Chapter 21
Janna watched as Tom descended down the stairs, the crack in the ground sealing behind him. Spinning on her heals, she started back towards the Butterfly castle. Sticks and leaves crunched underneath her boots, the only sound in the eerily quiet night. She couldn't help but smile at herself; she had been on Mewni for awhile now, stalking and lurking around in the shadows. She enjoyed it here, and she couldn't get Tom out of her head.
Her crush had gone from school girl to full-blown infatuation with the demon prince, and she was determined to get to know him better, and if her plan went well, to date him. Star was her best friend, but she was so painfully in love with Marco, Janna considered it a favor to her to break them up and step in where she left off. She realized it was a rather devious plan, even for herself, but she had never felt this way about anyone before, and she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers.
First, she needed to acquire a pair of dimensional scissors. Marco had told her he had earned his from Hekapoo, a member of the Magical High Commission. It had taken quite a bit of effort to locate the Bureau of Magic, but she managed; breaking in and stealing this Hekapoo's schedule was beyond cake. She wouldn't even call it breaking in, as the doors weren't locked and the moose-thing bodyguard was sound asleep the entire time. Hell, her office wasn't even secure; she just walked right in and took a picture with her phone. For the time being, Hekapoo was gone in other dimensions; but soon, she would be back, and that's when Janna planned to make her move.
Janna scaled the side of the castle, quietly dropping into Star's room. Star was asleep, the rise and fall of her chest rhythmic. Keeping to the shadows, she inched her way through the room, careful of all the various things Star kept lying on the floor. She was close to the door when Star rolled over, Janna freezing in place. Glossaryck looked right at her, but didn't make a sound. Star was now facing her too, but didn't see her. The moon was covered in clouds, her room nearly pitch black in some parts. Janna watched as Star tossed and turned, she herself dare not making a move. She knew Star probably wouldn't mind having Janna living with her, but she didn't know how Star would react to Janna squatting in one of the many unoccupied sections of the castle. Finally, Star gave up trying to rest; throwing the covers off of her, she went to the bathroom, shutting her door behind her. Janna waited until the water turned on before moving again.
Not watching what she was doing, she tripped over something heavy, catching herself on the wall with a loud thump. Janna readied herself to run, but Star never came. Cautiously this time, she made her way toward the door, when something caught her eye. Against her better judgment, she stopped, and using her phone as a flashlight, saw it was the necklace Tom had given Star. Gently, she picked it up, watching the light catch within the facets of the jewels. She held it against her neck, looking at herself in the mirror, a tiny pang of jealousy brewing inside of her.
"Globgor?" Glossaryck hopped onto the dresser. Janna looked at him, his eyes wide with curiosity. Stretching out his leg slowly, he made like he was about to kick everything off.
"Glossaryck, no!" Janna scolded him, being sure to whisper.
"Globgor." He smiled, thrusting his leg the rest of the way, knocking everything off. Dropping the necklace, Janna took off in a run, refusing to stop until she came to the corridor that led to 'her' section of the castle. Panting as she got to her room, she locked the door behind her. 'That was close, Ordonia. You have to be more careful from now on.' Stretching out on the outdated cot, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Sitting on a flat rock, the sun warmed Janna's skin as she waited for Hekapoo to arrive. According to her schedule, today she would be tracing an obscure magical trail, and she would be arriving any minute. She would earn those scissors, and the second part of her plan could begin.
Janna had started to fall asleep when she heard the familiar rrrriiiiipppp. Opening her eyes, she saw the red, fiery portal in front of her, with whom she presumed to be Hekapoo stepping through. "You must be Hekapoo." Janna stood, matching pace with Hekapoo. "I'm Janna."
"And I care, why?" She didn't bother to make eye contact as she looked over a map with various lines drawn in different directions.
"I'm going to get some dimensional scissors from you, that's why." Janna crossed her arms confidently. Hekapoo couldn't hold in her laughter; she chortled, an annoying sound. "Uh, loud." Janna rolled her eyes.
