Tricked Page 3

  “I’m sure it’s standard procedure,” Father assures her as he looks out the coach’s windows. The castle is completely obscured from view in this gold mist. “Although I don’t remember this last time—or there being a protection charm.”

  “Rumpelstiltskin did it on Flora’s watch,” Jax says. “I guess it’s still up.”

  “Alva is a stone statue,” I remind Jax. “Who is he trying to protect the school from?”

  “Protect?” Jax is pensive. “Or keep out?”

  We peek through the small hole in the front of the coach and see the driver hold up a gold card. There is a tinkling sound like bells. “You have been cleared,” the voice from beyond says. “Enjoy your visit to Fairy Tale Reform School.”

  The coach lands outside the large castle doors with the famed stained glass windows. Each pane represents a reformed teacher—there are an apple, a glass slipper, a full moon, and a crescent. A skull has been added for Blackbeard the pirate and so has…a cooking whisk? The doors to the school open, and an ogre in a blue FTRS uniform comes charging at us like a battering ram.

  “Gilly!” Maxine smacks me so hard that I fall into Jax and my parents. “Sorry!” She pulls me up with pudgy fingers that are three times the size of mine. “I got so excited when I heard Anna was here because I thought, that means Gilly must be coming too because she’d never leave Anna here alone,” she babbles. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Cobbler! Remember me? Maxine Hockler!” She gives them a crooked grin, and saliva slides down the side of her mouth and onto her chin.

  My parents look slightly alarmed, but they wave at Maxine as they look around my former school with a mix of shock and awe. Something about the foyer looks different to me too, but I can’t put my finger on it. The elf cleaning crew is working the hall with self-mopping mops like they always do. Suddenly, a student whisks down the hall on a magic carpet. A massive gold mirror in the foyer begins to glow, and the glass turns a multitude of colors.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Cobbler, hello!” the mirror says sweetly. “Miri, the school spokesmirror. If you would be so kind as to follow me into the enrollment office, we have some entrance forms you need to fill out for Anna.”

  “Forms are filled out after Anna interviews with Headmistress Flora,” I pipe up.

  “Gilly,” Miri sniffs. “Great to see you again.”

  I wonder if the mirror can see me glaring at her.

  “Why don’t you talk to your friend, and we’ll meet you inside,” Mother suggests and hurries after Father.

  “If you must know, Gilly, we don’t have time for informational interviews anymore,” the mirror tells me. “We’ve accepted forty new students this month alone, and Anna is our third apprehension this evening. Oh, hello, Jax! Lovely to see you.”

  Him she’s happy to see!

  “Hello, Miri,” Jax says politely. “Did you say FTRS has had forty new students this month? How can there be that many kids on track to be villains in Enchantasia?”

  “Maybe they just got restless like me.” Maxine plays with a strand of dragon’s eye jewels. “I saw a traveler wearing a pearl necklace, and I wanted it so bad.” She smiles toothily. “When I didn’t hear back from you two, I thought you were already here so I stole the necklace and got sent back. Smart, huh?” Jax and I shake our heads no.

  “Pete and the Dwarf Police Squad have had their hands full now that the headmaster has changed the sentencing guidelines,” Miri adds, glowing red.

  “Don’t you mean headmistress?” I ask lightly.

  “Gilly, don’t expect me to believe you don’t know Flora is no longer in charge,” Miri says in a prickly voice. “Headmaster Stiltskin is.”

  The magical intercom system crackles to life.

  “Good morning! How to Slay a Dragon and Steal a Kingdom with Professor Harlow will be held in the North Hall this afternoon while visiting Professor Zalik teaches Genies in a Bottle: How to Exploit Wish-Making Opportunities in the observatory.”

  “Um, those don’t sound like the assemblies we used to have,” Jax says.

  Maxine’s smile fades, and her left eye begins to spin in its socket. “There are all these odd classes now, and we don’t get outdoor recess or Pegasus privileges much anymore either. We are stuck indoors All. The. Time. You’d think he’s trying to churn out villains.”

  “Maxine, don’t be ridiculous!” Miri laughs nervously. “You know the headmaster is just trying to prepare students for the worst-case scenario. Right?”

