Disclaimer- Septimus Heap is not owned by me.

Hey guys! If anyone's read my last chapter, you're probably wondering what the heck the Three and those organization members have to do with the story. I'll get into that in this chapter. Sorry for all the OCs I have to add, but trust me, it's necessary. Besides, I'm not adding as many as you think. Also, the long awaited Palace Ball is here at last. Anyways, enjoy my latest chapter.

Magyk in a Box

Chapter 8

Dear Diary,

The Devil's Advocates and the rest of my sisters are overjoyed. That stupid Syrah has brought us Makyla's Chest! We would've honored her, but she decided to misbehave and we had to use our Gifts on her. It always pleases me when I get to use my Gift for something interesting. Today, the rest of the Three and I are going to see Mr. Nite Mare today to share our good news with the rest of the Council. This Operation might actually be completed within a few months! Even though I really don't have anything to fear about facing the Council, I'm still fifteen and I'm not completely sure Mr. Nite Mare has faith in the Three, for we are all teenagers. He'll be as happy and proud of us as we are when we bring him the slain Septimus and Jenna Heap, as well as Marcia Overstrand for a bonus. Well, now I must prepare for my visit to the Fortress. Until next time,

Maria

Maria closed her diary slowly, put her Lock under the cover, and hid it in its usual hiding place- under the floorboards. She had a lot to do before she visited the Fortress, the palace where Mr. Nite Mare himself resided. The Devil's Advocates meeting had recently ended and the building in the cave, or The Hideaway, was nearly empty except for the Three and a few slaves to clean up the mess the other members had made in the dining room. Now, she sat in her bedroom, brushing her long, brown hair and waiting for her sisters to finish getting ready so that they could depart. A loud knock on her made her once again alert as she opened the door to reveal her two sisters.

"Hello, Maria", one of them said. "Are you ready?"

"Of course, Bianca. How about you, Katherine?"

"I just finished preparing now. Shall we leave now for the Fortress, my sisters?"

"I suppose. By the way, Bianca, where is my 'servant' Madeline?"

"Maria, she put mayo on my sandwich. I sold her, for she is not good enough for the Three."

"You sold her?" Katherine asked, looking suspicious. "That was kind of you, Bianca. She didn't deserve that."

"There's no fooling you two", Bianca sighed. "Okay, I used my Gift."

"What's wrong with that?" Maria asked. "We always use our Gifts. What is up with you, Bianca?"

"Nothing at all, I just wanted to see if you'd believe me. Now, we should leave." Bianca slid her hood over her head, and the action was returned by her two sisters. They took each others' hand and before anyone knew what was happening, the Three disappeared, traveling to the Fortress at lightning speed.

Even though the Three were incredibly sadistic and cruel, they still had soft spots for each other. They weren't really sisters, but acted like it anyways. None of them had ever truly wanted to be a part of the Three. When they were quite young, Mr. Nite Mare himself found all three of them individually and took them back to the Fortress where they were trained to be the Three. The only reason they were the Three was because they were incredibly rare and powerful- not many people are walking around with a Gift. Maria had the power of Fyre- she could sprout fire from her hands, burn someone from the inside out, and go back in time… fun stuff like that. Bianca had the power of Poison- she could kill people with a deadly poison just by looking at them. Katherine had the power of Knives- as in, she could stab someone by looking at them, stab numerous people at a time, sprout daggers from her hands, and other things of the sort. Although Gifts are rare, it is possible to have the exact same Gift, but it isn't likely at all. That's why Syrah died so quickly- she was being burnt, poisoned, and stabbed all at the same time. When the Three get a chance to look at you, there's nothing you can do but scream.

At the Wizard Tower, it was chaos. The Ball was a half an hour away and apparently, Marcia had no clue what to wear. Septimus looked adorable in his little tuxedo, while Christina was in a deep blue and teal floor length, strapless gown. So, while Septimus and Christina sat on the couch, waiting for Marcia to take them down to the Gathering Hall of the Wizard Tower (where the Ball was taking place), Marcia was actually raiding Christina's closet, hoping she could find something she could Enlarge enough for her to wear. Yes, Marcia is the one to be prepared, but with all the things going on lately, she had completely forgotten to buy herself a dress. Finally, she decided what to Enlarge- a plum dress hat went down to Christina's knees. Since plum is a variation of purple, Marcia had only bought it for her because she had begged. It really was a lovely dress.

A few minutes later, Marcia was wearing the dress, trying to change her makeup enough so that it would match it. She wasn't having any success. She applied too much blush and looked like a clown, not to mention that her lipstick was smeared and when she put on her eye makeup, she kept missing her eyes. Finally, Septimus made Christina get up off the couch and see what Marcia's problem was. She walked down the hallway of the apartment, only to find a ridiculous looking Marcia in her dress. She was getting impatient.

