It was March 15th again and Crocker loathed the date. He wished he could mount Turner to a target and throw dart boards at him, but the schoolboard had threatened him if he assaulted a student, even if it was Turner. He knew, even if he couldn't prove, that Turner was the reason he was so miserable. Plus, Turner clearly had godparents, which was flaunting it in Crocker's face. However, this time, he had a plan to capture them. This time, March 15th wouldn't be such a failure.
He had draped butterfly nets inside of his desk and plotted to capture Turner's pencil and notebook, which were green and pink respectively. The boy was sleeping with his eyes open again while, beside him, Chloe took assiduous notes. Sometimes, although Chloe was his best student, he abhorred her. She was too chipper and solicitous, plus she had befriended Turner. If anything spelled someone's downfall, it was hanging around that idiot.
"Since you're not using those, I think I'll confiscate them," Crocker murmured and grabbed the pencil and notebook. Both yelped and Crocker raised his eyebrows. They were supposed to be incognito and they were speaking aloud? Feeling vindictive, he whacked them both against the desk and dazed them. For good measure, he did it a couple more times.
"Mr. Crocker, what are you doing with Timmy's pencil and notebook?" Chloe asked and he glowered at her.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he snapped. "I'm confiscating them. He can have them back when he learns to pay attention for ten minutes! If his parents come in and demand them back, then I'll return them."
Then, squeezing the notebook and pencil hard to prevent their escape, he flung them into his drawer, where the butterfly net should ensnare them. Neither Chloe nor Turner knew what was in the desk, but Chloe jumped to her feet anyway. Crocker fought a snarl. Things had been so much easier before she'd arrived in class.
"Mr. Crocker, don't you need evidence before you confiscate someone's belongings?"
"No," he snapped. "I don't. I'm the teacher. If I wanted to mount Turner to a dartboard and throw sharp objects at him, I could. Just because the schoolboard disagrees…"
He huffed. Blinking rapidly, Turner awoke and glanced about him. His first glance went to his desk, where his faeries normally hid, and then, from there, horror-struck, he turned to Chloe. They seemed to be holding a silent conversation and Crocker growled, hip-checking the drawer and facing his unruly students.
"He will get them back when his parents come in," Crocker repeated. "Now, I'm going to pretend to teach math and you are going to pretend to learn."
Chloe wasn't inclined to let this pass. "But he wasn't doing anything with them. You can't incriminate him on lack of evidence."
"This isn't a democracy, Carmichael," he snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Sit down or I'll give you detention along with Turner."
"What'd I do?" Timmy snapped.
"You fell asleep in class," Crocker reminded him and glared. "Find another pencil and notebook and start working or else."
Crocker snapped his fingers and the ravenous dogs he'd kept inside a cage growled, advancing as far as their leashes would allow and moving the cages as they did so. Timmy's friends kept mum and Crocker smirked. Then again, their being quiet might've had less to do with their objections and more to do with their preoccupations with Crocker's injustices.
"No one wants to put the dunce cap on and sit in the corner while a dog nibbles at your foot? No one?" Crocker taunted.
"This is cruel and unusual punishment!" Chloe admonished. She was quivering in outrage. Crocker's mood, always mercurial at the best of times, was shifting into outright cruelty. While he normally restrained himself in front of Chloe, as his best student and the one who made him look good, March 15th was too infuriating to overlook her flaws. He advanced on her and, to her credit, she stood her ground.
"My life is cruel and unusual punishment," he snarled. "Go to the principal's office. And before you ask, because I know you're about to, it's for insubordination."
Chloe's mouth opened and closed several times. She looked like she might object and was attempting to master herself. He'd never sent her to the principal's office before on her own merits. However, she was getting under his skin and since he couldn't assault one of his students and he didn't dare sic a dog on her, since her parents were active PTA members when they were in the country, he had little choice.
Lips pressed together, her lower lip quivering, she gathered her belongings and, casting one last glance at Crocker's desk, walked out. Her outrage was almost tangible and on another day, he might have apologized and called her back. Now, when she walked out the door, he slammed it behind her so hard the glass shook in the frame.
