“Princess Rose says you can’t wait for someone else to do the rescuing,” Tessa says tartly. “If Royal Ladies-in-Waiting want something, they have to grab it.”
Like ruling Enchantasia? Could one of these princess wannabes secretly be working with Alva? I glance at Maxine, trying to somehow tell her what I’m thinking, but she’s still drooling—literally—over Tessa’s jewelry. Maybe if I went to an RLW meeting, I could find out if the mole is among them. That’s what a hero would do, right?
Hmm…but do I really want to go to a club meeting where everything is pink? Shudder. I tug at my brown hair, which I never even combed this morning. “I’ll check out a meeting if Maxine can come with me,” I say. “She is just as much a potential Royal Lady-in-Waiting as I am.”
Tessa looks at Maxine’s lumpy frame and winces. “Maxine?”
I put my arm around Maxine. At least I try to. She’s much bigger than me. “She’s been helping out at your events all year.”
Tessa looks at the others. “But…well…you see, we have very strict criteria.”
“Last time she tried to help, she crushed the flowers with her pudgy hand!” cries one royal wannabe with a particularly crooked nose.
“I did,” Maxine admits, her right eye rolling madly.
“She makes a mess when she’s eating, and her food flew into my mouth one time!” says a girl whose hair is so bright red I think it might be made of flames.
“I am kind of sloppy.” Maxine burps for added benefit. The girls giggle.
I’ve had enough. I shove my invitation back into Tessa’s hands.
“If you guys don’t think Maxine is RLW material, then you’re not the kind of girls I want to hang out with,” I say indignantly. How could girls who are this obsessed with princesses have a member who’s the mole? I take back my original idea. Who needs them?
The final bell chimes, and students duck and roll through the closing classroom door. I have to make it through before it seals shut and I get extra detention time with Madame Cleo. Where I’d have to do dance lessons. Shudder.
“But Princess Rose…” Tessa starts to say.
“You can tell Princess Rose that if she wants me to be in her royal-lover club, she’ll put Maxine in it as well,” I say.
“Okay! We will!” Tessa calls after me as I race to the classroom door. “And by the way, love the purple stripe in your hair!”
Grr… I pull Maxine with me as we dive through the doorway to Professor Harlow’s—I mean Blackbeard’s—classroom before the door seals shut with a slurp.
“Ah, the other lass we’ve been looking for!” Blackbeard says.
I look up and my jaw drops. Where the heck am I?
Blackbeard puts a strong hand on my shoulder and leads me to the front of the classroom where a pouty Jocelyn is waiting. He flashes a mouth of rotten teeth. “Ready for your duel, poppet?”
Happily Ever After Scrolls
Brought to you by FairyWeb—magically appearing on scrolls throughout Enchantasia for the past ten years!
Meet Fairy Tale Reform School’s New Teacher: Blackbeard the Pirate!
by Coco Collette
Name: Edward Teach but he’s better known as Blackbeard for his famed long, black beard beaded with jewels from the Orient.
Former Occupation: “Pillaging, plundering, and having lots of jolly good fun!” says Blackbeard, who was more than happy to sit down for an interview with HEAS.
Current Occupation: “Teaching lads and lasses how to swab the decks.” (We translated this to mean: “Clean up thar acts.”) Hobbies: Fencing. Blackbeard is taking over Professor Harlow’s role as fencing team coach. The former pirate also enjoys “a good sea chantey, and Madame Cleo knows plenty of them.” (Hmm…makes us wonder about those romance rumors.) Strengths: Fear tactics. In battle, Blackbeard was a menacing sight. He dressed in black and tied fuses to his hair so they’d give off smoke. Enemies would surrender on sight. “It’s about the illusion, matey!” No idea how this tactic will go over in a classroom.
Weaknesses: “I’ve been swayed by a bonny lass before.” Paging Madame Cleo…
Likes: Captaining a ship, the smell of sea air, and intellectual ARRguments Hates: Insubordination. “If ye don’t follow me rules, I’ll make ye walk the plank!”
Check back for more coverage on FTRS’s newest teacher, Blackbeard the Pirate!
CHAPTER 4
Captain of the Ship