Briallen Bevin and the Snatcher's Cave

Chapter 20: Marisol's Secrets

Chicago is such a large city, already full of strange people, that the Escudero family had no trouble trying to fit in. Then again, Alfonso and Zofia were used to being around Muggles, because of their jobs: Alfonso was an Obliviator for the Ministry of Magic and his wife, Zofia, was a stay-at-home mom who just enjoyed spending her time in Muggle department stores, shopping. And so Alfonso, Marisol's father, stood confidently in the middle of Union Station, his cloak billowing around him, as Muggles went about their normal, non-magical, business all around him.

"Hurry up!" he shouted to Marisol, and Zofia, who held Marisol's baby sister, Moraima, in her arms.

"Ow! Mother! Make her let go!" complained Marisol as Moraima pulled on the bright red ribbon that had been dangling from Marisol's ponytail. She was currently trying to count out how much Muggle money she needed to pay for the bottle of water that she wanted. It was a task that required every bit of her concentration. "Mom!"

"She's just playing, mi hija," replied Zofia. She began to coo at the infant. "You like your big sister's pretty ribbons, don't you? Yes, you do! Yes, you do!"

Marisol looked at the infant in disgust and gave up trying to count the Muggle money. She shoved the wad of dollar bills towards the salesgirl. "Keep the change."

The salesgirl behind the register grinned and thanked Marisol for the generous tip before Marisol followed her mother back to her father.

"You need to learn to count Muggle money," said Alfonso with a sigh. "And you were supposed to get change back. You're twelve years old, so it shouldn't be that difficult for you. The amount the notes are worth is printed in the corners."

"Why should I learn to count Muggle money? I don't plan on using it after I graduate from Bergamot. I want to live in The Village - all I'll need is wizarding money there."

"You can't avoid Muggles forever, mi hija," said Zofia. "It's just not possible. Look at your papá and me - we were born into wizarding families and we learned to live with Muggles just fine. I even learned to drive a car!" Marisol rolled her eyes. Learning to drive a car was Zofia Escudero's proudest moment and she lost no opportunity to speak of it. "I remember went I first went to the DMV - that's where Muggles go to learn to drive cars - I didn't think I had a wizard's chance in nundu country! What with the steering and pedals and shift stick things; it was all very confusing. I - "

"I know, mamá," said Marisol, cutting her mother off. "You've told me a dozen times."

"Only so that you'll understand what I went through and appreciate it all the more!"

Shaking her head, Marisol opened a door off to the side of one of the platforms. It had on it, in peeling, gray letters, the words 'Head Janitor's Closet.' Alfonso and Zofia, and baby Moraima, followed through. As soon as they were all in the closet, they shut the door and then immediately opened it again to reveal the platform on which the Bergamot Express #17 waited to take the Midwestern students to their spring semester at Bergamot.

Marisol looked around the wizarding part of Union Station: there were six other platforms but only three had trains, including the one for the Bergamot Express. Also currently in the station were the trains for the Rosewood Finishing School for Young Witches (which Marisol thought was in New York, but she wasn't entirely sure) and the Lawhorn Institute for Magical Learning that Marisol knew to be somewhere in Texas.

"Rosewood... " murmured Zofia Escudero as she looked admiringly at a group of young witches about Marisol's age. They were already dressed in their school uniforms consisting of chocolate brown robes with bubblegum pink trim, little white gloves, and floppy, white woven-hats. "I wanted to send you there, Marisol. It's supposed to be a really good school... "

"Ew! I'm glad you didn't. I don't think I'd like going to an all-girls' school. I'd rather go to Lawhorn than Rosewood." Marisol had already had this conversation with her mother. Twice.

"I'm sure you would have loved it. It's where I wanted to go when I was your age. But then, I got my letter from Bergamot and my parents were just so proud that I'd gotten into the best school, but... anyway. Look at the time! Mi hija, you had better get on the train! Have a good semester and owl us more often this time!"

Zofia, unable to hug her daughter properly because she was still holding baby Moraima, resorted to kissing her on the cheek. Alfonso wrapped his arms tightly around Marisol, however. Marisol was sure that her father's eyes were watery, even though they had gone through this once before.

