CHAPTER 11: DEEP ANXIETY

Instead of magically sending everyone to his office, like Jill knew he was capable of, Crowley forced the group to walk behind him as he went up to the office the hard way. Of course, he had to reside at the top floor in the tallest tower, which meant climbing a lot of stairs. Throughout the journey, Crowley constantly looked back to make sure all four troublemakers were still with him, and he kept a hand on the whip he had holstered on his left side. Jill knew better to run away; she had seen how Crowley could use the whip as a lasso to drag students along. Even Grim seemed to understand that there was no escaping this.

Once Jill and the boys reached the office, Crowley conjured enough chairs for all of them to sit in. From there, they were subjected to a long, angry lecture about the value of school property. Something she already knew. She stared down at her knees the whole time, trying not to glare at the headmage. This was so unfair! She wasn't the one who broke one of the crystals. She wasn't the one who started a fight. She wasn't the one who caused fires in the school. She shouldn't be here at all!

"…and I expect better out of all of you," Crowley finally said. "Now, as kind as I am… I will allow you to choose your punishment. Either you can find a magestone to replace the one you broke, you can wash one thousand windows around the campus, or you can choose expulsion."

"EXPULSION?!" the boys cried.

"Is that your choice?" Crowley asked.

"No no no no no! That's not it at all!" Ace said. "I mean, that just seems so… extreme, is all. With all due respect and all that."

"I assure you, Mr. Trappola, the flagrant disregard of our ancient chandelier is no trifle. It's been in our building since the very beginning, and each magestone tied to it has been painstakingly gathered by our very first generation of students," Crowley said.

"…Magestone?" Jill finally piped up.

"Magestones are gemstones that are naturally imbued with magic," Crowley explained. "And like regular gemstones, they can take many forms, such as the ones attached to your pens. The value of these magestones cannot be understated." He held out his hand, where the clear shards of the broken crystal glittered up at the group.

"Can't ya just reattach all the parts with magic?" Grim asked. "Then it'll be fixed, no big deal."

"The first rule you must learn about magic, Mr. Grim, is that it can't just suddenly solve all your problems. A magestone is not so easily repaired." Crowley set the shards onto the desk. "So, which punishment will it be? I'll let you vote as a group."

"But why am I being punished too?!" Jill complained. "I didn't do anything!"

"Did I not tell you that taming Mr. Grim was one of your responsibilities?" Crowley countered.

"I…" Jill slumped in her chair. She risked a glance to see that Deuce was staring at his own magestone in contemplation, Ace was glaring down at his shoes, and Grim was gazing at her with an apologetic expression. Well, it was a little late to feel guilty, now wasn't it?

Jill didn't know what to do. She didn't want to be sent somewhere unknown while she waited for Crowley to find her a way back to Crittenden. And she didn't know the first thing about magestones, so she couldn't find a replacement that would be worthy. Washing a thousand windows would be a serious pain, but if that was what it took to stay, then—

"I think we'll find the replacement magestone," Deuce finally said. "If that's alright, sir."

"Yeah, for once I agree with Spade," Ace seconded. "I'm not leaving on my first day, and there's no way I'm washing a thousand windows."

"Me too!" Grim said. "Let's just get this over with!"

"Huh?" Jill asked, and then the others all turned to her expectantly. "Um, yeah, me too… I guess…"

"Very well," Crowley said. "I will use the Dark Mirror to send you four into the Dwarfs Mines. There, you must find me a clear magestone that is 15.24 centimeters large and 7.62 centimeters in width." He gave Ace a tape measure, and gave Deuce a paper which stated the magestone's measurements for comparision.

"…Centimeters?" Jill asked confusedly. All her life, she had only measured things in feet and inches!

"You will have two hours to find a fitting magestone and return to the Dark Mirror at the entrance," Crowley continued. "If you do not return in time, I will go into the mines myself to retrieve you. If you fail to bring me a magestone, you will be expelled."

"So much for lettin' us choose our punishment!" Grim cried.

"No, I can't be expelled… Mom would be crushed if I was sent home on day one…" Deuce muttered worriedly.

"Yeah, I'd be a laughingstock over something like this," Ace said. "Failure isn't an option."

"I don't even have a way home if I fail," Jill agreed. "I don't know what would become of me…"

"Miss Bones, there is a small cottage in a nearby forest where you could live," Crowley warned. "Uninhabited, dusty… but still livable. Should you fail this, I will send you to the cottage where I have ways of keeping eyes on you until I figure out how to reach Crittenden."

Jill shuddered at the thought. Living all alone in the forest as a helpless victim to the elements? She greatly preferred civilization, thank you very much.

"C'mon, we're not scared! Just show us to the mines, and we'll get your magestone," Grim said boldly.

"Very well." Crowley nodded, and then the group was gone in a rush of wind and feathers. In the blink of an eye, they were in the Mirror Chamber in front of the Dark Mirror itself. All of Grim's damage from the previous night seemed to have been repaired.

"Myah, why did he make us walk all the way to his office if he can do this?" Grim asked.

"Making us walk earlier was probably part of the punishment," Jill sighed.

"O Dark Mirror, take these students to the Dwarfs Mines," Crowley commanded.

The face nodded, then disappeared as colors and streaks swirled on the other end of the glass. Ace went through, then Deuce, Grim, and finally Jill. It was like stepping through a wall of air. Everything rushed around Jill in an iridescent blur, and she took a second to regain her bearings.

Jill was now standing at the mouth of a dark cave. The Dark Mirror was still behind her, and its light offered a little help to seeing her way. There was a rusty set of tracks at her feet, and off to the side was an old minecart that looked like a giant's hand had pushed it off the path. The place smelled of earth and dust, and Jill could only imagine the disgusting grime that waited for her further into the mines. Breathing in coal dust could also be dangerous, not to mention there could be gas leaks… Jill suddenly wished that she had a canary.

"C'mon, minion! Move it!" Grim called. "You wanna get the magestone or what?"

Jill snapped to attention and saw that the other three had gone down the path without her. Three small lights bobbed in the darkness like the lures of anglerfish, helping Jill catch up with her group. When she was close, she saw that the lights were coming from the magestone pens as if they were flashlights.

"This sucks," Ace griped. "Can't believe I got roped into this because of you jerks…"

"Well, as soon as we find this magestone, we won't have to talk to each other," Deuce huffed.

Jill decided not to ignite the tension between the boys. "…How do you make your pens glow?" she asked.

"Just run a little magic through 'em. It's easy," Grim said. "Any baby can do it."

Jill took out her pen and concentrated, but nothing happened. She didn't know what to focus on. It was like trying to use a muscle that she never had before, and yet the headmage told her that she did have magic…

Whatever this power is, I wish I could use it for good, Jill thought sadly. All I can do is attract trouble…

She continued to walk down the barren tracks through the mines, with three people at her side and yet still feeling alone.