"Are you being serious right now?" Devon asked after her brothers filled her in on what she'd missed as they floated above Agrabah once again for another shared Disney dream. "I mean, I know we'd already guessed Mala was fae, but I never would've thought she'd be a queen. It sounds like you had a pretty good time with Lilia too."

DJ smiled. "Oh yeah. That guy's a party and a half. 10/10, would hang with again."

Devon gasped as a thought struck her. "Ooh hey, you know what this means? If Mala is the queen of Briar Valley, that would make her Malleus' grandmother."

DJ and Dominic blinked, not sure where she was going with this. "…Yeah?"

"Well, that means that Malleus can't be nearly as scary as everyone at school seems to think he is, right? I mean, we've known Mala our whole lives and we've never thought she was scary. Imposing, sure, but never scary," Devon reasoned. "I'll bet when I finally do meet Malleus, I won't be scared of him at all."

The brothers exchanged an amused look, but neither said anything. Maleficia and Lilia had informed them and their parents about the prince's friendship with (and budding feelings for) their sister, though the boys had gotten the juicier, more detailed version from Lilia during their excursion to Target. The family had been sworn to secrecy for the time being to insure that Devon's wouldn't learn who her good buddy 'Horns' really was until he was ready to tell her.

Before anything else could be said on the matter, the siblings were treated to a scene of Jafar getting his hands on the Genie's lamp and using his power to declare himself Sultan-a transfer of power that was completed by…changing clothes, apparently-and then, when Princess Jasmine and her somewhat reluctant father refused to bow to him, the most powerful sorcerer in the world.

"So…I'm guessing things in Scarabia are still a hot mess? Because this," DJ gestured to Jafar trapping Aladdin in one of the palace towers and sending it flying "to the ends of the Earth", "doesn't exactly give me a good feeling."

"Eh…yes and no," Devon replied. "I've got Azul, Jade, and Floyd helpin' out now and Azul says he's got a plan, but I still get the feeling that Kalim's about to Overblot. I thought we'd be able to head it off since he was in a much better mood all day today but I guess we aren't outta the woods yet."

DJ and Dominic shared a look, unsure how to bring their chief concern up to their sister. After a moment, DJ opted for the direct approach.

"Okay, sis. There's somethin' I've been thinkin' about since the last time we came to this dreamscape. I don't think Kalim's the one you need to be worried about," he said.

Devon blinked. "What do you mean? If not Kalim, then who?"

"Well…just think about it for a second. These dreams are clearly trying to show us that somethin' ain't right here," DJ explained. "A sultan and his royal vizier almost kinda doesn't sound too far off from a dorm leader and a vice dorm leader, doesn't it?"

"Not really. A vice dorm leader isn't a servant to the dorm leader," Devon replied, recalling Floyd's comment from earlier that evening. She watched as several scenes depicting Jafar using his staff to manipulate the Sultan flashed before them and her eyes widened as she caught onto what DJ was implying. "No, no, no. You don't think Jamil's the reason for all this, do you?"

"I mean…all the pieces fit, Dev," Dominic pointed out. "He's more than just a vice dorm leader-he's Kalim's personal attendant, which puts him closer to Kalim than just about anyone else in the dorm. You've told us before that he doesn't really seem all that happy about his situation though, since Kalim tends to run him ragged with impulsive demands. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to pin those facts as motive and opportunity."

"Yeah? And what about motive? How do you suppose he's doing all this?" Devon demanded defensively.

"Probably the same way he caused whatever brain fog got you to agree to stay in Scarabia even though you and Grim intended to go back to Ramshackle," DJ suggested. He held his hand up when Devon opened her mouth to argue. "Take a step back and look at it logically, sis. Just based off of what you told us yourself, Jamil was the only one around both times you experienced that fog. I'm betting it happened right when you made eye contact with him, didn't it?"

Devon didn't respond, but she realized that DJ was right. Now that she thought about, both times she'd witnessed Kalim go from his usual ball of sunshine self to 'relentless tyrant' mode, he and Jamil had split off from the other students before the change occurred. Still, she couldn't bring herself to pin all the unrest in Scarabia on Jamil. "What would he even get outta making Kalim act like a jerk, though? He had to make those marches to the oasis too."

