A Tale of Magic... (23 page)

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Lucy said. “Thanks a million, Madame Whateverberry. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone now.”

Lucy entered her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. As soon as it was shut, Brystal and Madame Weatherberry could hear the girl sobbing on the other side.

“Do you think she’ll be all right?” Brystal asked.

“It isn’t going to be an easy adjustment for her,” Madame Weatherberry said. “I think we should postpone today’s lessons to after lunch so Lucy has time to get settled. I’ll let the others know.”

Madame Weatherberry left the corridor to tell the other students about the change of plans. Brystal stayed in her doorway and listened to Lucy cry in her bedroom. She knew exactly what it felt like to be rejected by a parent and she tried to think of a way to make her new floormate feel better. Brystal realized there was very little she could
say
to ease Lucy’s troubles, but perhaps there was something she could
make
.

Brystal hurried down the spiral steps to the first level of the castle, down the hall, through the dining room, and into the kitchen. Brystal hadn’t seen the castle’s kitchen yet and was surprised to find it was four times the size of the kitchen at the Evergreen house. Mrs. Vee was in the middle of cooking lunch, and Brystal was taken aback by all the magic that was going into the meal’s preparation.

Fruit, vegetables, spices, and utensils floated through the air. There were bowls that stirred ingredients on their own, food was chopped and diced by hovering knives, oven doors opened and closed without assistance, and trays of baked goods removed themselves from the oven’s heat. Mrs. Vee stood in the center of the kitchen and conducted the magic around her like it was a symphony of invisible chefs.

“Well, hello there, dear,” Mrs. Vee said when she noticed Brystal. “What brings you to my neck of the woods? Did you need a snack?”

“No, I’m still full from breakfast, thank you,” Brystal said. “Mrs. Vee, I was hoping I could use your kitchen to make something by myself?”

“You mean, on your own?” Mrs. Vee asked. “You’re not trying to take my job, are you? Because I’m warning you, it’s not as glamorous as I make it look!
HA-HA!
”

“Oh no, it’s just a family recipe,” she said. “I could make it in my sleep. I’d hate to interrupt you while you’re in the middle of cooking lunch, though. I promise I’ll stay out of your way.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Mrs. Vee said. “Family recipes are always welcome unless a family is
in
the recipe!
HA-HA!
Go ahead and help yourself to whatever you need.”

A little more than an hour later, Brystal carried two forks and a freshly baked chocolate cake to the third floor. Mrs. Vee didn’t have any birthday candles, so Brystal had to borrow thirteen candles from different candelabras and lanterns throughout the castle. Each candle was a different shape and color, but it did the trick. Brystal took a deep breath as she stood outside Lucy’s bedroom door and knocked on it with her elbow.

“Lucy?” she said. “It’s Brystal Evergreen, the girl who showed you and your parents to Madame Weatherberry’s office.”

“What do you want?” Lucy groaned from inside.

“I have a surprise for you if you’ll just open the door,” Brystal said.

A couple of moments later Lucy reluctantly opened her bedroom door. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and she was very surprised to see the lit-up birthday cake in Brystal’s hands.

“Happy Birthday!” Brystal cheered. “I hope you like chocolate.”

Unfortunately, her floormate’s reaction was not what Brystal was expecting.

“How did you know it was my birthday?” Lucy asked suspiciously.

Brystal opened her mouth to respond, but she didn’t have any words to explain herself. She was so focused on cheering up Lucy, she had completely forgotten she only knew it was her birthday because she had been eavesdropping.

“Didn’t you mention it when you arrived?” Brystal asked.

“No,” Lucy said, and folded her arms.

“Oh… then it must have been a lucky
hunch
,” Brystal said with a nervous laugh. “Forgive the candles. I assumed you were about thirteen, is that right?”

Lucy wasn’t buying it. “You were
eavesdropping
on our meeting with Madame Weatherberry, weren’t you?” she said, and raised an accusatory finger.

Brystal frantically shook her head, but it only made her seem guiltier.

“Okay, okay, yes,” she confessed. “I admit, I was eavesdropping! I didn’t mean to pry, but I heard your mother talking about the ravens and I couldn’t look away.”

“If we were in a goblin colony I could have your
ears cut off
for snooping!” Lucy said.

“Look, I’m sorry for invading your privacy!” Brystal said. “I know what it’s like to be dumped in a strange place by a parent. I heard you say it was your birthday, so I thought if I baked you a cake, it might cheer you up. It was a mistake, so I’ll leave you alone now.”

Brystal was furious with herself for handling the situation so poorly. She hurried down the corridor before Lucy had any more reasons to dislike her. Just as Brystal reached the stairs, Lucy stopped her.

“Lucky for you, I’m not a girl who turns down sweets,” she called. “That cake smells delicious, so I’ll forgive your treachery just this once.”

Lucy opened her bedroom and gestured for Brystal to come inside. Brystal was thrilled for a second chance and rushed inside the bedroom before Lucy changed her mind.

As she stepped inside, Brystal had to remind herself she was entering a thirteen-year-old girl’s bedroom, because Lucy’s chambers looked like a tavern. There was a large billiard table in the center of the floor, a row of dartboards hung on the wall, and just above that was a big sign that said:
PLAY HARD. WORK HARDLY
. Another wall was covered in musical instruments and dozens of posters that advertised the Goose Troupe’s past performances. Every corner was filled with a massive taxidermy animal that was a morbid hybrid of different species. Last, Brystal noticed that instead of chairs or a bed, the room had beanbags and a hammock.

“Wow,” Brystal said. “This is quite a room.”

“I’ve got eclectic tastes,” Lucy said. “That’s what happens when you grow up in show business. You get exposed to more than your average child.”

