“Most of my students and colleagues,” Professor Gaia announced with his eyes closed and his voice growing particularly sharp and nasally. “Know me by my day job as the resident Doomsteacher, but by night, or precisely 3:45 PM, I am also the Moon Mason, Star Attorney for high class Lunaborns.”

Taliesyn Tessellation spoke in her breathy, harsh tone over the proceedings. “Thank the seven moons of Autolycus you got here in time, Moon Mason. They’re about to incarcerate my dear Laetitia!”

Gaia strutted up to the jury. “Dear friends of the Lollypop Legal System, I think you have been mistaken of the true culprit—the person who truly put Miss Willow’s life in danger.”

”Strange,” Gaia said, his eyes surveying the crowd with harsh judgement. “Because they’ve already admitted to it.”

Gaia pointed his hands directly at one of his colleagues. “What say you, Professor Andromeda?”

Professor Andromeda’s large blue eyes shot open. She opened her mouth, but nothing but a squeak escaped. “A truly skilled master of dreams arts knows never to sneak up on someone while they’re in the midst of lunar possession, for it can cause direct harm to the possessed.”

“I…I…” Andromeda stammered. “I can’t believe you, Pete.”

“That’s Peter to you, Stellaris,” he quipped in his hostile nasal voice. “And it’s your fault that Phenomena Willow fell into the Dream Deposit, not Laetitia Tessellation’s. Therefore, the jury should revise their verdict to consider that Laetitia Tessellation merely acted on a minor misdemeanor of lunar possession when none of the seven moons were even full…”

Everyone was silent, but the jury all looked at each other. Mena could not believe that Gaia was helping the Tessellations get off on their charges.

Lol Pops in his rainbow pinwheel hat looked up at Gemini and said in his high-pitched voice, “Perhaps we’ve acted too rashly. Gemini allow us to revise our verdict.”

Gemini and Caligari both frowned but nodded in agreement. Professor Andromeda looked like she would burst into tears at any given moment or alternately strangle Gaia. Gaia, however, put his hands on his hips, like he was about to receive a medal for his legal work.

“No wonder the Tessellations lick Gaia’s bones so much,” Janus said. “He’s a friend of their family.”

Mena pitied Professor Andromeda. Though she had accidentally sent Mena flying, it was solely Laetitia who truly meant to harm her. Now they were trying to bring Andromeda up on endangering Mena’s life when it was Andromeda who had tried to save her.

The jury deliberated as a thick malaise fell over the room. The Tessellations were grinning from ear to ear and Laetitia even pulled her eyelid down and stuck out her tongue at Mena. At last, the jury filed in, and Lol Pops announced to everyone, “We have reached a verdict. Those in favor of putting Laetitia Andrea Tessellation on academic probation, raise your lollypops!”

This time, green lollypops intermingled with red ones. Mena swallowed hard as way more red apple pops appeared this time around. She counted. It was seven reds to five greens.

“All in favor of signing a restraining order for Laetitia Andrea Tessellation, Marie Antoine Tessellation and Ashlan O’Ryan to no longer be within ten feet of Phenomena Arabella Willow.”

This time, the green lollypops were unanimous. Mena looked right over to Ashlan who buried her face in her sleeve, quietly sobbing.

Tears trickled down Mena’s face too. It was official. She would no longer be roommates with her so-called best friend. She was furious at Ashlan for turning on her, but she could not resist crying when she realized their friendship was truly over.

“All in favor,” Lol Pops said, “Of placing Professor Stellaris Andromeda on probation and reviewing her teaching license at a later date?”

The lime-sided lollypops were almost as frequent this time with only one or two candy apples. Andromeda sobbed loudly, and Gemini screamed, “NOOOOOOO!”

When everyone looked up at him, he turned bright red and he returned to his regular demeanor and went, “Uh I mean, WHOOOOOAAA! I wasn’t expecting the law to be so swift and punishing, carry on!”

Professor Gaia bowed and brushed his permed hair and said to himself, “I truly am a handsome legal wizard,” as he was swarmed by fawning Tessellations both young and old. Mena had never despised a teacher as much as him before. Even Caligari was a grumpy feline in comparison to this venomous snake in the grass.

Gemini hit his mallet on the table. Even the jester mallet sounded defeated. “Go now. Court is dismissed,” he said with a sigh.

***

Mena spent the next half hour clearing out her room and getting ready to move into a three-room suite with Janus and May. Fortunately, she didn’t have much to carry: Simply the school textbooks she had borrowed from the Library of Tomes for her classes and May’s copy of Love In The Days of Magic. There was also the matter of Straw-Woman, but Mena had not heard of or seen her since. She dearly hoped Straw-Woman wasn’t languishing in the basement with poor Bugglesby.

The young witch observed the bunk bed beside the wall of Ashlan’s good grades and prestige she had pinned up from last semester. Despite her inflamed feelings over the Tessellation’s and Ashlan’s behavior, Mena still could not shake the bittersweet feelings from her head. Yes, she was happy about getting away from those two dastardly elf sisters, but she had never, even in her worst moments, felt that way about Ashlan.

The door creaked open, and Mena quickly turned her head.

“Oh, we might have come in at the wrong time,” Toyah said, her raspy voice sounding very concerned.

