Hi everyone! New chapter ready to go!
Enjoy!
Chapter 14:
After an hour of nonstop working, Claire finished hanging the last pennant banner as instructed on the blueprint Cater provided. She stepped back and viewed the entire garden. Although vibrant with colors – especially with the Heartslabyul's red, white, and black – the final results didn't exactly suit her taste.
The tea garden was somehow even more disorderly than the rose garden. The round tables with white tablecloths were already groaning with teapots, teacups, top hats, playing cards, tier-standing trays, and random household items that didn't seem to have a place for a tea party. Oddly enough, there was a strange order in this madness. The students had been scrambling around, trying to get everythiing set up, and if Claire hadn't read the long list of instructions and diagrams, she wouldn't have believed it. At the front was the long rectangular head table for the dorm head, vice head, and other important committee members.
Wiping her hands on a checkered napkin, Claire spotted Ace, Deuce, and Grim, coming over from the Rose Garden entrance, looking haggard.
"Hey guys," she said and walked over, "How did it go?"
"Managed to finish on time," Ace said, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "Where's the tart?"
Claire pointed to the nearby table. "Cater said we can choose our table, so I just picked one in the shade."
"I can't wait to eat," Grim said, drooling. "I want to try out those cupcakes and scones."
"Places everyone! The Dorm head is coming!" someone yelled.
Soon about fifty students came rushing into the garden. Claire noticed that the other Heartslabyul students were wearing a different uniform than their school one. They were hastily buttoning their black and red waistcoats and straightening the red-and-white rose pin on their matching-theme blazers. They all had white slacks and black-and-yellow striped belts. Claire noticed that her table was the only one where they were still in their school uniform.
"What are they wearing?" she asked quietly. But the fanfare trumpets immediately sounded, and the question was forgotten as everybody hastily stood up straight in front of their seat. Claire tried her best not to trip over her own feet.
"Announcing our great Heartslabyul leader!" one of the students proclaimed at the entrance, "The Crimson Ruler – Dorm Head Riddle!"
Everybody cheered as Riddle walked down the path like it was a royal procession. Somehow, Riddle looked even more like royalty. Dressed in white, he wore a tailcoat with red cuffs and black-and-red lapel and matching white trousers. He wore black knee-high heels with red pointed toes, and perched on the left side of his head was a small gold crown. His red-lining black cavalier shoulder cape glided over the grass with elegance and refinement.
However, instead of starting the party upon his arrival at the head of the table, Riddle immediately hovered over, inspecting each item along the way. Trey walked next to him and was dressed similarly to the other students but had opted to wear a wide-brimmed white hat over his olive-green hair.
"The roses are red… tablecloths white… Yes, a perfect Unbirthday Party. Trey" – Riddle turned to the vice dorm head – "You remember to put a sleeping dormouse into the teapot, correct?"
"Of course." Trey nodded quickly. "The jam to put on its nose is also ready as well."
"Wonderful," Riddle nodded in approval before heading to his spot.
Ace and Grim are right, Claire thought as she glanced at her table's teapot with trepidation. These rules were ridiculous and more suffocating to follow than not.
"Wow," Grim's eyes widened as he stared at Riddle, "What's with the outfit?"
"That's the Heartslabyul dorm uniform," Cater said, sneaking over with a grin on his face. "Every dorm has its own style, but I say Heartslabyul's is the most fashionable and perfect for any Magicam photos. Speaking of which, almost forgot…" He waved his magic pen, and his school uniform, along with Ace's and Deuce's, changed to match with the other students. "They handed these out yesterday afternoon, so I made sure to hold on to these for you. We can't have you not dressed for the party."
"Whoa," Deuce gasped in amazement as he looked at his sleeves – one was a black-and-white checkered pattern and the other complete black. His waistcoat was black while Ace's was red.
"This is cool!" Ace said, admiring the pins and gold buttons on his blazer.
"Every Heartslabyul party has a strict Queen of Hearts dress code involved, but it is always fun to dress up," Cater said happily.
"Oh sorry," Claire said uneasily, looking down at her uniform and towards Grim, whose ragged black-and-white striped bow somehow looked more threadbare. She did make sure to give him a bath last night, but she didn't realize there was a specific dress code as well.
