We arrive at the cafeteria, and honestly? I'm tired. It's been a too-exciting day already. At least, I think I've been here about a full 24-hour period. I definitely missed work, if time is moving the same in both worlds.

"I'm so tired-" Grim is preaching to the choir.

The two of us take a seat and wait for Ace to arrive…

And we wait.

Oh, wow, look at that: still waiting.

It's probably about ten or twenty minutes when the two of us reach the same conclusion: that little asshole isn't showing up. I, for one, and now also underaged in appearance and I am well within my right to punch a minor in the face. I don't condone this normally, but this rotten little bastard deserves it. I am NOT washing fifty windows or more.

"Why is he so late? Did he bail on us? I'm not going to let him get away with this and leave us to do all of the work!" Grim and I are finally on the same wavelength. "We're going to find him and teach him a lesson! We'll drag him back kicking and screaming if we have to, No!"

I cannot agree more.

First, we head to a classroom. Grim busting in, shouting, "ACE! WHERE ARE YOU!? You will PAY for leaving us!" A moment, and he realizes no one is around. "Oh.. is no one really here?"

"No, I am here." A mysterious voice says to us.

"Ah! A talking panting!" Yeah, I definitely gasped in surprise.

Why is this surprising me? It's a magic school! Isn't talking paintings standard?

"And? A talking painting is normal at a magic school. The lady and the gentleman on the wall speak as well. Paintings that have mouths talk, isn't that normal?" The gentleman of paint continues to speak, giving us time to take that in.

"Paintings don't… normally talk." I really should've expected this, though. It's weirder that he blinks. I'm going to have nightmares about that and remove every single person-painting from the dorm. Or at least like—the bedrooms and bathrooms. I haven't SEEN any, but… Who knows?

"Well, your 'normal' is different from my 'normal'. We can respect those differences. Now, who are you searching for?"

"You're right…" I agree, and Grim cuts in,

"We are looking for a punk named Ace. He has a heart on his face and red, explodey hair." Grim's pretty spot on.

"Ah, yes, a freshman. I saw him heading back to his dorm awhile ago." The painting confirms.

Grim bristles. Cat theory again, confirmed. "Nyah! That jerk really did ditch us! DO you know which way he went?"

"The back of the east buildings where the paths to the dorms are located." The painting answers. He's very forthcoming with information.

"Let's get him!" Grim calls, taking off.

"Thank you!" I yell, waving goodbye to the painting as I rush off with Grim to go find our ditcher, Ace.

Racing down the halls, I wonder if I've run this much in months as I have in the past day or so. And, I now have a feeling I'm going to run around a lot chasing Grim. Anger clearly fueling us both as even after the sweeping and cleaning we've done today no longer matters.

I do, a little bit, wish I was a student too as we pass the large classrooms. There's so many mystical, magical things here. I can almost picture myself as a student too—making friends, and genreally enjoying learning in this new, unique world. In truth, it… makes me a little sad. I'm not going to experience this for long. I bet Dire Crowley will have me back to my own world in a few days.

But what about Grim?

Oh boy, I almost smacked into the wall instead of turning with Grim! That's what I get for running and thinking too hard.

"HURRY UP!" Grim shouts at me, as he stops in this strange, back room.

I join him, huffing a little, and looking around.

We have entered a place called the Hall of Mirrors.

I'm distracted to see this room and its strange gates. It has many sides, and above these purple gates are the crests of each dorm and their names. While the lit torches on every pillar is lit by green flames. Sunlight streams in to give a beautiful glow all around—it's almost pretty enough that I do not notice the problem child himself standing in the room, talking to himself.

"They think I'm going to clean a hundred windows? I'm going back to my dorm…" He sighs, as if he's the one so put out right now.

I am resisting the urge to slug him.

"HEY!" Grim yells with with a righteous fury.

"Eh! They caught me!"

"BASTARD! Stop right there! I'm not letting you escape your punishment!" Grim is about to throw flames and I'm not stopping him.

"I don't have time to talk right now! See ya!" And off he goes.

"You're not getting away with this! I don't want to do this either!"

An innocent bystandard is in his way, a boy with the same red on his uniform but a spade on his face—he looks startled and surprised as Ace yells at him, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Huh!? What?!" The startled teen is confused at the chaos.

"PLEAST STOP HIM!" I call out to the spade-faced guy.

"—with magic?" He asks, confused at this scene. It probably is strange, a girl, a cat-monster, chasing after a student. "I could freeze him—or tie him with a rope? Or—um—mmm-!" Oh no, we've overloaded his brain.

"I don't CARE! Just do something! HURRY!" The desperate fire cat shouts.

