Never After (School for Good and Evil x Reader)

Chapter 5

"Why do we need to uglify?"

I sat with my elbow on my desk, cheek resting in my hand as I stared at Professor Manley. Around me, Nevers sat at additional charred desks with rusty mirrors, cheerily bashing tadpoles to death in iron bowles. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were making a Sunday cake.

Sophie was beside me, fuming.

"Why do we need to be revolting and repugnant?" Manley jowled. "Hester!"

"Because it makes us fearsome," Hester said, and swigged her tadpole juice, instantly springing a rash of red pox.

"Wrong!" roared Manley. "Anadil!"

"Because it makes little boys cry," Anadil said, sprouting her own red blisters.

"Wrong! Dot!"

"Because it's easier to get ready in the morning?" Dot asked, mixing her juice with chocolate.

"Wrong and stupid!" Manley scorned. "Only once you give up the surface can you dig beneath it! Only once you relinquish vanity can you be yourself!"

Sophie crawled behind desks, lunged for the door—the knob burnt her hand and she yelped. I sighed.

"Only once you destroy who you think you are can you embrace who you truly are!" Manley said, glaring right at her.

Whimpering, Sophie crawled back to her desk, past villains exploding in shingles.

Smoky-green ranks popped out of thin air—"1" over Hester, "2" over Anadil, "3" over oily, brown-skinned Ravan, "4" over blond, pointyeared Vex. Hort drank his draught excitedly, only to see a wee zit spurt from his chin. He smacked away a stinky "19," but the rank smacked him right back.

"You need to stop fighting this," I whispered to Sophie. "Or at least be less obvious about it. You're going to get yourself killed at this rate."

"I don't want to stay in this school for another moment!" she hissed back. "I'm not like you. I'm Good."

I frowned, not quite agreeing with her implication. I mean, sure, I wasn't exactly the epitome of all things good and gracious, but. . .I wasn't Evil.

Was I?

"Ugliness means you rely on intelligence," Manley was saying, slinking towards Sophie. "Ugliness means you trust your soul. Ugliness means freedom."

He flung a bowl onto her desk.

Sophie cleared her throat.

"Actually, Professor, I believe my Beautification teacher will object to my participation in this assign—"

"Three failing marks and you'll end up something uglier than me," Manley spat.

Sophie looked up. "I really don't think that's possible."

Manley turned to the class. "Who would like to help our dear Sophie taste freedom?"

"Me!"

Sophie whipped around.

"Don't worry," Hort whispered, "you'll look better this way."

Before Sophie could scream, he plunged her head into the bowl.

***

Henchmen Training took place in the Belfry, a dreary open-air cloister atop Malice tower that required a thirty-flight ascent up a staircase so narrow the students were squeezed into single file.

"So . . . nauseous," Dot panted.

"If she pukes near me, I'm throwing her off the tower," Hester crabbed.