This is it. This is the last chapter of Mephistozeldes. I'm glad I'm able to publish it before Epic Winter gets out.
Chapter 6: Scherzarade
February 22nd
Day 4
Toralei was itching to be able to look for the intruder who is trying to snitch the alpha bitch lioness title from her. To vent her frustration she doodled into a spiral spine notebook having no problem with the fact that the note book wasn't even hers to begin with. Whenever the rightful owner of the paper block or other members in her group tried to force her to contribute to the learning group's efforts, she growled and showed her claws. Soon even the slowest monster learned that if they don't want to get scratched they better leave the bad tempered feline alone.
Her classmates, that were lucky enough not to get in the same group as her, have exchanged sideway glances. The number of pranks has increased lately and the notable soaking of Cleo was a sign for everyone that Toralei has been acting up again. Of course, she rarely leaves someone in peace but today she was remarkably troublesome.
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Raven had fun. She met a lot of friendly monsters – or ghouls and mansters as Raven learnt that was the teen slang term for girls and boys in this story world.
In the break someone finally told her the source of the shriek that has terrified everyone to the core of their bones (or ectoplasm or whatever material their body was made of).
One werecat girl Toralei known for her mischievous and brash nature has pulled a prank on her classmate Cleo de Nile. Cleo was a mummy and as such her whole body was covered with bandages and Toralei used this fact in her plan to humiliate the queen of the school. It was said the cat girl has put a bucket of water on the door so that it would fall on anyone who would come into the room. It was old fashioned but apparently not old fashioned enough because even the ancient mummy was utterly startled when the bucket of cold water ended on her head.
Raven had the feeling that she certainly could live in this place. After all cunning, tricky human-feline hybrids was something the two lands, land of fairytales and land of horrors, had in common.
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Toralei was diligently searching for the stranger who had the guts and tried to usurp her territory. Her nose lead her to an ancient tree hump – burdened with heavy weight of its many years and the sorrows of the world it has been a witness to.
Such insolence! The intruder was peacefully sleeping while she was being accused for pranks she didn't pull.
"Here you are! Get out of my territory, you intruder!" Toralei hissed. The stranger opened one eye, she closed it again and then slowly yawned. Toralei's back fur bristled. "Meow. Jelly much?" Kitty stretched acting as if she didn't give a damn about the other cat girl. Toralei narrowed her eyes. "I will catch you and everyone will see who's the superior cat on this campus." Kitty sat up whereas Toralei sat down. Both were tediously studying her opponent, waiting for the next move.
To an unsuspecting observer the two humanoid cats would look just as nonchalant as ever but their tails were standing up, only the tips waving. Any experienced Narrator knows that this is no time for jokes.
The two pairs of slit pupils locked into each other glistened dangerously.
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It's been three hours since we came to the Monster High, maybe it's time we returned to the Ever After, thought Zelda. But the girls were Grimm knows where enjoying themselves. Good thing she had their phone numbers. Once the break starts Zelda will call them.
Meanwhile she has to endure this fighting couple right next to her. She had no idea why they weren't in a class and what their problem was but they were really loud. All the yelling and insults were getting on Zelda's nerves.
"I wish there could be silence for ten minutes," she mumbled sourly. BAMF! Everything was still at once. It didn't stood still as everyone and everything moved as if nothing happened but Zelda couldn't hear any sounds. No rustling of leaves, no shrieking monster girls. Nothing.
"Blimey! I know that words have power but I didn't expect it to work like that," uttered Zelda as she eyed the students moving their mouths soundlessly. "Uhm, that was me." Zelda turned around to see a blushing girl in Arabian styled outfit and with long braided hair.
"You're a djinn. Thanks for the help, by the way," smiled the red haired Quill. "Yes, making wishes come true is my thing," the other girl shrugged. Her face still as raspberry pink as her hair. "I'm Gigi Grant." "Akasha." The Quill and the djinn shook hands.
