“What do we do now, little miss tactical genius?” Ashlan asked with an eyebrow raised. “Seems you don’t have everything planned out in your perfect mind. We’re surrounded.”

“Can it, Ashy-knees,” Mena commanded with jilted expression on her face, “Looks like I have to do everything here. I’ll take all three of these clowns while you activate the switch and free the wench.”

“Yes ma’am,” Ashlan said sarcastically. “And by the way, a sophisticated animal like me would never have ashy knees, that’s more reserved for the likes of you.”

“Less bickering, dears,” Stellaris stated. “More action.”

Mena put her hand to her head, and pulled a finger forward at the three soldiers, ready to take them on. “Bring it on, peons. You’re nothing but a bit part in my miraculous story.”

The soldiers turned their heads towards each other in confusion. Mena’s narcissism was confusing, even to her adversaries. But instead of questioning her, they charged with swords raised and battle cries. A sly gaze came across Mena’s face, and with a small flash of her perfect teeth, shot a solid beam of rainbow energy from her eyes. It zapped all three men at once. They dropped down to the ground, becoming tiny, horned, pink uni-bunnies, a common creature of Dula.

Her allies’ mouths dropped open and Mena shook her head in disbelief. “I had no idea I could do that.”

Fabias’ buttery voice rang in her head. “What you don’t realize, pretty one, is it’s the untapped power within your body as a Rainborn. But now that, we’re linked I can tap into it, something you might not have been able to do on your own.”

“Wowie zowie,” Mena exclaimed. “Looks like I’m all powerful now. Maybe I don’t even need to graduate school. I can go straight onto becoming a superstar.”

“The sky’s the limit, babygirl,” Fabias crooned before slyly adding. “As long as I’m with you,”

Much to Mena’s relief, her allies had already stood on the switches. The energy barometer lowered as the black prism machine steamed.

“Hoo hah hah,” the Stonefordshire Golem laughed, looming over them as the crystal dissolved.

He reached his gigantic hand over them as the black crystal shattered releasing the girl in her colorful robe. Ashlan immediately leapt forward, heading towards the girl and Mena gulped, she couldn’t let Ashlan get credit for her heroism. At a fast pace, she whipped out her book and furiously wrote in it. “Ashlan is NOT upstaging me,” she muttered as she wrote the condemning words, “Mena has the miraculous power to stop people in their tracks.”

As she dotted the period in her book, a powerful jolt surged through her body and everything flashed white for a split second. Silhouettes of black lightning crashed through eternal whiteness. Her body shook violently. She opened her eyes. A black shadow extended out of the book, halting Ashlan in place.

“W-w-what’s going on,” Ashlan stammered. “My body. It can’t move. I’m stuck.”

Mena let out a maniacal laugh, but quickly stopped at the sound of the ear- piercing scream of the Groundborn girl who was about to be grasped by the golem. A loud swallow traveled down Mena’s throat and she cried, “Don’t worry, I’ll save you.”

Mena sprinted towards the girl as fast as her skinny fat body could carry her, but it was too late. As soon as she reached the Groundborn, she and the girl were snatched up by the golem, who held the two to his face. His eyes burned like embers in a black abyss and he spread his cragged teeth jaws. “Lunch,” he said proudly, before dumping Mena and the girl down his throat

Mena tumbled down the stone esophagus of the golem, which considering the behemoth was made of stone, was not a comfortable ride, much like a slide made of concrete. She landed face first in a pile of oil in the golems stomach beside the Groundborn girl who shook in fear, sobbing.

“D-d-don’t worry,” Mena said, lacking her newly calm demeanor. “You’re safe.”

“Nay, I’m not,” the girl cried in a posh voice as her sapphire jewelry jingled. “First, I go on the worst winter vacation with my parents on this vile ground. Then I get captured by the despot king and stolen away from them. And to top it all off, I’m going to be digested in the oily stomach acids of a golem.”

The girl shoved Mena with a look accusation in her azure eyes. “Some hero you are.”

The girl turned around and grasped at her ruffles. “Oh mumsy, how I miss thee. This is not a way for a rich beauty to go.”

Mena grimaced and meditated on slapping the girl in the face for dishonoring her greatness.

But instead, she thought for a moment. Her colorful imagination was the greatest in the world. Yes, she'd use THAT. She removed her book from her shirt, and in the dimness of the golems stomach wrote the next twist in her story.

“Mena conjured up a lot of spicy rock sirloin in the golem’s stomach…Oh and that snob in his belly fell head over heels in love with the legend that is Phenomena Willow and gave her a lot of cash. I’m broke.”

The stomach bubbled and sizzled as Mena wrote the worlds. “Oh heavens, oh lordy lord,” the girl cried. “We’re being digested.”

But in another white flash, a bunch of red-hot rocks dropped into the golems intestine, causing the stomach acid to fizzle even louder. “What’s happening?” the girl asked, and suddenly, they were awash with a geyser of vomit, shooting them right back up the esophagus. The girl screamed and clung to Mena, who blasted up through the concrete slide, right out of the golem’s mouth and into the snow.

As soon as the girl shook her dizziness from her head, and Ashlan, Nebula and Stellaris crowded around her, she glommed onto Mena with her frilly pink dress, and her curly white wig dripping in vomit. “My heroine,” she exclaimed, blushing bright red on her powdery cheeks. “My mumsy and papa will reward you dearly for my rescue. And I’ll have you know, they’re rich and influential. We’ll make it so all your faucets overflow with liquid cash.”

Mena’s eyes gleamed manically over the cash she’d be raking in, while her allies were a bit more tempered.

“Wow,” Ashlan said rolling her eyes. “And I thought I was snooty.”

“What’s your name?” Mena asked.

