Twisted Wonderland: The New Student

In the cafeteria, there was complete chaos. Grim was running around the gigantic chandelier while the Deuce and Ace followed on the ground.

"Crap! He's darting around everywhere!" Ace exclaimed, trying to reach him.

Grim only laughed at them, as he darted away. "Catch me if you can, suckers!" he cackled, bouncing up and down.

Deuce growled from the ground not liking the situation. "Getting on the chandelier is an underhanded move!" he informed, before trying his best to think. "We haven't learned the magic to fly yet… We need to get up there and catch him… maybe we could… No. Ah, I've got it!" He then turned to Ace reading his red wand.

The ginger was also deep in thought. "I've gotta think of an idea… whoa, whoa! Wait a sec!" He exclaimed once he realized what Deuce was doing. "Why are you pointing your magical pen at me!?"

"I'll just throw you!" Deuce explained, reading the spell.

"You're joking!? Woah! Don't make me float!" Ace protested as he was lifted. "Are you really going to throw me!? Knock it off!"

"Catch him, ya hear," Deuce said as he redirected his focus on the skittering creature.

"Take aim… fire!"

Ace had barely any time to prepare as he was thrown towards the ceiling. He screamed as he hit Grim, knocking them from the chandelier. They hit the floor with a loud thought, the crystal art falling with them, shattering once it hit the ground. Soon the whole room was consumed in a cloud of dust.

Ace hacked and coughed as he was in the middle of the mess. "I can't believe it!" he said in between breaths. Grim was currently beside him dazed and confused, not making any induction of moving.

"I-I screwed up! I didn't think about the landing!" Deuce studded as he came towards the two.

Once his throw was clear, Ace took a deep breath and looked at his agitator. "Are you… AN IDIOT!?" He screamed. "We caught Grim but if the headmaster finds out we busted the chandelier…"

"If I… find out?" The two turned to the doorway only to be greeted by Crowley, with a very agitated expression, and Xinyi, who had rushed over to them to survey the damages.

"Ah… Headmaster… Xinyi…" Ace muttered as the girl knelt next to him.

"A-are you alright." She started, her voice shaky as she looked at him over. "I-I had been trying to find you guys when I bumped into the h-headmaster. I-I had explained the situation but-"

"Just. What. Exactly. ARE YOU ALL DOING?" She was interrupted by Crowley who could no longer hold back his anger.

Everyone flinched while Grim only grunted on the floor. "The room is spinning…" He mumbled, with unfocused eyes. "You weren't satisfied with damaging the statue so you decided to destroy the chandelier!" The headmaster continued, furious with the troublemakers. "This is the last straw. I will have all of you expelled!" he stopped seeing Xinyi shaking again, her hands trembling against her chest. He sighs, swiftly bringing the girl towards him and rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her.

Ace and Deuce stared at him, shocked by the man's words. They stood there gaping for what felt like an eternity. "Please! Anything but that! I have things I have to do at this school!" Deuce pleaded, nearly going on his hands and knees.

Crowley only shook his head as he confronted Xinyi. "You have nothing to blame but your own idiocy." his tone was softer now, not wanting to frighten the girl again.

Deuce persisted, not wanting to just accept this. "I will pay for all the damages if I have to!"

The headmaster only sighed. "This is no normal chandelier," he explained, looking at the cracked and disheveled decoration on the floor. "This is a magical chandelier that uses candles that will burn for eternity. It is a masterpiece made by a legendary master of magical tools. It has been entrusted to the school since its very foundation… Taking into consideration its historical value, it would cost no less than a billion model." he looked to Deuce's expectation. "Can you pay for those damages?"

"A b-billion madol?" Deuce was shell-shocked by the amount.

Ace only looked at the situation and surged. "But teacher, can't you just fix it right up with magic…" He asked, not understanding what the big deal was.

Xinyi looked up at the headmaster with hope but Crowley only shook his head. "Magic is not all-powerful." He explained, propping up the girl so she could understand. "More importantly, what we call the heart of any magical tool, the magic crystal, was shattered." he gestured to the shattered fragments of a green glass-like substance, decorating the floor. "No two magic crystals are the same. This chandelier will never be lit again." The mood turned somber, and no one spoke as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

"How can that…" Ace muttered with wide eyes.