"I'm not giving you any scissors, kid. Now, I'm busy. I have a ton of work to do, and these trails are fading fast." When Janna didn't budge, she added, "Shoo, mortal, shoo!" Waving her hands at her. Janna continued to follow her.
"Look, I'm gonna keep following you until you give me those scissors. So you could either just hand them over, I'll be on my way, you can get back to work, and we'll both be happy, or I'll just keep bothering you until you give them to me anyway."
"Look, kid. You're like, what, twelve? I don't just give people dimensional scissors. They have to earn them. And as I said, right now, I'm busy."
"I'll actually be sixteen soon. And I'm fine with earning them, I can do it. But I'm not going away until you give me that chance."
"Ugh, this trail just disappeared!" Hekapoo groaned, thumbing through numerous pages. "You know I could kill you, right?"
"But I know you won't, it would damage your reputation too badly." The smirk across Janna's face infuriated her. "I can see the headlines now, 'Member of Magical High Commission Kills Defenseless Earth Girl.'"
"Wait," Hekapoo stopped walking. "You're from Earth? Are you friends with Marco, then?"
"Yup, I'm a lot cooler than him, though."
Hekapoo pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, kid. Janna, was it? I literally never do this, but if I give you some dimensional scissors, will you leave me alone?"
"I said I would, didn't I?"
"Ok, great. Here." She pulled out a pair of purple scissors, Janna's name inscribing itself on the blade. "But you better not tell anyone I did this. I really need to get back to work, and I don't want everyone and their brother coming to me for scissors. Got it?"
Janna took the scissors. "Got it. See ya, H-Poo!"
"And don't call me that!"
Janna cut open a portal to her living room. It had been awhile since she had been home, and since her phone didn't get great signal on Mewni, she wanted to check in with her mom. Once there, she discovered her mom asleep on the couch, the TV on the news channel. Not wanting to wake her, she scribbled a quick note, taping it to her mother's forehead:
Sorry I've been gone so long. I've been on Mewni. I'm fine.
Love, Janna.
Satisfied, she stepped back to Mewni.
Now, it was time for the real fun to begin.
Closing the one behind her, she opened another portal, heat blasting through the opening. Stepping through, the Underworld was hot. Taking off her jacket, hat, and shoes, she folded everything neatly and left it on the ground. Tying off her top so it was midriff, she set off to find the Lucitor home. She didn't have to walk far when she came upon a village, demons bustling in the streets, carrying on about their day to day lives. She stopped the first one she came too, and asked, "Where's the Lucitor castle located?"
"Keep going that ways, and you oughtta see it comin' up real soon." She thanked him, and was off. The dirt was soft underneath her feet as she jogged along, the castle coming in view rather quickly, just like the guy had said. Once in full view, she stood in awe of it's magnificence.
The castle stood tall, atop a brimstone hill. Lava poured into a steep moat from the sides, making it impossible for anyone to cross over without permission. The drawbridge was guarded by a huge demon in a black bask, wielding a flail. Janna hesitated, admittedly intimidated by the creature. 'You've come this far, don't stop now.' She urged herself, taking a nimble step forward. As she got closer, the guard made eye contact with her.
"I would like entrance to the Lucitor castle, please." Her voice a little shaky, she stood her ground. The guard squinted his neon green eyes at her, leaning over so that he was directly above her. Janna, caught in his haunting gaze, gulped. He let out a hot snort, ruffling her hair. His breath smelled like garlic onions. In a quick motion, he quickly pulled something out of his pocked and pressed it against her chest. Closing her eyes in anticipated to be killed on the spot, she squealed; after a brief moment, when she realized she was still alive, she opened her eyes. He had put a sticker on her shirt, that read "Visitor."
"Enjoy your tour of the Lucitor Castle!" He maneuvered the crank so that the drawbridge came down.
"Thank you!" She waved to him as she crossed over. 'You don't have to tell anyone about that, Ordonia.' She reassured herself.
