Switched

  Beauty thumbs the bare tree. “You don’t have anything to say about your family?”

  I was planning to keep quiet, but the words come out in a great big rush. “No, because I’m angry with my family! For Father not finding Anna! For Mother being foolish enough to believe Anna is fine because she got a Pegasus Post saying so! For my brothers and sisters not understanding what is going on! And I’m mad at Anna for choosing him over her family!” Wow, it felt good to say all that out loud.

  “You have every right to be mad, but what you’re talking about is the present. This project is about your past.” Beauty places a finger on the spot where my FTRS schooling should go, along with any honors I’ve received. “You weren’t always mad at them. What was your relationship like with Anna before?”

  I push the scroll away. “I don’t remember.”

  “Don’t or won’t?” she asks. I don’t answer. “The past can be a tricky place to revisit, especially when it hurts. Why don’t you tell me about your other siblings. Who is Hamish?”

  I can’t help but smile. “He tells the best jokes, but Felix is the one who knows how to fix anything, and Trixie has the best voice you’ve ever heard—well, other than AG’s. And Anna—” I catch myself. Beauty almost tricked me. “I don’t want to talk about her.”

  I see a fairy shutting down her station for the night. Aren’t they open till nine?

  “Regardless of what happened, she’s still your sister,” Beauty says. “You must have enjoyed doing things with her.”

  “Maybe.” I turn my eyes away from the empty tree trunk on the scroll. “But it was all a lie.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  I’d rather hide in a stack than talk about this, but Beauty’s face is so kind that I find myself opening up. “Because for the longest time, I thought she was happy, and it turns out she wasn’t. I thought all she cared about was her Rapunzel idolization and her cute hair clips and being with her friends. But she secretly felt like she was living in my shadow and I was taking her chance at running Father’s shop away from her.

  “I want nothing to do with shoes or the shop. I want Anna to have it, but now she’s not even here to tell all of this to! She’s gone, and I’m not sure she’s ever coming back, so there’s no chance I’ll be interviewing her for this project, which means I’m going to fail and get kicked out of the MMC program.” I feel the tears spring to my eyes. “But do you know what the worst part is? Now I can’t tell her how sorry I am that I made her feel that way. If she knew that, she’d come back. I know she would.” I feel hot tears run down my face.

  Beauty pulls me into a hug. At first, I resist, but then I slowly fall into the curves of her shoulders, letting my face get smashed by her long, sweet-smelling locks. I cry as she strokes my hair like Mother would if I were home. I didn’t realize how badly I needed a hug till just this moment.

  “Sometimes a good cry makes everything feel better,” Beauty says.

  “I’m not a crier.” I wipe my eyes with the back of my sleeve.

  “But it felt good, right?” she asks.

  “Yes,” I admit. I stare at my parchment, which now has tearstains on it. “I keep thinking about how good Anna would do in the prince’s class. She’s always known what she wanted to be. But me, I still have no clue.”

  “But you know who you don’t want to be—a villain, a thief, a pickpocket.” Beauty points to the me section of my family tree—the only part I’ve filled in about myself—where I’ve listed my previous, um, achievements. “And you know what you’re good at.” She motions to where I’ve listed archery, fencing, and adventure as well as my favorite class at FTRS, history. “If you keep exploring, I think you’ll find what you’re looking for. Don’t rush it,” she says. “That’s what I’ve been telling Allison Grace. You’re lucky to get to try so many classes and ideas on for size. The right path for you will show itself eventually.”

  I spontaneously hug her. It’s a move out of character for me, but it feels natural with Beauty. “Thank you for listening and for trying to help.”

  “Of course. I just want you to know you’re not alone,” Beauty says. “My door is always open. The library is open nine a.m. to nine p.m., but you can visit our pop-up castle anytime.” A light goes off behind us, and she laughs. “With the rugby game, you’re our first visitor in hours, so we’re going to close the library early.”

  I guess tonight is not the night I’ll find a way to beat Rumpelstiltskin, but I still learned something important—Beauty might be the wisest royal of them all.

