School for good and evil REMIXED

The Ever

15-year-old Katezmira Ashen was not a normal girl.

Of course, that’s quite obvious when I add the fact she was destined to be the heroine of a fairytale that will be told hundreds of years from now.

But she never had been a normal girl, even when she was very young and small.

She was very nice, for one thing. Impeccably and determinedly nice. If you told her that you had forgotten your lunch, she would start a protest against school lunch prices and demand you be given a free meal everyday for the rest of your life. If you told her your parents had been the slightest bit mean to you, she would renovate her house to accompany a new bedroom and invite you to move in. She never earned any money, as whenever anyone gave her some, she would immediately spend it on their thank you present.

For a second thing, she was weirdly and perfectly pretty. She had sparkling, sapphire blue eyes with the rare combination of radiant olive skin. Her hair was wavy and smooth, maybe a shade or two darker brown than her face. She was skinny, average height for her age.

She also talked to animals. They didn’t talk back necessarily, but she could definitely understand what they wanted.

Today is Saturday. The sun has risen, the birds are singing, and Katezmira has just woken up. She opens the door of her family’s humble cottage and breaths in the sweet air.

Here, readers may insert a montage of singing and cleaning and breakfast-making with the help of two squirrels, three bluebirds, several mice, a deer, two rabbits, three raccoons and an owl. Her father has gone out to tend to the sheep, her mother is helping her clean, and her younger sister, Quincey, is playing with the rabbits.

That all seems well and good for the most part. I do wonder about the animals, though. Raccoons and such can carry disease- although Katezmira never got sick. You never know what might happen if someone gets sick. She might have gotten ugly or something.

After the chores are done, Katezmira, in a spinning white dress with a dark top, goes for a walk down the street, picking flowers, humming, and altogether just having a good time. The walk eventually led her to a green path through the woods. Her parents, who let her go without a thought, didn’t know they wouldn't see her again until that summer. And she didn’t know that tonight she would fall asleep in a boarding room of the same school girls of the names Ella, Snow, Belle, Tiana, and Aurora had gone to before her.

When she was farthest from her house, just about to turn around and head back, Katezmira stopped. A faint light was shining through the trees, from far, far away. It was like the sun rising, only by now it was around 10:30 in the morning.

She stumbled forward, a dreamlike feeling coming over her as the light continued to rise. Her vision was slowly filling up with the strange glow, and soon she could see nothing else. It was warm and welcoming, as if it had been waiting for her. She suddenly felt very, very warm, and very tired.

Then she woke up.


The Never

15-year-old Miromaximus Grimhilde was not a normal girl.

This, for a very different reason than Katezmira’s, is because she is the daughter of the evil queen.

She was a cruel girl. This was not by choice. Miromaximus simply was. She grew up on all the same stories as Katezmira had, except Miro had always been drawn to the other half. The side no one ever gave more than a glare to. The stories that only ever got told from someone else’s mouth. She particularly despised the story of Snow White. From what her mother told her, it had happened quite differently from what most say.

Today is Saturday. The sky is dark and cloudy, the wind is howling, and Miro has been up for hours. Today is her first day of school. She is standing in front of a mirror, checking her outfit.

Miro was certainly not an ugly girl. She had very light skin with dark, shining brown hair that fell in ringlets, and dark brown, glittering eyes. To her mothers disappointment, she also had very red lips. Her mother did not like this as heroines such as Snow White or Sleeping Beauty had the same trait, trademarked as “Lips as red as blood” and “Lips that shamed the red, red rose.” Miro herself also knew this and as a result sometimes colored them dark with lipstick, but not so today.

She was also very tiny. Not incredibly short, but just below average. The thing that made her so small to look at was that she was very, very skinny. She is currently wearing a black dress with an obsidian necklace and complex silver and black clip tying her hair back in a braided bun.

Miro’s mother had been in her room talking with her minutes before, then left her to await the Fade. Miro was glad of this. She wanted to be alone when it happened.

Miro, unlike Kat, not only knows what is about to happen, but is very excited for it. This is going to be her first year going to this school. All the kids already know her, and she has many friends there. She is excited to see who the readers would be as well.

She hears her bedroom door open behind her. She turns around to see a young boy, her age, walking in. He has black hair and dark eyes, pale skin, and was wearing a white button-up shirt with black pants and shoes.

“Hello stand-in.” Miro says, surprised.

“Hello Miro. I was just checking if you needed anything.” He said, his face remaining emotionless.

“Oh… no, I’m good.”

“Alright.” He turns to leave, then stops. “Miro,” He says quietly, half-opening the door. “I will miss you.”

She smiled. “I’ll miss you too.”

No one knew who the Stand-in was or how he came to work for the evil queen. He had been taking care of the household since Miro was born, but never looked a day older and was somehow always there. And he didn’t blink a lot. But growing up in a big, empty castle had made Miro and the Stand-in as close as siblings.

He gives her one last glance before leaving.

