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 30:
Hallway Tribunal
-Twyla-
Twyla entered Pirate History: From Blackbeard to Morgan and sat down at her seat next to Cleo. She stared at Cleo from the corner of her eye. Cleo was twitchy and grinding her teeth in irritation.
LT Read tossed a dagger at Cleo and Cleo caught it with her book. Read laughed, "Class is looking a little thin today."
She crossed the room and snatched her dagger out of Cleo's book, "Perhaps it's the lack of queens that makes this room so pleasant, don't you think so?"
Cleo held her book up protectively, "I'm still here."
Read chuckled and walked back towards the front of the class as she spoke to no one in particular, "Well I'm sure you are. Just do the one job you were meant to do okay?"
Cleo furrowed her brow in confusion and lowered her book. Classes during the rest of the day continued with everyone whispering about how and why Cleo would kill Evie and Faybelle. Cleo grew more and more irritated as the day went by. When classes were over for the day no one except for Crecha, Frankie and Ghoulia wanted to sit next to Cleo.
Farrah nibbled nervously on her candied yams, "Oh Robecca, I don't know if I can go back in there with Cleo. What am I going to do?"
Robecca opened her mouth to speak but started twitching. Steam shot out of her ear ports creating a whistling noise. She reached a hand up and turned close her ear causing the steam to change direction and leak out of her eyes. She sighed, "No worries Farrah, you can spend the night in my dorm if it makes you more comfortable."
Twyla furrowed her brow, "Umm, is it supposed to do that?"
Robecca blinked one eye at a time, "Well, not really, but this is only a temporary solution to a more permanent problem."
Lagoona groaned and moved her elbows up and down in annoyance, "I get that you all fear Cleo right now, but I need me elbow room. Just because we can have eight to a table doesn't mean we should and Billy if you could be visible right now that would be great. I'm sick and tired of seeing food disappear right next to me."
Billy became visible and raised an eyebrow at Lagoona, "My eating habits annoy you now?"
Lagoona narrowed her eyes at Billy, "They've always annoyed me mate."
Billy blinked, baffled at her response, "Oh, well uhhh."
Lagoona pursed her lips, "So if you could stop that would be great."
Billy rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "Uhh, I guess I'll try to be visible from now on?"
Lagoona nodded, "Good enough for me."
Billy then turned to Robecca, "Let me know if you need any help."
Robecca chuckled, "Ghoulia's got it but thank you."
Twyla narrowed her eyes in suspicion but remained silent as she finished her meal.
After dinner was complete everyone headed upstairs. Farrah bypassed dorm room one and walked down the hall to dorm two.
Cleo raised her hand, "Uh, Farrah our dorm is this way."
Farrah placed her hand on the door of dorm two creating a slight shimmer, "Oh, ummm. I'm just going to go check on something in here."
Lagoona sprinted down the hall, "Farrah look out!"
Farrah blinked as a trap activated and a beam of light shot out of the door. Lagoona shoved Farrah out of the way. She took the full brunt of the beam. Everyone gasped as Lagoona hit the ground with a thud, smoke rising off her burnt scales. Robecca bent down to help Lagoona but steam burst forth from a knee joint and she spun around in a circle out of control.
Abbey jogged over to Lagoona and picked her up, "I take to infirmary," she then ran down the stairs past a drunk Bonny on the floor.
Farrah whimpered, "That was a light trap…"
"What?" Cleo narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on her chest, "You suspect me? After all that I have done for you?"
Twyla stepped forward with her arms folded, "Everything fits Cleo. The grand and dignified death of Darling, the light trap, the light poison. All things point to you. Tell me, what happens to the Queen who kills all her subjects? Is she truly fit to rule?"
Cleo raised her hands and growled stepping closer to Twyla with each word spoken, "You heathen. It's bad enough that you would question my authority at every turn but now you question my leadership. Do you know who I am?!"
Twyla backed away from Cleo when Cleo's hands started glowing, "Uhh, a little help, guys."
Robecca was still spinning circles as steam rushed out of her knee joint. Farrah was on the floor with tears pouring down her face. Frankie was held back by a smiling Crecha. Only Ghoulia shuffled towards Cleo but it was a very slow pace and Twyla was almost at the edge of the stairs.
Cleo snarled, "All year, ALL YEAR! You have been a thorn in my side, disregarding all my plans, interfering with my business. Bringing harm to all my subjects. I have not forgotten your little part in Darling's death. I saw your smoky shadows all over the sword leeching the life out of our dear friend Darling. Don't pretend you don't know. You must have added the curse after I had enchanted it. You wanted me to look guilty so you could continue your sordid affair with Billy. Well, I am on to you and I say no more."
Twyla's heel dangled off the edge of the stairs as she held her hands up, "Cleo stop, calm down."
Cleo held her hand up like she was holding a spear, "Light of the pharaoh bind this- hurrgg-"
She lurched forward and fell down the stairs. The resting LT Bonny, chose that moment to stretch her watched in horror as Cleo's neck and limbs were twisted and snapped as she fell. Her body rolled down the last few steps in a jumbled heap.
Crecha and Frankie ran down the stairs, careful to avoid the resting LT Bonny.