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There was only one way how to settle this dispute between those two mischief makers. A competition of shenanigans. Whoever pulls the meanest, most awesome and most elaborate prank in the next thirty minutes will become the uncrowned Queen of Mockery.
The cat girls scattered.
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"Are you an exchange student," asked Gigi. Zelda shook her head: "Thank heavens I've already graduated from high school. No, but I've brought someone who might be interested in becoming an exchange student one day. If everything runs smoothly, that is." Gigi smiled: "Monster High is a wonderful place, I don't know what kind of person we're talking about but I'm sure her freaky flaw will find good company here." They were silent for a minute before Gigi continued: "I'm myself quite new to this place. Um, time and place to be honest. I'm about 800 years old and majority of the years I've spent in my lamp. It's cozy but I wish we djinns could leave our homes more often, not only when somebody has a wish." "But you're out of your lamp now," remarked Akasha.
"True," nodded Gigi smiling. "A group of my monster high friends freed me. It's ok though, there's a new djinn in my lamp now. It's my wished-for sister Whisp and last time I saw her she was enjoying her time as a fully realized djinn." "Wished-for sister," Zelda raised an eyebrow. Gigi laughed: "I can see why is my story confusing to someone who hears it for the first time. Whisp isn't my sibling in a biological sense of the word. She was created so I could have some kind of company when there's no wisher around and even then it is mostly a one sided conversation." Zelda laughed: "I can imagine the conversations weren't really diverse on topics." Gigi grinned: "Exactly. I wish this, I wish that. And all I would say was 'your wish is my command'. It get's repetitive after the first few decades. And now I'm here and I can't stop but ramble on and on." Gigi looked embarrassed but Zelda assured her that it's ok to continue and encouraged the young djinn with a question of her own: "You said Whisp was created? How do you create a djinn?"
Gigi smiled at Zelda's curiousity: "Whisp is a magical creation, she was a wish one wisher made to make me happy. His name was Giles Grimm." "Giles Grimm? No way!" "You know him?"
"That I do. Him and his brother Milton. They have adopted me." "Oh, it's so nice to meet someone from their family," chirped the she-djinn. "I feel the same about meeting a friend of theirs," grinned Zelda.
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The contest was intense. Other students had no idea about the showdown that took place on the ground of their monstrous school. Every time a participant scored the other was already coming up with a sure way to get even more points.
Kitty used her stealthy fading in and out of the space between realms for doodling on sleeping faces of the janitor and a cooking lady. Toralei stole a spray can and decorated a wall with a motto about gurlzs rocking the world.
Kitty countered with putting mud in someone's snack box and a big portion of salt into the pots where the lunch was cooked. Toralei had no intention of giving up and shoved a freshman into a locker and locked him. Then, just for making a point, she devoted her time to
wasting paper by copying her butt at least forty times.
The Wonderlandian took it as a challenge and retorted with putting a chair under doorknob and then used teleportation to get out of the room so no one could walk into the room unless they crashed the door.
The duel was going on and the end wasn't in sight yet. None of the cat girls bothered the least with the fact that they were missing education. After every successful prank they would return to the tree where they met to brag about their tricking ability to their opponent and then run off to terrorize the unknowing monsters again.
Something deep in the ground began to stir.
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Zelda texted Raven and Cupid that it's nearly time to get to the Land of Ever After. They suggested to meet in the catacombs where they have an archeological lesson with Robecca. When the students don't go to the headmaster, the headmaster has to go where the students are. So Zelda went. Gigi offered to guide her.
After Biology with Mr. Hack and art class Robecca took the girls to the catacombs. Raven was amazed that the school offers archaeology lessons right under the main building. It was definitely something Ever After High had not to offer. There was a gardening or a ceramics club for those who liked to stick their hands in clay but archaeology was hundred percent more badass. Even if you don't wear a fedora.
