Chapter 12

"Really, it's bad enough I have to wear this collar, but you're making me clean?" Ace complained with his hands on his hips.

He was currently in Ramshackle Dorm with both Marie and Grim, upstairs in one of the many rooms that occupied the dorm.

"You want an actual bed to sleep in this time right? So for that, we gotta clean up some of the other rooms here." Marie pointed out as she shook out the dusty sheets on the bed.

The ginger let out an audible sigh with a shake of his head. He really didn't want to sleep on the rickety old couch again. His back still aches from the thought of it. So with little choice in the matter, he started cleaning off the fireplace. Loads of dust came off as he brushed the rag against the surface. Some of it even ended up getting into his face, causing him to cough. "Seriously, how long has this place even been left here?!" Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the fireplace. He raised a brow in curiosity. Apparently, some items were sitting on the mantle. Things like old brushes, a few books, and even a skeleton plushie with a big stitched-on smile. Yet the thing that interested him the most was an old box of playing cards.

Ace picked the box of the fireplace and wiped the dust off the front, revealing the image of a white rabbit blowing a horn. He glanced over at Marie as she just finished placing the sheets back on the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles. A sly grin spread on his face. "Time to get out of cleaning for a bit."

He opened up the box and dumped the stack of cards into his hands. "Hey, Marie, wanna see something neat?" he said as he approached.

The teenage girl huffed as she stood back up straight with hands on her hips. "Ace, you know we're trying to get cleaning done, right?"

"Yeah, but I promise, you'll really like this."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, a break wouldn't hurt."

"Oh, a break! Finally, I can stop cleaning the floor!" Grim exclaimed before hopping up on the bed. "Now show us that cool thing, Ace!"

With eyes on him, Ace started mixing up the cards. His hands moved with speed and precision, not dropping a single one on the floor. When he finished, he held out the deck. "Now, pull the top one off and study it carefully without telling me what it is."

Marie pulled the top card off the stack and silently memorized it. After a few seconds, she gave the card back to him.
With a smirk, Ace started mixing up the cards again. But he did not merely shuffle them, he wanted to make a show of it. He raised one hand up and dropped the cards down into his lower hand. He made the cards fan out before slapping them back into a single deck. He even put one hand behind his head and snapped the cards over his shoulder to his waiting hand. Although it was a bit trickier to pull off with the heart collar around his neck, he still managed to do it with ease.

"Now..." he started, flicking his wrist. A card was now in his hand. "Is this your card?"

"The seven of hearts. Yeah, that was the card I got." Marie replied, "You're right, that was really neat."

"Oh oh, I wanna try now!" Grim pleaded, constantly hopping on the bed.

"Sure thing." Ace grinned as he reshuffled the deck. "Now, same as before. Top card and don't tell me."

The feline snagged the card with both paws, his blue eyes narrowing with intense focus. It took a few minutes, but he finally gave it back.
Once again, the ginger put on a dazzling display for his friends. In his hands, it was almost as if they were the legendary living trump cards from the tale of the Queen of Hearts. After a few tricks, he leaned to Grim and reached behind one of his fiery ears. Upon pulling back, he now had a playing card in his hand. "Is this your card?" he asked, flipping the card over.

"Yeah, the one with the funny clown on it! How did you get that behind my ear?!" Grim beamed in excitement, "You need to show me so I can look cool with it too!"

"Sorry, a magician never reveals his secrets."

"Fynah?! What do you mean?! Come on, tell me!"

"You know, he's going to pester you until he finds out." Marie chuckled.

Despite only knowing the two for around a day, Ace knew she was right. When Grim had his mind set to something, he would try everything in his power to accomplish that goal. Even if most of those attempts ended in disaster.

"So where did you learn those tricks anyway? With how you were handling those cards, it was almost like your magic wasn't even sealed away." Marie asked.

"Oh trust me, I can't use any kind of magic still." Ace groaned at the reminder of his current situation. His red eyes glanced down at the playing cards in his hands. "It was my dad who taught me these tricks."

Fond memories came rushing back to him of growing up in the Queendom of Roses. His father dressed in a red suit with a tall black top hat with playing cards attached to the ribbon. Performing magic tricks for all to see. One particular trick he recalled was his father pouring tea down his collar, yet the tea came out perfectly fine from his sleeve and into the teacup. "He always liked making people smile, even as a magicless human." He had never missed a performance, often sitting in front of the stage, enamored with his father's own brand of magic.

"Wait, your dad had no magic?" Marie's voice cut through his memories.

Ace blinked as he came back to the present, seeing his friend give him an annoyed scowl.

"Then why did you make fun of me for having no magic?!"

"Well, someone with no magic at a magical school is kind of funny, right?"