"No worries," Cater said, "That's why I'm here." He scrutinized their appearances like a fashion designer for a quick second and then gave a nod. "Okay, let's go with this." He gave his wand pen a second wave, and Claire and Grim immediately sparkled.
Grim's black-and-white striped bow turned into a black, red, and white checkered pattern. "I look so cool!" Grim said, puffing out his chest proudly.
Claire's uniform changed into a white sleeveless tea-length dress with a sweetheart neckline with a bolero jacket similar in design to the Ace's and Deuce's blazer. Pinned to the left of the jacket was also the emblem of a white flower with dripping red paint. A black-and-white diamond pattern sash wrapped around her small waist and a yellow-and-black striped cloth on her wrist. Her hair was tied up in a chignon with a red heart pinned at the top.
"Nice!" Cater whistled as Claire twirled. "Course this isn't permanent. Last only for two hours, but it should be enough for this party."
"Wow, this is amazing!" she exclaimed. She looked down at her fingers and saw that they were painted, alternating between red and black.
"I'm glad that those fashion magazines my sisters made me read are finally be put to good use. What do you think, guys?" Cater asked, glancing over at the boys.
"It's okay," Ace shrugged his shoulders as he rested his hands behind his head.
"Come on, Ace," Cater said, wrapping one of his arms around Ace's shoulders, "When a girl dresses up all pretty, compliment her."
"Why? That's too much of a hassle. And get off me!" Ace blushed red.
"You look very nice," Deuce managed to stammer out.
"Thanks," Claire grinned despite being slightly embarrassed. Even though she kept up with fashion trends back at home, she wasn't one who usually wear anything flashy. Today, however, she couldn't help but feel ecstatic at dressing up.
"Clothes are clothes," Grim said flatly, barely giving Claire a second glance. "And how do people walk in those pointy shoes?" He pointed to the red high heels on Claire's feet.
"Well, I expect that reaction from you," she said before turning to Cater. "Cater, thank you so much! You're definitely a fairy godmother!"
"Fairy godmother?" Ace chortled. Even Deuce chuckled while Cater's ears turned slightly pink.
"Did I say something wrong?" Claire asked and tilted her head to the side. Even Grim looked confused.
"Oh no," Cater insisted, immediately, "It is used by grandkids when an elderly family friend buys them something. Typically, it is a term to tease someone for being a good two-shoe."
"Oh…" Claire looked down, feeling embarrassed. "Where I come from, it means something else…"
"Don't worry. At least Trey isn't here this time – Hey! Let's go ahead and take a photo for memories."
Cater quickly squashed them together like fluffy marshmallows and raised his phone high into the air. This time, Claire was sandwiched between Deuce and Cater while Grim was on top of her head again.
"Excellent," Cater said as soon as the flash disappeared and started typing furiously of all the hashtags. "#RightBeforeTheUnbirthdayParty, #HeartslabyulUniformIsTheBest #Freshmen'sFirstUnbirthday!"
"Seriously, do you need to keep doing that? Isn't the party going to start?" Deuce asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Don't worry," Cater waved with his free hand and kept his eyes glued to the phone. "It usually takes a while. Make sure you give Riddle the tart after he gives the toast! Or else he'll be mad you disrupt the order." As soon as he was done, he quickly scooted towards the third-years table near the front just as Riddle was preparing to sit.
"Let us begin our First Unbirthday of the year," Riddle said. "You all have forty minutes and eleven seconds to eat until we do our toast before the croquet match, so please enjoy." There was a scraping of chairs as everybody hurried to sit and eat.
"Yahoo!" Grim cheered and immediately started scarfing down all the treats in front of him before anyone else. "The eclair is so light and fluffy with the perfect amount of bitter chocolate and sweet sugar. The finger sandwiches are a mix of heaven and perfection. The macarons are just complete – peach, pistachio, chocolate! I want more!"
"Grim, mind your manners," Claire scolded, pulling him away as he tried to reach for a cupcake on the top of the three-tiered stand. "And you got cream and chocolate all over your face. Do you want to get collared? We don't want Riddle in a bad mood before we give him his tart."
"Yeah, my neck is on the line. Quite literally," Ace hissed.
"It's just food," Grim grumbled, but he slowed down and allowed Claire to wipe his face with a white cloth napkin.