Sighing, Miro sits down on her bed and closes her eyes. Suddenly, she feels very cold and very tired.

Then she woke up.


The Ever

Suddenly, Katezmira woke up, she was in a soft bed of flowers and had a blue and white lace dress on.

“What happened…” She thought to herself. She seemed to be in a sort of flower garden.

“Please report to the Hall of Good and Evil for your powers.” A soft voice said, though she wasn’t sure from where.

“Where am I…?” Katezmira thought as she got up and brushed the petals and little specks of dirt off of her dress.

She could hardly believe it. She got up and walked through the garden. It had stone walls with red roses climbing up them, and on every corner there was another shimmering flower arrangement or waterfall. It was almost like a maze.

Finally, she walked through a stone archway to see a group of boys. They were dressed in blue and gold, they looked like princes.

“Hello?” Katezmira said timidly. She had no idea who they were.

They turned around and looked at her. “Hello,” Said a tall boy with blonde hair. “Need help finding the Hall?”

Katezmira nodded nervously.

“Don’t worry, princess.” He said, “It’s just around the corner. They put it in the good school so princesses like you don’t have to walk all the way across the bridge.”

She had no idea what the bridge was, but something about the way he called her princess made her cheeks burn.

“I haven’t seen you before… But you’re not a first year student, right?”

Katezmira was offended. “I’ve never been here!”

He laughed. “But you’re not 16, right?”

“No, I’m 15.”

He looked stunned. “So you’re a reader? Really? But you look like a princess.”

She went red. “I don’t know what you're talking about.”

“Readers are non-royals who get into the school.”

“Well then yes, I’m a reader.”

He continued to stare at her as they walked.

The walls of the garden opened into a flower-covered courtyard. Here, you could turn right and walk over a huge bridge, turn left into a giant, palace-like building, or continue straight, to a smaller, white stone hall. It reminded Katezmira of a god’s temple. She continued to follow the boys as they headed towards the building’s golden doors.

What she saw inside took her breath away.

The Never

Suddenly, Miro woke up. She was falling. Falling fast, towards a familiar body of water. Other kids, some she recognized, some she didn’t, were falling all around her too, some splashing into the water. The difference was, Miro wasn’t screaming.

Splash, splash, splash, the other kids fell. Bam. Miro landed standing on a wooden crate that was with some of the other rubbish floating in the water. She didn’t really know magic, but she knew enough to influence the air and gravity to have her land right. The box was probably some kid’s luggage, but Miro didn’t care. It was already wet anyway.

She pulled out a black parasol (who knows from where) and opened it above her head. She was quite a sight, the fifteen year old beauty with her dainty black shoes and black dress cropped just above her ankles, hair all done up, parasol open to protect her from falling children and their luggage.

A particularly large splash occurred near Miro. Even with just a glance, she knew who it was. Smiling, she said to the child now clawing her way to the surface: “Hello, Harpin!”

A girl with rugged blonde hair in a loose bob gave Miro a grin.

“Hello, Miromaximus.” She said in a gritty voice. She was wearing torn black clothes, but what really drew the eye was that she had two curled black horns, like a ram’s. She was the daughter of Maleficent.

“Mind pulling me to the shore? I can’t afford to get this dress wet.” Miro called.

“Sure.”

Harpin swam towards her, kicking her feet rapidly. Grasping a loose rope that was coming out of the little handle hole of the box, she began to tug Miro to shore. When they reached the rocky beach, Miro stepped daintily off of her crate with help from Harpin’s hand. In front of them was a giant set of stone double doors, looking as if they were carved into a mountain. Looking up, you could see the School for Evil towering above you. Then there was the bridge, and across, over the water, was the School for Good.

Laughing together, the two girls followed the other students and started the climb up the rocky hill, over the bridge, and into the hall.

The Ever

The hall was beautiful. It was made entirely of white marble, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was lined with glass windows, on one side, there were stained glass portraits of Cinderella and her Prince, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip, and Snow White, with her true love. On the other, across from their nemeses, were the Stepmother, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen. At the other end of the hall, across from where she had come in, was a marble stage, with a great window portraying a golden sun and a black moon next to each other.

Along each side of the hall were rows of seats, stacked up, each one taller than the one in front of it. Underneath the windows of villains children gathered dressed in black and green, purple and brown, all laughing and talking loudly. Beneath the windows of heroes and heroines, girls in pastel gowns identical to Katezmira’s sat with boys in blue, gold, white and red prince outfits.

She followed the Princes and sat down on the bleachers underneath the window of Snow White, close to the stage. Down on the floor of the hall, where students were still coming in and finding seats, Kat saw a commotion going on. Leaning in, she saw the boy who had helped her find the hall arguing with a boy with dark hair and gray robes. The other kids started to get involved as well, the children from the side of the hall with villains were crowding around them, chanting for a fight. The boys from Kat’s side were also coming in to support the boy who had led Kat in.