Once the good-byes were exchanged, she took hold of her trunk and pulled it over to a trolley. She deposited her luggage quickly and got on the train to begin her search for Toby. When she had found out he was from Iowa soon after they'd met, she'd been ecstatic - she'd have a friend to sit next to on the train! She was just glad that Chicago was the first stop and so there weren't that many students on the train just yet, which would make it easier for her to find Toby. Not that she had a problem finding people to sit next to. She was the sort of person who could talk to anybody and she was proud of the fact, even if the other people didn't necessarily want to talk to her.

"Julian! Yo! HAWK!" shouted a tall, black boy at the end of the train car Marisol had just gotten onto.

"FROST! How's it going?" shouted back a boy with a buzzed head, and who was obviously Hawk, as he shoved Marisol aside and went to greet Taye Frost. The boy didn't even bother to apologize to her. She heard them instantly begin a conversation about a professional Quidditch game played the other day. "Can you believe Seattle won? What's that about? I lost ten galleons on that game... "

Stupid, rude Platts, thought Marisol grumpily. She actually liked Taye Frost, who was the head boy, because she thought he was absolutely gorgeous, but she was in a bad mood at that moment and didn't care how attractive he was, only that he and his friend were annoying her. Forget this. Toby can come find me.

Marisol went into the first empty compartment of the train car and sat down with a sigh. She looked out the window at the still bustling platform. The Rosewood train was just now leaving, and her parents were long gone.

The minutes passed slowly and she had still seen no sign of Toby by the time the train began to move. Earlier, another girl in Marisol's year, whom she had never seen outside of a few classes, was about to sit with her, but then the girl saw her friends and went to sit with them instead. Marisol was left alone. Part of her was happy she was alone because it meant she wouldn't have to answer stupid questions about Briallen or Christabel Lewis, but then she was upset because of that very same reason. She liked chatting with people because it helped pass the time.

The corn fields surrounding the train were almost a blur now and Marisol was growing grumpier. She had forgotten to take her purse, which had her YW magazine and a crossword book, out of her trunk before putting it on the trolley and so now she had nothing to do. She contemplated going back to the cargo car to retrieve her things.

Might as well, since there's nothing else to do and I'm too tired to take a nap...

Marisol left her compartment and began her way to the back of the train where the cargo cars were. Due to curiosity and boredom, she walked slower than normal so that she would have time to look inside each individual compartment and see who was inside. Most were empty, or had only one or two kids, and some were packed full holding many more people than they were supposed to. A few compartments even had the shades drawn and made Marisol jealously wonder what was going on inside of them.

Then, only one car from the cargo car, Marisol looked inside a compartment and found Toby, sitting with two very pretty girls she recognized immediately. She opened the sliding door and stepped inside, hands on her hips. "Toby Wesley Davis! How come you didn't come looking for me? I sat by myself for, like, an hour!"

"That's not my fault," said Toby, scoffing. "You could have come to look for me."

Marisol's mouth opened and closed several times but after seeing her reflection in the window, and realizing she was imitating a fish, she closed her mouth and glared instead at the two girls who, in her opinion, had kept Toby, her best friend, from looking for her. "What are you two Platts doing here?"

"Your friend, Briallen, is friends with a Platt," countered Belinda Astley, sweetly. "I hear they're quite close too."

"She's not at all close to Lucan Stone. They just had a... a detention together, once, and now he stalks her. She's not interested in him at all. He's weird."

"Play nice, Marisol," said Toby jovially just before he put a piece of gum in his mouth. Marisol wondered briefly where the gum had come from since Toby's clothes had no pockets. She couldn't believe he was acting so nonchalant over abandoning her for two Platt girls he barely knew.

"So sorry, girls. Please, Belinda and Belphoebe, can you leave? I'd like to talk to Toby - who just happens to be my best friend - alone." Toby stared in disbelief at Marisol's rudeness as Belinda and Belphoebe, very much aghast though unsurprised, gathered their things and left.

"I was making new friends, Marisol! I can't spend all my time with you and Briallen, you know!"

"I know. But there is Ashley, Anthony, Dax, and oh! - Abraham, and Cass and Noelle..."

"I can't help but notice that none of the people you're mentioning are Platts."

"Of course not. Briallen tried to make nice with a Platt and look what it got her."

"A new friend?"

