“Yes, Griffinglish is my favorite animal language,” Ashlynn said. A delicate crown was nestled on her long, strawberry-blonde hair, which flowed over her shoulders.
The next girl had wavy, milk-chocolate-colored hair and a pair of crownglasses perched on her head. “This is Briar Beauty, daughter of Sleeping Beauty. She’s the best party planner on campus, and even though she tends to fall asleep a lot, don’t let that fool you. She’s always up for a fun adventure.”
Briar waved. “Welcome to—” Her words were interrupted by a huge yawn.
A shiver ran up Meeshell’s spine. She was meeting the daughters of the best-known fairytale characters ever after! This was amazing.
“And this is Madeline Hatter, daughter of the Mad Hatter. We call her Maddie.”
Meeshell paused. She didn’t recognize the Hatter name. Must be from a story she’d never read. The girl was very colorful, with stripes and polka dots and swirls on her clothing. Her hair was equally colorful, with stripes of turquoise, purple, and blue. An odd little teacup hat sat on her head.
Maddie grabbed Meeshell’s hand and shook it quite vigorously. “Hello and good-bye. I like to say both those things because it saves time. When we save time in Wonderland, we put it into a jar so we can use it later.” Her personality was as exuberant as her outfit. Meeshell liked her right away.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Meeshell said. There was so much noise in the Castleteria from all the chatter, she could barely hear her own voice.
“Uh, what was that?” Maddie asked.
Briar cleaned her crownglasses with a napkin. “I think she said it’s nice to eat stew.”
Maddie nodded. “Well, who can argue with that?”
Apple squeezed in next to Maddie. Ashlynn scooted down the bench to make room for Meeshell, who placed her tray on the table and sat.
Ashlynn glanced down and gasped. “Your feet,” she said.
Meeshell bit her lower lip. Was it obvious that her feet were brand-new? Or was something actually wrong with them, as she’d suspected.
But Ashlynn was smiling. “They’re the prettiest feet I’ve ever seen. No wonder you don’t wear any shoes.”
“She lost her shoes on her journey here,” Apple explained. “They were stolen by a giant squid.”
“Awesome,” Briar said. “I’ve always wanted to see one of those.”
Apple stirred sugar into her tea. “I thought you could take her to the Glass Slipper and help her choose some new ones.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Ashlynn said. “We’ll use the new app and order a pair right now. What size do you wear?”
Size? Meeshell gulped. How could she possible know a thing like that? She must have looked very confused because Ashlynn smiled kindly.
“Oh, I get it. You probably always have your shoes ordered for you, so why would you know the size?”
“Uh, yes, that’s it,” Meeshell said.
Ashlynn placed her MirrorPad under Meeshell’s feet to measure their size, then selected a few pairs to be delivered to her room. “Easy as pie.”
“Hey, wanna see my tea-rriffic new talent show trick?” Maddie took off her hat and began to pull out a stack of teacups. The stack got taller and taller. How could all those cups fit inside that tiny hat?
“It’s a magic hat,” Apple explained. “She keeps everything in there.”
Maddie held the wobbling stack of teacups, which now reached to the ceiling. “Look,” she said proudly. “It’s the Leaning Tower of Tea-sa!” Right when she said that, the tower collapsed, spilling tea all over the table. A giant puddle formed and began to move toward Meeshell. She dropped her porridge spoon, her eyes widening. If the puddle rolled off the edge, it would land in her lap. It would land on her legs! She shrieked, jumped to her feet, and stepped away.
Maddie frowned. “Well, that didn’t go as planned, but you know what they say in Wonderland—there’s no use crying over spilled tea when you can sing over it instead.” As she started to hum a little song, a pair of cleaning fairies flew over and began mopping up the mess.
“You okay?” Apple asked Meeshell. “You look startled.”
Meeshell checked her legs. They were perfectly dry. She let out a long, relieved breath. “I’m fine.”
“You didn’t get tea stains on your dress, did you?” Ashlynn asked.
“My favorite color is tea stain,” Maddie said. “It’s pretty and it’s delicious at the same time.”
