Nevermore

Family feuding

Sophie departed from the canteen as quick as she could. Something about that boy called Japeth made her shiver, like her bones had turned to ice. Those eyes. That was what was truly bothering her. But why? Sophie's walk turned into a jog and her jog into a run as she went past the shiny corridors of the School for Evil. She felt sick. To make matters worse, her finger was still swollen from being pricked by the Storian earlier in the day. She stared at her finger in horror when she saw it - it was red, blistering and sore. I need the Groom Room.

Not long later, Sophie relaxed in a hot lavender and rose bath, rubbing some hand cream around her swollen finger. As she relaxed, Sophie allowed herself to be pulled into a dream. She was in a dark eerie room, the sunlight being blocked out by barred windows. The stone floor was damp and there were weapons everywhere you looked - maces, daggers, spikes, every form of torture a sick mind could think up. The Doom Room.

No,no,no, Sophie thought desperately. I'm over this. I am. Although, Sophie wasn't alone in the Doom Room. Chained to a wall was a pale girl with greasy short black hair, big bug eyes and wearing a princess gown splattered with blood. " Help me, Sophie," Agatha whispered. " Help me...". Her head lolled to one side, eyes drooping. " Agatha?!" Sophie rasped. " But...you...you're dead." 

Agatha opened one eye. " No one is truly dead, Sophie. Surely you know that."

Sophie woke with a gasp, heaving in and out. She leapt out of the bathtub and threw up blood in the closest bin she could find. Sophie touched a hand to her head. She was sweating and her forehead appeared to be burning up. Maybe it was why the dream had occurred. 

" No one is truly dead, Sophie. Surely you know that." Agatha's words seemed to repeat themselves over and over in Sophie's brain. Was it possible that Agatha was telling her she wasn't dead? Not truly, at least? Sophie remembered how Rafal had died but had been brought back to mortality by Evelyn Sader. Was Agatha...still out there? She had watched Agatha die though, hadn't she? How was it possible? It was probably just a dream, Sophie told herself.

Whatever the dream or vision meant, she was spooked. She got dressed and wasted no time faffing around. She checked the time - 1:30.

Rafal would be back in about half an hour, she realised, and sighed in relief. As she reached the area of the tower, Sophie's fingertip glowed hot pink and mogrified into a pink love bird. The thing with the tower that annoyed Sophie was the way of getting up. It was all fine for Rafal as he could fly but unfortunately, she certainly could not. 

Sophie braced herself for the cold gusts of wind as she soared higher and higher. The woods were sprawled out before her, the sun shining in the distance. It wasn't long ago that the sun was dying because of her fairytale so she welcomed the heat of it on her feathers. The woods are so beautiful, Sophie thought. It all might be mine someday. 

Sophie flew in through the singular window, barely noticing anything as she unmogrified. She turned around, her intention to read a spell book, but instead found Japeth sitting casually on the chair beside the Storian. 

" Students aren't permitted up here," Sophie tried to say authoritatively but instead came out wobbly. 

Japeth smirked. 

" You can get banished for this." 

" Maybe." Japeth replied. " But there's something I need first." 

" Where's your brother? I didn't think he would be the type to allow you to do this." Sophie stalled. 

" No, he's not. That's why I do it instead. I do all the hard work and he gets the prize." 

" Sounds like you're jealous." Sophie looked around the room desperately, hoping to find something of use to drive this foul boy away.

" I suppose it does." Japeth considered. " Anyways, enough chit chat. Let's get on with it then." 

" What?" Sophie asked, alarmed. 

" Don't worry. It won't hurt. Much." 

" I-" Sophie started, but it was too late. Scims flew at her from Japeth's suit as she stared in horror,  realising that they were coming at her. The scims gagged her and tied her feet  so she couldn't move. They dragged her to the bedpost and tied her hands. Sophie tried to curse and scream angrily but all that came out was gibberish and garbles. 

" Oh, what's that?" Japeth laughed. His scims crawled over her and Sophie stifled a scream. " They can tear through your flesh, you know. Kill you in seconds. He watched her carefully. "Don't worry. That'll only happen if my father doesn't do what I say." 

Sophie attempted to ask who his father was but found it was no use with that awful scim gagging her. 

At that moment, Rafal flew in through the window, causing Sophie to let go a sigh of relief. His eyes widened when he saw Sophie, a prisoner in her own home, and when seeing Japeth his eyes widened even more so. 

" Hello father." Japeth said. 

Sophie could see it all now. The pale skin. Maybe not the hair, but the eyes. She knew now what had been troubling her. The same ice blue eyes that Rafal possessed on another's face. On his son's face. 

" Release her." Rafal asked calmly. 

Japeth grinned. " Only at a price. Oh, and don't try anything because my scims will rip through her flesh before she can scream." 

" What do you want?" Rafal sighed,  exasperated.

" Hmmmm. An apology would be nice. Maybe you can say you're sorry by giving me and my brother Camelot? We could be allies. Keep out of each other's way. Let your legacy live on in another kingdom, you know?" 

" I have nothing to be sorry for. "

" Really? Abandoning your children and their mother, perhaps? What about killing their mother too, making sure they stay stuck in Foxwood School For Boys Forever? Camelot would be a nice apology gift." 

"Look. You and your brother were a mistake. How was I supposed to raise you anyway? I'm the school master and I wanted nothing to do with your mother. Why do you think I never replied to her letters?" 

" I'm not going to beg you for Camelot. The facts are if you don't allow me to take it Sophie will die. It's a bit strange your true love is the same age as your sons though isn't it?"

Rafal gritted his teeth in frustration and anger. 

"Are you interested in making a deal?" he asked. 

Author's note - 
I just wanted to say thank you so much for 100 reads! It means so much to me and I really appreciate it. Remember to always love Rophie! 👑