"Yeah, and lemme guess: he was the one who was encouraging all the exhausted residents to push forward despite being just as worn out as they were, right?" DJ challenged. "I'm guessin' the ever-reliable vice dorm head made sure everyone had somethin' to drink too so nobody would get dehydrated."

That was pretty much exactly what happened-and on a day Kalim had refused to use his own Unique Magic to fill the oasis as he did the day before, no less-but Devon wasn't about to admit that. "You guys don't know what you're talkin' about," was all she could bring herself to say.

DJ sighed. He'd expected this kind of resistance; Devon had given similar pushback when he and Dominic suggested that Madison's behavior was becoming toxic. "We can't force you to believe us, but I think deep down you know we're right. You need to wake up and see this guy for what he is, Dev, or it's just gonna hurt you worse later on."

"…von… …ake up…," a faint voice echoed through the dreamscape.

Devon let out a sigh that was a mix of frustration and relief. "Well, I guess that's for me. Let's put a pin in this for now, yeah? I'll talk to you guys later."

DJ and Dominic shared a worried look as Devon faded away, her dreamscape fading with her. "How bad do you think this is gonna be for her?" Dominic asked.

"Emotionally, I think she'll be devastated," DJ answered. "If this results in another Overblot…we can only hope it doesn't turn out worse than Azul's. But no matter what happens we'll be there for her, right?"

"Pfft. Obviously," Dominic replied with a resolute nod.

'And if Jamil does end up hurting Devon, I'll figure out some way to make his life a living hell,' was DJ's final thought before their connection to the dreamscape was severed.

"Devon. Grim. It's time to wake up."

Jade's voice cut through Devon's subconscious again, fully bringing her back to the waking world this time. She yawned and stretched as Grim sat up next to her.

"Nyah? Are we marchin' to the oasis again?" Grim asked sleepily.

Azul shook his head. "No. We're waking up early precisely to avoid that. Now get ready and come with us."

After Devon finished getting ready for the day, they split off into two groups; Azul, Jade, and Grim headed toward Kalim's room while Devon made her way toward the lounge to meet up with Floyd, who'd already headed off to round up the other students and get breakfast started. Once Azul's group had reached Kalim's room, they wasted no time knocking on the door and letting themselves in.

"Good morning, Kalim," Jade greeted.

"Mmph… Izzat you, Jamil?" Kalim asked groggily as he sat up and stretched, barely covering up a yawn. "Mornin'…"

Jade chuckled. "No, Kalim. It's Jade. Though I suppose our names do sound similar so I can understand the confusion."

Kalim's eyes snapped open at the sound of Jade's voice and he looked around at the group gathered in his room in confusion. "Wait, what? What are all of you doing in here?"

"I've made you some tea to help you wake up and a change of clothes," Jade continued as if Kalim hadn't said anything. "Now, if you would please come this way…"

"Wait, what's going on?" Kalim asked again. "Where's Jamil?"

"Don't worry. We're perfectly capable of helping you get ready for the day without him," Azul assured him.

As if on cue, there was another knock on the door and Jamil strode in a second later. "Kalim, it's time to get-what?!" He stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened in shock when he caught sight of who else was in the room. "Azul? Jade? Grim? What are you all doing in here?!"

Azul smiled brightly. "Ah, good morning, Jamil! We'll be taking over seeing after Kalim for the remainder of the break, so please feel free to sleep in today. We insist!"

"Come again?!" Jamil asked in disbelief.

"I had a revelation during our chat last night, you see," Azul explained. "The busiest person in this dorm, the one who works the hardest by far…," He paused for dramatic effect, "is you, Jamil!"

"All of us feel so terribly guilty about taking advantage of Scarabia's hospitality, you see," Jade elaborated. "We wanted to pay you back somehow."

"Just call us the Jamil Support Squad!" Grim chirped.

