Chapter Text
The last thing Charlie remembered was settling in bed next to Vaggie in their newly refurbished hotel. Things had been relatively calm since the failed extermination… well, as calm as things can be in Hell. But the hotel crew still had to deal with a few issues and concerns. They had gotten a few potential guests, which was good, but these guests were more interested in learning to fight angels then redeeming themselves. Not exactly the most encouraging thing for Charlie. Then there was the question of whether Heaven would ever give the hotel even the shred of a chance or not after Adam’s death. So, Charlie went to bed stressed and frustrated. Vaggie tried to give her a few encouraging words, which did make Charlie smile, but it was more to make her girlfriend feel better than herself.
Once Charlie drifted off to sleep, she slept dreamlessly until she woke up in the middle of the night. When she did, she was no longer in her bed. She could feel a velvet lined cushion beneath her, and soft trembling all around her. When she briefly fluttered her eyes open, there was nothing but darkness before her. But with her advanced vision, she noticed the small wood grain right in front of her face. She reached a hand out to touch the wood in front of her, but still barely reacted, her mind too groggy to function.
I’m dreaming, she thought to herself. Best to just close my eyes…
Charlie went back to sleep effortlessly. At least until she woke up again later. This time her enclosed prison was still, and her mind was finally awake with the rest of her body.
Wha- where am I?!
Once she felt the constraints of her prison, the princess readied herself to break out of it when a voice on the other side stopped her. She paused, not even making a sound as she listened to the nasally voice outside.
“NYAAAA! They’ll be here any minute! I need to get this open asap!”
Charlie remained still as she heard rumbling from the outside of her enclosed space. She didn’t know who it was or what they wanted, but she was readying herself for anything… though, she was mostly hoping she could just talk to them. Better to try and sort this out.
So she remained still and silent as she heard someone or something pull at the door… at least she assumed it was a door.
“Gaaaaaaahhhhh! Come on, open already! Fine! You asked for it! HAAAA!”
The princess nearly yelped as blue flames came from the other side of the door, melting whatever was keeping her locked inside. Soon after, it was pulled open from the other side. Charlie blinked at the sudden light, no matter how dim it was. The room she found herself in had dark walls and floors, with large windows covered in twisting irons. Giant chandeliers of candles hang above a large, round mirror that seemed to float just barely off the ground. But that wasn’t the only thing that was floating, and it was surrounded by hovering black coffins with large, round, smooth jewels.
“Alright. Now go grab that uniform and- NYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE AWAKE!”
Charlie then looked down at the noise, and blinked at what she saw;
A small dark gray cat demon(?) with large blue eyes and blue flames in its ears. It’s tail was a black trident, it’s chest was covered in white fur, and around its neck was a striped black and white ribbon.
“… aaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwweeeeeee! You’re so cute!” Charlie exclaimed, her eyes sparkling and small hearts practically dancing around her.
“I AM NOT CUTE! I’M THE GREAT GRIM! AND I’M GONNA BE A GREAT MAGE!”
“Ahhhh, and I’m sure you’ll be the cutest cat mage there ever was!” The princess cooed.
“AND I’M NOT A CAT! That’s it! You either hand over that uniform, or I’ll burn you to a crisp!”
“Oh, I’m sure you will!” Charlie continued in a cutesy high-pitched voice.
Grim growled as she reached out a hand to pet him. Then, before Charlie could register what was happening, blue flames spewed from his mouth. Charlie flinched back at this, her fingertips just barely getting scorched in the process.
“Woah! O-okay, easy there!”
“Hand over those clothes or you’ll end up a little… crispy.”
As more blue flame erupted out of his body, Charlie began to back away as the situation shifted.
“O-okay… um…”
Then she bolted out of that room. Technically, she could have bursted out her own demon power, but she didn’t want to hurt a small animal! Instead, she decided it was better to run, at least for now. It wasn’t like he would have been that much of a threat anyways, especially compared to the Exorcists.
So she ran through what turned out to be completely unfamiliar territory. Long corridors of stone walls and carpets over hard floors, likely also stone. Tall ceilings and large chandeliers were above her, and a few of the rooms she passed looked like… classrooms? Was she at a school? Why? Where? This didn’t look anything like the schools in Hell, so where was she?
After sprinting down a few hallways and across a small courtyard, Charlie eventually stopped to catch her breath in what turned out to be a library… with floating books for some reason. She slid to a halt and propped herself on a table, letting out a deep sigh.
