Wickless

Legacy

       Halloween had came and went and Thanksgiving was just around the corner. She thought about the turkey, stuffing, and carrots she was going to have for Thanksgiving dinner. She thought about spending time with her family, and her cheeks became fuzzy at the images of her and them all sitting around the table. That's all Dee Dee could do really...think. She laid in a soft bed with sheets and a blanket, all were white in the infirmary within the castle. Soon the door creak opened and Princess entered with a tray of soup. Dee Dee's side finally stopped hurting when she came back to Oz. The doctor in her world hadn't the slightest clue what was wrong with Dee Dee. 

       Princess sat the tray down on the small dresser beside the bed. There were about twenty beds in the infirmary, ten on each side aligned accordingly. Dee Dee felt the side of her bed spring down with the weight of Princess. She sat with her hands in her lap, a nice white dress she wore went to her ankles. 

       "How's your side?" Her voice still ever so soft. 

       "I feel a lot better." Dee Dee replied and it was true. She sat up and patted her blanket. 

       "That's why she's dangerous, Dorothy." Princess said. "She gave you a hex. That wasn't an ordinary spell. She doesn't even know her own magic. Then-then," she turned to look at Dee Dee. "Her parents sent that abomination out to you. Do not see her again, Dorothy."

       Dee Dee chuckled, not because of the humor but because of the nerves she got from Princess' words. "Is it just you running this kingdom?" She asked the blonde. 

       "Yes." 

       "There's no one else?"

       "I have maids, servants, guards..."

       Dee Dee leaned back on her pillow. Her soup was still steaming and it smelled like it consisted of onions and carrots. "But no family...or friends." 

       "I guess it's not in my cards to have those. And friends, I don't think I really need them. I will run this kingdom for eternity. At eighteen I will be crowned. If all goes well." She got up and looked at the soup. "Eat up, I want to show you around. Remember, you can't stay here for long. Your parents would think you were a miss." 

                                                                                          ***

       Dee Dee followed Princess into the library; it was spacious, quiet, clean with out a single dust bunny floating around yet in the center was a podium, and on the podium was a book. Rows, and rows which formed circles went from floor one to floor five, nothing but books, books, and more books. 

       Princess stopped walking when she got to the podium. She opened the book and flipped through a couple of pages. Without bothering to look up at Dee Dee, she spoke to the other girl. "Here you can find all that you want to know about Oz. From my ancestors, to yours-"

       "Mine..." Dee Dee asked. She ran to Princess and stood behind her. Some of the Princess' hair got into Dee Dee's way and she brushed it to the side. 

       "Your history is already beginning," Princess said. "Look." She flipped to a page and sure enough, there was an image of Dee Dee, sketched out in black and white ink. Princess went backwards in the book and Dee Dee leaned in. She saw more images of others who looked like her. It was then she realized they were past family members. Dee Dee stepped back unsure of how to take in the new information. Princess stepped back too but for a different reason. "On the fourth row, there are spell books. I suggest you check out this one." From within the podium there was a slit where a pen was along with small pieces of paper. Princess wrote down the name of the book. She handed it to Dee Dee. "Have fun." She said as Dee Dee watched her walk toward the exit. Her shoes clocked on the hard marble black floor-clock, clock, clock. Dee Dee could see not only her own reflection but also the Princess'. 

     Back in Kansas and  after dinner, Dee Dee walked to her room and laid on her bed. She did her homework and then took out the book which was about as big as the bible and quran put together. There wasn't a need for her to start at the beginning, but she did. She wanted to know it all from the very moment Oz became a thing. The magic, the powers, the witches, the immortality, the flying monkeys-she wanted to know it all!

       She was on page one, a long page split into two sections, when she received a text message from David. He was asking if she was going to go to the volleyball game, and she answered back with an 'of course'. Dee Dee and Clara's relationship although it wasn't the talk of the town, some people did know they were in a relationship, but most seemed to not really care about the close interactions the two girls had with one another. They probably didn't take the relationship of Dee Dee and Clara serious; they probably thought it was a phase. That was fine for Dee Dee. 

       Another text came through when she sat her phone to the side. It was David again asking if she was going to go to the after party one of the footballers was having. Dee Dee didn't know about any party so she sent back a text saying, 'more than likely not'. That reminded Dee Dee nonetheless about what happened last time she was with Clara. Dee Dee closed the big book and moved onto the spell book recommended to her. Spells from the Maternal, it read. A page was dog eared where Princess wanted her to focus on. This time...she was going to be prepared. 

       The days went by and Friday came; the bleachers to the volley ball game were mostly empty because everyone was down at the football field. It was another win for the home team and the girls were excited as they spoke among one another. As Dee Dee stood outside the locker room waiting for Clara, she heard the girls speak about the party they were going to. It was apparently going to be at Flannigan's barn. Dee Dee rolled her eyes. That meant it was Jake Flannigan's property they were all going to including David. Laurie couldn't go because she was grounded after her mom caught her making out with a crush behind the church. Tonya had to work because she had got a small part time job at the burger joint. Even so, Jake wasn't a good boy-one could say. He drunk, he smoked weed, and was a supposed "ladies man". 

       The door to the girls' locker room burst opened and they all came out. Clara was the last to file out. 

       "Wanna go to Jake's party?" 

       "Uh..."

        Clara laughed. "You're like the perfect Christian girl. You go to church every Sunday. You're subscribed to that weird magazine-"

       "You think it's weird?" Dee Dee asked. "There are tons of young girls who want to have a family."

       "Yea', yea', yea'," Clara said, her head bopping up and down as she spoke in a child like way. Her smile still warm as she sarcastically mouthed off.  "But you'll have plenty of time to have a family...c'mon, loosen up. Let's go to the party." 

       Dee Dee touched her small purse that slung from her shoulder. Her purse was big enough to hold her spell book and she mumbled the spell under her breath, not to cast it of course, but to memorize it. 

       On the ride to the barn, the street lights became less and less as they drove on the dirt road. They kept quiet and Dee Dee held onto her bag. She kept her eyes on the window, again, seeing darkness. When Clara asked if all was well, Dee Dee simply told Clara her mind was filled with information she had been taking in about her family's history and travels. That it was a lot to take in. She saw Clara nod and hoped that was enough to detour her from asking more questions because in truth, Dee Dee was nervous about the party. She was nervous about the darkness, the magic she needed to learn fast, the monkeys that could be sent her way, the Princess, the Kingdom of Oz, Adina-all these girls were in her life!

       Clara pulled up on the patches of dirt worn out because of the parties Jake often held on his family's farm in the barn that was away from the main road. She put the car in park and turned to look at Dee Dee. Her arm went around Dee Dee's shoulders. 

       "Don't worry about your family's linage." Clara said. "We just won! It's time to celebrate!"