Marie's eyes narrowed. The next thing he knew, his vision was filled with white. He stumbled to the floor, seeing his attacker holding a large pillow. "Oi! You're gonna get it now!" He looked around the room and saw a dirty pillow on the chair. Snagging it, he immediately swung, smacking her in the side. Marie gasped before swinging back. Within seconds, a pillow fight ensued. The two were running around the room, trying to get the upper hand. A pillow smacked on top of his head as he laughed with a smirk. There was no way he was gonna let her win. He took another swing and hit her stomach. She bent over laughing before taking another swing.

In the midst of their pillow fight, Grim was scrambling on the bed, trying desperately not to get caught in the crossfire. Unfortunately for him, Marie's next swing ended up hitting the little monster and sent him flying off the bed. Ace fell back laughing as Grim landed in the fireplace and got completely covered in soot.

"Nnngh. My beautiful fur, I oughta roast you for that!" Grim hissed as he shook out his fur.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Grim." Marie said, trying to hold back her laughter.

She got one of the white cloths and started wiping the soot off the cat's face. Ace tried to catch his breath as he sat on the floor, still chuckling a bit. Looking back, he was glad the Dark Mirror had brought her to their world. Right from day one, she, Grim, heck, even Deuce made his school life interesting. How many students could say they started school fighting a monster? She even managed to lighten up what he considered to be a boring ceremony. If he were given a choice to go back and change the events of that day, he would gladly do it all over again.

Just then, there was knocking on the door downstairs.

"Ah, that must be Deuce with yours and his clothes for tonight. Do you mind finishing cleaning off Grim?" Marie asked.

"Yeah sure, go ahead." Ace answered as he started getting up.

"Thanks, be back in a sec."

He watched as she briskly left the room. "Alright, you fuzzball, let's get you tidied up." he said, kneeling to Grim with the cloth.

Marie hurried down the stairs, though she clenched her teeth when one of the steps squeaked a little too loudly. Just another thing to add onto the ever-growing list of repairs. She reached the door and opened it, expecting Deuce. Yet she jolted back in surprise when instead she was greeted with Divus Crewel.

"Professor Crewel?! Why are you here?!" she exclaimed.

Crewel narrowed his eyes as he swatted the pointer against the door frame. "Such a poor mannered pup, immediately barking at guests at the door. Pups should be calm and quiet once the door is opened. Now cease your yapping this instant!"

Marie stiffened up straight with her mouth clamped shut in response.

"There, now that's a good girl." the older man grinned as he patted the top of her head.

The teen's cheeks couldn't help but redden out of fluster. Just what's with this guy treating people like they were dogs? It's not exactly the most polite way to address others. But she chose to hold her tongue, feeling if she were to voice her frustrations, it would just make him swat his pointer again. And if she learned anything from her first day of school, it was that Crewel can be quite terrifying when he's annoyed.

"Now then, onto business. The headmaster requested that I craft clothes for you to wear. I have completed them; I just need you to try them on to see if any need alterations."

Oh, that's right! Crowley had mentioned the previous day that he would speak to Crewel about clothes for her. After all the chaos with the burnt Queen of Hearts statue, the broken chandelier, and the monster in the mines, she had completely forgotten.

"I can go up to my room to try them on."

Stepping aside, she allowed her teacher in. As he entered, she noticed two large boxes floating after him. His gloved hand scooted in her direction, silently telling her to go on. Marie climbed back up the stairs and reached the room she was staying in. Yet, strangely enough, only one of the boxes floated into her room while the other remained at Crewel's side. "Knock when you are dressed." he said before closing the door. As soon as the latch clicked, the box stopped floating and gently descended to the ground.

"Better do what he says." she shrugged with a sigh.

The box came open with minimal effort. Inside was an assortment of shirts and pants. There were even vests, hats, and shorts. All of them with varying and colorful designs. One of the turtleneck sweaters she pulled out was white with black spots. Taking off her uniform, she pulled on said sweater with some black pants. Her gaze focused on her reflection in the mirror. "I kind of look like a Dalmatian." she chuckled a bit, "Yet it works."

Marie knocked on her door, and it only took a few seconds for Crewel to open the door.

He hummed in thought, red gloves pressed up to his mouth and his grey eyes intense. "Let me get a once over. Please do a rotation."
She slowly rotated her body, raising her arms near her head to give the best view. When she faced him once more, he remained silent. Finally, with a nod of his head, he waved his pointer. Sparkles appeared over her clothing, and before her very eyes, the sleeves shortened a bit.

"Wow, that didn't even take more than a second." she commented, lifting her arms to and fro.

"Magic can do many things. Making alterations is a simpler spell but still requires some skill to perform. While you may lack magic yourself, you best keep this in mind, pup, if you are to be staying with us." With the last of his words, he gives her a slight smile. It wasn't like his prior smirk, but rather more of genuine kindness.

"Gee, thanks for the advice, Professor Crewel." Marie replied, with her own smile.

