Switched Read online

  “We’ll get it at the library tomorrow, but tonight you need sleep,” Kayla says soothingly. She mouths thank you, and we try to bring her mother back to the fairy hut.

  “No!” Kayla’s mom pulls away. “You don’t understand! I have to get to it first. It’s mine to protect, and I’ve lost it. I have to find it before they do, or all will be lost.” She appears frightened. “If they get their hands on it, they’ll know what to do and Enchantasia will be lost.”

  I feel a shiver in my nightdress and tell myself it’s just the wind giving me goose bumps.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve seen the book and it’s safe,” I say to help things along.

  Kayla’s mom’s face lights up. “You have it? It’s safe? Take me to it!”

  “In the morning,” I promise, and Kayla smiles at me gratefully. We both steer her mother successfully out of the edge of the woods and toward their hut. “But only if you wait till morning.”

  “Okay,” her mom promises, yawning. The sound makes Kayla and me yawn too. “In the morning.”

  I’m sure she’ll forget about this book by then.

  CHAPTER 4

  From Mischief Makers to Model Citizens

  Quack!

  Quack!

  Squeak!

  I wake up to animals pecking and scratching my bare legs. I sit straight up, wincing as the sunlight streams through our bedroom window, and stare blearily at Peaches and Wilson.

  “What time is it?” I ask the fairy pets as if they can answer.

  I hear a chime, and then a wooden voice says, “The time is now 10:15 a.m. Maxine tried to get you up three times! You are late! Late for an important date!”

  I look in horror at the rabbit-shaped alarm clock holding a pocket watch, and I have two thoughts.

  When did we get a talking alarm clock?

  How does it know I’m late? Gasp! I’m late for my first class with Prince Sebastian!

  I jump out of bed in a frenzy. I throw my wrinkled jumper on over my nightdress before slipping into my boots without my striped stockings. There’s no time to tame my hair. I grab my half-empty quill and scroll before dashing out of my dorm room. So much for looking presentable.

  “No running in the hallways, Gilly!” Miri shouts as I fly down the stairs and through hallways, trying to find the new library services wing. “Detention, Gilly! Did you hear me? That’s two detentions! Gilly? Gilly!”

  But I ignore Miri and keep running, barely missing a gaggle of pixies chatting in the hall.

  “Blackbeard’s class is on the first floor!” I say as I dive through an opening hallway and fly into the library services wing. I keep running past the stained glass windows and don’t stop till I find the door that says PRINCE SEBASTIAN’S CLASSROOM. I pound on the door.

  I fail to see the fine print till afterward. IF THE DOOR IS SHUT, CLASS IS ALREADY IN SESSION AND YOU ARE LATE! DON’T BOTHER!

  Fiddlesticks.

  The door to my new classroom flies open.

  “You’re late!” Prince Sebastian growls. His long hair is tied back with a red ribbon, and he’s wearing a red jacket with gold buttons. He looks at my disheveled appearance with disdain.

  “Sorry, I know,” I say fast. “My alarm clock didn’t go off and I was busy helping a friend last night and I overslept and didn’t have time to iron and it won’t happen again.”

  The prince is breathing heavily as he stares at me. I wait for him to beast out, but he just turns and walks away. “This is your first and only warning about being late to my class. Next time, you won’t be allowed entrance.”

  “Prince Sebastian?” Miri glows in a nearby mirror, and I cringe. “Headmistress Flora would like a word.”

  “Of course,” says the prince. “Gillian, sit! And the rest of you, keep quiet until I return.”

  “Thank you, Professor,” I say as he leaves the room. “I’ll just sit down…oh!”

  This is strange. There are no desks in the classroom. I spot my friends all seated at individual dressing tables that have their own gold mirrors, chandeliers, and gold rugs beneath their feet. Classical music is playing from a harp in the corner and… What’s that smell? Lavender incense? I slide behind an open vanity across from someone I didn’t expect to see—Allison Grace. While everyone else talks quietly with the person nearest them, Beauty and the Beast’s daughter is wringing her hands, tapping her toes, and looking everywhere but at me. Being the new kid can be rough.

