Chapter Seven: Mommy Dearest
The girls, at a loss of what to do next, finally looked at the sign in front of the school.
"Merlin Academy?" Red read.
"Of course," Chloe laughed. Finally, something made sense. "That was the first great academy, it accepted students from across the kingdoms. Auradon Prep uses it as housing for the professors since it's so close to the school."
"How do you know that?" Red asked. She was looking at the doors of the school, shut tight.
"I love history, my parents read me books every night about the stories of old. So many different lives and people, stories that make up our current lives. It's fascinating!" Chloe replied. "Don't you like it?"
Red ignored her, walking toward the doors. The doorknob was big and gold. She looked at it from all angles, unsure what to do next. The doors in Wonderland had big knobs and small knobs and knobs that talked but not knobs like this. Maybe she could use a hairpin…
Just as she was about to try kicking the door, Chloe came from behind and twisted the doorknob. The ancient door swung open easily.
Red chose not to say anything, walking into the academy, Chloe on her heels.
The inside was like a cathedral, white marble with a soaring pointed ceiling. The polished checkered floor shone under the light of dozens of candle chandeliers. Mosaics of stars glittered overhead, and smooth columns lined the hall that had a dozen offshoots and stairs leading to classes.
There was not a soul in sight.
Chloe paused next to a large poster on the wall that was advertising a festival.
"No way. Castlecoming," she read. "That's where my parents first met and fell in love, they just told this amazing story and-"
"Sorry, I'm busy changing history," Red interrupted, staring at a map of the school by a staircase. As she watched, the rooms shifted on the map, and the headmaster's office reappeared in the dungeon levels. "What the-?"
"Wait, didn't your mom say something about a girl's first dance and my mom?" Chloe suddenly remembered. "What if that was her? What if someone pranked and humiliated her and she became…maybe that's what turned her into a horrible dictator!"
Red glanced back and walked closer to the poster. A shimmering display of carnival rides was moving on the paper. "That must be why the watch sent us back to this moment in time! It's before my mom turns into…well, my mom."
"Great!" They'd found what they needed to find! But Chloe's happiness was short lived. "Wait, how do we stop it?"
Red glared at the poster, eyeing the stick figures shimmying under a disco ball. "By finding the person who does the prank that ruins her life."
A sharp cough behind them suddenly made the girls jump.
They spun around and came face to face with a tall man with dark hair and a long beard that tickled his chest. His blue robes were faded but glittered with magic and his bright eyes, behind crystal clear spectacles, were peering into them both.
"Late for class, ladies?"
"Oh my gosh, it's Merlin!" Chloe whispered to Red, beaming. The last great wizard did live on the Isle but, without magic, he was nothing more than an old fool who wore his clothes backward and talked in riddles. This was Merlin in his prime. "Actually, we're not students. Well, we are, but we think that we've been sent-"
"Sent from another place!" Red interrupted, grabbing Chloe's arm and squeezing hard. Her fake smile stretched across her face, showing all her teeth. "We're transfer students."
"Well." He looked them up and down, rocking back and forth on his heels, his fingers twiddling together. "I'm Headmaster Merlin, thus I should have received papers."
He began to riffle through the pockets of his robes, pulling out ancient scrolls only to send them flying through the air, back to his office. One pocket croaked and he quickly snuffed out a candle that was still burning. Chloe was giggling with each surprise.
Merlin shrugged, having found nothing. "Well, I'm sure it'll turn up eventually. I opened this academy to be a magical and educational institute for all, but you must know we have a no swords policy in class."
He snapped his fingers and Chloe's sword vanished. She jumped, hand going to her hip. Chad bought that for me. Chad is going to…
"I transported it to the Stardust room, it's our only free dorm left," Merlin chuckled. "I'll give you the tour later but for now, let's get you to class. Neither of you seem like witches or warlocks so…I know! I teach Alchemy for the Unmagical in my office, come, come!"
He began walking up a staircase only to turn around and run back down.
"No, no, this way! It moves, you see."
Merlin kept up a steady stream about the marble in the arches and the constellations on the ceiling as they followed a winding path up a tower to his office.
Chloe, taking advantage of his distraction, hung back to whisper to Red. "What was that? You're not supposed to lie, especially to teachers. This isn't Auradon."
"But it will be." Red plowed ahead, jogging to keep up with the wizard.
"There are no swords in these stones," he was saying, waving at the brick walls. "Don't bother looking."
Finally, they arrived at a pair of frosted glass doors with Merlin's name embossed on them. He smiled as he pushed them open, revealing a room with dark blue wallpaper embossed with a forest of gold. The beams of wood in the floor were arranged in a geometric pattern that made the eye dizzy. Countless bookshelves, desks, and tables were full of old tomes and scrolls and magical artifacts while a blue fire burned in a white fireplace trimmed with glass and crystals. Plants of different colors hung from the ceiling and stood in front of large windows.
And, of course, there were students. A dozen tables with cauldrons and scales were arranged around a roll-away chalk board and each table had two students, already working on the assignment on the board.
The girls followed Merlin to the front who tapped the board with his wand. "Let's do alchemy, shall we?
