“Don’t look at me! I’m hideous!” AG says in a gravelly voice. She sounds surprisingly more human than beast. “Did anyone see me? Were you followed?” She claws at the walls of the barn, leaving scratch marks. “I can’t let anyone see me like this! Especially not Tessa and Raza. If they knew—Aaaoooooh!” She covers her face with her furry hands.
“Stop howling!” I rush over. She recoils in horror. “Someone will hear you.”
Interesting. Unlike Wolfington, who is menacing when he’s in wolf form, AG seems to only change in appearance. On the inside, she’s still a frightened girl.
“Oh, who am I kidding? They saw the fur on my arms. They know. They’re all going to know now! Once they realize they can make me turn by upsetting me, they’ll start making me transform all the time!” She wipes her snout. “Once Father knows I’m being made fun of, he’ll make us move again. I’ll be back to homeschooling in the castle! Do you have any idea how boring it is to do group projects when your only choice of partner is Mother, Father, or servants?”
“Pretty boring.” I sit a few feet away from her. Maxine comes and does the same. “But you don’t have to hide, AG. FTRS is awesome because it accepts everyone. We have all type of students here—trolls, ogres, fairies, pixies, mer-people. No one is going to judge you because of the way you look. We don’t care that you’re half…um…” Is there a politically correct way to call her a beast?
“Half-beast?” AG supplies. “I really like you Gilly, but let’s be honest: no one wants to be friends with a princess who looks like a wolf! Royalty shouldn’t look this way, even if I was born with this condition. Father thinks it has something to do with the curse Stiltskin placed on him, which is why he’s been on the hunt to find him for years. Once I turn, it takes me a half hour to turn back—if I calm down. And how can I calm down when I’m upset? If Father could reverse this curse, I wouldn’t have to deal with this! A princess should be beautiful and delicate and not have claws instead of nails! I want to be normal like everyone else.”
“What’s so great about being normal?” I ask. “I feel like it’s the things that make us different that people remember.”
“No, those are the things people make fun of,” AG sniffs.
“Don’t give them a chance to make fun,” I insist. “Own your beast side.” AG stops panting and looks at me oddly. “If you’re all ‘Yeah, I’m a beast who could cut off your arm. What are you going to do about it?’ they’ll think you’re cool.”
“I already think your secret identity is cool!” says Maxine. “If you want to roam the forest, no one bothers you. If you want to hang out with animals, you can become one. If you want to jump high or be fast or scare someone, you can do that too! If you ask me, being part beast is a gift.” AG doesn’t say anything. Maybe we are getting through to her.
“It’s like you have magic at your fingertips,” I add. “The rest of us have to use a wand or cast a spell if we want to become something different. You have the power inside you. Why hide such an awesome talent?”
“You saw how Tessa and Raza acted when they saw my arm,” AG says, her breath slowing. “They’d never understand that I can’t control what I become. If they knew about my condition, they wouldn’t want to hang out with me.”
“Why would you want to hang out with people who would make fun of you for being unique?” I ask. AG seems stumped by this question. “Those aren’t the kind of people I want to be friends with.” I think of my own group of reform school pals. “I like being around people who like me for me, warts and all. People I can trust. Ones who have my back when I’m in a scrape and who tell me when I’m being all loosey-goosey like Humpty Dumpty.” I point to AG. “You’re acting like Humpty Dumpty.”
AG turns away from us and faces the barn wall. “You don’t understand what it’s like! My mother is beautiful, and I’m…”
“An original,” Maxine says firmly. “That’s what my momma calls me. Beauty comes from inside you. You just have to let it out like I have. I know I’m beautiful, and I don’t let anyone tell me otherwise.” She grins, and drool rolls down her chin.
“That’s very sweet, Maxine, but I don’t think being a beast is beautiful.” AG looks at me. “And I don’t think it makes me powerful either. It’s a poison. I want my father to find Rumpelstiltskin and make this condition go away for good.”
“That’s a shame,” I tell her. “Having a skill like yours could come in handy someday. I’d love to have you by my side in a battle.”