"You didn't have to do that," Turner said, which was a mistake. He'd nearly forgotten Turner's existence in his rage against Chloe. He rounded on the bucktoothed boy and slammed his hands down on his desk. Mechanical arms flew out of the wall below the blackboard and wrapped about Timmy's arms and legs. They squeezed, too, so that the boy cried out and Crocker could see that the iron restraints would leave bruises. He smirked.
"Your parents won't say a thing," he sneered at him. "They also aren't going to come in for your stuff. Don't waste your breath."
He snapped his fingers and a giant magnet descended from the ceiling to latch onto Chester's braces. He'd liked that touch last year and Chester struggled to extricate himself. As for Timmy's other friends—he had placed Sanjay on a treadmill that only increased its speed; Elmer was dangling by his boil from the ceiling; A.J. was stuck trying to figure out a brain puzzle that was too difficult for even an expert. They'd been ignoring Timmy's troubles because they couldn't concentrate on their predicaments plus his.
"You can't keep doing this," he objected. "Every March 15th, you're a jerk to everyone and you get away with it!"
"Because, Turner, no one cares," he said and his eyes flashed. "Your parents don't care about you. The one person whose parents care about them in this whole class is Chloe and that's why I sent her out."
Timmy opened his mouth to object again and another mechanical arm appeared, clamping around Timmy's throat. A.J. looked up from his brain puzzle, but when he did, a small metal arm came out and zapped him. It would continue to do so if he ignored it and its voltage would increase the longer he disregarded it.
"I can't kill you," Crocker sneered. "But I can make your life more miserable than it already is. And this time, you don't have your precious faeries to help you out."
Or Chloe, for that matter. He returned to the chalkboard. All the students who weren't otherwise being menaced kept a close eye on the dogs as Crocker pretended to teach. No one was going to pay much attention to the lesson, but he wanted to show he'd at least tried to educate them. He'd created a lesson plan for today, though he doubted he'd use it. He never taught on March 15th.
However, while he worked, his mind drifted to the drawer. Doubtless by now Turner's faeries would have discovered their captivity. He imagined their distress and sneered. They were trapped, but otherwise safe. They weren't being tortured like his students. Speaking of which, he really wished he could hurt Turner beyond mild strangulation and bruising, but anything more than psychological scars would require explanations. Even with tenure, that shit didn't fly.
He managed to keep himself preoccupied for a couple hours soaking up his students' misery, especially Turner's. Turner kept glancing at the door to see whether Chloe might return. He was like a puppy dog. Speaking of which…
He glanced toward Tootie, whose life had to be as miserable as his own. She hadn't protested her parents not caring about her, nor had the popular kids. Trixie Tang, however, along with Tootie, was looking distressed at Timmy's condition. Crocker's eyes narrowed. He couldn't attack her, because her father would sue the school. He'd have to leave her alone.
When the lunch bell rang, dismissing them for the moment, he suspended his punishments for the time being and permitted Turner to leave. The students filed out and, to his shock, Trixie was giving him a dirty look, along with Turner's friends. Huh, she cared what befell Turner. Perhaps Turner's crush wasn't one-sided. Oh, well, he'd care more if he didn't have more important things to consider.
Once everyone had left, he closed the door and opened the drawer. Once open, the butterfly net strings were apparent and two small faeries peered up at him. Crocker smiled.
"Cosmo and Wanda, I assume?" he said and they flinched.
"You're wondering how I know your names," he scoffed. "Let's say Turner seldom uses his 'inside' voice. I'm also aware that Chloe Carmichael has something to do with you two, though what, I don't know yet."
"Uncle Denzel?" Kevin called and Crocker hissed, rounding on his nephew. Right now, Kevin resembled everything he loathed about his life. However, if he mistreated him, Crocker's half-sister would come down on him. These rules and restrictions were abhorrent today.
"Look what I have," he entreated and Kevin approached. Cosmo and Wanda were staring at the two Crockers and Crocker smirked back. Kevin looked apprehensive.
"They don't look happy…" he said.
"Of course they're not happy," he sneered. "They're about to be put to better use than Turner could possibly do."
"But, Uncle Denzel…" Kevin protested and Crocker glowered at him.
"Either get with the program or get out. Who are you going to tell? Who would possibly believe you?"
Kevin's gaze hooked onto the faeries and they appeared to be begging for rescue. Crocker slammed the drawer shut and heard two thuds as the faeries hit the sides. He snickered. Kevin blanched and steadied himself, as though he was about to confront him.
