Lilac didn't care about the blood on her new dress. She didn't care about the Ball being ruined. She didn't care about the looks on everyone's faces. She only cared about Garth in those moments. And he was gone forever.
"Gar-th," she choked, unable to see through her tears. But she could feel the lifelessness of his body, the lack of a heartbeat. He was gone, and her screams couldn't bring him back.
"Oh, Lilac," Isabella squealed, hugging her friend as tears came to her own eyes. Edward put a hand on Garth's forehead. Lilac glanced at him through watery eyes. The prince was sitting up straight, but he was fighting for control of his emotions.
"Goodbye...friend," he said mournfully, bowing his head. Some in the crowd gasped at this, but most felt the weight of this death. Kergy and Jerald were watching in a small corner, silently saying their own goodbyes. The scraping of claws against the floor neared. Out of the crowd came Scar and Vicky. The wolf came up to Lilac's side, sniffing Garth.
He's not..., the wolf denied. He can't be...
Garth's dead, Lilac confirmed. The wolf nudged the Never's head, whimpering. Vicky came along beside him and cried into his shoulder when she saw Garth unresponsive. Scar howled, the echo bouncing off the walls continuously. Lilac laid Garth on the ground gently.
"He's just a Never," Stephan grumbled. Edward leaped to his feet and would have punched the killer if Richard and Amanda hadn't held him back.
"You don't feel any remorse! Any regret! You killed him!" the prince growled, fighting against his restraints. Amanda calmed him down as Stephan neared Lilac.
"You didn't really-"
"Leave me alone," she interrupted, drying her eyes with her sleeve. She picked up Garth's arm and placed it on his chest. When she took his other hand, his finger glowed a vibrant black. It wasn't until then that she realized how white her finger was glowing.
Suddenly, a burst of magic exploded from their fingertips and shot up Garth's arm. As it did, the sleeve of his jacket grew darker until it was pure black. Lilac watched as the magic continued down his other arm, but also shot up into his face and chest. His collared shirt turned black, the vest and tie blood red. The magic shot down his legs, but not before giving him a sheathed sword. His pants changed to black and his boots to red.
Lilac stared into his face. The scars didn't fade, but his skin grew brighter. His matted hair was fresh and combed. He looked as if he hadn't died. He looked like he had taken a shower of all things. Scar nudged the boy's face. In response, Garth coughed.
"Garth," Lilac breathed, unsure what she was seeing. The Never opened his eyes, once again a vibrant blue. He looked around, his eyes landing on Lilac.
"I must have been good enough to go to heaven. You can't be anything but an angel," he sighed. Lilac laughed as he slowly sat up. She wrapped her arms around him immediately, unable to contain her joy. He hugged her back.
"I thought you were dead!" she cried into his shoulder. Garth scoffed.
"What do you think was going through my mind?" Everyone stared at them in shock.
"He's alive."
"But how?"
"Stephan killed him."
"Garth!" Kergy and Jerald ran over and helped him up. Almost immediately, they hugged him tightly.
"Air. Need air," he wheezed. The Nevers let him go, pretending that nothing had happened. Scar barked, sitting beside him regally. Garth gave him a pat on the head.
"Did I come back during a funeral?" he asked. Lilac laughed as he took her hands into his.
"Sort o-mm!" She didn't get to finish before Garth pulled her into a kiss. Kergy and Jerald looked away, fake gagging as they peeked at the kiss. Isabella gasped as another burst of magic spread across Lilac. Her hair hung loose in long curls. Her white dress changed into a sparkling pink gown, a sash across her shoulder. They let go, Lilac noticing the new dress and Garth's glowing finger. He sneered.
"I prefer you in pink," he explained. Lilac giggled as he pulled her closer. Stephan gawked at the couple, his anger pointed more toward Garth.
"But...I killed you. You should be dead," the prince mused. Garth looked at the prince, holding Lilac by the waist.
"But I'm not. What are you going to do about it?" Stephan's breath grew heavier as he stared at the Never. His finger glowed bright blue, causing everyone to back away. Garth shifted in front of Lilac, the princess holding onto his shoulder. Stephan snarled.