“Princesses don’t battle,” AG says, but her argument is weak and she knows it.
“Your godmother does,” I say. “I hear Snow is good in a battle too. A princess can be anything she sets her mind to…or so I’m told.”
AG contemplates this, then gives me a wolfish smile. “I appreciate what you’re both trying to do, but I don’t agree.” She holds up her hairy arms, which now look slightly less hairy. “I don’t want to be this thing anymore.” Her yellow eyes widen. “Can I trust you guys not to tell anyone what I really am?”
“We won’t tell,” I promise, and Maxine nods too.
“Thank you.” She sighs. “Will you guys stay with me till I turn back?”
I squeeze her furry hand. “Of course.” Maxine takes her other hand.
Then we sit there in silence, listening to the Pegasi eat hay and watching our friend till her hair starts to recede, her back, teeth, and nails shrink to regular size, and her eyes turn back to their regular color.
“I’m a princess again,” AG says, sighing with relief.
I just smile, holding my tongue instead of telling her what I really think—that Allison Grace will always be a princess, no matter what form she’s in.
CHAPTER 9
I Read You Like an Open Book
Jax is waiting for me when I get out of my Hexing and Healing Potions class, and he doesn’t look happy.
“What did you and Jack talk about yesterday?” A flash of lightning through a stained glass window highlights Jax’s already-dark expression. The weather has delayed this afternoon’s magic carpet racing scrimmage between the girls’ and boys’ dorms.
“How about ‘Hey, Gilly! Did you figure out how to counter-hex an angry court magician on a power trip in class?’” I ask.
“Or you could say, ‘Hey, Jax! Sorry I ran out of lunch with Jack yesterday and totally ignored my best friend,’” Jax counters. “You were being jerky.”
“You’re the one who was jerky!” I insist.
Jax stops short. “I was a jerk? I was a jerk? You were the one siding with that beanstalk-bragging liar! How can you stand him?”
Now it’s my turn to stop short. A pack of pixies flies into my back; then they grumble about my lack of etiquette and keep flying down the hall. “He’s nice! And I didn’t side with him. I agreed with him. There’s a difference, and you’d know that if you tried to understand the situation from our point of view!”
“Our point of view?” Jax repeats as a roll of thunder makes the ground shake.
Jocelyn whistles as she pushes between the two of us and keeps going. “Someone’s jealous,” she sings.
Does she mean Jax? Jax is a royal. They don’t get jealous. Do they? Sure, I’ve made a new friend, but Jax is still my closest. “Look, if you must know, I wanted to talk to him about Anna.”
“You told him about Anna?” Jax thunders along with the thunder outside. People look at us.
I pull Jax into an alcove. We stand in front of a window that is getting pelted with raindrops. “Yes, Anna!” Jax starts to protest. “He’s seen her with Stiltskin! He told me she seemed against the little troll, not with him. Jack thinks she wants to leave, but Stiltskin won’t let her.”
Jax’s eyes spark with a look I don’t understand. “Where? When? How does he know it’s actually Anna? And what makes him think she’s changed her mind about being in the Stiltskin
Squad? You keep forgetting she left you standing here crying while she jumped on his magic cooking ladle and flew out of here.”
I smart at the reminder. “Maybe she’s realized she was wrong to trust him. Jack said Anna tried to stop Stiltskin from imprisoning his mom.”
“And he just happens to know this girl was your sister?” Jax snorts. “How would he remember her name? He’s lying!”
“He’s not,” I say, flustered. “Why would he lie about that? I need to rescue her. Now.”
Jax doesn’t look moved at all. “So let me guess.” He folds his arms across his chest. “You’re going to bust out of school with your new best friend, Jack, on a hunch and attempt to save everyone even though I’ve told you it’s a bad idea because you have no idea where the troll is and what he’s capable of. Am I right?”
Now I fold my arms across my chest too. “No.” Jax looks at me as lightning lights up the alcove. “Okay, yes, but we haven’t figured out the details yet.”
