Ever Never After | The School for Good and Evil Fanfiction

Chapter 2: Surviving This Fairy Tale

Lunch was held in the Theater of Tales. The pink and blue pews and warped benches had been replaced with picnic tables of similar appearances, dividing Evers and Nevers. Alma was too anxious and homesick to have an appetite. She'd wanted to skip lunch, but the fairies had forced her out of her dorm and ensured she followed her line of fellow Evers.

Alma was sitting at an empty table across from the tables of Nevers. They'd been given revolting buckets of gruel by armored man-wolves, whereas Evers were enjoying smoked trout sandwiches, rampion salads, strawberry soufflé, and sparkling lemon water that had been gifted to them in picnic baskets by nymphs. Why did Nevers get such disgusting food, Alma wondered?

While observing the Nevers, the out-of-place blonde princess made eye contact with Alma, and she swiftly got up, rounded the tables, and sat down across from her.

"Hi," the Nevergirl said. "I'm Sophie. You're not going to eat that, are you?"

Despite her soiled appearance, she was pretty, with green eyes and smooth, peach-toned skin and golden-blonde hair that fell to her small waist.

"Alma," she said, and pushed the basket toward Sophie. The Nevergirl didn't hesitate to reach in and devour the smoked trout sandwich, as if she hadn't eaten in days. "Is your school trying to starve you, or what?"

"Oh, it's horrible!" Sophie said. "Nevers have to embrace deprivation and suffering. Everything's burned and moldy and uncomfortable. I know I'm in the wrong school—all the Nevers do! I mean, look at me. Do I look like a villain, or a princess?"

"Okay," Alma said, "first of all, your school sounds illegal, and like a major health hazard. I know it's a place for bad people, I guess, but how is anyone supposed to function and do well?"

"I don't know," Sophie said, "but I don't belong there. I belong in your school. I'm Good."

Alma nodded, though unsure of how to assess Sophie. "Well, I don't belong in either school. I belong back in Crescenta, where none of this fairy tale stuff is real."

Sophie's eyes widened. "You're a Reader, too?"

"Apparently. Are you from Gavaldon?"

"Yes, but the Nevers told me the only place where Readers come from is Gavaldon. What's Crescenta?"

Before Alma could respond, a man-wolf marched over to Alma's table and grabbed Sophie's arm. The Nevergirl yelped as she was wrenched from her seat.

"Return to your table, scum!" the man-wolf snarled, and he dragged Sophie away and threw her back into her seat at her Never table.

Alma was gaping at the scene, at the fact that a young woman had just been assaulted. She turned to the Evers, who were giving her disapproving looks.

"You all saw that, right?" Alma said. "A woman getting assaulted?"

The Evers laughed. One of the princes rose from his seat, golden-haired and blue-eyed and well built, oozing masculinity, making the Evergirls swoon as he passed—and seethe with jealousy as he joined Alma at her table.

"My lady," he said with the most self-assurance that being a conventionally attractive man could give him, "that is no woman, that is a witch. Do not be fooled."

Alma stared at him. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Who am I?" he said, as if she'd asked him the most obvious question. He straightened up. "Tedros of Camelot. You must be familiar with my father, King Arthur."

"Vaguely," Alma said, unimpressed.

An awkward, momentary silence hung between them. Everyone was watching them. Even the Nevers were quiet. Tedros cleared his throat.