The Frog and The Beast

The Frog Chapter 6

At last, we arrived at the school. Happy slipped through the front doors as students streamed in, and I urged him to navigate the bustling hallway discreetly. As we maneuvered through the crowd, I felt the weight of curious glances and hushed whispers trailing behind us. Happy moved stealthily, blending in with the students as if he belonged there. I clung to his fur, doing my best to remain hidden from prying eyes.

I scanned the area for Minerva, searching for a goth figure clad entirely in black. For what felt like an eternity, I couldn't spot anyone fitting that description. Just when I was about to lose hope, I caught sight of a black lace trail and steered Happy toward it. He leapt in front of the girl, and I prepared to make my demands once more, only to feel my heart sink when I noticed her long, flowing red hair.

"Shit! You're not Minerva!" I cursed.

It was Erza, and she looked at me with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. But why wouldn't she? I was a frog riding a cat—people had been giving me strange looks all day. However, as I glanced back up at her, I realized her expression was markedly different from the others. It was one of alarm and deep concern.

Erza knelt down, peering at me between my large, black froggy eyes.

"Did you just speak to me?" she asked softly.

Wait! She heard me?

"You can hear me?" I called out, my voice a mix of surprise and hope.

The alarm in her expression intensified tenfold. Without warning, she grabbed both me and Happy, stuffing us into her backpack. As expected, Happy yowled and clawed at her, but when she locked eyes with him, he suddenly became docile and obedient, settling down in her bag without resistance.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" I demanded, struggling against her surprisingly strong grip. "And what did you do to my cat?"

"Stop squirming!" she ordered. "I can't explain things here, in front of all these people! Just get in the bag!"

Eventually, she managed to zip us up inside. It wasn't long before she pulled us out into a dimly lit room thick with the scent of herbs and incense. There were no windows, just a single door that she quickly locked behind us. Afterward, she lifted me up and examined me closely.

"You speak like a human, but I'm the only one who can hear you," she said. "That can only mean one thing: you're not really a frog, are you? You're a boy who was turned into one."

"How did you know? And how is it that you can hear me but no one else can?"

Erza sighed heavily, as if grappling with a confession she was reluctant to make.

"Because I am a witch, and witches—or anyone affected by magic—can hear and see things for what they really are."

"You mean you're one of them too?! Oh, right, you and Minerva are sisters."

"So Minerva did this to you?" she deduced, her frustration palpable. "Damn it! I've told her and Kagura a thousand times they can't just go around cursing people because they're pissed off! I constantly remind them that we have to be discreet. Every time the world finds out witches are real, bad things happen to them! They either get burned, hanged, or locked up and experimented on! But do they ever listen? No!"

As she ranted, her appearance began to change. Her ghostly pale face glowed as if infused with moonlight, her red hair shimmered, and the grey streaks and feathers vanished, replaced by silver adornments that sparkled like stardust. Her black dress transformed into an opalescent blend of silver and gold, her lips reshaped into a perfect heart, and her eyes became warm and brown, reminiscent of a family hearth in winter.