Page 9

NINE

When the night of the Fairytale Ball arrived, there was still no sign of Diana. If it weren't for her violet gown in Eden's wardrobe, she'd almost wonder if she'd only imagined her.

Eden gazed in the mirror and sighed. She didn't look a thing like Rapunzel, even if Diana's ball gown fitted her just as perfectly as she'd promised. No matter what Diana had said, Eden knew her hair was absolutely wrong.

Even the headmistress had commented on it, when Eden had gone to ask her about Diana. Headmistress Laima had spun the same story as Lily – that Diana had met a man at the ball, fallen in love, and married him, that very night. If Eden wanted to follow her example, she'd added, she should take more care with her appearance. Apparently, young ladies who wanted to find good husbands had lovely, luscious locks.

She'd even suggested Eden wear a wig, if she wanted to have any hope of catching the eye of the King whose birthday ball this was.

Eden hadn't been able to get out of her office fast enough after that.

She didn't want to catch a husband, good or otherwise, let alone a royal one, who'd require her to look perfect in between popping out royal heirs. But she did want to go to the ball, and she didn't want to antagonise the headmistress into revoking the scholarship that allowed her to study at Mirror Academy.

She'd always wondered about her parents. What kind of parents would willingly surrender their child to the foster system as a newborn? When she was younger, she'd toyed with the idea that maybe she'd been stolen from her parents, who'd spent their whole lives looking for her. But as the years passed, she'd grown more cynical. More likely her parents hadn't been able to take care of themselves, let alone a child, and she'd been forcibly taken from them while they lay in an alcohol or other drug-induced stupor.

The foster system was far from perfect, but maybe it was better than what she would have known if she'd been stuck with her real parents. At least, that's what she'd told herself during her final years of high school, as she'd scraped up good enough grades to gain her entrance to a decent university...if she could only find a way to afford the fees and a place to live while studying, because once she turned eighteen, she'd be turfed out of her last foster home, and expected to fend for herself.

When the enigmatic letter from Mirror Academy arrived, by ordinary post instead of with the assistance of owls, giants or magic, desperation had almost set in. The only offer of work or accommodation she'd had was a live-in cleaning contract aboard a budget cruise ship that was currently short staffed because of repeated norovirus outbreaks.

If the letter had told her she was a wizard, it couldn't have surprised her more than Mirror Academy offering her a scholarship with full board for the duration of her degree. From the moment she'd arrived, her life had been like a fairytale.

With the added bonus of never having to wear a uniform, or clean vomit off a ship's deck.

Her foster family hadn't believed it was real, either – she'd seen it in their eyes – but they'd sent her off with half-hearted congratulations and a quick wave goodbye now she wasn't their responsibility any more.

That was the moment Eden had been determined to make her own way, no matter what Mirror Academy threw at her. If it had truly been terrible, she could still have boarded the spew cruise.

When she'd first arrived at the castle that housed the Academy, Eden had almost turned back – there'd been a sign in town, saying the local dog shelter was looking for a live-in caretaker, which she knew she could do with her eyes closed – but then she'd met Diana, who'd cautioned her against going anywhere near the shelter, as their last two caretakers had disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Town gossip said they'd been savaged by the dogs they cared for, and because no bodies had ever been found, no one knew which dogs had done the deed, so the killers were still living in the shelter.

"Some animals can be saved, and those that can, should be saved, even if they spend the rest of their lives in captivity instead of returning to the wild, but for some, it would be a kindness to end their suffering," Diana had said, shaking her head.

In the lively discussion that had followed – for Eden could not agree that any animal should be killed for simply behaving in accordance with their nature – Diana had revealed her dream to open an animal shelter of her own, and Eden had insisted on joining her, if only to make sure Diana didn't give up on hopeless cases too soon.

Because her life in the foster system had taught her that sometimes everyone needed a second or a third or sometimes even a whole heap of chances, before they could stand on their own feet, even if it was four feet instead of two.

Diana had also told her that while the Academy administration wasn't super particular about who they offered scholarships to, as long as you were mildly attractive and willing to put the time and effort into bettering yourself, with the hope of one day finding a suitable husband, you were pretty much guaranteed to keep your place. Making agreeable noises and nodding whenever the headmistress mentioned husband hunting helped, too.

