The Forgotten Fairytales (2 page)

The girl dropped to his side and one of the men placed a warm blanket over his shoulders. I backed away as he sat up. Despite the chaos swarming us, the questions, shouting people, and the girl speaking to him, he held my gaze as if I was the only one there. The words clung to me.
Come set me free.
All too soon, a guard steered me back up the hill and toward the castle where my sister waited, unfazed by my absence.

The guard’s voice was a blur as April and I meandered through the dim castle hall. Verses of songs and stories were scribbled on the cherry wood wall below pictures illustrating the passage. I wished the words were in English so I could understand. At one point, Dad had mentioned the man who designed the castle planned for it to look theatrical and fairy tale-like, using stories and songs to create a fantasy theme.

The ceilings were high and vaulted in every room we went through. The painting on the wall nearest me was of a woman lying on a bed of roses, draped in a pale cloth with a man kissing her lips. Very Snow White-
ish
.

Whoever painted the murals must have had such a passion for the arts. I wasn’t passionate about anything. Except collecting postcards for my scrapbook. Other than that, nadda. Though he didn’t have anything published, Dad wrote stories all the time. They were secret and kept locked away in a chest. April liked art. Mostly on her body. Long sleeves and pants covered the ink stains on her arms and legs. Glimpses of life sparked back into her eyes as she scanned the walls.

On the twelve hour flight here, she drew a snake coiling around her arm. The penmanship was so detailed it looked like the serpent had sucked the life from her limb. Dad didn’t notice though. Most of the flight, he flirted with the stewardess and dominated me in travel Scrabble. All the while, April sat with the shade down, inking her pale skin. She had a gift, but I was probably the only one who knew, because I was the only one who paid any attention.

The guard led me through a door labeled ADMINISTRATION and kept April outside. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, dotting the walls in bright lights. He instructed me to sit and wait for Headmistress Madrina.

“What about April?” I eyed my quiet sister.

The door slammed, closing me in without a single word. What a jerk! Who cuts people off and leaves them alone? Panic coursed through me. April and I had to stay together, that was the point of a boarding school. We’d room together so I could keep an eye on her.

Near the door was a plush, burgundy love seat. I sat down and steadied my breathing. April would be fine, unlike my clothes, which were wet and stained with mud. What an awesome way to start at a new school.

A loud creak drew my attention to the boy entering. An ice pack covered his left eye and blood dried beneath his nose. His glare burned the carpet as he sat in the chair across from me.

The leg of his dark corduroy pants hiked up when he leaned down to tie his black combat boots. Chin-length dark brown hair fell in waves over his heart-shaped face.

My eyes trailed his long, built physique, stopping at the wolf on his forearm—mouth open, fangs exposed defensively. The drawing looked too permanent to be marker; the edges feathered and worn, like something that’d been on his skin for years. I must have been staring because his dark eyes trailed over my body, as if he was seeing me for the first time.

“Is that real?” I motioned to his forearm.

“As real as the sun.” His voice was husky and deep, like every word he said was absolute. There was a slight accent hanging on the edge, but I couldn’t place it. I crinkled my nose. The icepack fell, showing off the beginning of what would be a nasty black eye. “Not a fan?”

“I am, just not of wolves.” They were kind of lame. I mean, maybe they were cool years ago before werewolves became popular, but now, they were overdone.

He chuckled and rubbed one hand over his jaw. The stubble made him appear older than a guy in high school. He was tall too, with broad shoulders and muscles made to crush bones. “Well then.” The light bounced off the wolf ring on his index finger. “I’ll be happy to prove you wrong.”

“You’re very confident for a guy who just got his ass kicked,” I said. “Aren’t wolves supposed to be super strong?” And he was; I knew it by the way the shirt clung to his biceps and by the scars on his knuckles. He hit things, a lot.

“Don’t fool yourself, princess,” he said with the utmost confidence. “You never saw the other dude.” Touché. A devious grin twitched at the edge of his lips. “What’d you say your name was?”

“I didn’t.”

“Right.” A chuckle, deep and low, rumbled in his throat. “I’m Wolf.”

I narrowed my eyes, holding in a smile. Wolf, really? That was his name. Man, he really embraced the whole wolf-name-look persona. “Creative.”

“Isn’t it?” Wolf stared me down, again. His eyes held mine as if a test to see who’d break first. A test I wouldn’t lose. Not to Wolf Boy. “So, you gonna tell me your name or are we going to keep going back and forth like this. Not that I mind the banter. Our chemistry is undeniable.”

“Chemistry?” I flinched. “There’s no chemistry.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” His rested his elbows on his knees and leaned closer to me. My throat tightened. Heat flowed from his body to mine like a wave, slamming me against the back of the sofa. “The truth is always hard to accept. Especially when it’s this good.” He gestured to himself.

My jaw dropped. “What are you insinuating?”

Wolf leaned back, a tight smile playing with his lips. “Oh, you know.”