Okay, that was weird. Even weirder than my normal conversations with strangers, Sinners or otherwise. But what did that cat mean when he said he wanted my clothes? It was almost like he wanted my pajam… these aren’t my pajamas.
Charlie’s eyes widened as she looked down at herself. Instead of her red and black lace nightclothes, she now had on black robes with gold and purple accents, a purple belt around her waist and tied in the shape of a candy wrapper. Her shoes were a similar style to what she normally wore, but they were the same colors as the robes.
“What? Where- how-“ Charlie groaned as she shook her head. “No! Not the issue here! But what… am I dreaming or something? Cause this is- ACK!”
The princess flinched as a blur fireball flew over her shoulder.
“There you are!”
Charlie let out an “eep” and spun around to find the cat creature.
“Wow, you’re faster than I thought!” She exclaimed.
“Of course I’m fast! Now hand over those robes right now!”
“But what if I’m not wearing anything underneath?”
“Not my problem! I need that uniform! So if you’re not gonna give it to me, then- ACK!” The cat creature suddenly screeched as a whip of all things smacked him across the back, causing him to drop to his knees. “What the heck was that?!”
“Call it Tough Love!” A new voice rang throughout the library. “Ah, you must be the missing student… and… your a … dear me, I was not expecting any females to be attending this year! Perhaps I missed a meeting?”
Charlie looked up in awe at her savior; he was a tall pale man with dark green hair. He wore an elaborate suit with a billowing feathered cloak and black bird mask, which only showed his eyes as two small, glowing, yellow orbs.
“Woah. What kind of demon are you?” Charlie asked, squinting her eyes. She was no stranger to bird demons, but this one seemed… different. There was something about the energy she felt coursing through his veins that didn’t feel like those in Hell.
“I beg your pardon?!” The man asked in shock. “Ah! Never mind that. Right now I am more concerned with why and how you left your gate early without my assistance. I am guessing it had to do with this rowdy familiar of yours.”
“I ain’t no one’s familiar!” The cat screamed.
“Yes, yes. All of the disobedient ones say that.” The man said as he picked up the monster in a way that also covered his mouth.
“Well, okay, first of all he’s actually not my familiar. Kiki is probably back at home.” Charlie said. “And second, what gate? Do you mean that floating coffin I woke up in?”
“Yes! The gates were designed that way to symbolize a student leaving their previous life and entering a new one here!”
“Okay… where is ‘here?’ And how did I get here?”
“Oh dear. It seems the transportation has left you a bit disoriented. Very well; if you would please follow me back to the mirror hall.”
As the man in the mask began to walk off, Charlie stood there in pause for a moment. This was definitely not what she intended to wake up to… unless she was still dreaming. But this guy, whoever he was, seemed to be willing to give her a few answers. That should count for something, right? So, with no other options, she ran after him out of the library.
…………………………………………………………
“This is Night Raven College.” The birdman explained as he held onto a struggling Grim. “I am the Headmage, Dire Crowley. This school gathers those who possess great magical ability so we can train them to become proficient mages. Although… this is an all-boys school, so I cannot fathom why the mirror picked you out to come here rather than you attending one of the female magic schools… oh well! I am sure there is a reason! So, welcome to our school miss! I assure you that we will see to it that you are protected and well cared for.”
“Wait, wait!” Charlie began as she tried to keep up with Crowley down the hallway. “You mean… humans can use magic?”
“Some. And those that can are sorted out into magic schools such as this one.”
“How did I not know this?! Wait, is this one of those secret schools like in the books I’ve heard about?”
“Secret? Miss, Night Raven College is one of the most prestigious magic schools in all of Twisted Wonderland. I assure you we are very well known.”
“Twisted what-now?”
“My, it seems the mirror transportation has you more scrambled than I first thought.”
“Yeah, going back to that; you said that the mirror kidnapped me?”
“I’d hardly call being given such a notable honor as being kidnapped! Didn’t you arrive in one of our Dark Carriages? They are always sent out to pick up those chosen.”
“I…” Charlie’s head was scrambling to make sense of everything she was just told. But.. she did remember something… “I was in a carriage. Earlier, I remember being in that coffin, and… it was shaking…”
“Yes! Ah, and I do hope you had a pleasant journey here.”
“But, wait! What about…”
Charlie ended up trailing off as they went out to cross the courtyard. She was in such a rush earlier, but now she had the opportunity to look up at the sky and see the thousands of shining jewels above her. Her eyes widened and sparkled along with them.
“Miss?” Crowley stopped and asked as Grim continued to wiggle in his arms.
