25.

The mall was less crowded than Toby would have expected for a Friday afternoon. It suited her just fine, however, because getting Theo to concentrate on anything that wasn't sparkly or shiny for more than two seconds was an almost impossible task. She certainly didn't want to have to suffer through conversation with any of her peers. Or any strangers who were just too curious for their own good, for that matter.

Despite the fact it took them nearly half an hour to just walk past a dozen stores to the center of the mall, Toby couldn't help but enjoy the entire ordeal. It was just what she'd needed to keep her mind from dwelling on all the things that didn't add up about the recent events of Avalon.

When they finally reached the food court, it took Theo another twenty minutes just to decide what delectable treat he wanted to try first. He hadn't had 'mundane' food in nearly a hundred years, he informed the cashier at the register, much to Toby's chagrin. Finally, with two cheeseburgers, fries, and a side of coleslaw ("It looks like it shouldn't even be edible, I must try it!"), as well as a hamburger and fries for Toby, they made their way to sit by the center fountain.

Toby glanced towards the ornate marble fountain with its plump-cheeked cherubs overlooking the perfume-soaked popular students on their top level dias and smiled faintly to herself.

"Mmrf?" Theo asked around a mouthful of fries. Toby was fairly sure he'd said 'what', so she decided to go with it.

"Mm, just thinking how much things have changed since the last time we were both here. I was begging Julie and her little cohorts to renounce their coronation, then Georgette and Valiance showed up. Remember how she hit you on the head for breathing fire?" Toby couldn't help but giggle.

Theo rubbed his head, a scowl on his face. "Yeah. I remember it hurt."

"Well you shouldn't have breathed fire in the middle of the mall."

Theo leveled a fry at her. "You shouldn't have dashed in front of it! What did you honestly expect me to do, inhale it all back?"

"No! I don't know, it seemed like a good idea at the ti--" Toby's eyes flicked past Theo, drawn to a strange white and red figure that seemed distinctly out of place. All in a rush, the light-heartedness she'd been able to forget her worries in evaporated, her palms suddenly sweaty. As soon as her eyes locked on the point she'd spotted peripherally, however, there was nothing, only an empty side-hallway.

"Toby?" Theo prompted, his voice low and his brilliant blue eyes deep with concern.

"I thought I saw-- I mean, she was just--" Toby began, but then cut off, biting the inside of her lip.

"Thought you saw who?" Theo turned in his seat, craning his neck to try and spot what had caught Toby's eyes.

Toby shook her head, the pit of her stomach twisting. "Nevermind, I ... I must have been mistaken. Just... old ghosts I guess."

Theo's eyes flicked back to Toby, studying her for a moment. "Rosepink?" Toby's lips tightened, a small enough motion to give her away to the dragon. "Toby, she's dead. I was there. Rosalinde -- the other Princesses -- they exploded her into little sparkly bits. Little sparkly bits don't come back together, not even in Believe."

"Yeah, I know." Toby pressed a hand to her forehead. "I just feel like it's all unfinished, you know? There's some little voice inside of me screaming at me that it's not over yet, that there's something else going on."

Theo reached out, putting a warm hand on her arm. "It is over, Tobes. Promise."

Toby bit her lower lip for a moment more, then abruptly stood. "I need to go look."

"What?" Theo half-rose as she strode past him, his eyes flicking between her and the half-eaten food on the table. "Toby, what about my fries? Toby, they have cheese on them!" he protested, then groaned. Snatching up the basket of fries, he hurried after her.

Toby weaved her way through the tables and the chairs, her eyes intently fixed on the hallway that curved back and out of sight. A sign overhead advertised restrooms, but when they actually entered the hall, the restrooms were tucked away off to the right. Directly in front of them were a pair of double doors with a half-rusted yellow "Employees only" sign jammed into one window pane.

"See? No one. Unless you'd like me to check the bathrooms." Toby shot a glare at Theo, who had resumed stuffing fries in his mouth, then went back to staring up and down the halls. She was sure of what she saw, just as sure as she was that it was impossible. Or was it? Rosepink had tricked them before, surely now would be no different.

