The book of charms in Zelda Ravensdale's lap lay unread, her head too full of excitement to read. She tried to let the gentle sway of the train soothe her frayed nerves, but the nervous knot in her stomach grew tighter with every passing mountain peak and little village. She didn't know why she felt nervous; she had been waiting for this day since the end of spring term. And the previous three years at Madame LeBleu's School for Fairy Godmothers had fulfilled their promise of magic and adventure. Why would this year be any different?
Zelda turned from the window and scanned the other passengers. A white-haired woman with kind and crinkled eyes gave her a wide grin from across the aisle.
"Are you from Erimount?" the woman asked. She wore a pair of dark-rimmed glasses that made her green eyes look enormous compared to the rest of her features.
Zelda returned the smile as she watched the woman's bulging eyes cut to the powder blue trunks in the rack above her head. "I go to school there."
The woman's face lit up. She had an old film camera in her lap which she periodically lifted to the window to snap photos of the quaint villages they passed in the rolling countryside of Olisand. The country was a small one in western Europe and not one that was easily found. It was tucked between mountains and was really only known to those who had been there before. This woman was undoubtedly one of the lucky tourists who had stumbled upon the hidden gem.
"Are you a..." she began to ask but stopped short. Her lips pressed into a smile that deepened the lines on her cheeks.
"I go to Madame LeBleu's," Zelda replied kindly. "I'm only a fairy godmother in training, my last year actually." It was common knowledge that fairy godmothers and their magic of legend had lasted into the 21st century, but few knew where to actually find them.
"Well, good luck then." The woman gave Zelda a wink before the train entered a tunnel, and the car plunged into darkness. Zelda closed her book and felt for her bag to replace it along with the others. The tunnel was the last landmark before they reached the city of Erimount and Zelda practically shook with anticipation at thought of finally getting back to school.
When the train emerged from the belly of the mountain, light streamed in from all directions. The old woman had gone, most likely to her sleeper car to collect her belongings as the train would reach Barrois Station shortly.
A static crackling interrupted her thoughts and the conductor's voice came over the loudspeaker to announce they would be arriving at Erimount shortly. With all her belongings stowed, Zelda turned to the window and watched the first of the old city buildings pass: a delightful assemblage of stone, brick and wood facades built over Europe's storied history – no two of Erimount's streets looked alike. The train slowed as they neared the station and Zelda caught a glimpse of the royal family's castle which loomed over the ancient and crooked streets of the national capital. One look at the familiar skyline and a lump formed in her throat. It was good to be back.
After a porter helped her lower her trunks to the train platform, Zelda headed for the customs counter. She handed the uniformed guard her passport and declaration forms. He stamped them without much of a glance, and ushered her along through the queue under a sign which read "Welcome to Erimount, Home of Happily Ever Afters!" Zelda smiled beside herself every time she passed that sign, thinking of her own happily ever after and all the wonders the city of Erimount promised. One day soon it would be her job to grant the very wishes that led to happily ever afters.
The station buzzed with an excitement Zelda had grown accustomed to in the early fall. Students returning to school. Tourists coming in to visit the city while the leaves changed. But the magic that coursed through Erimount's roots thrilled Zelda most of all. The fall travelers remained oblivious to the curious sensation of a place of strong magical history; it hummed through Zelda's toes the moment she stepped out of the train station and gave her the sense her feet had fallen asleep. Her sensitivity to the heightening of her magic would dwindle as the semester went on, but for now, she savored the tickle she'd come to associate with a new school year.
The city streets were just as packed as the train terminals. Zelda tried her best to avoid running over the feet of the tourists who stopped to take photos of the charming little shops that lined the sidewalks, as she lugged her school trunks behind her. Thankfully, Madame LeBleu's wasn't more than five blocks from the train station. Cobblestone streets and uneven sidewalks made pulling heavy trunks slow going, and Zelda had already broken a light sweat. She shucked her navy peacoat and let the fall breeze cut through her silk blouse. With a puff of air, she ruffled her fringe so the hairs no longer stuck to her forehead and silently wished she had ordered a car. Or left more books at home.
She rounded a corner and practically shouted for joy at the sight of the ivy-covered, brick walls of Madame LeBleu's. Zelda plodded through the open, wrought iron gates into the main courtyard of the school. Bicycles and families littered the brickyard within the walls of Madame LeBleu's. A few familiar faces called her name and waved, but they would have time aplenty to catch up in the next couple of days. For the time being, all Zelda could think about was a cold shower.
The dark paneled corridors of the residence hall were full of girls rushing between rooms and the shouts of excited greetings. Zelda had luckily been assigned a first-floor room which faced the main courtyard, and at this moment the lack of stairs excited her to no end. As she poked her head around the open door of room 108 B, a shrill scream broke through the air. The door flew out of her hand and a raven haired girl crashed into her.
"Imogen!" Zelda shouted, wrapping her best friend into a bone crushing hug.