“Gilly!” Jax throws his hands up. “This is a bad idea, and you know it. You have nothing to go on, and you’re trusting this total stranger. I won’t let you do this.”
“Won’t let me? Well, excuse me, Your Royal Highness.” Jax narrows his eyes at me. “But I didn’t ask the royal court’s permission. I’m my own person, and if I want to go after Anna with Jack, I will. You don’t control me.”
“I’m not trying to control you! I’m just saying that this is a fool’s errand, and you could screw things up for the whole investigation the royal court has going. My sister didn’t see me for years when I went undercover, but even now, she wouldn’t put FTRS before the needs of the whole kingdom.” He stares fiercely at me. “Something isn’t right with that kid. You are falling for his charade because he somehow knows Anna’s name. It makes me wonder whether I should even trust you anymore.”
I wince. Somehow our fight just went from kind of bad to really bad. “I’m not sure I trust you either.” People in the nearby hall stop and stare at us as I blink back hot tears.
“Fine!” Jax shouts over the thunder. “But you’re on your own! I’m not coming with you!”
“Fine!” I snap.
Jax is already walking toward a winding staircase that appears in front of where we’re standing. I watch the staircase till it disappears and wonder if my friendship with Jax just went along with it.
“Show’s over,” I say and push through the students who stopped to watch our fight.
I walk quickly to the library and bite back tears. How could I have forgotten about the whole Jax-being-separated-from-his-family-because-he-went-undercover thing? Even so, Jax doesn’t understand what I’m going through. He and Rapunzel are royals. The royal court would never have let them run off with a villain. Anna is a cobbler’s daughter and an FTRS dropout. Jack’s mom is a commoner. The royal court doesn’t care about them. The only ones who do are us.
I push open the library doors.
“Gilly!” Beauty says, greeting me warmly. “Back to do more research on your school project? Sebastian told me they’re due next week.”
Spoken like a true mother.
“Yes.” I try to hide the unhappiness in my voice. I glance up at the darkened top floor of the library and the atrium ceiling, which is almost pitch-black with the storm whipping up outside. “I had some time between classes, so I thought I’d look around.”
Beauty hugs the books she’s holding to her chest and smiles. “Wonderful! A rainy afternoon is the perfect time to cozy up in the library. I could read for hours in this weather. I’m sure Sebastian told you what we discussed,” she adds. “Under the circumstances, gaining an interview with Anna for your project is not possible, and it won’t affect your grade.” I feel momentarily hopeful again. “As for the rest of your family, since you haven’t gotten a weekend pass yet, you may have to interview them through Miri. We can send a mirror to their boot so you can converse. Isn’t that great?”
I know the princess went to bat for me, and I’m grateful. I just still can’t believe the Beast won’t let me go home for a weekend.
Beauty leads me to one of the magical librarian stations as a clap of thunder rattles the windows. “This is Helga.” She motions to the aging fairy with the white hair and the scowl. “She can help you find anything you need. Have fun!” Beauty delicately picks up the bottom of her skirt so it doesn’t trail and heads into a library stack.
“Thanks!” I say and approach Helga. The fairy is considerably older than Kayla’s family and her wings are a bit droopy—like her skin, which looks like a dried-up prune. She’s going to be tough to crack. “Hi there. My professor told me to find a book on”—I lower my voice so Beauty can’t hear me—“Rumpelstiltskin and his origin story. Could you help me find some titles?”
Helga purses her withered lips. “Rumpelstiltskin?” She lets his name hang there.
“Yes. It’s for a history assignment from Professor Wolfington,” I lie. “‘Knowing a villain is the best way not to become a villain,’ he always says.” I laugh nervously.
Helga wands the scroll in front of her, and a glittery list of books pops up. I strain to see the names, but she turns the scroll away so I can’t see.
“I’ve got one on Enchantasia history.” She lifts a large dark-green book titled A Kingdom United from below the counter. The front page flies open and a small weed begins to grow out of the pages. She taps her wand again quickly, and the weed disappears. “Forgot to disarm this book before I showed it to you.” She whispers a few words that I can’t quite make out. “There! Now you can take this one out and not have it growing in your dorm room. Enchantasia is famed for its ivy growing.”
