The School for Good and Evil Prequel The Never Prince (fanfic)

Chapter 14

Fifteen minutes felt like an eternity for Lilac. She glanced at the Never who was next to go in. He had pure green eyes and shaggy brown hair. He smiled at her and winked, probably trying to flirt. But it looked more like he was marking her for an evening meal.

She got the urge to run when Castor yelled, "SECOND PAIR READY!" She was tossed in before she could protest. She tumbled in the blue grass as the gates closed. The Never shot up and ran toward her. She was faster though, running in the opposite direction.

As she ran into the trees, she could hear the Never close behind. Her mind plucked a memory from Gavaldon, when Garth had used the trees as a hiding spot. Her eyes darted around the trees until she found one with a strong branch. She ran for it, jumped, and clambered onto it. She held her breath as the Never came into view.

"Here pretty, pretty princess," he cackled, his hand bursting into flames. She didn't move a muscle as he passed by her tree and continued deeper into the forest. Lilac stayed where she was until his footsteps were gone. She dropped to the ground and started to walk away from where he had gone.

She stayed silent, knowing less noise was better for her. She passed through blue ferns and stepped over turquoise hedges. Rather than pitch black, everything had an eerie blue glow. A slight fog near the ground made her feet invisible.

A scream pierced the silence, frightening Lilac. It sounded close, which made her fears much worse. White sparks filled the night air. Marie. She had dropped her handkerchief and was out of the competition. An ominous growl snapped Lilac back to her senses. She ran, not caring how much noise she made. Just caring about how fast she could run.

The snarl neared, giving Lilac more momentum. She was in the pumpkin patch, blue pumpkins all in a row. She ran in between the rows until she noticed a figure in front of her. A giant, hairy beast stood in her path. Its snarl made it very clear what he wanted. Blood.

"I hope you're a nice beast," Lilac shivered. "Like in that one fairy tale with the princess and how she befriends a beast." The air was still, nothing moving. White fangs shimmered in the moonlight as the beast roared, spit flying and hitting the Ever's face. "I guess not!" She ran in the opposite direction, not looking back. The beast's heavy footsteps followed close behind, rocking the ground.

The howl of the wolves announced the arrival of the third group. A prince was in that group. As she ran, she yelled for help, trying to get the prince's attention. He didn't know her, but there was no way he could resist saving a princess.

The monster snarled and sped up. Lilac kept running. She focused on some kind of emotion, trying to get her finger to light. If she could send off a flare, or blind the beast, or-

Someone ran into her and shoved her out of the beast's path. It continued forward until it disappeared into the trees. Lilac sat up and saw her rescuer. The Never with the green eyes. He smiled cheekily.

"I bet you're glad I had my eye on you," he said proudly, winking at her. Lilac stood up immediately and looked around for the beast. "Don't worry, pretty," he continued, standing up. "I'll make sure that thing doesn't get ya. Who needs a prince when you got a Never." Lilac grabbed his handkerchief, holding it away from him.

"You're not my kinda guy," she replied, dropping the fabric. He tried to grab it, but it hit the ground. He disappeared and a shower of red fireworks lit the sky above her. Who needs a prince when you got a Never. The words he had said left her vulnerable. She wanted Garth back. He was a part of her. His story was hers, and her story was his. Stephan was no replacement for Garth. A prince wasn't family.