I look behind me and search for first layer thoughts, no one's around...

I stare at what's sitting on top of the closed toilet seat. It obviously isn't my mother's cat from her childhood, he's only named after it. I never really understood why I decided Lucifer would be a good name for my favorite teddy bear, especially since it's a reference to her tale and past, but I guess I felt like he was the Lucifer to my Drizella in a way. My dear pet... Which technically isn't alive, unlike the Tremaine household's famously despicable cat. I walk slowly into the stall and hesitate to pick him up. What is my teddy bear doing here ?! It's really weird, borderline creepy. I've had him for as long as I can recall, I keep him in a locked vault at the bottom of my wardrobe back at the castle. I never would've let any servant see him, so my parents and my twin are logically the only ones aware of his existence and where I keep him. Ice is the prankster type... But he wouldn't break into my safe, steal my favorite teddy bear, bring it with him to school and sneak into the girl's bathroom to hide it there only for a joke. Plus, the timing is too precise to be pure luck. Whoever brought Lucifer here knew I'd be in here alone at this exact moment, probably was the one to open the stall door, too. Lucifer's fur is black, smooth and spotlessly clean. The fur inside his ears, on his tummy and under his paws is dark blue. His cute little nose is of a dusky grey color. There's also a light grey ribbon tied in a bow around his neck. His eyes are two polished shards of diamond. Picking him up still feels like a deadly trap... I reach for my jean's back pockets, and sigh. Of course, I left my phone in the dorm... I hear the clicking of heels, muffled by the entry door to the restroom. I close the stall door behind me and wait. I make sure to stand far away from my teddy bear to the best of my ability and listen through the door. The girl turns a faucet on. Suddenly, I hear a soft sobbing. I don't think she knows I'm in here. I hear her searching through her bag frantically. The sound of her purse's contents moving around ceases abruptly. " Hello ? " I bite my lower lip... I hesitantly reply. " Hey ..? "

" I thought I heard something. Your mind is exceptionally well-guarded, I reckon your a skilled psychic. "

" You could say that... "

" You heard me cry, right..? "

" Uh, yeah, sorry about that. "

" We all have moments of vulnerability, I should've payed more attention to your presence. "

" Would it be weird if I asked you a favor ? "

" Kinda, depends... "

" Can I borrow your phone ? "

     " If you wash your hands first, why not ? "

I jump, startled to hear her voice out loud. I get out of the stall and smile slightly in a shy way. Awkward. She has a high ponytail, her hair is brown with streaks of other shades of brown and blond. She has heterochromia, one of her eyes is black and the other gray, and they have a malicious spark in them. Her skin is light brown and her ears are pointed. She's tall and thin, yet curvy enough to not seem like a plank of wood or an asparagus. She's wearing a black jumpsuit and heels of the same color. She quickly does something on her cellphone before handing it to me, once I've washed my hands.

     " Thanks. "

She stares at me while I make my call, I look down and pray Jackie will pick up.

     " You've reached Jackie's voicemail ! Leave me a message if what you wanna tell me is important ! If it's not, have a good day, I guess ! "

I sigh, carefully avoiding eye contact with the girl. Who am I supposed to ask for help now ?! The only phone numbers I know by heart, of students that go here, are Jackie's, Heather's and Ice's. I dial my brother's number.

     " Huh, hey, Camelia... I'll get it soon, don't worry. "

     " Camelia ? That's her name !? Get what for her ?! "

     " DIAMOND ?! Why on Earth do you have her phone ?! "

     " Doesn't matter, what do you need to get for her ? "

     " Tell me first why you're calling me from her number. "

     " I need your help, right now. I'll explain later. "

     " ... Whatever. But you gotta help me too. "

     " What do you need ? "

     " Ten thousand dollars. You ? "

     " Um, Mother's necklace. We'll talk about the money once I've got it. "

     " Gotcha. "

He hangs up. I hope he doesn't think I'm seriously considering giving him ten thousand dollars. I wouldn't lend Ice five bucks. My mother has this pendant, a gift from my father, that can detect any traces, even the slightest or masked ones, of magic. The chain is made of real gold and the enchanted gemstone at its end is a finely sculpted emerald in the shape of a tear, decorated with thin branches of gold surrounding it. The jewel might be green because it's Drizella's favorite color, but it actually changes color according to the kind of magic it spots. She used to absolutely love it, but weirdly gave it to me for my 58th birthday. She told me I'd "need it more" than her and that "green was so last season anyway". Could there be a heart somewhere in her, a tiny part of her that sees me as her daughter she loves ..? Obviously not. I suspect she gave it to me to test how reliable I am, if I can be trusted with important heirlooms or tasks. My mother hates me and I hate her. End of the story... That kind of finality is rare for a fairy tale or even a life, but is reality for our relationship.

I give Camelia her cellphone back and after looking at her screen for a couple of seconds, she asks me.

     " How do you know Ice ? "

     " I, uh... He's in one of my classes. "

     " Cool... That's all there is ..? " She gives me the kind of look Heather used to give me when we talked about Narbeth.

     " Of course. " This is so awkward... He's my twin ! She seems like she'd be smart enough to notice the similarities in our appearances. And she probably heard me tell him about " Mother's necklace ", which suggests we're related...

     " Who's Jackie ? "

     " What is Ice getting for you ? And how do YOU know him ?"

     " So many questions to be asked, but only a few can be answered... Tell me and I'll tell you. "

     " She's my best friend. "

     " Pretty lame answer, but I keep my word... Ten thousand dollars and we met through mutual friends. "

A knock on the bathroom door cuts our conversation short. " Diamond ? Camelia ? " I stay still, standing in front of the stall door. I'd bet a lot that girl'll look inside the second I get away from it. " Come in, it's only us. " " Okay. " My brother enters the room and hands me the package in which I first received the pendant, I store it in there. I snatch it from his hand. " Thanks, you can go now. " Before he can say or think anything, I quickly get back in the stall with Lucifer. Ice leaves and Camelia follows him. I quickly unwrap the light blue paper package, which is impossible to tear and sealed with enchanted tape that only I can pull away. It's more protected than it seems at first glance and in my opinion, that's the most effective type of protection. I hold the necklace in front of my eyes and look at my teddy bear through the emerald. He's glowing, meaning there's definitely magic in or around him. I press the gemstone against Lucifer's belly. The jewel turns pitch black with light blue reflections. Black and blue can refer to dark ice magic, which is very plausible to be the case. Either my father or my twin cast a spell on my stuffed animal... I wait and the stone takes a dark green color. That means the spell is very powerful, there's a lot of magical energy involved. Finally, it becomes red. I gasp softly, stepping away from Lucifer. I put the pendant back in its wrapping. The last color change shows who is in control of the detected magic. If the jewel turns orange, the spell caster is still in control. If it turns blue, anyone with magical skills can try removing or controlling the traces of magic found. Purple means someone else than the owner of the magic detected controls it. And red... Means the being or object stained by magical energy is in control of its power. I take a deep breath and whisper shakily.

     " Lucifer ..? Can you hear and answer me ..? "

     " O f  c o u r s e,  D i a m o n d. "