“Are those… stars? Like, like real stars?!”
“… yes?”
“They’re so beautiful! And there’s so many of them!” Charlie exclaimed, throwing her hands up over her head and spinning under the thousands of lights. “I can’t believe a sky can hold that many! And they all look so small from here!”
“Um… miss? If it’s all the same to you, we really need to get you back to the mirror hall for your sorting.”
“‘Sorting?’”
“We need to place you in a dorm if you are going to study here.” Crowley replied with a smile.
“But… I think there’s been a mistake-“
“Come!” The Headmage replied, not listening to a word the blonde said as he pulled her along with his free hand.
The princess could only let out a sound of surprise as she was dragged along by this bizarre stranger. Back into the building they went, away from the night sky filled with stars.
…………………………………………………………
The rest of the walk back to what Crowely described as the Mirror Chamber was silent aside from Grim’s groaning. Charlie had accepted that this man wouldn’t listen to her insistence that she didn’t belong here and needed to go home. So instead she figured she’d play along. Either the people here would realize their mistake and help her get home or she would wake up from this weird dream. Or maybe, just maybe, there was a reason for her to be here. Still, she hoped to contact the hotel soon after this sorting. She and Crowely paused as they heard voices from the other side of the door.
“-has anyone seen the Headmage? He just disappeared in the middle of the ceremony.”
“Maybe he had a tummy ache?”
Crowley had a somewhat offended look on his face as he slammed the doors open.
“I MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT!”
Charlie blinked from behind him as she looked around the room. This was indeed the same room she woke up in, only now it was filled with people wearing the same robes as her. Definitely the students.
“Ah here he is.” One of them said with a hand on his hip.
It was then that Charlie fully grasped that she was in an all-boys school. She couldn’t help but tug her hood over her face, wondering what they would do if they say her here. Not only that, but she took notice of how their visible skin looked… different. Not just from her own, but also from most of the demons in Hell and even the angels. They were shades of peach, tan, and brown, and possibly even more. Excitement entered her heart as she realized she was standing in a room full of humans! Real, still-living humans! She wanted so badly to go around and introduce herself to everyone, ask them questions about this human world and learn more about them. She wondered how different or similar they were to their Sinner counterparts and wanted desperately to find out for herself. But then she remembered her circumstances and kept close to Crowley as the two walked inside. Questions can come later. She has to deal with this right now.
“I was just searching for the missing student! Now then, go on, young lady. Simply walk up to the mirror and he will place you in a dorm. I will stay here and keep watch of your familiar.”
As Grim rapidly groaned and struggled, another of the students stepped forwards, his silver glasses just visible from beneath the hood.
“Pardon me, Headmage. But did you just say this is a ‘young lady?’”
Charlie turned to him and grimaced as she tried to wave with a smile.
“Yes!” Crowley responded. “Apparently, the Dark Mirror has selected a female to attend our school this year!”
“‘Apparently?’” A particularly tall student with dark ragged hair questioned as he crossed his arms. “Do you not know anything about this?”
“That is a question for another time, Housewarden Kingscholar.”
“He definitely doesn’t know anything about this.” Another tall student with pale skin and blonde and purple hair poking out of his hood commented.
“Enough of that!” Crowley exclaimed. “We are wasting time with this nonsensical debate! Now then, Miss, if you could?”
Charlie gulped as she made her way to the floating mirror. She could feel everyone watching her, but did her best to ignore them. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she did get sorted. Would she be able to contact the hotel? Would she be forced to stay here until the end of the school year, or even until she graduated? She didn’t have long to think about such things, as soon after she stepped up to the mirror, a pale mask with elaborate black lining in the form of another mask appeared in the glass. Charlie jumped a little, especially when it spoke.
“State thy name.”
“Oh! Uh… like, my full name, or-“
“That will suffice.”
“Okay then! Uh… Charlie Morningstar. Well, technically Charlotte Morningstar, but I prefer to go by Charlie.”
Whispers almost immediately surrounded her, but she tried desperately not to notice as everyone questioned how a girl got here.
“Charlie Morningstar. The shape of thy soul is…” the mirror squinted at her for a moment. Then his eyes… eye sockets… went wide. He continued to stare at her in pure, eerie silence. This did not go unnoticed by the others, especially Crowely and the dorm heads.
“… mirror?” Crowley questioned nervously.
“This one should not be here.” The mirror finally said with the slightest hint of fear.
“Pardon?”