"Marcia?" Christina asked. At the sound of her name, Marcia jumped and turned to face Christina.

"Hello Christina", Marcia began. "Do you happen to know anything about applying makeup? Obviously, I don't."

"Actually", Christina replied. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve." She removed the horrible makeup from Marcia's face and a few minutes later, Marcia emerged from the bathroom looking great, Christina looking tired. At last, Marcia took Septimus and Christina down to the Gathering Hall, where they would meet their dates.

Of course, Marcia's date was Marcellus Pye. Septimus had been incredibly shocked to see them together this way and needed to sit down. Christina's date was Nicko Heap, who wasn't too exited about being there with Christina. Septimus had decided to go with Snorri, mainly because no one else asked him to go. Lastly, Jenna was with Beetle, who looked like the happiest person alive. After about half an hour into the Ball, both Septimus and Christina's dates left them to be with each other, leaving both Christina and Septimus sitting in the corner, trying not to look like the only losers who didn't have dates, even though it was true. Jenna and Beetle grew closer and closer as the night continued, and never left each other's side. The same was for Marcia and Marcellus, who were acting like teenagers.

"So", Septimus said quietly to Christina, who was sitting next to him in the corner. "Fun dance, huh?"

"Totally. God, look at Marcia and Marcellus. Did you know they were dating?" Christina asked, pointing to Marcia and Marcellus, who were kissing and dancing on the ballroom floor.

"Ew… and no, I had no clue. This is so weird."

"Yeah."

Nicko and Snorri were dancing with each other near the door. They were both having a wonderful time, and had completely forgotten their dates.

"This is nice", Nicko said quietly to Snorri.

"It is indeed", she replied.

"I feel kind of bad about leaving Septimus and Christina alone. Do you?"

"No, not really. After all, they just might become each other's dates by the end of the night."

"Hey, that's right! Sep and Christina have each other. They're fine."

Septimus and Christina looked at Nicko and Snorri at the other side of the room, then looked at each other and pretended to gag.

Jenna and beetle were dancing near the center of the room. Beetle was staring into Jenna's eyes, trying to get enough courage to make a move.

"So", Jenna said sweetly. "Do you…?"

"Do I what, Jenna?"

"Do you feel a little… weird? I mean, we came as friends but now I feel… different. Kinda."

"You do too?"

"Yeah."

Now, Beetle knew what he had to do. He leaned in, and so did Jenna. Before he knew it, he was kissing her, full on the lips and she was responding. He couldn't believe it.

Septimus and Christina looked at Jenna and Beetle kissing, and Septimus sighed.

"What's wrong?" Christina asked.

"Everyone's hooking up except for me." Suddenly, his eyes got brighter, as if he had an idea. "Maybe we could-"

"No."

"Okay."

Marcia and Marcellus were having a grand time. They were dancing, chatting, talking, and kissing. Suddenly, Marcellus got a grand idea. He knew he was slightly drunk, and was sure Marcia was too. Either way, he took her by the hand and let her out of the Wizard Tower.

Now, Maria, Bianca, and Katherine were standing outside the doors of the Fortress. All Three of them were nervous, but wouldn't admit it. After all, they were the Three! They couldn't be nervous! Either way, before walking inside the Fortress, they all took a deep breath. If they were the Three or not, this wasn't going to be easy. Recognizing them, the doors to the Fortress swung open to let the girls in. They held their breath and walked straight into the Council of Decidious.

"Enter!" someone cried from inside the room. The Three walked inside the room, where a group of monsters, wizards, and vampires alike were sitting at desks in a courtroom. On a throne in the center of the room, Mr. Nite Mare sat.

"What brings you here?" he sneered, treating the Three as if they were the common servants.

"Good news", Katherine replied. "We are here to bring you good news."

"What kind of good news?" Mr. Nite Mare asked.

"Very good news", Bianca said. "Christina is at the Tower and Makyla's Chest is in our secret compartment."

"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Anything else? What about the Frozen Spell?"

"The Frozen Spell has been retrieved and is in action in the Castle", Maria said.

"Even more excellent! Where is the girl that got you the Chest and the Frozen Spell?"

"She misbehaved", Katherine sneered.

"Were your Gifts put into action, then?"

"Yes they were, Master."

"Good. Here are your instructions to complete the Operation- 1. Manipulate Christina; use your Gifts, etc. 2. Get her to let you inside the Castle. You know she can get you in you know. Those are the instructions for now. Here is your Tablet", he said, handing the Three a scroll.

"Why is Christina important, anyways?" a vampire at the table asked.

"WHY IS SHE IMPORTANT?!" Mr. Nite Mare yelled. "You know perfectly well why Christina is so important. She is GIFTED!"