“No, there aren’t any stains,” Meeshell replied. The fairies cleaned the bench, then flew away with their little mops.
“You sure you’re okay?” Briar asked. The girls were all looking at her, probably wondering about her strange behavior. Who shrieks when tea is spilled? Was Meeshell already getting a reputation as an oddball?
“Are you afraid of tea?” Maddie asked.
“No, I’m… I’m not afraid of tea.” Meeshell’s heart beat quickly. That had been a very close call. Too close for comfort. And because she was quite flustered, she said the first thing that she could think of. “I’m… I’m afraid of water.”
It was absurd, of course, to think that a mermaid could be afraid of water. But, for the first time in Meeshell’s life, there was some truth to this statement, because the spell that had given Meeshell the ability to walk on two legs had a flaw.
And it was all because of Coral, the Sea Witch’s daughter.
Chapter 7
Coral’s Spell
Three Days Ago
They met at dawn on the shore of Turtle Island. The turtles were a bit annoyed by the interruption. They narrowed their bulbous eyes and munched on sea grass while the Merpeople gathered at the water’s edge.
Meeshell hadn’t slept a wink. How could she? So much was about to happen. Not only was she going to leave her family and travel to a new world, but she was going to change the shape of her body!
The Sea Witch parked her rather large self onto a boulder. Then she sipped a cup of briny brew. She looked as if she’d come to watch a special show. “Coral, are you ready?”
“Hold on a minute,” King Philip said. “I still have some concerns about your daughter casting the spell. She’s very young, after all. Can you guarantee that nothing will go wrong?”
The Sea Witch took another sip, then cackled. “Philip, my dear, you know there are no guarantees where magic is concerned.” She reached into the water, pulled out a wiggling eel, and ate it whole. Then she dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a piece of kelp. “But Coral is my daughter, which means she’s extremely talented and intelligent, just like me.” She paused, as if waiting for Meeshell and her parents to confirm what she’d said. But they said nothing. She glowered and the air around her turned stormy. But her anger faded quickly and she took another sip. “Anyhoo, as I was saying, Coral is perfectly capable of changing a tail into legs, aren’t you, darling?”
Meeshell and her parents looked at Coral, who thus far had said nothing. She swam next to the boulder, chewing nervously on her lower lip. She was so different from her mother, quiet and with delicate features. Was she Sea Witch material? “Well, actually, I’ve only practiced the spell on eels—you know, since they don’t have legs—and it did work but then…” She held up an eel, who glanced worriedly at the Sea Witch. “But then the legs fell off after a day.”
“Fell off?” Meeshell cried, her hand flying to her mouth.
“That’s alarming,” Queen Pearl said.
“Oh, it’s really not that bad. The eel hated having those legs.” Coral let the eel go and it swam into the depths before the Sea Witch could eat it.
“I can’t have legs that fall off,” Meeshell said. “Dad, do something.”
“Why are you asking your daddy to do something?” the Sea Witch said snippily. “He has no magic. We’re the witches. Talk to us.”
Meeshell swam closer to the Sea Witch than she’d ever been—so close that she could see the barnacles that grew on the witch’s earlobes. She felt so nervous, her ta
il trembled. But she knew that the Sea Witch had as much to lose as she did. “It’s in both our best interests that this spell work,” Meeshell reminded her. “If you believe that Coral can do it, then I shall also believe. Because if this doesn’t work, and I’m a failure on land, then you will never have my voice.”
The water around the Sea Witch grew stormy again, and she rose onto her tail so she towered over Meeshell and her parents. “I will have your voice!” Her face turned as red as her tail. Even Coral swam backward, to keep clear of her mother’s wrath.
While the Sea Witch was having a temper tantrum, Coral glided up to Meeshell and said, her voice lowered, “Mom’s making me do this. Just wanted you to know, in case things go wrong.”
“Got it,” Meeshell said. She didn’t add that her mom and dad were also making her do something she didn’t want to do. Why couldn’t Ever After High wait for another year? There were so many fun things going on in the Merkingdom. She’d miss the next manta ray races. And her friends were planning on surfing the outer reef next week.
