A Celebrated Thing

September 26
The Morning:

Saturdays always dragged on. At least, Sundays gave me something to look forward to. Even with the party in the coming evening, I found myself getting dressed first thing in the morning. I must have stood there looking at myself in the front room’s mirror for a quarter of an hours as I cheesily turned back and forth. I was just wasting time.

“Alice!” Mina flinched as she saw me, “Alice, what are you wearing?”

I flicked the bottom of the Hawaiian skirt, “Ms. Snowfox and Pippa helped me to go clothes shopping.”

“You know what,” she pursed her lips, “that’s great. Trying things is good. I mean, Pippa has the fashion sense of a tin can, and Bianca doesn’t wear clothes, but they did… they did alright.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Pipa is usually well dressed.”

“No. Nice try, though.”

My face sunk, “Is it terrible?”

“It’s adorable!” Mina put her hands on my shoulders, “You know there’s a great… uh… fusion of styles. There’s the full tropical, then the kind of pool party flowers, and then… ribbon.”

“I thought the ribbon really ties it together,” I spun around in front of the mirror.

“Oh, that was your idea?” She acted surprised, “did… did they say anything about it?”

“They didn’t like it for some reason.”

“Oh really?” Mina held her chin in her hand, “It’s a matter of taste. The glasses have to go. Just wear your regular glasses.”

“Pippa said they were perfect for a party.”

“Oh, that sixth grade party?” Mina put her arm around me, “Okay, that explains everything. It’s just sixth graders, so you’ll be the life of the party like this.”

“Ms. Snowfox will be there.”

“Right, so it’s a sixth grade party,” Mina sighed, “she just has to come and crash every party held in the entire town. I don’t even know how she keeps finding out about them.”

“Well what are seventh grade parties like?”
“I don’t know, it’s only been a week,” Mina tilted her head back and forth, “but you know they’re the best. What time does it start at, Alice?”

“Six.”

“Okay, so a quarter ‘till seven, Alice,” she bit her lip, “it’s ten in the morning. Why are you getting ready now?”

“Well it starts at six, not a quarter ‘till seven. I was gonna show up around five-thirty to not be late,” I explained.

“Please, do not do that. You never show up at parties early!” She shook her head, “It’s not a class, nobody’s taking attendance, and being too early can be awkward.”

“But, it’s still late.”

“Fashionably late,” Mina insisted, “now imagine everyone is just starting to mingle, then you fly in. Heads turn. Oh is that Mina, only Mina is that cool! Wait, no it’s Alice. Guess it runs in the family.”

“How would they confuse us?” I asked, “You’re an inch taller than me.”

“That only looks like a lot to us.”

“It’s lucky they even sell clothes for fairies.”

“Come on, there are around fifty of us in Maple,” Mina said, “us, Edward, and Bianca are the only ones that really matter, though. The others don’t use magic.”

“What was Dad saying, his friend Ferris was having a baby or something?”

“A boy?” Mina asked.

“He said it was a girl,” I said, “I hope she has magic.”

“That’s a one in five hundred thousand shot. It’s for the best, you can’t be revived without magic.”

“Don’t say it that way,” I looked away.

Mina shrugged, “The monsters around Maple are getting bigger, everyone knows it. It’s more dangerous than ever. Even in normal places, one in eight, and that’s slightly worse for girls.”

“We should help her.”

“What, stay with her her whole life?” Mina asked, “And, what happens when there’s something you can’t just overpower with magic. You know the kinds of things.”
“I don’t know,” I said.

“Alice, Maple isn’t that much worse from us. A frog is a monster as much as a cockatrice is. Something bigger may even just ignore us if it’s not desperate. It’s the humans and the beastfolk who things are really getting worse for,” Mina explained, “maybe someday, they’ll have the same odds as us.”

“I heard about it, yesterday, some project Mom used to be involved with. Ms. Snowfox knows about it, and it’s apparently a way to give magic to everyone.”

Mina blinked, “She never told me.”

“Something like that could…”

Mina cut me off, “No, Alice. Alice, what if she didn’t fail?”

“What do you mean?”