Able to take it leisurely now, Claire savored the delicious food. The tea and desserts were delicious. After missing breakfast, Claire found herself stuffing down scones with jam and clotted cream and finger sandwiches. The red tea in her tiny cup was piping hot, so she had to blow across the surface before taking a small sip. The bitterness complimented the sweet cream on the scones, and she found herself developing an appreciation for English afternoon tea.
"This is delicious," Ace commented, "Though I wish everything was bigger. Like why are these sandwiches so small." He held up a cucumber finger sandwich between his index finger and thumb delicately for fear of squishing the bread.
"I never had something like this before," Deuce said as his plate of food disappeared into his stomach for the third time. "I think Unbirthdays are not so bad."
"The preparations suck though," Ace said, munching on the sandwich, "We barely finished painting the roses red. Like why is everything thrown at us at the last minute?"
Feeling uneasy again, Claire put her cup down and watched the head table to gauge the mood. Cater was busy taking pictures and uploading it on that social media of his (no surprise there). Maybe it was her imagination, but Riddle didn't seem to be enjoying the party. He kept removing the teapot lid to check the amount of tea inside, then looking at the tablecloth for stains, and then measuring the amount of clotted cream and jam on each scone. It was like everything had to be coordinated by some obscure set of rules only he knew.
Luckily, Trey was standing by and handled everything rather smoothly, and soon the party was filled with amicable chatter. A couple of the students did keep shooting glances over at Claire and her table though she wasn't sure if it was because she was an outsider or Grim's gluttonous appetite.
"Hey, I think it's almost time," Claire whispered quietly after they've eaten their fill. Right on the dot, Riddle stood with his teacup at hand, and the whole venue fell silent.
"Before we start our croquet tournament, I would like to perform a toast. Do you all have your teacups?"
"Yes, Dorm Head!" Everybody immediately stood and held up their cups.
"Now then, a toast for a day when it's nobody's birthday, let us celebrate this Unbirthday Party… Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
As everybody took a sip, Cater glanced over at Claire's table and motioned with his eyes and jerked his head to Riddle. She couldn't help but sigh in relief. They were almost at the home stretch.
"Here you go," she said, carefully handing the box to Ace and then reaching for another sandwich. "Good luck."
"Come on," Ace said, getting up, "You're all coming too."
"Wait, us?" Grim said, about to take another bite of his scone.
"Yeah, you all helped out as well. It would be unfair if you guys didn't come too and see his reaction." He grabbed Claire by the arm and pulled her out of her seat.
"Geez, you don't need to feel nervous," Claire said and quickly stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth.
"I'm not nervous!" Ace said, looking rather embarrassed.
"Are you sure?" Deuce chuckled, but he got up as well.
"It's cute to see the first-years support each other," Cater commented, watching the group coming up to the head table.
"Yes, I can see that," Trey said, smiling as Claire gently pushed Ace forward and Grim and Deuce snickered from the sideline.
"Um, Dorm Head," Ace cleared his throat and hesitantly stood in front of Riddle.
Riddle looked up slightly puzzled before recognition crossed his face. "You are the freshman tart thief."
"Yeah, about that…" Ace put on his most convincing and remorseful smile. "I just want to apologize for what I did, so I baked you a new tart."
"Didn't we make it together?" Grim grumbled, but Claire shushed him.
"Is that so," Riddle said, not looking impressed, "Then, let me ask. What kind of tart is it?"
"Well, I'm glad you asked," Ace said, opening the flap and revealing the beautiful dessert, "It's a Mont Blanc stuffed with in-season chestnuts. I know it's one of your favorites."
"WHAT?! A Mont Blanc?!" Riddle's calm expression turned into visible rage, and he stood up. "Unbelievable! I can't believe you would do such a thing!"
"Huh?" Ace's eyes widened, startled by the accusation that came out of left field. Claire, Deuce, and Grim looked at each other, wondering if they had missed something. Everyone else noticed the outburst and stared with hushed curiosity.
"Law of the Queen of Hearts Number 562 – 'Never bring Mont Blanc tarts to any Unbirthday Party.'" Riddle stated flatly though his body trembled with rage. "Do you not understand the significance to your offense? You just ruined this year's first Unbirthday Party!" He pointed to the tart with disgust.
"Rule Number 562?!" Deuce sputtered.
"Exactly how many rules are there?" Claire asked, incredulously.
