The next morning, I was once again forced to sit still as my friends taught me how to put on makeup. “Why do I need to do this again? I don't look that bad,” I said.

I really did look good. I'd gotten a good nights sleep, and I was learning how to comb my hair so it wasn't tangled, or looked like I'd slept in it. And with my new, unwanted, assets, most people wouldn't be looking at my face.

“She has a point,” Ella said. “Let's keep it to the basics, a bit of lipstick, blush, and eyeliner so she has a bit of colour. We can't have people thinking you're a vampire, Petra.”

“Aw, but I brought my glittery eye shadow. She'd look great in it,” Clarice said.

“Maybe later. Petra isn't used to makeup, so lets wean her into it.”

I nodded. “I never really thought of using it. It just didn't come up with my friends and I.”

“OK,” Clarice said, reluctantly putting away the glitter. The other girls looked disappointed at not having a practice dummy to work with, but they put away the more exotic looking colours.

“Now girls, we have a lot to do today,” Ella said. “First we need to get information on Victor and his friends. Since they've been talking with Micheal, and we humiliated them when we last met they are probably planning some revenge. We need to know their classes, their friends, how competent they are, and anything else that might help. Calci, you seem to be the only one who shares a class with Micheal, so you're job is to watch him. Does he have any friends in class, what is he best at, does he have any habit we can use against him?”

“On it,” Calci said.

“You and Petra share a class with Blood Wing, right?”

We both nodded.

“Get to class early and tell her I'd like to meet her after supper. Tell her she'll like what I have planned. If she plays hardball tell her I'll owe her a favour if she pulls it off.”

Calci and I shared a nervous look. The half fairy was scary, and Ella had said the girl was too crazy and dangerous to risk getting close too. Now we were going to use her in a plot against Micheal?

“Are you sure? She's kind of violent,” I said.

“Yes, she is. She'll be perfect for our plan,” Ella said, smiling evilly.

***

Calci, Garth, and I made it to magic class nice and early. Being the first ones in class, we turned on the lights to avoid the freaky shadows of the previous day, and got our alters ready for class.

We were soon joined by other students. The girl who had been attacked by the Eldritch entity, was kind of jumpy, carrying a big knife and a slice of lemon as she went to her altar. She poked around the inside of her alter for a minute or two before closing it with a relieved look.

Blood Wing came flying in with her cloud of fairies. Calci and I waited until she was settled on a large black crystal throne that sat on top of her altar, playing with a tiny obsidian knife, before we walked over.

“Greetings, Ella's minions,” the tiny girl said, leaning forward in her throne with her demon wings spread out behind her. “I presume you have a message for me.”

Gulping, I forced myself to speak. “Yes, Princess Blood Wing, we do. Ella would like you to meet her in her room after supper. She needs something that only you can do, and you'll enjoy doing it.”

“Ah, she has realized how amazing I am,” Blood Wing said, smiling with pride. I hid a shudder at the sight of her razor sharp teeth. “Well it would be rude to refuse a meeting. I presume I'll be compensated for my work.”

Thinking very carefully about my next words, I said, “Of course. As long as you can pull it off.”

Her smile became a scowl. “She thinks I, Princess Blood Wing, the daughter of Margo'Tchwan the Succubus and Holly Berry the Fairy Necromancer, may not succeed at something I put my mind too! I will simply have to prove to her that I am more than capable of handling ANYTHING! Once I have graduated from this school, I shall take my newfound skills and conquer all the fairylands alongside my father. And then with our base secure, we shall move on to take the entire world!”

“Very good. I'll tell Ella to expect you after supper, she'll be most pleased.” Before she could continue her rant, Calci and I hurried back to our spot.

“Well, that went well,” Calci said, casting a nervous look over her shoulder at Blood Wing, who was still ranting about conquering the world and grinding her enemies into dust. “Did you really have to get her monologuing  like that?”

“I thought if we question her abilities a little, it would set her off and she'll need to prove herself. It worked a little better than I thought it would.”

Garth leaned over to us. “Is Ella nuts? Wanting to work with her is like working with a rabid manticore.”