“Something like that, something she wasn’t even willing to tell us about. If she made a breakthrough, what if that’s why she disappeared?” Mina paced around, “Do you want to get changed before we go to look into this more?”

“I’ll wear this,” I shook my head, “where should we start?”

“Well, Ms. Snowfox knows about the project, right? We should ask her.”

Just as we had student apartments scattered throughout Maple, the staff were provided housing by the government. Ms. Snowfox, Mr. Archstar, Ms. Pena, and most others had been students themselves before they became teachers. They just redecorated the homes that had once been their student apartments to be their staff homes. It didn’t make sense for them to move into a different cookie cutter house to keep living in the same neighborhood.

I didn’t ask Mina how she knew where Ms. Snowfox lived, though I was sure it wasn’t something the teacher would be interested in hiding. Mina pressed her side against the doorbell and we both hovered there until Ms. Snowfox emerged from a little flap installed in the bottom of the door.

Mina raised an eyebrow at her, “Bianca, why are you using a dog door?” She stopped, “And, what are you wearing?” The white fox was adorned in one of those little skirts made to wrap around a pet. She had a tiny top hat strapped around her head, bobbling between her ears.

“I thought it’d be fitting for a party,” Ms. Snowfox answered, “and opening the whole door is way too much work.”

“I think it looks great!” I flew a little closer.

“It’s not really my style,” Ms. Snowfox admitted, “but, I thought it’d be fun to just try something new.”

“Those are clothes made for dogs, Bianca,” Mina spoke like a disappointed parent, “it’s a collectors’ item for old ladies.”

“Oh?” Ms. Snowfox walked in a circle, examining the outfit, “Shouldn’t you respect your elders, then, Mina?”

“Sure,” Mina pressed her eyes shut. She shook her head, “look, I was hoping to ask you about something. Alice said, yesterday, you mentioned some project. Something with Mom.”

“Did I? I don’t remember. Even if I did remember, I’d think you should come inside,” She walked back through the dog door. It flapped back and forth slightly after her, “Come quick, I’m not going to open the whole thing.”

“A dog door?” Mina winced, “Ugh, I couldn’t!” I flew through ahead of her, and she kept protesting as she slowly slipped in after me.

“It’s just an entrance,” I said. I covered my ears as soon as I entered. I ducked into a corner, covering my head in my knees.

“It’s demeaning!” Mina complained. She saw me, “Alice, what’s wrong?” Ms. Snowfox’s house was tremendously loud. Large speakers hung from the walls, thundering with heavy metal. The heater was running at almost ninety degrees. Bright lights flashed red then blue then orange then white. A strobe light accompanied them ticking on and off constantly.

Ms. Snowfox stopped. She saw me there, “Oh dear,” she walked around the corner. A moment later, the speakers stopped, then the lights died. “I wasn’t expecting you. You know, most people who visit don’t notice at all. But, it didn’t cross my mind.”

“Bianca, you should turn the temperature down, too.” Mina said.

“It’s not that hot!” Ms. Snowfox protested, “Oh, oh alright.”

I took slow, deep breaths until I could wipe the sweat from my brow, “It, it wasn’t that bad. I didn’t throw up this time.”

Ms. Snowfox trotted over, “I knew heat bothered you, that makes sense. But, I thought it had to be much more than that.”

“Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. It was just everything.”

“Mom’s project,” Mina sat down beside me.

“Oh, right!” Bianca curled up in a thick ball of white fur, her head stuck out as she spoke, “Now, let’s see. It was an old project that Representative Sparrowbane pushed to fund. She was entranced with the idea of creating some way to give magic to everyone as soon as she found out her son was magical. She told me about it at my cousin’s funeral. My cousin wasn’t there, nobody knew where she went. I just remember she looked like you, once, Alice. This was all before you were born. I was either ten or eleven.”

“Athena?” Mina asked.

“So your mother told you about her?” Ms. Snowfox asked out loud, “That’s surprising. What brought that on?”