The incredulous look on Jamil's face didn't fade in the slightest. "O-Of all the ridiculous…" He cleared his throat quickly. "Ah, I mean, I couldn't possibly ask you to…"

Kalim, meanwhile, looked overjoyed at the suggestion. "Oh my! That's genius! I've spent ages trying to come up with a way to make Jamil's job easier!"

"Your sense of compassion is nothing short of touching, Kalim," Jade commented. "If only Azul could follow your example."

Azul let out a dry humorless chuckle, fixing Jade with a glare as he adjusted his glasses. "Ha ha ha. Always have to get in a dig, eh, Jade?" He cleared his throat before plastering a smile back on his face as he turned to Jamil. "In any case, we'll handle everything here so you can take it easy, Jamil."

"Take them up on it, Jamil!" Kalim said encouragingly. "This'll be great for you!"

"Well, it seems the dorm head approves," Jade said as he ushered Jamil toward the door. "Run along now, Jamil. Go back to your room and catch up on your sleep."

Jamil could barely keep up with what was happening as Jade politely yet firmly steered him out of Kalim's room. He only snapped back to himself when he heard the door shut behind him. "What in the world just happened…?" He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. "Well, it's not as though I can just go back to bed. I need to at least see to breakfast."

He made his way to the dorm's kitchens…only to see that breakfast preparations were already well underway. Devon was busily directing the students preparing the food while Floyd gave everything a final check to make sure it was ready to be taken to the lounge.

"Slow your roll there, minnow," Floyd called out to a Scarabia student that was walking past with a tray of food. "That stuff ain't been seasoned, so don't run it out just yet."

"R-Right. Sorry, sir!" the student apologized.

"The vegetables in the oven are done!" another student announced.

"Shrimpy's already dressed those, so plate 'em and get 'em to the lounge," Floyd instructed.

"Wha-?! Breakfast is already made?!" Jamil took a breath to compose himself before he walked over to Floyd. "Did you and Devon put all this together, Floyd?"

"G'mornin', Sea Snake! Yep, me, Shrimpy, and the minnows took care of everything," Floyd replied. "Azul was goin' on and on about how much he wanted to help ya, see?"

"But that's…" Jamil was barely able to suppress an eye twitch. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I can't in good consciousness put our guests to work like that."

"We ain't exactly guests, though. We're trainin' buddies, remember?" Floyd reminded him.

"Be that as it may, Kalim only eats food that's been prepared by me. We have to be vigilant about poison, you see," Jamil argued.

"Whaaat? You really think Shrimpy and I would try to poison him?" Floyd asked with a look of disappointment on his face. "I can understand not trustin' me, but I thought you had more faith in Shrimpy than that." He shook his head. "Man… I bet she'll be devastated when she hears you don't trust her."

"I-It's not that!" Jamil protested quickly. The words flew out of him before he had time to think about it, but the thought of upsetting Devon made his stomach sink. His common sense told him it was a little late to be worried about that now, but he rationalized it by telling himself he didn't want to add any more fuel to the fire. "It's just that we've learned from experience that we can't be too careful when it comes to Kalim's safety."

"Then howzabout this: you taste everything first. If the food gets your stamp of approval, we can pass some along to Sea Otter," Floyd suggested.

"I…suppose that would be fine," Jamil agreed hesitantly.

Upon overhearing that Jamil would be taste testing the food before it was served, several of the students began to approach him with various dishes.

"Would you care to taste these grilled vegetables, vice dorm head?" one requested.

"I think this soup came out nicely, but I'd like a second opinion. What do you think, sir?" another asked.

Jamil sighed. "Fine. I'll taste them all myself." He reached out to try some of the vegetables before stopping himself. "Actually, have we finished our preparations for the march to the oasis? Normally we eat after we've returned."

"About that," Azul began as he appeared behind Jamil without a sound. "I actually offered Kalim an alternate proposal."

"Where did you even come from?!" Jamil demanded as he jumped away from Azul. The poor guy's nerves were shot and it was barely 7am.