"You're hurting them."
"In case you haven't noticed, they're not human," he scoffed. "And they're just faeries. They're made to do human bidding. They're slaves, not thinking and feeling beings."
Still, Kevin hesitated. Crocker got up from his seat and pushed his nephew toward the door. Kevin kept casting glances behind him, up until Crocker locked him out. He'd have to answer for this abuse later, but that was if the school day proceeded as planned. With Cosmo and Wanda at his disposal, he doubted it.
He opened the drawer once more and the two faeries were rubbing their temples. They had substantial lumps on their heads and Crocker snorted. Both glared at him; his lower lip curled in disdain. So what if they looked human-like? They weren't human. They were beneath him.
"You two will grant my wishes," he snapped.
"No," said the female one haughtily. "We won't."
"What are you going to do? Knock us around some more?" the male added.
"I will drain the magic from you, drop by drop," he informed them and his eyes flashed. "I'll give what's left back to Turner. Without your wands, of course. If there's anything left."
"And how do you propose to do that?" Cosmo countered.
Crocker indicated a small device nearby that they might have taken for a tape measure. He clicked it and was about to turn it on when he heard several thuds against the door. Through the window, he saw Chloe Carmichael, Turner, and Kevin attempt to force the lock. Sighing, he debated shutting the drawer again. Then he decided to ignore them and turned the machine on.
Cosmo and Wanda screamed as it ripped the magic from their bodies and beneath the screams, Crocker heard breaking glass. Turner was forcing his way in and once he'd gotten the door unlocked, he let the others in. Behind Kevin and Chloe were Chester, A.J., Sanjay, and Elmer. Irritated, Crocker shut off the machine and Cosmo and Wanda sighed, slumped over.
"Leave them alone!" Chloe ordered. Turner's hand was bloody from breaking the glass and Crocker snorted at him. Then, in deliberate contradiction to Chloe's demand, Crocker turned the machine back on. He could leave the faeries as shells if he wanted to. Give Turner back their corpses.
"Uncle Denzel!" Kevin said and lunged at him. He knocked him over and Turner and Chloe hastened to the drawer. They shut off the machine and Crocker growled, pushing his nephew aside. Cosmo and Wanda's eyes were glassy and they swayed when they attempted to stand. Chloe was reaching through the butterfly net to extract the magic sucking device and Crocker glared.
"You know, Turner, I'm impressed," Crocker sneered. "You managed to turn my nephew against me and rally your friends to save these sub-human creatures."
"They're not— "Timmy started and Chloe hushed him.
"It doesn't matter what you think they are," Chloe said. "They're creatures with feelings and rights the same as you and me."
"No, they aren't," he snapped and grabbed the magic device before Chloe could remove it. He triggered it again, Cosmo and Wanda screamed, and Crocker depressed a button on the top to imbue himself with magical powers. He closed his eyes and imagined himself far from here, but with Cosmo and Wanda in his possession.
What he didn't reckon on was Kevin's last ditch effort to stop him. The kid hadn't released him and they reappeared in Crocker's house in the basement.
"You have to stop," Kevin pleaded.
"No, I don't," he said and juggled the butterfly net containing Cosmo and Wanda. "You're a Crocker. This is your inheritance. One day, when I'm dead, you'll own them too."
"That's what you think," Cosmo said and Wanda shushed him.
Crocker depressed the button again to create another reality, a different one, in which faeries were slaves to humans. Then again, this probably wouldn't be much of a change, would it? He smirked and listened to Cosmo and Wanda scream as the last of their magic left them.
The world flickered and Crocker expected to be appointed the emperor of his new realm. Kevin latched onto the tape measure like device and was trying to wrench it from his grip. Jeez. Crocker didn't want to hurt the kid, but he wasn't leaving him many options. Since when was he virulently on Turner's side?
Crocker dropped the butterfly net, figuring it would distract Kevin, which it did. He hastened toward the two faeries and Crocker stepped over them. The world would be made anew in his image. Kevin would accept it in time. If he didn't…Crocker would deal with that when it arose.
For now, he was looking forward to seeing what havoc his newfound magic had wreaked.