"No - a crazy stalker! Duh... "

Toby shook his head. He was so angry with Marisol at the moment and he didn't care that she was one of his best friends. He didn't like being made to feel like he belonged to somebody. "I'm not one of your toys, Marisol. I'm a human being. I'm your friend. And you really need to learn to share."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! I don't want to learn to share! I've never had to share anything before and then suddenly Moraima is here and they expect me to hand over all of my belongings to that stupid baby? I don't think so! What exactly is a baby going to do with a Brenda Lance doll, anyway?!" Marisol huffed, crossed her arms, and stared out the compartment window that was right next to her. "Aside from slobber all over her head and brand-new orange, satin Hawaiian dress robes that I bought with my allowance!"

"Is that what this is really all about?" Toby asked gently after a moment's pause. He only just learned about Marisol's baby sister over winter break. "Your little sister?"

"No! Maybe. I don't know. I'm just so... angry with my parents right now for having another kid. Wasn't I good enough for them? Did they really have to go and have another kid?"

"How do you know they planned to have Moraima? My aunt and uncle had a baby last year and I heard my aunt tell my mom it was an accident. Adults just have babies by accident sometimes."

"Seriously, Toby, don't you know anything about the way witches and wizards do things? Moraima can't be a mistake. And they planned her for my first year of school too. Ugh! I hate them!"

"You're just used to being an only child and spoiled rotten," said Toby, smiling.

"I am not spoiled!" cried Marisol in a huff.

"Marisol, do you remember the letter you wrote me the day after Christmas?"

Marisol bit her lip, trying to remember. She knew she had complained about something but she couldn't remember what. "Moraima? I probably complained about Moraima. She's so annoying."

"No - well, yes, you did complain about her, but the big thing was that you didn't get a winter cloak with diricawl feather or the second pony you had asked for. How many girls, Marisol, have even one pony?"

"Um, every girl that lives out in the country?"

Toby rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead. "You're not getting it. Let's just move on. How was your birthday, except for the whole not-getting-another-pony thing? Did you get the present I sent you?"

"Yes, I did, and it was very nice. Thank you," replied Marisol politely. "The men in the magazines were very good-looking and I put their pictures up on my walls, even though they don't move." Toby, not having immediate access to any wizarding shops, and with a limited supply of money, had bought Marisol a few teeny-bopper magazines from the supermarket. It had taken him a while but he had eventually decided on the two that had the most guys in it, knowing how much Marisol enjoyed admiring the male species.

"Those aren't just ordinary guys, you know. They're famous Muggles."

"I'm not surprised they're famous. They're too good-looking not to be. Did I tell you what Briallen got me?"

"No, but I bet I can guess... was it a love potion?"

Marisol giggled and playfully slapped Toby's arm. "No! Those aren't allowed at school, anyway. She bought me a necklace called 'I Know Amore' - it's a small glass tube that you can wear around your neck and whenever someone nearby is thinking romantic thoughts about you, it glows pink! I plan on wearing it near Benjamin the next time I see him. And I'm thinking of loaning it to Briallen to wear the next time she sees Lucan so that we can know once and for all if he has a crush on her."

"Crush? I don't think so. He's never been nice to her."

"How can you be a boy and not know anything about how boys act when they have a crush on girl? By the way, will your birthday be here before school lets out for summer or right after?"

"Right before we let out for summer, why?" asked Toby.

"Just wondering how much time I have to find you the perfect present. Maybe I can get you a girlfriend! Just not a Platt," said Marisol in all seriousness. She changed the subject but she kept the date of Toby's birthday fresh in her mind. She already had so many ideas.

* * *

Marisol left the school early that morning, hoping to avoid everybody since she was planning on breaking a few school rules. Why what she was going to do was against the rules, however, was beyond her. Bergamot provided carriages during the weekend for those students who wished to visit The Village. However, school didn't start until Wednesday, and it was currently Tuesday and there was nothing else to do besides visit The Village. Yet the weekend-only rule still applied.

They give us carriages during spring break and, technically, it is still winter break, even if we are at school... thought Marisol with a frown as she walked outside and looked at the sky. It was a dull gray and snow fell lightly on the ground, before disappearing almost instantly. She wrinkled her nose at the dirty slush.

Determined to run her errands, however, Marisol wrapped her scarf around her neck and began down Rower's Road, along the lake, and to The Village. She was concentrating so hard on avoiding puddles in the road that she didn't even notice the three figures in the sky to her left, or the explosions that echoed under them.

When she finally reached The Village, she was pleased to see that there didn't seem to be many people out and about; then again, it was a rather icky day. Even the street lanterns were lit, it was so dull out. Marisol hopped onto the sidewalk on her right that formed just beyond the driveway that led to The Village docks.

