The next morning, all the Evers and Nevers eagerly woke up extra early to view the unofficial rankings based on first day exam results. Nevers scrambled and piled over each other, pushing and shoving. Evers primly got themselves ready for the day, taking care to change and wash up before they left their rooms.
Scarlet was first to see the ranks, delighted to see her name on the very top and ranked first.
"Look!" she bragged gleefully. "I knew I'd beat all of you!"
Harvey frowned at his rank on the very bottom of the board (number one hundred and twenty) but didn't say anything.
Vesper's name was only one rank away from the very last. Number one hundred and nineteen. How mortifying.
Over at the Evers, Stella's name was ranked first.
Obviously, no one needed to know how she lied on the exam.
The second day of school was much more anticipated than the first. Over at the School for Good, Evergirls were currently sitting through their Animal Communication class taught by Princess Uma.
"Of course, each animal has a different, pure soul of their own. Remember, they were once students! Students who failed, but still students!" Princess Uma added brightly as some students began exchanging wary glances.
"Anyway," Princess Uma continued, "today, we are doing some partner work. Everyone, find a partner please."
Indigo froze as girls she didn't know around her began pairing up. Just as Indigo thought she would have to go without a partner, Stella walked up to her.
"Indigo? Is that your name?" Stella asked, and Indigo nodded. "Okay, well do you want to be partners?"
When Indigo eyed Stella suspiciously for a bit too long, Stella quickly added, "I just thought since we are already partners in Yuba's class…" She trailed off.
"Oh! Of course. Right. Sure." Indigo smiled awkwardly, but inside she knew Stella couldn't have asked her to be her partner because Stella was feeling friendly. Indigo suspected Stella wanted a favor to ask her. Beautiful, popular Stella wouldn't ask Indigo to be her partner or sit at her empty lunch table for no reason.
"Stella!" Bernadette came up behind her friend. "I thought we were going to be partners!"
"Sorry, not today," Stella said dismissively.
Bernadette pouted for a moment. "Maybe next time?" she asked hopefully.
"'Kay," Stella answered.
"I'm sure you are all very excited for what we're about to do today!" Princess Uma trilled. "Even if we are just starting with the basics. I want you and your partner to try and identify different animal sounds as you hear them. Write down your answers in an ordered list. Try your best, but whichever pair gets the most correct will be ranked first. Remember, starting today, your ranks will be official, so work hard."
Princess Uma waved her finger and blank parchment magically appeared in front of each group. Everyone grabbed their feather pens, ready to start writing.
The first animal noise was easy: it was the annoying chirp of a cricket. As a low murmuring began to spread through the groups, Stella wrote down their answer.
"Can I ask you a favor?" Stella asked quietly, never looking up from the parchment.
Indigo's suspicions were confirmed. Stella did want something. "Yes?" she asked slowly.
"I know this seems like a weird favor to ask," Stella said, "but it's really important." When Indigo didn't say anything, Stella continued. "I want to know if there are any ways to sneak into the School for Evil."
Indigo couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped open? "W-why? Why do you want to know?"
Stella sighed heavily and looked up from the parchment. "I can't tell you why," she said. "I just need to know. Please."
Indigo chewed her lip. "I suppose I can help you…" she mumbled just as the next animal sound cried out (a big cat's roar, but Indigo wasn't sure which cat).
"Thank you!" Stella breathed, throwing her arms graciously around Indigo. "Thank you Indie. I will be forever in your debt."
Indie. Indigo bit back a smile. Only her friends called her that. Only Huntley, her only friend, ever called her that.
Stella quickly pulled away, aware hugging during class might look suspicious.
"There are definitely some ways to get into the School for Evil," Indigo said, pausing only to listen to the third animal sound. "But the obviously known ones are all guarded by wolves and fairies or magically protected, like the Halfway Bridge. Except some students have been known to somehow get past the magical protections of the Halfway Bridge."
Stella paused on the y in capybara. "Hmm…" she said.
"I may know some secret entrances and passageways," Indigo said. "But using them can be risky. There's a large chance you might get caught by a professor if you use them."
"I understand," Stella said, now scratching out moose on the parchment.
"I can look for more passageways, if I have too," Indigo said confidently.
Stella paused on her writing to gaze up at Indigo in amazement. "How do you know all of this?" she asked. "Did you find it all out before you got here, or…"
"Huntley and I discovered an old map of the school a while ago, and we studied it before we got here," Indigo said truthfully.
Stella nodded. "Okay, then we will meet as soon as possible after this, alright?"
"Yes."
After several more rounds of animal calls, Princess Uma instructed everyone to write their names down on the parchment before turning it in to be checked. It turns out that Stella and Indigo got every single guess correct. Both girls received first ranks, even though it was Stella who did most of the work.
Stella is really smart, Indigo realized as Stella accepted admiring smiles from the other Evergirls. Even if she seems like a stuck-up.
The Nevers in Lady Lesso's Curses and Death Traps class weren't having much of a whimsical time, unlike the Evers. Lady Lesso was a wicked woman with razor-sharp stilettos and a pointed-shouldered gown. Her room was much like her heart—freezing cold.