  Maxine sighs. “I forgot our new slogan—‘FTRS: If you can’t become a better person, become a better villain.’”

  “That’s the new school slogan?” I cry.

  “An important announcement: Wanding 101 has been canceled due to a wand mishap that caused a monsoon to flood a classroom.”

  “Wait, is that Flora?” I ask. She’s been reduced to morning announcements?

  “Students should report to the Dark Magic: What Can You Learn From It? seminar instead. For those invited to Mr. Stiltskin’s baking demonstration, please meet in the new lower-level kitchen at 1:00 p.m. The rest of you are instructed to go back to your dorms and practice spells. The headmaster hasn’t seen much improvement. Therefore, all outdoor activities are canceled ’til further notice.”

  I think about Anna being cooped up alone in her dorm room all day learning how to make a candle ignite with a spell. She’ll be miserable! “I can’t believe Rumpelstilt—”

  Maxine smacks her meaty hand over my mouth. “Don’t say his name. Three times and he’ll be standing here. You can’t cross him, Gilly. He’s not like Flora.”

  “Gilly! Jax!” Kayla comes fluttering down the hallway at warp speed.

  “Are you trying to get detention again, Kayla?” Miri asks.

  I’m all ready to yell at Kayla for being out of touch when she yanks Jax and me in for a hug. “Go home,” she whispers in both our ears. “While you still can.”

  “Kayla, what is going on?” Jax whispers back.

  “Smile and laugh,” Kayla says. “‘He’s watching. He’s always watching.” Her amber eyes are full of fear, but she starts to giggle. “I know! I look great, don’t I? Well, it was good seeing you. Have a safe trip home.”

  “I’m not leaving without Anna,” I tell Kayla.

  “He’s not going to let her go,” Kayla says quietly. “Just go home. Please.”

  Jax and I look at each other. Rumpelstiltskin stole her family and turned them into trees, and now he’s here in the same castle with her. Why isn’t Kayla trying to make a move against him? I’m so confused.

  “We’re not leaving,” Jax insists.

  A swirl of purple smoke surrounds us and makes us cough uncontrollably. When the smoke clears, the Evil Queen’s younger sister, Jocelyn, is standing before us in her signature black gown with sparkly moons and stars patterned on it. Her black hair hangs in her face, making her dark eyes impossible to see.

  “Time to go home,” Jocelyn says. She begins magically pushing Jax and me toward the doors. No matter how hard we fight, our bodies keep moving forward.

  “I’m sorry!” Maxine cries. “Don’t fight. It will just make things worse.”

  Jocelyn is still pushing me when I feel her slip something into one of my hands. The two of us make eye contact for a split second as I feel the cool glass slide beneath my fingertips. I don’t look down to see what it is. Instead, I slip the glass up my sleeve. “Ex-students are not welcome here,” Jocelyn says. “Go! And don’t even think of trying to sneak around the grounds near the Hollow Woods. I’ll report you.”

  The Hollow Woods? Hmm… She’s trying to give us a clue of some sort.

  “Gilly? Jax? Please report to the main office first,” Miri says. “The headmaster would like to see you. Now.”

  Maxine, Kayla, and Jocelyn have the same uneasy look on their faces. Released from Jocelyn’s spell, Jax and I walk pas
t them. Jocelyn grabs me by my apron. Her voice is barely more than a whisper.

  “Don’t even eat a crumb if he offers you something,” she says softly.

  “Let’s go.” Miri’s voice is serious. “Mr. Stiltskin will see you now.”

  Happily Ever After Scrolls

  Brought to you by FairyWeb—Enchantasia’s Number-One News Source

  Meet Fairy Tale Reform School’s New Headmaster: Rumpelstiltskin!

  by Coco Collette

  Name: Rumpelstiltskin’s famous moniker is so powerful that rumor has it that if you say it three times, he’ll appear instantly. We didn’t get to try it. Mr. Stiltskin, as he prefers to be called, was already waiting when we arrived for our interview, and he brought chocolate rhubarb muffins with him. “They’re made with my secret ingredient,” he said.

