-previously-

"Vil promised he'd let me do whatever I wished if I beat him once....but there was nothing so far....I pray I can be stronger....."

......

"My power is to protect the people I care for. It....stems from my past....but I'm not going to relay it....It....brings back horrible memories....But you can never tell another person unless it's my say-so. There's lots about my power that I must learn to keep under wraps."

......

"Schoenheit, Luchessi and those of you representing NRC, show everyone what your capable of and take that first place from RSA!"

........

"I can't believe it....it's really her. After so long....It had to have been her.... they're eyes.....but what if it's not her like I believed?"

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That night when I fell asleep, my soul was dragged back into the mirror to witness one last vision of the Evil Queen turned Witch.

'The room smells musty....' I noted. The old hag had an apple in her hands as she carefully dipped it inside the cauldron, only to lift it out and let the excess poison drip off. It melted to reveal a skull face, and turns bright red. "Dip the apple into the cauldron of poison.....turn into the appearance to tempt Snow White...Wanna bite?!" she cackled as she teased the crow.

She flips through the pages of her book, muttering, "There may be an antidote that will bring her back to life....ah! There it is: True love's kiss....what nonsense! Don't worry, when they find her dead, they'll think so and she'll be buried alive!" she laughed to herself as she gathered the basket of apples, the poisonous one on top, as she climbed into the boat and taking the oar, palled away cackling madly. "Buried Alive!!!"

'If this is what I think is going to happen....I need to be there to stop it!'

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-The day of the festival-

That morning, I spent all my time, getting ready for the rehearsals. The final costume was perfectly fit to my form, so I decided to walk around in it to make sure it was more loose and easy for me to move around in when I went on stage. With a bit of clear gloss, mascara, eyeliner and a touch of shimmery gold and white eyeshadow, I had just finished slipping on my shoes, the white and metallic striped shoes, which I snuck from my locker, with Coach Vargas' permission, for walking around in, when someone knocked at the door.

"Yea?" I ask. The knob turned and Epel peeked his head inside.

"Ohaiyo, Charlotte-san! Grim-kun. Ready for today?" he asked.

"Yea, Epel!" Grim perks up. "The day is here! You guys have to win so I can have my tuna dream!!"

"I hope so, too! With you as well, Charlotte!" Epel smiles. "And...today's the last day of training camp....I'm feeling kinda sad thinking about it....But, Charlie....thanks for letting us stay here!"

"It's no problem." I smiled back. Yea, I was sad that it's over, but on the other, I'm so glad I'll never have to speak to Vil after this! Now with the shock bracelet and him gone, I'll be back to being on my own and happy!! "But even if this is over, you're always welcome back into our circle if you need some companionship, Epel."

'Really?!" he smiled. "Thank you! I'll take you up on the offer!" I couldn't help but smile back.

After finishing up my hair, I slipped on my jacket, my crossbody bag and followed after Epel into the hallway, where two familiar faces wee talking to themselves until they looked up and saw us.

"Hey Charlie! Grim. Epel! Hope you guys got your rest! I can already feel myself getting hyped for the show!" Kalim was the first to greet. I ended up getting scolded by Jamil since I couldn't get to bed on time!" Jamil massaged his temples in annoyance.

"Honestly....you're not a kid, FYI."

"Hey, go easy on him." I defended playfully. "I know how jittery someone can get before showtime. Believe me, that's something I've dealt with on the daily when it came to Drama club...."

"Bonjour! And good morning!" Rook joins in. "I hope everyone is feeling prepared! Before we leave, Vil wants to speak with us. Join us in the lounge!" he turns swiftly and led us downstairs. Kalim decided to stick by me.

"Hey, is that your costume?" he whispered.

"Yes! Do you think it looks good?" I asked back.

"Yea! A bit plain on the color, but the details on the torso make up for it!"

"Thanks, I was having some doubts, but I'm glad you like it!"

"You look amazing!" he smiled, "Then again, you look beautiful in everything you wear, Charlie...."

"Is everyone here and accounted for?" Vil spoke up as we made it to the room. Deuce and Ace Stood by each other, I stood with Jamil and Kalim, and Rook and Epel by their superior.

"As you're all aware, at 3pm, the purple stage by the coliseum, that is our performance stage. And this will be broadcasted to the whole world. It's time we show the beauty we own! Are we ready?"

"Yea!"

"Rehearsals will start at 12pm sharp. All participants must do any final fixings before the run-through. And that includes you, Charlotte." Vil looked at me.

"Fgnna! I'm already nervous, and I'm the only one watching the show!" Grim moved closer to me.

"Just so you know, I've no intentions of going down without a fight." I smirked. "I didn't take thirteen years of dance for nothing. So be prepared to get your asses handed to ya!"

"So you say...." Vil frowned.

"I'll be joining you eventually, but first, I wish to see what this festival has in store." I coolly replied back.

"If you insist, then take the staff badge to grant you easier access." Vil slips a lanyard with a badge clipped on into my hands. "Just be sure to get back at noon."

"Aww, c'mon! Can't I go walkin around, too?!" Ace whines.

"Me three! Me three!" Kalim chants.