“It was just a name,” Mina said, “Alice wasn’t there, and Edward locked himself in his room. I was just sitting in the front room. I think I was playing with my fingers or something. I remember a really sweet girl named Athena, my mother told me, you would have really liked her. And, something very unfair happened to her, it happens to a lot of people.”

“I guess it was right after it happened, then,” Ms. Snowfox shook her head, “your mother was telling you something like this when you were only two or three?”

“I was nine, Bianca.” Mina said, “my mom presented it like a ghost story, like Athena had already been gone a long time.”

“Oh,” Ms. Snowfox said, “it stuck with her so much to be her go-to in other cases.”

“When was the project abandoned?” I asked.

“We were in public before,” Ms. Snowfox hummed, “it wasn’t exactly abandoned. Your mother was still asking me to do research for her until about a year ago. I wondered if she had finally finished her magnum opus, the drug that would rewrite the world, and then… gone…”

“Alice,” Mina whispered, “Alice, this is it. Bian… Ms. Snowfox, anything else you can tell us.”

Ms. Snowfox watched her carefully, “I can tell you one other thing. A version of the drug works, that I know for sure.”

“You saw it tested?” Mina asked.

Ms. Snowfox stood up suddenly, “Of course not. Did you know that anyone can use magic… once?”
“What?” I asked.

“We don’t really tell people that,” Ms. Snowfox said, “see, magic doesn’t care how many Dames your body is capable of handling. Magical people, non-magical people. The only difference is one gene that gives a higher resistance to spellcasting exertion. Everyone can cast magic, but the vast, vast majority would die instantly once they did. Everyone can be revived, but those without magic tolerance would just keel over and die again a few seconds later.”

“Why don’t we tell people that?” Mina asked.

“Because then they would try it, and they would die,” Ms. Snowfox said sharply, “your mother’s magnum opus is not a drug that gives magic to anyone. It activates that one gene. That’s it. Do you know how often that gene is naturally active?”

“One in half a million,” I answered.

“That’s if both of the parents don’t have that gene,” Ms. Snowfox said, “if either of them do, the odds get better. But, both of your parents don’t. See, your brother won that fantastic lottery, I’m willing to believe that happened randomly. Two siblings? Unlikely, but possible once you see it. Three in a row?”

“What are you saying?” Mina asked. She exhaled quickly, almost hyperventilating.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ms. Snowfox walked closer to us, “She was inspired by your brother’s tremendous luck. You both have a lot to thank for your mother’s games. She didn’t share them with anyone else because then people might realize how you both got your magic. Alice, you owe her your life.”

“Because without her…”
“Every attempt to bring you back would have failed,” Ms. Snowfox said firmly, “she was in a terror until you were resurrected anyway. I bet I know why, the drug wasn’t complete when you would have been given it. I’m just speculating, but I think you had already shown one other side effect, so she suddenly started panicking that it may be uniquely impossible. She was over the moon when it did work.”

“A side effect?”

“Do you think you suddenly started growing more slowly when you were revived?” Ms. Snowfox asked, “They’re correlated, yes. But, one did not cause the other.”

Mina grabbed her hair in her hands, “No-no… It’s not. Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom…”

I wrapped my arms around her quietly, “Hey, it doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice broke.

“We still can use magic,” I said, “we still can be brought back.”

Mina slowly caught her breath, “Bianca, I need to find what happened to this drug. What did Mom do with it?”

“I imagine it’s being kept in Washington D.C. somewhere. I don’t really know.”

“I need to find it,” Mina took a deep breath, “it needs to get out for everyone.”

I leaned back, “I know someone else to ask about this,” I muttered, “Ah, Mina you’re going to hate this.”

“Who?”

“Terry Thunder,” I said, “he just discovered that he had magic a couple weeks ago? That’s not right. If he had it from birth…”

“Then he would have already known!” Mina exclaimed, “How can we find him?”

“He’s hosting the party tonight.”

Mina looked at Ms. Snowfox, “I don’t have to wear something like that, do I?”

The Night:

Terrance’s house was vandalized with streamers. The entryway was halfway blocked by a collapsible, plastic table covered in water balloons. A Darth Vader pinata hung above us, situated over an ornate carpet. There were large, framed portraits of Terrance at every age. His parents sat in the backgrounds of them all, except the most recent.