"Anything—anything—uhhh! I got it! I summon something—something heavy!" Spade-kid glows with magic and…

And… and a cauldron falls out of the air and lands on our escape artist.

I am rendered completely and absolutely speechless as Ace is flattened to the ground.

But it totally serves him right.

Grim, alternatively, bursts out laughing. "No, look! He got smashed with a cauldron! What a loser!"

I think Ace shouted out something during that but I honestly didn't care, I'm running on the high of some sweet, quick, hot revenge.

"I didn't think I'd summon a cauldron… Maybe I overdid it?" Spade-face says, observing his victim curiously.

"Ow—owie ow!" There is no pity in my cold, black heart.

"You didn't need me to help you with those windows." He grumbles at us.

"It was the Headmaster's orders. You're not escaping this, either, Ace." And he is cruisin' for a bruisin' at this rate.

"You have to clean a hundred windows as punishment? What did you three do?" Mr. Helpful asks. He's currently my favorite person in this reality.

"I screwed with the furball this morning and the statute of the Queen of Hearts got a little bit charred. Sue me." Ace shrugs his shoulders casually, trying to downplay his crimes.

"You damaged a statute of the Great Seven?! No wonder you got in trouble!" Cauldron man exclaims in disbelief, "You just got into this school! How could you do that on your first day?!"

"Shut up." Ace looks like he's pouting? Or… "Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Deuce. Deuce Spade. You could remember your classmates." Deuce looks disappointed in Ace.

You know, I might not actually have a weird name when this guy is the Two of Spades. That Spade on his face makes sense. So what is Ace's ordeal? Is this a card-themed group? Are they a playing card club? Is there something I'm missing here? Probably.

Maybe it's a theme. There was some sort of show I watched on the Internet where everyone was named after colors and things. Could have the same rules here? Dire is a word that makes sense because you're in a dire situation if you have to meet Headmaster Crowley.

That was a bad joke and I deserve punishment.

"Uh… you don't remember me either." Ace calls Deuce out. Yeah, these two are peas in a pod.

"—Since it's an order from the headmaster, you can't shirk it." And Mr. Spade is cleverly trying to duck that point. I'll remember that.

"Yeah, yeah, I know… let's get on with it." Ace finally gives in.

Now we just have to get to it… wait.

Wait a second.

"Where is…?" I ask, looking around to see that Grim is nowhere to be found.

"The furball is gone!" Ace exclaims, shocked and dismayed. "Hey, Juice—you're going to help us, right?"

"It's not Juice! It's Deuce!"

"This is your fault too. So help me catch that furball!"

"Why do I have to!?"

"Because, No is weak and can't use magic, so let's go!"

"That little BASTARD!" I am so unreasonably angry right now. I'm already heading out to try and find that little rotten furball. I have HAD it with people dodging duties and getting into fights today! I'm turning Grim into a SCARF!

The two chase after me, and I'm definitely not paying too much attention as I race through the school and into the paths that lead throughout campus. I hear the slapping of their shoes on the stone, but I race down and around, looking for that too-be-scarf. I am absolutely furious and it's that fury that is carrying me through this when in all honesty I just want to be done and to go to bed after all that's happened today.

Something deep inside me tells me that it isn't over yet, but that's neither here nor there.

It's when I get to the Great Seven that I spot Grim, walking proud and slow like we weren't going to chase after him. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" I shout after Grim.

"Eep!" The red-handed escape artist turns to see me, and startles! "Oh no!"

I feel a hand come up and tug me back by my collar. "Oh no you don't, No Magic." Ace grins at his joke. Fine. It's funny. "You're useless. WE'LL get him!"

It seems Deuce, the now-sidekick, agrees.

"Fine!" I huff, and step aside.

The two take off, following grim with their jeweled wands raised. "SO cat and mouse it is! Hah!" Ace shouts.

"You're not gonna to catch me!" Grim takes off on all fours, racing down Main Street with the two far behind.

I can see them flinging magic at him with every swing of their wants. Shouting probably basic spells as Grim manages to dodge some, but others make contact.

"We're going to get you, furball!"

Honestly, the scene calms me down a little bit from wanting to murder Grim. I still want to wring his fuzzy neck for this stunt, but it's fun to watch these two chase him.

Especially when Grim gets trapped by the main gate and them. "GAH!"

"Hah! We've got you know, furball! So come along!" Ace stands triumphant and about out of breath.

"So, what now?" Deuce asks.

And in that moment of distraction, Grim runs between them and heads somewhere else!

I take off with Ace and Deuce, following the crafty caper!

I'm going to definitely make him into a scarf.