"Marisol!" said an old lady from the doorstep to Zusa's. "Come to spend some allowance? I just made a fresh batch of jittery monkeys!"

"I have to meet somebody at the Bubbling Cauldron first but I'll stop by on my way back, Freda!" said Marisol with a smile and a wave.

Marisol loved Zusa's jittery monkey candies. They were small, yellow candies made into the shape of monkeys and tasted of bananas and cream, and when you ate them, they make you jump and down like a monkey. They were the source of a great deal of amusement right before Halloween. Marisol couldn't help but giggle as she remembered the first time Toby ate one, and the shock he was in afterwards.

She diligently looked left, right, and then left again before she crossed the Main street; not that there was any traffic that day. Inside the Bubbling Cauldron was nearly as empty as the streets and sidewalks of The Village, aside from the usual, daily clientele who could always be found there. Marisol made her way to the bar, ordered a hot cocoa with extra whipped cream, and chocolate curls, and then went to a table by a window to sit and wait. Just last night she had owled Mr Teaberry, the owner of the Bubbling Cauldron, and asked him to meet with her at the pub at exactly ten o'clock in the morning. She looked down at her gold-link watch: it was five past ten.

Just then Marisol noticed a tall, old man with a heavy walk coming towards her. She smiled as he sat down in the chair across from her. "So, what is it you wanted to talk with me about, Mademoiselle Escudero?"

"Well, I want to throw a birthday party for one of my best friends. Here, of course, which is why I'm talking to you. Um," Marisol paused. She was beginning to think that it would have been easier to just write a letter explaining what she wanted, instead of going all the way to the Bubbling Cauldron. Not to mention, Mr Teaberry kept eye contact when she spoke to him, which made Marisol uncomfortable.

"When's your friend's birthday?"

"June. That's why I wanted to ask you, in person, since I know this place gets busy at that time of the year because the students are out of classes but still in town and - "

"Did you want to rent out the entire pub or just have a few friends in to have some cake and butterbeer?"

"It'd be nice to rent out the pub... "

"Which I won't do. I'm not going to close down my business for some little kid's birthday party. This isn't Charlotte's. You can just bring them in here. We'll need to know ahead of time, of course. That way we can reserve some tables for all of you."

"Oh - okay. That'd be perfect. And I think I'd like to, like, have lunch here or something. For the party. How much would that be?"

"Ten sickles for each person will get them a sandwich, some chips and a jug of butterbeer."

"Ten sickles... alright. Good, I'll - uh - I'll start collecting the money from the people that'll be coming-"

Mr Teaberry cut Marisol off again, "I'll need the money at least a week before the party if you'll be having lots of people."

"Well, not lots, just, like, ten. Maybe fifteen."

"And then it'll be twenty and then thirty. No more than twenty, though! I don't want my regulars to not fit!"

"Okay," said Marisol before finishing her hot cocoa and standing up. "Thank you for your time. I'll get the money as soon as possible."

Mr Teaberry grunted and then left Marisol to go sit with two other old men near the bar. Marisol hurried out of the pub, glad to have her meeting with Mr Teaberry be over. After stopping as Zusa's for a bag of jittery monkeys, she walked back towards the castle.

It'll be hard to keep this a surprise... Toby will be onto me in a week, I know it, thought Marisol glumly. Oh well, then it'd be his fault he ruined his surprise.

Marisol sincerely hoped Toby wouldn't find out, however. She loved throwing parties, and she loved surprise parties even more. And since Briallen had had so many detentions last semester, and was out for a month, she had grown even closer to Toby, taking him with her everywhere when she could. She had even considered making him her boyfriend, if only so the other kids would leave him, and them, alone. And so that she actually would have the right to shoo girls away from him like she did the Astley sisters the previous day. But she couldn't imagine kissing Toby, because she was committed to eventually marrying Benjamin Beauvais and if she were to date someone before Benjamin, it would have to be a guy that would make him jealous, and he wouldn't be jealous of little Toby.

As she walked back into the school, Marisol was completely oblivious to the commotion going around her. She was too busy thinking of possible boys she could date that would make Benjamin jealous. She wandered happily into the portrait hall and smiled when she saw Briallen and Toby standing outside the library. She wondered why they looked sad and confused, like they'd lost something important.

Marisol, wanting to help them, ran up the stairs to greet her best friends.

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