  Occupation: Newly installed headmaster at Fairy Tale Reform School. “I made Flora an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

  Hobbies: Mr. Stiltskin is an avid baker who makes nightly batches of his mouthwatering muffins in a magical kitchen. “I want to keep my students well fed.” He teaches an after-school, invite-only bake class that he says has a wait list to get in.

  Strengths: “I’m excellent at making deals.” He also prides himself on keeping Fairy Tale Reform School safe. “No one can get inside that school unless I want them there.”

  Weaknesses: “I don’t accept rejection well,” he admits. “In fact, I never accept it. When I want to make a deal, a deal happens.”

  Check back for more coverage on FTRS’s new headmaster, Rumpelstiltskin!

  CHAPTER 4

  Things Are About to Get Tricky

  The office is so dark it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. I’ve been in Flora’s office numerous times for sentencing and scolding, but this looks like a completely different space. Gone are the tapestries, rugs, paintings of her daughters (a.k.a. the wicked stepsisters), and cushy chairs and couches. In their place are burnished gold walls and a stark, shiny black desk. The fireplace mantel is decorated with gold awards shaped like cooking ladles, a giant hourglass with tiny gold crystals, and an ugly-looking troll doll. Suddenly, I hear a tinny, high voice.

  “It’s nice of you to finally grace us with your presence. I’ve been waiting.”

  I look left. I look right. I even glance at the coatrack full of small scarves and tiny coats. I still see no one but Jax and my parents, who are crammed into tiny chairs meant for kids Hans and Hamish’s size. I feel a nudge. Jax glances ever so slightly to the fireplace and that weird-looking doll again. I give an involuntary gasp as the doll jumps down from the mantel and takes a seat in an extra-tall chair that rolls out from the corner of the room. That is no doll. It’s Rumpelstiltskin.

  He looks like a toddler with a beard. I start to smirk at the thought, then see the cold expression on his face. “Sit,” he insists. Stiltskin motions to the chairs.

  I can hardly fit in the small chair. Jax gives up and leans on the chair’s armrests instead. Stiltskin’s chair is three times the height of ours. He takes a seat behind his desk.

  “At last, I finally get to meet the famous Gilly Cobbler and Jax Porter,” Rumpelstiltskin says.

  He’s smiling, but I can’t help feeling the gesture is for my parents. I know immediately I don’t like him, but I can’t put my finger on why. He’s definitely the sharpest-looking troll—or is he a goblin?—I’ve ever seen. From his gleaming white teeth (I spot two gold ones too), manicured black beard, and short sideburns to his shiny gold button-down shirt and silver pants, he is very put together. I notice a white button on his shirt lapel that says “Live to Cook, Cook to Live” in glittery gold lettering and wonder what that’s about. He catches me staring and pulls a chocolate croissant out of the desk drawer. He eats half in one bite.

  “I’ve been waiting for this introduction for a while,” Stiltskin says in between bites. “A long while.”

  “You’ve heard of our Gilly?” Mother asks proudly. “I had no idea anyone outside Enchantasia had heard of her heroism.”

  Rumpelstiltskin strokes his beard. “Her and her friends’ efforts are something I’ve kept a close eye on from afar. Anyone able to take down such villainy should be commended. I can see why Flora pardoned her.” He looks at Jax. “And you, Mr. Porter. I’m surprised to see you here instead of preparing for your ball. Royals don’t normally dirty their hands with such messy affairs.”

  Jax visibly tenses. “In Enchantasia, we stand up for those who have been wronged, sir. That’s why I’m here. To tell you that the royal court has asked that you release Anna Cobbler from Fairy Tale Reform School.”

  “The royal court has no jurisdiction here,” Stiltskin says without hesitation.

  I inhale sharply. That’s not how the school worked before.

  “I make all decisions now, as I keep telling Princess Ella,” he adds. “Besides, I just spoke with Anna, and I believe she can learn a lot under my tutelage.” He turns to my parents. “Flora’s approach was too soft. She didn’t know how to teach students to survive in today’s villainous climate. Look at one of your fellow heroes,’” he says, using air quotes. “Maxine Hockler has already been thrown back in here for bad behavior. My approach is tougher and steadfast. Muffin?” He pulls a tray from behind his back. It’s bursting with oversize muffins drizzled in chocolate.