Azul continued as if Jamil hadn't said anything, speaking loudly enough so the other dorm members could hear him as well. "Rather than aerobic exercises like long-range walking, you're likely to find far greater gains in strength and stamina from proper indoor weight training. This dorm's desert environment means that it gets dangerously hot after a certain point, after all. We wouldn't want to risk anyone passing out from heatstroke."

"You guys have that huge fountain out in the courtyard, don't ya? Why not try swimmin' in that if you wanna build your stamina?" Floyd suggested. "It'll be way more fun than marchin', too."

"Not a bad idea, Floyd," Azul agreed. "I can tell you from personal experience that swimming burns far more fat than walking."

"So…does that mean we don't have to go on those marches anymore?" one of the Scarabia students asked hopefully, causing excited whispers to ripple amongst the other students.

"We're saved, vice dorm head!" another whispered to Jamil excitedly.

"I believe it's also worth mentioning that skipping breakfast will make you more easily fatigued and distracted," Azul added. "Though, naturally, overeating can be just as detrimental."

"Morning, everyone!" Kalim greeted brightly as he and Jade entered the lounge with Grim riding on Kalim's shoulder. "Ooh, is breakfast finished already?"

"Dang, that smells good!" Grim commented as he hopped from Kalim's shoulder to Devon's, who had by this point moved over to where Jamil and Floyd were standing.

"It seems Floyd is in a good mood this morning," Jade observed. "His cooking is downright atrocious when he's not in his happy place."

"Sea Snake's already poison-tested everything, Sea Otter," Floyd said as he handed Kalim a plate. "So go ahead and dig in!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Kalim chirped before trying some of the soup. "Oh wow! This soup is incredible."

"Ain't it, though? That's a Coral Sea staple right there, packed full of seafood," Floyd replied.

Jamil heaved a sigh as everyone began migrating toward the lounge to bring out the rest of the food and fix some plates of their own. He wasn't sure what Azul was planning here, but he just knew he was going to have to work double-time figuring out a way to keep all his hard work from going to waste without making it obvious that he was trying to interfere with…whatever they were doing. He had half a mind to ask Devon what was going on, but she was evidently very busy getting breakfast ready because she didn't look over at him once. For now, all he could do was watch and wait.

After everyone had finished and cleaned up after breakfast, they settled in for their morning study session. Azul wasted no time taking the lead, providing study tips to Kalim and the other Scarabia students while Jamil watched him like a hawk.

"The key to mastering ancient incantations is to memorize the vocabulary," he advised as the students worked on their holiday assignments (Zephyr had quickly rocketed back to Ramshackle to retrieve Devon and Grim's work as well as to let the other Wisps know that they'd been found more or less safe and sound).

"I've never been very good at memorization. It just puts me to sleep," Kalim said.

"Then why don't you try reciting the incantations while walking around the lounge?" Azul suggested.

"It's proven to be an effective study method for people with shorter attention spans," Jade added.

"Sounds like it oughta work for me too, then!" Grim chimed in.

"Alright! Let's all try it together, guys!" Kalim said brightly.

"Yes, dorm leader!" the other Scarabia students chorused in agreement, happy to see their dorm head back to his old self.

Kalim let out a whoop after about twenty minutes of walking and recitation. "Alright! I finally memorized a spell I was having trouble with!"

Jamil heaved another beleaguered sigh as several other students reported similarly positive results. He hadn't had a chance to get close to Devon this time either since she was flanked by Azul and Jade the entire time, but he didn't like the endeared smile she was giving Kalim as he celebrated memorizing a simple spell.

Around midmorning, everyone changed into their gym uniforms and gathered in Scarabia's courtyard.

"Exercise can help to improve your concentration, but take care not to work yourself to the point of exhaustion," Azul warned.

"Mock battles are a good way to exercise while simultaneously blowing off steam," Jade added.

"Aha ha! Count me in! I'm in the mood to throw down!" Floyd cheered as his eyes landed on Devon. "Hey, Shrimpy! Get over here and fight me!"

"Ay basura," Devon sighed.

