She had a long, pointy nose, a strong jaw, and close-set blue eyes. Her neck was longer than a normal girlâs, and her cropped blouse revealed perfect stomach muscles that rippled beneath her pale, freckled skin. The girl smiled ethereally, looked into their eyes, and unleashed a deep-voiced squawk that made Sophie and Agatha jump. Then she blew them a kiss, replaced her veil, and shuffled out of the hall.
All the girls watched her in dumb silence until the mob started pushing towards Sophie and Agatha again and Beatrix blew her whistleâ
âWhat was that ?â Agatha said to Kiko as she crankily signed an autograph.
âHer name is Yara,â Kiko whispered. âNo one knows how she got in! Doesnât speak, doesnât eat, far as we can tell, and disappears all the time. Probably has nowhere to live, poor thing. But the Dean lets her stay out of the goodness of her heart. Some people think sheâs half stymph.â
Agatha frowned, thinking of the bony, carnivorous birds that hated Nevers. âHow can someone be half stymââ
She lost her train of thought, because Sophie had culled the girls all to herself, smiling imperiously, signing autographs, and kissing cheeks, as if sheâd finally found her way home.
âCan I help you fight boys?â Arachne hollered.
âCan I be your Vice Captain?â yelled Giselle.
âCan I be your Vice-Vice Captain?â echoed Flavia.
âSit with my group for lunch!â Millicent called.
âNo, sit with us!â Mona counteredâ
âHow glorious it is to have fans again,â Sophie said, ignoring Agathaâs horrified look and dotting an autograph with hearts. âHere I am trying to get home where no one wants me, and instead stumble upon paradise, where everyone does.â
âIf youâre miserable with Beatrix, donât worry,â Kiko said, noticing Agathaâs glum face. âYou can always stay with mââ
Agatha turned to her, and Kiko suddenly understood. âYou arenât staying, are you?â she rasped.
The crowd went silent around her.
âNow tell me about this school play,â Sophie said loudly to Reena. âHave you cast the lead parââ
She stopped, for all the students had followed Agathaâs gaze out the window. Across the bay, fog brewed thicker around the grisly red castle.
âIf we stay, weâre starting war,â Agatha said to the girls. âAll of you would be in danger.â
She turned to Sophie. âYou heard the professors. We can fix what Iâve done without anyone dying. Not you. Not Tedros. Not anyone here. We wish for each other, and we can forget this school ever happened.â She touched her friendâs shoulder. âItâs Evil if we stay, Sophie. And youâre not Evil.â
Sophie slowly gazed up at a sea of blameless girls, who would no doubt die at the hands of Tedros and his red hoods. Only Agatha had forgotten the Deanâs warning. They could go home as long as both of them meant their wish. But Agatha couldnât mean a wish for her friend. Agatha couldnât forget this school.
Because Sophie knew she wasnât enough for Agatha anymore.
Agatha wanted a prince.
âWeâll hide in the Blue Forest and come up with a plan,â Agatha said to her quietly, anxious to get out before the Dean returned. âMaybe we can Mogrify into the Boysâ school.â
Crestfallen, Sophie said nothingâ
Until she met her own eyes in the painting on the wall.
Atop the castle in her crystal crown, she looked just like someone she knew, with the same waterfall blond hair, emerald eyes, and ivory skin. Someone who too had lost her happy ending to a boy. Someone who had died all alone because of it.
âYou are too beautiful for this world, Sophie.â
It was the last thing her mother had ever said.
She wanted me to find it , Sophie thought, eyes welling, this world where she
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