Eden still wasn't convinced that even Mirror Academy could find her a husband, suitable or otherwise, or whether she'd ever want one, but meeting Diana had been the kind of destiny that didn't come along very often, especially for a foster, so she was happy to go along with whatever Headmistress Laima said, for the moment.

But Diana's opinion on husbands and marriage mirrored her own. Which was why it was so hard to believe Diana had not only met her match, but married him and disappeared.

Eden sighed again. The men at the ball wouldn't even deign to speak to her looking like this. Even in Diana's elegant purple ballgown, Eden still didn't look right. It was the hair. She'd made a half-hearted attempt to let it grow out of her preferred fun and flirty pixie cut, but there was no changing the fact that it was still dark and drab. Nothing like Diana's shining silver mane.

There was nothing else for it. She'd have to wear the wig, flowers and all.

By the time she was done, she felt like a prize poodle. But not, thankfully, like Marie Antoinette. Eden did not intend to lose her head tonight.

With one final glance at the blonde stranger in the mirror, Eden turned to head downstairs to where the others would be waiting.

Only to find Headmistress Laima at the top of the stairs, directly in her path.

"Excuse me, headmistress," Eden said, hoping she'd just let her pass.

No such luck.

Instead, Headmistress Laima seemed intent on scrutinising every part of Eden's costume, from head to toe.

When she reached the wig, Eden thought she caught a small smile of satisfaction, but it was gone too fast to be sure. Headmistress Laima never smiled.

"Perhaps now you will have a chance at snaring a husband," she said with a sniff, before turning away. "Now, go downstairs and wait with the others. The coaches to take you all to the ball will be here soon."

Everyone else was already downstairs. Dressed to the nines and making Eden wish she could check her hair in the mirror again. Her fake hair, to make sure her real hair wasn't showing. The wig cap she'd stuffed her own hair into didn't feel right.

Then again, when did she ever feel like she fitted in with these girls? They were all around the same age, between eighteen and twenty-two, but some of these women were downright stunning.

At the front of the crowd, where she could admire her own reflection in the full length mirror, surrounded by sycophants and admirers, was Candace Tunder, Headmistress Laima's favourite student. Candace had evidently spared no expense on her costume for the event, but then she was like Diana, in that she came from a family with money.

She was dressed as Cinderella, in a beautiful blue ballgown with what looked like a million fairy lights sewn into the petticoats, so she actually glowed. Her golden blonde hair fell in cascades down her back, between two gossamer wings. Her mask was a sparkly butterfly painted on her face, which curled into a sneer as she saw Eden walking down the steps into the lobby. Then one of the girls beside her began gushing over her costume, and Candace turned away from Eden to accept the compliment.

Eden quietly slipped behind the girls at the back. Luckily, Rosalind's enormous gold gown hid her from sight.

Rosalind was the first to smile. "Eden, you look amazing. I love your hair!"

"Thank you," Eden murmured, ducking her head to hide her blush. "You can't tell it's a wig, can you?"

"Not at all. If I didn't know better, I never would have guessed," Arwen said.

"Where is the ball?" Eden asked, wishing she'd checked the invitation before coming down. "Should I go upstairs and grab some more hairpins, just in case?"

"It's at the Tremotino Castle, up on the hill, just like the last ball," Arwen said. "We'll only be in the coach for a few minutes, and then we'll be inside. Why, we could walk there, if we weren't all wearing heels." She kicked one of hers up, showing a hint of her frilly petticoat beneath her royal blue and gold gown, before smoothing everything down like the refined lady she was.

Eden bit back another sigh. Arwen's shoes cost more than she would've made in a month working on that cruise ship. Her own were a thrift store find that were slightly too small, and the moment no one was looking, she intended to take them off and go barefoot. As long as the headmistress wasn't at the ball, she'd never know.

"It's not so bad walking back, though, if you miss the last coach. Or if you decide to stay the night. Some of the guys at these things manage to secure a guest room in the castle, and I've heard rumours the beds make you feel like royalty. Not that I've seen them myself, but I've heard..." Arwen's usually snowy cheeks showed a faint blush.

