Hailey had never felt entirely at ease in the School for Good, where the daughters and sons of royalty and nobility were trained in the arts of being a perfect prince or princess. Unlike her classmates, who seemed to glide effortlessly through their lessons, she struggled with nearly every subject. Princess Etiquette felt like an alien culture she couldn't quite grasp, so different to her own Kingdom's brash nature, and Beautification left her feeling more awkward than beautiful. Animal Communication, the study of talking to animals, seemed utterly pointless to her, despite the enthusiasm of her peers. She barely managed to scrape by in these classes, often coming close to last. Only Agatha, the Reader, seemed to be fairing the same, often failing outright due to her more pronounced disinterest and lack of conformity.
Hailey's only consistent success was in the class called Surviving Fairytales, a practical course where students learned to navigate the dangers of their world's magical narratives. Even then, it was often more by luck than skill that she passed. Good Deeds, a subject that one would think simple, was a constant source of frustration. The deeds deemed 'good' were often superficial acts that felt disingenuous to Hailey, who could hardly understand the vain preoccupations of some of her classmates. She often found herself wondering how helping a fellow princess choose the right dress for a ball was considered as noble as saving someone from a real danger.
One day, after a particularly frustrating session of Princess Etiquette, Hailey wandered around the school grounds, her mind swirling with discontent. She needed a distraction from the thoughts that haunted her, especially the inappropriate fantasies she couldn't shake about Lady Lesso, the Dean of the School for Evil after that fateful night. As she sulked, she noticed someone tumbling down a hill. They were clad in a full set of armour, clearly struggling with the weight and awkwardness of the equipment. When they came to a stop at the bottom, they lifted their visor, revealing Gregor, a small, gangly ginger-haired boy with a freckled face with a bright red 'F' flashing above his head—a sign of failure in his swordplay class. The dejected look on his face snapped Hailey out of her own reverie.
Hailey rushed to help him up, picking up the sword he had dropped along the way. As she walked him back up the hill, supporting his stumbling steps, she noticed that many of the boys in the class were similarly struggling with their armour, clearly having been knocked down by Gregor's tumble. The same teacher at the opening ceremony who had helped her with the cyclops boy approached them now, thanking Hailey for her assistance before taking Gregor aside to discuss his form and provide some much-needed encouragement.
Standing there, awkwardly holding Gregor's sword, Hailey felt a mix of emotions. She was unsure what to do next until Prince Andreas, her fiancé, approached. Andreas, tall and regal, with a kind face, was clearly feeling guilty. He admitted that he had accidentally nicked Gregor's cheek during practice, causing the boy to faint. Hailey tried to reassure him, explaining that everyone was just trying their best. As she spoke, she couldn't help but reflect on her own efforts and failures, feeling as though she was also struggling to keep up, always slightly out of step with the rest of her class.
After the boys finished their swordplay class and were out of their armour, Hailey impulsively asked Andreas to spar with her. She hoped that a friendly match might lift both their spirits. Andreas agreed, and soon they were engaged in a mock duel. Hailey found herself enjoying the physicality of the exercise, the thrill of combat a welcome relief from the monotonous refinement of her other classes. As they fought, some of the boys from the class gathered to watch, intrigued by the sight of a girl holding her own against one of the more experienced swordsmen in their class.
Hailey almost won the duel, feeling the satisfaction of matching Andreas blow for blow. But then, an image of Lady Lesso flashed through her mind—a vision of the dean's hand resting on her throat, nails digging in, wild red hair illuminated by moonlight, and a seductive, devilish grin on her face. The distraction cost Hailey her focus. Andreas seized the opportunity, knocking her off balance and sending her sprawling to the ground. Embarrassed, Hailey accepted Andreas's hand as he helped her up, her face flushed from both the exertion and the distraction. He suggested they spar more often, and their teacher, a rugged, burly man with a scruffy beard and a scarred face, encouraged Hailey to join their swordplay class if she had free time. She agreed, grateful for the chance to engage in something she enjoyed and felt competent in. She noticed a few of the boys seemed displeased with this arrangement, but they remained silent, and Hailey chose to ignore their disapproval.