Her first sight, of a childlike Crocker kneeling over them, prompted Wanda to yelp and scramble backward, dragging Cosmo with her. Cosmo hadn't regained consciousness yet and she was worried about him. The Bond between them hadn't just evaporated, it'd deadened. The world felt flat and colors dull. Faeries could hear and perceive more than humans, but right now, Wanda wouldn't bet on that.
"Uncle Denzel wished for a world where faeries were slaves to humans," Kevin told them. "I don't know where Timmy and Chloe are, but I guess still at school. I can take you to them."
Should she trust this small human? He was Crocker's nephew, true, but he wasn't that bad. She still remembered his choice to save them instead of abusing their magic. It also looked like she had little choice in the matter. If she didn't trust him, Crocker would deliver their nearly magicless bodies to Timmy and Chloe in whatever manner he chose.
"All right," she said. She nudged Cosmo. "C'mon, wake up."
"Huh…" he said and turned to her. "Wanda, I had the craziest dream. We got captured by Crocker and he drained us of our magic."
"That wasn't a dream," she said.
"Oh."
"Uncle Denzel still has your magic," Kevin said. "I don't know what he's doing with it."
"Something nefarious," Cosmo said. "Whatever that means."
Wanda rolled her eyes at her husband. She struggled to stand, but her body, without magic, was too weak to support her. Faeries didn't normally walk, they floated unless they were in disguise. She didn't have enough magic to disguise herself, but it didn't matter now. If Crocker had wished faeries were slaves to humans, they would appear in abundance. She wouldn't exactly have to conceal her nature.
"It's a good thing you two are weightless," he said and scooped them back up into that heinous butterfly net. He slung it over his shoulder and they ascended the stairs. It was probably a good thing that their magical senses were dulled, or she probably would have felt the turmoil firsthand. She was aware of it, though, beating against her skull. She was also aware of Timmy and Chloe calling their names, but they couldn't reach them from here. They had to know it was fruitless to try.
Once they exited onto the street, the world transformed. Technology was everywhere and humans were walking faeries on leashes, like they were pets. Wanda seethed and Cosmo yelped, latching onto her, when he saw someone casually whip a faerie. Wanda hugged him back. Was this their destiny? Or would it be worse, since they had almost nothing Crocker could use? The only way Crocker could extract the last bit would be to turn them into faerie dust. She hoped he didn't figure that out.
"I'll get you back to school," Kevin promised and then hesitated, adding, "If the school is still there."
That was a bet she wasn't willing to take. Grimacing, she indicated that Kevin should lead on. As they went, there were further signs of magical abuse, from houses that reached up into the heavens to robots and faeries cleaning up after the minutest things, like litter. The air tingled with magic and if she could just seize a little of it and power up her wand…
Kevin did his best not to jostle them, though he was also running, which meant they rolled around in the net. Wanda had never spent so long in a butterfly net and she devoutly wished to burn it to cinders. If she had had her magic…or if she'd been able to do magic without a wand…but then there were the net's nullifying properties to contend with.
The school didn't exist anymore. Kevin skidded to a stop where it had been, where an arcade was now. Timmy and Chloe were nowhere to be found. Wanda's heart sank. Where could they have gone?
"Wanda, look," Cosmo said, pointing to a nearby utility pole. Kevin ripped a poster down and read off it.
"Wanted: Chloe Carmichael and Timmy Turner for crimes against His Imperial Highness, Denzel Crocker," he read. "Dead or alive."
The words chilled her. She glanced at Cosmo, whose gaze was fixed upon the poster. Kevin stared at it a moment longer and then tucked it into his pocket. She didn't know what he thought he was going to do with it.
"We'll find them," he vowed. "I'll help you."
"Great, we're down to trusting a Crocker," Cosmo muttered. "What else could wrong?"
"Hush," she said. She didn't want to chance Kevin having a bad side. Chloe had shown Kevin compassion and friendship. Perhaps that much had gone a long way toward Kevin's attitude. Chloe could work miracles. Wanda had seen it before. And Kevin wasn't a bad kid without Crocker's influence.
Then again, she hadn't spent time alone with him. And if Crocker was ruling the world, that meant Kevin was either his accomplice in this new reality or his enemy. Crocker wouldn't abide the latter, which meant that once Kevin adjusted…they were in trouble. Why the hell couldn't Crocker have wished for spinach puffs? Or to turn Timmy into a llama? Okay, so the latter was a plot to a movie.
