Not So Snow White Meets Queenzilla - A Beginning (2 page)

"About time you showed up," Benny said.

"We missed you in Home Ec." Abby smiled and
nodded.

"I had a headache," I explained as we walked
to the cafeteria. I didn't really think food was the best idea. My
stomach felt no better than my head. Instead, I sipped my
strawberry Fruitopia and watched Benny and Abby eat their
lunch.

"Did you hear about the vandalism in the
upstairs girls' restroom? I swear, some kids just never grow up,"
Abby said between bites of pizza.

"What vandalism?" For whatever reason, I
wanted to know.

"
I heard the custodian
nearly took a crap when he saw it. Perfect place to be, don't you
think
?" Benny laughed and Abby rolled her eyes.

"Broken glass?" I echoed and felt my insides
turn queasy. There had been no broken anything when I left the
restroom.

"It happened sometime during second period,
I guess," Abby added.

I worried about Tina. If she went to the
office and told how I had been there, how she'd left me in there
during second period … I forced my mind to play back the scene with
Dad, Tina, and then afterward with the imaginary fairy thing. I'd
left and said goodbye to Dad, and then … Nothing. No broken glass.
Right?

Right as rain, chickadee.

I choked on my Fruitopia. "Sorry," I gasped
and grabbed for a napkin.

Oops. Didn't mean to sneak up on you like
that. But it happens. I can't really control it much.

You're back. You're … you're really …

Yeah, I'm the real thing. Genuine,
certified, fairylike creature at your service. And I'm here to
stay.

I groaned.

"You okay? You look kind of pale. Maybe you
should go back to the clinic," Abby said.

I shook my head hard until my teeth almost
unhinged. "No. No, I'm fine. Just …" I pointed to my throat and
coughed.
You have to leave. I can't have voices bouncing around
in my head. It's insane. It's too distracting. It's … you need to
leave. NOW!

I laughed nervously and shrugged my
shoulders. Taking a long sip of my drink, I tried to regain some
sense of calm.

I listened as Benny started in on how the
academic challenge team looked pretty promising when I spotted Tina
Ford and her friend Laurie walking into the cafeteria. I stopped in
midsip, any sounds of Benny's story and Abby laughing faded. All I
could hear was the thump, thump, thumping of my heart. I cowered
down lower in my seat, trying to hide behind Benny's larger
profile. It didn't work. My eyes glued to Tina as she smiled that
witchy smile and set a path straight to our table.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I
announced.

"I told you to go back to the clinic. Now,
it's probably too late." Abby shoved a stack of napkins in front of
me. "Just make sure you send it in the other direction, if you know
what I mean."

I groaned again. I really did feel horrible.
My stomach churned and grumbled. I held a napkin up to my face.

Might I make a suggestion?

Not now! I thought I told you to leave.

Well, it seems your mind says otherwise.
That runway model wannabe is walking in this direction and
something tells me you need help. That's what I'm here for,
muchacha.

I'm not hearing this. You aren't real. I'm
just having a nervous breakdown. That's it.

No breakdown. Although you do seem a bit
nervous. Take deep, calming breaths. And I want you to think about
this. Snobby Girl is standing under a huge bucket filled with green
paint. Now, picture that bucket tipping. See it? It's tipping more
and more, leaning on its side. And the paint? Can you see the paint
start to ooze out of the bucket? And it's dropping inch by inch,
closer and closer until …PLOP! SPLAT! It's on her head! All over
her hair, dripping down into her face. Ah, the glorious moment.
Green paint meets green envy.

I laughed out loud and into the napkin.
Benny sent me a puzzled look and then turned to follow where my
eyes focused.

"Oh, great. Queenzilla. Just what we need to
ruin a perfectly good cafeteria meal," Benny said and stuffed his
mouth with the remainder of fries on his plate.

"Not today, Tina Ford." I said the words
through clenched teeth, but managed to keep the smile on my face.
The image of green glowing on her stayed with me to help.

"Hey, freaky Snow White. Talked to any of
your friends in the mirror lately? I hear they can really crack you
up," Tina said and nudged Laurie.

