Switched Read online

  “When was the last time we saw you?” Ella asks. “Was it Rose’s bachelorette party?”

  “Yes, when Rosie got her head stuck in that willow tree on our hike?” Snow says with a laugh.

  “Of course!” Beauty says. “We had to send for a flock of sparrows to peck her out.” She shakes her head. “That girl. So headstrong. How is she?”

  Ella hesitates slightly. “A few more months at her summer cottage and some work with our fairy godmother Olivina, and she should be as good as new. We hope.”

  Beauty nods. “A good fairy godmother like Olivina can do anything.” They all murmur in agreement.

  Professor Harlow clears her throat. “I hate to interrupt such jolly merriment, but, Beauty, maybe you could tell the students a bit about the library before they head to class. This is a school, after all, and we can’t stand around all day reminiscing.” She gives Beauty a beatific smile that looks semi-sinister to me. The Evil Queen has that effect.

  “Oh, of course!” Beauty says. “Raz told me she goes by her first name, so I hope you all will do the same for me. Beauty, or B, is fine,” she tells the students. “Sebastian would prefer that you call him Professor, of course. I will send your library class schedules via magical scroll this evening. They will contain library hours as well as policies on taking out books. As you’ve seen, certain books can only be used in the library.” She smiles. “But it’s such a lovely space. Why would you want to read anywhere else?”

  Certain books can’t be checked out? Great! I bet any book on Rumpelstiltskin falls under that category. I raise my hand. “Can we take books out today?” Wilson squeaks in my pocket in agreement.

  “Gillian.” Headmistress Flora sounds exasperated. “Have you looked around? We have much cleaning up to do before any books can be checked out.” She purses her lips. “Or should I say you have a lot of cleaning up to do.”

  “Aye, detention is in order, lass,” says Professor Blackbeard. “I’m happy to run this one if you like, Flora, ol’ girl.”

  “Beardie, I told you, we have to go over a few more detention rules before I can allow you to handle some of the detention periods.” Madame Cleo giggles. She swims across the mirror in Blackbeard’s hand, her mermaid tail glistening silver in the pale-blue waters. Her tail stops swishing. “If only I could remember what those rules are.”

  “For now, Miss Gillian and her friends who were involved can serve detention in the library by helping clean up,” Flora says.

  “Why are we in trouble?” Jocelyn complains. “We didn’t open the book.”

  “You didn’t stop her either,” Flora reminds her. “You’ll all help Gillian clean up.”

  “They can’t do it alone,” says Beauty. “This collection has some unique books that have to be handled delicately.” Her brown eyes light up. “But my daughter, Allison Grace, knows these books well and can help you. Allison?” She looks around. “Where are you, dear?”

  A girl slightly younger than me steps slowly out of the crowd, her head bent so low that her brown, curly hair covers her face. She’s wearing a fluffy, pink gown with shiny gold shoes with tiny butterfly clips on them. Anna always wanted Father to make her shoes just like them. When the girl looks up, I suck in my breath. She even looks like Anna. Allison Grace stares at me shyly, and I feel a pang in my chest. I miss Anna so much that it hurts.

  “This is Allison Grace,” Beauty tells us. “She’s going to be a new student at FTRS.” Beauty pulls Allison Grace’s hair off her face. I watch the girl move closer to her mother.

  “If she’s royal, why isn’t she going to Royal Academy with the other royals?”

  Of course that question comes from Tessa, our Royal Ladies-in-Waiting leader, who is eyeing Allison Grace with interest.

  “If she went to RA like I once did, she’d be away from us.” Beauty hugs her daughter. “Our family agreed that keeping her close is for the best.”

  “If Father had his way, I’d be homeschooled,” Allison Grace murmurs, and I’m the only one who laughs. She looks at me, and we share a smile. I can’t get over how much she looks like my sister. Is anyone else noticing the resemblance?

  “You were homeschooled before,” the prince says, walking back over with Professor Wolfington. “I don’t see what’s so bad about continuing the same schooling in Enchantasia.” He looks at Flora. “Allison isn’t one for crowds.”

  “Father,” the girl whispers, her face heating up.