“Her soul is not from this realm. It should not be present here. It is pure at its core, but covered in a dangerous corruption due to her birth. What magic she has seems to be locked away for the most part, but she is dangerous nonetheless. She should not be here.”
Charlie’s heart sank at this declaration as she felt all eyes staring at her in horror and confusion. She couldn’t move, even though she desperately wanted to run off the small stage. Instead she just stood there, frozen as the whispers started again, this time all sounding more frightened.
“What…” Crowely asked, dumbfounded as he approached Charlie with Grim still in his arms. “What are you saying? Mirror, you have never turned away someone like this before!”
The mirror didn’t respond. It just kept glaring at Charlie as if she were a stain on the very school itself. The princess flinched back.
“This…” Crowley continued. “This has never happened in the history of this school!”
As he bemoaned, Grim finally managed to slip out of his grasp. The monster landed on the floor, gasped for breath, and then got up on his hind legs. When he spoke, his voice echoed through the chamber.
“If she can’t go here, I’ll take her place!”
“Get back here, you meddlesome weasel!” Crowley immediately reached for Grim, but the creature dashed out of his reach.
“Unlike her, I’ve got access to all my magic! And I can use it perfectly! Just watch!”
“EVERYONE GET DOWN!” A short boy in the robes called out. Charlie could just barely make out the red hair from under the hood.
But she didn’t have much time to think about the boy, as Grim then started spewing blue flames all over the room. Students screamed and kept out of the way, some barely getting sinhged. Others ducked out of the way in time, usually those closer to the walls of the room. Some weren’t so lucky…
“AHHH! I’M ON FIRE!” One of the students screamed as a flame erupted from his behind. “SOMEONE HELP ME!”
“Oh! Uh…” Charlie, who managed to duck before the flames could reach her, was now in a panic. She looked around the room only to find nearly everyone else in a panic as well, dodging flames and avoiding more fire. “Uh.. ha-HANG ON! I’M COMING TO HELP YOU!”
The princess sprinted towards the boy, his hood falling off in his sprint revealing start white hair. But he kept running all around the room with no sense of direction, darting from one wall to the next. Others were discussing how to deal with Grim, but Charlie was too busy chasing after the white-haired kid to grasp what they were saying.
“HEY GUYS! I’M STILL ON FIRE OVER HERE! COULD SOMEONE HELP ME?!”
“I’M TRYING! JUST HOLD ON- OOF!”
The chase was then cut short when Charlie accidentally slammed into him, sending the two toppling into the ground. This dimmed the fire, leaving Charlie to frantically try and figure out how to put out the rest.
“O-okay! Uh, jus-just give me a second!” The blonde exclaimed as she tried to fan her own robes over the fire.
“Geez… this is an even bigger train wreck than I thought it would be. Glad I didn’t show up.”
Charlie looked up, eyes widening at the tablet hovering in mid-air.
“Oh, uh… hello there… flying tablet…” Charlie awkwardly waved at it. “You, uh… think you could maybe help us here?”
“… how?”
Charlie eyed the tablet, finally registering that it had no limbs to do anything. “Right.”
“Although… Kalim, can’t you summon water?”
“A little too freaked out right now!” The white-haired boy exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.
“Hang on… hang on…” Charlie threw part of her own robes over remaining flames, then stomped out any sparks left on her robes. “Okay! I think that’s all of them!”
“Ah! Thank you!” Kalim said as he got up and grabbed Charlie’s hands. “Thank you so much! That was amazing!”
“I… you-you’re welcome.”
Charlie was at a total loss. Aside from Vaggie and her father, sometimes even the others at the hotel, she never really was thanked. Especially by strangers. Pretty much everyone back home saw her as more of a nuisance or annoyance. Before the battle at the hotel, she rarely did anything right, and many made sure she knew this.
And now that this stranger- Kalim- had his hood down, she could see his face. He was definitely human. And living. She had never met a human who didn’t become a Sinner. And now she was surrounded by them; it was like a dream come true! Maybe she could learn more about them and their lives to better understand the Sinners at the hotel! Wait! No, what was she thinking; she needed to go home. Her father and Vaggie were probably tearing their hair out wondering where she was once they realized she was gone.
The princess was brought out of her musings by the screams of the other students in the burning room. She turned and saw two students chasing after Grim, firing sparks of light from the ends of the strange jeweled pens.
“Uh… Kalim, right?” Charlie asked him.
“Kalim Al-Asim, at your service! And the guy speaking through the tablet is my friend and fellow Housewarden, Idia Shroud!”
