Hi guys! Final Monday update for November before we go back to once a week on Friday. It is going to be a busy month for me this December, so updates will remain once a week until further notice.

Enjoy!

Chapter 12:

"Okay, for the finishing touches," Trey said, sprinkling the powdered sugar on the brown chestnut noddle mountain top. "And finished!"

"Wow," Claire said, seeing the two cake-size tarts they had created. All the chestnuts they peeled were heated with milk and sugar and then pureed. After pureeing and piping the chestnuts onto the tart base that had been baked earlier in the oven, the finishing product was a large chestnut-brown mountain with a white snow-capped top. If Claire hadn't been slaving away through the whole process, she would've thought a pro had made this and not three teenagers and a talking raccoon.

"Yeah!" Grim and Ace said animatedly. "We're done!"

"Y-yeah…" Deuce mumbled unable to muster the same enthusiasm. He stared off into space, still lost in thought.

"Hey, Claire," Ace whispered out of ear-shot, "What is going on with Deuce? He's been acting strange ever since you two came back."

"Just leave him be. He'll snap out of it," Claire said with an awkward smile. She never thought telling Deuce the truth about chicken eggs would leave him in such a state.

"Sixteen years," Deuce muttered as he passed them, still shell-shocked. "For sixteen years, I…"

Ace gave Claire a dubious look but wasn't able to ask further by another interruption.

"Hey everyone!" Cater strolled into the kitchen unannounced and wore a cheerful grin, "Is the tart finished? Oh! It looks super cute! I got to post it up on Magicam!" He whipped out his diamond-patterned phone again and hurried to the final product.

"What are you doing here?" Ace said exasperatedly as Cater angled his phone to find the perfect lighting.

"Came here to check up on you guys," Cater said, his eyes still glued to his phone. "Look at you, hard at work! You must be exhausted." He pushed the mixing bowl and whisk off to the side and moved his phone up for a bird-eyes shot.

Claire glanced down at the state of her clothes and realized how much a mess they had made. She had flour stuck to her apron and skirt with patches on her elbows. Grim had spilled some of the milk, so her sleeves were also stained.

"Here," Trey said, handing her a wet towel. "You also got some flour on your cheek and hair."

"Oh thanks," Claire said, wiping her face.

"Make sure you soak your clothes when you get back or else it'll discolor them," he added.

"As expected of you, Trey. You know all the household tips," Cater said, coming over with the phone still in his hand. "Hey, why don't we all take a picture with the tart?! To show off the hard work."

"Come on, Cater," Trey said with a knowing look, "I think that's enough social media."

"Oh, fine." He pouted but put back his phone into his pocket.

"Anyways," Trey said and turned to the group, "as a reward for all the hard work you guys did, go ahead and try out the Mont Blanc."

"Yes! It smells delicious!" Grim said, and Ace quickly cut one of the tarts into even slices while Deuce went to get plates.

"Oh! And one for me!" Cater said, raising his hand happily into the air.

"You came here just to eat, huh?" Ace said, handing him a slice.

"Call me your taste-tester!" Cater winked with his impish grin.

"Let's eat! Let's eat!" Grim said, ecstatic, shoving his piece into his wide mouth.

"Whoa!" Ace said with his mouth full, looking mightily impressed. "This tastes even better than the one I had!"

"Amazing," Deuce said, his voice filled with awe, "It's like something you would get from the store."

"It's not too sweet," Grim said, eyes closed. He rubbed his cheeks in happiness. "It's like a field of chestnuts in my mouth."

"Is that a compliment?" Trey laughed, enjoying the looks of joy from everyone's faces.

Claire took a small bite from her plate and immediately smiled as the warm flavor burst in her mouth. All that work they had put in for this moment was worth it. She could eat a mountain of this.

"Wait, Trey," Cater said, after taking one bite, "Since we're eating, show them that thing."

"That thing? Ah, that." Trey's eyes light up in understanding.

"What's that?" Ace asked, dropping crumbs onto the table as he took another mouthful of tart.

"What are your favorite foods?" Trey said, turning to the group.