“Let’s do this!” the Sea Witch hollered. She settled back on her boulder.
Meeshell kissed her mom and dad, trying very hard to hold back tears. They said all sorts of comforting things to her. They’d send letters. They’d send care packages. She’d have fun. She’d be home at the end of the quarter for a visit. But none of those things made Meeshell feel better. Choking back a sob, she swam into the shallows, until she was sitting in the sand. A pair of turtles waddled away, leaving a little trail of footprints.
“Go on, Coral, cast the spell. You know it by heart.” The Sea Witch waved her daughter forward.
Coral, looking as if she was about to face a great white shark, slowly swam into the shallows next to Meeshell. She lifted her hands into the air. One hand held a slender wand, made from carved abalone shell. Meeshell couldn’t help but notice that the hand was trembling. As Coral spoke the words that would change Meeshell’s life, everyone and everything held perfectly still and in absolute silence. Even the waves halted their course.
“Through the power vested in me,
By the wild magic sea,
Two legged shall she be.”
Meeshell looked at her beautiful tail, with its blue shimmering scales. She wanted to squeeze her eyes closed, just in case something terrible happened. But she mustered her courage. Right before her eyes, her beloved tail faded away, and when she reached out, she found not the familiar texture of scales, but something soft and smooth.
It was a leg. And right beside it was another leg. Two legs! Meeshell kicked, as she would with her tail, and the legs flopped awkwardly.
“Marvelous!” the Sea Witch cried. She began to applaud. “Well done, my dear!”
Coral smiled, just as surprised as everyone else that her spell had worked.
It took a long time for Meeshell to get to her feet, and then to keep her balance. Luckily, the sand was a soft place to fall. By the time she’d mastered walking a few steps, a ship appeared in the distance. The Narwhal had come to take her to Ever After High.
It had already been decided that Meeshell would hide her identity, so there were quick kisses good-bye, and words of comfort. King Philip and Queen Pearl disappeared beneath the water, as did Coral and the Sea Witch. Meeshell made her way onto the dock, her bag in hand, watching as the ship drew closer and closer.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you something.” Coral popped out of the water, then floated next to the dock.
“What?” Meeshell asked.
“There’s a little thing you should know about the spell.”
Meeshell’s entire body stiffened. “A little thing?”
“You’re really lucky that you get to go to Ever After High. I hope I can go there one day. Do you think you’ll meet your prince?”
“My prince?”
“The one in your story. The only one you’ll give up your voice for and live with happily ever after.”
Oh, that prince. With all the emotional upheaval of the last twenty-four hours, Meeshell hadn’t thought about her future prince. He was supposed to be a land-dweller, so it was possible that he went to Ever After High.
“I don’t know if I’ll meet him,” Meeshell said. “But, Coral, what is the little thing you forgot to tell me?”
“Oh right.” She reached out of the water and pointed at Meeshell’s legs. “You can’t get them wet or they’ll turn back into a tail. But then once the tail dries, it’ll turn back into legs. See ya.” And then she disappeared.
That was not a little thing.
Chapter 8
A Pair of Princes
How come you’re afraid of water?” Ashlynn asked. The girls were still sitting in the Castleteria.
“I’m…” Meeshell paused. Because if my legs get wet, then they will turn back into my tail and you’ll all know the truth about me. “I’m not sure. I just am.”
“Well, we all have our fears, don’t we?” Apple said in an understanding way. “Actually, I’ve never told anyone this, but I used to be afraid of apples. When I was little, of course. Because I didn’t realize that only one of them would be poisoned.”
“I don’t like storms,” Ashlynn said. “They upset the birds, you know.”
“I got bit by my horse when I was little,” Briar said. “I didn’t ride for three years after that.”
“I prefer to be afraid of things on Fridays,” Maddie said, as if this were perfectly normal. She reached into her teacup hat and pulled out a platter of tea cakes. “Oh, I almost forgot. Dad sent these over from the shoppe.”
