Azalea and Dahlia waltz off. With no leads, Pete disappears too. That’s when Anna bursts into tears, big tears rolling down her cheeks. I hear Maxine sniffle. She and Kayla knock me in the back at the same time. “Go!” they mouth.
I walk from my hiding spot and pick up one of the boxes. “Hi, Anna Banana.”
She stops crying immediately. “I should have known. Go away.” Anna tries to pick up all the boxes again and they tumble.
“Let me help. You know you can’t manage alone, and you’re pressed for time.”
Anna holds a hand up. “I don’t want to hear why you’re running away from FTRS with your friends and leaving your family behind.”
“Anna,” I plead. “I’m not running away! I want to come home. That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to find a way to stop Alva.” My sister folds her arms and turns away.
“Anna?” Jax asks questioningly. I see the others slip out of the shadows. “I’m Jax. This is Kayla, Gilly’s roommate, and our friends Maxine and Ollie.”
Ollie bows. “Lovely to meet you, miss.” He offers her the snack bag. “Caramel cake?”
“Gilly is telling you the truth,” Jax says, giving Anna a magnetic smile. I can tell she’s mesmerized already. “We’re only in the village to gather information on Alva and the threat to the kingdom.” He moves closer to my sister. “If we can stop her, Gilly will be able to come home. All she talks about is you and your siblings.”
The corners of Anna’s mouth turn upward. She catches me staring and frowns again.
“But if Gilly and the rest of us are caught, she’ll be stuck at FTRS longer,” Jax continues. “We have a ride back—Azalea and Dahlia—if we can get in their carriage. All we need you to do—”
“I’m not helping criminals!” Anna begins to walk away and Jax steps in front of her, putting a hand on her shoulder. He looks very royal standing there like that.
“We just need you to look the other way when we slip into the back of the carriage. That’s it. In exchange, we’ll help you carry all these bags back, and none of us will say a word about Gilly, your fight, or thieving. Deal?”
Anna is silent for a moment. “Okay.”
Everyone grabs a package and we begin the walk in silence. It’s just a few blocks, but we have to walk slowly to watch for Pete. We pass the Teakettle Twins’ large porcelain teapot duplex, which has steam escaping from the spout, and Hansel and Gretel’s candy-inspired cottage. I hear a lot of chatter near Mother Goose’s Nursery Day Care, but we keep our heads down.
Soon, I see the familiar boot-shaped sign above Father’s shop: Cobbler Shoes. Azalea and Dahlia’s carriage is already waiting. Jax holds open the back of the carriage for us to slip inside. Maxine, Kayla, and Ollie go first. I begin piling in boxes and bags, and then it’s my turn to disappear. I look at my sister standing there with her arms crossed.
“I love you, Anna Banana.” She refuses to look at me. “I’ll be home before you know it. I’m going to make you proud that I’m your sister.”
Anna smiles ever so slightly. “You should get going. They’ll be back soon.”
I climb aboard and Jax gets in behind me. We bury ourselves behind packages and go unseen when Anna adds a new, blue, glittered shoe box behind us a few minutes later. It isn’t long before I hear Azalea and Dahlia bickering and climbing into the carriage in front of us. The Pegasi take flight and the packages around us shift, but I say not a word.
I just stare at my hands where the item I’ve had clenched in them has been hidden the whole time. The glass shines even in the darkness. I stare at the broken glass heel, trying to remember how poor our home and life were before FTRS, and how far my family has come since I became famous. I will never let it get that bad for them again.
Before I know it, the Pegasi are descending and we’re back at Fairy Tale Reform School. We shrink back as the girls remove the carriage flap to grab their packages. They’re so busy arguing that they don’t even notice when one of them grabs my foot instead of the bag next to it. Finally, with the cart empty, they throw the flap back down and the carriage is quiet once more. Still, we wait. Jax and I look at each other, thinking the same thing. Within seconds, the carriage will start to move toward the stables. We’ll get out there, and it will be as if we’ve never left.
I hear Maxine breathe a sigh of relief. “We did it!” she whispers a little too loudly.
WHOOSH!
A furry hand with long nails pulls the flap back, and I blink at the bright light of day. Professor Wolfington’s hairy face comes into view, a devilish smile playing on his lips. Behind him, Headmistress Flora looks less amused.
“Ah, Miss Gillian, Mr. Jax, and company. Glad to have you back,” Professor Wolfington says as if we’ve just rejoined the party. “We’ve been expecting you.”
Happily Ever After Scrolls
Brought to you by FairyWeb—magically appearing on scrolls throughout Enchantasia for the past ten years!
Students Break Out of Fairy Tale Reform School!