“Since when were we friends?” The tablet asked.
“Right.” Charlie stated, pointing to the floating electronic device. “He said you can summon water. Could you maybe-“
“Oh! Right, sure!” Kalim then pulled out a strange pen of his own with a dark red crystal at the top. It glimmered for a moment as he pointed it towards the ceiling and he cried; “Oasis Maker!”
“Wait!” The tablet cried out. “I didn’t waterproof this thing yet!”
Acting fast, Charlie grabbed the thing and hunched over as she held it close to her chest. Then rain fell from the ceiling, showering the room in a gentle downpour. This quickly dimmed the fire down to nothing as most of the students reacted to the sudden rain. Most didn’t mind, but a good portion of them standing near the tall pale student with blonde and purple hair cried out about their hair and makeup as they tried to cover themselves. Others mostly looked annoyed. Some, like one of the boys chasing after Grim, seemed to relish in the rain.
“Kalim!” The blonde with purple tips exclaimed as he marched over to him and Charlie. As he did this, he used his hands to keep his hood to cover his face as much as possible. “While I admire that you are trying to help, a little warning could have been nice! I’m not wearing my water-resistant makeup today.”
“Sorry, Vil.”
“But, at least the fire is out!” Charlie pointed out, still clutching onto the tablet.
The blonde boy, aka Vil, glared at her for a moment before his face softened and the downpour finally came to a halt.
“I suppose you aren’t wrong.” He said, finally releasing his hood and pulling out a compact mirror. “Still, I hope my face isn’t smudged.”
As he walked away, Charlie’s attention was suddenly grabbed by yelling from across the room.
“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”
CLANG!
“GYAAA!”
Charlie’s eyes widened as a black, red, and gold collar of thick, shining metal and in the shape of a heart materialized. It effortlessly latched itself around the monster’s neck, causing him to stumble and fall.
“What the heck is this?!” Grim cried out.
“Queen of Hearts rule 23: ‘One must never bring a cat to a festival.’” The one who summoned the collar said. It was the short boy with red hair. “Since this is a once-a-year ceremony and technically counts as a festival, you being here is a direct violation of the rules. I simply cannot stand for it!”
“BUT I’M NOT A CAT! I AIN’T SOME HOUSE PET YOU CAN COLLAR!”
“Tsk! As if I would want some disobedient creature like you as a pet.” The redhead sneered.
“Grrrrrr… I’ll show you! I just gotta burn this collar off and then you’ll be….” Grim puffed up his chest and tried to blow fire from his mouth as he did before. But all that came out was barely even a puff of smoke. So he tried again, clearly struggling to spark a flame. “Nyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaa- hey! Why isn’t my fire working?!”
“That collar locks away any and all magic you have. It will be removed once you are expelled from campus. But until then, you are not but a pet cat.”
“I JUST TOLD YOU I AIN’T A CAT!”
“But how…” Charlie ran over, eyes wide as she looked between Grim and the redhead. “You really… and you!” She turned back to Kalim, who watched her along with the other students. “With the rain… and… you people really can use magic! That… that was incredible! You’re all so amazing!”
The redhead eyed her as others around them whispered in confusion. Meanwhile, the boy with glasses walked up next to Charlie, a smile on his face. But something about this smile put the blonde on edge. It was the type of smile she was all too familiar with… one she had seen on too many Sinners and especially Overlords. Especially Alastor.
“Yes,” the boy with glasses said. “Riddle’s unique magic of creating a magic-blocking collar is amazing. The ability to nullify an opponent’s magic right at your fingertips would surely be a useful and capable ability. I’ve simply got to have it-“ The redhead glared at him. “Ah! I mean, I’ve simply got to have respect for it!”
The princess couldn’t help but back away from this one.
“Miss Morningstar!” Crowley yelled at Charlie, causing the blonde to straighten. “Shouldn’t you have kept a closer watch on your familiar?!”
“But he’s not mine!”
“This is an- what? He isn’t?”
“No sir! I’ve even told you this, remember?”
“You did? Ahh… well…then we shall have this monster banished from the premises!” Crowley then turned to Grim as two other students took firm hold of the monster. “You should consider this a kindness, as we are not serving you as dinner. Ah, my generosity surely knows no bounds!”
Humans eat stray cats up here too? Charlie thought as her mouth hung open for a moment. I thought the human world had… more sanitary options.
“NYAAA!” Grim squirmed and wriggled, but was unable to get out of the students’ grasps. “LET ME GO! I NEED TO GO TO THIS SCHOOL! YOU’LL ALL SEE! I’M GOING TO BE THE GREATEST MAGE WHO EVER LIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVED!”
