What About Us?

Chapter Eleven

Agatha watched on as Jay was called to the stage, if you could call it that. It was more of a fancier-than-average platform with five eggs on it, which seemed to be squirming. Cringing, she breathed in deeply, then inhaled the sharp smell of Evie's floral perfume, and promptly began hacking and spluttering. Sophie slammed her on the back, so hard that she stopped almost immediately.

"Attention! Attention, please!" Professor Dovey called through a gold microphone, students quieting down quickly. "We are gathered here today-"

"It's not a funeral! Or a wedding!" Hester yelled from the sidelines, stroking a rat which was poking out of Anadil's pocket. Dovey ignored her.

"Today, to sort five wonderful new students into their sides. The eggs will hatch, and you will be dropped into the pool which belongs to your side. Black slime for Evil-" Nevers cheered, "and crystal blue waters for Good!" Evers cheered now, while the Nevers resorted to jeering, causing quite a ruckus.

Pools? There hadn't been pools before. Only now there were, Agatha noticed, glancing around. Behind the Evers, there was a clean one, and behind the Nevers, an identical perimeter, just more of a slime bucket than a pool. She rolled her eyes.

"Jay of the Isle, also known as Gavaldon, or Woods Beyond, you are first. Please step-"

"Hold on, shouldn't we all go together? Less suspense then." Agatha interrupted the fairy godmother, who glared at her.

"Fine. Step up, please."

The VK's walked towards the platform, Agatha's neck flushed, Mal's legs shaking, Evie biting her lip, Carlos' hands fidgeting, and Sophie, fixing her lip gloss in a hand mirror. Agatha grabbed it and threw it halfway across the courtyard, looking away from Sophie, and not paying attention to where the mirror landed. Sophie gasped and pushed her, but Agatha made no reaction, so she stopped.

"The eggs will hatch in three, two, one-"

"Wait!" Sophie cried, but it was drowned out by terrible screeching as the eggs were ripped open, slime and goo spilling all over the children on both sides. Evers gasped furiously, while Nevers cackled.

"Shit!" Agatha cried, being forcefully hoisted up by the shoulders by the bony birds, treated like a pepper shaker, nearly dropped, and half the contents of her pockets slipping out. Sophie was wailing, which ruined the moment completely, but it was adrenaline that kept her from passing out.

Then they were dropped. Agatha heard Mal and Carlos scream somewhere behind her, before she felt herself slamming into freezing cold liquid. It wasn't sludge, or slime, or anything even remotely similar. It was water. Clear, cold water. Her breath lost, Agatha whirled, and found Carlos, Evie, Mal, and Jay all attempting to stand up near her. Where's Sophie? She thought, head spinning. Sure enough, when she looked up, her friend was being dragged towards...

Evil's sludge?

No, that couldn't be right. Them in Good, Sophie in Evil?

Was that even possible?

She could see the students mumbling, cheers gone, as they looked from Good to Evil, just as confused as she was. Tedros was staring at Sophie, confused and betrayed. Beatrix looked on with glee, the person standing between her and her Teddy-kins eliminated, without any effort on her part.

Then she saw Sophie. Glaring at her and her sister with such undisguised, fiery hatred that for a moment Agatha didn't doubt whether or not there'd been a mistake and they's all been put in the wrong schools. She shook off the thought, attempting to clamber out of the pool and run to Sophie, only to slam into a barrier. She punched and kicked it as Sophie came running over, the anger on her face evaporating at Agatha's attempt to rescue her. Agatha watched her begin to sob, still beating the barrier. It was the Isle all over again, and she hated it.

"There's been a-" Another fierce punch, "MISTAKE! Sophie!" She was grabbed by wolves from Evil's side as she writhed and flailed, still trying in vain to take it down. Mal bounced out of the corner of her eye, tears rolling down her face as the four left behind in the water tried to finish what Agatha started. Agatha was screaming now, sobbing and yelling. "Let go of me! I need to... I need... Sophie..."

Suddenly, all was dark, and voices faded into nothing, the grip on her body relenting.