Shoelaces


Chapter Two: An Unspoken Connection


"I don't get it," Chaddick was saying as he readied his arrow. The young prince of Northern Hills was practicing his archery, not that it was shoddy. His entire talent was based on accuracy, the bow, and the arrow. Something he constantly flaunted in Henrietta's face. "Why are you starting in school so late? Why couldn't you have started with people your age?"

"Why couldn't you have started with me?"

"I don't know, sir. The invitation popped onto our doorstep one day, addressed to me. Your father said it'd be a good idea for me to go, given everything that's happened in the last few years," Henrietta muttered, reading a book with no title on its spine.

"I was forced to come."

Chaddick drew the arrow, aimed and fired. Although there was a target straight in front of him, he had meant for it to hit the target behind him. Just as he had practiced so many times before, the arrow was dug deep in the bull's eye of the back target. "It doesn't make any sense. And when something doesn't make sense here at school, it's usually a bad thing. Trust me, I know. We need to figure it out as soon as possible."

"You're not going to endure what I had to, I'll make sure of it."

"I'm not some princess you need to look after, sir. I am your maid."

Unfortunately, the blunt remark was meant exactly as it was said. The sternness in her voice made Chaddick miss the front bull's eye by an inch.

"What did you say, Hennie?"

"You heard me, sir. Or you wouldn't have missed. I am your maid. I do your laundry, I cook your food, I clean your chambers. You'd be an idiot to think that I'm anything different," Henrietta retorted, the same sternness making her voice steely. It was different than her polite tone used when she's with any other student.

"That's not what I meant–"

"Of course, it's not. But it was hidden there and you know it."

"Hennie–"

"I don't want to hear another word on the matter, sir. You focus on your studies and I'll focus on mine. From now on, we're to be as formal as we are when your father's around. No more funny business," Hennie said. Her voice was crisp, authoritative and even regal. Chaddick knew what that voice was.

Her 'mom' voice.

"You know, I'm 2 months older than you." Chaddick's grin was cocky and playful.

"You're not going to tell me what to do."

Henrietta was shocked, at first. She was trying to be the mature one, here. She didn't need to hear one more rumor about her wooing Chaddick. Instead, she let out a soft laugh as a smile stretched across her lips. "Listen to me, Chad."

"Yeah, yeah, we won't be friends. We'll be senior and junior. We won't sit with each other at lunch anymore or skip classes–"

"Which was a very bad idea, by the way, you impatient oaf."

"Okay, sorry, I had to tell you as soon as I found out that Tedros gave Agatha a promise ring. That's big news. Big news deserves big ears."

A gasp stopped Henrietta from interrupting as she put her hands over her ears, which weren't actually big at all, but rounder than other girls.

"From now on, we'll only see each other after school and only as senior-junior study sessions. There are a lot of pointers I could teach you. On how to be the right princess, of course."

"Of course," Henrietta pouted, her hands still over her ears. "No better teacher than the pompous prince whose expectations are so high that even Queen Agatha eluded him."

Chaddick had punched her arm so hard, she knew it'd bruise. But that didn't stop her from laughing with him, her hands finally leaving her ears.


"You're not seeing Chaddick anymore," Mildred whined as they all ate lunch together in the Clearing. Henrietta shrugged and bit into her sandwich, which she made herself. She wasn't going to let anyone else cook for her, something she promised herself at a very young age.

"Did something... you know, happen?" Reina squeaked. Henrietta shook her head, still not finished chewing her sandwich.

"Then what? You guys make it look so easy," Mildred wailed, her shoulders slumping. She looked miserable, but Henrietta knew it was just a ruse so she could what she wants. Still, Henrietta raised an eyebrow after she swallowed. "Oh, don't be like that, Hennie. You know what I mean. Being friends, even though you're a girl and he's a boy. That's what you guys make look so easy. If you guys aren't talking to each other, all hope for friendships amongst gender is lost."

Henrietta couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't use Chaddick and I as an example. We're a bad example, you guys don't even know our history and why we make it look so easy. You're hardly going to go through the same circumstances," Henrietta chirped.

The Clearing was abuzz with students chattering away. Some of it nice chatter, such as when the Evergirls giggled about whatever fashion mishap stories they had, some of it whooping chatter, such as when the Everboys landed in a goal in their makeshift game of rugby, but a lot of it was grumbly chatter that came from the Nevers. Henrietta was about as close to finding out what's on the other side as she was during the first day of school. She could imagine what the Never complained and grunted about.

