Flunked (4 page)

So this is what the stepmonster looks like.

I've never met Headmistress Flora before. Her long, thin face and pointy nose, dark, tiny eyes and sweeping black-and-white hair don't exactly soften her reputation. Still, I'm kind of disappointed there are no lightning bolts shooting out of her hands or devil's horns poking out of her head. The way my buddy Cedric talked about the time his brother got hauled in here, I was sure that's what I would find.

He also said her office looked like a dungeon, which it does not. It looks like a princess threw up in here. The furniture is gold with purple velvet cushions, oriental rugs, and crystal vases everywhere. It's kind of how I imagine Ella decorates her castle.

Headmistress Flora interlocks her long fingers under her chin and stares at me with interest over her mahogany desk. “I have been waiting for the pleasure of this meeting for a long time.”

I smile. “Really? I can't say the same.”

Headmistress Flora, however, is not fazed. “I'm sorry to hear that, but nonetheless, I've been expecting you. The police commissioner has kept me abreast of your, shall we say, extracurricular activities.”

I try not to laugh. Extracurricular activities—why have I never thought of calling it that?

“I knew it was only a matter of time before you made your way to our doors,” Flora tells me. “I think we can do wonders for you. Our etiquette classes, history lessons, and behavior training are geared toward children who have problems just like you.”

My eyes narrow. “What do you mean
problems
?”

“Your issues with authority,” the headmistress says. “You have no respect for your elders. My own girls were the same way.” She turns a frame toward me and I see Ella's stepsisters, Azalea and Dahlia. The girls are dressed in gowns as gorgeous as Snow White's. Their makeup is flawless, and their hair is done with Rapunzel's finest hair extensions. If I didn't know better, I would think they were royals.

“It took a lot of reflection and meditation—which we offer here—but eventually my girls saw the error of their selfish ways. Today they attend the Royal Academy. They are some of the only commoners to do so,” she brags. “Wouldn't you like your problems to vanish like theirs did?”

My frown deepens. “Look, lady. I'm hungry. I want to feed and protect my family. If FTRS could help me do that, I would have snuck in a long time ago.”

Kids don't really buy this garbage, do they? I mean, how can a
school
change me into a whole new person? Will I ever not want my siblings to have the things they deserve? Or not wish Mother had an easier life and a bigger shoe to live in? I doubt it.

“Is that why you take things? To make money?” the headmistress asks me.

I play with the fraying hem of my overalls. “Who doesn't want more money?” I challenge her. “I do it to buy things we need, okay? And I only take things from royals who won't even notice anything's missing.”

“Whether or not people miss things is not the point,” Flora tells me. “You're taking something that does not belong to you. Today it may be a dragon's tooth clip, but tomorrow it could be a carriage. Where does it end? Before long, your face is on Wanted posters throughout the land.”

“You mean like Alva and Gottie?” I ask.

I'm talking, of course, about the infamous villains in hiding—Alva, the cranky fairy who cursed Sleeping Beauty (Stay away from those spinning wheels!), and Gottie, Rapunzel's kidnapper (Here's a nice tower we can lock you in forever!). Being drop-dead gorgeous and royal seems to come with a lot of baggage.

While I've heard there are occasional Gottie sightings, Alva has been missing for years. Rumor is she's dead, but I doubt Enchantasia is that lucky.

“People need to want to be saved,” Flora tells me. “Sadly, Alva is untraceable and Gottie has not committed to reform. But we
will
bring them in.”

Maybe she thinks I need her to say that so I'll sleep better, but I sleep just fine, thank you.

“Is that what you want for your own life?” Flora asks. “To be an outlaw?”

I snort. “Your scare tactics don't worry me. You can't keep me here forever.”

“Oh, I'm afraid I can, my dear.” Without hesitation, Flora produces a proclamation no one showed me before. The long scroll has Flora's signature, Pete's…and my parents'?

I sit back up. “What's this?”

