I knocked on Dame Alina's office door three times and heard a musical 'Come in!' from inside. Biting my bottom lip nervously, I carefully opened the ornate door. Dame Aline was sitting behind her desk, in front of which was another chair. I felt like I was getting sent to the principal for being in trouble. Dame Alina was giving me her trademark brilliant smile. I couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Have a seat," Dame Alina invited, indicating the chair across from her. The troublemaker's chair. The delinquent's chair. Keefe's chair. I sat in it without hesitation.
"Beguiling is an intricate art, and a powerful one," Dame Alina began. "There are many rules and restrictions so that the ability is not used for illicit purposes. We will start your training by going over each and every one of these boundaries." Of course we wouldn't get started on real Beguiling right away. I should have been more patient. It made sense, and I did have to learn this.
"Okay, let's do it," I said. Dame Alina laughed.
"Eager, are we? I want to start by you Beguiling me as best you can, so that I can get an idea of your raw talent," she told me. I felt like an idiot.
"What should I tell you to do?" I asked her.
"Anything you like, physical or mental," Dame Alina replied. Hmm. What should I have her do? Preferably something that would make a good story for Keefe. How about...
"I have it. Ready?" Dame Alina nodded, smiling. I prepared myself.
"Become your favorite animal and do what it would do," I intoned in a voice both like and unlike my own, silky smooth and rich as chocolate. Maybe it wouldn't work, but-
"RAWRRRR!" Dame Alina growled, leaping onto her desk with her knees bent, making her look much smaller. I fell backwards out of my chair.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!" she yelled, ripping up several papers on her desk with her teeth and hands, which she held like claws. I was thoroughly shaken, lying spread-eagled on the ground. What had I done? Just then, I heard a noise that would forever haunt my nightmares. Dame Alina let out the loudest, most sonorous fart I had ever heard. Just like the sound Sophie's pet imp, Iggy made when he passed gas. Dame Alina's favorite animal was an imp?!
"Dame Alina!" I shouted, jumping up off of the floor. She turned to me with wild eyes. What should I do? What did imps like?
Then I remembered Sophie calmly stroking Iggy's fluffy fur on the top of his head. He seemed to really enjoy that, so maybe I should...
I reached out a hand and awkwardly... petted my principal. She let out a crackly purr, just like Iggy did when he was happy. I continued petting her, trying to think, but was interrupted when Dame Alina snapped a fly out of the air... and ate it.
I had to stop her before she somehow destroyed her office or killed someone. She had already ripped up several important-looking papers. This was bad. This-this was really bad.
"Return to the form of an elf," I intoned sweetly, as calmly as I could. Dame Alina stared at me, then slowly her eyes became less wild and crazy, and she blinked several times. I pulled my hand away from her heaf.
"What... what-" Dame Alina pulled several pieces of paper out of her mouth.
"What happened?" she finally asked, taking in the state of her desk. I hesitated.
"Um. I-I told you to act like your favorite animal." Dame Alina blanched and took another look at her desk.
"So... I did all of this?" she asked. I nodded.
"Also, I think-I think you ate a fly," I told her. Dame Alina stared at me without blinking for at least a minute. It felt like an eternity.
"I have never seen or heard of such raw power before," she said at last. I really didn't know what to do with that. Did I thank her? Dame Alina took a breath.
"A scroll containing the rules and regulations of Beguiling will be sent to your home at the end of the day. Review the material and I will test you on it tomorrow." I nodded. That would be easy for me. I have a photographic memory, like my mom and brother. I started to leave.
"Miss Sencen?" I turned.
"Yes?" Dame Alina looked very serious.
"You're going to be the most powerful elf this world has seen so far when you are an adult," she said. "Mark my words. You may go." I turned back to the door and sprinted out of the principal's office. Had that really just happened? It couldn't be possible that I had turned my principal into an imp and back in less than five minutes! Thoughts raced into and out of my head as I ran through the halls, looking for a spiky blond head.
"Ow!" Someone yelled, and it took me a second to realize that it was Keefe, the person I had been looking for. I had run right into him, literally.
"What's the hurry, Cass?" Keefe rubbed his head. "Itching for some payback from a few days ago?" I rolled my eyes, though it was some pretty good karma.
"Keefe! Something insane just happened." I explained what I had done in Dame Alina's office. Keefe's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, and he was laughing so hard he couldn't stand by the end of my story.
"That," he wheezed, "is truly amazing. Of course you would be the one to turn Dame Alina into a farting, fly-eating imp." I flushed.