"Cleo!" Frankie cradled her, "Come on Crecha, help me get her to the infirmary."
Crecha stomped up the stairs, sparks flying everywhere as she pointed at Twyla, "You, you're the cause of all this. Do you even realize what you've done?"
Twyla held her hands up defensively and shook her head, "But I didn't- ah!"
A spark hit her foot and Crecha continued, "You and your sneaking and your lies did this. I wanted to believe you. I thought for just a second that you hadn't done it but then you threw Cleo down the stairs!"
Twyla backed away as sparks started flying out of control.
Crecha growled, "And you shattered her revival gem. Do you realize how hard that is to repair? Are you happy?"
Twyla shook her head, "I had nothing to do with that. She must have tripped or something."
Crecha choked back tears as she formed a large orb of electricity above her head, "Nothing to do with it? You have everything to do with it. You put Blondie in the infirmary because Blondie put you there when you were nosing through our business. You snuck apples into the chow hall when there weren't any, probably used the remnants of the light trap to make it look like Cleo had done it. And of course, we can't forget how you killed Darling!"
Crecha threw the orb but Twyla slid into shadows. Ghoulia who had still been trying to make her way across the hallway took the hit. Smoke rose off her head as she fell to the ground. Crecha gasped as she ran over to Ghoulia and fell to her knees, "Ghoulia?!" She glanced around, "Oh my ghoul! Frankie, if we get to the infirmary, Ghoulia should be able to reanimate. Robecca, Farrah go grab Cleo and take her to the infirmary, it's the least we can do."
Robecca twisted her knee in the opposite direction and clattered to the floor. Farrah assisted her as they all made their way down the stairs.
When the hall was empty Twyla stepped out of the shadow and sank down to the floor.
Billy appeared in the hallway in front of her, "Hey, are you okay?"
Twyla looked up and furrowed her brow, "Billy?"
Billy sat down on the floor next to her, "You scared me the other day. Thought I was going to lose you."
Twyla tilted her head, "Would that have mattered to you?"
Billy reached out and held her hand, "You always mattered to me."
Twyla looked at his hand then gazed into his eyes, "And what about Darling? Did I matter to you then when, you know, you two were together?"
Billy laced their hands together, "Twyla, you have been my friend through thick and thin. I always cherished our friendship. I had never really looked at you that way, you know. So, when I showered with you…I kind of got caught up in the moment."
Twyla sighed and looked down at his chest, "Huhhh, what you said wasn't true, about me just wanting you for one thing. I…I really liked you, you know."
Billy sighed and let go of Twyla's hand as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "You're a great friend Twyla, and I mean that. But Darling… She died just this year. She is still the one I really like. It wouldn't be fair to you if we dated now."
"Did you like her when you were with Spectra?"
"I noticed her but I hadn't made a move. I didn't think she'd go for a guy like me. As for Spectra, getting back together with her reminded me of why we broke up in the first place. She likes the mystery of how I work more than she liked me. I went to her dorm to get away from you guys, no offense."
"None taken."
"And she kept finding ways to get me to try and touch her. That's how I figured out how to condense ghosts. Plus she lies all the time to make herself more of a mystery." He shook his head, "I knew specters were bitter, unfettered spirits that can't pass on to the afterlife but still, she was a real piece of work. It wasn't until she graduated that Porter decided to even confront me about sleeping with his girl."
"That's a tough situation," Twyla sighed and leaned onto Billy's arm which caused indigo fairy dust to fall from his shoulder. She furrowed her brow and looked at it, "Why are you covered in fairy dust?"
Billy stiffened, "What?"
Twyla sat up, rubbed the dust off of Billy's shoulder and held up her hand, "Fairy dust, this looks like Faybelle's. Why are you covered in fairy dust?"
Billy let go of her and stared at the ground as he shrugged, "I don't know."
Twyla narrowed her eyes, "Billy, you've been covered in fairy dust before."
Billy rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "See that, see what had happened was-"
Twyla threw her hands into the air, "Billy don't even lie to me. You can't just-"
Billy became invisible.
Twyla reached out and grabbed hold of him before he could walk away, "Just because you're invisible doesn't mean your actions are Billy! Talk to me."
Billy remained invisible and sighed, "Perhaps it would be best if you forget me for a while."
Twyla heard a low vibrating sound, like a peacock rustling its tail feathers, emanate from Billy's position.
She furrowed her brow, "What…"
Twyla absentmindedly unclenched her hand and looked around. When she realized that she was all alone she walked into her dorm room. She sighed and slid into shadows, a glow emanated from her bag. She opened her bag and pulled out Evie's mirror. There was an indigo glow to the mirror and Twyla paused.
Billy's presence flooded her memory and she knew that he had been in the hallway. She also knew that he had been to far more places that year than he wished for her to remember. She growled and clenched the mirror.
Billy has been invisible all year. He's been working for Cleo and doing something with Faybelle. Something must have gone wrong between them. A bad deal maybe? Those apples weren't visible at the time I passed by them but I bet Billy was erasing his presence and holding onto them.
She scanned her shadow and found the jar of dreams. She grabbed it, "Time to find out who cast these spells."