Pretty soon, all of the boys dressed like princes and all of the kids from the other side of the hall had all gotten down from their seats and were joining in the yelling. The other girls on the bleachers with Kat were all covering their mouths and acting like Victorian damsels in distress. Kat was nervous, she had never liked fighting. Just when she was wondering if she should go looking for an adult to get help, two women took the stage. The first, who had light skin, blonde hair, and was in a giant, poofy white and gold dress, stood on the side of the stage closest to Kat. The other, tall with olive skin and bright green eyes that almost seemed like they were glowing, took the other side, smiling down at the fighting children.

“Students!” The lady in white shouted. “Settle down! Go to your seats.”

The green-eyed lady smiled and turned to the students after they had all clambored back into the stands. “Now. First things first. Welcome,” She said, “To the Schools of Good and Evil.” Everyone cheered. Kat, feeling she had to be appropriate, clapped politely.

The lady in white stepped up. “I am Miss Magnolia, the Dean of the School for Good.” The people on Kat’s side cheered again. “And this is Madam Berengaria, Dean of the School for Evil.” The kids from the other side cheered. “And, to all the readers in the audience,” Her eyes briefly landed on Kat, “Do not be afraid! Here, all your dreams will come true, as long as you believe it!” The kids cheered. Kat felt oddly at ease, as if she had been expecting this. “The people who you see in those stained glass windows once sat where you are today. Cinderella herself was a reader, just like you. This is your new school, where you have been chosen to learn magic and graduate to become legends of your own! Either as an Ever, living happily ever after, or as a Never.” She looked at Madam Berengaria. “And as for your families back home, you will see them again during the summer, and you may write to them to tell them where you are.” Katezmira nodded. That had been her only question. Other than that, she was strangely accepting this situation with excitement.

“And,” Madam Berengaria, the woman with bright green eyes, said, “As a little tradition… If you all still want to fight, I propose a duel!” She spread her arms out to the crowd. The students cheered. Miss Magnolia, who looked trustworthy enough, smiled and clapped her hands, so Kat decided it couldn’t be anything dangerous.

“To fight for the School of Good… I choose Bartholomew Alcides, son of Hercules!” Miss Magnolia shouted gleefully. The boy who had escorted Kat in, with his gold and blue prince-like uniform, stepped down from the bleachers and onto the main floor, smiling. Katezmira clapped, along with scattered applause from the bleachers. The boy’s eyes landed on her, and she waved. He waved back.

“And to fight for the School of Evil… Miromaximus, daughter of the Evil Queen, would you take the floor?” A girl around Kat’s age stood on the other side of the hall. She had shiny brown hair in a braided bun, sparkling eyes, red lips, and was wearing a fancy black dress, cropped just above her ankles. Unlike the scattered applause “Bartholomew” had gotten, the girl’s half of the hall broke out into screaming and clapping, hooping and hollering. She walked down the steps, her dainty black shoes tapping lightly on the marble, she approached Bartholomew in the center of the hall.

“You can’t possibly expect me to fight her!” He said, looking confused. “I’m in my last year! This is a little girl, she’s probably here for the first time!”

“Yes, I am.” The girl replied in a voice like a bell. “And you will not speak to them as if I am not here, Bartholomew.” She said commandingly.

Madam Berengaria smiled at Miro and Bartholomew’s stunned face. “Here are your swords.” Two identical silver blades appeared out of thin air in front of the two, hovering in place until they picked them up. They took their stances.

“Begin.” Miss Magnolia and Madam Berengaria said together.

The girl called Miromaximus immediately lunged forward, her blade whipping through the air too fast to see. Bartholomew stumbled backwards, desperately trying to defend himself, but after seconds, his blade was knocked to the ground. Miromaximus whipped forward, placing her blade on Bartholomew’s neck, hovering in kill position.

“Good girl.” Madam Berengaria smiled at Miromaximus. The other side of the hall erupted into cheers, and the girl turned to go back to her seat.


The Never

Miro leaned back. She watched a stunned Bartholomew-son-of- Hercules stumble back to his seat. The kids in the bleachers around her were still cheering, many of them leaning over to her to pat her on the back. She felt very good.

Harpin leaned over. “That was WICKED! Holy crap Miro, you’re a LEGEND!” Miro laughed. As the chatter died down, Madam Berengaria and the prissy Dean of the School for Good continued talking through the school and the schedule and how things worked and all the useless stuff only readers didn’t know already. Miro didn’t listen, she had a better idea.

Leaning over to Harpin, she said “Wanna bet who the readers are?”

Harpin snickered. “Sure.”

They spent the rest of the school meeting scanning the bleachers for kids who looked out of place. For the Evil readers, Miro ended up picking a black-haired, green-eyed girl who had a permanently sour look on her face. Harpin chose a wiry boy. For the Good, Miro chose a confused looking girl in an emerald dress. Harpin chose a girl in blue and white lace, with olive skin and dark brown hair.

