A Visit

The Evening:

A little, green candle crackled over white-and-red checkered tablecloth. A long, red booth wrapped around the inside of the table. We were beside a little window, the sunset cutting into the dimly lit restaurant.

Terrance wiggled his fingertips. “This arm feels so weird,” he grabbed it with his opposite hand.

“Is that the one that was blown off?” Pippa’s tail flicked under the booth. Terrance had promised to treat Bruno to Italian food when they first met. Using our student cards again was nice.

I looked at Terrance’s plate, “You have to eat something you know,” I said sharply, “your new body doesn’t have food inside of it.”

Pippa leaned over him. She pressed her chin against his shoulder, “But if ya don’t want it… I mean… if you’re not gonna finish your lasagna…” she drooled.

“I really don’t have much of an appetite,” Terrance poked at it with his fork, “my leg is all shaky, too. When I woke up, it felt like they weren’t even supposed to be there.”

“Wings, arms, legs,” I recounted, “mine felt like they weren’t supposed to exist at all. It only lasts a day or so. At least one of your arms and one of your legs still existed.”

“Alice…” Bruno stared at me.

“What?” I shrugged, “He needs advice. He’s never died before.”

Mina rested her head on her chin, “Just keep bragging about how bad you had it.”

“I… I was completely destroyed!” I guffawed.

“You seem fine to me,” she lifted her head quietly, looking up at the ceiling.

Terrance saluted, “Alice didn’t have it worse, no matter how much she brags. I died almost instantly.”

“It took me an hour,” I blinked.

“See? Much better!” He nodded up and down.

Pippa reached toward Terrance’s food. Bruno pushed her away with his wing, “At least let him give you permission first.”

“He said he has no appetite!” She whimpered.

“Terrible…” Bruno whispered, “Give him a minute.”

I fluttered over toward Pippa’s food. She’d taken two bites out of her scampi. I reached toward her fork playfully, it was way too big for me to hold. Before I could even say something, she grabbed the front of my dress with her claw. She hissed, “Have your own, Teeny. Unless you want to be a topping.”

Bruno wrapped his wing around her glass of root beer. He dragged it closer to himself, “Okay, you’re having water for the rest of the night.”

“I have a hostage, ya know!” Pippa looked down at me menacingly. She laughed.

Terrance put a hand on her head, “We all can share. There’s way too much food for any one of us.” He glanced toward Bruno’s empty plate, “N-nevermind.”

“It’s not fair,” Pippa’s eyes lowered. She sank down over the table, “I’m hungry…” she whined.

Bruno blinked, “Then… eat the food in front of you?”

“But it’s pasta,” she stared at it, “I already ate all the shrimp. Where’s the rest of the meat?”

“You ordered pasta!” Bruno pushed the plate in front of her.

She lowered her upper body, pressing her chest against the tablecloth. Her shoulders swayed side to side. Her tail flicked back and forth behind her and she made a clicking noise with her tongue, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Birdie…”

“Try it,” Bruno straightened his back out. “You’re going to pounce right into the table and get food all over everyone.”

Pippa looked up at the ceiling, “You’re no fun at all,” she put her claw down beside me, “would you pretend to be scared if I wanted to pounce at you, Alice?”

“I think I’d actually be scared,” I crossed my legs and sat down, “sometimes I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not, Pippa.”

“Good!” She smiled, her fangs hanging down over her lower lips.

Terrance lifted up his fork and knife. He took a bite of food, and forced himself to slowly chew on it. He didn’t spit it out, but his face contorted slightly. He shut his eyes and forced himself to swallow, “Wow, it’s really good,” he exhaled.

“If it’s burnt, I can take it!” Pippa spun around.

Terrance took another bite. This one he chewed more evenly. He took a sip of water after. The waiter tried to upsell him on a soda, but he refused. “I’m serious, it’s not bad. It was like I forgot how to eat for a moment.”

Pippa begrudgingly stuffed some of her own pasta into her mouth, “Mmmm! Yum!” She yelled across the room with her mouth still full, “This stuff is great if anyone wants to trade!”

“No thanks,” I slowly chewed the bit of bread I had. “We could get you cat food if you want.”

“Anything can be cat food,” she thought out loud.

“Good,” Mina pointed at the pasta.

October 13
Lunch:

The music club lined up just inside the school gates. They had their black-and-green outfits on. Their instruments had all been painted a matching, shiny silver. Mina and I sat over the display in a tree branch, watching from above.

“They have the whole band out,” I muttered.

“Uh-huh,” Mina watched them, “the president is coming. They’re supposed to play the national anthem like they do in the sports games.”

“Supposed to?”