"Favorite foods?" Ace looked puzzled by the randomness of the question but shrugged his shoulders. "I guess mine would be cherry pie and hamburgers…"

"Mine is canned tuna!" Grim said, "Oh! And cheese omurice and grilled meat and pudding and –"

"Grim, he's asking for your favorite, not the entire menu," Claire said, cutting him off. "If it was me, I would go with curry."

"If I have to pick," Deuce mumbled in deep thought, "I guess it would be omurice."

"And mine is lamb with diablo sauce," Cater said.

"Okay, then." Trey held out his hand, hovering it over the plates of tart. "Doodle Suit!" There was a small glitter of light showering around the plates, but whatever magic Trey did, the slices of tart looked the same. "Go ahead, take a bite now," he said to Claire and the others.

"Um, okay…" Everybody took another tentative bite, but this time, their eyes widened with a different kind of shock.

"What the– this taste like cherry pie!" Ace stared at his piece, making sure that he was still holding a Mont Blanc tart.

"Mine is like canned tuna!" Grim declared. After taking another bite, his eyes widened even larger, "Wait, now it tastes like cheese omurice! And grilled chicken! And pudding!"

Deuce and Claire looked at each other with startled amazement, confirming that their piece tasted like their favorite food.

"Isn't it cool?" Cater said, finishing his tart quickly, "You could really impress your date when you take her out to eat."

"This is amazing," Deuce said and turned to Trey, "Is your Unique Magic the ability to change the taste of the food?"

"Actually, my magic allows me to "overwrite" an aspect of something. It can be anything like the color or the scent or anything else. But there is a time limit, so that's why it is a doodle or a scribble if you will."

"With your Doodle Suit, I can eat all the canned tuna I want," Grim said, his eyes shining with excitement. "And this is a lot better than using magic to bully people like Riddle."

"No, no, no." Trey shook his head, looking quiet and subdued now. "My Unique Magic is nothing compared to Riddle. He's on a different level."

"Are you serious?" Claire stared at him with disbelief and pointed to her half-eaten tart. "Do you know how much people would pay you back at home?"

"Huh?" Trey looked startled at her sudden fixation.

Claire's eyes sparkled with excitement, and before anybody could say anything, she launched into a rather passionate speech.

"There are so many possibilities your Unique Magic has! The only thing you changed here is the taste! Everything else – nutrients and all that stuff remain the same! You could make millions in diet classes! This would encourage kids to eat healthier foods that may taste too bitter for them, and people with allergies can taste things they normally wouldn't –"

Claire saw Ace and Deuce were staring at her and realized that she spoke too much. She quickly clapped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.

"I don't get everything you're saying, but thank you," Trey laughed, dispelling the awkward moment. "I'm glad you can see how my magic can be of use, but I think I should just stick to party tricks."

"But…" Claire pressed her lips together but looked bummed out. She didn't understand why Trey was looking down on this magic. Something soft touched her head, and she looked up bewildered to see Trey mushing her hair rather affectionately.

"Oh sorry," Trey said and quickly removed his hand, "It's something I do for my brothers and sisters when they feel down. It's a habit." Despite his own embarrassed and apologetic expression, his mood brightened, and he seemed rather pleased with Claire's strange compliment. "Anyways, it's getting late," he said and motioned to the clock. "Why don't we go home and give this tart to Riddle tomorrow at the party? We can put it in the fridge here and pick it up in the morning."

"Hey, Claire," Ace said with a suspiciously wide grin on his face, "Can I crash at your place again? Apparently, my cruel upperclassmen aren't going to let me sleep in my dorm."

"Aren't you being passive-aggressive," Cater commented with a sigh.

"Ace, you shouldn't take advantage of Claire's kindness," Deuce pointed out. "Especially since this is your fault, to begin with."

"Yeah!" Grim said, paws on his hips, "If you're going to stay then you need to give us 10 cans of tuna!"

"What?! Are you telling me to sleep outside?" Ace exclaimed.

"It might help build some character," Claire said smirking.

"Not you too!" Ace said as Claire laughed at his exasperated face.

"Well, how about this? Claire, would you mind letting Deuce stay over as well to keep an eye on Ace?" Trey asked, "It's the weekend, so it shouldn't be too bad. Of course, I'll make sure you two are compensated."

