Stronger than Blood

Witch of Woods Beyond

As Evelyn strapped herself in on the Flowerground, she tried not to think about Rhian and Japeth. Instead she thought about how there were no other girls on the train. Hundreds of boys, but no girls. She kept getting hostile looks, which was a new experience. Not so much the hostility itself, but the fact that it was coming from boys. She'd always been considered pretty, by herself and those around her, so of course a lot of girls hated her, but the boys had admired her before, coveted her. Never had they looked at her like they were going to rip her apart if she so much as breathed the same air as them. She felt tense for the whole journey to the School. Twice, she had been so scared she'd considered getting off. But she couldn't. Not when she was this close to seeing Rafal again. When Evelyn finally arrived, she felt nervous. What if Rafal didn't love her anymore. What if that blonde girl with the emerald eyes who'd haunted her dreams for so long had come? Evelyn tried to shake those thoughts from her head, as she looked up at the Schools for the first time in years. Only they weren't the Schools she'd spent the best time of her life in. The pristine white of Good was now a royal blue. And Evil was a red and black jungle of ivy. But the most significant difference to Evelyn was Halfway Bridge. Or at least, what was left of it. It had been all but destroyed. Bricks crumbled and dust came up in clouds. Evelyn gathered her butterflies around her and flew up to the Schoolmaster's tower. Without being seen, she sent one of her spies in through the window. She heard a voice that she thought she recognised. But it couldn't be. It sounded like. . . King Arthur? He was long dead, so Evelyn came to the conclusion that it must be his insufferable son, Tedros. He was talking to another boy, who sounded scared. "Now, Tristan. I need you to find somewhere to hide the Storian." said Tedros. The other boy, Tristan, replied nervously. "Tedros, I- Why should I be able to hide the Storian? I mean. . . You could have chosen anyone. Chaddick, Nicholas, even one of the Neverboys.". Evelyn heard Tedros sigh. "But the fact is, I chose you. So you're going to do what I ask, or I will THROW YOU TO THE CROGS, UNDERSTAND?". The young prince took a calming breath. "Look, I don't want to hurt anyone. But the only way to avoid unnecessary bloodshed is by getting rid of that infernal pen, and considering the fact that it's indestructible, the best plan of action is to hide it, at least for now. Just look at what happened to the last Schoolmaster. He was obsessed with that bloody thing, and then boom, Witch of Woods Beyond comes and brings about his downfall. I don't want to wind up dead, Tristan.". Evelyn felt something within her shatter, and she began to fall. She caught herself just before she hit the waters of the blue moat. Not knowing where to go, she flew to the new Good castle, landing in what had previously been Dean Clarissa Dovey's office. The pumpkin paperweight was still on the desk, holding down a letter addressed to 'Merlin of Ginnymill'. Evelyn sat down in the high backed chair, and processed what she had just heard. Rafal was dead. He couldn't be, it was a rumour. Gone. He was probably hiding in the Woods, waiting to make his move. Beyond the point of return. Evelyn couldn't take it. She burst into tears, and let out a wail that made the all nymphs weep with despair for this poor, broken soul. She needed revenge. She needed to find out who this 'Witch of Woods Beyond' was, and torture her, make her pay for what she done. Blinking back tears, Evelyn clutched her aching heart, and when she pulled her arms away, the piece of his soul Rafal had given her burned brightly green in her clasped hands. Suddenly, it glowed gold, and a voice came from it. It was that of a young girl's. She said, "I wish I could be with Tedros again". Evelyn gasped, and picked up a fairytale that had been lying on the desk. The title was 'The Tale Of Sophie And Agatha'. After quickly flicking through it, she realised that the girl who had wished for that demon child, Tedros, was Agatha. And her best friend was called Sophie. Only Sophie went by another name here at the School. "Witch of Woods Beyond" Evelyn said aloud to herself. There was something familiar about her, though. With a start, Evelyn realised that it was the blonde haired emerald eyed girl from her nightmares. But she bared a resemblance to someone else. Vanessa. Or at least, what her sister had looked like after she changed herself to impress Stefan. And Agatha looked like Vanessa before her transformation. Before Evelyn could finish that thought, though, Rafal's soul glowed hot pink, and another girl's voice said, "I wish I could bring my mother, Vanessa, back.". Evelyn's eyes widened in understanding. She sent out one of her butterflies, telling it to go to Gavaldon and bring the girls here. In the meantime, Evelyn decided to make her presence known. She burst out of her new office in a fluttering of butterflies. She hadn't taken more than seven steps when she bumped into Clarissa and Leonora. The two former Deans stared at her open mouthed. Evelyn gave them the best grin she could muster. "Welcome back to school" she said, and the School began to change around them. Instead of portraits portraying the triumphs of Good over Evil, they now showed princesses casting out their husbands, girls slaying dragons, and a huge stained glass window showing a world without princes, ruled by Agatha and Sophie. Evelyn strode past the two flabbergasted women, and went to address her new students.