Academy of Legends

Chapter 21: Will (Lost)

Truth be told, although I told Rapunzel that we should help in the library, I may as well have been illiterate, my skills of reading were so bad. Granted, I could still read—a little—but not enough to be of any help in researching people that might have a grudge against people like me. In the end, Rapunzel, after threatening to brain me with her frying pan, dragged me from the library to do some "covert examining"—by which she meant spy on random people until we found anyone planning something.

Within two hours, we actually did have a list of suspects, including the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who was just a generally suspicious person all around, Snow White's stepmother Mal, and Rapunzel's own mother, Gothel. It seemed that the three teachers—how the two latter villains had gotten a job at the Academy, I'll never know—were to meet after school got out. I had never been more grateful to be excused from school than I was at that point.

Anyway, we were walking down the corridor together, Rapunzel armed with, of course, her frying pan. It seemed that she went nowhere without it. I wasn't really sure what I was doing, but I moved closer to Rapunzel and slipped my hand into her free one.

Immediately, Rapunzel pulled away and leveled her frying pan at my head. "Just what do you think you're doing, Shrimpy?" she said to me, looking at me icily.

Since it was pretty obvious to me, I just looked at her and didn't say anything.

Rapunzel, however, filled in that gap quite nicely. "Trying to hold my hand, huh? And who told you that could do that, huh, Shrimpy?" I was beginning to despise that nickname. "If you're going to try and hold my hand, the least you could do is ask me first!"

Figuring that she couldn't get any more annoyed than she already was, I tried my luck. "May I hold your hand, Rapunzel?"

She assumed a snobby expression. "Say the magic word."

Although I was quickly questioning my decision, I decided to give it a try. "Please."

Rapunzel leaned closer to me, almost uncomfortably close. A sudden concern sprouted up in my mind—what if she decided to smack me in the nose with her frying pan? However, she moved forward just a little, and kissed me instead. Stunned, I could barely even react until she pulled away with a cheeky grin. "You can hold my hand, Shrimpy," she told me.

"Have you lost your mind?" The voice behind us startled us both, and we turned to see the familiar dark red hair of Ariel—Han's girlfriend. Her green eyes flashed angrily. "What are you doing, Rapunzel? Have you forgot about Hugo?"

"Aww, me and Hugo broke up a few weeks ago," Rapunzel said, waving a hand idly. "Besides, nothing wrong with dating a Merry Man, is there?"

"There is everything wrong with it," Ariel snapped. "You're a fool, Rapunzel!"

"Get lost, Ariel," Rapunzel said, getting annoyed finally. "I'm done with you."

Ariel raised her chin angrily. "You are a traitor to your kind," she said icily before walking past them, around the corner of the corridor.

After she had gone, Will turned and looked at Rapunzel. "Your kind?"

Rapunzel looked grimly triumphant. "Got her," she said. "She's a lost lamb, isn't she? Which means that we need to follow her back to her flock."

Although Will wasn't really sure about her comparison, he nevertheless trailed along behind Rapunzel as they made their way after Ariel.