The Ghost Bride

Chapter 3-1

3

I stood in the Main Hall, under the curious eyes of onlookers, waiting for Mrs. Novak. I hoped she could deal with her son and make him see reason.

I didn't know how Mrs. Novak looked, but I guessed who she was when a lady in a dress of impeccable taste entered the Main Hall. She looked around, with a slightly condescending expression on her face. I lunged towards her.

"Mother!" I yelled, trying to make a spectacle.

I couldn't hug her in my ghost form, since she wasn't wearing an artifact like Martinus. So I just stood there, waving my hand just a couple of feet from her, trying to look like an i***t. Not the kind of girlfriend a rich woman would want for her son.

"I'm so happy to see you, Mother. I'm Amy, Amy Laurendeau, Martinus' fiancée."

She looked at me, observing me from head to toe. I was wearing jeans and a bright orange T-shirt under the cloak. Certainly not half as elegant as she was.

"I see," she said, in a cold voice that could freeze a lake.

If I was Martinus' real fiancée, I would panic right now. But, since I wasn't, I was full of glee instead.

"Where would you like to go talk, Mother?" I said. "I don't have a room, but maybe we could go to the Academy's cafeteria? You could have some tea while we talk."

"The cafeteria is too crowded," Mrs. Novak said, as if she hadn't offer me to go to a cafeteria outside the Academy mere minutes ago. "Let's go to a more private place."

"We could use an empty class," I said. "Or the library."

"Sure," Mrs. Novak said. "Let's go to an empty class. I know there's an unused classroom close to here."

And, without saying anything, she headed down one of the corridors. Everybody looked with curiosity, but nobody dared follow us. I run after Mrs. Novak. She was going to some place only she knew, passing by perfectly usable rooms. Finally, we arrived at the destination.

"Here," she said. "This classroom wasn't used for classes when I was at the Academy, and I don't think it gets much use now, either."

I stared at the room, full of broken chairs and desks. There was no dust, but that's probably because the Academy's cleaning spells work everywhere.

"I don't need a seat anyway," I said. "But are you sure you'll be comfortable here, Mother?"

She sat on a still-intact table.

"Now, Amy," she said. "I'll call you Amy, since you call me Mother."

"That's fair, Mother," I replied.

"When did you and Martinus meet?" she asked.

"At the beginning of the course year," I said. "I liked him from the beginning, since he's so rich and handsome, but we didn't get along at first, and we had a few encounters, but once Martinus found we were magically compatible, he…"

I hope I'm painting myself in a bad enough light. And I hope she has enough influence on her son.

"Wait," Mrs. Novak said. "You and Martinus are magically compatible?"

"Yes," I replied. "It happened by accident, you see. I was just teasing him, and then, boom, I felt like I was hit by a storm. He's been weird afterward, and today he announced I was his fiancée."

I didn't want to tell her I saved Martinus's life. Sure, that happened after my crazy psychopath's father beat him up, but it still painted me in a partly positive light. I'd save my crazy father's identity for later; in case this didn't work.

"I see," Mrs. Novak said. "And how do you feel about it?"

"Well, Martinus is rich," I said. "So he could pay for the next academic year since it's unlikely I'll get the scholarship. I'm a poor orphan, you see. I have neither money nor skills. I need to work very hard just to pass."

"An orphan?" Mrs. Novak said. "And how do you pay for your living expenses?"

"I work," I said. "As a nanny."

I used to be a waitress on Earth, but here on Marn, I'm a nanny. A well paid one, for some reason.

"Does Martinus know?" Mrs. Novak asked.

"That I work for a living?" I shrugged. "He never asked, and I never thought of telling him. He knows I grew up in a magically isolated world, and that I'm poor."

"So Martinus is your ticket to the good life," Mrs. Novak said.

"I guess so," I shrugged, not wanting to overplay the gold-digger part. "Once I get out of my world, that is. You'd need a lot of energy to build a portal from my world."

Mrs. Novak's stare was inscrutable.

"What do you want, Amy?" she said.

"Well, it depends on what you want, Mrs. Novak."

"I haven't decided yet," Mrs. Novak said. "But you were talking about an engagement party."

"Ah, yes," I said. "The engagement party. Well, I thought, Mrs. Novak, that now that your son told the whole Academy, it won't be long until rumors start spreading. It would be better if you confirm or deny the rumors before they get too wild. A big engagement party would calm everybody. Of course, there is my ghost form, since I can't leave the limits of the Academy."

I was already physically in Marn, but maybe mentioning that her son's fiancée wasn't just poor and talentless, but also required the construction of an expensive magic portal would convince her of my unsuitability.

"That can be solved," Mrs. Novak said. "With an accumulator. I can talk to the Rector, make sure he arranges for that."

"I want a big party," I said. "I'd like all our classmates to be invited, including the distance-learning ones. Of course, I'll be happy with whoever Martinus wishes to invite, also."

The more expensive, the better. Hopefully, that will dissuade Martinus from playing whatever game he's playing.

"I'll talk with my son," Mrs. Novak said, her voice still cold. "And we'll discuss this entire thing."

"Great!" I said, smiling. "I'm sure, with your help, Mother, we'll have the greatest engagement party ever!"

Was I pushy and gold-diggy enough? I hope it didn't backfire.

She checked her vizor for the time.

"Well, it seems like I need to leave," she said. "It was a pleasure to talk with you, Amy," she said with a smile so warm and polite it almost fooled me.

I returned the smile. I'd worked as a waitress enough to fake a smile to the most unpleasant of customers.

"I'll escort you to the exit, Mother," I said.

* * * *

When we arrived at the Main Hall, Martinus was there, alone, without his coterie.

"Mother?" he exclaimed, sending me a killer stare. "What are you doing here?"

"Martinus," his mother said. "I came to meet your fiancée, since you didn't introduce her to me. She called me to talk about your engagement party."

"Did she?" he said, now looking at me, raising his eyebrows.

I went towards him and grabbed his arm.

"Martinus, dear," I said, batting my eyelashes. "I hope you don't mind I invited Mother here. I thought she shouldn't learn everything from rumors. Besides, there were so many things to discuss about how we'll announce our engagement. I want to have a party that will be the biggest event of the season. Magical fireworks, the most beautiful illusionists, the works. And, since your family will have to be the ones paying for it…"

He smiled, with a dangerous twinkle in his eyes.

"Are you sure you want that, pumpkin?" he asked.

"Of course," I said. "I can't be the fiancée of the scion of one of the richest and most powerful families and throw a small party, can I? It just wouldn't be proper."

"Well, then," he said. "If that's what you want, pumpkin." Then he turned toward his mother. "Can we talk?"

"Mother was going to leave now," I said. "I was accompanying her toward the exit."

"I think I'll make a bit of time to talk with my son," Mrs. Novak said. "In private. I hope you don't mind, Amy."

"Of course, Mother," I said. "I'll be going home, then. See you tomorrow, darling."

I tiptoed and kissed Martinus in the cheek and quickly headed towards the door before he kissed me back or something.