“I didn’t know that.” I’m trying to make conversation. (I really didn’t know that.)
Helga shakes her head. “Fast-growing ivy is a nasty problem to have. A child last week almost got choked by her own book vines.” She goes to hand me the book, then takes it back. “Name?”
I smile again. “Gillian Cobbler.”
She consults her list. “You don’t have any overdue books—yet. You can take this out, but Stiltskin books need permission from the headmistress.”
“Oh, I already have permission,” I say, feeling like a squeaky spinning wheel. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
Helga glares at me. “I need it in writing.”
“I have it here somewhere.” If I pretend to rummage around in my sack, maybe she’ll assume I’m telling the truth. “I know I had it this morning. Which book did I put it in? Did I leave it in Spelling 101? Or Ferns: Our Greatest Allies? Let’s see… Oh, I don’t know where I put it.” I sound aghast. “But I do have one.”
“Uh-huh,” Helga says, looking doubtful. “Can’t give you a book without the note.”
Grrr…
“Not sure we even have one. The master took all the books we had on that man and kept them in his private study. He’s been studying Rumpelstiltskin for years.”
Prince Sebastian. Great. The one person at this school who might know what I need to know about Rumpelstiltskin would never share that info with me. Now what?
Helga glances up at the darkened floor for a spilt second, sees me staring, and looks away. “So like I said, no note, no book, not that there even is a book to take out.”
I lean over the counter to see if she’s telling the truth. “Are you sure? There has to be one book on him here. Every villain has a beginning, don’t they?”
Helga stares at me, and I stare back again. “Not all of them. Some are born evil.”
“Even so, they’d have a story or a book,” I press. “I doubt Beauty would stock a library as magnificent as this without any books on one of the greatest villains in our kingdom. The prince can’t keep them all! As a magical librarian, I doubt you’d allow that.” I smile serenely.
Helga glowers. “There is one, but it’s already chec
ked out: Rumpelstiltskin: The Man vs. the Myth.”
I frown. “Who has it out?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Can I be put on a wait list?” I ask impatiently.
She taps the quill in her other hand. “I’ll ask.” We hear a crash from somewhere in the stacks.
“Helga? Can you help me?” Beauty calls.
Helga sighs. “She balances too many books in her hands. You’ll have to wait till I get back.” Helga flutters away at the slowest speed imaginable.
I wait till she’s gone before I jump over her desk and pick up her wand. Quickly tapping the scroll, I see the Rumpelstiltskin title again and look to see who has it checked out. Fiddlesticks, it says Classified! I hear another crash and tap the scroll again, making the title disappear.
“Now what?” I ask Wilson, who is hanging out in my pocket. “How can a library this big only have one book on Stiltskin? I can’t even order one from the village because they’d flag it.” I bang the wand against the library desk in frustration. “All I want to do is read a book about Rumpelstiltskin so I can help my sister and all the other missing kids. If I did, I know I’d be smart enough to figure out what he’s after and why!”
Wilson starts to squeak madly, and I look at the desk, which is starting to glow orange. I back away, wondering if I’ve set off some sort of alarm, but no sound comes. Instead, a small gold book with worn silver pages materializes in front of us. There are red scratch marks on the cover, along with what appears to be a bite out of the top corner of the book. I read the title: Curses and Dark Deeds: The Rumpelstiltskin Legend. That wasn’t the title Helga mentioned. Hmm.…
I lunge for the book, and Wilson nips me.
“Ouch!” I whisper, wishing I could yell. Wilson starts squeaking crazily. I calm down and try to understand him. “You’re worried that this book just showed up when I mentioned needing one. And you think I shouldn’t read it.” Wilson stops squeaking. “But what if the book showed up because it wants me to help Anna.” Wilson is quiet. “If it lets me pick it up, then I’m meant to have it. Why else would a book that isn’t even in the library catalog just appear?”