Deuce only shook his head in disbelief. "Crap… what am I doing… what am I going to tell mom…"

Xinyi saw the state of the two boys and looked to the headmaster once more, gently tugging on his jacket. "T-there has to be s-something." She stuttered quietly. "N-nothing is truly gone…"

Crowley looked at the girl before humming in thought. "...that's right. There's one way." he started giving in to the girl's desires. "There might be one way to fix the chandelier." Everyone looked at him in surprise but eagerly awaited his explanation. "The magic crystal for this chandelier was mined in the Dwarf's Mine. If we have a magic crystal of the same kind as the origin, repairs might be possible."

Deuce lights up at this. "I will go find a magic crystal!" he stepped forward. "Please, allow me to go!"

"M-me as well," The small-voiced girl spoke looking up at the man.

"Xinyi..." Crowley started but the girl shook her head.

"I-I'm part of the reason this happened,'' She exclaimed, looking down. "I-if I hadn't let Grim out of my sight, this would have never happened. I-I bear some balm to this. I-I have every r-reason to help." they all stared at him with pleading eyes.

The black-haired man sighed, putting a gloved hand to his face. You may go… however, I have no guarantee that there are any left in the mine." He explained looking directly at Xinyi as he said this. "The mine has been closed for a while and it's very possible it's exhausted of crystals."

"I'll do anything to get the expulsion rescinded." Deuce persisted.

Crowley nodded, releasing a heavy sigh once more. "I shall give you one night," he continued. "Come to me with a magic crystal by tomorrow morning or face expulsion.

"Yes! Thank you very much!" the blue-eyed boy exclaimed, bowing slightly.

Ace only sighed, not happy with this at all. "Haaa… I suppose. Let's go get that magic crystal and be done with it." he said walking towards the exit.

"Use the Gate in the Mirror Chamber to go directly to Dwarfs' mine…. And Xinyi do be careful," With that the headmaster left the children alone.

"Yes, sir!" Deuce yelled as he went to chase Ace.

The girl nearly did the same when she heard a small grunt. "Ha! What now…? What exactly did I…" She walked over to the small monster and picked him up.

She gently placed him on her shoulder and started after the boys. "I-I'll explain as we go." were her only words, as they raced down the hall.

Deuce realized that Xinyi had been missing and waited for her. The poor girl had no stamina to keep up with the boys, she was completely winded. Deuce stayed by her side for the rest of the way, worried that she might collapse due to exhaustion.

The room they ended up going to was the room they all arrived in, the room that held the dark mirror. Ace was already in there taping his foot impatiently. "Ahhh… Why did it turn into something like this? Today is really not my day…" he complained as they entered.

Deuce was aggravated by the ginger's comment. "Now isn't the time for mumbling! Let's go!" he then turned to the mirror. "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Light our way to Dwarfs' Mine!"

They waited a second, the two. Nothing appeared to be going on, causing frustration throughout the group. "Great, now we broke the mirror," Ace whined, putting his hands up in distress.

Xinyi just stared at the mirror for a moment, watching its surface ripple and shift. "Maybe I said something wrong,"Deuce muttered, he then turned to the others only to find the girl walking forward. "Xinyi…?"

She simply passed by, looking directly at the mirror. "Xinyi? What are you doing?" Grim whisper in her ear, to which he met no reasons

To be frank, she had no idea. She just knew she needed to do something. Soon her hand was placed against the reflective surface, leaving ripples as if water. The face of the mirror appeared, looking down at her. "What is it thy seek…?" It asked her, its voice haunting the room.

Her voice was barely audible, only Grim, who was closest, could hear her words. "...Entry… to Dwarfs' Mine…"

The face disappeared and was replaced by a shimmering light. It soon got brighter consuming the entirety of the room. Xinyi couldn't move, she suddenly went through the mirror. With that everyone was thrown forward, taken by the light. When it died, no one was left in the room.

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Antone de Saint-Expery