  Pegasus Postal Service

  Flying Letters Since the Troll War!

  FROM: Hayley Holliway (Port Enchantasia Docks)

  TO: Gillian Cobbler (Fairy Tale Reform School)

  Gilly,

  Tried to swim into the Fairy Tale Reform School lake to get a message to you faster, but the entrance is magically blocked. I had to resort to these Pegasus Posts. I had to pay to send you one! Fishy, if you ask me.

  After I returned from FTRS, we took a family swim trip to the North Star Sea. Stiltskin was there on a ship with a whole crew of kids! I was scared he’d spot me, so I hid behind rocks. I watched them cast nets for hours. They came back day after day. They were looking for something, but their nets kept coming up empty.

  One night, I swam up to their boat to try to get some intel. I peeked through a porthole and saw Stiltskin in there with his crew. He angrily ripped a map to pieces, saying everyone wasn’t searching hard enough for some book. The kids claimed they’d searched land and sea, but couldn’t find the book or the music that he sought. (Music under the sea? Everyone knows you can’t hear a mermaid sing unless you have Shell Service.) Stiltskin finally said it was time to “go back to base.” Then he threw what looked like beans on the floor. They looked like the ones we found in his office!

  I’m not sure what he’s up to, Gilly, but be careful. Whatever he has planned for Enchantasia, it isn’t over yet.

  —Hayley

  CHAPTER 7

  You Don’t Know Jack

  “Look what I got!” Jocelyn waves a scroll in the air as she approaches our table in the cafeteria. I can see the sparkling A from here. “Top marks from Prince Sebastian on my ‘Mirror, Mirror’ assignment. What did you get, Gilly?” She sits down and stares at me with glee.

  She knows what I got. A big, fat F that glows like a bright-red, flaming letter! It’s impossible to hide the grade when it shoots flames. I hold up the scroll since Jocelyn is waiting expectantly, and Jax, Ollie, and Kayla lean over Maxine to see it.

  Around us, elves are clearing plates, spraying down messy tables with ELF cleaning spray, and trying to usher us out the door so the wood sprites can do the rest of the cleanup before dinner. In the kitchen, I can hear the cooks washing dishes. A large pot from a kitchen supply closet behind me floats over my head and into the kitchen area.

  “What does it say in that tiny print?” Jocelyn asks innocently. “I can’t read it. Mine says ‘Great sense of self at such a young age. Continue to dig deep! Well done!’”

  I sigh and begin to read the flaming note: “‘Failure to follow instructions and resistance to accept oneself leads to poor marks. Try harder.’”

  Jocelyn laughs wickedly.

  “Jocelyn, stop being so mean,” Maxine tells her, a piece of spinach from the salad she had at lunch still caught between her teeth. She eyes the half of a brownie on Jocelyn’s plate. “Are you going to eat that?” Jocelyn forks it over before an elf takes her plate.

  “It’s not fair,” I complain. “This whole class was my idea, and the prince is out to get me. I don’t deserve an F, do I?”

  Jax reads over my scroll again and grimaces. “You only wrote two sentences, and one was ‘I have no clue what you want me to write.’ Why would he give you a better grade when you didn’t do any work?”

  “Whose side
are you on?” I grumble. “I’ve had a lot on my mind, okay? First, I got that Pegasus Post from Mother and then one from Hayley this morning.” I quickly fill them in.

  “What would he be looking for in the North Star Sea?” Kayla asks as she spears a forkful of lettuce. “He already has beans.”

  “Aye,” Ollie says. “But the sea holds many treasures. Who knows what someone might have buried under the ocean. What’s this book he’s talking about?”

  “I don’t know,” I admit. “If it’s a book he’s after, you’d think it’d be in our new library. There are thousands. Not that I can get my hands on the ones I want.”

  “No one is going to hand you a Stiltskin book,” Jocelyn reminds me. “You have to be stealthy if you want one of those.”

  Quack!

  Peaches picks her head up from under the table like she’s an alarm.