"Now, go on, you shouldn't be standing there. There's still more clothes you need to try on." Once again, he shooed her away with his hand.

And so, outfit after outfit the girl tried on. A green jacket with sparkle designs near the bottom. Boots with steel toes. A brown vest with a red scarf to match. A shirt with a flying elephant. All sorts of kinds of style. Each time, she would present herself to Crewel, and he would use his magic to make alterations. Having tried on the last of the clothes in the box, she went back out in the hallway.

"That's the last of them, Professor Crewel."

The man hummed in approval before floating the second box into her room. "Excellent, now I just need you to try on this last one."

"Wait, just one outfit is in the box? Why not just put it with the others?"

"Still with the pointless yapping," he sighed, shaking his head. He flicked his pointer toward the door, not as a scolding snap but rather as a command: "Try it on, then you may ask questions."

Marie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with telling her what was inside the box. Oh well. Walking back inside her room, she closed the door and stared at the remaining box. "Best get it over with." Without any hesitation, she opened the box. In an instant, her breath was stolen away. It was a beautiful blue fabric. Lifting it up, the fabric unfolded to reveal itself as a knee-length dress. There was the white silhouette of a rabbit on the bottom left of the skirt. A rather cute detail in the girl's mind. In a flash, she changed out of her clothes in the dress.

Her grin was beaming as she twirled, the skirt swaying with her movement. She ran over to the mirror above the fireplace, admiring her reflection. She giggled as she grabbed the skirt with both her hands and swung it around. Her heart pounding with joy, she bounded over to her door and swung it open. Before Crewel could even react, she hugged him around the waist.

"Thank you, Professor Crewel, I absolutely love it!" she squealed into his chest.

"Down! Down! I understand you're an excitable pup, but that doesn't mean you can just forget yourself." he quickly snipped out, but there was no clear anger in his voice.

Marie gave an embarrassed chuckle as she pulled away, watching him smooth out his disheveled vest. "Sorry, I just kind of have a weakness for cute things." she smiled while rubbing the back of her neck.

The man smoothed out the last of his wrinkles before adjusting his fur coat, regaining his composure. "Well, I'm glad you like it, but if you're to thank anyone, thank that old fossil, Trien."

"Professor Trien, the one who teaches the History of Magic?"

"The very same. He insisted I should at least make you a dress. Of course, seeing as I don't know your preferences, I decided to test the waters first."

Now, that was quite an interesting tidbit. It made her wonder why the professor would be insistent on it. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt her to ask. After all, she saw that Crewel was more than just the scary, strict teacher waving a pointer. There was a good chance that Mozus Trien was more than just an old man with a cold glare.

"Well, now that we are finished, I cannot linger any longer. There's unfortunately a pile of paperwork with my name on it." He turned on his heel and started descending the stairs. "I'll be sure to create more dresses for you."

"Huh, wait!" Marie called out, darting down the stairs after him. "I don't want to inconvenience you, professor!"

Crewel stopped at the front door and turned toward the girl with a devilish grin. "Inconvenience me? Perish the thought. Making clothes is my hobby, it's what I live for."

With that, he opened the door. He ended up walking past Deuce, who was holding two tote bags, with the only acknowledgment being "Mr. Spade."
The boy was confused until his eyes landed on Marie. In that instant, his eyes widened, and a bright blush formed on his face. "Um... you look nice."

Night had descended upon Twisted Wonderland. The trio of teens were sitting in the main lobby of Ramshackle Dorm in their PJs, all sitting in a circle on a bunch of pillows. Grim had his face buried into a bag of popcorn while sitting on Marie's lap.

"Thesh fsh bngin th fewd drush." the feline said with his mouth full.

"Grim, it's rude to talk with your mouth completely full." Marie scolded, flicking one of his ears. Grim immediately looked back at her with an annoyed glare. Honestly, his cheeks being stuffed like a chipmunk's really didn't help matters, making him look like an angry toddler.

"Don't worry, Grim, it was no problem." Deuce smiled with a bottle of juice in his hands. "I felt like I had to thank you guys for really helping me out yesterday. So since we're having a sleepover, I thought bringing snacks would be a great way to express my thanks."

"Ugh, if only you had snacks on you before this whole tart business happened." Ace groaned, tugging at the uncomfortable iron collar.

"You're not seriously gonna say it's my fault for your own stupidity?"

"Own stupidity?! It's cause you made us leave without eating that I ended up hungry last night!"

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to get expelled!"

As the two continued bickering, Grim swallowed his popcorn and watched them with a deadpan stare. "Nyagh. They're at it again."

Marie clicked her tongue in disappointment. She had lost count of how many times the two butted heads. A part of her found it endearing as it was clearly part of how the two expressed their friendship. Yet, on the other hand, there's only so much arguing she could take. "There's gotta be something to shift the mood." Her eyes roamed around the floor mindlessly. Just then, she noticed Deuce had brought marshmallows, chocolates, and graham crackers. Ding! A light bulb went off.