SLAM!
Once the doors closed, Charlie felt something in the pit of her stomach. Despite everything that just happened, she couldn’t help but feel bad for the little guy. He wanted to be someplace he wasn’t allowed to be at because of what he is and what he did. It left a hollow feeling in her chest as she thought back to…
“Uhh… miss… can you let go?”
“Huh? Oh! Sorry.” Charlie finally released the tablet, which gave a soft “thank you” before floating over to a group of shy-looking students.
“Now then,” Crowley called out to the entire room. “I believe that concludes this year’s orientation! Housewardens, if you could take your new students to their new dorms- Ah! I see that Diasomnia's Housewarden is not present.”
“What’d ya expect?” The tall student with deep tan skin and ragged brown hair asked sarcastically. “The guy’s a total recluse.”
“Wait,” Kalim joined in. “Did anyone invite Malleus?”
“If you are so worried about this,” the blonde student began, “ you should have invited him yourself.”
“I mean… yeah, but… I don’t really know him that well.”
Charlie perked up as everyone whispered all around her.
“Malleus? As in Malleus Draconia?!”
“So it’s true; he really does go here!”
“Man. Maybe I shouldn’t have come here this year.”
Charlie looked around, unable to see who was whispering what. But the message she got from all of this was clear; Malleus Draconia, whoever he was, was probably the equivalent to the Overlords. Even still, that didn’t tell her much. Afterall, there were some Overlords who, while still dangerous, could be helpful and/or friendly like Rosie and Carmela. Still, she wondered what he did to become so feared as what looked like a small child rushed in.
“Oh dear me,” the child said in a surprisingly deep voice. “I hoped Malleus would be here. But it seems he missed another orientation.”
“I assure you this was not an intentional snub.” The boy with glasses said with a smile.
“Either way, I do hope he doesn’t sulk about this. Diasomnia students, follow me!”
As the small boy led a group of students away, others started re-grouping themselves and following certain students out of the mirror chamber. Even the tablet had a group following him, specifically the quiet looking ones. Charlie felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Kalim.
“So, uh,” he began nervously. “I gotta get these new students to my dorm. I’m sorry you couldn’t be sorted. You would have made a great addition to Scarabia!”
“I… thank you.” Charlie replied, holding back her tears of joy.
“Thank you for saving my butt. Literally. I really hope we can meet again someday!”
“Oooooooh, I don’t know about that…” Afterall, how could someone like this kid end up in Hell after death?
“Now, come on, Scarabians! There’s a big welcoming party back at the dorm!”
Charlie and Kalim waved at each other as the latter led his dorm mates out of the mirror hall. Soon, the only ones left were the blonde and Crowely.
“Well,” the masked man sighed. “That was certainly an exciting ceremony.”
Charlie hugged herself and lowered her head as she approached him. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble. But if it’s all the same, I think I need to go home.”
“Well… I suppose you cannot stay here if the mirror refuses to sort you.” Crowley mused. “Very well, young lady. Please, step up to the mirror and think about your home. The mirror will take you back where you belong.”
Charlie couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Part of her still hoped that this was a dream, but regardless she was about to open her eyes and find herself staring at Vaggie. She couldn’t wait to tell her and the others about this dream. She could already see her father’s face once she would tell him about humans possessing magic and talking fire-breathing cats. The princess stood before the mirror and watched as Crowely called out to it while she pictured her hotel… and her family.
“Oh, Dark Mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs!”
“…”
Charlie’s smile faltered as the mirror continued to stare at her in a grimace. She didn’t even turn around as Crowely cleared his throat and called out again.
“I said; Oh, Dark Mirror! Return this-“
“There is no such place.” The mirror stated bluntly.
“W-what?!”
“There is no such place that exists where this soul belongs. It does not exist.”
The princess flinched as she felt her heart shatter at this.
“What?!” She exclaimed. “But that can’t be possible! Hell has been around since the beginning of Creation! The hotel was newly rebuilt! What happened?!”
“I’m sorry; did you say ‘Hell?’” The Headmage asked. “Could you possibly mean ‘the afterlife?’”
“No! Well, yes, technically, but… I mean… you’re probably not supposed to know that.”
“Young lady… who did you say you were again?”
Charlie sighed. If she wanted to get home, he needed to know everything.
“I am Charlie Morningstar, the Princess of Hell and daughter of King Lucifer and Queen Lilith.”