My smile quivered just a bit. "I'm sure you
aren't interested in what boring, uninteresting me does." The image
of green seemed to grow and spread. I gripped my bottle of
Fruitopia.

"Oh, but we are. You're very entertaining.
Don't you think, Laurie?"

Nod like the puppet you are, Laurie, I
thought.

"Move over, loser," Tina ordered Benny and
nudged him aside to sit down. She leaned forward and with a tilt of
her head she studied me a moment. "So, what's it like? You know."
She took her finger and drew it around in circles at the side of
her head. "To be crazy? How's that work?"

I stood up to leave. I couldn't handle
it.

Hold your ground, princess. Think green.

"Don't leave. I really want to know. I mean,
do you hear the voices of those imaginary friends of yours? Do they
really carry on conversations with you?"

The green spread until it swallowed Tina up.
The heat of anger flushed me from head to toe. "Stay away from me.
You hear? Stay away or else."

"Hah. Or else what?" The words came out of
her mouth in staccato sharp jabs.

Benny took that moment to tip his drink
over. It splattered on Tina. Not exactly green paint, but it would
do, I decided. And it gave me the opportunity to walk away while
Tina screamed about Benny ruining her new silk blouse.

"Winter, wait up!"

I heard Benny's and Abby's voices, but kept
going. I felt the eyes, hundreds of them, staring at me, mocking
me.

Rewind.

What? I thought you were supposed to be
helping me. And THAT back there? I think you left me hanging, fairy
dweeb. Now, fly away or however you transport yourself.

Now, now. I think you did just fine, but
it's time for a little history lesson. Or maybe story hour. Or
…

Or shuttup! I'm going home and never coming
back here. Got it?

I felt a cold chill, a breeze of some kind
rushed through me. It left me breathless and dizzy. My body swayed
so I grabbed the table closest to me for support. I looked around
and could see all those eyes really staring now. Someone, I don't
know who, stood up and rushed over to me.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?"

I laughed in a hysterical, non-stop fit of
giggles until he backed away. Help? I was beyond help, I figured. I
pushed off and moved forward, running toward the exit. Suddenly, I
felt like my feet were gliding across the floor. The room seemed to
darken and those eyes disappeared, one by one, until they were
none.

Now, sit back and enjoy the show. No popcorn
or drinks, but definitely worth the price of admission.

What do you mean? I'm going home, I told
you.

Not yet, chickadee. First, a story. It will
enlighten and rock your world. Guaranteed. Now, once upon a time, a
few hundred years ago, give or take, there was this strange chick
everybody in town grew to hate …

I felt my head drifting along with my body.
We seemed to float some place, beyond anything I could recognize.
The smells, the sounds, the pictures, all of it strange to me. And
the voices. They sounded angry with their shouting and cursing. My
body felt pummeled as if objects struck it. I flinched and tried to
squirm away. My body lifted and spiraled, twirling and twisting,
until it landed with a jerk and a thud.

No one likes me. And I don't care. They can
shout and call me names, but I'll remember. I will remember each
and every face, and I will curse them all. Just wait and see.

Snow White picked up a rock and threw it at
the closest heckler. He hopped on one leg as he cried. Snow laughed
at his pain. It was nice to share with others, she decided.

The queen came up behind her and pulled her
back inside the palace walls.

"You mustn't allow such foul behavior to
turn you into some common tramp. I won't allow it."

"I am NOT a common tramp. I am special and
gifted. Remember?" Snow argued and tromped off to her room.

"Do not let your ears or your heart fall
prey to such nonsense. That woman was nothing but trouble." The
Queen followed closely behind Snow White, but not close enough. The
door shut in her face, leaving her to give her warning through the
thick barrier.

"I don't care what you think, old hag," Snow
whispered. The tears fell from her eyes. The pain in her heart
ached until she nearly broke. It wouldn't go away. Each day since
that day, it grew stronger and more powerful. And eventually, she
turned the pain into revenge. Not until that moment, Snow White
realized she truly had power, just as the wizard in the mirror had
told her. Who was she to deny it? In an instant, Prince Blanc went
from smooth-talking snob to a mute fool. Snow White smiled and
wiped the tears dry. It had been so very easy. A few words to cast
a spell and he had been punished. A just reward for his cruel
behavior. He had taken advantage, made a fool of her, so she
returned the favor. Then why did she still feel sad?