The girls each ate a tea cake. While Meeshell hadn’t enjoyed the porridge, she added tea cakes to her mental list of delicious new foods. Ashlynn and Maddie hurried off to class, and just as Meeshell finished her last sip of tea, Apple said, “Oh look, here comes Daring.”
Meeshell recognized the handsome prince immediately, having seen his face plastered all over the bookstore merchandise. But the surprise was that he was even better looking in person. That regal nose, that chiseled jaw, those dreamy eyes! Meeshell’s heart skipped a beat.
“Hello, ladies.” He swept a plate aside and sat on the corner of the table. And then he smiled. Briar Beauty quickly slid her crownglasses into place, then threw her hands over Meeshell’s eyes.
“You can’t look directly at him when he does that,” she informed her. “His smile is so bright that if you look at his teeth, you’ll see spots for days.”
Good to know.
As soon as the light faded, Briar removed her hands. Meeshell stole a shy glance, then quickly looked away as her heart skipped another beat.
Apple made the introductions. “Meeshell, this is Daring Charming. Daring, this is our newest student, Meeshell. She comes from the Kingdom by the Sea.”
“H-h-hello,” Meeshell stammered.
Daring pushed his thick blond hair off his forehead. “No need to say it. I know you’re enchanted to make my acquaintance.” He whipped out a photo from his pocket and handed it to her. “It’s already signed.”
She looked at the photo.
It was inscribed:
To my loyal fan, from the prince you adore, Daring Charming. xoxo
“You’re welcome,” he said.
Seriously? Meeshell’s heart stopped skipping beats. Yes, he was eye candy, but he was way too full of himself. She knew boys exactly like him back home. He was definitely not her type. She politely tucked the picture into her book bag. He took a long look in a nearby mirror, then strode away. Briar slid her crownglasses back onto her forehead. “You’ll get used to him,” she said.
Apple neatly folded her paper tea cake holder and set it aside. “Daring might spend a lot of time talking about himself, but he kind of can’t help it. I mean, he’s spent his whole life knowing that he’s destined to become Prince Charming. That can give a guy a healthy ego!”
Meeshell watched as Daring sauntered from the Castleteria, catching eager glances from girls along the way. He stopped two m
ore times to check his reflection. She remembered Coral’s question. Would she meet her future prince at Ever After High? If so, she hoped they wouldn’t all be like Daring. She had no idea how to relate to a guy like that. She wanted someone who didn’t care so much about how he looked. Someone who liked to talk about interesting things.
Someone smart.
Apple waved. “Hey, Humphrey, can you come over here for a moment? I’d like you to meet our new student.”
Another boy walked toward the table. From first glance, the only thing he had in common with Daring Charming, physically, was that a crown sat on his head. He was of average height and average build. He wore a button-down shirt, suspenders, and bow tie. He didn’t walk as if he owned the world. Rather, he seemed hesitant to approach the table. No girls sighed as he passed by.
“Humphrey, this is Meeshell. She’s a new student and she’s not familiar with MirrorPads so she’s going to need your help signing into the network, etcetera.” She turned to Meeshell. “Humphrey Dumpty is the president of the Tech Club, so any tech troubles you have, he’ll know how to solve them.”
“Uh, hi,” Humphrey said. He made eye contact for only a moment, which was fine with Meeshell because she was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the introductions. He shuffled in place. “So, yeah, uh, I’m always happy to help. But right now I have a Tech Club meeting. Can I help you later?”
“Sure,” Meeshell said.
“Okay.” He fiddled with a collection of pens and pencils that were crammed into his shirt pocket. “I’ll see you later.” Then he hurried away, but just before he reached the exit, his foot met a chair leg and he stumbled forward. “Ahhh!” he cried, his arms reaching to break his fall. As he tumbled onto the floor, the few students who were still lingering in the Castleteria gasped with alarm. Meeshell stared at Humphrey, who was now sprawled, facedown, on the Castleteria floor. But before anyone could move to help him, he scrambled back to his feet. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said, brushing off some toast crumbs. Then he used both hands to feel all over his head. “Yeah, I’m definitely fine. No cracks. It’s all good.” He cast an embarrassed glance at Meeshell, then exited.