves and march toward Jacoby. “Take us home with you,” they chant.

  Jacoby rounds on me. All signs of humor ire gone. “Now that,” he says slowly “is some impressive magic. Where have you been hiding that power?”

  I release the magic so fast, the dolls all topple over in place. “That wasn’t a big deal.”

  “Oh, I disagree. Creating new dolls is easy. But placing movement on a current object? That’s a senior level spell. I used a lot of energy just to get my boys talking. But you? You wrapped magic around existing dolls and fashioned a moving army.” He strides closer. That sense of menace and attraction radiates off him in waves. “Who are you, Elle Cynder?”

  I scoop my little gingham bag and stomp toward the door. “Someone who’s ready for her masquerade ball.”

  “As you say.” Jacoby follows me past the threshold.

  As we leave the building, a mega ball of worry settles into my stomach. The night hasn’t even begun, and I’ve already had an evil doll war in my apartment. Plus, I maybe exposed my true powers to none other than Jacoby.

  Hopefully, that’s the end of the drama for this evening.

  29

  Alec

  As I step into the ballroom at the L Center, I sport a tuxedo and picture-perfect smile. With any luck, I’m the image of casual. But inside? My heart thuds against my rib cage. The reason is simple. For the first time since visiting the Queen of Hearts, I may actually talk to Elle. Alone.

  I scan the place and catalog every detail. Is this my moment? I’ve spent hours obsessing over tonight, so I run through my mental checklist. Once all my criteria are met, I’ll know it’s safe to go looking for Elle… Or as safe as it can get. Here’s my list:

  Packed ballroom? Check.

  All the guys dressed identically? Check.

  My parents out of the way? Big check. They’re chatting up MNN on the other side of the room. That will buy me at least a twenty minutes.

  Principal Babs occupied? Yet another big check. She’s part of the small crowd that’s huddled around the video cameras.

  So far, so good.

  I stroll about the periphery of the room. It’s much easier than pushing through a crowd. Along the way, I slip on my sunglasses and stick to the shadows. For the short term, I’m going incognito.

  Then I spot her.

  Elle.

  My breath catches.

  She stands on the balcony. Shock and elation churn through my system. It takes every ounce of control in me not to plow through the crowd and rush to her. Instead, I keep to the fringes and slowly circle my way to the balcony entrance. Everyone else is chatting it up in the main chamber. No one’s overheated yet from the dance floor and needing a balcony break.

  Elle is solo.

  This is it. Our moment.

  I step out onto the balcony proper. The cool night air brushes against my skin. Before I can say a word, something amazing happens. Elle clasps my face in her hands and brings her mouth to mine.

  Our lips meet in a rough kiss.

  This is more than I ever hoped for. With gentle movements, I pull Elle’s body against me. She fits me perfectly.

  Yes.

  30

  Elle

  Stepping out to the balcony was all part of my sneak attack kissing plan.

  Everyone was saying their hellos and trying to get caught on television. So I slipped away while Jacoby chatted up the Three Seasons. Then I waited on the balcony for him to show. It’s a great spot, consid
ering all the shadows and empty space. In fact, the only furniture are few tables that sit by the low rail surrounding the space. And nearby, some trees provide extra cover from passers-by.

  Perfect.

  At first, all I saw was his outline framed on the balcony’s threshold. The warm lights from ballroom framed his outline in a halo of gold. Something about the sight stirred my soul.

  Without another thought, I strolled up to Jacoby, cupped his face in my hands, and pulled him into a kiss. The moment our mouths met, an electric sensation charged across my skin.

  Which brings me to right now.

  My soul feels on fire. Jacoby pulls me closer. Our bodies press together and wow, Jacoby is ripped. I mean, I knew he was built, but that’s only because elves aren’t normally super bolshie. Feeling him now, it’s almost as if Jacoby is as big as…

  Like he’s the same size as…

  I break the kiss.

  My heart sinks and soars, both at the same time. Sure enough, I haven’t been kissing Jacoby. Someone else is here.

  “Alec.” The name comes out as barely a whisper.

  “Elle.”

  I bite my lower lip. How do I explain this? “I thought you were…”

  “Don’t say it.” Alec’s words are a low rumble. “Kiss me again.”

  It’s not even a choice, really.

  “Yes.”

  I press my mouth to his once more. Alec grips me around the waist, twirls me through the air and sets me atop a nearby table. It’s the perfect height for me to wrap my legs around his waist, so that’s exactly what I do. The press of his firm body against mine is intoxicating. My hands glide against the planes of his chest. It’s like I can’t touch him enough.

  A noise echoes in from the small patch of nearby trees.

  “Meow. Excuse me, Meow!”

  Alec and I stop kissing. Moving in unison, we turn to look at the nearby treetop. Sure enough, none other than Chesh sits in the branches. “Hello.” He grins his over-large smile before leaping off into the night.