“Student council was in charge of the sheet music,” Mina snickered. A single black car parked outside of the gate. President Dreammaker was assisted out by two members of the Secret Service.

She adjusted her violet tie as she walked through the gates, and the band started. Instead of the national anthem, they began playing The Imperial March, Darth Vader’s theme from Star Wars.

The president looked between the members of the band quietly. She smiled and shook her head before whispering something to one of her guards. Then, she quietly waited in the entryway for the band to finish the song, and she quietly applauded them. “Yes, I was once a student here, too.”

Principal Gray rushed across the lawn to meet her, “Madam President, you arrived earlier than expected.” He looked between the giggling band members, “Where is your club advisor? I’d like a word with her.”

President Dreammaker wrapped her arms around Principal Gray, “Alto, don’t mind them. Kids will be kids.”

He nodded, “I’m sorry to hear about the Director.”

“He did something very naughty, Mr. Gray, very naughty indeed,” the president smiled to herself. Director Archstar had been following her orders, “and with an election around the corner, too. I feel betrayed by him.” She turned her head up toward Mina and I, barely catching us in the corner of her eye, “And, poor, poor Lady Sparrowbane. To think he was behind all of this.”

“It’s a real shame,” Principal Gray stepped back. He held his breath, “that something like this could not have been avoided, Sally.” His voice curled too sweetly. “You and him were close friends when you went here. I remember it well.”

She clapped her hands together, “Oh, but how times change. I have made an order that Director Archstar is not to be resurrected. I thought it was only fair for what he’s put your students through.” Her eyes darted away from Principal Gray’s. She grimaced slightly, like a chess player unsure about a sacrifice.

Principal Gray led her further inside. He pretended to point out various buildings and facilities to her. He bragged about the victories of our sports teams. Nothing she didn’t already know. We flew after them just as a number of other students tried to quietly follow. Finally, they slipped quietly inside of Principal Gray’s office and clicked the door shut.

Mina and I flew up on top of his office. It was a single building connected to the wall along the edge of the campus. One of its doors led outside, in case any parents needed to speak to him, and the other door led into the school. The parents were seldom allowed through that one.

It was designed to look like a cottage, warm and cozy. A little fireplace was often crackling inside, but right now, there was no smoke rising from the chimney. Mina and I landed at the top of the chimney, “She’ll see us right away if we fly down,” Mina whispered.

“I’ll try this, then,” I hovered over the edge and cast a spell on myself. A flash of silver light surrounded me, and I fell straight down as my body stretched and shifted into that of a little mouse. Mina shook her head, but ultimately did the same.

We landed on a little pile of fresh wood. Mr. Gray was holding a log in his hands, and he sighed as we crawled over the highest piece, “Goodness, I need to do something about the rodents around here.”

“I thought you hired Bianca Snowfox for that,” The president smirked, “but, these are guests.”

Principal Gray grabbed us both and set us down softly against his desk, “Of course, I know these two. I merely didn’t want to alarm you, Sally. These are the Sparrowbane sisters.”

“They are identical to the last time they tried using transformation magic to deceive me,” President Dreammaker smiled softly, “Maybe you should teach more philosophy, at least enough for your students to know what it means to try the same thing again and again while expecting a different outcome.”

Principal Gray sighed, “Presumably so. What do you both want?”

Mina held herself high, her tail straightened out below her, “The magic-giving drug was my mother’s life’s work. I want it to be used.”

Principal Gray sighed, “I’m afraid that in its current state, such a thing would be unethical,” he admitted, “it worked perfectly for you, Mina. Well enough for Alice. And for others, it started giving worse and worse side effects until the Veil collapsed. After that, it almost didn’t work at all.”

“There was one case,” President Dreammaker added, “your mother tried to revive the project some years ago. Her growing illness after the fall of the Veil was getting too much for her to hide. And suddenly, something happened that made her afraid to die. There were brief attempts to make the drug work, and except one, they all failed. Before, it only worked on infants, now, it didn’t work at all. Your mother couldn’t make any progress. It was a fool’s errand, and I tried telling her that. Of course, if I told either of you something was a waste of time, I imagine you’d both do it anything. Some things run in the family.”

“So it’s just useless?” I muttered.

“Not at all,” President Dreammaker shook her head, “see, there was a criminal, the queenpin of a certain mafia group. Her son, about your age, was sick and struggling to recover. This woman somehow heard about a secret project, she stole it. Her son is named Terrance Thunder. The drug worked.”

“His mom was in the mob?” Mina blinked.

The president shrugged, “He never figured that part out.”

“Terrance was sick?” I asked quietly.