  Quack! Quack!

  Jack is wandering around the cafeteria, his lunch tray hovering alongside him as he looks for a seat. No one is waving him over. A troll spreads out across the bench he’s on so there is no room for anyone else to sit. I decide to take pity on him.

  “Jack! Come sit with us.” I wave.

  Jax groans.

  “What? He seems nice.”

  “Nice?” Jax scoffs as he peels an apple with a paring knife with one smooth move. “He’s already had detention three times for talking back to teachers, and he walked out of Magical Fairy Pets because he refused to be paired up with an animal. I don’t like the guy.”

  “He’s having a hard time adjusting,” I whisper as Jack sits and his tray floats down in front of him. “I did too. Be nice. Jack, these are my friends Jocelyn, Maxine, Ollie, Kayla, and Jax.” Everyone says hello or waves.

  Jack’s napkin magically ties around his neck as Peaches begins nudging the bag that he’s placed at his feet. “Leave that alone, you ugly duckling!”

  “Peaches is not ugly,” Maxine says with a huff. “She’s unique.”

  Jack eyes the duck suspiciously, then shrugs. “Your duck. Think what you want.”

  “So Jax—I mean Jack—how are you settling in?” Kayla asks politely. “Sorry. Your names are so similar.”

  “They are!” Ollie agrees. “Jax and Jack. Jack and Jax. Jack-Jax!”

  “Our names are not similar at all.” Jack eyes his new nemesis. “I’ve never even heard of a Jax before. It’s so stuffy.”

  Jocelyn laughs.

  “It’s Jaxon,” Jax says curtly. “Prince Jaxon.”

  “Oh, excuse me, Your Excellency.” Jack stands up and bows.

  Peaches takes that moment to dig into Jack’s bag. I don’t say anything. I’m too worried about these two brawling.

  “So, Jack, how long are you in for?” I ask.

  “I’m hoping the shortest stay possible,” he says. “I have to get out of here and go find my mum. I don’t want her around Rumpelstiltskin for too long, you know?”

  “I spent years searching for my family after he took them,” Kayla says, her face darkening. “He’s a hard man to pin down.”

  “The royal court will find him,” Jax says. “We just have to be patient.”

  “Thank you for your words of wisdom, Prince,” Jack says, “but her sister is missing. My mom and cow have been taken. Why should we wait around for the royals to find answers when we can find them ourselves?”

  Maxine claps excitedly. “Ooh! An adventure! Are you saying we should go look for Stiltskin?”

  “No!” Jax sounds exasperated. “Last time we barely survived giants and a bandersnatch.”

  “You’re scared of a giant?” Jack laughs out loud. “I’ve already defeated one of those monsters.”

  “So you claim.” Jax glares at him, and Jack glares back. “And besides, it’s not just giants out there. We’d have to go up against Stiltskin head on, and we’ve never done that before. I don’t think we’d get away so easily.”

  “Magic carpet racing starts in ten minutes!” Blackbeard bellows from the open doorway. “All ye lads and lasses who want in, better be swift! Aye, only taking first ten on each line.” There’s a huge rush for the door. Our table is the only one that stays seated.

  “Since when are you afraid of a challenge?” I ask, feeling prickly.

  “I just don’t think we should go looking for trouble without a reason,” Jax says. “Until we find Anna and the others, or learn what book Stiltskin is looking for, there’s no point going on a Mother Goose chase. Other than Hayley’s sighting, there’s been no sign of Stiltskin since he left FTRS, which means he’s cooking up something more awful than we can imagine.”

  “I heard he was after some magic beans,” says Jack, and my ears perk up. He didn’t hear Hayley’s Pegasus Post. If he knows about the beans, maybe he has more intel to share. “Maybe he’s planning on growing a beanstalk.”

  Jax ignores him and looks at me. “I think my sister is right. We have to know what he’s after before we put a move into play.”

  “You think the royal court cares about Stiltskin if he’s not a threat at this exact moment?” Jack asks, chomping on his turkey leg. “You think they care about my mum or cow?”