  “Thank you!” Mother grabs one for herself and one for Father before I can stop her. “We came straight from work so we didn’t have time to eat dinner.”

  Father takes a bite right away. “Delicious!”

  “Gilly?” Mother points to the tray. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  I’m starving, but I think about Jocelyn’s warning. The muffins don’t look suspicious. They are the perfect shade of golden brown, and the rich scent of melted chocolate is mouthwatering. I can practically taste the muffin, which is odd. Stiltskin pushes the tray closer, and I start to drool. I lift my hand to the tray.

  Jax gently pushes it away. “Thank you, but Gilly and I had something to eat at the Three Little Pigs before Anna was, um, detained. Right, Gilly?”

  I nod but can’t help feeling disappointed. The muffins look so good.

  “I’m sorry you’re so surprised by Anna’s sentencing, but blowing up Red’s Ready for Anything shop is a serious crime.” Rumpelstiltskin offers the tray again. “Are you sure you both don’t want to split one? My chocolate rhubarb muffins are famous. The folks at Happily Ever After Scrolls can’t get enough of them.”

  “No thank you.” I wish I sounded surer. “I’d rather talk about my sister. Do you have proof she was the one who blew up Red’s? All I saw were fireworks.”

  Stiltskin laughs in a high-pitched voice. “While I commend your dedication to your sister, I think we both know she needs help.” He jumps from the chair to the front of his desk and sits down on the edge. His voice grows serious. “Everyone in this room knows she’s been acting up at home. Hanging with the wrong crowd. Skipping classes at Jack of All Trades School. You yourself have spoken to her about this on more than one occasion—just this afternoon, in fact, when she stole candy from a child.”

  I inhale sharply. “How do you know that?”

  “I know everything,” he says with a smirk. “This may only be her second offense, but I can tell Anna is on a path that she won’t be able to come back from if something doesn’t change immediately.”

  Mother grabs Father’s hand worriedly.

  “Anna is fine at home,” I disagree. “What she needs is to stop hanging out with kids like Hansel and Gretel. They’re the ones who probably talked her into what happened at Red’s in the first place.”

  Rumpelstiltskin scratches his beard. “Interesting…Hansel and Gretel told me setting off fireworks at Red’s was Anna’s idea.”

  I jump up. “They’re lying!” They have to be lying. Right?

  Stiltskin leans forw
ard. “But you’re not actually sure, are you?”

  I’m quiet.

  “Yes. I see it now.” He scratches his beard. “Flora had you pegged. I’ve read your file, and I can see why she felt you suffered from hero syndrome.”

  “Hero what?” I start to laugh. There’s a name for what I did?

  “Hero syndrome is when a person creates a bad situation so that they can be the one to fix it,” Stiltskin says, and I stop laughing. “Flora found it interesting that you and your friends were always in the right place at the right time to fight evil. It made us both wonder: How do we know your lot didn’t let evil into FTRS in the first place?”

  I feel like I’m falling. Flora wrote that about me? I thought she liked me.

  “But you two have been pardoned so I’m sure her diagnosis was wrong.” Stiltskin smiles. “It’s natural for you to want to save your sister, but you can’t. She can only save herself, and she’ll do that by being at FTRS.” Mother and Father nod. “You can go home and concentrate on being a shoemaker’s apprentice. You’re both exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

  “I think Mr. Stiltskin is right,” Father says. I whip my head in his direction. He’s polished off one muffin and is going for his second. “Anna has been difficult for months. She needs direction, and I think FTRS is the right place for her right now.”

  “She’s been acting out more since you’ve been home,” Mother adds. “Maybe she’s better off here, taking classes with children just like her, the same way you did. Look at what it’s done for you!”

  “She’s not me. I can get through to her,” I counter. “She’s only eleven.”

  Rumpelstiltskin hands Mother another muffin. She swallows it in one gulp. “The earlier we get access to delinquent children, the quicker we can change their behavior,” he says.

  “I disagree,” I argue. “Headmistress Flora taught us that the willingness to be good comes from how strongly you’re loved at home.”

  Rumpelstiltskin smirks. “If that’s true, what’s your sister’s excuse?”