"There is a total of 810 rules," Riddle flatly stated as if he was saying that the sky is blue.
"E-Eight hundred and TEN?!" Claire stared disbelievingly, her eyes wide with shock. "That many?"
"Of course," Riddle said, crossing his arms, "And it is the duty as the dorm head to memorize and enforce each one after all."
"Oh man, we screwed up," Cater said in a whisper, panicking as the scene unfold. "Hey Trey, did you know?"
"I've only committed up to 350 to memory," Trey whispered, shaking his head, "We didn't think this through. I didn't realize that there was a rule about the kind of tart to bring…"
"As the dorm head of Heartslabyul and out of respect for the Queen of Hearts, I cannot turn a blind eye on such a defilement," Riddle said, pointing to the tart as if it had committed a crime, "Dispose of this immediately and throw these lawbreakers out this instant!"
"Wait, are you serious?!" Ace said, his red eyes flashed with anger now, "Do you seriously have dumb rules like that?!"
"Yeah!" Grim chimed in, siding with Ace for once, "If you aren't going to eat it, you can just give it to me! I would've eaten the whole thing! It's delicious!"
"Riddle, it's my fault," Trey interjected, coming to their rescue. "I told them that we should make a Mont Blanc."
"Yes, Riddle," Cater chimed in, trying to pacify the situation, "We didn't think there was a rule about the type of tart."
"Making it isn't the problem," Riddle snapped, "It's the fact that they brought them here that is the issue."
"Look," Claire spoke up, trying to keep her tone even. "We're sorry that we didn't know the rule, but Ace really worked hard on that tart. It's rude to say that to someone who made it for you."
"Yeah," Ace said, angrily, "And I've had enough of these stupid rules! Only a stupid person would follow all of them like this!"
"Stupid, you say?" Riddle's eyes narrowed with anger. The atmosphere has suddenly gotten colder.
"Ace, stop! That's a taboo word," Cater shushed and waved his arms frantically before turning to Riddle. "Dorm Head, these newbies are still learning the traditions, so it will take some time to understand how things work here," he said in a calm appeasing tone.
"No, I'm going to say this even if I was a third-year," Ace said, scowling, "Nobody in their right mind would just throw away a tart just because of some rule like that. Quit screwing around."
"I agree with Ace," Deuce spoke up, his teal eyes narrowed with identical irritation. "I think rules should be followed, but this is too much. There's no benefit in following it."
"You two have a lot of nerve to speak to me like that," Riddle said, though his tone calmed down a bit, "Listen here. Breaking what you call insignificant rules will give the impression that it is okay to break more. Before you know it, this will lead to huge problems down the line."
Claire stared in disbelief. That was a huge leap in logic from just bringing in the "wrong" type of tart. She turned to Trey for help, but he just stood there silently with his mouth shut.
"The only person who thinks like that is you!" Ace said, his red eyes burning with anger. He pointed to the rest of the party. "Everybody else here feels the same way! They're just too scared that you would cut off their heads."
The other students glanced at each other nervously as they were suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
"Really?" Riddle's grey eyes swept over to the terrified students. "Is this true?"
"No, not at all, Dorm Head Riddle!" one of them blubbered out.
"We always trust your judgment! Everything you said was correct!"
"No way," Grim stared in shock at the number of people siding with Riddle.
"Spineless cowards," Ace mumbled.
"Listen here," Riddle spoke once more, satisfied with the responses, "Ever since I became dorm head, not a single student had been expelled or held back. Heartslabyul is the only dorm that can say this. And as the strongest student with the highest marks in this dorm, that makes me the most correct! There should be no questioning when you follow my orders.
"I'm not cutting your heads because I want to. I'm doing this for your own good. You are the ones who are in the wrong for breaking the rules. If you will not obey me, then it's off with your head!"
"Guys, come on," Cater said quickly with a serious look on his face for once, "Just say, 'Yes, Dorm Head!' and let this one go."
Three words. Just three words.
They could just say it to Riddle like everybody else and be done with it. Just do what he ordered and obey his every command. The last thing Claire wanted was to get on a dorm head's bad side, but this… This left a sour taste in her mouth.
How many times do they just let things go for the sake of convenience?
She glanced over at Deuce and Ace and knew what their answers were.
"No, I am not going to say that," Deuce said flatly as Cater stared on in despair.
