Chapter 32

And so holiday vacation came to an end...

"Heya, Ona," Ace said as soon as Grim and I met him and Deuce on Main Street. "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!" I said with a smile.

"I see you guys all the time, but it feels like it's been years, for some reason," said Deuce.

"Nyeh heh! Clearly you missed me over break," Grim said with a smirk.

"Oi. Don't stand around blocking traffic," said Jack.

"Whoa, Jack!" said Ace. "Did you get a tan?"

"Did I? I spent most of my holidays skiing, so it might be from that."

"Looking good," I said.

"Huh, it snows a lot where you're from?" said Ace.

"What's skiing?" said Grim. "I wanna try it!"

"Grim, stop trotting around underfoot!" said Deuce. He moved around to try to avoid him, but he ended up slamming into someone and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Ah..." said the student I recognized as Epel.

"Whoops, sorry about that! You okay?" The boy sniffled as he stood up, causing Deuce to slightly panic. "Wh-whoa! Y-you're...crying?!"

"Profeeessooor!" Ace said loudly. "Deuce is bullying a kid from another class and making him cry!"

Deuce shot him a look. "That's not funny, Ace!" He turned to Epel with a concerned look. "Did I hurt you that badly? I am SO sorry. Here, lean on my shoulder. I'll get you to the nurse's office."

"Rgh... Dagnabbit..." muttered Epel.

"Huh? Dag-what...?"

"Ngh!" Epel dashed away.

"Aaand he's gone," said Ace.

"He's in my class," said Jack. "If I remember right, he's from Pomefiore Dorm. His name's Epel Felmier."

"Epel from Pomefiore..." Deuce said thoughtfully.

I had a weird dream where I heard someone singing. I saw... the Dark Mirror? A beautiful woman spoke to the face in the mirror. Then I saw another woman looking into a well. She met a prince who professed his love for her while the other woman glowered from a window. When I woke up, I stared at the mirror in my room. For some reason, I felt a connection to my dreams and that mirror.

"Brrr, it's freezin' in here!" said Grim. "Y'think they'd let me take my blanket with me to school?" He paused. "Hm? What's up, Ona? You're starin' hard at that mirror. If you're worried about bedhead, don't be. You look fine. Now let's get to class."

"Oh, right." I shook my head and continued to get ready. Soon enough, we were meeting Deuce and Ace on Main Street.

"Morning, Ona and Grim," said Ace. "How's it goin'?"

"Good morning, you two," said Deuce. "It's pretty chilly today, huh?"

My eyes trailed to the statues along the path. "Ah—!" I exclaimed stopping. "That's who I saw in my dream!" Grim ran right into me.

"Ow!" he said. "Ona, don't just stop in the middle of the walkway! I just smacked face-first into your leg!"

"You're staring at the Great Seven statues," said Ace. "What's up?"

As I looked around at the statues, slowly, everything started to fall into place. "I think I've dreamed of some of these other people, too..."

"Hello?" said Deuce. "Ona? You're spacing out on us. Are you feeling sick or something?"

"Ona's been acting kinda funny ever since we got up this morning," said Grim.

"Oh yeah?" said Ace. "Did something happen over the holidays?"

I broke out of my trance and looked at them. "Sorry, guys. I'll explain while we walk." I told them about the dreams I had been having ever since I arrived at the school. We were sitting in the classroom by the time I explained them all.

"You have dreams where the Great Seven appear in the Ramshackle Dorm mirror? I guess when you see their statues every day, it's not all that surprising that they'd show up in your dreams."

"But the ones in my dreams don't match the legends."

"I've recited the names of important figures in my sleep after cramming for a magic history test..." said Deuce. "But what you're describing sounds a little different."

"There's also someone named Mickey in the mirror with big, round ears..." I said. I was unsure if he was related to the dreams or not.

"Whoa, that's wild," said Ace. "Who's this Mickey dude?"

"I've never heard that name at this school before."