Kalim smiled at the exchange, letting out an amused laugh as he moved to stand beside Devon. "Okay, break into groups of five, guys! Let the melee begin!"

"Ah ha ha!" Kalim laughed as everyone wrapped up their mock battles later on. "These mock battles have been a blast! And they're a great way to test out what we've studied."

Jamil sighed again as the other students murmured in agreement.

"One of the most important things for people our age is our diet," Azul said after everyone had cleaned up from their exercise and headed into the cafeteria kitchen to get lunch ready. "It's absolutely crucial to make sure you get all the nutrients you need-not too many and not too few. The right balance will benefit you greatly when it comes time for afternoon studies."

"Aside from being an essential life skill for fostering a sense of independence, cooking also helps you to gain an understanding of the ingredients you use and foster the development of a healthy diet," Jade added.

"Maybe I should cook every now and then," Kalim mused to Devon. "If I prepared my own meals, I definitely wouldn't have to worry about poison."

"Don't bother. You'll just injure yourself again," Jamil retorted, his mood having continued to sour over the course of the morning, both due to Octavinelle's continued presence and to Kalim's insistence on staying as close to Devon as he could. He still hadn't been able to get close to her, though he did notice an uncharacteristically troubled expression on her face when she wasn't immediately distracted by a person or task, as if she was distracted by some secret thought she was keeping tucked away.

"Alright, Sea Otter. You're gonna be in charge of stirrin' the pot," Floyd said, gesturing to a large pot of soup boiling on the stove.

"Please keep an eye on that soup and see that it doesn't boil over, won't you?" Jade requested.

"Of course! You can count on me!" Kalim agreed eagerly.

Jade turned to the other Scarabia students with a grin. "Let's make this a meal to remember, everyone."

"Yes, sir!" chorused the other students.

Kalim smiled over at Devon. "Just you watch, Dev! I'm gonna make the tastiest soup ever!"

Devon couldn't help but smile back, despite her older brother's warning still ringing in her head. "I'll be looking forward to it, bud."

"I'll help. I worry about you causing another mess in the kitchen," Jamil volunteered, his voice causing Devon to bristle unintentionally, a movement that was not lost on him.

"There's no need to fret, Jamil," Azul said reassuringly, pulling Jamil's attention away from Devon for the time being. "We will be there to assist him."

"You just sit back and relax," Jade suggested.

Jamil felt his eye twitch but knew better than to argue. There was no saying he couldn't keep an eye on everything from a distance…and maybe take the opportunity to figure out why Devon was acting so strangely. "…Fine." He moved closer to Devon until he was standing next to her, effectively caging her between himself and Kalim. "Is everything alright, Devon?"

Devon had been too absorbed in helping with meal prep to notice him approach and she startled at the sudden closeness of his voice. "Ah!" She whipped around to face him, nearly making eye contact before seeming to catch herself and going back to chopping ingredients. "Oh, hey. Sorry about that, Jamil. I didn't hear you walk up. What makes you think somethin's bothering me?"

"You've just seemed a bit distracted today," Jamil replied. He told himself he was just asking because he wanted to try and suss out if she'd started to catch on to what he was doing, but the truth was that the thought of her deliberately avoiding him was causing an unsettling pit in his stomach. He reached out to gently touch her shoulder. "You know you can tell me if something's wrong."

Devon chewed on her lower lip uncertainly as she thought. Obviously she wasn't about to tell him precisely what she and her brothers had discussed in their shared dream, but she knew that saying nothing was wrong wouldn't fool Jamil. From what she'd heard from Azul and the twins, it wasn't like him to go out of his way to ask after anyone but Kalim just because and if DJ was right and he truly was behind everything happening in Scarabia, he might be able to manipulate her into telling revealing Azul's plan if she lied that nothing was wrong. Her best bet seemed to be to try and make a molehill out of a mountain to throw him off the trail.

"Sorry about that," she replied, giving him an apologetic smile-though he noticed she still didn't meet his eyes. "I talked to my brothers last night and I've been a little preoccupied ever since. I miss 'em, y'know?"