“Permission to hold you until I see positive changes in your behavior,” Flora watches my reaction. “I had the scroll messengered over after your arrest. Keep this attitude up and you could be here indefinitely.”

I wonder if Flora gets a kick out of moments like these. “My parents agreed to hold me here
forever
? This place is for real criminals.” I stand up I'm so outraged. “I allegedly took a dragon's tooth clip! That's not a big deal!” Flora stares at me sadly.

“Since your thefts were not violent crimes, you will have the freedom to move around school as you please and can choose extracurricular activities like our Pegasus flying lessons.” Flora looks at me. “We want to get to the root of why you're thieving.”

“How long am I stuck here?” I ask.

“Once we feel you have successfully mastered the right behavior skills and knowledge to be an upstanding resident of Enchantasia, you will be released,” Flora says.

Clever. She didn't really answer the question. “When can I see my family?”

Flora frowns. “I'm afraid visitation is not allowed. We find the pull of home makes it hard for students to concentrate. They can visit you in three months, right around the same time as the school anniversary ball we're hoping to host. If you're doing well, they are welcome to attend too.”

Who cares about a stupid ball? “No thanks. I just want to get out of here and back to my brothers and sisters.”

“Exactly my point,” Flora says. “That's why you need FTRS right now. If you don't change, they won't either. Is this the life you want for them someday?”

My stomach feels squishy inside. Threatening the well-being of those rug rats is the ultimate weapon when it comes to me. I would never do anything to hurt them. Just thinking about Felix or Trixie stealing things makes me sicker than eating a tuna sandwich.

“No,” I admit. “But I don't need reform school!” My eyes narrow. “Reform school is for stepmonsters who lock kids away and make them clean the toilet!”

I see a flash of anger in Headmistress Flora's eyes, but she doesn't lash out. “Perhaps I should give you a moment to think about what you want to say next.” She purses her lips and rises from her cushy chair. “I wouldn't want us to start off on such unpleasant terms.”

Flora leaves the room and I'm all alone. I stare at the shiny desk in front of me and contemplate a life on the run. That gold quill set on Flora's desk could get me enough money to make it at least to Parrington. There is no way I'm staying in this place. I stuff the quill in my overalls pocket. That's when I hear someone laugh.

“Nice score! Wow, you seem pretty spunky for a human. I like that.”

I jump up and spin around. “Who said that?” I don't see anyone in the office. “Miri?” I knock on the mirror in Flora's office. Miri said she could jump mirrors. She must be listening in. Maybe she saw me steal that quill. Fiddlesticks.

“God, no!” A girl my own age slips out from behind one of the tall lamps in the corner of the office and half runs, half floats over to me. How did she hide behind something so narrow? “Miri's on break right now, which is why I'm in here.” She walks around the desk and I notice two almost transparent wings sticking out of her back. They're fluttering at top speed. “Rule number one about FTRS: Always know Miri's schedule. That mirror can get you in big trouble.” She holds out her hand. “Kayla.”

I stare at her hand but don't shake it. I agree with Father on one thing—people aren't nice to you without a reason. “What do you want?”

Kayla doesn't look ruffled, even if her wings stop moving for a second. “Nothing.”

“So why are you spying on me?” I ask.

She smiles coyly. “I'm not spying. I came to swipe a scroll so I could get a message to someone, but I heard Pete bring you in and I had to see what the fuss was about. Usually no one fights once they get thrown in these doors, but you…” She folds her arms across her chest and takes me in from all angles. “I'm impressed. I can't believe you've avoided the joint this long after getting caught stealing three times! You must be some kind of genius.”

“You go here?” I ask, mystified by this pixie of a girl in front of me. She's my height, but so petite that she looks like she could break in half. Her short blond hair only makes her look smaller, as does the pale blue jumper she's wearing. It must be a school uniform because the crest on the chest has the letters
FTRS
. “What are you in for?”