"Ah, wait a minute," said Grim. "Was this when you stepped on my tail in the middle of the night?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. But, see, that proves it was real!"

"Hm. If it's not a dream, what does that leave?" said Deuce. "Maybe the ghosts are messing with you."

"They're pretty big pranksters, it's true," said Grim. "I wouldn't put it past 'em."

"Okay, how about this?" said Ace. "Next time Mickey shows up in the mirror... Try taking a picture of him with that ghost camera you got from the headmage. It's a magic item that records spirits on film, right? Even ghosts show up fine in pics it takes."

"Makes sense," said Deuce. "A photo might be able to shed some light on who this Mickey guy is."

"Good idea!" I said.

"Once we ID the perp, I'll demand compensatory tuna for my bruised tail!" Grim grumbled, and I laughed.

"And hey, if nothing shows up, we can write it off as Ona being a vivid dreamer," said Ace.

"Get to your seats, puppies," said Crewel, standing in front of the class. "In this homeroom period, I'm going to tighten the reins you whelps pulled loose over the holidays. I trust you're all aware that the National Arcane Academy Culture Fair is coming up in mid-February. This year, it's going to be held here at Night Raven College.

"Myah? We've got some kinda fair comin' up?" said Grim.

"The events schedule was posted in September, at the start of the school year. Some of you didn't even look at it, did you? Lazy curs!" Crewel cracked a whip on his desk, startling me. "Since we clearly have some bad dogs in this class, and because housebreaking you is my job anyway, I'll recap it for those who need it.

"The National Arcane Academy Culture Fair is a yearly event for students representing schools across the country. It's a two-day festival that includes fine art, music, research showcases on magic, and speech contests. In essence, it's an interscholastic event for culture-oriented clubs. At Night Raven, students spend their senior year at internships and research placements related to their magical professions... And this is the time when the seniors some back to school and announce their findings."

"Y'know, I hadn't thought much about it before now..." Ace said. "But we haven't run into a single senior since we enrolled, have we?"

"All I knew was that they were training off-campus," said Deuce. "Better make sure we pay our respects."

"Wow, I never knew magicians did internships," I said.

"This festival also gets attention from many organizations on the lookout for fresh next-generation talent, such as the Bureau of Magic..." Crewel continued. "As well as the Magic Board of Education, other universities, magic-related businesses, research institutes, and the entertainment industry. All of you art club dogs had best ensure that you're well-groomed and presentable!"

"So it's a festival for the arts clubs, huh?" said Ace.

"We're both in sports clubs, so I guess we won't be doing much here," said Deuce.

"Hey, if it's a festival, that means there's gonna be a ton of food stalls like they had at the Spelldrive tournament!" Grim said excitedly.

"It's always about food with you," said Ace. "Geez."

"And with that, homeroom time is over," said Crewel. "First period will be a practical lesson in defensive magic. SIT quietly and STAY!"

I returned to work at the Mostro Lounge Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, I hung out with Floyd. Then I had fun with Floyd and Jade on Friday. Grim and I spent time with Kalim on Sunday. He threw another party, of course. Then, Monday at lunch, my friends and I made an interesting discovery.

"Myah, I'm starvin'!" Grim said as we entered the room. "It feels like we gotta wait YEARS for lunchtime to roll around on days with morning P.E."

"What's P.E. got to do with anything?" said Ace. "You're always hungry." He paused. "...Hm?"

"Huh," said Deuce. "There's a crowd gathering near that wall." We made our way over to the wall. "Let's see. 'Song & Dance Championship... Now accepting auditions?' Oh, that's the music showcase event at the culture fair."

"I see it on TV every year. Never knew the competitors on there had to audition, though. 'Dancers! Singers! Come one, come all! This is your shot at the big time! Outshine the rest and be a star! If the team representing your school makes it to the final round... Each member will receive a share of the fifty thousand thaumark prize.'"

"Fifty thousand thaumarks?!" we all cried.

