Envy & Evil

The Perfect Potion

Belle sat in the Nature Room of her mansion in the tree, admiring the built-in mirror in the puddle of water perfectly placed in the center of the room. Her tinkling giggle drifted through the air as she said, “Oh, Bells, look at you. Aren’t you just gorgeous?” She flipped her golden blonde hair that reminded her of just how rich she was. With all the money she had, she could get anything she wanted. She sighed, remembering the slight lack of truth in her thought. She could have anything, that is, except the one thing that was most important to her. Belle could never want anything more than she wanted Parker. But luckily, thanks to her friend, Mala, Belle now had a chance to get her most prized not-quite-possession. With the most beautifully evil woman in all of the land on her side, Belle could have Parker in no time. She repeated her giggle, getting excited at the thought.

At that moment, Mala walked into the room. “Good Lord, Belle. You have got to make this house more human-friendly. I hate being shrunken down to be able to fit into your tree, even if it is a wonderful mansion. And to answer your previous question, yes, you are gorgeous. I do not befriend ugly people.”

“Oh, Mala, you’re so sweet. What on Earth has gotten into you?” Belle gasped and covered her mouth.

Now it was Mala’s turn to release a small laugh. “Belle, stop being naïve. You know I’m not sweet. Simply complimenting my partner in crime, is all. Sweet would be if I complimented, say, Hava. Which we both know would never happen.” The pair let out similar chuckles. Real laughter, this time, not the fake, girly snickers like before.

The sound of a truly evil pair of teenage girls was a frightening thing to behold. This would explain why Hava, who was in the other room with Parker, chose that particular moment to hide behind the couch.

“Oh, Parker. I’m scared. What could sweet little Mala and Belle possibly be doing that required that much noise?” Hava asked. She paused before adding, “And such terrifying noises, too?”

“Oh, shush up, Hava. I’m sure they’re just playing with their shadows or something. You know as well as I do that those two are perfectly harmless.”

“I do?” Hava asked, with an inquisitive tone in her voice and a facial expression to match.

“Of course you do. Now get back up here on the couch and watch some TV with me while we wait for Belle to get back.”

“Oh, alright,” Hava sighed, reluctantly rejoining Parker on the sofa. She was still noticeably shaken, but tried to cover it up so Parker wouldn’t make fun of her. As far as she was concerned, the accusatory tone Parker had while attempting to reassure her was hurtful enough, and she didn’t need any more of that.

 Back in the main room, Mala was scolding Belle. “Now get over here. We have work to do.”

“I don’t wanna,” Belle answered sassily.

“Excuse me?!” Mala was frustrated at Belle’s stubbornness.

“Well, I mean, I wanna. I do wanna. But I just wish I was pretty so Parker could love me without us having to go to such drastic measures.”

“Belle, deary. We have established that you are gorgeous and that Parker is dumb and blah blah blah whatever whatever whatever. Either get over here and help me douse my staff in this potion or I’m leaving and you’ll never have Parker.”

Belle stomped her foot in frustration. “If I’m so naturally gorgeous, then why doesn’t Parker love me?!”

“Jesus Christ, BB. Stop your whining. Parker will love you soon. Now shut up and get. over. here.”

“Fine,” Belle stomped over to Mala. She wasn’t used to being treated so rudely. It was what she deserved, of course, but that didn’t make it any less foreign to her. “Ok, I’m here, sheesh.”

“Then what are you waiting for, you stupid brat? Get a bottle of the potion and get to pouring!” Mala said, already doing her part to drench the staff.

Belle picked up the small bottle of magic and examined it. It was a dusty pink color, and if it was held it up to the light at just the right angle, it sparkled. Belle even swore that if she listened closely enough, she was sure she would be able to hear it chime. She stood there admiring the liquid for so long that Mala got annoyed.

“B! Pay attention!” Mala raised her voice and waved a hand in front of Belle’s face. “Are you going to help or not?”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. Sorry. You know I just get distracted easily,” Belle replied, shaking her head to clear herself of the distracting thoughts.

“Yeah. I know,” Mala rubbed her forehead in frustration.

Belle finally took her cue to pour the potion over Mala’s wand-of-sorts. Of course Mala could never be bothered with a “real” wand. No way. She was much too evil and powerful for such a dainty little wand that those commoners used. Not to mention, those things were just plain girly, and Mala was just plain not. The pink fluid washed over the golden rod, developing into a slightly translucent film. It didn’t roll off the sides like Belle would have expected. Instead, it hovered over the metal, almost bonded to the material, but not quite.

After the bottle was empty, Belle turned to Mala, who was now on the other side of the room trying to calm herself down. She was still visibly frustrated from Belle’s lack of initiative, but she would never say so. She knew that if she helped Belle acquire the one thing she wanted most, Belle would most certainly be willing to help her with her most important goal. This was, of course, getting rid of Aurora. Belle finally spoke up, “So, Mal. How are we gonna do this?”

            A slightly evil cackle resounded through the room. “Oh, Belle. It seems you’ve forgotten the full extent of my powers, darling. All you have to do is say the word, and that dumb little girl is gone.” The last part of the statement was said with a rude sense of hurriedness, almost like it left it bad taste in her mouth.

            Belle gasped at the suggestion before letting a faint smile spread across her face. “I figured there would be something more to this whole ordeal. A spell beforehand? An eye of a newt? A virgin sacrifice? Some rosemary, at the very least? It just seems that something more would be necessary, I suppose. But I guess sometimes I just forget how truly nasty you can be.” She paused before continuing, “But I always knew I picked you as a best friend for a reason. We make a great pair.” Belle finished her sentence by reaching out for a hug from Mala. However, as soon as she saw the look in Mala’s eyes, she knew her request would be shot down. Belle decided against trying to force a hug upon her best friend and instead kept to herself and waited for the magic to happen.

            “Of course you forgot, dear. Of course you did. Now, where are they? I’d like to go ahead and get this over with. It’s weird being seen with such a dainty girl as yourself. It makes me look bad. Err, good. Whatever.” Mala scoffed at the thought of being good before instantly releasing the thought from her mind forever. She could never be bothered to dwell on such a thing, especially not for any extended period of time.

            “They’re just in the other room. Oh, Hava. Oh, Parker. Would you please come here for a moment?” Belle stifled the tinkling noise from leaving her mouth as the smile on her face grew wider. She couldn’t let the targets know their fate, now could she? Of course not. That would defeat the purpose and ruin the outcome that would make Belle so happy.