“No way!” Miro had said. “She’s too pretty. That’s gotta be Snow White or someone’s daughter.”

“No, she’s a reader. Look how she’s sitting kinda apart from the others, and she keeps looking around like she can’t believe it. Trust me.”

Miro rolled her eyes. There was no way a girl that beautiful could be a reader. After the assembly was over, the students got up and left the hall. The students who had been placed in the School of Good were mere feet away from their shimmering palace, while the Evil students had to walk all the way back across the bridge to their looming black castle.

Miromaximus entered her school through the main hall’s doors. The grand room was astonishing, made of pure obsidian, and the classrooms were perfect and well-maintained. But the dorm section of the building, which was its upper half (besides the tower, where the teachers lived, Madam Berengaria’s room and office at the top), the right for girls and the left for boys, was not. Miro trotted through her broken-down school, talking and laughing with Harpin all the way. The walls of peeling paint and spiderwebs were close together in the tight hallway. The floorboards seemed to moan beneath her boots as she continued down the halls, stopping at a cracked door with a rusted number 457 on it. She opened it and walked through.

The room had four, torn-up, moldy-looking mattresses on cracked, wooden bed frames, two on either side of the cramped room. The single window was grimy and stained, and the roof boards were simply falling apart. Miro shuddered as a rat scuttled under one of the beds.

“Well.” Harpin sighed. “It’s certainly a fixer-upper.”

Miro smiled. “Let’s get started.”


The Ever

Katezmira wandered the halls of the school, her excitement growing with every step. She had been given her dorm number by a helpful lady in a pink dress, and had climbed several staircases, following the general flow of the other students, looking for it. Eventually, she figured out that the main tower of the castle was where the teachers lived, and the two others on either side of it were for students. The left was for girls, and the right was for boys. People in their third and last year of school had dorms at the top, second years in the middle, and first years such as Kat, were at the bottom. The marble halls shimmered with gold and jewels. Finally, Kat reached the number 919- her room.

She opened the fancily engraved door nervously. Inside, she was astonished by what she saw. The room had four, white silk bed in golden frames and white canopies, a large window that’s sill had blankets and pillows so you could lay in it, and the whole room was decorated with flowers and jewels, as if it were a queen’s. There were three girls already there, two brunettes, one in red and one in blue, and a blond girl in a beautiful lavender-colored gown. They all smiled and approached Kat when she came in.

“Hello!” Said the one in scarlet. “I’m Ruby, this is Violet and Victoria- they’re sisters.” She pointed to the girls in blue and purple.

“Um, hi!” Kat said nervously. “I- I’m um, I think I’m what you’d call a reader?”

The girls looked stunned. “Really? Wow. I’ve never met a reader before… you look like a princess though!” Said Violet, the girl in blue.

Kat blushed. “That’s what everyone’s been telling me.”

“Well, it’s true!” Said the girl called Victoria. “Here, I’ll show you around. You can stick with us, we’re experts on this school. Me and Violet’s mom is Cinderella, and Ruby’s dad is Aladdin, so we know a lot.”

“Wow, really? That’s so cool!” Katezmira was star-struck.

Victoria giggled. “It’s nothing. Here, I’ll show you- this is your bed,” She walked over to the one on the right, closest to the window, “And your luggage is right there. The spell that got you here took everything you’ll want and need and teleported it here for you. Also, it threw in lots of nice dresses and jewelry.”

Katezmira opened the gilded trunk that was on her bed. In it were her books, her hairbrush, her mirror, her sketchbook, pencils, her old necklaces and bracelets, and lots of brand-new dresses in blue and pink and white. They all even had jewelry to match.

“Oh my- this is amazing!” She said, going through the clothing.

“I know, right? I love this school. Oh, I almost forgot! Here’s your schedule.” Victoria picked up an envelope that had been on Kat’s pillow. Katezmira opened it and read.

Katezmira Ashen, Ever:

Breakfast- 7:30-8:15
Beauty and Manners- 8:30-9:30
Plants and Animals- 9:45-10:45
Lunch- 11:00-12:00
Fairytale History- 12:15-1:15
Break- 1:15-2:15
Potions and Spells- 2:30-3:30
Dorm Time
Dinner- 5:00-6:30
In Dorms by 7:45
Lights Out at 9:00

“Yay! We have some classes together!” Victoria leaned over to her bed, which was next to Kat’s, and pulled out her envelope. She had all the same classes, but in a mostly different order, besides breakfast, lunch, dorm time, dinner, curfew, and lights out. They also had Beauty and Manners as well as Potions and Spells together.

“Are these really the classes we’re going to be taking?” Kat said, excited. “Wait, what’s Beauty and Manners?”

“Oh, that. It’s so annoying. They teach you how to be pretty and polite while the boys have combat and horsemanship training. And they get to learn how to defeat beasts while we learn about plants and animals.” Ruby said.

