Twisted Wonderland: A New Dawn

Chapter 8

The sky was a dark purple when Rhyme started walking back to Ramshackle and the stars were twinkling above.
  Her mind was rolling over what the man on the roof had said. "Prefect is wise beyond his years."
  "That means nothing," Rhyme muttered out loud. "How can such an introvert be wise when he barely speaks to anyone! The cat does most of the talking and gets himself in trouble for it..." she paused, her feet coming to a halt. Then she shook her head. "No. I can do this alone. After all, that's how I've been most of my life. I did think about it, mystery guy. And I don't believe you. So I'm gonna do this my way."
  Slipping into Ramshackle, Rhyme tried to bypass the front lounge by walking fast, but one of the ghosts poked his head out of the wall. "Rhyme? The Prefect wants to see you." The ghost said mournfully, ducking back in.
  Rhyme groaned inwardly then walked into the lounge where the three ghosts, Grim and Prefect were gathered.
  "What?" Rhyme asked, folding her arms over her chest.
  Prefect threw something down onto the table between them and Rhyme's breath caught in her throat. The card that Jade had given her.
  "Do you know what this is?" Prefect asked.
  "It's...it's a card," Rhyme said, trying to fake obliviousness. "It's nothing."
  "Then what was it doing in your room?" Prefect asked.
  "What were you doing in my room?" Rhyme exclaimed. "That's private!"
  "The ghosts were cleaning," Grim broke in. "And they found this under your bed!"
  "Grim told me he accidentally let Azul's side business slip to you," Prefect said. "But I want to know how you got this card."
  "It was given." Rhyme said.
  "By one of the Leech brothers?"
  Rhyme didn't answer. His question clearly stated he already knew the answer.
  Prefect stood up. "Grim. Burn it." He said.
  "What?" Rhyme declared. "Why?"
  "This card can only bring you sorrow," Prefect said, his voice gaining some anger. "Azul may have stopped making deals using signature spells as collateral but he can still take plenty from people who don't understand what they're asking for."
  "So you're saying I don't know what I really want?" Rhyme declared.
  "Oh dear..." one of the ghosts whispered. "Should I get the Headmage?"
  "No," Prefect said, holding his arm out. "We can do this alone."
  Rhyme was still glaring at him. Don't understand what they're asking for? She understood exactly what she wanted! A chance at a life outside of this dump! A perfect time at Night Raven College! A perfect dorm to live in! And for that to happen, she needed that card.
  Prefect must have seen the light enter her eyes because he stepped forward. "Rhyme. Don't do it." He pleaded.
  Rhyme paused for a half second then sprinted forward, grabbing the card before running out of the room and back outside, putting as much distance between herself and Prefect as possible.
  "Stop her!" Rhyme heard Prefect call from behind her and looked back to see the ghosts giving chase.
  Rhyme looked forwards again and saw the Hall Of Mirrors a bit farther ahead and groaned. She'd have to lose Prefect, Grim and these ghosts before she could get to Octavinelle so...
  "You asked for it!" She declared, pulling her magepen out. "Through the Looking Glass"!"
  A gold frame appeared in front of Rhyme and she jumped through, looking back as the ghosts tried to follow, only to be stopped by a film-like substance that stretched across the frame and a grin spread on her face.
  Her signature spell, "Through the Looking Glass", allowed Rhyme to trap her opponents in a sticky film that was stretched across a mirror frame.
  The sound of her shoes hitting the pavement echoed through the empty campus as Rhyme headed towards Main Street, choosing to wrap around the Great Seven to get back to the Hall of Mirrors.
  "Hey kid!" Grim yowled from beside, making Rhyme look over and grit her teeth. That stupid cat was still behind her? Dang it. He'd have seen her spell, so he wouldn't fall for it. Maybe it was time to bring out her second spell...
  "Gi'me that card!" Grim cried, jumping towards Rhyme's face, claws extended.
  "Queen's Board!" Rhyme yelled, a silver mirror appearing in front of the cat.
  "Huh?" Grim cried, before his head broke through the thin film set in the mirror and he crashed into Rhyme, sending her tumbling to the cobblestone pathway near the Great Seven statues.
  Groaning, Rhyme sat up, then tried to climb to her feet but a pain in her ankle made her wince and drop back down.
  "That's enough Rhyme," Prefect said, stepping in front of her, breathing easier than she was. "Your spells are impressive, but they'll end eventually. And even if they don't, I'm sure you have a way to end them prematurely."
  "The Looking Glass spell ends when you shake the subject." Rhyme admitted.
  "Shake the subject?"
  "If you can't shake them, a simple touch will do," Rhyme continued. "I don't see why you would risk yourself running after me when you know I have magic."
  Prefect didn't answer that question, instead walking over to Grim, who was trying to remove the thin film stretched across his fur.
  "Why'd I have to get caught in this sticky stuff?" The cat asked, clawing at the strands on his head. "This is going to take weeks to get out!"
  "Oh a bath," Prefect muttered before turning back to Rhyme. "This isn't "Looking Glass", " he said. "So which spell is this?"
  "It's nothing." Rhyme said.
  "STOP LYING!" Prefect screamed, scaring Rhyme and Grim. "You cast a very specific spell to trap the ghosts and you're too smart to have cast that same spell on Grim. So what is it?"
  Her heart pounding a mile a minute, Rhyme swallowed hard. "It's...my second signature spell, "Queen's Board", " she confessed. "But that's all I'm saying. You'll have to scratch it out of me."
  Prefect paused at Rhyme's words. It was such an odd choice of words to threaten with so why...
  Then a growl filled the air and he whipped back around as Grim launched himself forward, his claws extended towards Prefect, his eyes blank.
  Falling back, Prefect raised his arm to defend from the attack.
  "I summon thee, caldron!"
  Rhyme vanished into the shadows behind the statues as Ace and Deuce ran over, their magepen's raised.
  The caldron in question landed on Grim's head, knocking him out before he could cause real damage to Prefect.
  "We got your message," Ace said, helping Prefect stand up. "But I guess Rhyme ran off anyway?"
  "She's heading for Monstro Lounge," Prefect said, panting. "She's going to make a deal with Azul."
  "You and Grim should both head to the infirmary," Deuce said, walking over. "He's out cold for now but I don't know for how long. Did you fight Rhyme?"
  Prefect shook his head. "No. Grim managed to get some scratches on my arm, probably from Rhyme's second spell."
  "Should we tell the Headmage about Rhyme?" Ace asked. "He might be able to convince Azul to end the contract they'll undoubtedly make."
  "Yeah," Prefect said. "The sooner we get the Headmage involved, the better."