Beyond the gates was a lovely yard, and very kept garden. All sorts of plants, some Janna recognized, and other's very exotic. The main path was made of stones, tiny jewels polished an embedded throughout. She saw some other paths deriving off the main one, and decided to do some exploring before going inside. After all, she had plenty of time now that she could come and go as she pleased.
As she went deeper into the garden, more personal things began to appear: various statues of Lucitor family members, some old and worn, and some still fairly new. She came across one of Tom, a menacing grin plastered his face, so brand new, it was still shiny, not yet worn by the extreme weather of the Underworld. Fragrant flowers permeated this area, a sweet, almost sickening smell. She couldn't linger too long, as it was getting hard for her to breathe.
Venturing on, she found a tiny concrete plaque with hand and foot prints, "Tom, age 5" haphazardly written in the dried medium. She smiled, thinking how cute it was, and also how odd it was that he could ever be so small, when now he was huge. Not far off, she spotted an area in the garden staked off in a small square, with several tiny statues inside. She thought this curious, but didn't get a chance to ponder it long before she heard voices.
Ducking behind a large bush, she watched quietly as Tom walked out onto his balcony, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Still damp, his body glistened in the evening sunlight. 'Jackpot!'
His hair clung to his face, accentuating his high cheekbones. He stretched, the muscles moving under his skin, moving his slender hips from side to side as he reached upward. Light bounced off his six pack, defining it even more as he turned and twisted himself under the sun. Then, the towel fell, exposing his entire front side to the garden, and unbeknownst to him, Janna.
Janna's eyes went wide and she took in his naked body. His leg muscles were ridiculous, pants not giving any lower half of his body justice. Letting out an involuntary squeal, she quickly covered her mouth. His ear's twitched, and he looked right in her direction, a fierce look on his face. She ducked deeper into the bushes, hoping he wouldn't see her. As he glared, his tail flicked back and forth behind him.
"Tom! I thought I told you to stop going on the balcony naked!" A male voice from beyond Janna's sight called out, his dad, she assumed. "Groups of those teenage girls just stopped trying to sneak in!" Tom rolled all three of his eyes and turned to go back inside, bending down to pick up the towel. Janna fanned herself, suddenly feeling a little hot under the collar, momentarily envious of Star getting to hump that hot bod whenever she wanted. Crawling out, she got to her feet and made her way to the front of the entrance.
It was apparent that the bottom level was a tourist attraction; a gift shop, various heirlooms and artifacts passed down from the Lucitor generations, a map of the castle, tapestries, and two heavyset guards. She snapped a picture of the castle map with her phone, for later use. The actual entrance of the castle was roped off, a closed kiosk to pay for a tour next to it. Pretending to be really interested in the tapestries, she turned her back on the guards. Opening a small portal, she shoved her fist through as hard as she could, punching one of the guards in the back of the head.
"Aye! Now what'd you go and do that for?"
"Do what?"
"You punched me in the back a da head, you did."
"I did no such fing. And, quite frankly, I'm offended."
"Are you callin' me a liar?"
"I ain't claimin' you to the truf, ere, mate."
As much fun as it would be to watch the two squabble, Janna was on a mission. Ducking underneath the velveteen roped, she ran up the stairs before they could notice she was missing. Was security everywhere around here so lapse? She stopped to take in her surroundings as she reached the top of the stairwell. This part of the castle seemed old, the walls a bright, lacquered red with black trim. A chandelier hung from the tall ceiling, effectively lighting the entire area in an almost romantic glow. The floors were a polished white stone, smooth and cool under against her heated skin. She began to creep down the hallway, quietly, stopping at the first door she came too. She could hear muffled voices, pressing her ear against it to hear them better.
The first voice, was the same voice she had heard earlier, calling out to Tom. "Are you sure the deal is done?" He kept his voice intentionally low; not quite a whisper, but still difficult for Janna to hear, even while straining.