President Gray scratched the back of his head, “His mother was a close friend of mine for… non-professional reasons. She seemed to believe the drug would be a miracle cure. In addition to activating the magic, it saved his life. The mechanism behind this is less understood.”

“The person who the drug really did work for,” Mina blurted out. She laughed to herself, “so that really makes him the Chosen One, doesn’t it?”

“That’s his mother’s nickname for him,” Principal Gray clapped, “not a real title.”

“Wait!” Mina covered her mouth, “Terrance… Terrance is a mama’s boy?”

President Dreammaker rested her chin in the palm of her hand, “Didn’t you girls… I won’t push it.”

“You made Ms. Snowfox…” I started.

“Oh, yes, that,” the president folded her hands, “I heard about your story with the Stafford boy, and I wanted to see what would happen if you faced him again. It was merely a personal curiosity.”

“I could have died,” I winced.

“Yes, well… I see you’re sitting right in front of me. I can’t fathom whatever there should be to complain about.”

Principal Gray cleared his throat, “Heavens, Sally, she was worried for her life. Can you quite blame her?”

“What does it matter?” She scraped the desk with her fingernails, “She didn’t die. If she had, she quite rightly would have been brought back. Sure, it would have hurt a bit. No pain, no gain, right?”

Mina’s ears raised slightly, “Then, remind me to sick some monster against you.”

“That would be illegal, Mina Sparrowbane. I’m the President of the United States.” She leaned back in her seat, “Not some mere FBI Director,” she smirked.

Principal Gray took a deep breath, “Alice, Mina. I’ll write off the grades for the assignments you missed while you were gone. Will that be quite it for our meeting?” He looked between us, waiting only a moment for some reaction, “Then good. Be on your way, girls.”

President Dreammaker sighed, “Yes, indeed. I think it is about time for you to leave. Someday, when you get the chance, tell your mother I said hi,” she faked a sweet smile. Principal Gray grabbed us and set us down outside the door before Mina could make any rather noticeable protest. The grass brushed against our fur as the door shut behind us.

I stared at the door as it quietly clicked shut behind us. Mina blinked, “We can get back in easily, I’m sure.”

“Oh, for what?” I sighed. “We could get lunch at the Maple Mall.”

“Like this?” She raised her paw, “We’re mice, Alice.”

I brushed my head against her side. It would still take too many Dames to turn back, “Well, where should we go, then?”

“I only have my elective left and… oh whatever… I’m just going to head home, Alice.”

“I thought Edward was the one who ditches class.”

“How about we head to New York, now?” Mina giggled. She looked out over the campus for a second, taking in a breath. The door slowly opened. President Dreammaker stood there quietly.

“I thought you both would have sneaked back in already,” She looked down at us, “and, I was just starting to be impressed with you.”

My tail flicked behind me, “We were rather assured that it was time to leave.”

“I see,” She sighed. The president walked on past us, “I was making a promise to Principal Gray that I would look into opening up Maple… for students to come and go. I was thinking of doing that if I won my second term in November.”

Mina laughed to herself, “We’ll just leave if we want anyway.”

“Exactly,” the president pressed her hands against her sides, “Now, be well.” She walked out the gates of the school and sat back in her black car. We watched as she was driven away.

Principal Gray knelt down beside us, “She left this for you girls.” I turned around as he set down a little notecard. Big red letters were scrawled across it. Dreams Come True.

The Evening:

The sunset lowered over the cliffs. The first chill hopped over the Pacific waves, swinging through the trees and shaking Bruno’s feathers. My hair blew slightly in the breeze. I leaned sideways against his neck. My wings slumped behind me. I was exhausted by turning back, but it was worth it to be here. He held a little, acoustic guitar in his wings. His feather plucked the strings aimlessly. There wasn’t a tune or melody, just single notes and halves of chords. “My mother’s coming to visit,” he whispered toward the ocean.

“I haven’t seen her in years,” I ran my hand down his feathers, “do you mind if I come to see her, too?”

He shook his head, “She’ll… I’m sure she’ll want to hear about everything. God, what’s she going to say when she sees what happened to my leg?”

“We’ll just tell her you turned again,” I hummed, “it wasn’t your fault.”

He watched the crest of a pitiful wave droop over the rocks, decaying into foam then receding back out to see silently, “I don’t want to tell her,” he huffed, “Alice, what if it happens again.”

“Then, you’ll control it again,” I buried my head in his feathers, “imagine what she’ll say when she hears that you controlled it. No lycanthrope has ever controlled their curse before.”

“I…”

“You beat something nobody ever had,” I wrapped my arms around him, “and you did it for me, Bruno.”