"That's right!" Crowley said, popping up out of nowhere again. "Isn't it just a fabulous prize?!"

"GAH! You scared me!"

"I know it's a running gag at this point, but could you PLEASE stop popping up out of nowhere, headmage?!" said Ace.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," said Crowley. "I never meant to frighten you."

Yeah right, I thought.

"There's a reason this Song & Dance Championship has such a tantalizing pot up for grabs. There are a number of businesses sponsoring it, you see. SDC is nothing like the Pop Music Club contests you're used to. The finalists get swamped with offers from all manner of entertainment agencies and labels. It's entirely possible to rocket from obscurity to the ranks of the top artists in the land. This isn't merely a matter of school pride—it's a high-stakes music battle with the entrants' future success or failure riding on the outcome. And if we want to attract more elites, we need a sufficiently enticing prize."

"Ah, I get you," said Ace. "If the sponsors can net a star that lets them basically print money... Fifty thousand thaumarks is a small price to pay."

"With fifty grand, I could load up on fancy three-thaumark canned tuna!" said Grim.

"Hold on," said Deuce. "It says that the prize is split amongst the team. So, if there was a four-member group, each member would get...uhhh... fifty divided by four... Ten... Thirteen..."

"It'd be 12,500 thaumarks," said Ace. "Which would net you over four thousand cans of premium tuna."

"Daaang!" said Grim. "Four thousand!" He pulled on my pant leg. "Ooh, ooh! Ona! I want in on this competition!"

"You can't even eat four thousand cans of tuna," I said.

"Some schools select representatives from their Choral and Pop Music Clubs..." said Crowley. "But here at Night Raven College, we scout talent from the entire student body via audition."

"So you gotta duke it out and claw your way to the top!" Deuce said with a smirk.

"Of course, the most serious students have been preparing or this since last year... But as I see it, everyone always has the right to dream of stardom." Crewel smiled. "Well? What do you think? Aren't I so very kind? Anyone has the right to audition, as long as they are currently enrolled here. I, for one, simply cannot wait to see who will represent us this year!"

"How magnanimous of you," I muttered after he walked away.

"'The audition song is "Piece of My World,"'" said Ace. "'To apply, contact Rook Hunt in Class 3-A.' This sounds rad, actually! I figured we sports clubs would be stuck doing all the heavy lifting behind the scenes, but I guess not! You guys wanna give this a whirl? If we make it in, we'll be excused from all the back-breaking work of putting the venue together. Sounds like a win-win to me."

"If we won, the extra income would make a HUGE difference in my family's quality of life..." said Deuce. "But hold on. I'm decent at athletics, but I've never danced or sung before."

"'Piece of My World' was a crazy popular song last year. There're tons of Magicam tutorial videos that go over how to do the dance moves and stuff. If the moves are simple enough, we could get those down pat in no time."

"As long as you have rhythm and a decent voice," I said. "You have to have some innate talent to replicate a video."

"Myah! You've been browsin' Magicam a lot ever since you got that phone, Ona," said Grim.

"True." After reporting to Crowley about what happened at Scarabia over the break, he apologized profusely and let me keep the phone he gave me - as long as I did not go over the data limit. "I can bring up videos if you want."

"Okay, I'm gonna practice for my audition!"

"Your dancing will definitely catch interest, one way or another."

"Count me out," said Deuce. "I don't think I'd pass the screening even if I tried."

"Aw, you're no fun," said Ace.

"For one thing, I don't think it's appropriate to audition on a lark when you're not serious about gunning for the top spot."

"It's just an audition. You don't have to take it so seriously."

Deuce smirked. "Heh. For another thing, you guys will need a shoulder to cry on when you completely bomb it."

"Hey, don't act like that's a given! I'll pass, just you watch!"

"Yeah!" said Grim. "That prize money and the ensuing tuna are as good as mine!"

"You're going to audition too, right, Ona?" said Ace.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

"And you think we'll pass, right?" said Grim.

"I guess so."

"See?" said Ace.