  “Or Anna?” I ask quietly.

  “They care about all their subjects,” Jax says.

  Jocelyn and I groan. “I hate when you use that word,” I grumble. “Like we’re slaves!”

  Jack and Jocelyn burst out laughing, and Jax looks like he’s going to explode.

  “I’m sorry, but there’s more at stake here than just your sister,” Jax snaps, and I inhale sharply. “I don’t mean to be hurtful, but it’s true. Miri is hunting every mirror in the land to find out what that troll is up to. We have to stay put and let everyone gather the intel. He’s too tricky to out-trick twice.”

  “But what if Anna changed her mind and wants to come back but can’t? I can’t just leave her out there till the royal court is ready to make a move.”

  “You have to learn to trust other people sometimes,” Jax says, sounding a lot like the governing princesses.

  I fold my arms. “I guess this is the first time we don’t agree on something.”

  “I guess so,” Jax says evenly.

  Quack! We turn around and see Peaches pulling something small and shiny out of Jack’s bag. It’s the gold mirror he had the other day.

  “Hey!” he shouts as Peaches swallows it whole. “My mirror!”

  Peaches gives a large burp.

  “Give it back,” Jack shouts, lunging for the duck.

  Maxine jumps up from the table and stands in Jack’s path. She’s twice the size of him. “Leave my duck alone.”

  “Your duck ate my mirror!” Jack says, lunging again for Peaches, who tries to bite his fingers. “I need it back! Make her cough it up.”

  “She never coughs up items,” Maxine lies, and Peaches hides behind her. “At least not in one piece. If you want me to send you the parts once she’s done with them, I can do that.”

  “Eww, no, forget it.” Jack looks like he has some ideas on how he’d get the mirror out of Peaches. “I’m going out to watch the magic carpet races.” He starts to walk away.

  “Duck!” I shout, which may be a poor choice of word.

  The rest of us crouch as a dozen soup spoons fly across the room to the kitchen. Jack gets hit in the back with a spoon, and Jax actually laughs. I shoot him a nasty look and walk over to Jack to check on him.

  “Come on. I’ll help you outside,” I say, leaving my friends at the table.

  On the great lawn behind the cafeteria, kids are already getting their aggression out. A group of kids are playing Fight the Knight with a bewitched scarecrow dressed up for a sword fight. (Every time a kid gets close to nailing it with a sword, the scarecrow bobs and weaves.) RLWs are singing to the pumpkin patch to try to make the pumpkins grow like AG did. Blackbeard is se
tting up a pirate challenge near the lake, where kids can slide off the plank and hold themselves up by their arms over the water. (It works the core muscles or something like that.) And near the fields, I see elves setting up the magic carpet racing track.

  Neither Jack nor I seem in the mood to rush over and play, so we find a spot on the grass by the vegetable garden.

  “Sorry if I was rough with your friends back there,” Jack says. “I don’t mean to be. I’m just so worried about my mum and Milky Way. I can’t think of anything but finding them. No one cares about getting that troll as much as I do.”

  “I do,” I say, and Jack looks at me. “Ever since my sister decided to leave school with Rumpelstiltskin, I can’t stop thinking about how I could have convinced her to stay here.”

  He looks at me. “Then you know why I need to get out of this place and find him.” I nod. “We can’t wait for the stuffy royal court to do something!” He looks at his beat-up boots. “Look, I have a confession to make: I got thrown into FTRS on purpose.” I stare at him in surprise. “I thought he was still in control of this place, and my mum might be here. Instead, he’s gone and the only villain in this joint is some stone statue I’ve never seen.”

  “Alva,” I explain. “The wicked fairy. She was turned to stone during a battle we had at school. She guards the dungeon, so to speak. I thought I saw her statue move once, but I think I was just seeing things.”

  “The dungeon,” Jack repeats. “I guess that’s the best place to keep a villain. Even one encased in stone. I wonder if the Stiltskin Squad has learned how to turn people to stone yet.” He frowns. “I hope they don’t try it with my mum.”