Words fled her brain.

Kay had held onto her anger the whole perilous ride down here, good and frothing by the time she made it to Serena's cell, but when she finally arrived, face to face, her thoughts scattered like cockroaches under a kitchen light. She sputtered, her hands grasping the air as she tried to gather the shreds of her indignity for a thorough tirade.

The golden vixen deserved it! She deserved Kay's rage! She Cursed Kay's cell phone with a capital C!

Serena watched her with growing concern. "Are you well? You look a little tired--"

"Shut up!" Kay snarled, finally finding her anger at Serena's patronizing tone. The golden princess bit her lower lip in a clear attempt not to laugh in Kay's face, a gesture she didn't appreciate at all though her stomach did a flip. What was wrong with her?

The cell phone whacked against the side of the jar, startling her. She yanked the jar free from her coveralls pocket to shake it in the princess's face. "This! This is your fault," Kay hissed. The cell phone smacked against the confines of the jar with renewed vigor now that it was out in the open. Serena didn't spare it a glance, her gaze locked on Kay, the humor gone as an unreadable expression slipped onto her face. Kay wanted to hate her, and hated that she didn't. The jar wobbled in her grip, threatening to slip free of her sweaty palms.

The open door creaked behind her. Her already frayed nerves snapped. Kay shrieked and dropped the jar. It shattered at her feet, broken glass skittering across the cement floor as her cell phone feebly flopped and fluttered across the ground, clearly stunned by the impact. She whimpered and slumped back against the wall, covering her mouth. It was too much, this was finally too much. She squeezed her eyes shut, not caring if Stanley or Shaffer herself found Kay with the damning evidence at her feet.

She was exhausted, her best friend wasn't speaking to her, and she was constantly lying to the people she cared about. All for what? A paycheck? Even if she walked away now, she hadn't worked here long enough to get past the probationary period, which meant that daming black mark would still be the first thing on her record. Kay now keenly understood the paradox of 'damned if you do and damned if you don't'. Would Fantasy Land Inc even let her quit? Perhaps not if they had so much 'invested' in her to keep quiet.

"Kay?"

She shook her head, determined to ignore Serena. Maybe she could just go about her business, act like nothing happened, and then when Stanley came down here and found her mess, it would be over. She wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Or maybe he would cover it up for her. She inwardly flinched at the thought. Stanley hadn't known her that long and while he said she lasted longer than most employees in this department, it didn't excuse breaking the rules.

"Kay, look at me."

Was Serena part siren? Kay opened one eye. Her cell phone was currently flutter-crawling toward her, probably intent on giving her a good zap for dropping its container.

"Eyes up here," said Serena. Kay released a resigned breath and looked up, both eyes open. Serena blanched and sank down in her ridiculous skirts. She ran a hand over her delicate mouth, somehow not smudging her makeup. Was she wearing makeup or was she that perfect. Oh goodness, her lips really were that dark and lush without a drop of lipstick.

"Kay, I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to be you."

Kay shook herself, prying her attention off Serena's mouth. "You keep saying that like it's supposed to make it okay you cursed my cell phone and put my best friend in mortal danger."

"You say that like a guilt trip will phase me after being imprisoned for centuries," said Serena. She arched one of her golden brows.

Kay groaned and scrubbed her tired face. She couldn't look at Serena without losing focus on the reason she came here. Instead she watched her sentient cell phone, nudging it away with her foot before it could attack her. "Can you reverse it?"

Her question was met with silence. Kay set her jaw, unwilling to give Serena any more attention, not when Serena clearly wanted it.

"Did I really put your friend in danger?"

That made her look. Serena watched her, stressed stamped in the tightness around her stupidly perfect mouth. "Do you care?"

"You friend has nothing to do with the venerable establishment of Fantasy Land Inc, therefore she's an innocent," said Serena. "Therefore I care." The princess was twitchy. Her fingers twisted the glittering material of her skirts as she spoke. "I meant it. It shouldn't have been you. The lure was supposed to bring me the one I wanted to see--." She cut herself off, her gaze darting away, as if she'd said too much.