"Sure, whatever you say," said Deuce. "Oh, we have Potionology next period, right? I'm on class duty today. I need to go get the lab and equipment prepped soon. I don't have time to stand around chatting. Let's go ahead and order our lunch."

"I second that!" said Grim. "I'm still hungry over here!"

We quickly got to work ordering lunch. After eating a whole lot, we headed out to the courtyard to walk to class. "I just know I'm gonna get drowsy in class after stuffin' myself at lunch," said Grim.

"You'd better not nod off in the middle of an experiment and blow up another beaker," said Ace.

A weird sound interrupted us: "Aaaoooaaah..."

"Mrah?" said Grim.

"What's that song?" said Deuce.

"Someone's got a nice singing voice," I said.

"AaaoooaaaACK! Ugh!" said the voice before coughing.

"Whoa, that went from smooth to rough in a hurry," said Ace.

"Mah singin's s'posed to sound charmin', but ah just can't do it..." We moved closer to the source of the noise, over by a well. "Who's there?!"

"Sorry to interrupt," said Deuce as we stepped out into the open. "We heard singing, and..." He paused. "Wait a minute. It's you, Epel. Didn't I run into on the first day of the semester?"

"Ah... Yes, I'm sorry about that."

"Hey, I'm the one who should be sorry. So, why are you singing into the well?"

"The well has an echo, so it's a good way to hear the sound of your own voice. Housewarden Vil instructed me to practice my singing here."

"Does Pomefiore have some rule that you have to be a good singer?"

"This isn't our dorm," said Ace. "Only Heartslabyul has rules that crazy."

"True," I said.

"Correct," said Epel. "It's not a rule of the dorm, per se. But I will be auditioning for the Song & Dance Championship."

"Nice," said Deuce. "Good for you!"

"Vil instructed me to work on making my singing sound more charming and sweet... But if I'm being honest, I could do without the whole competition."

Deuce looked surprised. "Huh?"

"What's this, Epel?" said a new voice. "Are you shirking your vocal practice to parley with the pigeons?"

Epel gasped. "Ah! Vil..."

"So that's Vil Schoenheit, the Pomefiore housewarden," Deuce said thoughtfully.

"Dude!" said Ace. "He looks so regal up close, it's actually imposing."

"I feel small just lookin' at him!" said Grim.

"He's definitely got an air about him," I said, looking him over.

"You there," Vil said to us. "Spudlings."

"Myah?" said Grim. "Are you talkin' to us?"

"Who else would I be addressing? This is a critical time for Epel. We have less than two months until the SDC. He has no time to waste playing with unwashed spuds. Do not disturb him during his rehearsals."

"Excuse me?" said Ace.

"We weren't trying to disturb him," said Deuce.

"Vil, they ain't done nothin' to deserve how you're talkin'!" said Epel. "Ah was... Ahem. I was—"

"Epel, how many times have I told you to avoid improper contractions and double negatives?" said Vil. "How are you supposed to get anywhere if you break character any time your emotions grow heated? You'll never be a bright red poison apple at this rate."

"A what now?" I said.

"Come, Epel. We're leaving."

"But honestly," said Epel, "I'd rather be—"

"Have you forgotten our agreement? Now come."

Epel sighed, appearing defeated. "Rgh..."

"Hey, hold up," said Ace. "I don't care if you ARE housewarden. He doesn't wanna go."

"And I don't appreciate you callin' us potatoes the moment you meet us," said Grim, hands on his hips.

"G-guys, no!" Deuce said, eyes wide. "The headmage's told us repeatedly that fighting's against the rules!"

"Let's not make this into a fight," I said. I agreed it was not right to force someone into something, but we did not know the whole situation. Vil was not using undue force, after all.

"Exactly," said Epel. "I'll be fine, really..."

"Heh. Mere tubers dare to challenge my authority?" said Vil. "A bold move. This should make for a fine post-meal workout. Try me. I'll make mashed potatoes out of the lot of you."