Ashlan was flanked by her two enormous parents. Her hands were crossed, and her head turned towards the side. She did not display the confidence of young girl soon to become a mighty lioness, but rather one who was vulnerable and wounded.

“Oh, I was just leaving,” Mena said, as she carried her books to the door.

As Mena squeezed past them, Ashlan’s eyes lit up like she wanted to say something. “Hey Mena.. I…”

Mena turned her head. “What?”

“Nothing…”

Mena looked at Ashlan once last time and pushed her way onto the cloud wall.

“Toyah,” Lionel bellowed in his pompous voice. “I can’t believe you’d invite that Groundborn to our Den. She’s clearly nothing but trouble.”

Tears stinging Mena’s eyes, she walked briskly away to her new room. It seemed everything was better that way.

**

Mena walked up past the bathroom to a door that was half painted black and the other half was covered with the planetoid of Autolycus. She opened it and was greeted heartily by both May and Janus.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” Janus said dreamily, standing on her heels of jet black leather to see Mena over her books.

“Um…Mena,” May asked. “Need help with those?”

“Don’t…mind…if…you…do,” Mena responded, struggling.

May quickly seized seven books off her pile, and it was like a 20 pound weight was removed from Mena’s hands.

“Thanks May,” Mena sighed. “Where’s my bed. I want to collapse right now!”

“Oh, it’s not time for you to go just yet,” Janus said for a wink. “You’ve got a long life ahead of you! But if you must know, your bed is in at the far end of the room. Right this way.”

As Janus lead Mena to her bed, she looked over her friend’s beds. May’s was piled haphazardly with Penwell romances and homework. Janus’ on the other hand, had a black shawl draped over it. It resembled a funeral morgue. A picture hung over Janus’ bed of an enormous, ancient-looking mansion, complete with gargoyle statues and lawn filled with browning grass. Yellow eyed Jack O’ Lanterns loomed in the background.

“Is that your home, Janus?” Mena asked. “Is it in the Nightmare Void?”

“Oh,” Janus said turning around. “Nope. We live on Autolycus in a beautiful country mansion. 100 acres of beautiful dead grass!”

“Where?” Mena asked.

“Lantern Valley,” Janus said wistfully with her hollow eyes. “A lot of fiends from the void scorn him for it, but Dad likes to be close to humans! They fascinate him, and of course, it’s important he studies their health habits!”

Mena shivered. As nice as Janus was, she could never get over the freaky factor of knowing the grim reaper’s daughter. May plopped the books down on Mena’s bed. “There you go,” she said, her deep voice sounding very sweet and kind.

“Thanks May,” Mena said, dropping on to the bed. “And thank you Janus. Thanks for helping me get away from those mean girls.”

“We could have told you right from the start,” Janus said. “Ashlan and her friends are no good.”

“I’d rather face that terrifying ogre in the basement,” May said shivering, “than be alone with those three!”

“Oh, I met the ‘ogre,’” Mena said. “He’s actually a golem, and he’s very refined. I think you girls would like him. He’d be fit to have tea with!”

Janus and May’s eyes both brightened, and they learned in fascinated by Mena’s revelation. “Wow,” Janus said. “You’ve gotten to see something that generations of Nightdream have only dreamed about. No pun intended.”

“You must tell us,” May said, equally fascinated.

“Oh, I will,” Mena said. “Tomorrow. Right now, I’ve got to rest.”

“Pleasant dreams, Mena,” May said. “I’ve gotta finish Caligari’s homework for tomorrow, but then I’ll join you.”

“And remember,” Janus said, smiling while she held her skeletal hands together. “If you die before you wake, pray the reaper your soul to take.”

Mena’s eyes bulged, before Janus sweetly whispered. “Just kidding. Rest peacefully, Mena. You’ve earned it.”

***

The next morning, Mena woke to the slightly unpleasant sound of May snoring. But next to the snobbish cackling of the Tessellation twins, it sounded like a beautiful harpsichord in comparison. Janus was already getting ready, suiting up in her outrageous attire. This time, a black miniskirt that resembled cobwebs hung around her knees and she sported long laced boots with several pink and black ribbons tied to them. Mena smiled. Perhaps she didn’t need Ashlan after all.

After washing up, Mena met her new friends at the bottom of the Cloud Wall. “So,” May said, “are you gonna tell us about what you saw in the Dream Deposit?”

“Hope that didn’t keep you up at night!” Mena laughed as they headed through the tunnel together.

“I don’t sleep period,” Janus said quietly.

Everyone laughed at Janus’ joke, (at least they hoped it was a joke) when out of the darkness, two hands seized Mena and pulled her backwards. Mena screamed, but her hands were muffled.

May and Janus turned around assuming attack poses with their fingers to their minds, but they were strongly reprimanded for doing it.

“Girls,” Professor Gaia said holding Mena by the shoulders, “There’s no need for violent magic. Not here. I simply want to speak to Miss Willow here about yesterday. It’ll only be a moment.”

Mena tried to reassure Janus and May it was okay, but once they left, Gaia turned around and grabbed her. “Darling,” he said in his petulant voice, “Let’s get one thing straight: You better keep your yap shut about what you saw in the basement.”