Mina took a deep breath, “I’m underdressed, I should have listened to you guys.”

“It’s almost seven,” I looked up at the clock, “where is everyone?”

Ms. Snowfox walked further down the hall. She guffawed, “I found them. They’re all in the backyard.” I flew out after her. The back doors were left open, and the ten-or-so guests who’d arrived before us were all situated around a massive, inflated, Spongebob-themed bouncy castle.

Mina flew beside me, “Alice, this is the most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I think, me too.”

“Oh, you guys are here!” A voice called out from behind us. I turned and saw Bruno there.

Mina caught him in the corner of her eye, “How could this day get any worse?” She covered her mouth and flew to a wooden countertop where she rapped her knuckles against the wood.

“You didn’t get dressed up,” I smiled at him.

“You…” His beak hung open, “It really suits you.”

Ms. Snowfox strutted over to him, “And me?”

“You look like a chihuahua,” he said coldly.

“What are you doing here?” Mina flew up to him, “You? You don’t go to parties!”

“I was invited,” he said, “I called my mom to tell her I was invited to a party, and she was so happy, so then I had to go. She told me to come fashionably late, so I came in just after you guys.”

“I hate that for you,” Mina scowled.

Bruno walked past us, “It’s going to be beautiful out tonight,” he stopped and stared out into the backyard, “what in God’s name?”

“Oh, it’s the Wolfman of Maple being the voice of reason?” Mina snorted, “I thought you’d want to join whatever cult activities are going on out there.”

“I wouldn’t criticize this affair for being childish,” Ms. Snowfox hopped up onto a chair. She let her paws dangle down in front of her, “Mina, you have so many valid things you can say without namecalling.”

“I hate you,” Mina flew over Bruno’s head, “I hate everything you have ever been. I wish there was never a day when I mistook you for a person worth any kind of generosity. You’re right, Ms. Snowfox, that feels more genuine.”

Bruno’s shoulders folded over slightly. “I’m sorry it has to be that way. I wish more than anyone it wasn’t,” He brushed his shirt off with his feathers and turned to leave, “I’ll get out of your hair, Mina. I’m sorry to bother you.”

“You both go on and find Terrance,” Ms. Snowfox huffed. She jumped down and chased after Bruno.

Mina flew along toward the backyard, and I continued after her, “He saved Terrance’s life,” I said, “that’s why he came here.”

“Good for him.”

Terrance was sitting just outside of the bounce house when he saw us approaching. The only person actually inside of it was Pippa. I watched her jumping up and down through the mesh windows. Terrance smiled, “Alice, I had no idea you could look this good when you wanted!” He was wearing a red-and-blue superhero outfit with a long, white cape.

“You look great, also,” I forced myself to nod.

“Look, Captian Knock-off, we’ve got something we need to discuss with you,” Mina said.

“Woah, serious pants over here!” Terrance pulled a water balloon out from behind his back. He weakly lobbed it at Mina. She fluttered out of the way, narrowly avoiding it.

“That could have really hurt me!” She darted closer to him.

“It’s just full of water, Veep, take your pills.”

“You need to come with us, Terry,” I sighed, “as much as I hate to admit it, this is part of your Chosen One destiny… or something.”

He saluted to the other students from our class. They were standing around and mingling. Not one of them was paying any attention to Terrance. He walked after us as we tried to get somewhere quiet, “See, I knew something like this was coming. Fairies carrying secret messages and all. It’s perfect.”

“Humans thinking they’re important, how perfect,” Mina snickered.

How did you discover you had magic?” I asked him, “Not like, yow Did Principal Gray tell you? Like, really?”

“My parents had something,” he said, “they said something very bad was going to happen, and they ahd me take a pill. They aren’t with us anymore.”

“Why didn’t they take it before they died?” I whispered to Mina.

“I don’t know.” I shook my head. I stopped as a yell echoed throughout the party. A tall woman in all black, and two men beside her stopped beside the bounce house. I'd never seen them before.