The Prince and The Shadow's Daughter

CHAPTER SIX: SPELL-TASTIC

Later that night, the five of us met in the student kitchens. "Alright, it says we still need one tear, and I never cry," Mal said, reading the recipe of the love spell she picked out. "Let's just chop up some onions," Carlos said from his spot on the counter. "No. It says we need one tear of human sadness. And this love potion gets the best, so we have to follow it exactly," Mal said while still stirring the cookie dough. "Well, a tear is a tear," Jay replied next to Carlos.

"That's not true, Jay," I said, looking at Evie, knowing she knew why it wasn't true. "They both have antibodies and enzymes, but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear," Evie explained, looking over her shoulders at the boys.

Before continuing the conversation about tears, Lonnie walked in, looking for Mal, and we covered up the spellbook with a kitchen cloth, "There you are; I was looking for you. You know all the girls want you to do their hair! Midnight snack, huh? What are you guys making?"

"Nothing special," I replied, "just some cookies." Satisfactory with that answer, Lonnie dipped her finger in the dough and quickly put it in her mouth. Looking at our reactions, she said, "What? I'm not going to double-dip."

"Hey, there," Jay said, sort of flexing to see if the love potion worked, but Lonnie just ignored him and said, "Could use some chips." Looking at our confused expressions, she started explaining what she meant by chips. "Chocolate chips. Just the most important food group. Wait, didn't your moms ever make you guys, like, chocolate chip cookies?" At that question, we all looked down sad, "Like, when you're feeling sad, and they're fresh from the oven, with a big old glass of milk, and she just makes you laugh and put everything into perspective and... why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"It's just different where we are from," Mal started before I butted in, "Some of us don't even know our mothers, like Jay and I."

"I just thought... even villains love their kids." At that thought, a tear escaped her eye, and I leaned forward to swipe it away and flick it into the dough. "Well, big bummer, but we have to get these into the oven, so thank you so much for coming by. Really, have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow. Evil dreams." Mal said while pushing her out of the kitchen.

Once Lonnie left the room, I ordered, "Okay, boys, grab a cookie sheet, Evie, oven, Mal, start scooping balls."

The next day, Maland Jay was hanging around her locker when girls saw her and started complimenting her spellcasting with their hair. "Are you feeling kind of weird about this? I mean, it's not so bad here, you know," Jay asked Mal, getting her full attention. "Are you insane? Long Live Evil! You're mean! You're bad news! Snap out of it!" She said, snapping her finger in front of his face. "Thanks, Mal, I needed that."

Looking over her shoulder, Mal saw Ben, Audrey, Chad, and Perseus hanging around the lockers in hushed conversation. After a while of watching their conversation, Evie, Carlos, and I eventually joined her.

"Okay, so I will get Perseus alone while y/n gets Ben to take a bite of the cookie. Just one bite will do the trick," Mal explained, pulling out a bag with a cookie in each bag. "Hey, Perseus, do you have a minute to answer a question Evie and I have?" Mal asked, pulling him away from Ben.

"Are you ready for the big game tonight, Ben?" I asked, honestly interested, trying to figure out if I want to spell him with the cookie or not. "I'm ready, but honestly, I need to have my own cheerleader in the stands, so are you coming to watch?" he asked curiously. "I am. Do I need to cheer loudly for you?" "Knowing you are there is the only reassurance I need. Wanna wear my spare jersey tonight?" he asked, already pulling one out of his locker.

"What about you and Audrey? Aren't you two, you know, dating?" I asked, looking at the jersey in his hand. "Nah, she said I can't give her enough attention since I'm too busy with all my training for when I become king," he explained, holding out his jersey, so I took it from his hand.

"Then I guess I'll see you at the game," I said before turning around and finding Jay and Carlos in the next corridor. "So, weirdest thing ever, I did not have to use the cookie. Before I could ask him if he wanted a bite, he asked me if I could wear his spare jersey tonight and be his personal cheerleader in the stands." After I was done explaining what happened, the two boys just looked at each other like they both knew a secret. Before I could question them, Mal and Evie came back.

"How did it go with Ben, y/n?" She asked, but before I could explain anything, Evie pointed out the jersey I was holding in my hand.