The door swung open before I opened my mouth, unsure what I’d even say to him. There was something about Wolf. Maybe I enjoyed the banter too or I was curious. Either way, our conversation ceased as a short, stout woman with frizzy silver hair and withered cheeks stood before us. The frilly, pale blue jumpsuit she wore clung to her stomach rolls and when I stood up, she barely came up to my shoulder. This didn’t say much, since I teetered a little above five-six.

“Norah Hart.”

Great
, now Wolf Boy knew my name.

She extended her hand and I took it. Dad would have been pleased. He knew how weirded out I got about shaking people’s hands. “I’m Headmistress Madrina. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m so sorry about the incident this morning. It’s not every day someone drowns in the lake. Though it is nice to know we have a hero amongst us.”

Beside us Wolf snickered and placed the ice pack back on his eye. My evil stare only increased his smile. “Ah, Mr. Wolf. Third time this week. Get comfy. I’ll deal with you next.” Madrina turned to me. “Please, come in, Miss Hart.”

“
W
here did you take my sister?”

Five minutes and already my cell phone had been confiscated. Cutting me off from the world, and most importantly, April. Was this a school or prison? Really, who didn’t allow cell phones these days?

Headmistress Madrina’s lips formed a stiff line, increasing the wrinkles around her mouth. “Your
half
-sister is meeting with Professor Jansen. She handles the underclassmen. Not to worry, Miss Hart, she is in good hands.”

She maneuvered behind her desk and let out a long sigh before continuing. “Creating your schedule wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. To be honest, we usually don’t allow new students after the year has begun. Since you’re a legacy, we made an exception.” She handed me a thick piece of computer paper. “Therefore, since you cannot be immediately classified, I’ve put you into a mixture of classes.”

Glancing down at the sheet, none of the classes were familiar. In fact, not a single class made sense. There was no Calculus. No History. Not even English. Instead the classes were:
Royal Policies and Procedures; What Not to Do: Sidekick 101; Dining Etiquette; Magic Spells and Potions;
and
Combat: Survival in Various Forms
. On Tuesday and Thursday I had
Ballroom Dancing
and
The Art of Perfection
.

“I’m sorry,” I said, wishing she’d rewind and start over because nothing she said made sense. “Is this a joke?”

Madrina laughed, her double chin jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. I guess I missed the punch line. “Oh my, I’ve gotten ahead of myself again. After the heroism you’ve shown today, I’m sure you’re a princess, but we have to go through protocol. Wouldn’t want a sidekick enjoying the luxuries of a royal, would we?”

The phone on the desk chimed and a voice, more chipper than Madrina’s, rang from the tiny speaker. My head spun in a million directions, what the heck was going on? These certainly couldn’t be the kind of classes they offered.

“Danielle Taylor is here to see you.”

“Oh, yes, send her in.”

The door opened and the sound of heels tinkling along the stone floor commanded my attention. My eyes dropped to the ground, and landed on a pair of sparkling glass stilettos. Whoa.

“Good morning, Headmistress.” She curtsied, the white lace dress she wore hitting mid-thigh, and a pair of tiara-shaped diamond earrings glistened like her heels. She smiled wide as she addressed me, though I was certain my mouth gaped open at the sight of her. She looked so familiar. With blonde hair and pastel pink lip stick, she kind of resembled a Barbie Doll. “You must be Norah. I’m Danielle.”

Danielle held out her hand for mine. I hesitated.

“Miss Taylor will be your roommate,” Madrina said.

The news snapped me from my reverie. “April’s my roommate.”

“That’s quite impossible,” Headmistress said. “She’s much younger than you.”

“She’s only two years younger.” I ground my teeth and sat straight in the chair. “You don’t understand. My dad assured us we’d be together. She expects it. I can’t leave her.”

Headmistress Madrina shrugged. Her lack of concern infuriated me more. “Going forward, Danielle will help you with anything you need.”

They spoke, but their words were lost. I needed my sister and a real schedule. I needed answers, yet my mind spun a million miles per hour, unable to comprehend a single ounce of what was really happening. It was as if I floated out of my body and watched it all. The headmistress spoke, Danielle nodded and smiled along. Life moved on, yet I stood still, wordless. Which was a rarity in itself. No matter how hard I wanted to question everything, I couldn’t think, let alone talk.

“Now run along or you’ll be late.”

The second I stood up, Danielle’s thin arm laced around mine—a strange gesture for someone who met me minutes ago. Her strawberry blonde hair swayed as we exited the office, but not before Madrina shouted for Wolf to enter. He dragged himself off the crimson sofa and winked at me.

I ignored the curiosity as we entered the main stretch of the school. Lockers lined the stone walls and the doors leading into the classrooms were thick wood with tiny triangular windows to see inside. Round candle-like lights hung from the vaulted ceilings, giving just enough light to make up for the sporadic sunshine. Or lack of sunshine, since the sun was barely up and snow clouds masked the sky.

Danielle chattered on about something, but I tuned her out and glanced down at the schedule clutched between my fingers. “Is this a joke? Like some kind of new student hazing thing?” I read about things like that in books. I was being Punk’d.