Not That Evil

Chapter Fifteen

 I decided to go out and do some more exploring around the grounds of the school. Although I wasn't too keen on actually talking to other human beings, I figured some fresh air would do me some good after all that had happened. All I had to do was hope and pray that I didn't run into Prince Jon, or for that matter, his brother. Either one would mean bad news for me. I had just stepped outside of the doors and began walking along a small garden pathway, when I heard crying coming from somewhere close. Although I preferred to stay as far away from complex emotions as possible, crying brought me joy, so I decided to check out the source. I ran down the path, attempting to keep the beanie on my head, until I eventually rounded a corner and found the source. A small girl in blue with bright-blonde hair sat with her head in her hands and knees pulled tight against her chest. She heard my footsteps and looked up at me with vibrant blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" I found myself asking. She wiped her nose and spoke choppily.

"N-n-no. The other kids, t-th-the-they t-te-tea-tease me about being mental..."

"What?" I sat down next to the girl. "Why would they think that?"

"I-I-I see ta-tal-talking butterflies and cats everywhere!"

"Oh... I hate to break it to you, but I think they're right. Based on what you're saying, there's a chance you have schizophrenia..."

"No!" Her outburst was so sudden, it shocked me and I jumped a little. "They're from the stories my mother told me growing up." The girl's voice was more stable now. "She told me about all the adventures she had when she fell down the rabbit hole."

"Rabbit hole..." It took me a minute to process this, but as soon as I did, I looked straight at her. "Are you Alice's daughter? As in Alice in Wonderland?"

"Yes," she smiled. "My name's Aline."

"I'm Hera," I sighed. "I'm the daughter of the Queen of Hearts."

Aline drew back a bit.

"You're her daughter?"

I nodded.

"But... but you're nice..."

I sighed.

"Not really. I just felt pity for you. Clearly, we're both freaks around here."

She smiled a bit.

"I guess so, huh?" I nodded. "Well, us freaks should stick together. I'll see you around, Hera!" With that, she got up and left, and I headed back to the Dorms.

"Hey!" I smiled at Mal, entering her room with the others. She was leafing through her spell book with a frustrated look on her face.

"Did your plan work with Jane? Are you going to see the wand?" Jay asked.

"Do you think I'd be going through every single spell in this book if I hadn't completely struck out?" She shouted.

"Oh, someone's in a bad mood," Carlos sighed, sitting down on Evie's bed, next to me.

"My mom's counting on me! I can't let her down!" We all fell silent after her screaming and looked at her, totally focused. "We can do this... if we stick together, and we won't go back until we do, because we're rotten..."

"...to the core..." we all finished.

There was a brief silence, until Evie shattered it.

"Oh yeah, I found out that Fairy Godmother blesses Ben with the wand and we all get to go." At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "I have nothing to wear, of course."

"What?" I sighed.

"Hold that thought," Mal instructed as she got up to answer the door. She walked over and opened it, revealing Prince Ben.

"Hey, Mal," he smiled. "I didn't see you guys today. I was just wondering if you had any questions or anything that you needed..."

Mal looked back at us to see if we needed anything, but when we all remained silent, she turned back around.

"Not that I know of..."

"Okay... Alright... Well, uh, if you need anything, just-"

"Oh, wait!"

Ben stopped talking and focused back on her eyes.

"Is it true that we all get to go to your coronation?"

"Yeah, the whole school does."

"Wow..." Mal's acting kicked back in. "That is beyond exciting. Do you think that it;s a possibility that the five of us could sit in the front row next to Fairy Godmother so we can soak up all that... goodness?"

Ben sighed and his face fell.

"I wish you could, but up front it's just me, my folks, and my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend?" I could tell Mal was forming a plan.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry."

"Okay, thanks, bye."

"Oh, but there's plenty of-" Mal shut the door before he could finish. She then turned around and smirked at us.

"I think it's time that Benny-Boo got himself a new girlfriend."

I snickered at the stupid nickname.