"Why don't you attack?" he called out to the audience. "He's a Never. In our school. Stealing princesses. We should be stopping him, like the Evers we are." The crowd grew unsteady. Garth turned to Lilac.
"You should get back," he told her. She shook her head.
"I'm not leaving you." In response, she clung to his arm even tighter.
"You won't harm anyone else ever again, Never!" Stephan shouted as a blue bolt flew from his fingertips. Garth sidestepped in front of Lilac, the bolt coming in too quickly for them to move.
Suddenly, Edward jumped out in front at the last minute. The crowd screamed as the prince hit the ground, groaning.
"Edward!" Garth kneeled by his friend. He turned the prince over to find a scorch mark on his jacket. Edward was heaving for breath as Garth investigated further.
"Ed!" Amanda squealed, staring into his eyes. "Why did you do that?" Edward kept gasping for breath, beads of sweat trailing down his face.
"The...Good...defend," he replied in between gasps. Garth took off his jacket, folded it up, and sat it under Edward's head.
"Yeah, well, I appreciate it. But that was a dumb move. You're a smart guy and you do this?" Garth complained as he unbuttoned the prince's shirt. What he found wasn't good. Edward's chest was black and blue, not in the case of bruising, but the magic version of poison. Something Garth had learned in class.
"What is that?" Lilac breathed as she reached over to touch it. Garth grabbed her wrist before she could. She looked at him, but he didn't turn to her. He just stared at the mark with widening eyes. All of a sudden, Lilac could see the recognition on his face, the gears slowly turning in his mind. "Garth?"
"Poisons and Diseases with Magic," Garth breathed. Kergy laughed.
"Awe man. That was a good book. I liked the spell that made the plague," he noted. Garth got up and stared down Stephan.
"Kinda wanted to read it. Until it went missing," he continued. Stephan's expression changed from cruel to shock. "You took the book. You learned the spells. Why?" Everyone turned to Stephan. The prince's surprised look changed to regal rage. He stood tall, staring down Garth.
"To protect Lilac from you," he answered. "She wouldn't stop going to you and was putting herself in danger every time she did. I had to get rid of you in order to protect her. So I took the book, found a spell that would work just fine. No one would know I had gotten rid of you and Lilac would be safe." Garth shook his head. He couldn't believe this.
"You were right, Lilac," he said. The princess stared at him.
"About?"
Garth glared at Stephan as he replied, "A soul's purity being masked." His finger glowed a dark black. He closed his eyes and extended his hand toward Stephan. The prince scoffed at him. Until Evers backed away. He glanced at a crystal statue. His face was covered in the warts and rashes he had tried to hide. As he watched, his hair faded into white.
"What are you doing to me!" Stephan growled, his strong form weakening slightly. Garth opened his eyes.
"Showing everyone what you've been hiding," he replied, putting his hand down. "You knew you were Evil. The whole time." Stephan snarled.
"I'm not Evil! I'm Good! I have a princess!" Garth shook his head.
"A princess doesn't make you Good, Stephan. You are Evil." Garth looked around at the audience, fear on each of their faces. "The Evil attack, the Good defend. The Evil hurt, the Good help," Garth stated. Kergy and Jerald gawked at Garth. Lilac and Edward smiled. Everyone else stared, starting to understand. Garth was Good and Stephan was Evil.
"That can't be." Richard stepped out of the crowd, staring at his brother. "You're a prince. You fight for our people. You are Good."
"I'd stay back, Richard," Garth warned. Stephan kept his eyes on his brother.
"Stephan, this isn't you," Richard continued, nearing his brother. "I know who you are. And it's not this." Stephan didn't move. Just stared.
"Sorry, Richard. But the Stephan you knew was never here." The prince disappeared in a pillar of smoke. Everyone looked around, trying to find him. Garth picked up Edward and ran out the door.
"Garth, hold up!" Lilac screamed as she and Amanda followed. Garth ran up one of the towers, hoping to run into a teacher. He kept going until he miraculously found a door that said "Professor Dovey." He kicked it down and found the teacher talking to Professor Sader.
"No time to explain," he said quickly as the woman stared at him with a shocked look. "Edward got hit with the lightning death spell. Can you help?" Professor Dovey darted across the room and checked on Edward, now unconscious. She nodded.