"Really? How?" Grim said, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Well," Trey gave a small sly grin, "How about I get you two invites to tomorrow's Unbirthday Party?"

"Invites? Really?" Grim's eyes widened with disbelief.

Trey pulled out two white glossy invites with Claire's and Grim's names written on each and held them up like playing cards. "I have them right here for you."

Claire took hers and saw the Heartslabyul red-and-black heart crest embossed on the front. She flipped the invitation over and at the center was the date and time written in black cursive script. At the bottom was Trey's signature.

"Consider yourself lucky," Cater chimed in, "Unbirthday is traditionally only for Heartslabyul students. Guests need an invite directly from the Dorm Head or the Vice Dorm Head."

"Wow," Claire said, slightly stunned, "Thank you."

"You helped out with Ace and the Mont Blanc, so it is the least I can do," Trey said. "But I truly want you to join us. I think this would be a wonderful experience."

"Well since you gave this to us, I suppose I can't say no now," she said, smiling. Despite her calm response, she was bursting with enthusiasm on the inside. Her first Twisted Wonderland invite!

"Yahoo!" Grim held up his invite above his head, "I'm going to be able to eat more tarts. And play games and stuff!"

"And I'm finally going to get this damn collar off," Ace said, looking down at his neck. "Just you wait, Dorm Head," he grumbled.

"I can't wait till tomorrow's Unbirthday is finished," Cater sighed as he and Trey walked back to their dorm.

"How are the preparations coming along?"

"Going good," Cater said, fiddling with his phone. His eyes were glued on the Magicam photos he had posted today. "I still need some of the students to help me finish painting the roses tomorrow."

"Might be best to get up early then," Trey said. He tapped Cater on the shoulder to get him to look up. "This is the first-years' first party, so they may be unfamiliar with some of the preparations," he reminded.

"No worries," Cater winked and held up his phone. "Got my alarm already set. And I messaged them all a reminder after school. Everything will be A-Okay!"

"I hope so. This is also Riddle's first Unbirthday this year, so everything will need to go smoothly."

"For his sake or ours?" Cater said this lightheartedly, but there was a tone of unease hidden behind it.

It was dark by the time the two returned to their dorm. Both were eager to head to bed to prepare for the big day tomorrow, but there was a Heartslabyul student waiting for them in the dark lounge.

"Vice dorm head… Cater…" The poor first-year shivered despite the residue heat from the fireplace.

"Is something the matter?" Trey asked, sensing something wrong.

"T-ten students violated Law of the Queen of Hearts Number 256: 'After 8 pm, one must drink honey lemonade' and got their heads cut off by the dorm head…" the guy said in a shaky voice.

Trey and Cater immediately frowned and fell silent.

The student's bottom lip quivered, and he started to sob. "I can't live like this anymore. I don't know what I am allowed to do with all these laws. I want to transfer…"

"Don't worry about it," Trey said calmly, patting him on the back. "I'll talk to the dorm head and get this straightened out. Tell the others to go back to their rooms and not to worry."

It took some urging, but the student left sniffling and wiping his eyes and nose.

Cater quietly sighed, knowing the routine. "Well, I'll go make the tea to appease our 'Queen of Hearts'."

"Sorry about this," Trey apologized, "Oh, and make sure you use herbal tea instead of black tea. Rule number 153 mentions something about what evening tea to use…"

"Will do." Cater waved his hand in understanding.

Author's Notes

Uh oh, looks like things aren't looking too good - Riddle acting like a tyrant and Claire acting like Azul. XD

But in all seriousness, out of all of the Unique Magic's, I think Trey's is one of the more interesting and beneficial ones for sure. The idea of doing diets and things like that was what stood out to me the most. Can you imagine how much money a person could make by changing taste? I know people with chronic illnesses can't eat a variety of food like most average individuals. Something like this can be so revolutionary! Kind of like Willie Wonka!

Also, I elaborated on how Claire and Grim were invited to the Unbirthday (I don't think the game explained how they were allowed to come, so I wanted to make sure to include that bit of information here).

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!

-JD