"You were going to lure Stanley down here?" Kay snorted. "What were you going to do to him? He's not exactly a rebel with an iPod or any other device you could mess with."

Serena frowned. "What plans we had for the head keeper are of little consequence. You showed up, with an actual electronic device. It was too good an opportunity to pass up."

Kay knew that was the case. It was her own stupid folly for bringing her cell phone down her, when she knew it was against policy. She knew it was her fault but it still stung to know the princess used her as a means to an end. The problem was, she didn't know what 'end' she'd served.

"What was the point of it?"

"It doesn't matter," said Serena.

"Then why bother. What were you hoping to achieve?"

Serena leveled a long suffering look at her.

"You were hoping the clean up crew would come after me," said Kay.

"No," said Serena. Her eyes went wide, as if the implications hadn't occurred to her until Kay voiced them aloud. "No, it was a bit of mischief. That was all." Her mouth opened and closed as if to say more.

"A bit of mischief?" Kay kicked the creeping cell phone away. It hit the hard plastic barrier with a crunch that made her flinch and slid down to the floor. Had she finally killed it? "You really going with that one?"

Serena shrugged. "A consolation prize, then."

Kay bared her teeth in a humorless grin. "At least that's more believable." She thunked her head back against the wall. She debated the wisdom of her original plan. The princess hadn't exactly proven trustworthy, but she hadn't not proven so either, since she clearly had no love for Stanley or any of Fantasy Land Inc. Therefore she had no reason not to help Kay with her problem. Really, she owed her 'consolation prize' some answers, at least. Kay licked her suddenly paper dry lips.

"So," said Kay, trying and failing to find a jumping point for her question. Might as well just spit it out. "They make us sign an NDA when we're hired."

Serena's eyebrows crept higher. She shifted the volumes of her skirts around her as she settled back on the floor. Kay's head lolled as she watched her, too exhausted to comment. It wasn't fair for someone who spent her days in a dank subterranean dungeon to look so put together.

Serena's golden gaze caught hers. "Yes, I hear it's a doozy," she prompted.

There was a sour taste in Kay's mouth, and a sinking suspicion Serena was toying with her again. "Forget it," said Kay. She lurched to her feet and nudged the cell phone but it remained prone on the floor. No wonder, when the screen was a frosted cracked mass, but to be sure, she popped out the battery and tucked both parts in her overalls. Nothing damning left but the broken glass on the floor. Maybe there was something on the tea cart that could be used to explain away the glass.

"Wait," said Serena.

Kay ignored her as she tried to sweep the broken glass with her boots. Not an ideal solution but safer than picking it up with her hands. Why did she think it was a good idea to come down here? Why had she risked bringing the cursed cell phone here in the first place when she could have smashed it to oblivion at any time? All these huge risks she didn't have to take if she just stopped to think for a hot minute. Coming here, talking to the golden Serena, was another huge risk she could have avoided. So, why did she come here?

"Aren't you curious how you got past the front gate?"

She stopped so fast, she nearly toppled over. Kay glanced up at the princess. It was there for a second, replaced in a blink for practiced nonchalance but Kay saw it; a hint of desperation.

Kay stepped back into the room and she could have sworn Serena's bared shoulders dropped an inch as her frame relaxed. Kay didn't know what to do with this turn of events.

"That was you?" She still didn't trust Serena farther than she could possibly throw her, which considering how many layers her gown had probably wasn't far. That dress had to weigh forty pounds by itself. "I thought outside the building was safe from magic."

"How many floors up does the technology ban last?"

"Up to the fifth floor. Why--oh," said Kay. The internal light bulb dinged. "That's why Fantasy Land Inc is so secluded. Why bother letting us get that close with cell phones? Why not tell us to leave them at home?"

Serena gave another shrug, which was more of a delicate roll of her shoulders. "The more complex the spell, the closer a person or object must be," said the princess. "But a simple 'Don't Look Here' was easy enough."

Kay shook her head, not sure what to believe. "Why bother? And how did you know I was there?"

Serena sighed through her nose. "I knew that was coming." Her cell phone chose that moment to let her know it was very much not dead nor required its battery to deliver a shock to her thigh. Kay yipped and flung it from her pocket. Serena smiled. "Though I admit, I was surprised you brought it with you."