"You don't have to be embarrassed. I'd be on top of the world right now if I were you," Keefe said sincerely. There was no doubt he was being completely honest.
"Yeah, but Keefe, what if Dame Alina hates me now? I made her eat a bunch of important papers and a fly!" Keefe winced.
"Maaaybe you shouldn't have told her about the fly." Keefe was right. I groaned, leaning against the lockers behind me.
"She definitely doesn't hate you, though," Keefe told me. "She just didn't expect you to be so powerful without any training." That... actually kind of made sense. I hoped he was right.
"I doubt that I'm going to be the most powerful elf or whatever, though. Your mysterious girlfriend's probably hiding some amazing ability that'll blow me out of the water," I said, enjoying the way Keefe totally freaked out at the word girlfriend. Laughing, I stood up on to pat my brother's blonde head.
"You're so cute when you're embarrassed." I giggled. Keefe put his arms up, blocking me from patting his head anymore.
"Not the hair, not the hair!" he yelped, and it was back to normal between us.
"What are you two doing out of class?" Lady Alexine, a Phaser, who could move through solid objects, melted out of the wall. I jumped away from Keefe like he was holding an especially stinky gulon.
"Dame Alina gave me permission to leave her session early, Lady Alexine!" I blurted out, then realized that I hadn't made an excuse for Keefe. I didn't want him to get detention because of me, even if he didn't care...
"And you, Mr. Sencen?" Lady Alexine prompted, turning her gaze to Keefe. He had crossed his arms and leaned sideways with his shoulder on the locker, the picture of insolence.
"Giving advice to my distraught sister," Keefe responded, winking at me. Lady Alexine raised an eyebrow.
"She doesn't look distraught," Lady Alexine pointed out. I tried to look sad.
"Of course she's not now, but she was before," Keefe told Lady Alexine, who looked like she was tired of this already.
"Is this true, Miss Sencen?" I shifted nervously. Keefe nodded at me, grinning. Of course he was loving this.
"Well... I was upset about what happened in my Beguiling lesson, and Keefe did make me feel better," I muttered, but apparently Lady Alexine heard, because her face softened. But when she turned back to Keefe, her tone was sharp.
"That still doesn't explain why you were in the halls instead of your session, Mr. Sencen. Detention." Satisfied, Lady Alexine walked back through the wall she had come through. Keefe laughed at the expression on my face.
"Nice job, little sis," he told me. I looked at him, horrified.
"You got detention, though! What I said didn't matter at all," I moaned. Keefe smirked at me.
"You know I don't care at all about getting detention."
"I know that, but it was my fault and I don't want you to get in trouble." He looked surprised.
"Your fault?" he asked, confused. "I was the one ditching." That was true... but I still felt responsible.
"Hey, go to your next session. I'll see you at the end of the day." I nodded my response and started walking away slowly. Keefe's laughter echoed in my head all day, though. I only had two more sessions, and when class was over, Sophie rushed over to me.
"Hey, Cass, I was wondering if you and Dex wanted to come over to my house and do the Universe homework together tonight," Sophie said energetically. I brightened. This was a great chance to get closer to Dex.
I already knew Sophie pretty well. She'd invited me to her house several times, and I'd familiarized myself with her guardians, the Ruewens, and the animals that lived at Havenfield. Slowly, even though Mom had forbidden it, Sophie and I were becoming good friends.
"Sure, it should be easy enough," I told her.
"Really? Dex thinks it's going to be hard, but I don't know," she went on. I shook my head.
"I've got a photographic memory, so I remember where most of the stars are located," I said.
"Hey, me too!" Sophie exclaimed. "You're right-that'll be a piece of cake." We continued talking as we walked to join Fitz, Biana, Keefe, and Dex by the entrance to Foxfire. They were all laughing. When Keefe saw me, an enormous grin appeared on his face.
"Have you recovered from earlier yet?" He asked, and I suddenly realized why everyone was laughing. Keefe had told them about what I had done to Dame Alina.
"Keefe, you can't tell anyone that! Dame Alina will expel me or something," I shrieked, terrified. Sophie looked at me.
"What did you do? And why would Dame Alina expel you?" She asked me curiously. I was ready to die.
"She turned the principal into an imp!" Biana told Sophie, and the three of them started to explain to her while I argued with my brother.
"Don't worry, Cass, these four won't tell anyone," Keefe assured me. I wasn't so sure though. I'd better make a great impression on Dex tonight to make sure that he didn't tell anyone else about what I did. It was a good thing I was amazing at being nice to people.
Cover: Sophie Foster
Iggy, Sophie's imp. He's small enough to fit in the palm of a hand!