The Queen sent a few soldiers down the east hall alongside the auditorium while she and her troops and prisoners walked down the west hall, toward the front door.  She paused when they came to the back-stage entrance, which was open.  She started out on to the stage to look, but the lights were off.

            “And how does one bring light into this place?”  She asked.

            Tom Deal frowned, but stepped over to the backstage bank of switches.  He lit up the stage, but kept the auditorium lights dimmed low.

            “Excellent.”  The Queen clapped her hands.  “By the door and with just the right atmosphere.”  The stage was set for a Middle School production of Romeo and Juliet.  The scenery had a medieval flavor to it all. 

            “But not suitable for prisoners.”  Captain Tor pointed out.

            “To be sure.”  The Queen nodded and they went back toward the front door where there were lights on in a different room.  It was the front office.  Someone, possibly Mary the secretary, alias the Wicked Witch, had been in and out the office earlier.  They unlocked the door, and Captain Tor took the key.  “Will this do?”  The Queen asked.

            The Captain looked around and nodded as he assigned six soldiers to the room; two by the door to the hall, two by the door to the outside, and two, one being a sergeant, to simply watch the adults and make sure they made no trouble.

            “I believe Barten-Cur may be persuaded to tell us what we wish to know, or if not, one of the others.”  Count Severas made the suggestion without exactly spelling out what he had in mind.

            “If it comes to that.”  The Queen did not dismiss the idea.  “Bring the servant and this one.”  She pointed to Gloria Finster.  “The woman appears to be a reasonable sort.”  She trooped out with the Wizard and Count Severas, the Count’s men escorting the prisoners, while Captain Tor began to assign men to guard the outside of the building against any attempted escapes.

            As they walked back to the stage, Barten-Cur looked around carefully, dragging his feet a little to get to the back of the line.  When they reached the stage door, he decided to take his chances.  He let the last bit of magic float off down the hall.  It was a light violet bubble, which soon picked up speed and burst into a hundred little bubbles.  These shot off in every direction as the Wizard came running back from the stage, still holding his box with the crystal.

            “What was that?”  He asked, as the last few mini-bubbles zoomed by above his head.

            “The on button.”   Barten-Cur said, and he hoped he was doing the right thing.

                                                            ————

            Lila dropped the microphone and it clattered loudly against the gym floor.  She couldn’t help it.  She was suddenly nine inches tall and hovering, thanks to her fairy wings, four feet above the ground.  It happened to her all at once, perhaps because she had the magic in her to resonate with the spell; but for everyone else, the change came more gradually.  Almost without thinking, Lila flew up to a height where she could see what was going on.  She saw the tiny purple bubbles of magic slow down and float around the room as if looking for someone to touch.  As they touched, she saw what happened.

            Jennifer actually got a few inches shorter, but her ears became real, and her face aged to a more grow-up look, and changed a bit to give real credence to her status as an elf and woman warrior.  Ginger fell to her hands, and her arms lengthened, or her legs shortened as her nose began to extend and her whiskers moved to her puffy upper lip.  It looked like a difficult transformation, and Ginger opened her mouth to try and say something, but her voice choked on the words and they turned into something of a roar.  That gave Lila a good look at Ginger’s teeth, and that made her look away, except that as she did, she saw Ginger’s danskin fall away, and a great, black tail push it’s way out from behind.  The tail immediately began to twitch to indicate that the newly formed panther was agitated, but Ginger lay down on the floor and licked a paw as if she was seeking to calm herself.

            Chris grew up into a handsome, blond knight.  Peter, the Ninja, hardly changed a bit, except his eyes took on an Asian shape and his movements no longer contained any eighth grade awkwardness.  Mary and Eddie became Red Rayder and Princess Ashanti, and luckily, they changed to real persons and not flat cartoons from a video screen.  Then Lila saw a very grown-up pirate Jordan with a real eye-patch staring at a grown-up pirate Morgan with a real scar on her cheek.  She watched Jordan catch Morgan up in an embrace and plant his lips against hers in a real grown-up kiss, which Morgan willingly returned.

            “Ew!”  Lila said in her new fairy voice.  “No need to get all kissy-face.”  Then she wondered why she said that.

            “Listen up.”  The Scarecrow had picked up the microphone.  “Pay attention.” 

