The School Years Complete Collection. Soman Chainani

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      “Please. I’ll do anything!” Sophie blubbered—

      Agatha swiveled. “Swear you’ll kiss him the first chance you get. Swear on your life.”

      “I swear!” Sophie cried. “I want to go home! I don’t want them to kill me!”

      Agatha stared at her. “Huh?”

      Complete with voices and gestures, Sophie hysterically replayed the faculty meeting, failed challenges, and fight with Tedros.

      “We’re getting too close to the end, Sophie,” Agatha said, now ghost white. “Someone always dies at the end of a fairy tale!”

      “What do we do now?” Sophie squeaked.

      “You win that Trial and kiss Tedros the moment you do.”

      “But I can’t survive! I have three hours alone without Tedros protecting me!”

      “You won’t be alone,” Agatha grumped.

      “I won’t?”

      “You’ll have fairy godroach under your collar, conjuring you out of trouble. Only this time, if you don’t kiss your prince on cue, I’ll curse you with every Evil spell I know until you do!”

      Sophie threw her arms around her. “Oh, Agatha, I’m a terrible friend. But I’ll have my whole life to make it up to you.”

      Footsteps echoed down the hall. “Go!” Agatha whispered. “I need to Mogrify!”

      Sophie gave her a last hug and, aglow with relief, snuck from the bathroom and back to Hort’s protection. A minute later, a cockroach followed and dashed for the stairwell.

      Neither noticed the red tattoo smoldering through shadows.

      Per tradition, there were no classes the day before the Trial. Instead, the 15 Ever and 15 Never challengers were given time to scout the Blue Forest. So while unpicked students worked on Circus talents, Sophie followed Tedros through the gates, keenly aware of the chill between them.

      Though the rest of the grounds had fallen prey to a slow autumnal death, the Blue Forest glistened, lush as ever, in midday sun. All week, the students had tried to wheedle out of their teachers what obstacles the challengers would face but they professed ignorance. The School Master designed the Trial in secret, giving professors only the power to secure its borders. Teachers couldn’t even watch the contest, since he cast a veiling spell over the Blue Forest for the whole night.

      “The School Master forbids our interference,” Professor Dovey mumbled to her class, clearly distraught. “He prefers Trials to simulate the dangers of the Woods beyond reason or responsibility.”

      But as the competitors crowded into the Forest behind Sophie and Tedros, none of them could believe that a night from now, this beautiful playground would turn into a hellish gauntlet. Together, the Evers and Nevers herded past the sparkling fronds of the Fernfield, snacking possums in the Pine Glen, the Blue Brook tumbling with trout, before they remembered they were enemies and split up.

      Tedros shoved past Sophie. “Follow me.”

      “I’ll go on my own,” she said softly. “I haven’t earned your protection.”

      Tedros turned. “Beatrix said you cheated to get to number one. Is that true?”

      “Of course not!”

      “Then why did you fail all the pre-Trial challenges?”

      Tears pearled Sophie’s eyes. “I wanted to prove I could survive without you. So you’d be proud of me.”

      Tedros stared at her. “You lost … on purpose?”

      She nodded.

      “Are you insane!” he exploded. “The Nevers—they’ll kill you!”

      “You’d risk your life to prove I’m Good,” Sophie sniffled. “I’m willing to fight for you, too.”

      For a moment, Tedros looked like he might clobber her. Then the red seeped from his cheeks and he grabbed her in his arms. “When I come through those gates, promise me you’ll be there.”

      “I promise,” Sophie wept. “For you, I promise.”

      Tedros gazed into her eyes. Sophie puckered her perfectly glossed lips …

      “You’re right, you should explore on your own,” her prince said, pulling away. “You need to feel confident in here without me. Especially after losing so many challenges.”

      “But—but—”

      “Stay away from Nevers, all right?”

      He squeezed her hand and sprinted to catch up with Everboys in the pumpkin patch. Chaddick’s sharp voice echoed. “Still a villain, mate. Won’t get special treatment from us. …”

      Sophie didn’t hear Tedros’ response. She stood alone in the silent glen, under a blue mistletoe tree.

      “We’re still here,” she grouched.

      “Maybe if you had delivered my lines like I said them!” the roach retorted under her collar.

      “Three hours alone isn’t so bad,” Sophie sighed. “I mean, Nevers can’t use nonapproved spells. All we can do is start a storm or turn into a sloth. What could they possibly do to me?”

      Something grazed her head. She whipped around and saw a gash in the oak trunk, right where she was standing. Impish Vex straddled a branch above her, sharp stick in hand.

      “Just curious to see how tall you were,” Vex said.

      Doughy, bald Brone waddled in from behind another oak and checked the mark. “Yeah, she’ll fit.”

      Sophie gaped at them.

      “Like I said,” Vex said, wagging pointy ears. “Just curious.”

      “I’m going to die!” Sophie wailed as she fled the Forest.

      “Not with me there,” Agatha said, pincers curled. “I beat them all in your classes and will beat them again tomorrow. Just focus on getting the kis—” Something smacked her head.

      “What in the—”

      Agatha looked down at a dead roach in the grass. Four more landed beside it.

      Slowly Sophie and Agatha craned up to see the Evil Towers billowing pink mist, dead insects raining off balconies into the Clearing.

      “What’s going on?” Sophie said.

      “Extermination,” a voice answered.

      Sophie turned to Hester, arms folded against the Forest gates. “Apparently they’ve been running around our school at night. Couldn’t have the risk of plague, of course. After your friend was sick.”

      Hester СКАЧАТЬ