  “Hey, Allison Grace,” I say, tripping over her formal name. “Do you go by both names all the time? Or just Allison? Or maybe Grace?” She looks at me strangely. “It takes so long to say both names, you know?”

  “My parents love my name, but…” She sighs and puts her hands firmly on the desk. “It sounds so formal, like I’m being announced at a ball. All. The. Time.”

  I laugh. “How about a nickname for school?”

  She looks thoughtful. “I’ve never had a nickname before.”

  “The easier it is to say your name, the more likely it is that kids will call it out,” I tell her.

  Her face lights up. “What would my nickname be?”

  I think for a moment. “Ali? Ali Grace? Gracey?” She wrinkles her nose at each suggestion. “How about AG?”

  “AG?” Allison Grace repeats, and her smile widens. “I love it! Now how do I get people to use it?”

  “Easy!” I whistle, and everyone turns around. “You guys remember meeting Allison Grace in the library?” People nod. “Well, from here on out, she’d love for you to call her AG.”

  A chorus of “Hey, AG!” rings out around the room, and my new friend looks tickled pink. I wink at her as someone slides into the seat behind her. It’s Jack Spriggins.

  “How’d you get in this class?” Jocelyn asks pointedly. “Weren’t you just sentenced?”

  Jack shrugs. “Don’t know. The headmistress said my story reminded her of hers.” He points to me.

  “Gilly?” Jax sputters. “You’re nothing like her.”

  Jack narrows his eyes at my princely friend. “That’s not what the headmistress thinks. And hey—who am I to argue? I saw the class list. I’ll take this class over Suppressing the Villain Within any day.”

  “Good point,” I agree, and Jax looks at me.

  Maybe I’m getting soft, but I feel bad for Jack. We seem to have some things in common. As the others turn back to their conversations, I can’t help but say what’s been on my mind since yesterday. “I’m sorry about your mom…and, um, cow.”

  Jack’s brown eyes look sad, and yet he says, “I don’t need your pity.”

  “Who said pity?” I stiffen. “I’m just saying I get it. Stiltskin took someone I love. Is that what happened to your family?”

  Jack is quiet for a moment. “Yes.” He moves his chair closer to mine. “Did you get the people you lost back?”

  “No.” My voice breaks. “My sister went with him a few months ago. She hasn’t returned.”

  Jack’s mouth falls open, and I fear the fly buzzing around Maxine will land on his tongue. “My mum and cow were taken. But your sister willingly joined the Stiltskin Squad?”

  “Yes.” I feel pained even talking about this. “She felt like Stiltskin understood her in a way we didn’t. We haven’t heard from her since. I know the professors and the royal court are on the case, trying to find all the missing kids. They say they’ll track him down, but…it’s taking forever.”

  He laughs. “You think that royal court of yours is going to get the job done? All they care about are their crowns. They don’t care about your sister or my mum.”

  I blink.

  “I’m not sitting here waiting for someone else to do something they’re just going to screw up.” Jack looks around carefully. “First chance I get, I’m breaking out of here and finding my mum and Milky Way.”

  I
snort. “Good luck with that. Students never break out of FTRS. You’ll get caught.”

  There is a glint in his eye I recognize well. “That doesn’t mean I can’t try.” His voice softens, and he stares into his vanity mirror as if it contains all the answers. “I’m all they’ve got in this world. The longer my mum and cow are with Stiltskin, the better the chance he can control them and keep them with him for good.”

  I shudder. “You think he’s brainwashed your family?”

  “My mum and cow don’t have an evil bone in their bodies,” Jack explains. “But the longer people are around Stiltskin, the more they start to think like him, you know? How else do you think he gets so many people to turn evil?”

  Anna? Evil? Never… I hope. She’ll come to her senses and leave his squad soon. I know she will.

  “He’s coming!” someone whispers.