"Don't worry," Kevin said, judging the look on her face. "I won't let you down."
"Could you, though?" Cosmo said. "I'm getting a little sick."
"Oh, sure," he said and lowered the net until it reached the ground. Cosmo stumbled out to retch and Wanda wasn't far behind him. They couldn't stand for very long and she knew the best way to transport them was that horrible, horrible butterfly net.
"I hope he isn't a chip off the old Crock," Cosmo muttered.
"I hope Timmy and Chloe are all right…" Wanda murmured back. If Crocker was half as sadistic with them as he'd been in class today, it didn't bode well.
"We have to save them," Chloe said. "They could be…"
She stopped herself and Timmy completed her thought in his mind. They could be dead. Would they know if they were? Did their magic continue even if they had passed on? They didn't even know what Crocker had wished for; Timmy only knew that Chloe had taken one look at a utility pole and hauled him off into the one place no one would look for him, the library.
He couldn't say they were fine. They both knew that was a lie. They'd heard Cosmo and Wanda scream and the sound echoed in Timmy's mind. They could be dead. He couldn't stop thinking it now and it was the last thing he wanted to consider. He kept seeing their limp forms in Crocker's desk drawer.
"You don't think Kevin could help us, do you?" Chloe asked.
"He's a Crocker," Timmy scoffed. "Even if he wanted to, he's still Mr. Crocker's nephew. He's not gonna side with us just because you invited him to work on our science project that one time that doesn't technically count because it no longer exists."
"There's good in him," she persisted. "I know it."
They were sitting in the rear of the library to prevent being overheard, though they needn't have bothered. Faeries floated everywhere, fixing books on shelves, programming and fixing computers, and otherwise making human lives easier. Also, lazier. There were no longer any humans manning the reference desk or the checkout counter. Someone who'd gone to library school was now out of a job.
"Yeah, yeah," he scoffed. "Whatever you say, Chipper Kathy."
Chloe sighed, looking like she wanted to shake him but refraining. She hadn't been having a very good day before the world imploded on them. Timmy might be inclined to feel sorry for her if it hadn't been her fault for stirring the pot. Still, he appreciated that she'd tried to defend him and their faeries. It'd just been a failed attempt.
"There's good in Crocker too."
"You saw the way he was treating Cosmo and Wanda," he retorted. Anger made a hot ball in his chest. "He acted like they were things. Like it didn't matter if he hurt them. That's how everyone's acting around here."
He pointed out the window, where someone was walking a faerie on a leash and then, when the faerie hesitated a minute too long, the man whipped it. Sparkling faerie blood came out upon the whip and the two children winced. Chloe edged closer to Timmy.
"I know you wanna believe the best in people, but sometimes, there is no best. Or even good. Sometimes, there's just crap."
She turned back toward him and her eyes shone with unshed tears. "If I don't believe the best in him or Kevin, then what hope do we have of finding Cosmo and Wanda again?"
He didn't want to tell her they would and give her false hope. Likewise, he didn't want to say that he had a plan, because he didn't. Yet he found it difficult to tell her outright that their faeries were doomed. Besides, the thought of Cosmo and Wanda dead ripped a hole in his chest. He loved them so much and the way Crocker had been abusing them looped in his mind.
They turned away from the window, because the scene was too gruesome. Even in here, it wasn't much better, but at least no one was being actively tortured. They didn't look happy, but it could be worse.
"At least no one's coming to turn us in," Timmy said, though he had a feeling the minute he said that, he was jinxing himself. People turned to regard him and Chloe and he shrank down in his seat. Maybe if he was really careful, they wouldn't notice him? Or maybe they'd just continue doing whatever it was they were doing and ignore them?
"It's them!" someone shouted and it took Timmy a few seconds to recognize the voice. Trixie Tang was selling him out? She appeared behind a stack of books with a faerie on a leash floating next to her. Of course, it was a snooty looking faerie, probably a pedigree if there was such a thing.
"The kids from the posters!" Tad added and Chloe fell beneath the table to crawl on the floor to reduce visibility.
"Back off!" Tootie snapped. Of the kids gathered, including all the popular kids and the semi-popular ones, she was the only one without a faerie. "Timmy, come with me."