Rosalind looked shocked. "But you know the rules – what if the headmistress finds out? She'd chuck you out of here quicker than you could blink!"

Arwen shrugged. "Not me, though if I did have a tryst in one of the guest rooms, I suspect she might insist on marriage. I heard Tremotino has a resident priest there to perform marriages, should the need arise. I bet he could tell some stories..."

Eden blinked. If Diana truly had married a man she'd just met, then this priest might be able to tell her. Someone must have seen something. Diana wasn't the kind of girl you forgot about.

"The coaches have arrived. Everyone aboard!"

Candace, of course, was the first one out the door, with her entourage trailing like ducklings behind her, and the rest of the girls followed.

When Eden boarded the coach, she found herself sitting behind Sienna and Auren, two other girls she'd seen in some of her classes. Sienna wore her signature colour, red, as always, with an actual cape across her shoulders.

Auren's blonde hair was pinned back, the complete opposite of Candace's, so it wouldn't get in the way of taking photos. As if on cue, she held up her phone. "C'mon, I need a picture of you all looking gorgeous. Say champagne!"

Dutifully, they repeated the word, as Auren snapped what even Eden had to admit were good pictures.

"Isn't Lily coming?" Auren asked, glancing around.

Sienna shook her head. "She wanted to, but she couldn't afford a dress."

Eden nodded. If it wasn't for Diana's generosity, she'd probably have had to stay at the Academy with Lily, too. But if Diana had been here, she probably would have loaned both of them a dress, if she'd had one that would have fitted Lily. Then again, Lily had come from a rich family, even if she didn't have money now, so maybe she wouldn't have accepted charity. Not yet, anyway.

"So who are you supposed to be? Alice in Wonderland?" Sienna asked, nudging Auren.

"No, silly, she's Goldilocks. Because everyone knows she'll steal your breakfast if you're not looking!" Arwen said.

Laughter erupted from everyone, because that was the perfect choice for Auren. She never seemed to do it on purpose – but more than once, a bit of bacon or a particularly delicious pastry had vanished from Eden's plate, only for it to end up in Auren's hand or on her fork, as she chewed absentmindedly on her stolen bounty.

"I never mean to do it. I just don't know how it happens. I'm so sorry," Auren said, her cheeks turning pink.

Sienna threw her arms around Auren in a quick hug. "We know, and we still love you. We all ask for extra bacon now, just in case, that's all."

"Don't forget your masks, girls!" Headmistress Laima called out.

Everyone obediently whipped out their masks, only to realise none of them had brought a mirror. Fortunately, they managed to straighten each other out before the coach lurched into motion.

The coach set off up the hill, slowing as the incline got steeper. Then the road curved, and...

"Oh wow," Eden breathed.

While the Academy was more of a mansion or modernised castle that couldn't have been more than a couple hundred years old, Eden had heard that Tremotino Castle was the real deal, like something out of a fairytale, from its soaring towers right down to its dungeon.

The tallest tower appeared first, rising above the trees. It was so tall the top vanished into the clouds.

Then the full castle came into view: a magnificent, white marble palace with countless turrets and towers, with every roof shining like gold in the last rays of the sun.

Eden just sat there with her mouth hanging open until they passed through the gates, and an avenue of trees meeting in an arch overhead blocked out the view for a moment.

The coaches came to a halt inside the circular drive, surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges and topiaries. A long, red carpet led the way up to the castle entrance, where a pair of huge oak doors stood open, framing the warmth waiting for them inside.

And maybe her own Prince Charming...

Eden shook herself. She didn't want a husband, and none of the rich men there wanted a scholarship girl like her.

What she hoped awaited her were answers about Diana's disappearance, that's all. And maybe some donations for the animal sanctuary, because if they didn't remember Diana, then they hadn't supported the sanctuary yet, and when she did find Diana, she could say she'd done her part in fundraising, too. She checked to make sure she still had her phone, tucked it back into her bag, and carefully made her way down the steps onto the red carpet.