My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending (6 page)

When the door opened, Karfum and the two female leprechauns who'd given me a makeover bustled into my room.

“What's going on?” I said.

“It's time to get you ready for the ball.”

Oh no. I'd totally forgotten about the ball Mahlia had mentioned. Maybe my brain had blocked it out on purpose. The last thing I wanted to do was watch fairies waltzing around.

“Do I have to go?” I said.

The leprechauns didn't answer. Instead, they bustled me across the room and started attacking my hair again. I didn't know how celebrities put up with teams of stylists fussing over them all the time. Then again, my friend Melissa would have been in heaven.

As the two female leprechauns worked on recurling my hair, Karfum smeared green paste all over my face that smelled like it was made out of crushed-up clover.

“What is that?” I said.

“A shamrock mask,” he said. “It helps hydrate the skin.” Then he dipped his finger into the leftover paste and licked it. “Plus, it tastes delightful.”

Gross.

When I was all made up and dressed in a gown that made me feel like a pink cream puff, the guards ushered me out into the hallway where Anthony and a few other leprechauns were already waiting.

I almost fell over when I saw Anthony's outfit. He was dressed in a green vest and green tights, and his shirt and pants were the exact same color as his orange hair. He could have passed for a walking pumpkin. Somehow, the leprechauns had managed to slick back Anthony's unruly hair, and they'd even woven a green ribbon into his orange beard. I could tell the gnome was not happy about his makeover by the way he was angrily crunching on a hunk of purple candy.

I wanted to pull Anthony aside and tell him about the queen's proposal, but I didn't get a chance. The guards ushered us to the elevator, and then we all screamed our way up to one of the top floors. This time, I threw up my arms and shrieked as loudly as I could. It felt good to get some of my frustrations out. Maybe that's why the leprechauns didn't mind sticking to this particular rule. If someone took my gold and trapped me in another land, I'd be screaming as much as possible too.

We went down a hallway where an overly chipper leprechaun told us to stand in front of a forest backdrop and smile for a contraption that could have been a toaster oven.

“Perfect!” the leprechaun called as he handed over a photo of me scowling and Anthony grinning like a fool. “Would you like to take one as a souvenir?”

“Um, no thanks,” I said, just as Anthony snatched the picture out of my hand and happily put it in his pocket.

Mahlia and the Queen Fairy had both insisted this land was no longer a theme park, but either they were blind or totally fooling themselves. Only amusement parks and cruise ships forced you to take touristy photos, and last I checked, the floor wasn't swaying under our feet.

When we got to the ballroom, it was decked out in silvery lights and white garlands. The room was filled with fairies, all dressed in ball gowns and fancy suits (all with tights, of course) and all dancing stiffly to deafening music that sounded like cats marching across cellos.

“Wow!” said Anthony. “Look at this shindig. Promise you'll save me a dance, Jenny-girl.”

“Trust me. That's a really bad idea. I'm a horrible dancer.” Even my gym teacher had asked me to sit out our last square-dancing unit so no one would get hurt.

As the guards ushered Anthony and me across the room, I kept an eye out for the Queen Fairy. She had to be here somewhere. This was her ball, after all. But there was no sign of her. Maybe she was watching from one of the shadowy balconies around the room.

The crowd parted to let us by, but I could feel the fairies' eyes on us. I started to notice that even though the fairies were all dressed up, there was something off about each of them. One woman's hair was only half done. Another's dress was different colors in a way that made me wonder if she'd run out of fabric dye. One man's coattails were two lengths, as if one of them had stopped growing before the other, and he was only wearing part of a top hat.

I turned to Karfum. “Why does everyone look so…unfinished?”

“Not enough magic,” he said. “The rations only let them do so much.”

Again, I thought of the queen and the magic nearly bursting out of her. How could the other fairies stand having theirs rationed when she had so much? Or maybe they didn't know about all her magic. Maybe that's why the Queen Fairy stayed hidden away.

Anthony let out a giggle beside me. “Look, Jenny-girl,” he said, pointing to the display case in the middle of the room with the glass loafer inside it. Apparently, the queen liked to bring the case with her wherever she went. “That shoe looks like it's my size.”

I had to laugh too. “If it is, that means you're the Queen Fairy's true prince,” I said.

Anthony's eyes widened. “Really?”