"Yesssss, my King. I am ssssure of it." The second voice was a raspy, snake-like voice. It creeped Janna out. "And if it doesssn't take this time, I have plenty of leftover magic pulled, I'll just make more candy and love bites. They never remember a thing afterwardsss."
Despite being very out of context, their conversation gave Janna a weird feeling.
"You truly are the best at what you do." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I feel kind of bad, seeing as they are so young, but I need a guaranteed outcome for this. Can I keep you on standby?"
"Of courssse, King. There is the ssssubject of payment, however…"
"Whatever you want, I can pay it. Once I receive news-"
"What are you doing?" Tom snarled at her, scaring her out of her wits. Jumping back, she lost balance and fell on her butt. Much to her dismay, he was fully dressed now. He looked her up and down, taking in her ragged appearance. "And why do you look homeless?"
'At least he's cute when he's angry.'
"Star sent me," she lied, "she wanted me to check up on you."
"And why would she want you to check up on me?" Tom crossed his arms over his broad, defined chest…
'Pay attention!' "I can't tell you that."
"You're lying."
"She swore me to secrecy. Sorry, Hellboy. You weren't even suppose to know I was here."
"You're telling me Star sent you to spy on me, for reasons you can't disclose because she asked you not to?" Janna nodded. She would let him fit in his own assumptions himself; she could see the doubts begin to brew in his eyes. "Why would she do that?"
She shrugged. "Beats me."
"I don't believe you." He turned and started walking away from her.
"Don't worry, I won't tell her you saw me. She would be mortified if you knew. Especially since she's still gone, and all."
Tom stopped. 'Star really wouldn't send this chick to spy on me…' He glanced back over his shoulder.
"You do know why she's gone, right?" He didn't say anything, but Janna read his face. "She seriously didn't tell you? That's messed up, dude." The pieces were starting to fall into place. "She's out there, in the middle of some forest, alone with Marco, sharing a tent."
"She tried calling me. I was just busy, and I couldn't answer the phone." 'Is she really sharing a tent with Marco?' Tom thought he trusted Marco, but this was getting a little too much for him to handle.
"Too busy to answer your girlfriend? Damn, Hellboy, I don't know who's more fucked up: you, or her." 'Laying it on a little thick, Ordonia.'
'This girl is weird. She can't be trusted.' Tom growled. 'But why would Star be so vague. Why wouldn't she have told me all of this?' "Get out of my house."
"My pleasure." She started back toward where she came.
"Wait!" She turned to look at Tom, the pained look on his face almost more than she could bare to look at. "Did… did she say when she would be coming back?"
Janna shook her head. "No, sorry." He nodded, his shoulders slumping forward as he skulked off.
Even for her, what she was doing was a little terrible. Breaking up her best friend from her boyfriend, so that she could have him; still, Star did have love for Marco, so it wasn't like she would be left high and dry. Everyone would win in this situation.
Cutting open a portal to where she left her clothes, she snatched them up, and opened another to her room in Mewni. For now, she would remain there until she gathered enough evidence to build her case; but she would definitely be back to find out what the discussion she eavesdropped on was about.
Sporting a new dress she acquired through a little conductive thrift-shopping, Janna blended in perfectly with the people of Mewni. The people here were so friendly, it was stupidly easy to steal and manipulate them; it almost made her feel bad, but not bad enough to actually stop. Eventually she would get some cash and pay these people back, but for now, she had to do what she could to navigate seamlessly through her plan without hitting anymore speed bumps. With a full face of makeup and an up-do, skills learned through watching tutorials on the internet, she could barely recognize herself in the artistically placed mirrors used for decorations around the venue.
She hated to admit it, but she felt really pretty. She normally wasn't one to put on makeup beyond the occasional eyeliner, but as she gawked at herself, she actually felt like a normal teenage girl for once; she wasn't sure if she liked the feeling or not, as it was a strange and unfamiliar territory she had mocked other's for. Yet now here she stood, in a pink dress, hair pulled into tiny ringlets with ornaments bedazzling them, earrings, and a contour. If only Ferguson and Alfonso could see her now.
