The School for Good and Evil Prequel The Never Prince (fanfic)

Chapter 5

When Lilac reached her room, her temptation to cry was gone. She had her pity party on the way there. She had to walk away from the bridge before the dam in her heart burst. Victoria's sister, Garth's happiness of being "home." Lilac wanted to go back to the orphanage and appeal to Mrs. Morgan and the older kids. Do chores for the rest of her life like Cinderella, rather than entertain the truth that Garth was a Never.

She had convinced herself of the opposite, that her friendship had changed him or revealed the good inside. She scolded herself. Ever or Never. They were just labels. Names to put people in a category, a certain area of talents. A barrier that could not be crossed.

"Where did you run off to?" was the first thing Lilac heard when she walked through the door of her room. The brunette had her hands on her hips and a questioning glare.

"Calm down, Amanda," Isabella cooed. "Her friend is a Never. She was probably trying to cope with a thought like that. Right, Lilac?" Lilac nodded, not mentioning the fact that she had gone to the bridge to see him. Amanda relaxed, walking over to the mirror on the wall.

"Well, you should get ready. Everyone's going to the Theater of Tales for the great welcome." She redid her makeup as she said this, applying blush and mascara. Isabella's giggle was high like a bird's morning song.

"I hear the princes are going to be there," she twittered, grabbing a hand mirror and looking at her reflection. She did her hair so a section of it shaded her eye. Amanda puckered up her lips and traced them with bright red lipstick.

"If the Nevers are going to be there, then surely the princes will be." She blew a kiss to her reflection. Lilac didn't really care about the part with the princes, but was delighted to hear the Nevers would be there. Garth and I are still friends, she thought as she organized her books. Even if he's a Never and I'm an Ever.

* * *

Garth ended up taking the long route back to his room in order to escape the wolves. Patrols were everywhere but the air, so he put his tree climbing skills to the test. By scaling the Vice tower. Thanks to the somewhat poor construction, there were plenty of handholds. His stamina lasted him to the window of room 53. He climbed in and collapsed on the floor, exhaling very deeply.

"Did you climb all the way up here?" He turned toward the bed opposite the window. Jerald had asked the question, sitting on his bed with a diary in his hand and a quill in the other. Kergy was using charcoal from an unknown source to graffiti the wall above Jerald's head. So far, he had a werewolf brutally killing a prince.

"Why not climb?" Garth countered. Jerald kept staring at him. Garth closed his eyes as he sighed with exasperation.

"You aren't tired?" Jerald asked. Garth shook his head. "Not even a little?" He shook his head again. "Are you hot at all?" Garth opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Lilac was right there, green eyes twinkling like stars. He blinked once or twice and she was gone.

"Maybe a little," he admitted. He sat up. Grabbing the left sleeve of his uniform, he tore it off and did the same to the right. He looked at his arms and noticed the amount of muscle, which he had never really looked at before. Hopefully no one would notice. Drawing attention to himself was the last thing he wanted.