“Listen,” I said. “Speaking of the queen, I need to tell you something—”

Trumpets blared from somewhere high over our heads. Then Mahlia appeared in the doorway, and everyone stopped dancing and bowed. Only when she took a few steps forward did I notice there was someone next to her.

Luken.

He was dressed up even fancier than usual and looked pretty cute for an alien fairy. He stood at Mahlia's side with a fake grin on his face, her hand resting on his arm as if he were her date. Or…

“Her son,” I said softly.

“What?” said Anthony, drooling in the direction of a table of fairy food in the corner.

“Nothing,” I said, but my mind was spinning. All that stuff Luken had told me about his parents, about his mom supporting the queen after his dad died, it had all been about Mahlia.

When he glanced across the room, Luken's eyes met mine, and his fake smile faded. Clearly, he hadn't expected to see me here. Then he turned away, as if we were complete strangers, and started talking to another fairy.

I told myself the disappointment I felt was stupid. Of course Luken couldn't let on that he knew me. Besides, we'd only just met. So what if he was ignoring me? So what if he hadn't told me who his mother was? Okay, so maybe I'd thought we'd had a real connection when he'd confessed that his family had also been torn apart by the Queen Fairy. I'd thought I could really trust him. Now I wasn't so sure.

“Everyone dance!” a voice echoed from high above us. I recognized it as the queen's. She was still hidden away, but she was watching.

Everyone scrambled to find a dance partner. I realized this was my chance to finally talk to Anthony.

“Hey!” he said as I pulled him out onto the dance floor. “I thought you didn't dance.”

“I'm making an exception,” I said, trying not to step on his feet. “I have to tell you something. The queen offered me a deal.”

Anthony gave me a quick spin and then had to catch me before I collided with an old fairy couple. “What kind of deal?” he said.

I quietly told him about my conversation with the queen. “She gave me three days to decide,” I said when I'd recapped her offer, “and now I only have two days left.”

“Ow!” Anthony cried as I accidentally kicked him in the elbow. “So what are you going to do?”

“I don't know!” I said, managing to step on my own feet this time. “Of course I want my parents back, but what about the magical worlds?”

Anthony shrugged and then shimmied his shoulders. “I can't make that decision for you, Jenny-girl. You have to do what you think is right.”

If only I knew what that was. Having my own happy ending was starting to seem impossible.

As the song ended, Anthony wrenched out of my grip and ran toward the snack table before I could force him into another dance. Just then, Mahlia came up to me and gave me her trademark fake smile.

“You dance beautifully,” she said.

“Um, thanks,” I said, wondering if she needed glasses. My feet hurt from how many times I'd managed to step on them. I couldn't imagine how Anthony's legs, arms, and shoulders felt.

Mahlia's smile faded. “The queen has told me about her offer,” she said. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Take it. It is your only chance.” Then she strode away, leaving me alone in the crowd.

“Jenny-girl!” Anthony cried after a minute. I glanced over to find him next to the display case, grinning like a maniac. Somehow, he'd managed to wrench the case open. He was holding up his foot, which he'd shoved into the glass loafer. “Look. It fits perfectly!”

The music screeched to a stop and all eyes swung to look at Anthony.

From above, the queen's voice rang out again: “Bring him to me.”

Fairy guards appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Anthony's arms. Before I could do anything—
Pop!
—they vanished, leaving only one of Anthony's worn shoes behind.

“Where did they take him?” I demanded, marching over to Karfum. Around me, the ball started up again as if Anthony hadn't just disappeared.

“Nothing to be worried about.”

“Of course I'm worried!” I said. “He's my friend, and the queen just abducted him because she thinks he's her prince. You know he can't really be her prince, right? I mean, you've met him!”

Karfum's mouth twitched, like he was trying not to smile.

“Please, can you just make sure he's okay?” I could easily imagine the queen getting tired of Anthony and turning him into a tap-dancing penguin or something.

The leprechaun let out a soft sigh and nodded. “I will see what I can find out.”

“Thank you. Now, can you please get me out of here? I can't stand being at this ball a second longer.”

“Attendance is mandatory for all fairies and their honored guests,” said Karfum.

“Okay, so I attended. Now I'd like to go.”

He glanced around, as if making sure no one was listening. Then he whispered, “Act ill.”

It was exactly the kind of idea I'd normally come up with. In fact, I was surprised I hadn't thought of it myself. I guess being in Fairy Land, knowing that my parents were so close by, had started to get to me. I'd barely even said anything cheesy since I'd been here!