Chloe got up too, hastening to Tootie's side. Tootie narrowed her eyes.
"Not you," she said flatly. She shoved Chloe into Trixie's path, grabbed Timmy's hand, and tugged him along before he had a chance to fight her. He glanced back, where the popular kids were converging on Chloe. And the not so popular kids. And his friends. He strained, digging his heels in, but Tootie was stronger than she looked. No matter how hard he attempted to stymie her, she just ran roughshod over him.
"Enjoy imprisonment and possible death, Chloe Carmichael!" Tootie called over her shoulder. "That's what you get for taking away my Timmy!"
"You can't leave her like that!" Timmy protested. "She's my best friend!"
"That's funny, because I thought Chester and AJ were your best friends," Tootie snapped. "Do you want to be rescued or not?"
"I can't just let them tear her apart!" he cried.
"And I'm not going to let you go without a fight," she said and snapped her fingers. Timmy slumped, unable to move his arms or legs. He could still talk and breathe, as far as he could tell, but his body had gone leaden. She hauled him along and he couldn't turn his head, couldn't see what was happening, but he could hear Chloe calling for him. It wrenched his heart.
"Chloe!" he called and Tootie rolled her eyes.
"So, what is she? Like, your god-sister or something?" she asked. "Step-god-sister? How does that even work?"
"How do you even know…" he stopped.
"Didn't you wonder why I'm the only kid who doesn't have a fairy slave?" she huffed. "Honestly, Timmy, you're so dense sometimes."
He didn't know what to say to that either. She continued dragging him along until they reached her house, which looked as decrepit as Crocker's. What the hell? She flung him down onto the couch, barricaded the door, and put her hands on her hips. Somehow, she'd managed to drag him across town without moving more than five feet. That was impressive. And impossible without magic.
"I see the wheels turning in that head," she said, rolling her eyes again. "Yes to whatever you're thinking."
"Can you free me?" he huffed.
"Not until I'm sure you won't go after Carmichael," she shot back.
"Dude, what is your deal with her?" he said. "She's my best friend. She's my next door neighbor. Are you jealous?"
"Of course I'm jealous!" she snarled. "You won't give me the time of day but you give her all of your attention! Perfect Chloe. Smart Chloe. Teacher's pet Chloe."
"She wasn't a teacher's pet today," he pointed out.
"It was an off day," Tootie remarked. She folded her arms across her chest and then sat beside Timmy on the couch. "Besides, I can help you find Cosmo and Wanda."
At his expression, she added, "It's not that big a secret if you keep screaming about it to everyone. Plus, Crocker exposed them right after he changed the world."
"You can help me find them, at Chloe's expense," he said flatly.
"Let's face it. Who else do you have to turn to?" she asked. "And I sacrificed Chloe for the greater good. She would have done the same thing to save you."
"That doesn't mean you had to throw her to the wolves," he snapped.
"Do you have a crush on her?" Tootie said, changing the subject so quickly Timmy thought he was going to get whiplash.
She growled at him. Apparently, his hesitation was answer enough. Her eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips.
"That's why I did it. Because you won't even look at me with her in the picture. I'm always competing with someone smarter and prettier. Okay, maybe Trixie isn't smarter, but she's definitely prettier. And Veronica has a crush on you too. It's like you could have your own harem. And I'm not even counting Cindy Vortex, because she's not in this universe, thank God.
"I'm the only one who can help you find Cosmo and Wanda because I'm the only one who has powers and isn't bound by some stupid human. I slipped through the cracks."
She stood up and offered him her hand. He didn't take it and she frowned.
"I'm your only chance of finding Cosmo and Wanda before Crocker decides to finish them off," she said quietly. "You know they're in danger the longer they're near him. Or Kevin."
Timmy wasn't gratified to have his opinion of Kevin Crocker validated.
"I promise once we find your godparents, I'll rescue Chloe, okay?" she said. "No harm, no foul."
"Why should you rescue her? You just admitted you hate her."
"But I love you," she said and then pulled a face. "And you like her, so that means I have to play nice. She was just a distraction so I could get you away."
"If she's not okay, I'm blaming you for it," he snapped.
