Twisted Wonderland Book 5: A Beauitful Tyrant

Chapter 42: News from the Farm

Soon, Epel has finished his story, "...An' that's the long an' short of it."

"You picked a fight with a housewarden on your first day at school?!" Deuce asks, shocked.

"Ah didn't know how crazy strong the housewardens were, okay?!" Epel angrily says, " Didn't you an' Ace pick a fight with yer housewarden right after orientation, too?"

Deuce flinches to hear that part, "Erk! That wasn't intentional..."

"Yeah. They didn't really intend to. Things just happened, and I mean a lot has happened," Briat says.

Then Epel explains, "Back home, the only way anybody ever saw you as powerful was if you were big an' buff an' strong... So Ah've always been a soft target fer teasin'. Lookin' back now, Ah don't think Vil meant nothin' by what he said, but still..."

"Yeah, I get you. You felt like you had to make a point right out of the gate," Deuce replies.

Epel continues, "But Ah've never beaten the housewarden once. Ah've been stuck doin' what he says ever since."

"Now I get what you guys meant when you were talking about 'the usual' during practice. Rook was right when he said it wasn't a fight. It was more than that to you guys," Deuce says.

"Vil says Ah can act however Ah like if Ah kin take him in a fight. But it just ain't happenin'. Ah wanna be stronger..." Epel says.

Deuce and Briar remain silent.

Then Deuce says, "You know, before I left campus, Kalim and Rook told me something. They said that we have a "power" all our own, and that we should make the most of it. So I thought about it, and I figured something out. I think...my strength might be this hard head of mine."

"Huh? But Ah thought you said you hated that about yerself?" Epel says, confused.

"Yeah, it frustrates me a lot. But sometimes, it means I can take off running without stopping to second-guess myself," Deuce says.

Epel becomes surprised.

Deuce continues, "I'm not smart enough to think about a lot of things at the same time. But that also means that once I put my mind to something, I can make a beeline for the goal without stopping. I think that's a power I can call my own. My weakness can be my strength."

Then turns to Briar, "Briar also told me that sometimes my weakness can also become my strength."

"That's all well an' good fer you, but it don't mean much fer me," Epel says, unsure, "In mah case, it's mah looks, right? Ah look all dainty and effeminate. How's that s'posed ta be a strength?"

"I'm sure you'll find it. To be honest, I understand fully about having to do things out of your element," Briar says.

"You mean, when you first came to this school?" Epel asks.

"Exactly. I find myself in another world full of magic, finding myself having to learn their lifestyle, their rules, and sometimes their language. I guess I understand about having to be brought out of your element and having to do things different than you're familiar with, and I understand how hard it is," Briar explains.

"I think I understand. I remember the Dark Mirror said that you have sealed magic and that you couldn't be placed in the dorms because it was hard to tell which dorm you should be in," Epel says.

"Yeah. Ever since I came to the school, I usually feel a kind of out of place, but the longer I say in the school and learn how to actually cast magic spells, and learn about this world, I kind of felt that there's a part of me I didn't realized I have, but I'm still me no matter what," Briar says.

She blushes and says, "I may not fully understand how the Dark Mirror chooses the dorm for each student, but maybe there's a reason why you were placed in Pomefiore. The same reason why the Mirror and the carriage brought you to the school"

"Maybe... although, I'm just not seeing the reason," Epel says.

Suddenly the group heard the sound of the phone ringing.

"Oh, that's mah phone," Epel says, and takes out his phone, "It's...mah folks?"

Epel answers the phone and says, "Hello?"

The one to answer is Epel's mother and she sounds surprised, "Epel?! What in tarnation did ya do with that juice we sent ya?!"

"Huh? The apple juice? Ya said ta give it ta mah friends, so that's what Ah did. Why?" Epel asks, confused.

"We're gettin' slammed with orders from all over the world!" Epel's mother answers.

This shocked Epel, "Yer WHAT?!"

"Ah was wonderin' what the deal was..." Epel's mother answers.

The explains, "So Ah asked one o' the customers callin' in, "Where'd ya hear about our juice? And y'know what they said? They said they saw it on 'Vil Schoenheit's camera' or somethin'! Ain't Vil the leader of yer dorm?!"

"Vil's camera...?" Epel questions, but then something clicks in his mind, "Wait, you mean Magicam?! Hold on a sec!"

Epel scans his phone and soon finds the photo of Vil with Epel's family apple juice.

Flashback:

Vil says, "My routine! #PostLessonHydration #HarvestTownAppleJuice #NaturalFlavor #GoodForTheSkin"

Flashback Ends:

Soon

FLASHBACK END

Deuce is surprised, "Wow, you're right. Vil posted a picture of your apple juice on his Magicam account!"

"And look how many views, likes, and comments it's getting. It's practically over the roof," Briar says.

Epel's mother continues on the phone, "The phones are ringin' off the hook! It's total chaos over here! Ah'mma hafta call the co-op head an' get help from the neighbors just ta keep up with the shippin'! An' here Ah was wonderin' what ta do with all our leftover stock. Now the whole village is overjoyed! You done pulled through for us, Epel! You tell Vil the same, y'hear?"

Soon, they hear the phone ringing.

Epel's mother says, "Welp, these phones ain't gonna answer 'emselves. Gotta go! Ah'll send more juice along later." and hangs up the phone.

Epel calls out, "Maw, wait—" and soon realizes, "Ah, she hung up."

"This is amazing. I'm seeing a whole flood of comments on the Magicam post saying they ordered the juice," Deuce says.

"Oh...!" Epel replies, surprised.