Last time we flashed back to Cackles, where Mildred was emerged in a project that would have helped made the world a better place. But then Ethel, in her usual nasty manner, sabotaged the project, while risking Maud and Enid's lives in the process. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 4: Anguish
Enid was rushed to the school infirmary and treated for deep lacerations, second and third-degree burns on her back. Fortunately, none of her wounds were life threatening, and with the right magical healing, would completely heal within a week to 10 days, assuming she could stay on her stomach without moving too much. Yet there would be some scaring that she would carry for the rest of her life, but that'll come later.
Maud was more or les alright, just some minor scratches and burns that would be completely healed by the end of the day. The nurse said that she was to stay in the infirmary overnight for observation, in case of any unforeseen side effects of the explosion. But other than that she was fine.
It was after the school nurse reassured Mildred that both Maud and Enid would be alright, when Ms. Cackle asked, "Now, tell me, Mildred, how did this happen?"
"I'd like to know that myself," said Ms. Hardbroom. Surprisingly she wasn't angry, just curious.
"Mildred had nothing to do with this," Maud said, who kept insisting that she was fine, but still had to stay in the infirmary until tomorrow morning, just to be safe, "All she did was ask Enid and I to wait for Ms. Hardbroom.
"When neither of you showed up, well, Enid got a little impatient. I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how she can get sometimes. She added the solution to the cauldron, next thing we knew, boom!
"I feel awful about it, because when we saw that the cauldron was going to explode, Enid pushed me out of the way and caught the full force of the blast. It's my fault she got hurt."
"No, it's all my fault," said Mildred in a depressed tone, "I shouldn't have asked you to wait for me and Ms. Hardbroom. Then it would have been me who would have gotten blown up," her tone of voice became more disheartened, "I should have known I'd end up destroying the potions lab."
"Really, Mildred?" Ms. Cackle asked, "I was under the impression that your project was medical in nature. Would it really have caused such an explosion?"
This helped Mildred calm down enough for her to think clearly again, "No, if anything, the compound I created would have stabilized the potion, not made it blow up. The whole point of my compound was to make the potion safe for human consumption, not to turn it into an explosive. I don't understand how it happened."
"Neither do I," said Ms. Hardbroom, "I witnessed every step of the process with you, Mildred, every ingredient and temperature adjustment. I can safely say that nothing you did could have caused this fiasco, for once. No, something else it at work here."
"It would seem we have a mystery on our hands," said Ms. Cackle, "One that I shall attend to personally."
"As will I, Headmistress," said Ms. Hardbroom, "I do not appreciate the wonton destruction of school property."
"Especially if it's the potions lab," Maud muttered. Clearly her sense of humor wasn't effected.
"You rest up, Maud," said Mildred, "I'll help figure this out." She then walked over to where Enid lay sleeping on her stomach. Her back was heavily bandaged.
"Get well soon, Enid," whispered Mildred as she carefully placed her hand on her friend's shoulder reassuringly, "I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, I promise."
Enid muttered something about a fish drama. She was given a powerful sleeping potion to ease the pain in her back, and was apparently having some highly vivid dreams.
"She'll be fine," Maud said reasuringly.
Five minutes later Mildred, Ms. Hardbroom and Ms. Cackle were back in the potions lab in search of the cause of the explosion. Helping them was Jadu and Ruby.
The first thing Mildred found was the instructions for the potion. This sheet of parchment was in fact a copy of the potion she discovered down in the DOBS Den. As it turned out, it was on this piece of parchment that Mildred wrote down the formula for her compound that would have made the potion a success. And as fate would have it, the explosion had burned away the area of the parchment that Mildred wrote on.
"Just my luck," said Mildred, "That I would write down only one copy of my creation."
"Can't you remember what you did to create the solution?" Jadu asked.
"I wrote it down so I wouldn't have to remember," said Mildred in a defeated tone, as she crumpled the parchment and threw it at her feet. "Who knows how many lives this would have saved, now it's gone forever." She automatically picked up the parchment, not wanting to get yelled at for littering, which would have been a bit redundant considering the state of the potions lab.
"Not necessarily," said Ruby as she pulled out her latest invention from her school bag, "Not after I give this a whirl." It looked like an early prototype of a Tricorder from Star Trek.
"That may not be wise, Ruby Cherrytree," said Ms. Hardbroom, "Your inventions often have an unfortunate habit of backfiring."
"Not this time," Ruby said in a confident tone as she switched her device on, "I started with a portable Radon detector, added some memory storage chips from a used laptop, hardwired a digital display window, and put it all together with a spell that can identify just about any magical substance known to witch-kind."
"And you've tested this magical sensory device?" Ms. Cackle asked, her curiosity stirred.
"There are still a few glitches I need to work out," said Ruby as she began scanning the lab, "It tends to get confused in certain outdoors settings, and the power supply tends to run out faster in cold weather. But in a more closed environment, like in here, we may be able to figure out this puzzle."
"You have my fullest of confidence," said Jadu, even though she also had her doubts. But this time the results of Ruby's imagination would bear delicious fruit.
It was several minutes later when Ruby's invention, after scanning samples of splattered and evaporated potion along the walls and in the air, had correctly identified all the components used in the potion. But then the device identified a substance that was not on the formula list.
"If I'm reading this correctly," said Ruby as she double-checked her results, then checked again with another sample, "Then there's trace amounts of 60 proof Dragonite involved."