"No you will not!" Vil snaps. "Did you even listen to what I was saying?! There's two more days of the festival as well. You can go walk around on the second day, But the VDC showcase is the main priority. Now: the final check!"

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"I'm sure the blade is here somewhere!" Ophelia mutters to herself as she scans the next shelf of books, her eyes darting from one book spine to the next. " 'Magic Wands', 'Legend of the Excalibur', Aha! Here! 'The Vorpal Blade Historia'!" she slips out a rather thick burgundy colored book with metallic black writing on the front. The picture of a young girl donning a suit of armor wields a long sword as she prepares to slash at a humongous beast with the head of a lizard-like dragon and a body to match. The creature was known as the Jabberwocky.

The Enchantress opens the hardcovered book, flipping through the yellowed pages with ease, her eyes scanning the text until she came upon a familiar poem. But this poem was not like most: this one was written backwards. She stared at the text and grasping her staff, she began to chant the words.

" 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves. Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe."

The staff's petals began to light up one by one as she continued to chant the poem. No mirror was needed to read this one. Ophelia already knew by heart.

"And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came!"

All the petals burned brightly and together created a sphere of silver that spat out small wisps of lightning in either direction. The lightning became agitated as Ophelia's voice grew more and more triumphant until she reached the last stanza, where her voice became soft. As she book closed shut on its own, the sphere stood ever so still in the air. Placing the book down, she took the sphere in her hands. When her skin came in contact, the bubble popped to reveal a beautiful knife-life blade, which floated down into her hands. The blade itself was composed of strong metals and silver, the gilded handle crafted of gold and pearl, together shining in the dim lights of the archives. Altogether, it was around the size of a sword, thought not quite reaching that length.

"There it is. One of the most powerful weapons in the magical universe." she smiled. "Fawkes!" At the sound of his name, the red sprite zipped all the way over, standing ready at attention.

"Yes, My lady?" he stood.

"I need you to deliver this Blade to Charlotte immediately." she requested as she slipped the knife into a black velvet box, lined with red cloth inside, locking it shut with a small silver latch on the case. "I have a feeling she may need it...."

"Are you sure she's ready to wield such a powerful weapon though?" Fawkes asked with slight fear in his eyes. "And Today is the start of the Festival! She may be anywhere on school grounds!"

"I'm certain of it. With what may traverse because of the mirror's visions of the Seven and what's to come in the future, albeit the third eye or something else....she'll need more than just her magic and the artifacts to survive...." Ophelia bit her lip nervously. How she wanted to get out and help Charlotte with her tasks, but no matter how much she tried, she could never leave her domain, as punishment for her actions.....just the bitter memories of the past were enough to force her to look up and see the black dome-like barrier above her place appear then vanish in a second. She grimaced and forced herself to look away, even as she felt a singe of an ice-like burn cut across her left arm. She didn't need to look down and under the robe's sleeve to see the markings.

"As you wish, My lady." Fawkes bowed his head in submission and took the case in his hands. He struggled to shift it in balance and when he was settled, he flew towards the portal by the set of sliding doors. He was about to leap through, when he looked back to watch her. He felt confliction cross his mind, and opens his mouth to speak when-

"One day, I shall send you to her. After the last artifact is found, I will send her to you so you may keep an eye on her, and send reports back on her progress."

'That wasn't what I was going to ask, though....' "Of course, my lady." And without another word, he vanishes through the portal.

Ophelia sighed as she turned to walk further down the isle of the bookshelf of her library until she came across a tall painting. A portrait of a woman, wearing a dress of spun silvery-white, sitting on a chair with a smile gracing her lips. She looks up, staring into the eyes of the painting as tears began to build up; she whispered, "If only you were here...."

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Charlie moves through the crowds in the streets, her skirts breezing with her as she descends further. She wraps her jacket tighter around her, wishing she had brought another one, but what can you do? She can't go back home to get extra layers to survive the cold. Until she looked down and saw that her hoodie became a windbreaker. With thick material and a strong zipper, she felt warmer instantly. She slips her phone into one of the pockets, while keeping an eye on Grim, who wandered around the place, drooling like a dog at the sight of food.

"OOH! Check it out, Charlie! There's lotsa food booths here!"

"Work now, snack later." she reminded. "We need to check out the stage first. Plus, this is my chance to plan how my dance will go."

"Uh, you know that's not really necessary?" Grim looked at her weirdly. But then he jumped back to the food. "Funnel cake, takoyaki and even hot dogs!!!" Just as he was about to jump for one of the food booths-

"No you don't!" and he got encased in a yellow sphere of magic mid-jump.

"Wha-?! Hey! No fair!!!" he whined as he tried to scratch at the inside of the bubble, but he was unsuccessful. Charlie grabs the sphere and places it under her arm like a basketball.

"No food until after this is all said and done. You forced me to do this so you brought this on yourself, furbrain!" she smirks victoriously and kept walking toward the coliseum, ignoring Grim's protests.

