Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from Monster High, Ever After High, Disney Descendants, DC Super Hero Girls, and Project MC2 worlds which are trademarked by Mattel, Guru Studio, Disney, Dreamworks Animation's AwesomenessTV and MGA respectively. All characters are created and owned by Mattel, Disney, and MGA and I do not claim any ownership over them or their story and it is not purported or believed to be part of the original story canon. This story is for entertainment only.

Episode 27:

These Emotional Boxes

-Twyla-

It was midday on the fourth when Twyla awoke in the infirmary. Confused she slid out the shadows and looked at herself. Her left arm and right foot were wrapped in bandages.

Montoya glided over with a large cup in her hand, "Sombrita, you are awake. Here drink this."

Twyla drank the cool tea and handed the cup back to Montoya, "Thank you ma'am, but how did I get here?"

Montoya sighed as she held the cup, "Same way you always end up here, carried in someone's arms bleeding half to death. You are lucky they found you when they did. If the entry controller hadn't done their rounds you could have died. What were you doing to get such an injury? More specifically the one on your foot."

Twyla looked at her bandage covered foot with furrowed brows, "My foot? I…I don't know, I was running away from something…in a dream."

Montoya raised an eyebrow, "A dream? Ah, because you are a…oh! Well, that's not going to be the answer Ching will want to hear. Do you remember what it was in your dream?"

Twyla shook her head, "It wasn't my dream…"

Montoya tilted her head, "…I see. Tell me, can you visit anyone's dream?"

"That was my first time ever doing it and it didn't go so well."

"In this person's dream did you happen to see the- hurlg."

Her voice caught in her throat and she patted her chest. Twyla startled, held her hands up to catch Montoya. Blood gushed forth from Montoya's mouth and she took in a deep breath, falling to one knee on the floor.

Twyla placed a hand on Montoya's shoulder, "Do you need water?"

Montoya shook her head and took in a few more gulps of air, "No…I'm fine…thank you…go to class now. Fourth block…with Ching."

Twyla nodded and slowly exited the infirmary, she didn't want to leave Montoya there but she didn't know how to heal. Perhaps she could get Farrah to go see Montoya later. Twyla was still in her sleepwear so she changed clothes in the dorms before going to the last class of the day. When she entered, everyone stared at her and started whispering.

Ching tapped the board with her chalk, "Silence. Boogey take your seat. We will discuss your tardiness after class."

When the bell for class end rang, everyone vacated the room staring at Twyla with a mix of concern and suspicion.

Ching circled Twyla as a predator would its prey, "You surprised me Boogey but it was a pleasant surprise. Tell me how much do you know."

Twyla fidgeted under Ching's gaze, "How much do I know about what?"

Ching slammed her hands on the desk and leaned close, "Nice try but those wounds of yours only come from contact with the hands; and since the minutes are still in place, you must have the seconds. Where did you hide it? Obviously not on your person because your wounds would have multiplied ten times every four seconds it was held."

Twyla furrowed her brow, "Hands? I don't know anything about that."

Ching whipped out her scimitar and placed it under Twyla's chin, "So you claim. Take off your shoe and I will see the evidence for myself."

Twyla sat back and took off her shoe, her foot was still wrapped in bandages.

Ching cut the bandages off revealing a swirling letter B and number 2 in the gray on her foot. She gasped in delight, "The treasury! You have been busy."

Twyla hugged her knees, "I don't know what that means."

Ching laughed and pulled out a pair of gloves of her pocket, "If you want to keep pretending, fine. We can do this the hard way. I feel it a bit unnecessary as I'm on your side but such is life."

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a box. She opened it to retrieve a square coin-sized trinket. On the front was the five-handed clock motif that some of the tiles had. On the other side was a circle with three bars running through it.

Ching winced as a red surge of magic emitted from the trinket. She tossed it at Twyla, blood oozing from the glove, "A few hours of this will bring out the truth."

Twyla braced herself as the trinket engulfed her in sudden bright light. When the brightness subsided, Twyla found herself strapped down to a chair. She tried to look around but her head was also strapped down to the headrest. She took deep breaths to calm herself down, the ticking of the clock on the wall in front of her the only sound in the room. She closed her eyes and waited. LT Ching just wants information I don't have, no big deal.

A splash of cold water on her forehead snapped her to attention. She glanced upward and there above her head was a large wooden bucket with a minuscule hole in it. She could see another drop forming and tried to move out of the way but she couldn't move. She tried to slide into the shadows but it appeared that Ching's trinket had locked her in a glass case with lights all around the chair she was strapped to. There was no escaping. She would have to sit there with water dripping on her face until Ching felt like showing up, Twyla glanced at the time.