She took Grim off her lap as she ran over to the window seat. The feline watched her, puzzled, as did her two other friends. Ignoring them, she slid up the window and leaned outside. Reaching for a nearby tree limb, she snapped four twigs off before leaning back inside.

"Uh, Marie, what are you doing with sticks?" Grim asked, a little weirded out as she closed the window.

"Oh, Grim, you're really gonna like this." Marie grinned as she sat back down. Ripping open the bag of marshmallows, she placed them on the sticks and handed them out to each of her friends. She had to chuckle slightly as Grim fumbled with the stick a bit before steadying it. "Now for the fun part. Grim, I'm giving you permission to use your fire in the dorm, but I want you to only aim at the marshmallows. Okay?"

"Nyeh, but won't they be scorched by then?! How heartless could you be to burn yummy food?" Tears were brimming in his blue eyes.

"Just trust me on this, Grim."

The little monster made noises as he hesitated, wiggling back and forth. With his ears drooping, he finally blew fire. The flames roasted the marshmallows to a gooey brown. Upon seeing this, Grim's eyes sparkled in excitement. "Hey, you were right! Now they look even more yummy!"

"You could eat it right now, but then you'll miss out on the best part." Marie replied with a wink.

"Oh! Oh! I want the best part! As your boss, you have to show me it!"

"Ha ha, alright. Deuce, can you break off some pieces of chocolate? Oh, Ace, be a dear and open a pack of graham crackers."

"Tccch. Dear? Don't expect me to start calling you darling." the ginger chuckled, as he started opening up the wrap. Next thing he knew, a pillow hit him in the face. "Oi, don't start that again!"

Once Marie had the crackers and the chocolate, she pulled Grim's marshmallow off his stick and started assembling the snack. "Grim, I give you the greatest of all sleepover delights!" She holds out the completed sweet. "The s'more!"

Grim tilted his head at the creation. Accepting it from the girl, he carefully examined it in his paws. A gooey marshmallow squashed between two graham crackers and a melting chocolate. An appealing combo if you ask anyone. However, the question was if Grim would like it. Though, if Marie had to guess, he most likely would. She had yet to see a food that Grim actually disliked. Her inkling was proven right when the feline finally shoved it in his mouth, and his eyes closed in delight.

"Come on guys, no sense that Grim gets all the fun." she urged her friends, pulling her marshmallow off her own stick.

Ace and Deuce followed her example. Soon enough, they were all eating s'mores. Comments of "So good." and "It's been forever since I had one of these." and "To think we're doing this inside." filled the room. It didn't take long for them to eventually go through the entire stock. Grim had been particularly messy with his own, having marshmallow and chocolate all over his paws and face.

"You know, I really like those s'more things, but they made my fur all sticky." the feline grumbled, flinging around his paw.

"Grim, stop that! You're gonna get it everywhere!" Marie complained. She opened a water bottle and tipped it into her rag. Once wet enough, she started scrubbing at Grim. He hissed and complained as the rag was rubbed in his face.

"Jeez, it's like a mom with her kid." Ace commented over to Deuce.

"You know, you're right. It does remind me of the times my mom would try to clean up my face."

The girl whipped her head in the boys' direction with narrowed eyes. "Oh hardy har har. Laugh it up. I would like to see you guys try to look after him."

"No, thank you, I get enough from him from the day." Ace said, waving out his arms.

"Actually, if it makes things easier for you, I wouldn't mind helping out." Deuce replied with a smile.

Hearing the blue-haired boy's words made Marie smile. "Seriously, Deuce, you are the sweetest." She jabbed her thumb in Ace's direction. "Unlike Mr. Jerk over there."

Deuce let out a slight chuckle as he rubbed his neck bashfully. Meanwhile, Ace gave an insulted look as he said "Hey, I helped clean out some of the rooms here. Isn't that enough?"

The girl couldn't help but start laughing as she finished cleaning Grim. It was true, Ace did help her with the cleaning. Granted, he was omitting the fact he had griped about it for the majority. This fact tickled her deeply, but she decided she would let him have this one.

"Speaking of which, I ended up finding this deck of playing cards in one of the rooms." the teen said as he whipped out the same set of playing cards from earlier that day. He smirked as he tossed the cards back and forth in his hands. "Anyone up for a game?"

"Oh oh, let's play Old Maid. I know how to play that game!" Grim suggested, hopping up and down excitedly. Everyone in the room stared at him, baffled. His blue eyes glanced at his comrades, a little confused. His eyes dropped into a deadpan expression as he crossed his arms. "Oh please, don't act shocked! Do you think the Almighty Grim just lived out in the woods his entire life? I know things you know!"