“That seems kind of unfair. I am glad that we don’t have to learn to fight beasts though, and combat training sounds exhausting.” Katezmira said, sitting down on her bed.

“Yeah, I totally agree. Beauty and Manners seems so weird. Like I know princesses have to be polite, but do we really need a whole class on it? And why can’t we at least learn how to defend ourselves, instead of combat training?” Victoria said, the other girls agreeing. Kat was surprised at this. She decided she liked Victoria very much.

The Never

Miro, Harpin, and the two other girls who were going to be staying in their room stepped back, admiring their work. The rest of the kids didn’t know any magic yet, but Miro and Harpin knew just enough that they morph the room to their will, with a little help using brooms and mops. Now, instead of a rickety old attic, it looked like a prestigious suite, used by princesses.

The beds had been fixed into four-posters with white sheets, a fireplace had been added, the floor was now made of polished wood, the walls had been painted white and decorated with tapestries and paintings depicting animals such as crows and rats and dragons. They had also added a desk, and turned the unstable door into a polished wooden masterpiece. Most of the kids had their luggage dropped into the river with them when they fell, but Miro’s mother had had hers delivered. A dark brown wooden chest was sitting in front of the foot of Miro’s bed.

Miro turned to the other girls. There was Harpin, obviously, and this year’s reader. Miro had been right at the assembly. The black-haired, green-eyed girl was named Layette, and was still not totally sure what was going on, but enjoyed the prospects of the school very much. And there was another girl, in a white dress, white, ghost-like skin, and wispy white hair with dark, almost black eyes. She didn’t talk, and the place where a name would be on the top of her schedule had been crossed out with an X. So Miro, Harpin, and Layette called her that. Miro sat down on her bed and opened her envelope, excited to see what classes her and her friends shared.

Miromaximus Grimhilde, Never:

Breakfast- 7:30-8:15
Fairytale History- 8:30-9:30
Beasts- 9:45-10:45
Lunch- 11:00-12:00
Potions and Curses- 12:15-1:15
Break- 1:15-2:15
Combat- 2:30-3:30
Dorm Time
Dinner- 5:00-6:30
In Dorms by 7:45
Lights Out at 9:00

She smiled when she saw combat. As Bartholomew-son-of
-Hercules had seen at the school gathering, Miro was very good at fighting. Comparing her schedule to the others, she saw she had combat with all three of them, history with X, and Potions and Curses with Harpin.

Soon after, the clock struck five, and Miro and her friends left for dinner. The dining hall was on the middle of the bridge, the entrance to it on the side of the walking area, with the actual hall on a small rock ledge that stretched all the way down to the river that went in between the two schools.

Walking into the hall, Miro could see which half was for who. On one side, round tables with white, pink, or blue tablecloths were laden with crystal silverware and glasses, topped with white flowers in crystal vases in the middle of each table. On the other side, rotting wooden picnic tables were out of place in the marble room, with no silverware or anything else on them. In the middle, there was also a thin lining of white tables with basic silverware on them, but no one took those. They were too close to the other side.

Miro sat, recoiling at the disgusting table, with Harpin on one side, X on the other, and Layette across from her. No one else dared sit at their table, though every other Evil student wanted to. Miromaximus was the daughter of the Evil Queen, and that made her the most popular girl in the school. Harpin, Layette, and X were her chosen entourage, and no one else would be allowed in without earning their place in the Queen’s court.

Then, as lunch time officially began, food appeared. On the Good side, golden plates of fine cake and desserts appeared. On Miro’s side, a grimy paper bag popped into existence. She opened it. Inside was a moldy sandwich. A sandwich, for dinner. She sighed, picked up the bag, and dropped it on the ground. The other girls did the same, kicking them away.

This was going to be a long school year.

The Ever

Katezmira marveled at her plate. One second it had been empty, and now it was holding ice cream, mousse, cake, chocolate, cheesecake, and everything else remotely sweet. She was sitting at a round table with a pink tablecloth, crystal silverware, and a bouquet of roses in a glass vase at the center. Next to her was Victoria and on the other side Ruby, and Violet was across from them. They all dug in.

“The best part,” Victoria said, after swallowing a dainty spoonful of ice cream, “Is that this food is enchanted to be healthy. So you’ll never get sick of the sugar, because there isn’t any, it only tastes like it.”

Katezmira was not sure if she believed this. The food was better than any she had ever had before, but as Victoria said, even after eating all the ice cream and chocolate, she didn’t feel remotely sick.

“This place is amazing! I can’t believe this is actually happening.” Katezmira said for the fifth time that afternoon.

Victoria laughed. “It’s no wonder you got picked to be the reader, Kat. You’re so nice, and so pretty, you’re like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella put together.” Ruby and Violet agreed. Kat felt herself start to blush.

“Aw, thanks! Really just by saying that you proved you’re nicer than I am.” She said, trying to repay the exotic compliment. The rest of the evening went like that, and Kat was astonished at how amazingly nice the other girls proved to be, time and time again.


