What About Us?

Chapter Fourteen

Agatha glared at her timetable when it became time for her next class.

Beautification.

Merlin, she'd fail so badly it would bring the rest of the class up so high their ranks would be in heaven. She'd probably fail at just thinking she was pretty.

Stomach churning violently, she opened the door, only to find the class full and no teacher in sight. Confused, she spotted the last empty desk in the back and plonked down on the chair, then registered that the entire room smelt sickly of candy. She realised the desk she was sitting at and the chair she was on was made of toffee.

Thinking it was some sort of sick prank, she scowled at her classmates, who ignored her. She eyed their desk chairs to see who's she could swap with, with low notice.

Hold on.

All the desks were made of toffee. So it wasn't some prank they were playing on the last student to walk in (how would they know it would be her). Everyone had the same thing.

Unless it was an illusion spell.

She snapped off a small piece of the toffee from underneath her desk and took a bite. Nope, real, sugary toffee.

Looking around, she saw that the entire room was made of different sweets, candied fruits, liquorice and caramel door hinges, even the walls were like the rock candy that Evie had found in the limo, but the walls were beige, not blue. Agatha wondered what they tasted like.

As she reached out a hand to snag a piece, the door burst open and in walked a average height bleach blonde woman, wearing an extravagant feather hat, which covered her eyes with a stupid looking net.

"CLASS, SETTLE DOWN!" She boomed, startling everyone who hadn't seen her already out of their conversations. "I am Professor Emma Anemone. And in this class, I will show you the art of beauty! Winning your prince! Your smiles could be the difference between life and death!" She said dramatically, waving her arms around in a flourish. Agatha stabbed herself with her pen so she wouldn't laugh.

"Um, professor? What if we don't... want... a prince?" Someone at the front said, earning appalled gasps and an outraged burst from Anemone.

"But you must, dear! It's the only way to survive this place!" She cried, arms still flapping like some of the birds that got stuck in the small holes in the barrier, where the magic wasn't as strong, or they'd hit it with rocks enough times to make a small incision, one tiny enough for birds but not big enough to stretch or allow magic to come through. "True love is only with boys!"

"Professor, I don't mean to be rude, as such, however I find it incredibly behind the times that this school doesn't allow homosexuals. If that's what she meant by not wanting a prince, that is." Agatha said calmly, not really knowing why she was talking at all.

Anemone seemed to become flustered. "We-well, we're not... just..." She trailed off, and when Agatha cocked her head slightly and raised a brow, she threw up her hands. "We're not, it's just the principle rule of the Snow Ball! Any girl who finds herself without a prince is failed!"

"And a prince who goes without someone gets half ranks? Yes, because that's so fair to the person who happens to be left out." Agatha blurted, adamant on defending the poor young women who'd been unfairly treated in their time at school. "I think this school is sexist, petty, and outright stupid!"

"No one cares what you think! You're a villain's child! You'll be the one failed!" Beatrix burst out. Agatha glared at her, temper bubbling.

"GIRLS!" Anemone cried. Everyone looked at her. "Let's get on with the lesson."