Bagsy Beetlehorn and the Inferno Conscription (The Bagsy Chronicles 3)

The Full Moon

'Dear lord, took you long enough,' Primrose tutted in a low whisper. She was standing next to Bagsy's bed, Bagsy's school robe held in one hand. 'Watching you agonise over this has been so dull. It seems you even have yourself fooled, thinking you're a nice person.' Bagsy's looked at Primrose, bugged eyed and heart-stopped. She was frozen in fear. 'Don't worry,' Primrose whispered with a wink. 'I won't tell if you don't.' And then Primrose pulled Bagsy's spell-sponge gloves and spider slippers from her robe. 'Think of this as a gift to help me remember to keep my mouth shut. I have such a scatter brain sometimes.' Primrose grinned falsely at her before dropping the robe on the floor. Bagsy jolted in shock as what was normally a quiet noise of fabric hitting the floor exploded in the silence. She glanced over her shoulder at the other girls, who didn't stir, before looking back at Primrose. 'So glad we could have this chat,' Primrose remarked quietly, grabbing one of Bagsy's cheeks, pinching it and pulling it from side to side painfully. 'Have a good night, Bagsy.' Primrose let go and silently walked to her own bed, climbing below the covers with the gloves and slippers clasped close to her chest.

Bagsy spent a minute standing looking at her in utter horror, blinking as her mind blanked, before hurrying to her private room.

When she told Mezrielda the next day, she was so close to crying that she struggled to get the words out.

'And now she h-h-has the gloves and slippers,' Bagsy rushed out, her eyes watery, 'and I d-don't know what to do, I spent a-ages on those! I don't have the materials or t-time to make more, I'm not sure I can remember exactly how I made them so I'd have to figure it out again, and what if she t-tells someone? What if Teresa finds out what I did? She'll never forgive me! And at this rate, the few friends I have will-'

Mezrielda placed a hand over Bagsy's mouth, who quieted instantly. Mezrielda, with the closest thing to a soft look she could manage, moved her hand to Bagsy's shoulder and laid it there comfortingly.

'Right,' Bagsy murmured. 'Breathe...'

Mezrielda nodded. Fetching some paper from her bag, Mezrielda quickly wrote out a few words. Bagsy dimly felt jealous at how neat her writing was before focussing on the words themselves.

I' ll deal with Primrose. Don' t worry.

'What do you mean?' Bagsy couldn't help asking. Mezrielda looked at her uncertainly, before relenting and writing her answer.

I've been practising magic. I've learnt how to cast obliviate. I can make her forget what she knows and take the items back from her.

Bagsy stared at the words, then up at Mezrielda. 'No,' she said after a pause, her voice thick. Mezrielda narrowed her eyes in confusion. Bagsy swallowed. 'I don't... I can't let someone have their memories meddled with. Not because of me. I... people's memories are their own. It's crossing a line...' Mezrielda looked unconvinced but, relented. It occurred to Bagsy that, when asked to, Mezrielda almost always backed down. It hit her how much she appreciated that about Mezrielda.

Alright. I'll leave her be. However, if she tries anything untoward, I'll be forced to act.

With a nod, Bagsy accepted that was fair.

It was the night of the full moon, and as Bagsy was heading towards her private room she heard a mournful wail from the girl's dormitory.

'Who took it!? Where did it go!?' Teresa was moaning, sounding as if someone had killed her grandmother.

'I'm sure it's somewhere...' Neve offered, her voice barely audible through the closed door. Bagsy ducked her head low and shot into her private room, awful feelings churning in her stomach. Clearly, Teresa did mind the absence of her chrysalis, even if it had taken her a while to notice.