“My name is,” the girl said, with her curved nose pointed upwards, “Poshleen Maryanne Dubois the Fifteenth, from the 3rd richest aristocratic family in Wormwood.”

“Well, Poshleen,” Mena said bowing. “Write all Jem checks in care of the rainbow door in Nightdream Academy P.O. Box 852-Magicaps.”

“Hoo hah hah,” the golem said, his laugh interrupting their merriment. “You’re so delicious, I’m happy I get to eat you twice.”

“Looks like we’re not out of the woods yet, kids,” Stellaris yelled, looking up nervously.

“Nope,” Mena said, and she moved her hand to her head, “But Rocksworth is out of the castle!”

The sound of heavy metal falling out of the sky echoed overhead, like someone had dropped a heavy supply of cannonballs. And before the golem could seize them, he was crushed underneath Rocksworth Bugglesby the Third’s iron keister.

“Why ‘ello there, Mena” he said in his fancy Steelfordshire voice. “Thought I’d drop by and see how you are.”

“I’ve never been better,” Mena smiled as she waved to her friend. “It’s good to know that the iron age easily trumps the stone age.”

“I concur,” Rocksworth responded, brushing his hands together.

Even those who begrudged Mena were astounded by her miraculous feats of magic. Stellaris, Nebula and Poshleen applauded her, while Ashlan simply gaped. And as the soldiers surrounded them from all angles, Stellaris quickly cried out, “To the anchor! That’s you too, Rocksworth.”

Everyone hopped on and Stellaris’ fingers gave a snap. The anchor shot up into the sky with Rocksworth hanging on the bottom for dear life. The soldiers cursed their foul luck as they reached the top of the islet.

“Farewell barbarians,” Poshleen said blowing a kiss to the soldiers who crowded the islet. “Au Revoir!”

***

In the classroom, the girls couldn’t take their eyes off Mena and the Groundborn she had rescued. Even if they were covered in vomit, it was clear they had been on a wild adventure. “My my, I’ve never been in a magic school before,” Poshleen exclaimed, pulling out a fan that was also covered in vomit.

“You haven’t?” Ashlan and Mena both said in unison.

“My mumsy, head of the family really, prefers I have a magical tutor. She prefers I not mix with the ‘riff raff…’ ”

Ashlan, an equally rich girl with an equally headstrong demeanor, puffed out her mane over being considered ‘riff raff.’ It prompted Poshleen to add, “Alas, her words, not mine. I think you all are magnifique for saving me, especially you...”

“Phenomena,” Mena said, with a head bob. “Mena for short!”

“What a pretty name,” Poshleen gushed. “You truly are my heroine, Mena.”

“Aww,” Mena responded, putting a hand forward. “No problem.”

Poshleen looked away for a split second before her eyes shifted back to Mena. With a light sparkle in her them, she grasped Mena’s hand. “Ooh and you must tell me how you got such a perfect sheen to your eyes and face. What’s your secret?”

“Oh,” Mena responded coyly. “If you knew, it wouldn’t be a secret.”

This did not deter Poshleen however. “I’ve gone through ninety nine brands of cosmetics and not one has matched your face even with the vomit.”

“Well,” Mena chortled and flicked her finger at Poshleen. “What can I tell you? I’m a mystery wrapped in a magicap.”

The door creaked open. Two people came into the room. When their eyes met Poshleen, it was like they had seen a ghost. They turned pale and gasped.

The first person was a man with a curly mustache, slicked back hair and a tuxedo with coattails, with his eyes permanently closed in a snooty manner. They shot open when they saw Poshleen. The second, was like a much larger, taller, and aged version of Poshleen; she sported the same poofy, pompous powdered wig and cheeks, a trailing pink frilly dress and diamond jewelry. One obvious difference was a large mole above her lip-sticked mouth.

“Mumsy, Papa,” Poshleen exclaimed, putting her puke covered fan over her mouth.

“We…thought…you….were…dead…” her mother stammered, her mouth emphasizing every word.

“We thought you were lost forever,” her father responded in his deep, snooty voice. “We had returned home in immense grief.”

“You had…given up on me?” Poshleen squeaked before dropping her head down.

“No no no,” her father continued. “It’s not like that at all. There was simply nothing we could do…We’re simply happy you’re still here with us. And we’ve heard it’s all thanks to this wonder girl!”

“That’s me!” Mena beamed, her hands on her hips

“We will reward you IMMENSELY,” the mother bellowed in her deep voice. “In fact, we have already bought off the WCAL contest to make you the immediate winner.”

Dizziness came over Mena. She won? It was so unbelievable.

“We’d like everyone to join us for a celebration in your honor,” the father said, and he removed a bottle of chardonnay from his pocket.

All the girls, Stellaris, Nebula surrounded Mena, all chanting her name. This was too good to be true. Mena blinked, and her eyes went completely white. “Whoa-y Zoey!” she said in a womanly voice that wasn’t her own. “Let’s have a ceremony of praise for me. Everyone will bow down to their new perfect goddess.” Like they were possessed, everyone chanted, “Yes Mena,” lifting her up and carrying her off to be the toast of the party. For reasons unknown, only Ashlan remained in the room, not following Mena to a party of mindless worship.

***

Once the crowd dispersed, Ashlan stood alone in the room. The door creaked open and May entered, hovering on her magi-chair.

“Kumquat May?” Ashlan said, her lion-brows raised.

May normally would have flinched and whimpered over Ashlan’s insult, but instead, there was a grave expression on her face. “I’ve been listening to Mena this whole time. Did you hear what she said?”

“Whoa-y Zoey?” Ashlan asked, with an eyebrow raised. “Crazy demands to worship her?”

“Yes,” May said, and she narrowed her eyes. “That’s not Mena…It’s never been. We gotta stop her before she takes over this school.”