"Set him down over here," she ordered, motioning to a long couch. While Garth put the prince down, the professor ran to her book shelf and flipped pages in some kind of spell book. Lilac and Amanda ran in first, out of breath.
"I...said..." Lilac was gasping.
"Sorry. Couldn't wait," Garth replied before she could finish. Professor Dovey kneeled beside the boy and started to silently chant. Garth watched until he felt some one breath down his neck. He turned to see Professor Sader staring at him. Or, looking in his direction. The man's blind eyes were looking ahead, but it felt like he was staring at Garth.
"Something wrong, sir?" he asked. The man smiled.
"How was the Ball, Garth?" Sader asked. Garth almost jumped.
"How did you-"
"Know it was you?" Sader finished. "Pretty simple, at least in my terms. An explanation would probably confuse you even more." Garth nodded. Sader continued to stare. "It's polite to answer a question, young man."
"I know," he replied. "I was just trying to find a way to explain it." Edward gasped, waking up in a sweat. Garth kneeled beside him. "You're ok, bud." Edward caught his breath somewhat, relaxing on the soft couch.
"Edward," Amanda said, sitting on the edge of the couch after Dovey had moved away. She stroked his face, the prince smiling. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm in a dream," he murmured, holding her hand to his cheek. "Don't stop." Garth chuckled, but stopped when he noticed the woman's face.
"What happened?" Professor Dovey questioned. Before Garth could say a word, he heard the squeals of a pig. Jerald. Through the door walked Lady Lesso, dragging Kergy and Jerald by their ears. The teacher for Evil smiled.
"There you are, Garth. I must say, interesting plan." Professor Dovey looked from Lady Lesso to Garth.
"What's going on?" she asked again. Garth smiled sheepishly.
"I may have snuck into the Ball as Stephan. But that's not even the whole story." Garth ended up babbling on, telling the three teachers everything. The fact Stephan was Evil and he was Good, the former prince's actions and disappearance, and the details of his own death were given to the teachers. When he was done, they stared at him with awe and suspicion. Not even Lilac's and Edward's backing seemed to convince them. Finally, Sader said something.
"Did you have a weird dream this year?" Garth nodded.
"Actually, it happened exactly as your theory on Nemesis Dreams stated," he replied. Sader nodded slowly.
"What theory?" Dovey asked. Sader partially raised his hand.
"It was something I had foreseen and felt I needed to put into words. It seems it set you on the right track, Garth." Garth nodded. The other three Evers in the room, however, were very confused.
"What did you foresee? What about Nemesis Dreams?" Amanda asked first. The history teacher turned to her.
"A long time ago, I had seen the moments when Garth and Stephan were having these dreams. It was a Nemesis Dream, but because their places were switched, they only saw themselves in the form they were supposed to be. For example, Garth should have seen himself as a prince." Garth nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, I did. So that happened because I was in the wrong school?" Professor Sader nodded. Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey's faces darkened, but they didn't say a word. Lilac took Garth's hand and looked at the teachers.
"So, what's going to happen?" Lady Lesso turned to Professor Dovey and vice versa.
"We need to find Stephan immediately," Dovey replied. "There can be no telling how dangerous he is." Garth stepped forward.
"With all due respect," he said, "I think I know where to look. But it's a long shot and I have to do it alone." Edward scoffed.
"No, you don't. I can help." Garth glanced at him.
"I'm not putting your life in danger. Besides, this isn't your story." Sader seemed to be the only one who understood what he meant. Luckily, the seer decided to explain.
"Stephan is Garth's nemesis and vice versa. The only way their story will end is for Garth or Stephan to win their battle." Lilac held him tighter.
"No, I'm going with you," she said. "I'm not leaving you to fight him alone." Garth took her hands into his.
"Scar will go with me. You know that wolf isn't going to let me go off on an evil prince hunt without him." Lilac shook her head.
"I'm still-"
"No, you're not," Garth interrupted. "I don't want you getting hurt, and that's exactly what happened last time." Garth turned to the teachers. "Permission to leave?" They nodded. Before Garth ran out of the room, he kissed Lilac on the forehead.
"I'll be back." She watched as he ran off, uncertain of his fate in this "destined battle." She could only hope.