            Lila fluttered down to Ginger and looked the cat in the eye.  The cat had the most perfect cat-like expression about her face, so Lila was not sure.  “Are you still Ginger in there?”  Lila asked.  The cat said nothing.  “I would be very sorry if you weren’t Ginger anymore.  Please nod your head if you are still Ginger.”  The cat nodded slightly, and then licked her forearm.  “Oh, I’m glad.  I’m going to believe in you now.”  Lila said, and she came forward to hug the cat, but the cat was too big.  Then Lila had a thought.  “Can I ride on your back?”  The cat shook her head.  That was a definite no.

            “I am going to believe what has happened to us has been for us to do something about this predicament.  We cannot leave the others in the hands of enemy soldiers, and we have to get free from this place, if we can.”  The Scarecrow had readily grasped what had happened to them all, and he knew that it was especially important to contain this invasion to the school.  The worst thing would be letting these soldiers loose on an unsuspecting community.  “Now, I am going to let the music start again so they think we have gone back to the party.  Some of you will be no help to us, but some will.  First, however, I think we need to guard the door.  You there!  Space Gladiator!”

            “Adam, I think.”  Jennifer said.  She was squinting with her elf eyes as if seeing something no human eyes could perceive.  It was the young man the Coach wanted on the football team, and he would want him even more now if he saw the size of the man with his head sticking up above all the others. 

            “Yes, Spaceman.”  The Scarecrow got his attention, and with that, several people backed away to give the Space Gladiator plenty of room.  “Watch the door and keep the Truscans out of here until we get straight what we are doing.”

            “Do you speak for the Emperor of the known worlds?”  The Gladiator asked.  “I take orders from no man, least of all a man of straw.”

            Lila was back by then, and she knew that the Space Gladiator was disparaging her Grandfather.  As a fairy, she no longer had the presence of mind to wonder how a scarecrow could be her Grandfather, but he was, and the Gladiator was not helping, even if he was the hero of the movie.  She zoomed up to the man’s face with a determined look scrunched up on her own face and her little fists planted firmly on her hips.  “Want to argue about it?”  She shouted.

            The Gladiator paused.  He seemed mesmerized for a minute.  His hand came up, but he did not touch.  It was more like a frozen man warming himself for a moment by a roaring flame.  He bowed his head.  “For the embodiment of life, I will do as requested.”  He turned with a flare of his cape and marched to the door, followed by Tasha, his own, personal cheerleader.

            “We’ll keep the music going.”  Owen, the gangster came up, his moll, Terry, clinging to his arm and chewing her gum to death.  Rapper Bob was with him, and Celeste, who most recognized as a great Rock Star.  Indeed, Celeste had to push behind the equipment table and seek the protection of the gangster and the big rapper to keep from being mobbed by the crowd.

            At that point, Queen Jessica came up and wanted the microphone.  “My subjects.”  She tried to speak, but Sir Chris and the two pirates held her back for the moment.

            “But these are my subjects.”  Jessica insisted, sincerely believing this to be the truth.  “They should be doing what I say, not what this straw man says.”

            “Aye, your majesty.”  Jordan said with a bow.  “But there are events this evening which may upset your delicate sensibilities.  By your grace, let us deal with these unpleasant necessities.”

            “Back off.”  Morgan said with a snicker, and Jessica backed into the protective circle of her ladies in waiting.

            “Pirates.”  She almost spat.  “Are all of my subjects in rebellion?”

            Before Jessica got any further, the scarecrow quickly turned back to the assembly.  “I want the color guard, you football players and any superheroes that might be about, oh, and the medical people in the back, there.  You better come along as well, though I hope you will not be needed.  Lila, bring your friends; but I want the rest of you to have fun, for now.  Make them think there is a real party going on in here.  To the cafeteria.”  He barely got that last word out before Rapper Bob took over.

            “Oh, there is a real party going on.”  The Rapper said, and he turned up the volume, loud.

            “But they should be listening to me!  The people should be doing what I say!”  Queen Jessica was miffed.  The witches, Brittany, Nichole and Molly, all hag ugly, came up making the most sympathetic noises.

            “Majesty, not all are in rebellion.”  Brittany said while all three witches bowed regally.  “But your nerves must be shot by the turn of events.  Do let us serve you as you ought to be served, my Queen.  Allow us this small thing, to make a tonic for you that it may fortify you and calm your stresses, so you may take up the responsibility of ruling this great kingdom with renewed strength.”

            “Yes.”  Queen Jessica responded slowly.  “I could use a tonic at this time.  I thank you for your devotion to my person.  You may do this thing.”  Brittany bowed again, turned, and smiled to her sister witches in a way which was not at all nice, and they led the Queen and her ladies toward the cafeteria where they could find what they needed to work on the tonic.