It was going to be a wonderful school year.

The Never

Miro got up and left the lunchroom, following the other Nevers out. Walking along the stone bridge in the cool night air, with the river rushing far underneath them, Miro looked behind her at the glimmering School of Good, with its rose gardens and golden towers, and even the Hall of Good and Evil, where the assembly had been. They had put it over there instead of in the middle, like the dining hall, so the good kids wouldn't have to walk so far. Then she turned and looked forward, at her school. For the most part, it looked just as grand, if you replaced the gardens with rockeries and had the whole thing carved from obsidian. But as you got closer, you started to realize how neglected it was, particularly areas only students used. It was unfair.

They walked through the obsidian doorway into the grand hall. There were multiple teachers waiting to watch the students go back to their dorms or hang out in the foyer until curfew. Including, surprisingly, Madam Berengaria.

The dark-haired woman was watching students stream past, a sea of black and brown and green, until her eyes finally landed on Miro. She approached her, signaling to step out of the way and come to her. Saying to her friends she’d be right back, Miro followed. Standing next to her against the wall as students rushed past, Miro looked at her headmistress.

“Did you want something?” She said impolitely.

“Yes. I wanted to tell you I was very proud of your performance at the assembly. Your mother told me you were a good fighter, and you still continue to impress.” She said in monotone.

“Yeah, I’m pretty good. Anything else?” Miro just wanted to get back to her friends.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Miro. You’re destined for great things.” After a pause, she said: “You can go now.”

Miro left to go catch up with Harpin.

The Ever

Katezmira was sitting at the table in her dorm room, playing cards against Victoria, Violet, and Ruby. It was 8:30, so students were supposed to be staying in their dorms, but lights out wasn’t until 9. They were all already in their white nightgowns and ready for bed.

The girls talked while taking turns putting down cards.

“I just wish we could eat here. Walking all the way out on the bridge is pointless, especially since that means you have to eat with the Nevers.” Violet said.

“Yeah. They’re very loud.” Victoria said.

“Still though, the food was amazing!” Kat said happily.

“So good!” Ruby agreed.

“Yeah. But, did you guys see what happened at the assembly? That Miromaximus girl was scary. I bet all the Nevers are like that. I really wish we didn’t have to see them.” Violet said.

“Yeah, that was kinda creepy. Especially since Bartholomew is, like, the best fighter in our school.” Victoria agreed.

“I’m still confused on why the duel thing even happened. They called it a ‘tradition,’ right?” Kat said, still confused.

“Yeah. I read that it’s supposed to be an omen. Whichever school wins the duel on the first day is the side that’ll have more power that year. Last year Good won, so it’s good that it’s keeping a balance.” Ruby explained.

“Yeah, I guess that’s the whole point of having these schools, right?” Violet said.

“That’s what my mom told me.” Victoria replied.

“Well then it has to be right,” Kat said, “If it’s Cinderella.”

Ruby agreed. Just then, the clock struck nine. The chandelier immediately went out, although there were candles by each of their beds and on the table. Using the candlelight, the girls said goodnight and crawled into bed, blowing out their candles once they were settled. Kat curled up in her silky blankets, warm and cozy. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed in the past day, and how she seemed to be accepting it. She would miss her family, but Victoria had helped her mail a letter to them telling them where she was. Since the magical delivery system was so fast, she would get her reply soon. She fell asleep thinking of Cinderella and Snow White, and the princess that one day she would become.

The Never

Back in Miro’s dorm, the lights had also gone out, but Miro and her friends were still up. It was the first day of school! Of course they weren’t “going to sleep.”

“I’m- j-just saying,” Harpin said, swaying gently and trying not to spill her fourth soda. She didn’t handle sugar very well. “That Miro could and would murder Victoria. Should. Could, would, and should.”

“Victoria? Not worth it.” Layette said. “What is she, Cinderella’s kid?”

“Yeah, how else would we know who she is?” Miro said, laying on her back on the floor, enjoying the banter.

“Well that’s nothing!” Layette insisted. “You should go after your nemesis…. Like, Harpin, your maleficent’s daughter- Who’s Sleeping Beauty’s kid?”

Harpin looked considerate. “Philip… he’s friends with that Bartholomew kid.”

“Exactly! Wanna be a legend, go after him! What about you Miro, has Snow White got a kid?”

“Yep.” Miro said, absentmindedly. “Beatrice. She’s only 14, she’ll be in school next year.”

“Oh. Well you can have fun until then, I guess.” The girls laughed. Even X, who had been laying on her stomach on her bed, kicking her legs in the air and brushing her terrifying doll’s hair, cracked a smile.

“Anyway, did you write back to your family Layette?” Miro said.

“Yeah. Honestly they probably won’t even have noticed I'm gone. Did you guys?”

“Yeah.” Harpin and Miro said together. They all turned and looked at X, who, as always, didn’t say anything.