Further back from where they came, Fawkes was suddenly spit out from the portal and nearly lost his hold on the black case. But after he regained his bearings, he looked down and smiled. "The festival! They're still setting up! Now If I were Charlotte, where would I...." he scans the crowd from up above as he flew carefully in order to avoid grabbing attention. Suddenly, he spots Grim inside a yellow magic sphere, pouting, and being carried under someone's arm.

"That must be her! And she's heading to the coliseum!" Fawkes smiled and sped up to catch up with her.

The walk was a long one for the two, so Charlie was thankful she thought ahead of time in grabbing her PE shoes for walking. When they entered the stadium, several students were all around, helping with setup. The stage was wide and spacious, with a small set of stairs cutting through the front of the stage, each step lit up in the color of a rainbow. In the back, a large-screen jumbotron stood up against the wall, likely to video the performers and show their faces to the crowds in the back.

Her nerves suddenly sprang back up. "Holy shiitake mushrooms...."

"Oi, oi! Stop, Jack-kun!" Charlie looks over and saw Ruggie and Jack fixing a portion of the stage. "You need to fix the pole like that!"

"On it!" the wolf calls back and with his pen, rotates the pole in the correct way, muttering to himself, "It's way more difficult to handle floating magic....."

"Hey, I thought I told you cover the staff seat with color vinyl, right? Get to it!" Leona instructed a group of students who were handling the seating. She noticed all three of them were wearing their gym gear as they worked.

"No way! It's the Savanaclaw trio! Hey guys!" Grim shouts.

"Well! If it ain't Charlie and Grim~!" Ruggie turned to see the girl walking over to where they were. "Here to help out with the workload? Shishishishi!"

"You wish, bud." she smirks, punching him lightly on the arm. Jack scanned Charlie up and down seeing her in a different outfit than usual.

"Hey, I thought you told me you were the manager of the group?"

"I was, but not anymore!" Charlie looks at him. "I'm performing in the show!"

"What? Seriously?" Jack looked at her.

"MHM! I have my name down on the roster, and I'm officially in the competition!" she did a self high-five. "I decided not to stick around my competitors , so I thought I'd look around the place, see what's up and leave them to their own devices and me to mine!"

"By the way, did you guys set all this up on your own?" Grim asks.

"Since the culture club is in charge of the preparations for magift, the roles got flipped. Now all the sports teams are doing the grimy work." Leona sighed annoyed.

"Track & Field as well as Magift were tasked for the Purple stage....." Jack broke it down.

"Well, I must say: pretty good for a bunch of boys." Charlie snarked.

"No matter the size of the event, it's still a campus event." Ruggie sighed as he leaned against Charlie. She didn't mind him doing that. They were on good terms with each other, so if Ruggie needed a shoulder to rest on, Charlie was the one he went to (despite the fact that he knew she was physically capable of breaking someone's bones and practically pissed himself when he first fund out). "Sometimes, we get professional workers, but this time it's easy for students to handle. So we treat is as job training!"

"It seems like you three have lots of free time to talk during the preparations." A voice spoke up. "How's the progress?" Charlie looks over to see Trey and Riddle approaching them.

"Riddle-senpai!" Jack stands at attention. "Thank you for your dedication!"

"Well if it ain't the executive committee. Pleased to have you in our domain!" Leona let out a haughty chuckle as he pushed Ruggie off of Charlie, knocking the former to the ground and scooping the latter closer to him, an arm wrapped firmly around her waist. She squeaked as he did that and a tremendous blush swept her cheeks.

Fawkes has just slipped through the entrance as he panted, "Geez! How fast can that human walk?! Ugh, I need to find her! The case is getting heavy!" he whips his head all around the area, until he spots her over by the ginormous stage, next to the other five boys. "AHA! She's distracted! Now's my chance! Just slip this into her bag while she's not looking and I'm outta here!" he flew carefully and slowly around the perimeter of the field to avoid crashing into any students at work.

"You've done exceptional work." Trey compliments. "Here's a few hot drinks." he holds out a few coffee cups filled with either tea or coffee.

"Ooh! So thoughtful!" Ruggie grins as he took one. "My fingers kept freezing while I worked."

"Hello, Charlotte. Fancy seeing you out here." Riddle smiled warmly towards the girl, who felt her heart flutter at his smile. The ginger turns his attention to Leona, who was glaring daggers at the second year. "Leona, Status update?"

"As you saw, we're gonna get there on time." The lion said, resisting the urge to growl at Riddle. "We just need to wait for rehearsals to start after testing lighting and sound."

"Good." Riddle nods. "For the sake of the performers, Charlotte included, remember to check and store equipment carefully."

"Yea, Yea...." Leona muttered.

"Uh....L-Leona? Can you let go of me?? You're too close for comfort...." Charlotte tried to say with a leveled voice, only for it to come out as a squeak.

"Eh? I thought you were freezing from the weather, Rabbit." Leona sent her a teasing smile. "Just don't expect me to keep you warm when it's cold all the time. Enjoy it while it lasts." At that, he pulled her in closer to his body. The blush on her cheeks ain't gonna die down for a while....But she hated to admit: Leona was pretty warm. So, she gave in and rested against his body, soaking up what heat he eminated. She felt herself smiling in relaxation....