"Dragonite?" said a surprised Ms. Hardbroom, "That's nearly a dangerous substance as dynamite, only much more volatile. I keep only small samples of it for demonstrative purposes, and in the cold-storage cupboard at all times when not in use. Unless…" she went to the cold-storage cupboard, which was remarkably unharmed by the explosion, and pulled out a jar marked 'volatile.'
"There was only a small amount left when I last organized the potion supplies," said Ms. Hardbroom as she eyed the jar suspiciously, "And now the jar is nearly full. I wonder how that could have happened."
She took the lid off the jar, "It would seem that this mystery has another twist," she poured some of what was in the jar onto a nearby table. What was in the jar was a dark orange slush.
"Definitely not Dragonite," said Ruby as she scanned the slush, then scanned again from a different angle, just to be safe, "But it's not anything the scanner can identify."
"It's my compound," said Mildred in an even more depressed tone, "Or it used to be. It's not supposed to be frozen. Otherwise it'll change into something completely useless. I know, I tried to freeze a sample when I first made it. Now all that I had is gone for good."
"It's alright, Millie," said Jadu, "I'm sure you'll remember it, somehow."
"Will I?" Mildred asked. Unknown to the others present, Mildred's depressed mood was only the tip of the iceberg. Deep down she was raging like a mad bull at the loss of her project, which was nothing compared to the wrath she was feeling towards whoever or whatever was responsible, for Maud and Enid wouldn't have been hurt if this hadn't happened. If there's one thing that can truly make Mildred Hubble angry, it's when her friends get hurt.
"Well it's clear that this was no accident," said Ms. Cackle, "I'd even go as far to suspect that this was an act of sabotage."
"Sabotage, Ms. Cackle?" Ms. Hardbroom asked.
"Yes," said Ms. Cackle, "I'm now certain that Mildred's project was deliberately sabotaged."
"But who would do such a terrible thing?" Jade asked.
"Do you really have to ask," Ruby said, "Who in the entire school would do just about anything to make Mildred look bad?"
"Ethel," said Drusilla as she came into the room, "It was Ethel." She then explained what happened.
"I could hardly believe Ethel was capable of it," said Drusilla, "She'd risk seriously hurting someone, just to ruin Mildred's reputation. She'd been acting more and more aggressive since the start of term, but I never believed she would go this far."
"And you didn't try to stop her?" Ms. Hardbroom asked, "Honestly, Drusilla Paddock, I thought you had more sense than that."
"I guess I was too stunned by what she did," said Drusilla, "And I'm sorry I didn't try to tell someone. I thought that Ethel needed to get herself into trouble, that the shock of something horrible that she did would force her to face reality. I was wrong to Ethel have her way, and now Enid and Maud have been hurt, and it's all my fault."
"No, Drusilla," said Ms. Cackle, "It isn't your fault. The blame falls solely on Ethel. I believe she has tried my patience for the last time. Wouldn't you agree, Constance?"
"Oh yes, Ms. Cackle," said Ms. Hardbroom, "Ethel shall indeed have her fame and glory, as the first Hallow to be expelled from Cackles."
"I'm sure Ethel didn't mean for anyone to get hurt," said Drusilla, "I mean, sure she wanted to get Mildred into trouble, but there's no reason to think she wanted anyone to get hurt."
"I can't believe you're defending her," said Jadu in an accusing tone, "After what Ethel did, you're taking her side. What's wrong with you?"
"After everything Ethel has done," said Ruby, "All the pranks and schemes to get Mildred and all of us into hot water, and now this. You'd think you'd realized that Ethel isn't going to change, Drusilla."
"She's still my friend," Drusilla said defiantly, "I'd stand by her till the bitter end, no matter how rotten her heart becomes or whatever foul deeds she commits, because that's what friends do. And I'm sure Mildred would agree with me. I mean, how many times her friends have stood by her through thick and thin?"
"Well I'm sure Mildred has other things to say about what we should do about Ethel," said Ruby in a confident tone, "Right, Millie? Millie?"
Ever since Drusilla confessed that Ethel was responsible, Mildred was dead to all outside input. Her inner mind was currently locked in a serious monologue:
Ethel, it's always Ethel. Every time I try to be a better witch, she has to come along and do something to make my life miserable. And now she's sabotaged something that would have surely eased the suffering of thousands around the world.
And if that wasn't enough, Ethel had to do it while risking innocent lives. Enid nearly died, and so could have Maud. And all so Ethel could feel better about herself.
No, it's more than that. No normal person would even consider committing such actions. No good person would risk innocent lives to destroy something that would make the world better. No, this is the work of evil.
This is exactly like something Agatha Cackle would do, just because she felt like doing it. Everything Ethel has done, she did because she felt like doing it. That's not the actions of a good person. What Ethel did today proves it; she is evil through and through!
But what else is Ethel capable of doing? How many more innocent lives will she put at risk!? How many glimmers of hope for the future will she crush?! All to satisfy her heartless needs!?!
I can't stand by and allow her wickedness to poison the world, I won't allow it! I have to do something. No, I will do something! I must do something! For the good of the world, I must destroy Ethel Hallow!!
"Ms. Cackle, Ms. Hardbroom," Mildred said in a serious, slightly distant tone, "Please excuse me, there's something I have to take care of." With that she left the room, leaving the others in a stunned silence. They were shocked by the change that had occurred on Mildred's face; blue energy lines had appeared, radiating out from her eyes, eyes which had taken on an angry red hue.
The end of chapter 4. Next chapter, it's do or die as Mildred and Ethel confront each other. Who will survive? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!