"Maybe we should just--" Toby began reaching up to press one of the grey metal doors open. Suddenly a hand shot over her shoulder, shoving the door shut with a resounding boom. Toby yelped, twisting so her back hit the doors.

Baba Yaga stood behind her, a furious scowl on her face. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"What, now you're our obeying-signs enforcer too?" Theo muttered, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at the crone. Toby didn't even know where the half-dragon could have come from without drawing way more attention to herself than she obviously had. There was no pretending she was normal like there could be with Theo.

"Silence, boy. I have had about enough of your shenanigans. We're going to bring Tobias home and then it's straight back to Avalon with you." Toby had never seen Baba Yaga so flustered and it seemed to the brunette that the lines in the old woman's face were even deeper than they had been before.

"Okay, that's a little harsh, don't you think?" Theo shot back, bristling instead of backing down. "It's not like we actually got caught or anything."

"Didn't I say silence?"

"This isn't about the fact we were going somewhere restricted, is it, Baba Yaga?" Toby asked in a low voice. That squirming, twisted feeling of knowing at the base of her stomach wound even tighter. "What is it that we're not supposed to find out?"

The Fairy Godmother drew herself straight up, her black eyes flashing furiously. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Toby felt anger and frustration boil inside of her as she reached up, pulling a shimmering red stone on a leather band from underneath her sweater. "Lie," she hissed. "What is it?"

Baba Yaga's eyes flicked to the Verastone, then back to Toby. "You don't need to know, Tobias. Now please. Go home. Your place in the Story is over. Go back to being a normal girl and leave Believe and all of it behind you."

Toby was almost deterred by the nearly pleading tone to the Fairy Godmother's voice, her eyes flicking to Theo. The dragon was staring at Baba Yaga as if he wasn't quite sure whether to give in or stay furious. Still, Toby had never been anything if not stubborn. "No," she replied, then reached behind her to grab the handle of the door. "Tell me or I'll find out myself."

The half-dragon shoved the door shut again, her face hard. "Go. Home, Tobias."

"You know, you've been nothing but weird and unfriendly to me ever since the invasion on the castle. You haven't even once said thank you for waking up the Princesses or saving your stupid lousy land! Now you're lying to me and tossing orders around like I should follow them without any question? I'm sorry I ever freed you from that stupid cellar!" Toby yelled, jerking at the handle of the door again. She was no match, even against a half-dragon, but it didn't stop her from trying.

"I am doing this for your own good. You wouldn't understand," Baba Yaga continued in a low voice.

"Yeah? Is that why you shoved me out of Avalon as quickly as you could? Why you've basically cut me off from the only place I've ever really felt at home? Why you won't give me the book?!" Toby stared at Baba Yaga's face as she said the last bit, feeling triumph when shock and something akin to guilt chased itself across the old half-dragon's face.

"How do you know about the Book?"

"It is for me, then. Why did the Elf Queen send me a book? And why won't you give it to me?"

"Because she was wrong to send it to you. You shouldn't bear that burden. We've already given you too much to bear." The old crone's eyes dropped to the sword that was, as always, sheathed at Toby's side. The brunette knew that Baba Yaga couldn't see it, but it didn't stop her from feeling like somehow, the old dragon could tell where it was.

"So you refuse to do what the oldest living being, the one who's seen everything since even before Believe fell asleep, thinks is best because Toby bears your shame?" Theo asked in a low voice, and Toby could see the way his words lanced through the old dragon.

"That... That isn't it. Kjavaeos, even when broken, is no more a curse than the Bright Magic."

"Then what? What are you hiding? Who are you hiding?" Toby pressed, stepping forward to stare directly at the white-haired crone. For a moment, just for a fleeting moment, she almost thought she had won the battle of wills, that for once, just for once, someone was actually going to be honest with her.

When Baba Yaga spoke again, however, it was in that ancient, magical dialect. Two small words, and suddenly the mall faded from around Toby. She had the most peculiar sense of being pulled in far too many directions, and then suddenly she was standing in the middle of her bedroom.

"No! Baba Yaga! Theo!" she screeched in frustration, stomping one foot. "Stupid dragons!"