  “Which is why it will be wonderful for Allison Grace to take smaller classes, like the one you’re teaching,” Beauty says reassuringly. “Allison Grace is excited, aren’t you?”

  “I guess.” She avoids looking at any of us.

  “Sheltered much?” Jocelyn asks us.

  Jax shrugs. “It happens sometimes. When you’re royal, you’re alone in a castle so much that sometimes you can’t relate to anyone outside those walls. Another reason I’m glad I go here.”

  Our conversation is interrupted by the sound of a loud foghorn.

  Blackbeard cheers. “Jolly roger, it’s working! Much better than chimes, eh, Flora?”

  “That’s the new sentencing alarm?” Harlow looks livid. “I thought we decided on claps of thunder. These children coming in need to know we mean business!”

  “I wanted a lovely wind-chime sound.” Madame Cleo sighs. “We don’t want to scare them off.”

  The professors start bickering, and Miri interrupts.

  “Headmistress?” The nearest mirror glows red and pink. “We have an emergency sentencing that Pete would like you to handle right away.”

  “Now?” Headmistress Flora sighs and claps her hands to get the room’s attention. Kids look up from the bookstacks, reading nooks, and library information centers. “Children, you are dismissed and should go to class. There will be time to explore the library later.”

  A collective groan is uttered at the word class.

  It’s followed by what sounds like a roar. I see Beauty nudge her husband.

  My friends and I use the ensuing mass exit chaos as a distraction to try to get out of our punishment. Harlow points a red fingernail in our direction when she sees us slinking out.

  “Uh-uh. Not you all,” she says, her lips pulling into a tight smile. “You’re on cleanup duty. Wait here. The elf cleaning crew will get you some cleanup tools.”

  “Thanks a lot, Cobbler.” Jocelyn drops onto a feather bag chair.

  I sit down beside her and watch the students file out, along with the royal court and the reporter from HEAS who is still asking questions. Beauty and the prince are talking quietly with their daughter on their way out the door. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but suddenly, Allison Grace laughs and hugs both her parents. I feel a small pang, knowing my own sister isn’t around to do the same thing.

  Pete and Olaf burst into the library, each holding the arm of a curly-haired boy whose mocha skin is covered in what looks like flour. I don’t recognize him. Pete pushes the boy into the center of the room and throws his hands up.

  “This one needs maximum security! He’s only been in the village a week, and he’s already… He’s… He’s… Three times! One week! The flour factory, the Three Little Pigs, and… He’s got to go here even without any parent permission. I insist.”

  I haven’t heard Pete this flustered since he apprehended…me.

  Flora reaches for the scroll that contains the boy’s rap sheet. “Caught stealing rolls from Gnome-olia Bakery on Monday afternoon.”

  “I was hungry, okay?” The boy looks up at Flora with big, brown eyes. “So were some of the other kids on the street.” His mouth tightens. “I’d do it again if I could.”

  “Same as me,” I whisper to Jax. “I used to steal bags of rolls for my family from there all the time.”

  Flora keeps reading. “Two days later, you were caught pinching clothes from Combing the
Sea.”

  “I stole from there too!” I nudge Jax again. That’s where I got Anna’s dragon-tooth comb.

  The boy hangs his head. “I’ve been in the same rags for weeks, okay? Besides, I didn’t just steal them for me. I was looking for a gift for my mum.”

  “And then today, you were caught stealing a rib-eye steak from the Dwarf Police Squad Annual Picnic.”

  Now that’s something I haven’t done.

  “I’d marinated that steak for days!” Pete rails. “Finest piece of meat this side of the kingdom! Ordered it weeks ago for the party! Olaf and I couldn’t wait to dive into it, and this kid stole it right off the grill and tossed it in the trash!” He glares at the boy in his possession.

  “You shouldn’t eat meat,” the kid says. “Cows have feelings too, you know. My cow, Milky Way, is my best friend.” He looks down again. “Or at least he was, till Rumpelstiltskin stole him and my mum. I’ve been on my own ever since.”

  I feel a pang of sadness mixed with anger for this boy whose life seems to mirror my own. He’s alone because of Stiltskin. I’m without Anna for the same reason. I step forward to speak up, but Wolfington cuts in.

