Author's Note: Teehee! I made up Bindi's last name because it doesn't say anything in the books. ENJOY!
It was a week before the big event. The partners were as listed below:
Tancred Torsson & Beth Strong
Manfred Bloor & Zelda Dobinski
Gabriel Silk & Kristina Twirl
Lysander Sage & Bindi Coaster
Charles Bone & Emma Tolly
Fidelio Gunn & Olivia Vertigo
Asa Pike & Dorcas Loom
Billy was going alone, since he was the youngest at the academy. Besides, he wouldn't want a partner anyway.
Ah, those gloomy days. Kristy was complaining about having to wear a dress, being the tomboy she was, and many people were getting tired of her whining.
"Shut up!" Tancred shouted at her one day at the King's Room.
"Shut up," Kristy mimicked, sticking her tongue out. "Shut up yourself, Torsson."
"Torsson! Violet! Do you mind shutting up?" Asa growled at the two now-enemies.
"Yes, I do mind," Kristy answered, making Gabriel laugh.
"Well, I don't care much, Twirl—I mean, Violet," Asa replied curtly.
"Who asked your opinion?" Kristy said back, her green eyes mocking him.
"I did," Asa barked, getting tired of her blabber.
"Shut UP, you two!" Manfred shouted. "I'm trying to do my homework here!"
"Yes, Manfred," Kristy and Asa said, rolling their eyes. They stared at each other and shook their heads.
"What is the world coming to?" Emma asked Charlie.
"I dunno, but no doubt it's something bad," Charlie muttered, going back to his horrible geometry.
"No duh," Lysander said.
"I said SHUT UP!" Manfred snarled.
"Okay, okay!" Lysander said, going back to his History. Tancred snickered.
"Torsson, do you mind closing that big hole in your head for just one more hour? Some of us here are trying to do their homework," Kristy said coldly, looking up from her French.
"Whatever," Tancred replied in the same cold tone he always used after the little incident.
"Thank you oh-so-much," Kristy answered sarcastically.
"How many times do I have to tell you people? SHUT UP! Torsson, Twirl—I mean, Violet, detention!" Manfred yelled, frustrated.
"But—but—" Kristy protested, but Asa raised a hand.
"Listen to the man," he commanded. "Detention, Violet, and no exceptions." Kristy stuck her tongue out at him.
"We can still go shopping on Sunday," Emma said to Kristy as they walked to the Girls' Dormitories.
"But still, Em. I have to have detention with the T-person!" the green-eyed girl wailed. "It's the worst punishment ever."
"It can't be all that bad," Emma said rather cheerfully as they entered the dormitory. "It could be worse, Kris."
"No, it couldn't," Kristy replied as she got ready for bed. "There were plenty of other people Manfred could have picked."
"Yes, but you two talked the most," Emma said, feeling guilty, for she was feeling very giddy that Kristy and Tancred were in detention together. "And that's life. You've got to live with it."
"I guess, Em," Kristy answered, sighing. "It's fair, and I can't do anything about it." She fell asleep as soon as her auburn locks hit the pillow. Emma took this chance to tell Olivia what had happened in the King's Room.
"This is perfect!" the drama queen exclaimed. "The chance that we've all been waiting for!"
"Yes, but they might not do anything," Emma whispered back. "Besides, we're all going home tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah," Olivia said sadly, her mood dropping. "But we can still hope."
"It might be enough, Olivia. So let's hope for the best," Emma said. "And maybe our dreams will come true." She fell asleep into a light dream.
"'Night, Em," Olivia whispered softly to her sleeping friend. She turned around on her bed and dreamt of Fidelio.
The next day, Emma and Olivia woke to find Kristy gone already to scrub the toilets in the bathroom.
"Poor Kris," Olivia said pitifully to Emma, but she daren't say it to anyone else, for, after all, she was pretending to be on Tancred's side, and wasn't allowed to say her old friend's name.
"I bet Tancred's scrubbing the toilets in the boys' bathroom," Emma said to Olivia, shaking her head. "Imagine! Who thought of this anyway?"
"You don't know? It was Manfred," Olivia said, sounding mildly surprised.
"C'mon, Livia. We should be going," Emma said, tugging on her friend's sleeve so that they could go home.
"'Kay, Em," Olivia muttered, grabbing her stuff. "Let's go." Without further ado, the two girls left the dormitory and went down to ride the buses home.
Kristy, however, wasn't feeling so joyful. "Stupid Manfred," she mumbled. "Making me scrub the toilets in the beginning of the day. It's revolting! Oh, ewwww!" She had found that someone had missed the toilet. "I think I'm going to be sick." And so she was.
"Violet, you're supposed to be cleaning up, not making the place dirtier than it already is," Zelda said, staring at the stall in disgust. She was supervising Kristy for the detention.
"Shut up, Dobinski," Kristy growled.
"It's Ms. Dobinski to you," Zelda said smugly. "Now hurry up! I haven't got all day, you know!" Kristy thought of strangling her scrawny white neck, then hesitated. She reluctantly went back to the 'work'.
After the scrubbing, it was breakfast. Kristy didn't feel like eating. She was feeling nauseous after she had seen what she had seen.
"Must I go?" she pleaded to Zelda.