Lucy pushed two beanbags together and the girls had a seat. Brystal held up the cake and Lucy closed her eyes and blew out the candles.

“Do you see a barrel of peppermint cider anywhere?” Lucy asked.

“Um… no,” Brystal said.

“
Dang
. My wish didn’t come true.”

Lucy leaned back in her beanbag and shoveled the chocolate cake into her mouth. Brystal couldn’t take her eyes off all the Goose Troupe posters on the wall behind her. She was fascinated by all the locations Lucy’s family had been to.

“Have you really performed in all those places?” she asked.

“Oh yeah,” Lucy bragged. “And those don’t include the underground circuit.”

“What’s the underground circuit?” Brystal asked.

“You know, the places they don’t always include on the map,” she explained. “Goblin colonies, troll camps, elf compounds, ogre conventions—you name it, the Gooses have played it!
Gosh, this cake is good
.”

“And the creatures in the In-Between didn’t
hurt
you?”

“Not at all,” Lucy said. “Creatures in the In-Between are so desperate for entertainment they wouldn’t dare. They’re also the best audiences a performer could ask for. Subjugated species always know how to have a good time.”

“Oh, look!” Brystal said, and pointed to one of the posters. “You performed in Chariot Hills! That’s where I’m from!”

Lucy clenched her teeth. “Yikes,” she said. “The Southern Kingdom is the
worst
place to perform. They’ve got all these rules about what artists are allowed to do. We can’t sing profanity, we can’t play loudly, we can’t dance crudely, everyone has to be clothed—it takes all the fun out of it! I can’t even bang my tambourine on my hip without being fined! Like, if
that’s
the kind of show you’re looking for—
just go to church
! Am I right?”

“I’m not surprised,” Brystal said. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to be away from it. I would have given anything for a childhood like yours.”

“Yeah, I’ve had some good times,” Lucy said. “I guess all my adventures are over now that I’m stuck in this place.”

Lucy stopped eating and looked sadly at the floor.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Brystal said. “You should give this place a chance. It might surprise you.”

“Easy for you to say—you belong here,” Lucy said. “But you heard what Madame Weatherberry told my parents. The academy isn’t meant for children like me!”

Brystal sighed—she understood how Lucy felt more than the girl realized.

“To be honest, I’m not sure I belong here, either,” she said. “All of Madame Weatherberry’s students have been doing magic their whole lives. I just recently found out I had magical abilities and I needed the help of an old spell to conjure anything. To make matters worse, I’m apparently the only fairy in the entire world who doesn’t have a specialty. Xanthous has his fire, Emerelda has her jewels, Skylene has her water, and Tangerina has her—”

“Charm?”
Lucy asked sarcastically.

“Don’t worry about Tangerina,” Brystal said. “She grows on you after a while.”

“So does fungus.”

“Back to my point,” Brystal continued. “You’re not the only person who feels like they shouldn’t be here. I know it seems like Madame Weatherberry made a mistake, but I doubt she would open her doors for us if she didn’t genuinely think she could help us.”

“But at least you’re a fairy,” Lucy said. “I’m a
witch
, Brystal! That means my heart is full of darkness and all my powers are fueled by evil that’s growing inside me! You have no idea what it’s like to know that one day, no matter what I do, I’m going to become an ugly and mean old hag! I’m going to spend my adulthood cursing people and collecting cats!
And I don’t even like cats!
”

The thought made Lucy burst into tears. She rapidly scooped the cake into her mouth to drown her sadness, and within a couple more bites, she had finished the whole plate. Brystal dried Lucy’s tears with the corner of her gray-and-black-striped dress.

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think you’re a witch,” Brystal said.

“Are you crazy?” Lucy asked. “Madame Weatherberry specifically said—”

“Madame Weatherberry never said you were a witch,” Brystal said. “She just said her academy isn’t meant for students like you, and that could mean a number of things! Besides, if you had evil and darkness in your heart, there’s no way you would enjoy performing as much as you do. It takes way too much joy and excitement to make audiences happy.”

Lucy nodded along. “And exceptional talent.” She sniffled. “Don’t forget exceptional talent.”

“Exactly,” Brystal said. “A wicked old witch would never have that in her.”

Lucy wiped her nose on Brystal’s sleeve and shrugged. “I suppose so,” she said. “If you don’t think I’m a witch, then what the heck am I? What’s causing all the creepy stuff that happens around me?”

Brystal tried her best to think of something to put the troubled girl at ease.

“Maybe you’re just a fairy with a specialty for trouble,” she said.

Lucy thought the suggestion was so ridiculous the corner of her mouth curled into a tiny grin. Brystal was glad to give Lucy her first smile at the academy.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard,” Lucy said. “But I appreciate the effort.”

“Personally, I think life is way too complicated for anyone’s fate to be set in stone,” Brystal said. “Take it from me. In the last month I’ve gone from being a schoolgirl to a maid to a prisoner to a correctional facility inmate, and now I’m studying to become a fairy!”

“Whoa,” Lucy said. “And I thought
my
life was eventful.”

“I’m just saying nothing is certain until it’s certain,” Brystal said. “In fact, whether you become an ugly and mean old witch or not, there’s only one thing we know for sure.”

“What’s that?” Lucy asked.

“Tangerina and Skylene won’t think any differently of you.”

Without missing a beat, Brystal and Lucy both erupted in laughter. They chuckled so hard their stomachs hurt and happy tears ran down their faces.

“Boy, they must hate my guts,” Lucy said. “Well, despite my intentions, I’m glad I made at least
one
friend today. Thanks for being so nice to me, Brystal. Something tells me we’re going to be partners in crime for a very, very long time.”

“Me too, Lucy,” Brystal said. “Me too.”