  “In Enchantasia, putting your worst foot forward has consequences. What’s your name, boy?”

  The kid looks Wolfington straight in the eye. “Jack Spriggins.”

  “Jack Spriggins? You’re the one who climbed the beanstalk!” Maxine cries. There is a murmur among the staff and my friends.

  This boy is the Jack? My brothers and sisters loved hearing Jack’s story when Father would tell it at bedtime. He told it so often that my siblings memorized it. I rack my brain thinking of the key details. Beanstalk, giant, golden egg, huge reward. But if that’s true, why is Jack still stealing?

  “That was just a bedtime story,” Jax says. “There’s no such thing as a city at the top of a beanstalk.”

  “Tell that to the giant who fell in my yard,” Jack fires back, and the two narrow their eyes at each other. “There are giants up there and treasures like you’ve never seen.”

  “And yet you’re stealing bread,” Jax reminds him.

  “Jax,” I whisper. He’s being rude.

  Jack continues to look at Jax. I mean Jack. I mean Jax! Wow, this is going to be confusing. “You have no idea what I’ve been through, Prince,” Jack says. “Tangoing with Rumpelstiltskin and then getting away is no picnic.”

  My ears perk up. “You’ve seen him? When?”

  He shrugs. “I can’t remember. It all happened so fast.”

  “He’s telling tales again. And how do you know I’m a prince anyway?” Jax counters.

  Jack looks him up and down. “I can tell.”

  “Enough shop talk,” says Pete, leading Jack away. “Let’s get you signed in, Spriggins.”

  I watch Pete lead Jack away and wish I could go after them. I have to know more about what happened between him and Rumpelstiltskin!

  Happily Ever After Scrolls

  Brought to you by Fairy Web—Enchantasia’s Number One News Source!

  Meet the Beast: Fairy Tale Reform School Has a New Teacher—Prince Sebastian!

  by Coco Collette

  Name: Prince Sebastian, but you may know him best as the royal who was once cursed to live out his days as a beast. Then true love’s kiss by a young maiden named Beauty changed his fate!

  Occupation: In his own kingdom, the prince ruled the countryside with the help of his princess and their young daughter, Allison Grace, who is reportedly attending Fairy Tale Reform School. As a princess, we wondered why she wasn’t enrolled at Royal Academy. “That’s none of your business,” said Prince Sebastian gruffly. (Geez, guess some of that beast is still in him. When he gets cranky, sources say he turns back into one too! Let’s not make him angry, okay?) At FTRS, the prince will be handling the school’s new advanced studies program for students already on the path to being good, nicknamed the MMC. “My goal is to keep them that way,” the prince says. His coursework aims to help the students find a deeper understanding of themselves and the kingdom around them.

  Hobbies: Literature. Like his wife, he’s a huge lover of books. The prince also loves to travel. “Once I was freed of my curse, I wanted to explore places outside my castle. There’s no greater joy than experiencing other kingdoms and seeing how they differ from your own courtyard.”

  Strengths: Um, actual strength? When he’s in beast form, he can scale walls and lift heavy objects. Another strength? “My family,” says the prince, who credits his wife and daughter for making him “worthy of the man I see in the mirror.” Aww!

  Weaknesses: “I’m grumpy when I’m hungry. And when someone doesn’t listen to the rules. And when I’m contradicted.” (Note to us all: do not make him angry!)

  Check back soon for our Meet the Teacher report on the prince’s wife—Beauty!

  CHAPTER 3

  Into the Woods

  Even though I went to bed hours ago, I still can’t sleep. My mind is on my first class with Prince Sebastian. These classes were my idea, so I want to make a good impression. Especially, um, after what happened in the library.

  Tomorrow, I will arrive early!

  My quill will be full of ink, and my scroll will be ready for note taking!

  My uniform is going to be pressed, and my hair is going to be neatly tied back in a ribbon!

  Do I have any hair ribbons? I keep losing the ones Maxine gives me. I will need to ask Maxine for another ribbon.