"We have two new transfers today so let's show them what we can do. Bridget, Ella." He pointed to a pair of girls in the front. "Help these two get sorted, won't you?"
The two girls nodded at him. Chloe froze at the sight of the girl with double denim and half her curls up in a scrunchy. The girl she had followed to the academy.
"Mom?"
Ella raised an eyebrow, moving to an empty table.
"Um, I mean, Ella," Chloe corrected. "Hi. Hello. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Ella giggled. She grabbed a box of ingredients and began to dig in.
Red had to stifle laughter as she watched Chloe awkwardly sidle next to her young mother, torn between hero worship and confusion.
"Are you ready to get started?"
Red jumped and turned to her new partner. The girl had a heart shaped face with blonde hair and bangs that were straight but flipped at the edges in a vintage 80s style. Her pink dress had a heart shaped neckline with a heart formed in rubies on the bodice. Her sleeves were overly puffy, and her skirt was made up of pink ruffles and glittery cards. A large bow was tied around her low waist, flopping on her back. And on her head was a tiny tiara with pink heart shaped gems.
Red felt her heart twist.
"I'm Bridget," the pink girl explained, mixing the green liquid in her cauldron.
"From…?"
"Wonderland."
Ella pulled out a stack of spiky pods and held one over her cauldron. She squeezed tight and yellow pus leaked out. Chloe almost retched at the smell.
"Come on, these pods won't drain themselves," Ella told her. "I know you're probably not used to dirty work, being a princess and all, but it's part of this class."
"Princess?" Chloe gasped. Her face flushed and she began to smile like a ninny. All those poise lessons were paying off!" "What…how did you…why would you say that?"
Ella glanced up. "Your tiara…?"
"Oh." Chloe felt her smile fall.
"Could you pass me the griffin claws?" Bridget asked Red, pointing at a vial on their table. Red handed it over. She found she was at a loss for words. "I love your outfit by the way."
"…what?"
"It's like edgy but in a totally gnarly way." Bridget pointed at Red's leather skirt and jacket. She giggled nearly every time she spoke.
"Why are you talking like that?" Suddenly Red found her voice.
"Like what?" Bridget added the claws, and the liquid turned from green to purple.
"You just sound…different."
"Um…no I don't," Bridget laughed nervously.
Red blinked and remembered where she was, when she was. "Sorry! This is just…you…and everything…it's a lot!"
Chloe had started to help drain the pods. "I've done a lot of gross chores, actually. I sweep and sew, and I even had to clean out the sewage line when it got blocked."
Ella's eyes widened. "Really? And here I thought having to bath my stepmother's cat was the worst it could get."
Chloe laughed with her. "No, it can get…it gets a lot…worse."
Her laughter died off.
"How many kids were at your old school?" Bridget asked Red. The cauldron was bubbling now.
"Uh…" Red wondered briefly if she should lie. "One."
Bridget suddenly smiled even brighter. "I was homeschooled too! Until I came here, of course. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I'm still getting used to it, honestly.
"Do you want a hug?" She bounced closer to Red who jumped back.
"I'm not really a hugger."
This wasn't possible. This could not be possible.
"Well, I have just the thing to make you feel better!" Bridget picked up the ladle and poured a bit of the potion into a flask. "For you!"
Red closed her fingers around glass, still warm. "For real?"
Bridget nodded. "Merlin lets us keep a bit of every potion we make. This one is a locator potion. Pour a bit on anything pointy and it will lead you straight to what you're looking for."
Ella dumped her cauldron and tools into the large sink at the back of Merlin's office. "Thanks for your help again today. What did you say your name was?"
"Chloe." She grabbed a scrubber brush and got to work.
"Ooh, I've always loved that name."
"Thank you all for your hard work today!" Merlin called as a chime echoed across the academy. "I'll see you all again on the 32nd of the month!"
"Do you want to be my first taste tester?" Bridget asked as she packed up her bag. She suddenly presented a large gold tray, covered with sweets. "Fabulous Flamingo-Feather Cupcakes!"
"Flamingo feathers?" Red repeated. Weren't those banned in Wonderland? Unless they were ruby red?
"Don't worry, they don't bite. Not like those gingerbread men I made for Christmas," Bridget laughed. She really couldn't stop laughing. "I won't be using that cookbook again. C'mon, try one!"
Red cautiously picked one up and took the tiniest bite. Flavors she hadn't been expecting erupted on her tongue. Sweet sugar, honey, the smell of flowers and something else…a taste that filled her heart and soul, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
As she swallowed, she looked at her nails that were starting to sparkle. The red tips suddenly turned pink!
She'd never worn another color before.
"Wow, these are fabulous," Red admitted. She reached for a second desert, but Bridget pulled the tray back.
"Ah, ah, ah," she tutted. "Only one or there can be side effects."
Red finished her treat, licking frosting from her fingers. A question was gnawing at her insides. "Why are you so nice?"
Bridget laughed again and shrugged a little. For a moment, her smile had more edge to it. "You get more with sugar than salt."
She nodded toward the door as Ella and Chloe joined them. "Come on, I'll show you."