"Yes. Now come on!" Zelda commanded, smirking cruelly. She liked being in charge. Kristy groaned.
"Violet, I mean it!" the older girl screeched. The auburn-haired girl obeyed, but not without a kick in Zelda's shins.
"Ow! What was that for?" Zelda asked, her eyes blazing as she looked forebodingly at Kristy.
"For being the nasty, ugly git you are," was Kristy's reply. Zelda snarled as the two girls entered the room, but either didn't want to, or couldn't, do anything.
"Now, eat," Manfred's girlfriend ordered. Kristy was sitting next to the cruel female, and didn't feel like eating. But she had to do as she was told, and took a bite of stale bread. She threw up.
"Hey! What was that for?" Manfred, who was on the other side of the table as Kristy, cried. His favorite black shirt was stained with something from a thirteen-year-old's stomach.
"Sorry, Manfred," Kristy muttered. "But you know how it is, cleaning the toilets! Someone missed their target!"
"Oh, ewwww," Tancred said in midbite. "I think I'm going to throw up, too."
"The situation's delicate enough as it is, Torsson," Manfred said coldly to the boy with the yellow hair. Tancred glared at him, and Kristy smirked and stuck her tongue out at the fourteen-year-old. He growled.
"Enough!" Dr. Bloor said in his chilling voice. "Torsson, Twirl—"Kristy snarled at him. "—er, Violet, you're excused for the rest of the day. I don't need anyone staining the beautiful walls of this ancient building, thank you very much. Carry a bucket or something around with you."
Kristy smiled radiantly at the headmaster. "Thank you, Dr. Bloor. I'll be in the girls' dormitory if you need me," she announced, and marched away. Zelda looked disappointed. Tancred rolled his eyes.
"Er, I'll be wandering around if anyone needs me, which is highly unlikely," he said, and walked out of the room, leaving his unfinished dish left on the table. Nobody noticed, or cared, for that matter.
On Sunday, Tancred and Kristy walked out of the building, ignoring each other. The first people they saw were Mr. and Mrs. Torsson, Tancred's parents. Mr. Torsson was a large, tall man with the same crackling yellow hair and blue eyes as his son, but Mrs. Torsson was on the slight, skinny side.
"Hello, Tancred, dear. Is this your friend?" Mrs. Torsson asked her son, smiling.
"Er . . . yeah, mom," Tancred answered awkwardly. Kristy sent him a questioning look.
"Hello, dear. I'm Mrs. Torsson, and this is my husband," Tancred's mother said to Kristy warmly.
"Hello, Mrs. Torsson. I'm Kristina Twirl, or as some people call me, Alexandra Violet," Kristy said brightly, smiling at the woman. Just then, a navy blue car drove near them. "There's my aunt. Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Torsson!" She waved and hopped into the car to her Aunt Tristan.
"Hey, little Alex. What did you get detention for?" Tristan asked her niece as she drove away.
"For defending myself in the King's Room," Kristy answered, and said no more. Tristan shrugged as they stopped in the driveway of 15 Darkly Wynd. The two auburn-haired, green-eyed women got out and went inside the large, cheery house.
"It's good to be home again," Kristy said brightly as the two shared hot chocolate to warm them up near the fire.
"You bet, Alex," Tristan replied with a tinkly laugh. Then, in a more serious voice, she said, "This letter came for you in the mail." She handed her little niece a perfect white envelope addressed to Miss Kristina Alexandra Stephanie Twirl, 15 Darkly Wynd, from . . . from Mrs. Thelxiepia Trinity Twirl, 55 Storm Street. Kristy's face was as white as paper, even with all the heat. She slowly tore open the envelope and unfolded a piece of paper filled up with her mother's neat handwriting.
Dear Kristina,
This is your mother, Thelxiepia. You might be wondering why I have written you this letter. I just wanted to say that I am truly, dreadfully sorry, and I hope you accept my apology. The second reason is that I have gotten wind of your location. You may stay there if you wish (but I highly doubt that), but whenever you feel like coming home, please do. Your father and I miss you terribly, so much that it is sinful. The house is so empty without you, dearie. We had never known how precious you were to us until you left. Please come back, Kristina.
Your loving mother,
Thelxiepia Trinity Twirl
"She wants me to come back," Kristy choked. She handed her dear aunt the horrible letter. Tristan scanned it quickly.
"Well?" she asked quietly, so quietly that it was barely audible.
"Well what, auntie?" Kristy said, eyes bright as ever.
"Do you want to go home?" Tristan questioned her niece, dreading the answer.
"Of course not!" Kristy cried, hugging her aunt. "I don't ever want to go back there again. Remember what I told you on my first night here?"
"You don't?" Tristan said happily, her spirits rising.
"No. I'll stay here for as long as time allows," Kristy announced firmly, stomping her foot. She took a swipe of hot chocolate.
"And you will stay as long as my life goes on," the aunt declared.
"But then I'll never see Daddy again," sniffled Kristy.
"Oh, you'll see him. I'll help you meet him again, if it's the last thing I do!" Tristan said, smiling at her niece.
"Will he want to?" asked Kristy.
"If he doesn't, he isn't a very good father," Tristan replied.
The two slept well in their beds that night.