Jamil blinked. "How are you able to speak to them if they're in an entirely different world?"

Devon smirked and held up her wrist to show him her bracelet. "Through a combination of a blessing the three of us received from our literal fairy godmother as babies, magic-imbued stones that were gifts from said fairy godmother…and probably some sheer force of will thrown in for good measure. We can't do it all the time, but every so often we're able to talk to each other in our dreams."

"That's so cool!" Kalim chimed in. "Cater and Lilia told me that you three had been blessed by a really powerful fae but I had no idea your powers could work across worlds. Lilia also mentioned that one of your brothers was able to use his blessing to so they could watch the mess with the Ghost Bride in real time."

Devon nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Dom's blessing has gotten to the point where he can use it to look through mine and DJ's eyes. It wears him out if he does it for too long, so we try not to rely too much on that unless it's an emergency."

"As I recall, your older brother's blessing was a big help when we faced Azul's Overblot," Jade recalled, shooting a look at Azul that was equal parts amused and mocking.

"Aha ha ha ha!" Floyd cackled. "That was great! DJ whaled on Azul so hard that I thought for sure all his ribs were gonna be fish paste!"

Azul cleared his throat. "I'm standing right here, you two. If we could please change the subject..."

"No, hold on," Jamil interjected with a smirk. "I'd like hear more about this blessing."

Devon let out a subtle sigh of relief as she mouthed a quick 'I'm sorry' to Azul, grateful for the distraction. Azul, meanwhile, was doing his best to keep the conversation off of how DJ had wiped the (sea)floor with him.

"Scalding Sands cuisine truly is wonderful, isn't it?" he tried again. "Maybe we should consider adding a few items to the Mostro Lounge menu. Procuring high quality ingredients might pose a challenge, though."

"To say nothing of actually cooking them properly," Jade agreed.

"I'd be happy to help with that! I'd love it everyone could see how amazing our food is!" Kalim replied cheerfully. "I can get all the proper spices and I'd be glad to bring in one of my family's chefs to teach you."

"Why, that would be marvelous! We can work out a proper contract later," Azul replied. He turned his gaze toward Devon. "I would also be quite interested in adding some of the dishes you're fond of making to the Lounge menu as well, Devon."

"So you keep tellin' me, bud. And I keep tellin' you that most of those recipes are for family only," Devon reminded him before stepping away to make sure Grim didn't pilfer too many ingredients before they could cook with them. "I'm not about to risk my Mama finding out because she will figure out a way into this world for the sole purpose of smackin' me with a wooden spoon."

"So…if Azul marries Shrimpy we should be in the clear, right?" Floyd reasoned, shooting a quick glance toward Jamil to gauge his reaction.

Azul rubbed his chin, pretending to consider it. "Hmm… That's not a bad idea, Floyd. She and I get along well enough, after all, and if we can figure out how exactly she managed to travel to this world, I could expand my business to her world as well." He could feel Jamil's eyes boring into him as he spoke and his lips twisted into an amused smirk when he met his classmate's withering glare. "Oh come now, Jamil, try to lighten up. We were only joking; I wouldn't dream of stealing Devon away from you."

Jamil subconsciously tugged the hood of his dorm uniform further over his eyes, very much aware of how quickly his cheeks were heating up. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just think Devon deserves better than being saddled with you for the rest of her life."

"Oh? Would someone like Kalim be better, in that case?" Azul shot back, nodding toward the boy in question.

Jamil followed his gaze to see Kalim staring after Devon with the most adoring puppy love-esque look in his eyes, completely oblivious to the conversation happening right next to him and causing a sinking feeling of dread to take root in his stomach.

The rest of lunch prep passed relatively quickly. After Devon had returned from retrieving her wayward Grim, Kalim had started peppering her with questions about the food from her world and hung onto her every word when she answered. Jamil's stomach sank even further when she offered to cook something for Kalim at Ramshackle at some point over the break, an invitation the white-haired boy eagerly accepted.

"Not bad, Sea Otter," Floyd complimented once the soup was nearly finished. "You're better at this than I thought."

