Megara gripped the strap of her duffel bag as she was led through the halls of The Smith House. She couldn't help thinking the name was misleading since it looked more like a castle than a house. The floors and walls were made of gray stone and the decor consisted mainly of eerie statues. But, nonetheless, Meg was fascinated by the house and she decided if she was forced to stay somewhere, this place was a better alternative than most.

"The classroom and library are located here on the main floor," the principal, Maleficent, was saying, "as well as the kitchen. Breakfast is at seven o'clock, lunch is at noon and dinner is at six o'clock sharp. If you show up even one minute late for any meal, you will not be served. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Meg muttered.

Maleficent stopped short and turned to face Meg. "You will address me as Madam Maleficent or ma'am. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well." Maleficent turned and they continued up the large staircase. "Each morning, at eight o'clock sharp, you will report to your small group to check in. The small group rooms are located on this floor. The small group leader you have been assigned to is Nancy. Her room is here..." Maleficent motioned at a door to their right. Next to the door a small plaque hung on the wall with the name Nancy carved onto it. "If you are late for your small group you will be written up. If you don't show up at all, you will spend the day in the detention center under the supervision of our vice principal, Jafar. Our counselor, Jane Porter's office is on this floor as well, as is Minister Frollo's."

Meg and Maleficent continued up another staircase.

"The next two floors contain the bedrooms for the staff," Maleficent said as they bypassed those floors. "This floor here is where the boys sleep. Boys and girls are not to mingle after dark."

"Yes, ma'am," Meg replied as they bypassed that floor as well.

"This is where the girls sleep," Maleficent continued as they walked down the hallway. "Your room number is 605; the second to the last room on the left. And, should you need it; the medical center is also on the main floor."

Meg nodded as she glanced down the hall; it was completely empty. If it wasn't for the quiet chatter coming from the rooms, Meg would have thought she and Maleficent were the only ones on the floor.

"Lights out at ten o'clock, Megara," Maleficent said. "I will see you in the morning for breakfast."

"Good night, ma'am."

Maleficent gave her a small, approving nod then headed back down the stairs. Meg waited until she was out of sight before walking down to her room. The solid wood door was closed and there was a sheet of paper pinned to it.

Schedule:

7:00am- Breakfast

8:00am- Small Group

9:00am-12:00pm- Class

12:00pm- Lunch

1:00pm-Homework

2:00pm-4:00pm- Activity

4:00pm-6:00pm- Visitation

6:00pm-Dinner

7:00pm-10:00pm- Free Time

10:00pm- Lights Out

Meg shook her head at the schedule and then pushed down on the handle to open the door. Meg slowly stepped inside her room and was surprised to see it had more modern decor than the rest of the house. As she opened the door wider, she saw a girl standing in front of the mirror, combing her hair. When Meg closed the door, the girl turned and looked at her.

She had shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. Meg thought she must have been pretty, but right now she had a black eye, a swollen lip, and the rest of her face was covered in cuts. She gave Meg an apprehensive look as Meg set her duffel bag on the unoccupied bed. Meg frowned; she was used to people looking at her like that.

Meg was what most people considered a Goth, but she didn't believe in labels and hated when people called her that. She always wore dark-colored clothes, black nail polish and a pentagram necklace. She had pale skin and was never seen without thick black eyeliner around her purple eyes. Meg saw the beauty in dark, which was often confused with having an evil way of thinking. She had been outcast by everyone she had ever met, but she didn't mind. She had become anti-social and preferred to be alone anyway. Since most people were afraid of her and avoided her, it was easy for Meg to keep to herself. Her only outlet was her writing.

Meg unpacked her bag, then sat down on her bed with her journal.

"I'm sorry."

Meg looked over to where the girl was lying on her bed. "For what?"

"I judged you when I first saw you. That wasn't fair and I apologize," she said.

Meg stared at her, slightly taken aback. No one had ever apologized for judging her before. "It's all right."

"My name is Cinderella," she said. "What's yours?"

"Megara. My friends call me Meg." Meg paused. "At least, they would if I had any friends."

"Welcome to The Smith House, Meg," Cinderella said with a small smile.

Meg closed her journal and set on the bed next to her. "So, what's the deal with this place, anyway?"

"The Smith House is a place for broken young adults to go to for 'help'." Cinderella made air quotes around the word help. "Basically, if you don't live up to society's standard of normal you can be sent here to be fixed. I've only been here a week, but I've noticed there are a lot of different kinds of us here: From criminals, to gays, to druggies to just plain crazy people."

Meg raised an eyebrow at her. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"Domestic abuse victim," Cinderella said in a mock official voice, as if she was quoting someone. "My step mother wasn't happy about being stuck with me after my dad died. How about you?"

"Oh, my parents think I worship Hades and they sent me here to 'save my soul'," Meg replied.