There was a lot to explore as the catacombs led deep underground. Some of the tunnels were so old, the wooden pillars have rotted away and the ceiling broke down under the weight of the stones and soil. But the rooms and passages that were still accessible were full of tables that displayed treasures, tools to dig and clean and monster people who were brushing their foundings and discussing monster history. Raven was amazed. She walked from one display shelve to another. It was history coming alive. The witchling was sure her roommate Apple would have liked it too, she was a real nerd for a princess. Mathematics and Chemistry were her forte but she was no slouch in history either. The dark princess made double the effort to listen to the students and the teachers about the ancient monsters that lived there so she could later tell it all to her friends.
Robecca introduced them to new girls. Her best friends Rochelle Goyle and Venus McFlytrap. Even Cupid hasn't seen them before. "They must have come to Monster High at the same time I left for the Land of Ever After, " she admitted to Raven. Rochelle was a stone gargoyle. The type that doesn't transform to a meaty version of itself in the night time but stays the same stone statue all their life. On the other hand she could still move around and didn't have to sit on one spot waiting for the moon for her muscles to wake up. Venus was a living plant and as a plant she cared for the nature. She helped the other pupils spot a deep root and either removed it, if it was a dead one, or sent the plant a plea in flora speech to move its roots some place safer.
"I see you have fun, girls, but it's time to go home," said Zelda when she found her fairy tale friends. "But Draculaura and others aren't here and I don't want to leave without saying goodbye to them," protested Raven. "No problem, I'll send them a message to meet us on the schoolyard during the break," said Rochelle.
Thanks to the gargoyle girl Raven calmed down and the Quill and her students could leave the archaeology lesson. Robecca, Rochelle and Venus slipped after them. The teacher was too occupied with cataloging of some old hairbrushes and plates to be aware that sometimes his students leave his lessons earlier.
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A monster boy with flames on his head was in turns looking out of the window and taking a glimpse at his watch wishing the boring lesson would end already when he noticed something that made his day a lot funnier. He grinned at the dancing tree and his grin turned to a giggle when he noticed the tornado of leaves and fury had two passengers on his shoulders.
"Whoah, look there's a dancing tree monster in the school's garden," he nudged a pal of his, a werewolf guy secretly texting with his vampire girlfriend under the table, with an elbow: Clawd, look a tree in the garden has just lost it and is trying to get rid of some loser who climbed it." Clawd took a look: "Isn't one of them Toralei?" "Really? No way, bro," laughed Heath too loudly. "Mr. Burns, care to tell me what's more amusing than my lesson," asked Mr. Rotter and he didn't sound amused in the slightest.
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The tree has been soundly asleep for years until two trouble making kitties came and their antics have woken him up. It was grumpy and disoriented and having two hissing and screeching neko girls was making him all the more grouchier.
It flailed its branch-arms in all directions and spun around wildly. All this for one reason: To shake off the pesky felines that have been tormenting it. Meanwhile the said cat girls screeched and held for dear life hoping this out of control floral carousel will stop soon.
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Monster people gathered outside the school to watch the spectacle. More and more heads were drawn to the stage of this comedy. The students arrived with the school staff on their tail. Both parties observed the scene with mixed feelings. Some suggested that somebody should stop the rampaging tree dude and get the girls down. But no one came with any actual working plan so the monstrous majority just stood there and was curious about how all this will play out.
"I wish this walking tree guy would shoot his roots deep in the ground this moment!"
The tree creature did his last few waddling steps before it stumbled and as it fell the screaming cat girls were accidentally tossed into some plants. The fall stunned them for a while so the audience has got an undisturbed glimpse at a line of shrubbery decorated with furred limbs and tails sticking out of it.
When the onlookers were done with admiring of the newly decorated shrubs they turned around to see an unknown four armed rakshasa girl and the resident djinn Gigi Grant walking to the bush blooming with kittens so suddenly.
"I wish I had a long, fat, green cucumber in my hand." "What does she need a cucumber for?" Draculaura and others were baffled by that wish but Akasha knew what she was doing.
