The morning started miserably for one girl. Not only had Sophie gotten
zero sleep, but now she was back in their mismatched schools for another
day of despicable classes. Even worse, she couldn't understand the answer to
the School Master's riddle, even when something was familiar.
And if all this wasn't bad enough, their Hobgoblin Debacle had become the
talk of both schools.
In Uglification, Sophie tried to ignore all the snickers and focus on Manley's lecture about the proper use of capes. This took valiant concentration, given Hester's vengeful glares and the fact that capes could be used for protection, invisibility, disguise, or flight, depending on their fabric and grain, with each type requiring different incantations. Manley
blindfolded the students for the class challenge, where students raced to identify their given cape's fabric and successfully put it to use.
"I didn't know magic was so complicated," Hort murmured, massaging his cape to see if it was silk or satin.
"And this is just capes," Dot said, smelling hers. "Wait until we do
spells!"
But if there was one thing Sophie knew, it was clothes. She recognized snakeskin under her fingers, mentally said the incantation, and went invisible under her slinky black cape. The feat earned her another top rank and a look from Hester so lethal Sophie thought she might burst into flames.
Across the moat, poor Agatha and her friends couldn't turn a corner without seeing Tedros and
his mates mimicking hobgoblin lurches, howling gibberish, and beating
each other with squashes. Wherever she went, Tedros and company
followed, braying and grunting at the top of their lungs.
Beatrix, Crystal, Kiko, and of course Agatha had enough.
Agatha snatched a squash and jabbed Tedros in the chest with it.
"The only reason this happened is because you chose ME! Stop being so dramatic!"
Tedros gaped dumbly as she and her friends stormed off.
"You chose Agatha?" asked Chaddick.
Tedros turned to find boys staring. "No, I—she tricked—I didn't—" He pulled his sword. "Who wants to fight?"
With Hansel's Haven still in ruins, classes were moved to the tower
common rooms. Agatha followed a herd of Evers through the Breezeways linking all the Good towers in a zigzag of colorful glass passages high over the lake. While crossing a purple breezeway to Charity, Agatha and her friends fot distracted and lost the crowds.
After several turns through the supper hall, a sneak excursion to the Groom Room, (Kiko's Idea) and a slight mishap on Valor Tower, ( How was Crystal to know there was boys there?) They finally tracked down the Charity Commons. The pink chaise couches were already full. But as Agatha and her friends came in, all the girls stood up and offered their couches.
Blushing, Agatha sat at one of the couches with her friends.
"So, how's that boy you wished for?" Crystal asked.
"Tristan?" Kiko's face fell. "He likes Beatrix. Every boy likes Beatrix or Agatha . But that was before the Hobgoblin Challenge."
"But he gave you his rose," Agatha said, remembering her wish at the lake.
"By accident. I jumped in front of Beatrix to catch it." Kiko gave Beatrix a dirty look. "Do you think he'll take me to the Ball? Not every boy can take that she-wolf."
Crystal giggled. But Agatha frowned. "What ball?"
"The Evers Snow Ball! It's right before Christmas and every one of us has to find a boy to take us or we're failed! We get ranked as couples based on our presentation, demeanor, and dancing. Why do you think we all wished for different boys at the lake? Girls are practical like that. Boys just all want the prettiest one." Kiko grinned.
"Who do you have your eye on?"
Before Agatha could reply, the doors flew open and a busty woman
flounced in wearing a bejeweled red turban and scarf that matched her
dress, caked caramel makeup, swarthy kohl around her eyes, Gypsy hoop
earrings, and jangling tambourine bracelets.
"Umm . . . Professor Anemone?" Agatha gawked.
"I am Scherezade," Professor Anemone boomed in a ridiculous accent.
"Queen of Persia. Sultaness of the Seven Seas. Behold my dusky desert
beauty."
She whipped off her scarf and did a terrible belly dance. "See how I
seduce you with my hips!" She veiled her face and blinked like an owl.