Losing focus, someone bumped into her, bringing her back into reality. "Oh, sorry, my bad." She knew that voice. Turning around, she made eye contact with Marco. He was with Kelly. "Hey, you look familiar. Do I know you?" Shaking her head, she curtsied, and walked away. Marco wasn't the most aware person she knew, but he looked right in her face and didn't recognize her. Kelly didn't seem to know who she was either. Makeup might not be her thing, but she certainly was going to start using it to her advantage.
'It's not really against my morals if I use it to get what I want.' Smiling to herself, she sought out Tom. She knew he would be there with Star, as she found the invite carelessly tossed in a pile in Star's new study. It was simpler to find things now, since Star knew Janna liked to frequent Mewni with her dimensional scissors, and she didn't have to sneak around the castle as much. She spotted Tom fairly easily, as he loomed over almost everyone by at least six inches. Of course, he was dancing with Star.
Janna watched as the two crossed the dance floor, their movements perfectly in sync with one another. There was a deep pain in her chest, a stabbing jealousy ribbed with guilt that she felt this way toward her best friend. Looking at Star's face, she could see clear as day that she loved Tom; she had never seen Star looking so exuberant before. She could tell Tom was happy, too. Tom said something to Star, and she laughed, pulling her closer to him. Even with the death of her mother, even with all the things she had been through, there was Tom, making her smile; making her forget about everything for a moment and allowing her a temporary peace of mind.
Who was Janna to strip that away?
All at once, she knew what she was doing was wrong; how could she have been blinded so badly by her own desires? Star was her best friend. And here she was, manipulating and conniving, trying to break her apart from something that made her so happy. She touched her cheek; a warm, blackened streak of tears had started to flow. Not wanting to make a scene of herself, she quickly made her way into a corner where no one would see her.
She sat against a wall cast in shadow, watching all the happy people. Why couldn't she be happy? Using her arm, she wiped her watery eyes, smearing all the hard work she had put into her face. Her tears were silent, but the shame anguished. 'What are you even doing, Ordonia?' She scolded herself. 'Why would you even go through so much trouble for a guy? That's so not like you.' She sniffled, rolling her eyes at herself. 'You've got to pull yourself together. You aren't weak. You can do better than this.' As she reasoned with herself about all the reasons why she needed to let Tom go, she almost failed to notice that Marco and Star had made their way over. Catching her attention, she stopped and watched the two of them. She could hear hushed voices, though she couldn't distinguish their words. Then, Star hugged him; a long hug, more-than-just-friendship, hug. As they pulled away, she noticed their postures, the drastic change in the mood between them. Then, in a twist she wasn't expecting, Marco leaned in and kissed her. Her breath catching in her throat, she quietly pulled her phone out of her bra, switching it to camera mode. She snapped a couple pictures without a flash; then, Star's leg went up as she kissed him back, hooking it around her waist. She snapped a few more. As quickly as they began kissing, it was over; Star pushed him away from her, her voice now louder and aggressive.
"I love Tom. You're my squire." She turned around and left Marco fumbling with his words in her wake.
'Wow, Star. Cold.' She took this opportunity to make her escape. Her tears dried, the only remnant of their existence smeared into her makeup; Janna went back to the Butterfly Castle. She felt triumphant; as if the world that had just began to crumble for her rewound, coming back together stronger. She had proof, she had proof! She would have to go back to Earth to print these out, but until then, she had significant and undeniable proof that Star, at the very least, had feelings for Marco.
As she washed off the makeup, she couldn't help but feel giddy; she wasn't quite sure how she would bring this up to Tom- but she would think of something. First, however, she would have to gain his trust, become his friend; prove to him that she was someone worthy of it. Presenting the evidence to him now would only make her look bitter, and Star had enough on her plate to deal with aside from a potential breakup. Looking at her clean face in the mirror, she couldn't help but grin. This was proving to be a trying endeavor, but it would make her conquest that much sweeter.