Nevermore

A word, please?

" Did you drug us?!" Sophie demanded.

It was 4 in the morning and she had woken sprawled on the floor, smelling like mouldy cheese in After Dark.

Kasia frowned. " I don't know what you're talking about." She dismissed indigantly. 

" I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, you ugly rat." Sophie snarled.

Kasia held up her hands in a peaceful gesture. " Its a club. What did you expect?"

Sophie just lost it then and slapped Kasia on the face. Kasia took a step back, shocked, holding a hand to her bruising cheek.

" That had recently been washed," she spat.     

" Do you think I care? " Anger was boiling up in Sophie, thick, hot and flaming rage. 

" What exactly happened after we had those drinks?" Rafal pressed.

Kasia just smirked. " Well." She stuck her hands in her pockets which were bulging with coins. "It was...interesting." 

Rafal checked his own pockets. His money was gone. " Give it back or you pay." He said calmly. 

" No. What are you going to do? Beat me to a pulp? Turn me into ashes?" She smiled cockily. 

" Good idea." Rafal checked to see there was no one in sight before swiftly turning Kasia into a pile of ashes using his sorcery. 

" She deserved it." Sophie said bluntly. " Can we get out of here now?" 

They arrived at the School for Evil an hour later. They had an hour before were to begin teaching students magic - the dark kind - but first they landed in their tower for a rest.

" Its good to be home." Sophie sighed, collapsing onto the lush bed. 

" Yes." Rafal replied but he sounded elsewhere. 

Sophie opened one eye to see him standing over the Storian, considering. She hoisted herself up and walked over to him. He was staring down at the Storian's new story. 

" Did you know about this?" He asked, trying to sound calm. 

Sophie hesitated. " Yes, but I didn't think it was a big deal. I um, forgot to tell you?" 

" Its about us." Rafal murmured.

Sophie shrugged. " Yeah? So?" 

" So, we will win this tale. Love is on our side. We will conquer the Ever kingdoms." He was grinning from ear to ear. 

Sophie restlessly moved the balls of her feet, impatient. She supposed she should be more interested but it just didn't bother her.

" I have something to show you, now I think of it." Rafal opened the closet to reveal a fine set of armour - black and silver iron with a hood that looked like the grim reaper's but with a different fabric. It also had iron studded shoe and black gauntlets. It was darkly beautiful, if a thing could be said about armour. " Its called Nightingale Armour. Beautiful, isn't it?" 

" Thank you. I love it." 

Sophie ran into his arms and embraced him. " I love you." 

Rafal looked startled. " What?" 

Sophie stepped back anxiously, wondering if she'd said the wrong thing. She bit her lip. " Sorry, I..."

" You love me?" He breathed.    

Sophie sighed in relief, realising he wasn't mad. " I-" The words stuck in her throat. 

" I love you too." He replied sheepishly. 

" Really? No one's loved me before, not when they find out who I truly am." 

" But that's what I love you for Sophie. For who you truly are! Your dark, beautiful evil that lurks within you. It resides in me too." 

Sophie laughed then. A laugh of joy, to break the serious, solemn, confession period. " Well. We should get to training. Although, first can we take our disguises off? I really miss my natural hair colour." 

Not long after, they arrived in the Blue forest that was no longer blue - now it was called the Dead Forest. It's name didn't live up to the Blue Forest, but it had to do. 

The groups were going to be split into eight by the end of the session, depending on how strong you were.

First, they all did a demonstration of their power. Some were useless cases, like the boy who coughed ash, and the girl who could sing to ravens and bugs to come to her. Her singing sounded more like squawking. 

Others had potential - a girl who introduced herself as Fang (although her real name was Bianca) who had fangs and ruby red eyes which she told could sense blood. " Seems like we've got ourselves a vampire." Sophie muttered to Rafal. There was a boy called Axel who possessed super strength and could smash a tree in half with a swing of his fist. There was a boy named Corbin who has similar sorcery to Rafal but not as strong. 

The last of the line was a girl named Nimue. She was short, cute, pretty, with long wavy blonde hair, dark eyes and pale skin, who stood there sucking a rainbow lollipop. Rafal was about to send her off, maybe expel her, before Nimue popped the lollipop back in her mouth, sucked it and when she pulled it out it was rotten. " Rot," the girl squeaked, throwing the lollipop on the ground in disgust.She then picked up a small tree branch and it blackened in seconds before she abruptly dropped it and ran off. 

" Strange girl." Sophie murmured. 

Rhian came next, brandishing his sword skills, while Sophie couldn't help but gaze at his muscles. She flushed pink, scolding herself, and tried to ignore him as he walked off to sit with the others Nevers after he was done. 

" Attention, Nevers. You have all done very well today. But only some of you can make it to the top of your class. Sophie?" 

He handed her the paper which showed who is in which group. She cleared her throat. In group 1, the highest ranking group, we have Bianca... I mean Fang, Axel, Corbin, Nimue, Larissa, Rhian..." and she went on like this until she finished with group 8. " ... Joel and Brittney." She finished. " Groups 1,3,5,7 are with me and groups 2,4,6,8 are with Rafal." 

The students all dispersed, heading back to the castle, murmuring and chunnering. Sophie bit her lip and saw Rhian leaving on his own and watched him with a sense of longing and guilt.