“I trust her. We just have to make sure Blood Wing is pointed at the right thing and stand well back,” I explained.

Calci nodded. “Ella has made some mistakes, but she has the best idea of how things work here. So unless it seems really stupid and she can't explain it, I'll back her up.”

He looked doubtful, but shrugged. “OK. If you need me to help with anything just let me know.”

“Thanks, I will,” I said. I'd have felt a lot better about having his support if his eyes hadn't kept going to my chest as we talked.

Our instructor, Mage Malacoda came into class, just as the bell rang. A student came sprinting down the hall, trying to make it to class before the door shut. The door vanished, replaced by a crystal wall. I winced at the loud thud that came from the other side. Hopefully he would be OK.

“Do your best to make it to class on time,” Mage Malacoda said. “The door closes two seconds after the bell rings. You don't want to be caught in the middle of it. Today we are going to practice invisibility.”

“What?!” Blood Wing shouted. “Invisibility? What do we need to know that pathetic spell for? I learned it when I was three. And someone as powerful as I am has no need to skulk around in shadows. I should be learning how to raise armies of the undead!”

“Make yourself invisible,” he said.

“What?”

“Make yourself invisible. If you can do it and keep it going for one minute, I'll transfer you to second year magic.”

The fairy smirked, muttered a few words and vanished from sight.

“Garth,” Mage Malacoda said, “what is the simplest dispel you know of.”

“That would be... Lady Nihm's Rhyme Away,” my friend said.

“Very good. It's taught to young children to get them used to magic, and normally won't dispel anything halfway competently done.” Pointing at Blood Wings' alter, he said in a sing song voice, “Go away, fly away, by the will of Ghe'Cleph'Thug'Way.”

There was a little pop and Blood Wing reappeared, looking very confused.

“You were invisible for fifty-five seconds. Sorry, Princess Blood Wing, you will have to remain in my class.”

“How did you do that?! That pathetic little spell shouldn't be able to do that!” Blood Wing shouted.

Looking around the class Mage Malacoda smiled. “The simplest spell can do a great deal if you know what you're doing. And the strongest spell can easily fail if you simply rely on brute strength. Remember that. It will be very important for some of you.”

For some reason I thought his eyes were lingering on me.

“Now many of you will know the basic invisibility spell. We'll go over it in detail, it will help you cast it more quickly with greater strength, so it won't be dispelled so easily. Then you'll practice casting it. Get your notebooks ready.”

***

Looking over the complicated ritual and the rules behind each gesture and word, made my head spin. I knew magic was hard, but it had never been this hard. All around me classmates were turning invisible, then someone would try to break the spell, with varying degrees of success. Garth and Calci had already turned invisible at least five times and managed to avoid having it dispelled at least once.

“All right Petra, it's not that hard, just copy me,” Calci said.

I nodded, ready to try my hardest to succeed.

“Raise your right hand like this, and curl your fingers,” she said, making her hand look something like a swans neck and beak.

Doing the same, my hand started to cramp.

“Good. Now lower it, so it's horizontal to the ground.”

I managed to do that successfully.

“Spread your fingers and bring them back together quickly, three times.”

Easy enough.

“OK, that's the movement. As you're doing it say, Gnick Glock Figgle, and really picture yourself becoming invisible,” she said.

I could do this. It was easy. I had help. I was going to succeed.

Going through the motions once again, I knew it was going to work. Raising my hand, I said, “Gnick Glack Figgle.”

Calci let out a strangled scream, her face turning red. All around me I heard laughter.

Looking down, I let out a scream. All of my clothes were invisible, and I was very, very visible. Trying to cover myself, I ducked down behind the altar.

A moment later, Mage Malacoda pointed at me, and I could see my clothes again. Looking up at him, red faced, wanting to cry, I saw he was face palming and trying not to laugh. “It's Gnick Glock Figgle. Not Gnick Glack Figgle. Your homework tonight is to practice your enunciation.”

As I stood back up, I really wished that I was dead. It couldn't possibly be as embarrassing as this.

___

Doom Valley Prep School will be updated every Monday. My other story Necromancer Unmanned will be updated every Sunday night.

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