"I missed you," Imogen exclaimed, pulling away from Zelda.
Zelda laughed. "What do you mean you missed me? I talked to you every day this summer."
"I missed your face," Imogen offered, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You're so tan! See this face?" She pointed to her pout and widened her dark brown eyes. "This is the face of supreme jealousy. I wish I lived in southern France."
"I can't believe your parents wouldn't let you visit." Zelda sighed and set her trunk at the foot of the open bed. She sent a quick text to her mother to let her know she had arrived safely. Imogen had already unpacked most of her clothes and was now in the process of taping posters of her favorite boy bands to the walls around her bed.
"We just got back from visiting my family in Korea," Imogen said.
"How was it?"
"I was dying to hang out in Seoul with my cousins and their friends, but my dad dragged us to a bunch of museums. " Imogen flopped down onto her freshly made bed.
"So no cute tour guides?" Zelda asked. She examined the ancient oak desk and armoire that stood on her side of the room.
"Not unless you think my 85-year-old great uncle is cute," Imogen said before falling into a fit of giggles. Zelda laughed and it settled some of the butterflies she still had fluttering around in her stomach. After how last semester ended, she would have done anything to have Imogen at her side this summer. But she was glad to have her now.
Imogen rolled onto her side and watched Zelda unpack. "You'll have to show me what new clothes you bought."
"So you can borrow them?" Zelda teased. She moved some of her clothes from the trunk to the armoire.
"Absolutely," Imogen laughed.
"I brought mostly uniforms but I do have some new dresses that will look good with your dark hair."
Imogen hopped off her bed and knelt in front of Zelda's trunk and gasped in mock horror. "This trunk is half books- and not even school books!"
"My new clothes are in the other trunk," Zelda laughed, taking the trunk of books to place it on her desk. She pushed another trunk in front of Imogen for her to rifle through. Imogen oohed and ahhed while she handed the new pieces to Zelda to put in her closet. She held up a lace lined blouse to her chest and gave Zelda a pleading look. "Can I wear this tonight? Some of the girls were going to go out to the river district to hear this band play. Want to join?"
Zelda sighed and hugged the stack of folded sweaters in her arms. Truthfully she was tired after a long day of travel, and she still had errands to run before classes started, but she really wanted to reread the charms book before they got back in the classroom. "I think I'll stay in tonight," she replied apologetically.
"I think a bunch of the local boys will be there. You don't want to see who got hotter over the summer?" Imogen flicked her eyebrow up suggestively.
"I am really tired from the train. You'll fill me in when you get home?" Zelda hoped the offer would appease Imogen.
"Will do," Imogen replied cheerily, but the worry line on her brow suggested she wasn't saying something. "I'll get out of your hair and let you finish unpacking. Ava got in this morning so I'll go and get ready with her. She always needs my help with her hair," Imogen said from the door. 1
"Will you tell Ava to come say 'hi' before you leave?" Zelda asked. She began to place her collection of books on the shelf above her desk.
"Of course" Imogen chirped, pausing at the door. "I can't believe this is our last year."
"Me neither. But it'll be the best of all."
"I hope so."
With the room to herself, Zelda pulled her beloved novels from where she had carefully nestled them in her trunk and arranged them on her shelf. Her fairy tales. Her novels of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë. All the wonderful books she had grown to love over the years. A shelf full of happily ever afters. 5
When Zelda stuffed her last pair of knee socks in the drawer of the armoire, the sky was darkening. From the hall, she could hear the gleeful squeals of the girls heading out for their first night back. Instead of joining in on the merriment, Zelda grabbed her charms book from the desk and huddled up in her bed. The old springs creaked as she shifted into a comfortable position.
Imogen and their friend Ava Spencer popped their heads around the door. "Hi, Zelda," Ava exclaimed.
"Are you sure you don't want to come out with us?" Imogen chimed in.
"I'm good," Zelda replied. She held up the book as proof. She felt bad staying in, but the thought of jumping right back in where things had left off last term sent her stomach into knots and set a buzzing in her head – and not the pleasing magic kind.
"It's not because of him, is it?" Imogen asked, her voice lowered so only Zelda would hear.
Thankfully Ava was distracted and had turned to greet some other girls on their way out. Zelda shook her head. "No, it's just been a long day."
"All right," Imogen said with a wary glance back at her friend before she headed into the corridor.
"Have fun!" Zelda called after her.
The hall soon quieted, but Zelda quickly realized her eyes were glazing over as she read and reread the same glass slipper charm. She set the book aside and pulled another book from her collection: The Fairytales of Charles Perrault. As a closet romantic, Zelda loved books with happy endings. Reversals of fortune. Fairy Godmothers. The promise that the characters lived happily ever after. She hazarded a glance out the white paned window beside her bed. Above the gray slate rooftops, the sky twinkled with a swarm of stars which were probably being wished upon at that very moment. Zelda couldn't hear the wishes yet, not until she got her wings, but she would soon.