Kayla waves her hand. “I was caught using fairy magic for personal gain, and my family got all bent out of shape about it.” She rolls her eyes. “Is there anything wrong with wanting the baker's son to have a crush on you? I think not!”

“You're a fairy?” I can't help but be skeptical. “I thought fairies were tiny.”

Kayla fiddles with one of her oversized amber earrings, which match her eyes. “We can be tiny when we need to be, but I'm not supposed to fly 'til I'm twenty-one, so I usually stay normal size.” She rolls her eyes. “My mother is a stickler about the flying early thing, which is why she was peeved when she caught me flying over Royal Manor. I was already grounded for casting a spell on my sister that made her nose as big as her face. My aunt was able to fix it…eventually.” Kayla looks at a portrait on the wall and sighs. “After that, Mother said I was a hazard to everyone around me so she had me committed at FTRS. I've been here for a while now with no parole in sight. That's why I keep flying. Why stop?”

“I thought you could leave whenever your transformation was complete,” I say.

Kayla purses her lips. “That's what they tell people, but.…”

I try not to let her answer ruffle me. “So how is it?”

The
dungeons
rumor. Tell me there are no dungeons. Or whips.

“Honestly? It's not bad as schools go. The dungeon is never used,” Kayla tells me. Maybe she has ESP. “And we are not chained to the walls or forced to take strange potions to transform us. We do have to wear these itchy uniforms.” She points to her own blue jumper. “Basically FTRS is a boarding school for delinquents. We take etiquette with the Sea Witch. Try taking dancing lessons from a teacher floating in a fish tank.

“The chef makes a mean apple cobbler—without poison apples! The dorms are sweet—they're in the castle turrets and there are only two students to every room. And we have plenty of time to try out activities—fencing, Pegasus flying lessons, snake charming. They like us to tap into new parts of our personalities here.”

Apple cobbler, huge rooms, time to try activities? We have none of that at trade school. We have to bring lunch. My sandwich is soggy by the time noon rolls around since Mother makes our lunches at five in the morning. Plus, we get our own bedroom with only one roommate! “This place doesn't sound half bad,” I admit.

“It's not,” Kayla agrees. “It's fun as long as you stay on Flora's good side. Make it hard on her, and she'll make things doubly hard on you. She doesn't like it when students step out of line, especially during the first few months. Quit bringing up Ella. Real sore spot. And don't question her about the villains on the lam. Wolfington has been tracking Alva for years and still hasn't sniffed her out.”

“Who?” I ask.

“Professor Wolfington,” Kayla says as if I should know this. “The Wolf? The one who ate Red's granny? He's everyone's favorite professor—strict but actually listens. He's a good guy. Er, I mean wolf. Wolf man.” She waves her hand. “Whatever.”

The clock on Flora's desk chimes seven, and Kayla flies back to the standing lamp in the corner of the room. “Remember what I said—be nice and your move will go smoothly.” Her eyes glow. “Who knows? You might even be my new roomie! My last one went missing a while ago,” she says, and before I can ask why…
POOF!
She vanishes.

“I thought you were in for using fairy magic,” I whisper.

Kayla's laughter floats through the room. “
Let's say I haven't been reformed yet
.”

I hear the doorknob turn and quickly sit back down.

“
Be
nice!
” Kayla reminds me.

The Wolf turned professor, a sea witch for an etiquette coach, a delinquent fairy who still uses magic, and an apple cobbler that is killer in a good way?

This place isn't what I thought it would be. I think I can survive FTRS until I figure out my next move.

The door opens and Flora walks in again.

“So, Gillian,” she says. “Do you want to try having this conversation again?”

Thinking of Kayla, I turn to the headmistress with a sad smile. “I know you want what's best for me. And I know I can change with FTRS's help.”

Maybe I should take up acting. I wonder if they offer a course in that here.

Flora sort of smiles. And I'm almost positive that somewhere near that standing lamp, an invisible Kayla just winked at me.