“The responses are coming in tomorrow.” Harpin picked up. “That’ll be fun. Can’t wait to see what the Evil Queen will say about what Miro did to that Bartholomew kid.”

“Ooh, yeah!” Layette said, laughing. “That’ll be hilarious.”

Just then, the Miro heard footsteps outside of their door.
Cursing, the girls dove under their covers, hiding all evidence of the evening by swiping the bottles and garbage underneath the bed.

Someone knocked on the door. The girls muffled their giggles in their pillows.

“Hello? No one should be up past curfew.” A familiar voice, belonging to a teacher, said. Miro struggled to keep herself silent.

As soon as the footsteps faded, Miro shot up. “Resume.” She said, the others following her lead. They stayed up nearly the whole night, talking and laughing into the morning.


The Ever

Katizmira, after an enjoyable breakfast of pancakes, headed for her first class, Beauty and Manners. She was walking through the marble halls of the school, Victoria at her side, talking and giggling all the way.

“Here it is.” Victoria said finally. A gilded double doorway with hanging flowers was on the side of the hall. The girls turned and entered the room, an aroma of perfume and flowers filling the air. The round room had white marble walls, crystal windows, and silk curtains. Pastel colored blossoms covered the room. Instead of desks, gold and white stands lined the walls, with crystal mirrors and velvet seats. In the center of the room, at a round desk, a beautiful woman with long white hair and light skin sat, wearing a long, blue dress.

“Good morning, girls.” She said, “Find the stand with your name on it and sit down. You can hang out until the rest of the class gets here.”

“Wow.” Katizmira found a stand with her name engraved over the mirror. Victoria’s was right next to her. “You know, I think I might like this class after all.” Victoria and Kat laughed together. After the rest of the class had arrived, all girls, the teacher stood and began to speak.

“Welcome,” She said in a voice like a bell, “To beauty class. I am Miss Ebony. Here you will learn not to drown yourself in makeup in order to impress a boy, but how to make your inner self be presented in your looks.” She spoke slowly, with dramatic gestures and elegant movements. By the end of her speech, the girls were enthralled. “Many are against this class. They say that girls should be spending their time on something more useful to their academic knowledge. They do not know the power of beauty. You indulge in yourself not for others, not to make your peers envious of you, but you do it for yourself.”

She began to allow the girls to go through the drawers of their stands. Katizmira found there was one for jewelry, one for clips and hairpins, and one for makeup.

“Today, we will begin by doing the first thing necessary to achieve your dream look- finding your color.” She let the girls play around with the makeup and jewelry while she went around the room, talking to each girl. When she got to Katezmira, she smiled.

“Hello, Katezmira. I’m very excited to help someone as pretty as you.” Katezmira blushed. The teacher smiled wider. She began to go through the stand’s drawers, trying on different looks on Kat with the help of magic. Finally, Kat was wearing a royal blue gown with short sleeves that had the shoulders cut out of them, with gold accents and designs. Her hair was down with a gold and sapphire clip on the back of her head. She was wearing a matching necklace and bracelet.

“I think,” The teacher said, “We’ve found your colors.” Next she moved on to Victoria, who was wearing a blossoming lavender dress with her hair in a braid with flowers by the end. The best part of the class was the end, when the teacher announced:

“Now, students. I am pleased to tell you that the outfits you are wearing right now are now officially yours. You may wear them for the rest of the day and keep them after that.” The girls erupted into excited chatter.

After beauty class, Katezmira had Plants and Animals. The classroom was decked out with leafy plants and blooming exotic flowers. Jungle cats, lizards, exotic birds and all other kinds of beautiful animals wandered the classroom. The teacher there was Miss Rosie, a woman with dark skin and hair tied up with flowers in a towering beehive-like style. Then, after lunch, she had fairytale history in a room with portraits and artifacts from famous fairy tales lined the room. The teacher was Mr. Talbot, a short man with glasses. Then she had a break, during which she took a walk through the gardens with Victoria and Violet. Then there was potions and spells, in a white room with glistening crystal jars of sparkling liquids and a tall, older woman in a silver outfit called Mrs. Quintin for the teacher. After that was dorm time, dinner, and lights out. It had been a wonderful day.


The Never

Earlier, Miro was in her last class of the day before break, combat.

She was very, very bored.

After the first ten minutes of the teacher explaining basic battle strategies and Miro loudly correcting him from the back of the class, she had been sent outside. When she came back to the students dueling each other in basic fencing-style swordplay, Miro took on each of the other kids one by one until the whole class had lost to her. When the teacher accused her of cheating, Miro had challenged him to a duel to defend her own honor. After beating the fighting instructor in a one-sided thirty-second fight, Miro had made him leave the classroom in anger. And now she was the fighting instructor.

She sat at the teacher’s desk with her legs crossed and propped up on the tabletop. In front of her, in organized lines, the other students practiced sword positions on each other as Miro called them out. Once she thought they had learned the basics, she let them just do whatever they wanted until the class ended. Having the children of supervillains do whatever they want in a room filled with swords turned out to be very entertaining.


