The Spell Called Love - Empires SMP S2 AU: Nature Wives

Chapter 15: Don't Let it Show (Shelby)

Shelby roared with rage as Joey fired at her with his gun, each bullet bouncing off of her like a harnless fly as the power of the sculk disintegrated them before they could cause any bodily harm.

The dratted pirate had managed to cut himself free with a small pocket knife that he had stuffed in his pocket.

Shelby fired at him with her wand, blazes of orange spiralling out of the tip of her wand in quick succession. The flames hissed as they met with the pirate's exposed skin making him yelp.

Shelby grinned manically at the noises of slow defeat that came from the pirate, fuelling her fighting spirit.

Joey collapsed in the rubble, whining in pain and Shelby advanced on the downed pirate, scythe now drawn and shining hungrily in the sun.

"Shelby... please..."

Shelby smirked, "A bit pathetic Joey, don't you think? Begging a witch for mercy, a grand pirate such as yourself?"

"Shelby..." he turned to face her, still lying at scythe-tip, defeated, "I don't want to die,"

His voice was weak and Shelby could see the surrender in his eyes.

But she hesitated.

Deep down, this didn't feel good at all. It felt wrong and unjust. Joey couldn't help what he felt and Shelby was punishing him for it.

The turquoise tint disappeared from her vision and Shelby gained control over herself again.

"Joey...?"

Joey blinked, "Your eyes have changed colour."

"They have?"

"Yeah." Joey eyed her cautiously.

"Joey, what happ-?"

Shelby doubled over as a piercing pain penetrated her rational thoughts and turquoise clouded her vision again.

"Arghhhh," Shelby snarled, raising her scythe to bring it down once and for all onto the pirate's neck.

"Katherinewouldn'thavewantedthis!" Cried Joey, hurridley, raising an arm to protect himself from the blood-thirsty blade of the scythe.

Shelby froze at the mention of Katherine's name, the tip of the scythe pressing menacingly against the soft flesh of his neck.

"How do you know what Katherine would've wanted?" Asked Shelby, narrowing her eyes at the pirate.

"She told me. About you." Joey was savouring every breath, "And I understand that I can't be as amazing as you are. And that she'll never love me."

Tears were now springing to the pirates eyes, but Shelby didn't remove the scythe from his neck, pressing harder at the sight of his gleaming tears. His weakness.

"How about, I make you a deal, pirate. You stay away from Katherine. And I'll leave you alone."

Joey nodded carefully as not to cut himself in the blade of her scythe.

"Okay."

Shelby looked down at him snarling in disgust before taking the scythe from his neck and turned to walk away.

"Joey, if you break this deal. You realise that you're dead."

Shelby took to the air, heading back to the Evermore, leaving Eversea in a devestated wreck and a terrified Joey watching her become a speck in the distance.

*

She got back to the Evermore and landed in the mud with a squelch. Her broom was squirming under her firm grip as she approached the front foor of her house.

There was a note on a slip of paper, left at the door, lying where she would definetly see it on her doormat.

Shelby picked it up with a sculk ridden hand and scimmed over the note:

Come to Princess Tea Party. Wear dress. Glimmer Grove.

The paper dissolved into sculk in her hand and Shelby flinched away from the paper, letting it fall to the muddied ground before looking with dread upon her glinting hand as the turquoise left here eyes at the mention of a chance to see Katherine again.

Shelby thought hard for a second and then rushed into her house, skipping over Tortoise, abandoning the broom on the table and scrambling up the ladder, her hands leaving hand-sized imprints of sculk on the rungs of the ladder.

From a bookshelf, she pulled a spell book down and flicked to the concealing spell.

Shelby couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this earlier. It was the perfect way to hide her troubles.

She withdrew her wand and held it in front of her, sculk encasing it, and from the book she read out the spell and felt the tingle of magic cover her. She breathed as sigh as the tingle vanished and she turned to the mirror, admiring her normal pale skin. She had forgotten how it looked.

She looked into her amber eyes with a smile. It worked. Now all she needed now was a dress and she had just the one.

She flipped open the trunk at the foot of her bed and after digging around, she pulled out her grandma's old dress.

She changed swiftly and stood back to admire the dress in the mirror. The dress - despite its age - was a beautiful white, dotted with small pink-petalled and yellow centred flowers, much like her witch hat. 

The witch shall go to the tea party.

*

She arrived in good time and took her place in the line of waiting Emperors outside the magnificent Glimmer Grove castle, which stood tall over the flat surrounding landscape of the meadow.

Princess Katherine and Princess Gem were waiting either side of the entrance to the castle, ready to greet everyone.

Eventually, they started to call people forward. Each Emperor, upon hearing their name called by either Katherine or Gem, came forward, everyone was wearing some sort of dress.

When Shelby was called forward - by Katherine - Shelby stepped forward, walking into the castle with a nod at Katherine.

Katherine was looking as beautiful as ever and Shelby felt complied to be with her immediatley, but the ever prescence of the sculk at the back of her mind warned her off.

"Hello, you look lovely" she greeted Gem, "Hello," she greeted Katherine.

"Your muscles look extremely strong today," Shelby said aloud, absent mindedly. When she realised what she said, she dipped her head, cheeks flushing beet red.

Katherine smiled down at the embarrassed witch, "Thanks! Your dress it beautiful,"

Shelby looked up into Katherine's kind eyes and saw a flash of desperation dance across them as they looked down to Shelby's lips.

Shelby was itching for Katherine to go ahead but they were interrupted by Gem hurrying Shelby along:

"No flirting in the corridors, please!"

Both Katherine and Shelby flushed red and Shelby entered the castle with her chin tucked into her chest.

Once all the guests - including King Pix - were inside Katherine led them through to the dining hall.

Shelby's stomach twisted in anticipation. This was going to be an interesting tea party.