I grabbed my stomach and started groaning.

“What are you doing?” said Karfum.

“Acting sick.”

He shook his head and pointed to the dance floor. “It looks like you're doing the latest dance.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see lots of fairies crouched down, holding their stomachs and groaning in time to the music.

“Okay, then what do you suggest?” I asked.

Karfum glanced around. Then he gently nudged the back of my knee so that I fell forward. “Hey!” I cried, just as he caught me before I hit the floor.

“Looks like you're feeling faint,” he said loudly. “Better get you back to your quarters.” He made a big show of walking me to the elevator, politely declining offers of help from the other guards. “I'll take care of her. Just too much dancing in one night.”

When we were in the elevator, Karfum finally let go of me, and I gave him a grateful smile. I expected him to launch into the usual screaming as the elevator started to go down. Instead, he leaned in and whispered: “Don't let the queen control you. I've allowed her to trap me, but you have a choice.”

“So do you,” I said. “What if we got your pot of gold back? Then you could leave too.”

He shook his head. “I'm not worried about myself. I only care about my children.”

I remembered him mentioning a son and a daughter, but I hadn't seen either of them. “Are they here in Fairy Land?”

He sighed. “I can't be sure. I have four children, three girls and a boy. One by one, they've gone missing since we were brought here. And now my boy, Belthum…” Karfum wiped his eyes. “He's gone too.”

“Belthum's your son?” I said, remembering the leprechaun friend Luken had mentioned.

Karfum's eyes snapped up. “You know him? You've seen him?”

“No,” I said. “But Luken is trying to find him.”

Karfum sighed again. “Those two have been friends for years. I didn't like my son being around that fairy boy, no matter how different he is from his mother. I thought their friendship would at least keep Belthum safe, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Do you think he's been moused?”

“I hope so.” Karfum rubbed his temples. “Because at least that means there's still hope.”

Seeing the leprechaun look so defeated made anger flare up inside me. He had so much more power than I did in this place. How could he just give up? “You're going to let the queen take your whole family and not do anything about it?” I said.

“What else can I do?” he said. “Before we were brought here, I was a simple shamrock farmer. I knew nothing of being a guard! Then the queen brought us here and took our pots of gold…and then my children began to disappear…” He shook his head. “I thought being the head guard would give me more access to the kingdom, help me find them. Instead, it has just made me even more under the queen's thumb. I am powerless!”

He put his head in his hands and started to weep. I had no idea what to do, so finally I channeled Aunt Evie and patted his head as if he were a kitten.

“It'll be okay,” I said. “Even miracles take a little time.” I clapped my hand over my mouth. I was pretty sure I'd just quoted a line from the cartoon version of
Cinderella
! This place was seriously starting to wheedle its way into my brain.

Karfum let out a shuddering sigh and wiped his tears away with one of his shamrock handkerchiefs. “You're right,” he said. “I must be strong. Before he disappeared, Belthum was working with Pryll and others to organize against the queen. I don't agree with their methods, but perhaps if I help them…”

I thought back to the warning Pryll had asked Karfum to deliver to the queen. At least someone in this kingdom was trying to stand up to her. “Don't worry,” I said. “We'll find out what happened to your son, and we'll get rid of the queen. I mean, Cinderella isn't supposed to be the bad guy, right?”

Karfum just shrugged at me, but I didn't need an answer. The Queen Fairy had taken my parents; she'd taken Karfum's whole family away from him; and now she'd even taken Anthony. There was no way I was going to let her get away with it.

As we got out of the elevator, I realized we were on the lowest level of the palace. The hallway was dark and musty, and the air was eerily still.

“Where are we?” I said.

“Oh,” said Karfum. “My mistake. I should not have brought you here.” Instead of closing the elevator door, though, he just stood by quietly. There was obviously something here he wanted me to see.

I poked my head out into the hallway and squinted through the shadows. One end of the hallway was a dead end, but I spotted a door in the other direction. In front of it were half a dozen heavily armed fairy guards.

“What's down there?” I whispered. What kind of place would need to be guarded as carefully as the queen herself?

“Nothing,” said Karfum, sucking on the end of his ever-present shamrock. “We have stayed here too long.” He herded me back into the elevator like the building was on fire.

As we screamed on the way up the elevator, my brain was buzzing. The fairies were definitely hiding something.