Love Potion

Nightime's Slave

All I had been thinking about the past few days was Fae, and this worrisome new revelation, of no one bloody knowing who she was! I remembered the first day I came here, and that there was the portrait, Inspector Ghoul, who had seemed to know her... I made a mental note to find him again... I was so knotted up in all this that it came as a somewhat dull surprise to me that Majestio was to arrive that very morning...

I had woken up to pure chaos in the bedchambers. All the girls were faffing about, hurtling clothes and curling wands, and there was a strong smell of about ten different perfumes in the air. They kept dashing to and from the bathhouse, coming back looking more sparkly and more ruffled, frantically applying makeup and doing up their hair... every one of my bedchamber looked like a freshly-glazed doll by the time they had all calmed down.

Morgaine had carefully curled Persephone's hair, and it was done up in a pale blue ribbon, yet her prettily powdered face was sad, and guilty, rather than everyone else's excited grins. Pip was actually in turbulent tears, and from her head came a smell of burnt toast; I discovered that Persephone had tried to curl her hair, but in her preoccupation of illusioning her nails to make them seem longer, had accidentally burnt it; the sad-looking seared wad of Pip's hair was still clamped in her fist.

I wasn't awake enough, nor, to be frank, bothered enough, to listen to Pip's vehement screams or Persephone's cries of defence. As far as I was concerned, a handful of hair is not worth a peaceful morning. I could tear out a handful of my own hair right now.

I got dressed like I did every day, perhaps even shabbier, and paused only to put on my beloved star earrings before stumping after my now-giggling-and-squealing friends (Persephone straggled far behind however, obviously cast out) to the courtyard, where this stupid Majestio would be arriving.

Poor Persephone, I thought. It was a fair mistake, and she loved Majestio more than all of them.

Still, it was far earlier than we would do normally (we hadn't even heard the clanging of the pots and pans!), but it seemed the whole school had gone down early, for we were surrounded by similar, everly irritating giggles and chumpy conversation, and though it was barely the break of dawn, the courtyard was crowded. However, Headmaster Hwelpum and Master Spigte, who had obviously foreseen this brisker awakening, already sat there, Hwelpum in his hovering rocking-chair, and Spigte on a stone chair.

The girls all went to wait by the fountain, but I found I didn't want to join them. Instead, needing to be away from the chatter and crowds, I meandered around the castle, with a secret drive to find the portrait of Inspector Ghoul.

I wandered for a long time. I passed many portraits and many gargoyles, and ventured through new secrets of the castle. I went through a corridor that circulated like it was on a dial, to point to different doors. I rarely passed another human.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, now. Maybe ten minutes, maybe an hour. I was feeling more lost than ever. Then a voice beside me asked, "Gosh, what are you doing up? The pots and pans haven't clanged yet!"

"Oh, I don't know myself..." I started. I turned to see the speaker.

Good gal! It was a statue of a naked man!

It was the same statue I had passed on my first day!

"Oh!" I cried. "It's you! That means- that means the Corridor of Ponsey Portraits is just- through there!"

"Uh, yes - you're welcome?"

I had already dashed away, and burst into the corridor - oh, it was so familiar and strange to be back here!

"Hello!" I yelled into the hall. The gossiping Georgian portraits fell into a hush at my impudent arrival, many gasping or batting paint fans. I did not care. They were paint, and I was blood. "I'm looking for Inspector Ghoul!"

"Well, then it's your lucky day," a rooty voice beside me groved.

I spun with a beam. In the very same frame, the dark portrait of Inspector Ghoul was mounted. He smoked the same pipe, and the same hat fell drooped over his shadowy face. A smile glowed through the shadow of his cap.

"You know, I had an indescribable feeling to come here today," he mused. "I think I've found my answer why. You are the strange person, the one with the voodont wine who didn't belong here I saw before, are you not? I see, you've joined this school after all. Now, why have you seeked me?"

"Yes!" I gushed. "Yes, I did! And I need to ask you something. When I saw you before, someone else arrived. Fae. You knew her. Who is she?"

"Ah," he whispered. He took a puff at his pipe. "Ah, yes. Fae. The mysterious girl. I see her a lot. She has a lot she wants to say."

"Yes, I know. But who is she? Please. She's my friend, but- no one else seems to know her. She has a uniform, but- I've never seen her round school. I've only ever bumped into her in the night. By accident, really."

He puffed again. "Now, now. Not so easy. Prove to me you know her, and perhaps I'll tell you."

"I-" I paused. "She has a room in the cone of the east tower. It has a divan bed, and lots of dreamcatchers, and it's stuffy. And she has lots of jewellery. Look, she even gave me these-!" I pushed my hair behind my ear to show off the sparkly stars I loved so much. "And she even gave me my magic name. Cosmo."

The Inspector raised his oil eyebrows. "I see. I see... I'll tell you, strange girl. Cosmo. Come closer. These ponsey portraits really are one for gossip..." I leant closer to the portrait so my ear almost touched his painted lips. They hushed, "Fae is dead."

I jumped back. My eyes were bloating from their sockets. "What? No- how can that be- she's- but- do you mean, she's a ghost? I've seen her, I've touched her, I- she has colour!"

Inspector Ghoul laughed. "I mean, she is good as dead. She was a student here, once. A long time ago. She met a man - a demon, though she didn't know it - in the woods. She wasn't easy: but slowly he made her fall in love with him. He was a parasite meaning to make way into the school, but couldn't, because its wards were defended by his dark energy. He had a plan, and made it seem as if he was on the verge of death, so that loveblind, Fae sacrificed her life for him, gave him her life in light, thinking it would save him, but really it just made him able to bypass the castle wards. The demon had to give something back as well, though - he gave her those scaly demon legs. And the demon did get into the school thanks to her, but didn't get very far before being smited by Amadeus. But for Fae... Now, she exists only in the darkness, and is trapped within the castle by the very wards that kept the demon out... because of her reduced life she simply disappears in sunlight, and even fades when too many people come into her vicinity. Only some people can perceive her. I don't know why. But we can, you and I. Perhaps it's because we have demons ourselves?"

I was astonished. I struggled to believe it. "Is that... really true?" I said. "Why doesn't she tell me?"

He chuckled. "Fae lives in a state of knowing and unknowing. I suppose as she fades when the daylight comes, it's just like falling asleep. She always wakes up again - thinks not of it. But mostly she likes the mystery of herself. And likes the darkness too. One day she will embrace with the truth. But not yet, I think."

I opened my mouth, but there was the sudden clanging of pots and pans, and I knew that Majestio would be arriving any minute.

The Inspector puffed. "It's time for you to go."

I bit my lip. "Thank you... for telling me." I opened my mouth but then closed it. "Goodbye, Inspector."

"Goodbye, Cosmo."