The Ever

The next day, Katezmira, after her first few classes, was walking into the dining hall, Victoria, Violet, and Ruby by her side. She was wearing a light blue dress from beauty class and was looking forward to lunching with her friends. But then, a teacher, probably from the evil school, started yelling at the kids where to sit down. In the ruckus, Kat was forced into a seat at one of the small, white tables halfway between the evil and good sections of the room. To her horror, across from her, the same teacher put a girl from the evil school in the chair across from her. She recognized her from the meeting on the first day of school as Miromaximus.

She had dark brown, wavy hair, light skin, and dark eyes. She was surprisingly pretty for an evil student, Kat thought. She wore a fancy black dress with gold and silver designs and loose, puffy mesh sleeves. Strings of pearls hung from her hair and dress. And by the looks of it, she wasn’t too happy about where she was seated.

“Who the hell are you?” She said rudely. Taken aback, Kat stuttered.

“Uh- My name’s Katezmira. I don’t appreciate you talking to me like tha-”

“Okay, well listen here, Kat-ez-mirr-a,” She said, cutting Kat off, “That teacher said that we have to sit here for the rest of the year. Normally, I’d just ignore him and move, but I’ve already been to the office three times in the first one and a half days. So I’ll just make one thing clear. I know you probably think I’m an evil witch, but princess, I am so. much. Worse.” She leaned back. “So let’s just agree to ignore each other until my mom sues the school to change the seating chart.”

Katezmira was taken aback. She had never been talked to like that in her life. “I will not be spoken to that way!” She said, flushing. “Who do you think you are? I’m a future princess! And what do you mean, sue the school? That’d take a lot of money.”

Miromaximus smiled. “I’m the daughter of the Evil Queen.”

Kat leaned back in shock. After processing this news, she decided to keep being angry. “Well I see why you would be able to sue the school, but that doesn’t give you any right to say those things to people! You’re very rude.” She added. Readers must pause here to appreciate that ‘you’re very rude’ is likely the meanest thing Kat had ever said. This is her attempt to be feisty.

Miromaximus sneered. “At least I’m not a goody-two-shoes like you who’s gonna end up married to some big strong prince and not have any say in her life.”

Kat stammered. She hadn’t thought about what would happen to her after she left the school… she was a future princess now, just going home couldn't have been an option. She didn’t want to marry a prince…

“Well- well- you’re wearing almost all black. It looks like you’re in mourning.” Kat was not good at arguments and thought she was being very cruel, even though she had to admit the girl’s dress was quite pretty.

“And you’re dressed like a pastel clown.” Miromaximus said, unfazed. “You’re like…” She looked thoughtful. “Maire Antionette crossed with a cotton candy monster.”

“Wh-” Kat was flustered. “Why, you, you- you rude person!”

“Woah, princess, go easy on me.” Miromaximus said jokingly.

Kat scoffed, but before she could say anything, the clock struck twelve. Lunch was over. She got up, and, nodding at Miromaximus, proclaimed: “I don’t like you.” And walked out.

Miro was left, laughing quietly in her seat for her friends to get to her.

The Never

At the end of the day, Miro lounged in her bed while Harpin, Layette, and X talked crap about the teacher from lunch.

“Who even is that guy?” Layette complained.

“He’s a total creep, he’s like a janitor or something.” Harpin said.

“‘Assigned seating,’ like who does he think he is? Making Miro of all people sit with an Ever?!”

“Yeah, that’s like making the Queen of England dine with a French peasant!” Harpin said, annoyed. “You’re mom’s gonna kill them.”

“I know.” Said Miro, sighing. “But it will take a while. In the meantime, I’ll have to talk to the Ever reader.”

Layette scoffed, then leaned forward, putting her hand on Miro’s shoulder. “My condolences.” She said meaningfully. The girls laughed.


The Ever

Kat flopped down on her bed. She was annoyed at the girl from lunch, but she couldn’t stop thinking: “Princess.” the girl had called her princess. She didn’t know why, but Kat felt her heart flutter at those words.

She sighed and turned over, staring at the ceiling. Her mind replayed that one conversation over and over, seeing Miro’s face each time. Kat couldn’t help but think that the girl was pretty, like really pretty.

“Hey, what’s up, your entire face is like, really red.” Kat hadn’t even heard the girls enter, but there they stood, right at the foot of Kat’s bed.

“Hm, oh, yeah, totally! I’m good! Just like, thinking, you know? Readers' faces turn really red when they’re lost in thought.” Kat stuttered, attempting (and failing) to lie her way out of a girly talk.

“Oh really? Because we only turn really red when we’re thinking about our crushes. OHMYGOSH! DO YOU HAVE ACRUSH!?” All of them started to stare at her, smiling, looking like they were about to bounce off of the walls.

“Umm…” Kat said nervously. “No…?”