The Ever

The hall was beautiful. It was made entirely of white marble, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was lined with glass windows, on one side, there were stained glass portraits of Cinderella and her Prince, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip, and Snow White, with her true love. 

On the other, across from their nemeses, were the Stepmother, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen. At the other end of the hall, across from where she had come in, was a marble stage, with a great window portraying a golden sun and a black moon next to each other.

Along each side of the hall were rows of seats, stacked up, each one taller than the one in front of it. 

Underneath the windows of villains children gathered dressed in black and green, purple and brown, all laughing and talking loudly. 

Beneath the windows of heroes and heroines, girls in pastel gowns identical to Katezmira’s sat with boys in blue, gold, white and red prince outfits.

She followed the Princes and sat down on the bleachers underneath the window of Snow White, close to the stage. Down on the floor of the hall, where students were still coming in and finding seats, Kat saw a commotion going on. 

Leaning in, she saw the boy who had helped her find the hall arguing with a boy with dark hair and gray robes. The other kids started to get involved as well, the children from the side of the hall with villains were crowding around them, chanting for a fight. The boys from Kat’s side were also coming in to support the boy who had led Kat in.

Pretty soon, all of the boys dressed like princes and all of the kids from the other side of the hall had all gotten down from their seats and were joining in the yelling. The other girls on the bleachers with Kat were all covering their mouths and acting like Victorian damsels in distress. Kat was nervous, she had never liked fighting. Just when she was wondering if she should go looking for an adult to get help, two women took the stage. The first, who had light skin, blonde hair, and was in a giant, poofy white and gold dress, stood on the side of the stage closest to Kat. The other, tall with olive skin and bright green eyes that almost seemed like they were glowing, took the other side, smiling down at the fighting children.

“Students!” The lady in white shouted. “Settle down! Go to your seats.”

The green-eyed lady smiled and turned to the students after they had all clambored back into the stands. “Now. First things first. Welcome,” She said, “To the Schools of Good and Evil.” Everyone cheered. Kat, feeling she had to be appropriate, clapped politely. 

The lady in white stepped up. “I am Miss Magnolia, the Dean of the School for Good.” The people on Kat’s side cheered again. “And this is Madam Berengaria, Dean of the School for Evil.” The kids from the other side cheered. “And, to all the readers in the audience,” Her eyes briefly landed on Kat, “Do not be afraid! Here, all your dreams will come true, as long as you believe it!” The kids cheered. Kat felt oddly at ease, as if she had been expecting this. “The people who you see in those stained glass windows once sat where you are today. Cinderella herself was a reader, just like you. This is your new school, where you have been chosen to learn magic and graduate to become legends of your own! Either as an Ever, living happily ever after, or as a Never.” She looked at Madam Berengaria. “And as for your families back home, you will see them again during the summer, and you may write to them to tell them where you are.” Katezmira nodded. That had been her only question. Other than that, she was strangely accepting this situation with excitement.

“And,” Madam Berengaria, the woman with bright green eyes, said, “As a little tradition… If you all still want to fight, I propose a duel!” She spread her arms out to the crowd. The students cheered. Miss Magnolia, who looked trustworthy enough, smiled and clapped her hands, so Kat decided it couldn’t be anything dangerous. 

“To fight for the School of Good… I choose Bartholomew Alcides, son of Hercules!” Miss Magnolia shouted gleefully. The boy who had escorted Kat in, with his gold and blue prince-like uniform, stepped down from the bleachers and onto the main floor, smiling. Katezmira clapped, along with scattered applause from the bleachers. The boy’s eyes landed on her, and she waved. He waved back.

“And to fight for the School of Evil… Miromaximus, daughter of the Evil Queen, would you take the floor?” A girl around Kat’s age stood on the other side of the hall. She had shiny brown hair in a braided bun, sparkling eyes, red lips, and was wearing a fancy black dress, cropped just above her ankles. Unlike the scattered applause “Bartholomew” had gotten, the girl’s half of the hall broke out into screaming and clapping, hooping and hollering. She walked down the steps, her dainty black shoes tapping lightly on the marble, she approached Bartholomew in the center of the hall. 

“You can’t possibly expect me to fight her!” He said, looking confused. “I’m in my last year! This is a little girl, she’s probably here for the first time!”

“Yes, I am.” The girl replied in a voice like a bell. “And you will not speak to them as if I am not here, Bartholomew.” She said commandingly. 

Madam Berengaria smiled at Miro and Bartholomew’s stunned face. “Here are your swords.” Two identical silver blades appeared out of thin air in front of the two, hovering in place until they picked them up. They took their stances.

“Begin.” Miss Magnolia and Madam Berengaria said together.

The girl called Miromaximus immediately lunged forward, her blade whipping through the air too fast to see. Bartholomew stumbled backwards, desperately trying to defend himself, but after seconds, his blade was knocked to the ground. Miromaximus whipped forward, placing her blade on Bartholomew’s neck, hovering in kill position.

“Good girl.” Madam Berengaria smiled at Miromaximus. The other side of the hall erupted into cheers, and the girl turned to go back to her seat.