I sighed and backed up. Sometimes my friends were too stubborn for their own good. I intended to help out Grim, but the battle was over within a matter of seconds. "His magic's impressive," I said, "but wow, that poise!"

Vil looked down at them disdainfully. "Your moves are all utterly unchoreographed. It's embarrassing to watch, frankly—and woefully inelegant, to boot. You get a five out of one hundred. Next time you pick a fight, think twice about who you're challenging."

"Ah..." said Epel. "They took all that because of me..."

"My, I must seem like quite the villain. But know this, Epel—the fault lies entirely with you for skipping your rehearsals during the holidays. There is much work yet to be done if we are to earn our places as SDC finalists. You don't get to be number one by relaxing. Now come." Vil turned away.

"Yes, sir... See you later, guys." Head hanging, Epel followed after Vil.

"Bye," I said with a frown.

"Mraaah... After all that, he still got yoinked away," said Grim.

"What a downer," said Ace. "Is there some kinda rule in this school that you can't be housewarden unless you're a tremendous jerk?"

"Kalim is really nice," I said.

"We were unwise to pick that fight," said Deuce. "If Housewarden Rosehearts hears about this, it might be off with our heads."

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me."

"Yeah, sorry, Ona. Let's head to class. We're going to be late."

My friends and I gathered in the gym during lunch break the next day to practice the song for the competition auditions. "'Your moves are all utterly unchoreographed,'" Ace quoted Vil. "'It's embarrassing to watch, frankly, and woefully inelegant, to boot.'"

"'You get a five out of one hundred!'" said Grim. "Oooh, he makes me so mad! I'm gonna wow 'em at the audition with my slick moves and dulcet tones! They'll be all like, 'Please, o Great Grim, you have to represent us!' Just you wait and see."

"Yeah. Totally. Sooo... Deuce. You changed your mind about auditioning. What gives?"

"I'm not taking all that smack talk lying down!" Deuce said, eyes narrowed. "Besides... I'm a little worried about that guy."

"You mean Epel?"

"Yeah. He didn't seem like he was taking part in the SDC because he wanted to."

"I got that impression myself," I said.

"Back when he and I bumped into each other, he was crying. As an honors student, I can't ignore someone being forced to do something against their will."

"Y'know, a real honors student wouldn't refer to themselves as one," said Ace. "Epel's clearly faint of heart. I mean, just look at the guy. Forcing someone like that to compete just seems mean. That's why I say we put on a better performance than Epel's. We can knock him out of the running for the contest ourselves. You said it yourself, right? 'It's not appropriate to audition on a lark when you're not serious about gunning for the top spot.' If he doesn't want the spot, we'll take it for ourselves."

"Sounds good to me!" said Grim. "Let's start with some dance practice. Ona, cue the music!"

"Right," I said. I turned on the music and then got in line with the others.

"Okay, let's run through the whole thing once first," said Ace. "You up to this, Grim? I can't imagine you having any dancing experience."

"Heh heh. I'll show you what my hind paws can do!" said Grim.

And so we danced. Our first attempt was... not great. "Bwah ha ha! You can't even pull off basic baby steps, Deuce," Ace laughed.

"H-hey, whaddaya want from me?!" said Deuce. "I've never danced in my life!"

"Myow ow ow... My hands 'n feet are movin' at the same time..." Grim groaned.

"We've got nowhere to go but up!" I said.

"Ooh, are you guys dancing, too?" said a very familiar voice. "Let us join in!"

"Myah! It's Scarabia's most dysfunctional duo," said Grim.

"I don't appreciate you making up pet names," said Jamil. "And we are not dysfunctional."

"Kalim!" I cried.

"Ona!" Kalim shouted back. We ran at each other with arms spread open and embraced like we had not seen each other in years.

"It's been too long!"

"I know!"

"You saw each other two days ago," said Jamil.

I pulled away from Kalim and looked at Jamil. "So?"