She pushed open her side of the drop box, curling a finger that brought the beleaguered device scuttling inside and out of Kay's reach before she could react. Serena cradled the cell phone in her hands like a wounded animal. "There, there, you're safe now," she cooed to it.

Kay's left eye began to twitch. "You still haven't told me why you bothered."

"Does it matter? This isn't why you're here," said Serena, stroking the cracked screen. Kay swore the cell phone emitted a buzz of contentment.

"Am I cursed?" She blurted.

Serena's blinked those aged gold eyes at her. "How would I know?"

"Because--you--uh--ah--you cursed my cell phone," sputtered Kay.

"This?" Serena nodded to the purring device. "That's not a curse, Kay. It's an enchantment."

"Semantics," snarled Kay. She started pacing. "What's the freaking difference?"

"Curses are not my area of expertise," said Serena. "My strength is in enchantments and charms, and the difference is very important." The cell phone chirped in agreement.

Kay frowned at her. "Why?"

"Curses are dark magic. Their use taints the body and mind." Serena appeared unusually solemn as she spoke. "They pack a punch, but they're usually not worth the price."

Kay's skin prickled at the thought. Would Fantasy Land Inc use dark magic on its employees? "Could you tell if I had a curse on me?"

"There might be a way." Serena pursed her lips. "What's in it for me?"

Kay stared at her, torn between yelling and laughing. If she started yelling, she wasn't sure she could stop. "You owe me?"

"That sounds like a question," said Serena. Her thumb rubbed across the cell phone's screen and the spider web series of cracks, leaving smooth unblemished glass in its wake.

Kay searched the cell behind her, unwilling to look the princess in the eye, or watch her fingers work. "I could bring you more books."

The path of Serena's fingers paused, despite the plaintive beeps from the phone. "What kind of books?" A flicker of interest lit her face.

Oh my. If Kay though the princess perfect before, now she was downright devastating. "What kind of books would you want?" If her voice was a little breathy Serena didn't appear to notice.

"No one's asked me before," said the princess.

"You mean they just dump harlequins on you?"

Serena rolled her shoulders in her signature shrug. "What would you recommend?"

What would Kay recommend as reading material to a fairy tale princess in a dungeon? "I can bring you a sampling."

Serena's expression turned calculating. The cell phone flipped end over end in her hands and vanished into the depths of her skirts as she gracefully rose to her feet and retrieved something from her desk. She fiddled with the object cupped in her hands, before she leaned down and blew into the hollow of her hands, presumably onto whatever object she held there. Satisfied, she tossed it into the two way drop box before Kay could get a good look at it. Whatever it was, it was small and cylindrical.

With no small amount of skepticism, Kay pulled open the drop box as a tube of Very Cherry lip gloss rolled into view.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Obviously, you smear it on your lips," said Serena. "They are quite dry. You really need to moisturize."

Kay glared at her until the golden princess rolled her eyes.

"I swear you have no sense of humor," she said. "Use it to see if you wear a curse."

"You made curse detecting lip gloss?"

"We work with the materials on hand," said Serena.

"How will I tell it worked?" Kay uncapped the lip gloss, unleashing the cloying scent of chemical cherry.

"The flavor will change," said Serena.

"That seems rather subtle," said Kay as she carefully rubbed the gloss over her lips. "Wouldn't it be better if it changed color or temperature or--oh my god it tastes like green apple." Kay licked her mouth and shuddered as the flavor of chemically distilled apples flooded her mouth.

"Oh dear," said Serena. "You are most definitely cursed."

"Tell me something I don't know," muttered Kay, trying to wipe the gloss from her mouth.

"Green apple you say?" Serena tapped her chin with one manicured finger. "Sounds like Fantasy Land Inc doesn't trust its employees at all."

Kay finally scrubbed her face on her overalls. "I was pretty clear on that when they made me sign an NDA that said telling anyone about them would result in permanent termination."

Serena huffed. "Not sure why they bothered to waste the paper when you have a gag order built into the curse. You couldn't say a word to anyone on the outside, no matter how much you wanted to."