"Same," Claire said with confidence.
"I have enough of following this selfish tyrant's rules," Ace said, pointing to Riddle.
"What did you say?" Riddle's eyes narrowed. It was clear he had never been defied like this before. His rage was boiling back, and Claire could see his face turning red.
"We said that you are a hot-headed tyrant who is unreasonable and stupid for wasting food!" Grim yelled, defiantly.
"Whoa, hey!" Deuce sputtered, "We didn't say all of that!" However, it was already too late for repent. Riddle held up his red gem pen, and Claire immediately flinched.
"Off with Your Head!" the dorm head roared.
There was a loud click, and a pair of collars were around both Grim's and Deuce's neck.
"No, not again!" Grim cried.
"Damnit, it won't come off," Deuce said, tugging the metal collar. Claire reached for her neck but found nothing around it. It took a moment before she remembered that she had no magic.
"Trey! Cater! Throw them out!" Riddle snapped, pointing to the four.
Claire turned to two upperclassmen. Surely, Trey and Cater realized now that this was getting out of hand. They should be able to stop this.
However, there was only a long silence before the two nodded. "Yes, Dorm Head."
"Hey," Deuce said, dumbfounded, "What are you –"
"Sorry," Cater said in his usual singsong apologetic tone, "But we can't go against the Dorm Head's order."
"Guys, I'm sorry," Trey said, looking terribly guilty.
"Oh, is that so?" Ace scowled, raising his fists, "Fine, I don't need my magic! Go ahead and try! I'll take on all of you!"
Unsurprisingly, the fight was over before it even started. Deuce, Ace, and Grim were quickly dragged out, kicking and screaming by Cater and his Split Card clones.
"Let go of me!" Grim and Ace cried out in frustration.
The rest of the dorm watched in second-hand embarrassment, and an uncomfortable silence filled the air. Trey turned to Claire, who had been strangely quiet as she watched her friends being dragged out. Her breathing was shallow, and her hands were in tightly-closed fists. Even though she had no magic and therefore was the least affected by this, it was clear that the situation had hurt her the most.
"Claire… I'm afraid you need to leave as well," Trey said gently.
"What the hell, Trey," she said, glaring furiously at him. "This isn't right." She pointed to the smashed box on the lawn. During the small scuffle, it fell to the ground, destroyed. The cream melted underneath the hot sun and the paste oozed onto the green grass.
"We worked really hard on that," her voice quivered.
A flicker of uncertainty flashed behind Trey's glasses, but he merely said, "Please look out for Ace and Deuce."
"He's not going to apologize. And quite frankly, he shouldn't," she snapped and stormed out before Trey could find an answer, though, to be honest, he couldn't come up with one. Silently, he followed her.
By the time Claire reached the front gate, Ace, Deuce, and Grim were thrown unceremoniously to the ground. Cater tried to say something to Claire, but she walked right past him. Cater looked slightly upset by this gesture but merely gave Trey an awkward shrug.
"You guys stay out of trouble," Trey said, "I'll try to get Riddle to calm down, so you can come back and apologize."
"See you guys. Later!" Cater said, waving goodbye.
"You are shitting me!" Ace roared; he scrambled to his feet as the front gate slammed shut in front of their faces. He grabbed the bars and shook them until they rattled. "I'm never apologizing! You hear me?! NEVER!"
The atmosphere was still somber when Trey and Cater returned though Riddle seemed to be the only one in a good mood.
"My goodness. I'm glad that is over. Let's put that behind us and continue with the party. We need to get the croquet tournament set up." He looked at his pocket watch and scowled, "We are already fifteen minutes behind schedule. Let's get to it!"
"Yes, Dorm Head!" However, the cheers from the dorm were more forced than before.
"Are you sure about this?" Cater whispered as everybody got up and hurried to the field. For once, he didn't wear his usual casual smile, and his impish face was filled with nothing but unease.
Trey shook his head in resignation. "There's nothing I can do."
Author Notes:
And all that foreshadowing came true XD
I have to admit, I have respect for both Ace and Deuce to stand up against Riddle in front of such a large 'yes-man' crowd. I don't know if I would have the courage to do the same thing (minus the trash-talking Grim was saying XD)
Well, everybody is in trouble now, so we'll have to see what will be next to solve all this. See you all next week!
-JD