"Hey, Kalim," said Ace. "Hey, Jamil. Lemme guess: you guys are auditioning for the SDC too?"

"Yup!" said Kalim. "It's a big festival, and there's no better occasion to dance! Jamil and I happen to both be good at that AND singing. Right, Jamil?"

"I'd rather not draw that much attention to myself, personally," Jamil said with a sigh.

"I saw you guys from behind, and goodness, you've all got two left feet! It was like watching an elephant panic and rear back on its hind legs. Aha ha! You can hardly dance, and you'll have do that while simultaneously singing at the audition. Maybe you're in above your heads here."

"Rgh... The fact that you said all of that with complete sincerity makes it even worse," said Deuce.

"Hey, come to think it," said Ace, "Jamil, you taught Floyd some dance moves at Basketball Club practice once. Dancing is kinda your thing, right? Mind sharing some pro strats with us?"

"Great idea!" Kalim said brightly. "You can't go wrong with Jamil as your coach."

"He asked me, not you!" Jamil said in annoyance. "Ahem. Anyway, teaching makes good practice for me, so... sure. For beginners, we should start with isolation. Spread your feet as wide as your shoulders..."

Jamil continued to teach us the basics of dancing. I found it all very interesting. Kalim enthusiastically went through all the moves as well.

"Deuce, ease up your shoulders a bit more," Jamil said after awhile. "Moving your head and shoulders at the same time will make your whole body look stiff."

"H-how am I supposed to move my head and shoulders separately?!" said Deuce. "Just thinking about that would make me fall behind the music."

"You won't get anywhere in dancing by thinking things out. Just follow the rhythm and work on your muscle memory." Jamil paused and glanced at the clock. "Ah, afternoon class is about to start. Time to wrap up our practice session."

"Awww, already?" said Kalim. "Time sure flies when you're busting moves!"

"Jamil! Kalim!" said Deuce, panting from the exercise. "Thank you for the training session, sirs!"

"Seriously, Jamil," said Ace. "I can tell you're used to tutoring. In less than an hour, you've gotten Deuce and Grim from zero skills to... some skills."

"Your sense of rhythm is lacking, but you've got solid reflexes," Jamil said to Deuce. "Keep practicing, and you should be able to get the hang of dancing eventually."

"Right!" said Deuce. "Thanks!"

"It's hard to gauge whether Grim has actually improved any, but... he's agile. I suppose. Maybe."

"This has all been pretty fun, actually," said Grim. "I'll show you all even smoother moves tomorrow!"

"Be careful not to focus too hard on dancing. You can't afford to neglect your singing. You need to strike a proper balance between the two in your rehearsals."

"True," said Deuce. "We've still got a lot of work to do."

"Hey, guys," said Kalim. "What would you say to group practice sessions starting tomorrow? Jamil's a great singer, for the record. You should get him to demonstrate."

"Wh—again, you're making commitments on my behalf!" Jamil exclaimed.

Kalim grinned. "What's the harm in that? When it comes to dancing, singing, and parties, the rule of thumb is the more, the merrier!"

"Kalim, that's your personal opinion," I said. "Everyone doesn't-"

"Sign us up!" said Grim, Ace, and Deuce.

"Deal!" said Kalim. "We're in this together now!"

"Hmph. Such a demanding bunch you are..." said Jamil. "But fine. So be it. Be warned, though—if you think I'll go easy on you, think again."

"Yeah, whatever," said Ace. "We're used to being run ragged by our own housewarden."

"Do your worst, sir!" Deuce said with a serious expression.

"Then before we leave, we'd best tidy things up," said Jamil. "Go fetch some mops from storage."

"Yes, sir!" said Deuce, Ace, and Kalim before walking away.

"Kalim, you don't have to..." Jamil sighed.

"Let it go," I said. "He's doing it because he wants to. A little cleaning won't hurt him."

A knock on the door cut off any response Jamil might give. Then someone entered the gym. "Ah, excellent," said Azul. "There you are, Jamil."