It was still the same time as when she arrived. No that can't be right. A second drop hit her forehead and she shivered. How long was she going to have to endure this? She glanced at the clock, it still showed five-thirty-two. She stared at the clock and listened to the sound of the ticking. The clock was ticking the seconds away but when sixty seconds was up the time remained five-thirty-two. Another drip hit her forehead. The clock is broken. The clock is broken and it is ticking to annoy me. Another splash. That, that didn't fall at the same rate as the other drops. How fast are these drops falling?

Twyla had no idea how long it had been since she was put in that glass box, with the water dripping on her forehead and the clock ticking away pointlessly but she did know that when Ching walked into the room she had never been so relieved.

Ching stood in front of Twyla with her hands behind her back, "I am a bit disappointed in you, Boogey. I thought you had surpassed your peers, but worry not I still see this as an opportunity. Montoya has informed me of your unique talents. Perhaps you should take a stroll through another friend's mind; tell them about Big Blue 1947. I'm sure they will put the information to good use. Until that time, I think I will leave you here, let that idea truly sink in."

Twyla's eyes widened as Ching turned around, "Wait! Aren't you going to let me out of here? You want me to walk through a dream, I'll walk through a dream. You want to know about hands, I have six but only in the shadow, you have to let me out of here. I… don't even know what time it is."

Ching looked over her shoulder at Twyla, "Now you know how we feel." She left the room and Twyla cried as another drop of water hit her forehead.

-Ching-

Ching returned to her office to grade a few papers. An hour or so should do the trick.

Barely had she started when her office door was thrown open. Bonny panted with wide eyes, "Captain wants to see you."

Ching placed her pen in the holder, "Did she say why?"

Bonny shook her head, "No, but she looked mad."

Ching rose from her desk and stalked closer to her, "You deviated from the plan, didn't you?"

Bonny shrugged, "Just a tiny bit at first. The Charming girl seemed more well-liked. It was too easy to make that fairy girl hated."

"That decision I understood but there's more to it, isn't there."

Bonny's shoulders sagged as she wilted under her gaze, "Jacquotte, she wanted more power."

Ching closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, "From who?"

"The shadow girl."

Ching's eyes widened, "Was she isolated?"

Bonny winced, "Yes."

Ching's heart sunk, "So she truly knows nothing."

"I'm afraid so."

Ching gasped, "I've tipped the compass…"

Bonny belched and covered her mouth, "What should we do?"

"We? You've done enough. You've ruined everything." Ching shoved Bonny aside as she left the room, "Let's just hope the captain is in a reasonable mood."

The air of the stairs was heavier than usual. As Ching passed Walker's bedroom she was tempted to flee to her for protection but she knew she couldn't for she had crafted this plot without her.

The layered magic on Captain Jones's door recoiled as she drew near. She strengthened her resolve as she raised her fist to knock upon it.

"Enter," called Captain Jones is a voice dripping with venom.

Ching entered the office, careful to close the door lightly lest she rattled the massive marble collections strewn about on shelves in the room, "You wished to see me, Captain?"

Captain Jones held a golden compass in her head, "A southeast wind blows through this school." She cut her red eyes towards Ching, "It reeks of mutiny."

Ching swallowed as she tried to maintain a neutral face, "Would you like me to investigate, Captain?"

"No Shih, I want you to purge. Class 225 to be exact. There were too many unknowns in that class for starters. Freddie was an overly ambitious little thing. I especially want to be rid of the shadow girl." She rolled the compass between her fingers, "She goes to places I cannot reach, I can't allow her to lead the others."

"As you say, Captain." Ching chewed her cheek, "Might I make a suggestion?"

Captain Jones tilted her head, "A suggestion?" She slammed the compass onto the desk, a swirl of protective magic prevented it from shattering, and rose out of her seat, "Now I know you're involved."

"Captain?"

Captain Jones crept up to Ching. She smiled as she lashed out and grabbed her by the throat, "Don't play coy with me. You're always making plans, scheming, trying to get one over on me, but I am onto you." She pulled Ching close and hissed against her ear, "You will never leave me. I am the best thing that has ever happened to you and all of these little monsters."

Ching kept her cool as she replied, "Then I shall purge those who have knowledge of the watch."

Captain Jones shoved her, "I'm glad you see it my way. You may go."

Ching nodded as she rushed out of the room. There has to be a way to salvage this situation.