Gigi has again fulfilled the redhead's wish and soon enough Zelda had the long green stick in her hand. Seeing the vegetable in Zelda's hand the two cat girls, who managed to crawl out of the shrubbery in the meantime, made horrified faces, their fur has furrowed as if a lightning has flowed through them and hissing in terror they sought comfort in each other's embrace.
"Be good or I will unleash the fury of the cucumber on you. Understood?" Akasha wiggled the cucumber in her hand. Both girls nodded hurriedly.
"I'm sorry my pupil caused so much commotion," Akasha turned to headmistress Bloodgood. "I hope it won't harm the future negotiations." "Not at all," smiled Bloodgood good naturedly. "That's good to hear but ultimately it's Raven who has to decide if she wants go to Monster High or not?"
The dark princess smiled daintily: "I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit this realm and I would love to be given the chance to know you guys even better…" She turned to Zelda: "But you told me that if I don't touch you or I'm not near you for a long time that I would dissolve into oblivion in a genre I don't belong in."
Akasha nodded: "True. That would have happened but thankfully there exist counter measures that can be applied if you know how to do it." The Quill took a pen out of her purse and tapped Raven's shoulder with it: "Of course, I would have to make a few corrections here and there but in the end you will be able to move in this dimension completely freely without any side effects. And it would be only for a few months anyway. So what do you say, ready to take a break from all the drama back at Ever After?"
Raven looked at the grinning Quill thoughtfully. Finally she said: "I still don't know. Please, don't get angry but I have to think about it for a while." Akasha winked at her and hid her pen back in the purse: "Got it. No need to rush. Into switching schools. But it's time we go home. Ladies, time to say goodbye to our new – in Ace's case old – friends."
"Akasha wait. My friends told me that the school doesn't have enough money to open many programs next semester. Art, theater, archaeology…Can't you think of something to help them," Cupid looked at her expectantly.
Akasha hesitated. She knew about this issue but she didn't come any closer to solving it. "Oh Cupid, I wish I…," her words trailed off as she saw Gigi standing on the edge of the crowd. "Maybe there is a way how to solve it," started Zelda. "Gigi, I'm sorry to bother you but it will be the last one, I promise."
"No problem," beamed Gigi. "What's the currency here?" Akasha was thinking aloud. "Ghouldens," came from someone in the crowd. Zelda nodded: "I wish I had five, nah, fifty million ghouldens in a case right here in my hand." If you can get a wish, make sure the wish is worthy. Besides the school is big and it will have to last for another century and more so it wasn't really overkill.
A large black leather case appeared out of thin air. Akasha opened the case revealing stacks of banknotes. The crowd let out an 'aaahh' of appreciation and amazement. "Thank you very much, miss Akasha," gasped Bloodgood as she was handed the money. "The praise belongs to Gigi here."
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After Raven and Cupid finished hugging, everyone told their goodbyes and Zelda took the hands of Raven and Kitty, and she in turn held Cupid's hand, in order to transport them all to the realm of fairy tales.
During dinner the Grimm brothers asked her about her mission. "Looks like Raven won't be join the dark side after all, not for the lack of trying from my side." She told them about the deal with her, meeting Jesus, the party, going to cosmos and Monster High. "We might as well establish a regular exchange program by now," smiled Giles. Raven would make the second exchange student between those two schools. "I like that. Aaand. We shall call it the Nostradamus program," she said ever so innocently. "Nostradamus! Zelda that's a brilliant idea," Giles cried out. "Nostradamus? You're teasing me," Milton crossed arms in front of him but smiled nevertheless. "Yes, because we like you," grinned Zelda and hugged her adoptive dads before going to bed.
THE END
Author's note: Nostradamus program is a reference to the Erasmus Programme which is a student exchange programme supported by the European Union. The name Erasmus comes from the man Erasmus of Rotterdam a 15th century scholar. It's also an abbreviation from the words European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. I used the nameNostradamus because he was a 16th century seer who noted a number of prophecies I used his name as a wordplay on how the society of the Land of Ever After revolves around tradition and destiny. And prophecies are motive that pops often in fiction.