Veronica had bound and gagged Chloe while some less popular kid jabbed at the blonde girl to make her walk. It was a rather sharp spear, too, so if Chloe didn't watch her step, she'd end up getting scratched or worse. Veronica found she didn't feel sorry for her. Like Tootie, she considered Chloe competition and, like Tootie, she resented how much time Timmy spent with Chloe. Plus, who cared if she was a little roughed up? It wasn't like Timmy was swooping in to save her.
She snorted and shoved Chloe between the shoulder blades.
"Hey, Carmichael," she said casually. "Thanks for this utopia. It's a shame you won't be able to use it, though."
Chloe fixed her a dirty look and the not so popular kid behind her jabbed her with the spear hard enough for blood to materialize and soak Chloe's shirt. Veronica grimaced. Loser blood. Besides, the jab had caused Chloe to scream before she'd stopped herself and her eyes shone with tears again. If Veronica were sadistic, she might've prodded Chloe's wound to deepen it.
That was Vicky's job, though. Vicky was Crocker's chief enforcer and torturer. She'd have a good time with Carmichael, Veronica guaranteed it.
They walked all over town, the unpopular kid occasionally jabbing Chloe to spur her on or just because she wanted to deepen the wound. Tears slipped down Chloe's cheeks and the entire back of her shirt was now soaked in blood. She was stumbling, losing her balance from blood loss.
"Enough," Trixie snapped beside Veronica. "I'm not carrying some loser girl to the palace. Leave her alone."
The rest of the walk proceeded in silence; the unpopular kid was now forced to help Chloe walk, though she did so by as minimal touching as possible. They brought her to Crocker's doorstep, waited to be admitted, and then walked through the ornate palace, which Veronica barely glanced at. It wasn't important to her how many polished works of art he had or how long his marble hallways were. It definitely didn't impress her how many vases were on pedestals or the countless faerie servants dusting, cleaning, and slaving away for him.
"You've brought me the wrong one," Crocker snapped when they entered his throne room. The floor was so clean that they could see their reflections. "What am I supposed to do with her?"
"That's not my problem," Trixie said. "Where's our reward?"
She nodded and the unpopular girl released Chloe to fling her to the floor. Chloe yelped, landing on her hands and knees, and straightened to stand with difficulty. Veronica almost pitied her. She had to be in a lot of pain.
"Reward, reward…" Crocker mused and Chloe swayed on her feet.
"Ah, yes. You and your group are not to be bothered by my faerie enforcers and are allowed one rule free wish per person," he said. Trixie smirked, apparently pleased with this, and drew Veronica and the others away when Crocker dismissed them. Veronica chanced one last look back at Chloe. She'd fallen to her knees again and blood slicked the tiles.
"And get someone to clean this mess up and heal her," Crocker scoffed. "She's no use to me if she can't tell me where Turner is. Or Kevin, for that matter."
So Kevin was missing too? Interesting. Maybe there'd be another reward out for him. And if Veronica and Trixie found Timmy first, they wouldn't need to turn him in. They could keep him all to themselves.
-
Chloe swayed as the faeries brought her to a bathing area to clean up. She had a hard time taking off her shirt, because it was stuck to her skin. Once she had, the faerie waved her wand and she was healed, albeit in a different outfit. This outfit was all black and somehow conveyed submission. She twisted her neck to spy "property of Denzel Crocker" on the back.
Timmy was with Tootie, Kevin was missing in action, and who knew where Cosmo and Wanda had gone off to? Even if her back no longer ached, she felt phantom pains and touched the spot where the kid had scored her.
She was worried about everyone, far more concerned about them than she was about herself. Sighing, she let the faeries convey her to a posh living area and then lock her in. There were bars on the windows. It was a gilded prison and contained a large bookcase, a plush bed with many pillows, a wardrobe, and an attached bathroom. There were also security cameras in the bedroom, though not in the bathroom.
She had to figure out a way out of this. And it looked like she'd have to do it herself, too, because no one was going to help her.
"One more thing," Crocker announced, using the faerie who had escorted her in as a megaphone. It had popped back in briefly. "Keep her sedated. I don't want her getting any ideas."
"No, wait, I don't— "she started, but it was too late. The needle headed straight for her arm and while she normally thought sedation was supposed to be peaceful, this burned through her body and left her light-headed before she collapsed onto the floor.