Harriet Jinjur vs. the Academy

Chapter 15: The Truth About Jane Jinjur

Sight had returned to Betsy and Charity once Harriet looked away from the pond and they quickly hid from behind the bush before their adversary noticed them.

"That's her mom?" whispered Charity. "No wonder her daughter's the Chosen One."

"That doesn't prove anything," Betsy said crossly. "Palm reading is kids' stuff. She's got to be more than that."

"I don't know. She looked like of normal to me."

"Probably what Harriet got it from," Betsy resumed peeking towards the clearing. "Which makes it all the more dangerous."

Charity let out a quiet gulp before standing up on her tip-toes to be on the Elvinberk student's side.

Harriet couldn't help but to turn her head over to the Queen's puppet carriage, "My mom was on TV?"

"Many times, and then some. She was part of a traveling circuit."

"Never thought she made a living on showing everybody a good time," the student swept the water off her face with her hands.

"There's clearly a better way to say that," Elmnope said uncomfortably. "You're merely implying your mother's a prostitute."

"Well, that's what you get when you hear the words, 'People's Palmist' together," snapped Harriet. "It certainly doesn't mean a psychic sucker game!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," 'she' calmly stated. "Tell the pond you now want to see Jane in 1968."

"1968?" Harriet spun her head back to the wooden theatre. "Isn't there anything else to go through?"

"We don't wish to watch every part of her life in one day. The Monarchy is no paparazzi!"

"Yeah," she murmured. "You're more like A&E."

"Whatever you want to compare us to..." Elmnope motioned to the pond. "Just ask Dinah what's next in her waters."

"OK. I better not get drenched," Harriet bent down to the pond once more. Betsy eyed her from behind intently, using her wand once more to watch whatever's from the pond.

"Dinah? Could you show me Jane Jinjur in 1968?"

The pond instantly bubbles up another whirlpool, causing Harriet to step back to keep herself from getting wet. After five seconds, the pond clears to a reflection of a London shop corner. An older Jane, who clearly looks different from the televised appearance aside from age and her pristine white gloves, poked her head out from an alley, and looking around as if somebody was behind her.

"Queenie..." Harriet said without taking her eyes off the pond. "Context. Now..."

"Don't you know anything about 1968?" Elmnope said tenderly. "The year that the twentieth century died?"

"Isn't that supposed to be in a couple years ahead?"

"Of course," 'she' stated. "But amidst to all the assassinations and warfare, there's been a rebellion from the new generation."

"Yeah, yeah," said Harriet. "Woodstock, tie-dye shirts, B.O. I'm sure your little community wasn't immune to all that."

"They definitely weren't," the puppet theatre rolled forward. "The Academy suffered from a strike which all the students wanted more non-magical studies. They felt magic was useless in providing a good life, even the teachers joined in."

"Sounds like my kind of my people," Harriet smiled.

"But your kind of people, as you call it, went too far and were beaten into submission, even your mother took the blunt of it."