the enchantress - ben florian beast

05

Emery sat cross-legged on the plush carpet of the girls' dormitory. Evie was meticulously sewing a new dress, her fingers deftly working the needle through a piece of deep blue fabric. Mal was sprawled on her bed, flipping through her spellbook, her brow furrowed in concentration. Carlos was tinkering with a small mechanical device, his face a mask of intense focus. 

The door swung open, and Jay strode in, his new tourney jersey clinging to his muscular frame. The room brightened with his presence, his infectious energy impossible to ignore. "Nice, Jay!" Emery exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she extended her fist. Jay grinned and met her fist with his own in a friendly bump. "Thanks, Em," Jay replied, leaning casually against Mal's bed. His eyes flicked to the pages of her spellbook, curiosity piqued. "Did your plan work with Jane? Are you going to see the wand?" he asked, his voice low and conspiratorial.

Emery's brow furrowed in confusion. "Plan? What plan?" she asked, her eyes darting to Mal for an explanation. Mal sighed, setting her spellbook aside. "We're trying to befriend Jane so that her mom will trust us enough to let us see the wand," she explained, her tone a mix of frustration and determination. Emery nodded slowly, processing the information.

"But do you think that I would be going through every single spell in this book if I hadn't completely struck out?" Mal snapped, her voice tinged with exasperation. She flipped through her spellbook with a ferocity that made the pages flutter.

Jay raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Someone's in a bad mood..." he muttered, sitting down next to Carlos. Mal's scowl deepened, and she shot him a glare that could have melted ice. "My mom's counting on me! I can't let her down," Mal said, her voice barely above a whisper, but the weight of her words hung heavy in the air. The room fell silent, the gravity of her statement sinking in.

"We can do this..." Jay said, his voice filled with a confidence that he hoped would be contagious. Emery shook her head, standing up abruptly.

"Do we even have to do this?" she asked, her voice tinged with desperation. The moral dilemma gnawed at her, the conflict between her loyalty to her friends and her burgeoning sense of right and wrong.

Mal closed her book with a sharp snap and looked up at Emery, her green eyes blazing with intensity. "Are you out of your mind? Of course, we have to!" she said, her voice firm and unyielding.

Emery groaned, sinking back onto the carpet. She picked up her book, but her mind was too preoccupied to focus on the words. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Go get it," Mal said, not looking up from her book.

"You get it," Emery retorted, her voice flat. Mal groaned and got up, her movements stiff with irritation. She swung the door open, revealing Ben, standing in the hallway.

"Hey, Mal," Ben said, peering into the room. "Um, is Emery here? Ruby told me that she wasn't in her dorm... oh, hey!" he exclaimed, spotting Emery. Emery stood up, a smile spreading across her face. "Hey," she said, her voice softening. Ben handed her a stack of books, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Ben... you didn't have to... is your mom okay with this?" Emery asked, her voice filled with gratitude and awe. Ben nodded, his smile reassuring. He handed her a royal blue box, the golden yellow ribbon tied around it shimmering in the light. Emery set the books down and took the box from his hands, her fingers trembling slightly.

"What's this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She untied the ribbon and opened the box, revealing a sleek smartphone with a dark green case inside.

"Ben... no... I can't accept this," she said, holding the box out to him, her voice tinged with reluctance. "You have to, I can't return it," Ben said with a chuckle, his eyes sparkling with amusement. The sincerity in his voice was undeniable.

The four VKs behind her watched the interaction in stunned silence. They hadn't realized how close Emery had grown to Ben. Mal's lips curled into a smirk as she leaned against the door frame, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Thank you," Emery said, unlocking the phone and scrolling through the contacts. "My phone number is already in your contacts and I got Ruby's number in there too," Ben said. Emery thanked him again, and Ben's smile softened. She impulsively gave him a small hug, her arms wrapping around him briefly. "Alright, um, I didn't see any of you today, so if you have any questions..." he said, trailing off awkwardly.

The five VKs shook their heads, and Ben backed away, waving goodbye. "Oh, wait! Is it true that we all get to go to your coronation?" Mal asked, stepping forward. Ben nodded, his smile widening. "Yeah, the whole school goes," he said.

Mal grinned, her mind already whirring with possibilities. "Wow, that's beyond exciting. Do you think that the four of us could stand in the front row next to the Fairy Godmother?" she asked, her voice sweet and persuasive.

Ben clasped his hands together and shook his head sadly. "I wish you could, but upfront, it's just me, my folks, and my girlfriend," he said. Mal's smile faltered, but she quickly recovered. "Your girlfriend?" she questioned, her tone light but probing. "Yeah, I'm really sorry," Ben said, glancing over at Emery. His eyes held a hint of regret, but there was nothing he could do.

"Yeah, okay, thanks!" Mal said, closing the door quickly. She turned towards her friends, her expression triumphant. She held up her spellbook, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"I think it's time that Bennyboo got himself a new girlfriend. And I need a love spell," Mal said, her voice dripping with determination. She looked directly at Emery, her gaze unwavering.

"What? Me?" Emery exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. The others nodded, their expressions serious.

Emery shook her head, backing away. "No, no, no. Ben's a good friend of mine, and that'll change everything!" she protested, her voice rising in panic.

Mal shook her head, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "It's so obvious that you like him. This way, you're just getting what you want and we get what we want," she said, her tone soothing yet persuasive.

Emery sighed, the weight of the decision pressing down on her. She looked at her friends, seeing the determination in their eyes. "As long as after you guys get the wand, you remove the love spell. You promise?" she asked, her voice tinged with resignation.

Mal nodded, her grin widening. "Promise," she said. The five of them hurried down to the kitchens, the excitement and tension palpable in the air. The plan was in motion, and there was no turning back.