  Everyone quickly gets back to their seats as the prince enters the room with a purposeful stride. “My apologies. Let’s begin the class that will transform your little lives.”

  I want to give a sarcastic reply, but I am on thin ice as it is, so I keep my mouth shut. I want this class to go well. I can only imagine what we’ll be learning in here. Will it be hands-on, like Red was in the Hollow Woods? Or will we be taking lots of field trips to the village to watch different businesses at work? Is the prince going to bring in experts to tell us about different fields? Or will we be required to shadow workers to get a feel for their responsibilities? I’m so excited, I can’t stop bouncing in my seat, even if there is a silly mirror in front of me. What’s this about? I wonder if Miri is watching us to make sure we behave for our newest teacher.

  The prince snaps his fingers, and gold quills appear on our desks. “We will start today’s class by writing down the class rules.”

  Boring!

  Scrolls appear in front of us. “From Mischief Makers to Model Citizens is a new program, and the headmistress and I will be constantly revising and reviewing our plans for the syllabus. Eventually we will have a full schedule that will replace all your other classes, but for now you will take this class in addition to the rest of your regular coursework.” We all moan, and the prince grunts in a beastly manner. “Be grateful you only have one class with me right now. Write this down.” We grab our quills. “You will arrive to class, not on time, but early. We have much to cover and not a lot of time to do it. You will have weekly assignments in addition to larger projects that you will have several months to complete. You must receive a B plus or higher on all assignments for you to stay in this line of classes.”

  “B plus?” I can’t help but ask. “It’s a C in our other classes.” AG’s toes start tapping again.

  “Yeah, seems extreme when you aren’t even sure what the coursework is yet,” chimes in Jack.

  Prince Sebastian leans closer to the two of us, his blue eyes blazing. “This isn’t like other classes. I expect both discipline and excellence. Being good isn’t enough. You must be great. To assure that, the headmistress and I have a system in place. If your grades fall below a B plus three times, you will be dropped from this class.”

  “Dropped?” Maxine’s mouth opens wide. The prince closes it.

  “No one said growth was easy. It takes discipline. Complete your work and your assignments to my standards, and this won’t be an issue. Get sloppy, and you’ll regret it. Once you’re dropped from this class, you’ll need to reapply and there is already a wait list.”

  I feel myself growing angrier. I could get kicked out of the class I suggested? I don’t think so. Who does this prince think he is?

  Prince Sebastian snaps his fingers, and an hourglass appears on each of our desks. “Time waits for no man. You want to succeed in Enchantasia and make something of yourself? You will need to work harder than the children in the village and the students at Royal Academy. You will have to be more gracious than royals. You need to be two steps ahead of everyone around you. Why? Because you have a stigma on your back that royals and regular villagers do not. You are former villains—or were on the path to becoming ones—so you have reputations that it could take a lifetime to repute.”

  “A reputation?” I scoff. I can’t help myself. He’s acting like he’s doing us a favor by being here. We got him this gig. “We’re here because we’re heroes. I don’t know if you’ve heard much about this group, but we’ve already been pardoned for doing good. We saved this school and rid it of Stiltskin. Our reputations can’t be beat.”

  “You’re arrogant and smug,” the prince says bluntly. Jocelyn snickers. “Those are not characteristics of a future leader. Hero or no hero, people quickly forget past accomplishments. They want to know what you are doing now. However, what they never forget are manners, intelligence, and a strong sense of self. Someone who holds himself or herself in high esteem but gives back to those around them is someone who will go far in life. I was arrogant, selfish, and vain once,” he says softly. “That cost me many years of my life. I had to think about what was best for those around me before I could change myself.” He stands up straighter and looks at us. “So today’s assignment is: Who are you?”

  The mirrors in front of us begin to glow.

  “I want you to look deep into the mirror and write what you see on your scroll. Who is the person staring back at you? Do you like what you see? Who does this person want to become? What are their dreams? Hopes? What do they want to accomplish?”