"Mmhmm!" Devon agreed. "It smells amazing!"

"Ha ha! You really think so?" Kalim asked as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "I guess you never know until you try. It's nearly finished so please hold on just a little longer."

"Aha ha! Even I'm capable of making a simple soup, huh," Kalim said with amusement as everyone began carrying the food back to the dorm.

"All you did was stir the pot," Jamil grumbled.

Lunchtime back at Scarabia passed pleasantly. The food was delicious and the students chattered happily amongst themselves. Kalim remained his usual cheerful self, keeping himself close to Devon and asking her more about her home and her family, which she was always eager to answer. All the food was eaten in no time at all.

"Wow! That was delicious!" Kalim said as he patted his stomach.

"I propose everyone take a short walk once they finish eating," Azul advised. "A little light exercise after a meal will stimulate brain activity and improve their performance during afternoon studies."

"You sure know a lot about this stuff, huh Azul? I'm impressed," Kalim replied. A look of regret passed over his face. "I was just pushing for hard work without any real sense of direction. I haven't been very fair to my students, have I?" He sighed. "We're both sophomores and we became dorm heads at around the same time, but I can't help feeling woefully behind."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Kalim," Azul said, resting a reassuring hand on Kalim's shoulder. "Our vacation isn't even at the halfway mark yet. There's still time to change things." He gestured out toward the students as they cleaned up from lunch. "Just listen to what your students are saying."

Kalim turned his attention to a group of three students who were gathering up dishes to being to the kitchen.

"You know, I can't say I mind staying at school over the break if the training's as helpful as its been today," one said.

The second nodded. "I agree. The students in our dorm come from all over Twisted Wonderland, so we only really get to spend time with everyone like this while we're at school."

"It really feels like we're waking up from a nightmare," the third added.

Jamil narrowed his eyes at the scene, barely able to bite back a scream as he watched months of hard work get washed down the drain. He had to put a stop to this before his plans were completely unsalvageable.

"You know, I've noticed that there are several students here in Scarabia that excel in astrology and ancient incantations," Azul pointed out to Kalim later on.

Kalim nodded. "The legends say that the Sorcerer of the Sands specialized in divination, so it's pretty common for students with similar talent to end up in this dorm. I'm not really good at either subject myself, though. Heh…"

"I've heard that the Sorcerer of the Sands also utilized a man-made fortunetelling device that was powered by natural energy," Azul said. "The study of astrology took shape relatively quickly compared to other fields of study thanks in large part to the developments he pioneered. Seems he was rather ahead of his time."

"The Great Seven never fail to impress!" Kalim marveled.

Azul checked the time on his phone. "It's nearly three o'clock. Let's get in a little more studying and then take a break."

"Shall I prepare some tea?" Jade offered.

Azul shook his head. "No, I'll handle it. I've made the most progress with my assignment, after all."

"Allow me to assist you," Jamil volunteered as he stood up.

"I appreciate that," Azul agreed with a smile. "Let us be off then, Jamil."

The pair made their way out of the lounge and into the hallway to the kitchen.

"I've run the numbers and the students' completion rate for their assignments is up fifteen percent from yesterday," Azul reported. "Quite a favorable result, if I do say so myself. Devon informed me that Kalim had been behaving rather out of sorts lately, but it seems he's calmed down since we arrived. It also appears that he's regained the faith of the other Scarabia students. Wonderful, isn't it?"

"No. It isn't," Jamil replied quietly. "That's actually going to be a problem."

"A problem?" Azul repeated questioningly.

"The three of you can't stay in Scarabia any longer. I think it's time you returned to the sea," Jamil said coldly, his expression unreadable.

Devon's vision darkened again as another ink blot came into focus. More blots fell to the ground than ever, creating an even larger puddle as it inched across the ground. Devon quickly snapped back to reality, giving Jade a subtle nod as the vision faded and watching as he reached for his phone.

'Looks like Kalim really isn't the one whose blot I was seeing,' she thought as dread began to pool in her stomach. 'Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means.'