  I toss and turn and almost knock Wilson off my pillow three times while Maxine and Peaches snore loudly together from the other bed. A duck snore is not a pretty sound. I cover my ears—and hear my name called.

  “Gilly!” Kayla is banging on Maxine’s and my bedroom window. I can see her fluttering outside it. “I need your help!”

  I glance at our newest alarm clock—Peaches keeps eating them because she hates the noise—and almost pass out. It’s 1:00 a.m.? How can I still be awake?

  “Gilly, please!” Her voice is desperate. It’s the Kayla of old, and I really like the new, happy Kayla. “It’s Mother.” She sounds frantic. “She’s missing from the fairy hut, and I’m worried he’ll find her if she’s out on the grounds alone!”

  I know the “he” she is referring to. I get out of bed, slip into my boots, and run to the window in my nightgown. To avoid tripping the magical alarm that will alert Miri that I’m out of bed after curfew, I have to make my exit quick. We are on a low floor, but still high enough that I can’t jump. I’ll have to spring off Maxine’s super-springy ottoman, through the window, and into Kayla’s arms.

  I take a deep breath and listen to Maxine’s snoring. “Ready?” I whisper.

  “Ready!” Kayla whispers, reaching her arms out to catch me.

  This isn’t the first time we’ve done this move.

  I hit the ottoman and fly through the window into Kayla’s arms. She catches me, and we both listen closely for a second, neither of us moving. Nope, no alarm. We are clear! Kayla flies me to the edge of the woods where her family’s hut is, quickly explaining to me what happened.

  “My sisters are away overnight, taking a fairy librarian course with Beauty—it’s their first time away since they’ve become fairies again. I said I’d keep an eye on Mother, but I didn’t know that literally meant ‘keep an eye on her.’ I put her to bed, but when I checked on her a little while ago, she was gone!”

  The cool night air we are flying through makes my eyes water. “Did she say she wanted to go out before bed?” We land near a patch of trees.

  “She kept asking me for ‘the book’ at dinner.” Kayla makes air quotes. “She’s been talking about books a lot since she started working at the library, but this was different. She says this book is calling to her.” Kayla’s eyes shine in the glow of the moonlight. “Gilly, I think something’s wrong with her.”
r />   “I’m sure she’s just confused,” I say, trying to sound sure although this does sound strange. What is Kayla’s mom talking about? I know she’s been a little off since her transformation, but I didn’t know she was mumbling about books. I search behind a patch of sunflowers that are moving, but all I find is a family of bunnies. The hair stands up on my arms. What if Kayla’s mom really was kidnapped by Stiltskin? “How long ago did you check on her?” I can’t let Kayla know I’m panicking.

  “Like an hour ago!” Kayla cries. “She was still muttering about the book, so I said we could take it out of the library tomorrow. She got all excited, and I thought that was the end of it. But then she was gone. I checked the library first, but it’s empty. Where could she be?” Kayla sits down on a tree stump and covers her face with her hands. “I’m going to have to wake Flora or Harlow, aren’t I? Harlow will kill me! You know how the Evil Queen feels if she doesn’t get eight solid hours of beauty sleep!”

  Kayla is so busy freaking out that I think I am hearing things, but the sound grows louder. Someone is mumbling. I shush Kayla and spin around, listening closely. I hear the rustling of wind, the trees, an owl in the distance, and then—a voice!

  “This way!” I head into a patch of trees. We’re close to the edge of the Hollow Woods now and have to be careful (especially at night). But the voice is close. If I just go a little farther…I round one more bend, and that’s when I see Kayla’s mom sitting on a rock talking to herself.

  “Mother!” Kayla rushes toward her as a wolf howls in the distance. “What are you doing out here?” She pulls off her jacket and wraps it around her mother, who is wearing a thin nightgown.

  Kayla’s mom looks up at her with wild amber eyes. “The book called to me! I came to find it, but it’s not here. It’s never here. I have to find it first! I have to find it first. I have to find it first,” she repeats as she looks around the forest. “Where are you! I hear you, but I can’t see you!” she shouts.

  “Shh!” Kayla and I say. I worry we’ll wake a sleeping giant or, worse, a sleeping Harlow.