And it also turns out Lady Lesso despised Readers.
"We focus a lot on your nemesis in this class. There's no room for foolishness. Your nemesis is the Ever who grows stronger as you grow weaker. It will be your ultimate goal, someday, to annihilate them." Then Lady Lesso pointed at Scarlet with her long-nailed finger. "You! Redhead! Name a curse that you would use on your nemesis."
"Insider Curse," Scarlet said automatically.
Lady Lesso's lipsticked lips curved into an evil smile. "Ah, yes. Rip up their internal organs without harming a single outside hair on their external parts, leaving them to die with their insides torn up. Excellent." Then Lady Lesso pointed at Cairo, a Neverboy who was built like an ogre and resembled one too.
"You," she demanded. "What curse would you use?"
Cairo blinked dumbly. "Umm…"
A second passed, then two, then three.
"I don't know?" Cairo shrugged his large shoulders.
Lady Lesso delivered her notorious death glare to Cairo. "Stupid kid," she said aloud before moving on.
Cairo's face reddened with anger (Nevers are known to have anger issues). Seemingly unable to contain himself, he blurted out, "at least I won't decide to teach at a school someday. Only failure Nevers with less than an ounce of knowledge become teachers at the School for Good and Evil."
Lady Lesso stopped in her tracks, her back still to Cairo. Then she turned dangerously slowly, purple eyes sharp and sinister. Every Never in the room held their breaths.
"Doom Room. Now," Lady Lesso hissed.
Glaring at everyone who stared, Cairo stormed out of the classroom.
Lady Lesso whipped towards Harvey. "What curse?" she asked him irritably. Harvey was unlucky to be talking to Lady Lesso when she was in one of her moods.
"Death…curse," Harvey said uncertainly. It was obvious he made that up from the top of his head.
"You are absolutely horrendous, Reader," Lady Lesso spat. Then a "twenty" exploded over Harvey's head. "Two more twenty ranks and you fail."
Harvey dropped his gaze to the floor.
After that class was over, everyone hurried off to their next class. Vesper walked deliberately slower than the rest, anxious to get some private time. As Vesper walked, he glanced out the window and saw something that wasn't there before. A tall, thin tower that looked only half-built. Vesper frowned but shrugged it off.
The next class was Uglification with Bilious Manley. Professor Manley launched into a lecture regarding why pimples ought to be more desirable than dimples. Professor Manley walked around to each student and passed out a diagram.
"This diagram shows two faces: one with pimples and one with dimples. What do you notice about the dimpled face?"
Vesper stared down at the creepy dimpled face, which had an oddly misshapen head.
"I notice that indents in the skin don't look too powerful or majestic," a student answered.
"Excellent observation! Now, the indents, also known as pimples, can be found on chins, cheeks…"
Vesper had begun to doze off. His eyes wandered to the window again, scanning involuntarily for the thin tower. Instead, he saw a stymph, the second odd thing he'd seen in the hour. Stymphs were enormous bird-like creatures that were usually in charge of bringing the Readers to the School for Good and Evil. They sleep during the day, which was why Vesper found it strange that this stymph was gliding about the sky. Also, stymphs heavily preferred Evers over Nevers. Nevers were the birds' sworn enemy.
The door banged open and Castor walked in, looking ill-tempered. Pollux's head was nowhere to be seen, so Castor had the entire dog body to himself, except his head was slightly off-centered.
"ATTENTION!" Castor roared, even though he already got the attention he needed after his dramatic entrance. "ATTENTION!" Castor roared again.
"Yes?" Professor Manley said, scratching his pimpled, bald head.
"I NEED TO TALK TO YOU! YOU!" Castor yelled.
"Alright, alright." Professor Manley eyed the students. "Behave, or it's to the Doom Rooms you go."
The two teachers left for only a few minutes before Professor Manley came back in. No one had dared to misbehave (there were an awful lot of rumors about what the Doom Rooms were like), so Professor Manley was free to continue on his talk about how favorable pimples can be.
After the class, Vesper's inquisitive eyes caught Castor and his dog body stepping out of a room. Normally, Vesper wouldn't think too much about this, except Castor had the shifty look in his eyes, and Vesper definitely didn't miss Castor attempting to casually lock the door behind him. Vesper waited for the hall to clear and Castor to leave before he made his way to the door.
The bell bing-bonged, signaling the start of the next class. Vesper was aware that he was going to be punished and possibly sent to the Doom Room for being late to class, but this time, he was willing to risk it. An instinct inside him knew there was something mysterious about the room, and Vesper was curious. Awfully curious.
Vesper couldn't help but recall one of his mother's lessons that she taught him a while back, when he was young.
"Remember son, curiosity killed the black cat."
And according to his mother, curiosity was a fickle, dangerous thing. Vesper remembered how he suspected his mother was paranoid at that time. She had been sick with fever when she told this to him. Because obviously, how could curiosity be dangerous? It wasn't something tangible.
Well, Vesper's mother was long dead—killed off by the fever. There was nothing to worry about now.
Vesper rolled his eyes at the simple lock on the door and pulled out the bent paperclip he carried with him everywhere. Just in case.
Remember son, curiosity killed the black cat.