  I have no clue who I want to be! That’s why I’m in this class! That’s why we’re all in this class! None of us know who we want to… I look around. Oh.

  Ollie is scribbling furiously. So are Jax, Kayla, and AG. Even Jocelyn is writing in big, loopy scrolls. Jack taps his quill against his desk and winks at me. His scroll is blank. At least someone is in the same boat as me.

  The prince coughs. “These will be graded, so please think before you use your quill. You have twenty minutes to gather your thoughts. Then we will discuss the first big assignment that you will need to work on outside of class.”

  Holy gingerbread, this guy moves fast! Shouldn’t the first day of class be all about him and what we’ll be learning? Instead, the prince is giving us big speeches and homework. I narrow my eyes at him as he walks over to Maxine, whose hand is raised. He speaks to her in hushed tones, and she smiles gratefully. I bet he doesn’t even know what this class is going to be about yet.

  “Do your work,” Jax whispers to me.

  I turn and stare at myself in the mirror. What do I see?

  A girl who hates pointless assignments.

  A girl who can’t get rid of that purple stripe in her hair no matter how many spells she tries. (Jocelyn swears there is no way to undo it.)

  A girl who hates her school uniform but hated life without it.

  A girl who is really glad there’s not an RLW meeting today, or she’d have to describe her garish pink sash.

  A girl who only wears one pair of boots because they’re broken in, good for outrunning danger, and the only pair of shoes she’ll ever need. (Father made them so they’re built to last.)

  But I can’t write any of these things because I know what the prince will say: those are superficial answers. They don’t explain who I am. I’d just be describing my appearance, and I’ve never cared about that. Anna was the one into lotions and hair care and smelling sweet. She was always trying to spritz me with some new perfume she’d concocted.

  But that was before, when she was good. Before I somehow made her feel like nothing she had was hers alone. Before I somehow pushed her to choose evil. How can I be a good person when I turned my own sister to villainy? My heart hurts, thinking about Anna. I can’t believe that she really wants to be working with Stiltskin. Does she still? I think about what Jack said earlier. What if Anna wants to come home and can’t?

  With a loud groan, I look around. How long have I been sitting here worrying about Anna instea
d of myself? My friends are all writing furiously. Maxine is writing so much, she keeps dipping her quill in the ink jar. The room is so quiet I could hear a pin drop. The prince is sitting at his own desk reading a history book. I better look away before he looks up. Even Jocelyn is scribbling away. What is she writing? I try to lean over to see.

  Boom! I lean a little too far and fall off my chair, banging into my table and knocking the mirror off the desk. It smashes to the ground and shatters. The sound echoes through the room.

  The prince walks over. “Time,” he says flatly, picking up my parchment, which is empty. “I guess there is no need to grade this, Miss Gillian. As I expected, an F. That’s your first demerit.”

  “What? No!” I protest.

  “Give her a break, Teach. It’s our first class,” Jack says, and the prince glares at him so hard he shuts up.

  “Yelling and complaining won’t get you anywhere in life. Believe me, I’ve tried. You must do the work.” The prince walks away to collect the other parchments.

  My chest is rising and falling heavily. I’ve failed my first assignment! He can’t grade me on an assignment I wasn’t even prepared to write. Maybe I can talk to Flora or Rapunzel. I won’t accept an F from a class I suggested!

  “Your first in-depth assignment will be due in three weeks,” the prince tells us. “It is a family tree project.”

  That sounds easy enough. I could do one of those in my sleep. Instant A.

  “But this is no simple family tree.” The prince seems to hear my thoughts. “I want you to not only research who you are and how you are connected to this kingdom but also interview your family members about their feelings toward you and each other. Think of it as a mini-biography on each family member that explores your difficulties and triumphs with them. How have they impacted your life, and how have you impacted theirs? You should also include personal magical photos and any trinkets that speak to your family’s history in Enchantasia.”

  No. My heart starts to beat faster. I don’t want to talk about what happened with Anna or how it’s torn our family apart.