Every now and then, when she looked over her shoulder to glimpse at the Nevers, she'd find Hester with her arms crossed and her eyes glaring right at her. As quick as a hare, she'd turn towards Mildred and Reina.

Mildred huffed, looked even more miserable than before. Henrietta had no other advice to give her. She hardly approached other girls, let alone boys.

"What is your history with Chaddick, Hennie?" Mildred asked after a few moments of silence, not meaning to sound suspicious at all. Her voice was still bubbly and sweet, but sickeningly curious. Henrietta studied her two roommates. Over time, the two began to look up to Henrietta in a way they would a big sister. And indeed, the two were equally as curious to her history as the other.

Henrietta pondered on if she should tell the story. The entire story was quite winded. The entire story wasn't needed to answer the question. After all, stories were never told to their fullest. So, she shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. "My family owes King James, Chaddick's father, a debt and we had nothing to offer but our lives. So, we all became servants of the royal family, including Chaddick. That didn't stop us from being friends and he'd always tell stories about his princely ventures and I'd always tell stories about my... commoner duties."

"Commoner duties? Is that what you just called your journeys?" Chaddick yelled from across the clearing. Henrietta whipped her around to face him and frowned. How on earth could her hear from over there? Quickly, she scanned around the picnic table.

A tabby cat with orange and black stripes mewed near Henrietta's feet. With a harrumph, she kicked the cat away. It let out a yeowl and dashed away, straight towards Chaddick, who was grinning from ear to ear. It didn't take long for the sidekick to Mogrify back into its original form, a large tiger with huge paws and a swishing tail. The tiger groaned as it nuzzled its nose against Chaddick's open palm. Henrietta could only scowl.

Mildred gasped. Now, there was going to be no calming down this girl. "What journeys, Hennie? Oh, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"King James is a king not renowned for his swordsmanship, his archery or his jousting. King James' best talent is spellcasting. Very often, he'd need ingredients that weren't found in the Northern Hills. As a royal servant, it was sometimes my job to embark on missions for them, since no one would expect a village girl to gather them. The perfect way to avoid a fairy tale is to be as normal as possible," Henrietta explained. Mildred frowned lightly. It was clear that she didn't agree with Henrietta. On what point, Henrietta didn't know. But the frown quickly evaporated when she asked what kind of ingredients Henrietta would go searching for.

Reina was quiet, listening all the while. Henrietta and Mildred were so immersed in the story that they didn't notice Chaddick's tiger Mogrifying back into a cat to eavesdrop on them. Reina couldn't get it out of her head.

Chaddick was always watching over Henrietta, even when it didn't look like it. The pale, quiet little girl knew there had to be something more between them. An unspoken connection.


"Do you think she could be like Sophie and Agatha?" Dot asked, not even looking up from her gruel-turned-chocolate.

"No."

"Then why is she with all the little ones?" Anadil mused, teasing her rats with some of her food.

"I don't know."

"There's got to be something special about her!" Dot chirped.

"No. She's ordinary. As Good as any other baboon over there."

"She kicked that cat no problem," Dot pressed.

"Agatha would've done the same."

Hester sighed, defeated on her interest in the girl. Perhaps it was those glances she gave the trio. When she thought no one was looking, her eyes would land on them then turn away just as fast. But it wasn't her being scared of them. Those two little cupcakes were scared of Hester's coven. Not her, there was something else in her eyes when she looked.

"Agatha was scared she was going to enjoy Evil her first year here, remember?" Dot gushed, her voice slurring from chocolate stuck in her teeth. "Oh, how the times were simpler then."

A wry smile threatened on Hester's lips. She missed Agatha, she couldn't deny it. Sophie was always on her nerves, but that was the way it's always been. Sometimes, she'd find herself reminiscing on how things used to be before their fairy tale ended.

The new girl was a lot like Agatha though she had no counterpart. There wasn't a First-Year that was as old as Hester in the School for Evil. There weren't enough similarities. The new girl fit in just fine and never crossed the line for someone else. It was always just those fleeting glimpses towards the other side. What could it possibly mean?

"Maybe she's..."

"Well, whatever she is, we'll find out soon enough," Anadil crooned.

"What are you talking about?" Hester hissed as she glared at her friend.

"She's walking this way!"