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The three fairies looked at each other in disbelief.
“And I promise we will look into this matter of Maleficent attacking you,” Nanny finished.
The Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. She didn’t like her sister taking things over, so she took the matter in hand herself. “I suggest everyone go back home and have some tea. We will interview the charges and decide who will be granted status. We will make the announcement later today. I know you are all eager for the results. We promise to make our decision as soon as we can.”
Maleficent looked at her mother with worried eyes, her skin turning a pale shade of purple. “My darling, don’t fret. Go home. The odd sisters are there waiting for you,” Nanny told her.
Maleficent kissed her mother on the cheek and did as she was asked. She followed all the other students filing out of the courtyard to go home and wait for the exam results.
The Fairy Godmother quickly got to business. With her wand, she conjured up a little round table with a dark pink tablecloth that matched the cherry blossoms behind them. She also conjured two white chairs with pink cushions to match. “Sit, Sister. Sit!” And with another wave of her wand, a teapot, teacups with saucers, and little plates, all a pale shade of pink, edged in glistening silver, appeared on the table. “Have some tea, Sister, before it gets cold. Oh! And I almost forgot!” With another wave of her wand, little white cakes decorated with pink roses settled on the plates. “There! Now we’re ready.” Nanny laughed to herself, but she let her sister talk. “We’ll discuss each student in order of completion of the exam. Does that sound fair?”
Nanny nodded, letting her sister speak first. “I’m sure you’ll agree that Maleficent did deplorably. She failed to realize her charge was actually Princess Snow White, not the wicked queen.”
Nanny scoffed. “So what do you suppose Maleficent should have done? Let the queen languish in torment and try to kill her own daughter? There was no fairy, no good sorceress to help Snow White. There was no other part for Maleficent to play in this scenario than to destroy the man in the mirror! She saved the queen and the princess! You can’t deny it!”
The Fairy Godmother was shaking her head furiously the entire time her sister was speaking. Nanny felt anger growing inside her. “You know as well as I that the three fairies chosen should be Maleficent, the Blue Fairy, and your favorites, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Do we really need to sit here and debate this all day?”
Just then, the odd sisters flew into the courtyard, screaming at the top of their lungs like wild harpies. Ruby was holding the hand of a small blond girl. The tiny girl seemed to be made of all things silver and gold, shining like a star. She was crying so hard she was shaking. “Where are those little beasts? Where is Merryweather, where are her friends?” Ruby shrieked.
Maleficent ran into the courtyard just behind them. “Where are my birds? Where is my crow tree?”
The little blond girl continued to sob.
“Maleficent! You’re frightening this young girl. Stop this screaming at once!” scolded the Fairy Godmother.
Lucinda glared at her. “It was your fairies who made our Circe cry! Not Maleficent! Merryweather attacked her!”
Nanny rushed over to Circe and the odd sisters. “Circe, what happened? Merryweather attacked you?”
“All three of them attacked me, but I think it was my fault,” she sobbed.
“What happened?” Nanny asked in her gentlest voice, hoping to calm not only Circe but also the odd sisters and Maleficent, who were equally outraged.
“When the three fairies appeared on their path, I saw into their hearts. I saw they had a terrible secret. They had taken Maleficent’s raven, Diablo, and hidden him away so she would worry and fret over him. They wanted Maleficent to be distracted at her exam today. I didn’t think it was fair, so I took the form of Maleficent to see if they would help me find her raven. But no matter how much I begged them for help, they refused to even look at me.” Circe was crying so hard now she couldn’t keep telling the story.
“How did Merryweather know Maleficent was taking the exam today?” asked Nanny, giving her sister an angry look. “Did you tell them?”
The Fairy Godmother couldn’t bring herself to meet her sister’s gaze. “I might have said something to Merryweather after the argument you and I had in your kitchen.” Nanny was incensed, but the Fairy Godmother kept talking. “But I didn’t have anything to do with this!”
“Stop your insipid squabbling and let our sister finish her story!” screeched Martha.
“Tell them what happened next, dear,” Ruby said encouragingly, holding Circe’s hand in hers.
“I…I…decided to appear further along the path. I was in the middle of a beautiful forest, standing beneath the largest of the trees there. I was still disguised as Maleficent, weeping because I couldn’t find Diablo and Opal. The fairies didn’t realize that I wasn’t the real Maleficent. They started screaming at me, accusing me of trying to ruin their exam. They hurled silver sparks at me, which made the crow tree catch on fire.” Circe sobbed even more. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know the birds were in the tree. I didn’t know the fairies had hidden them there from Maleficent. I thought it was all make-pretend!”
“And where are Maleficent’s birds now?” Nanny asked, her heart full of fear.
Circe collapsed in a heap of tears. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to put Maleficent’s pets in danger! I didn’t realize the fairies would try to hurt us!”
The odd sisters took their little sister in their arms and held her tightly as she cried. “It’s not your fault, my dear! You didn’t know. Maleficent won’t blame you. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault!”
“Where are Maleficent’s birds?” Nanny asked again, frantically searching everyone’s faces for answers they didn’t have. “Maleficent, where are your birds?”
Maleficent was crying. “I don’t know. My crow tree isn’t in our yard.”
Nanny was trying to stay calm. “Circe, darling, are you sure it was the real Opal and Diablo with you in the scene?”
Circe nodded. “I am!”