"Pardon? Where is this coming from so suddenly, Jamil? Have I done something to upset you?" Azul asked.

Jamil sighed forlornly. "You really can't tell? Not even after seeing this sad look on my face?"

Azul blinked, looking over Jamil's expression. "What are you-?"

Jamil's sad frown quickly twisted into a conniving smirk. "You've sealed your fate by making eye contact with me. Idiot. [The one you see before you is your master. When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will obey. Snake Whisper.]"

"What is the meaning of-?!" Azul began, only to stop short when he felt a crushing pain in his head. "Rrh-! M-My head… Ggh!"

"The longer you resist, the worse the pain will get. Make it easier on yourself and submit," Jamil urged. "I'm waiting." He watched as Azul clutched at his head, gritting his teeth against the pain, before the octomer's eyes closed and his arms fell limp at his sides. "Azul, who is your master?"

"My master is…you, Jamil," Azul replied in a dull, emotionless tone. He opened his eyes and looked up at Jamil with a blank expression. "I await your command, Master."

"Heh…" Jamil's lips pulled upward into a twisted smirk, his sinister chuckles escalating until the stopped just short of a full-blown evil laugh. "You dropped your guard around me because you mistook me for some mediocre mage-quite the embarrassing blunder for the ever-calculating dorm leader of Octavinelle." He sighed and fixed Azul with an irritated glare. "But seriously… Because of you, all of my carefully laid plans have gone up in smoke. Just one more push from those two from Ramshackle and the dorm students would've moved to toss Kalim out! You have no idea how many hoops I've to jump through to get to this point-to get Kalim removed from his position without getting my own hands dirty. Can you even comprehend the mental gymnastics I've had to do to even pull this much off? Luckily for me, Devon's attraction to me kept her from questioning just about anything I told her, but I fear she's finally starting to catch on." He shook his head, speaking to no one in particular. "Well, what's done is done, I suppose. My plan can still be salvaged. First I'll have Azul order the twins back to the Coral Sea. …Actually, wait." He turned to address Azul. "Azul. All the powers stored in your golden contracts were returned to their original owners when the contracts were destroyed, right?"

"That's correct, Master," Azul answered dully.

"Tch. So much for making you my own personal genie of the lamp," Jamil scoffed. "Your Unique Magic is extremely powerful, but keeping you under my control long-term would tax my magical reserves to too great a degree."

"I remember the contents of the contracts, sir," Azul interjected.

Jamil blinked. "What?"

"I memorized each and every secret of everyone who signed a contract with me," Azul elaborated. "Troubles. Weaknesses. Desires. I remember them all."

Jamil smirked, crossing his arms. "My, what a distasteful collection. Seems I was right to keep my distance from you. And does this intellectual cache of yours include the headmaster's secrets as well?"

Azul nodded slowly. "Of course. I have knowledge of secrets he would never want disclosed."

"Wonderful… Wonderful!" Jamil's twisted smile and evil laugh were back. "You might make a fine genie of the lamp after all, Azul."

"Do you wish to know the headmaster's secret?" Azul asked.

"Naturally," Jamil replied. "Once I know Crowley's weakness, I'll finally be free. I'll have Kalim kicked out of the school…and take the dorm leader seat for myself!"

"And there we have it."

Jamil whipped around at the sound of the intruding voice, leveling a glare the person it belonged to. "You…"

Ending Notes: You know DJ's protective big brother protocols are fighting a battle with his 'ha ha, I told you so' protocols. Being protective is going to win out, but he'll still mentally pat himself on the back a little bit. He is going to find a way to make Jamil's life (temporary) hell later on, though. Or, more accurately, a way to make Jamil's life hell is going to find DJ. I don't want to reveal too much but I hope you guys are looking forward to Book 6.

I'm…really not looking forward to the next few chapters. Jamil's betrayal is going to deal a pretty serious blow to his relationship with Devon and she's not going to be nearly as forgiving as Kalim. I know it needs to happen so their relationship can develop into something deeper than what it has been, but I'm pretty protective of Devon.

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!