"Please, child. Come out and join your
father and me in the courtyard. It is such a beautiful day, and no
one can touch you there."

Snow sighed at the sweet sound of her
mother's pleading words. "I shall be down shortly. Just give me a
moment."

When the footsteps became faint, Snow sat
down in front of the mirror. "Why does it have to hurt so much,
dear wizard?" As if by mere mention of his name, the wizard
materialized with all the sparkle and fireworks that usually
accompanied him.

"Your powerful gift has its consequences. I
warned you of that. If you had only waited, there would have been a
far different ending to your story."

"How could there have been? He took me to
his bed, promised to marry me, and then mocked me with his words.
Such a cruel man deserves my wrath."

"Ah, but things aren't always what they
appear to be. Perhaps, if you had waited …"

"Waited for what?" Snow shouted. "For him to
go on with his claims that I was nothing more than a harlot?
Someone who only wanted his money and power? I have my own money
and I certainly have my own power. And it's most definitely far
greater than all his princely jewels and crown could ever hope to
be."

"Yes, magic is that and more. It's the more
part that worries me. You use it carelessly, dear princess. Your
rash and sudden spell served only to seal your fate."

"You. You and your silly world inside this
silly mirror. What do you know of this real life? I have to live
it, exist in it, deal with all the cruel, useless people. Not you,"
Snow said, spewing out the words.

The wizard nodded. "Maybe so, but I caution
you. Human emotions such as envy and greed must not rule your
power. If you must use it, then use it with reason. Let rational
thinking decide. Otherwise, you shall perish."

Snow White sat up straight in her chair and
stared back at the mirror. "Perish, you say? In what way is the
better? To let him make a fool of me? To have the kingdom and all
living in it laugh at me?"

The wizard sighed. "Do as you wish, then.
But remember this. The path you choose is doomed to give you misery
and tempt you into an evil world that is nearly impossible to
leave. Or you can listen to me. Learn what I teach you and grow
wiser in ways none have done before you."

The princess laughed bitterly. She walked to
her closet and swung open the doors. "I think I have heard quite
enough from you, foolish wizard." With a shove, she sent the mirror
into the closet. Locking the doors, she added. "Rest peacefully,
for you will stay there quite a long while, I imagine."

With that, Snow White put on her best dress
and went downstairs to the courtyard. She decided that tomorrow she
would send for Maleficent, the wisest witch in the land. Perhaps,
she could give Snow what she wanted … to become the most powerful
in the land, to own riches and beauty beyond comparison. Yes, it
was going to be a better day, Snow decided. And a better life.

I felt suspended. And dizzy. But then the
images and picture show began to fade once more, colors turned
black and the twirling and swirling took up where they had left
off, sending me back through time.

When I landed, everything seemed familiar.
But rather than standing in the cafeteria hall, I found myself
sitting on my bed. I frowned. "How odd."

Not really. It's my doing. I'll admit it.
But I had to show you, so maybe you have a better idea.

Idea about what? A fairytale story about
Snow White and some wizard? I don't get it.

Wake up, chickadee! It's the moral of the
story. Didn't your parents read you bedtime stories? The ones with
all the cutesy messages? Like, don't talk to strangers, respect
your parents. Those kinds of things?

Of course they did.

Then check your brain and think about it.
The moral to this story is … You fill in the blank.

But …

Oh boy. I'm too tired for this. Tell you
what I'm going to do. Or what I have to do.

Ugh. Not again. I'm still dizzy from this
last trip.

No. This isn't a double feature, so chill.
But I do have to take it back.

Take what back?

Take back your memory of the fairytale.
That's a future attraction. Get it? Haha. It will come to you at a
later time. But I want you to have the moral. It's my gift to you.
So, concentrate. Really, really hard now, princess. What is the
moral to this story?