School for Good and Evil: The Successors Book One: Anastasia's Tale

Chapter Twelve: Together

Chapter Twelve

Together

Anastasia woke up the next morning her head aching, she looked around the room for Evangeline and Ash but they were nowhere to be found. Instead, she found Caleb in the bed across from her, the sheets were pulled over his face only showing his scruffy hair. He pulled the sheet off his face and smiled at Anastasia, his blue eyes glittering. She gave him a small smile back.

"What happened last night," Anastasia said, rubbing her head.

She climbed out of her bed and realized she was still in the clothes she had worn the night before.

"Your roommates happened." Caleb sneered holding out his arm, showing the cuts they had given him.

"What in the world." She held his arm in her hand and stoked in gently over the healing scars. He winced and pulled away.

"They wouldn't let me help you, threatening to hurt me"

Anastasia's mouth opened slightly with confusion.

"Why would they-"

Caleb grabbed Anastasia's waist and pulled her down beside him on the bed.

"Because they want what you can't have. They're traitors." Caleb said, shaking his head slowly.

"I knew I couldn't trust them, they only care about themselves," Anastasia said blood boiling. 

Caleb stroked the hair off her face. He gave her a sad smile sending Anastasia's stomach into a rupture of butterflies.

"At least I have you." She said with tears biting her eyes.

"And you always will." He said, pulling her into a hug.

Anastasia squeezed him tightly drowning herself in his arms.

"I love you." She whispered in his ear.

"We will get through this trial together." He said.

She could hear the fear in his voice as he spoke.

"And then?"

"And then together we will take her down." Anastasia pulled out of his embrace and nodded her head slowly.

"Together we will be happy," Caleb said solemnly.

Together, there was that word again. Anastasia knew what that word meant. Together they would win this trial, together they would take down her nemesis, together they would finally be happy. 

"We should get ready," Caleb said, glancing at the clock. "Trial training will start soon."

Caleb's finger lit up and a puff of red smoke surrounded him. The cloud melted away quickly leaving him in slim-fitting black pants and a loose black shirt, showing off his chest. His eyes were covered in smoky red eye shadow matching his finger glow, his cheek painted with a black swan. Caleb smirked at Anastasia as she gawked at him. Anastasia looked away blushing. She turned back to him with her scarlet finger. A cloud of black smoke spilled out of her finger and wrapped around her, it disappeared leaving her in a tight leather catsuit and spiked black boots, she too had smoky scarlet red eye shadow matching her finger glow. She pulled her now black stick straight hair behind her ear. 

"Let's show them what we're made of." 

She pulled the dagger off her bed and admired herself in it. 

"How beautiful you are Anastasia." Caleb smiled, putting his arm around her waist. 

As they walked down the staircase they spotted Ash and Evangeline. Gone were the bows that filled Evangeline's hair replaced with a slick black bob down to her soldiers, her eye shadow was a strawberry pink making her forest green eyes glow. She tapped her foot in black combat boots and messed with her black snakeskin catsuit. Anastasia turned and saw Ash wearing a black velvet catsuit, her shoes a clunky spiked boot, and her eye shadow a neon green with flecks of black around her cheeks. They both sneered at Anastasia and Caleb. He flashed a smile back, Anastasia couldn't look at her roommates. She thought she could trust them, but she guessed not.

"Traitors." She muttered.

...

The preparation for the trial was over, the sun was setting over the school for good and evil. The students waited nervously as they awaited their turn in the blue forest.

"The rules of this trial are simple and precise."Her teachers had told her. 

When the sun finally set the two top-ranked pairs would be sent into the blue forest, fifteen minutes after the next pair would be sent in and so forth. The battle would begin, evers fighting nevers and nevers fighting evers, chaos ensuing between the two. The conjures of their worst fears would hunt them the whole way through, until there would be one student left being crowned the winner of the Trial by Tale. Anastasia stood at the edge of the forest, being the top-ranked in evil had its perks but not when it came to the trial. She would go in first and wait in the wings for Caleb, trying to stay hidden for as long as she could. The wind whipped her hair as she turned to see Clarrisa, her raven black hair swooped up into an updo bun. Showing off her long neck and cat-like eyes. Her eye shadow was a light true blue, a white swan painted on her cheek. She crossed her long arms in her white leather catsuit and smirked at Anastasia. She turned away from her and turned to Caleb who was behind her, being the second-ranked never.

"All you have to do is wait Anya, and try to fight them off as long as you can. Then we do this together."

He grabbed her cold hands in his. In the autumn chill, his cheeks were red with cold. He placed his forehead to hers.

"I love you my Anya."

"And I love you."

She broke away and returned to the front line. She felt her feet dig into the ground as she got ready to run at a moment's notice. Clarrisa turned to Anastasia.

"Get ready to lose traitor."

"We'll see about that princess."

"PAIRS READY!" Castor boomed.

Anastasia turned and faced the blue forest. A flash of gold light lit up the night sky. The two girls ran into the forest. The trial had begun.