"See how I tempt you with my eyes!" She shook her bosom and beat her bangles noisily. "See how I become Midnight's
Temptress!"
"More like smoked kebab," Crystal murmured.
Kiko giggled.
Professor Anemone's smile vanished, as did the accent. "Here I thought I'd teach you to survive 1001 Arabian Nights—dune-ready makeup, hegira fashions, even a proper Dance of the Seven Veils—but perhaps I should start with something less amusing." She tightened her turban.
"Fairies have alerted me that candy has been vanishing from Hansel's Haven even while it is under repair. As you know, our school's classrooms are made of candy as a reminder of all the temptations that you will face beyond our gates." Her eyes narrowed. "But we know what happens to girls who eat candy. Once they start, they can't stop. They stray from the path.
They fall prey to witches. They gorge themselves on self-pleasure until they
die obese, unmarried, and riddled with warts."
The girls were aghast someone would vandalize the tower, let alone ruin
their figure with candy. Agatha looked around just as scandalized. That's
when the marshmallows fell out of an unfortunate girl's pocket, followed by a blue lollipop, a hunk of gingerbread, and two bricks of fudge. Twenty gasps came at once.
"I didn't have time for breakfast!" that girl insisted. "I didn't eat all
night!"
But no one was sympathetic, not including Agatha, who was amazed that someone would do that.
"You'll be cleaning plates after supper for next two weeks, Coraline," said
her professor. "A useful reminder of the one thing princesses have that
villains do not."
"A proper diet," Professor Anemone huffed.
"How about poison in her food?" Hester spat.
"She doesn't eat," said Anadil, tramping with her through Malice Hall.
"How about poisoned lipstick?"
"They'll lock us in the Doom Room for weeks!" fretted Dot, lumbering to
keep up.
"I don't care how we do it or how much trouble we get in," Hester hissed.
"I want that snake gone."
She threw open the door to Room 66 to find Sophie sobbing on her bed.
"Um, snake's crying," Anadil said.
"Are you okay, love?" Dot asked, suddenly sorry for the girl she was
supposed to kill.
Blubbering, Sophie poured out everything that happened in the School
Master's tower.
". . . But now there's a riddle and I don't know the answer and Tedros thinks I'm a witch because I keep winning challenges and no one understands the reason I keep winning is that I'm good at everything!"
Hester was ready to strangle her right there. Then her face changed.
"This riddle. If you answer it . . . you go home?"
Sophie nodded.
"And we never have to see you again?" said Anadil.
Sophie nodded.
"We'll solve it," her roommates pounced.
"You will?" Sophie blinked.
"You know how badly you want to go home?" said Hester.
"We want you to go home more," said Anadil.
"Well, at least you believe me," Sophie frowned, wiping tears.
"Guilty until proven innocent," Hester said. "It's the Never way."
"I wouldn't tell any of this to an Ever, though. They'll think you're mad
as a hatter," said Anadil.
"That's what I thought, but who lies about breaking so many rules?" Dot
said, failing to turn her swan crest to chocolate. "Really, this bird is
incorrigible."
"What's the School Master like?" Hester asked Sophie.
"He's old. Very, very old."
"And you actually saw the Storian?" Anadil asked.
"That strange pen? It wrote about us the whole time."
"It what?" said the three girls at once.
"But you're in school!" Hester said.
"What can happen in school that's worthy of a fairy tale?" said Anadil.
"I'm sure it's just a mistake, like everything else," Sophie sniffled. "I just need to solve the riddle, tell the School Master, and poof, I'm out of this cursed place. Simple."
She saw the girls exchange looks. "Isn't it?"
"There's two puzzles here," Anadil said, eyeing Hester. "The School
Master's riddle."
Hester turned to Sophie. "And why he wants you to solve it."
YOU ARE READING
The Princesses of Gavaldon
FanfictionWhat if Vanessa took Agatha with her? What if Sophie was left with Callis? What if Agatha believed she was beautiful? Read on to find out!