Later that day, Hailey met Gregor in front of the large gate at the edge of the Blue Forest for their Surviving Fairytales class. Gregor looked downcast, and when Hailey asked what was wrong, he confessed that he had also failed his previous class. He had lost control of his horse during horseback riding and managed to get hit by a low-hanging branch, which had sent him tumbling off the horse. Hailey sympathized, sharing that she had recently failed her last class herself—during a Beautification lesson on formal dancing, she had tripped over the hem of her overly elaborate dress and fallen in front of everyone. The memory was still fresh and humiliating, making her cheeks flush just thinking about it. Gregor seemed to appreciate the shared vulnerability, managing a small smile.
Their conversation was cut short as their teacher, a stout forest gnome with a staff nearly as tall as himself, called the class to order. They entered the Blue Forest, a place unlike any other, where every natural element was a different shade of blue. The leaves, the grass, the trees—all were various hues of blue, creating an eerie, otherworldly landscape. As they walked, Hailey found herself beside Andreas again. It was a comfortable silence, but she noted with a pang of guilt that there was no spark, no excitement when their hands accidentally brushed. There was nothing like the heart-fluttering excitement her classmates often described when they talked about their crushes or romantic interests.
As they walked, Hailey's mind betrayed her once more, conjuring an image of Lady Lesso's smirk, her presence unsettling and magnetic. The thought made Hailey's steps falter, and she tried to shake the image from her mind, refocusing on the blue surroundings. The forest reminded her of her home, a kingdom slowly being overtaken by an encroaching forest. The Blue Forest's monochromatic nature made it seem almost alien, heightening her unease.
Lost in thought, Hailey didn't immediately notice when Gregor began to panic behind her. It wasn't until he screamed and darted off the path that she realized something was wrong. She turned to see him sprinting into the depths of the forest, away from the safety of the group. Panic seized her. She knew what would happen if Gregor failed this class; he had already failed twice, and three strikes meant expulsion from the school—something no one ever returned from. The thought of her older sister flashed through her mind, recalling the day she vanished after failing her third class in a row. No one seemed to know what happened to the expelled students; they simply disappeared, as if erased from existence.
Determined to prevent another loss, Hailey moved to chase after Gregor, but she was stopped by a strong hand gripping her arm. It was Andreas, holding her back. He pulled her close, turning her to face him. His expression was tense, fear evident in his eyes. "You don't need to see this," he said, his voice tight. Hailey struggled against him, desperate to reach Gregor, but Andreas held firm, his grip unyielding.
As the wind picked up, swirling leaves around them, Hailey felt a cold, eerie sensation. The air crackled with a strange energy, and though she couldn't see it, she could feel the magic enveloping the area. It was as if the forest itself was alive, reacting to Gregor's actions. The world around them seemed to shift, the unnatural blue hues intensifying. Hailey's heart pounded in her chest, a sickening dread settling in her stomach. The magic she felt was ancient and powerful, far beyond anything taught in their classes.
The wind grew stronger, howling through the trees. Hailey could barely hear their gnome teacher's attempts to calm the remaining students, who were now huddling together in fear. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the wind ceased. The forest fell silent, the oppressive stillness weighing heavily on them all. Andreas finally released her, and Hailey turned to where Gregor had last been seen. There was no sign of him, no trace of his existence left in the forest. It was as if he had never been there at all.
Hailey's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, numb with shock. She felt Andreas's hand on her shoulder, steadying her, but the gesture did little to comfort her. The reality of what had just happened settled over her like a suffocating blanket. Gregor was gone, just like her sister and the others before them. The school's dark secret had claimed another victim.
Tears welled in Hailey's eyes as the horror of the situation crashed down on her. She had always known about the possibility of expulsion, but it had seemed a distant threat, an abstract punishment for failure, no matter how close to home it had already hit. Now, seeing it happen to someone in person, it felt all too real. The fear of being next, of failing and disappearing without a trace, gnawed at her. Her grades had been slipping, and she knew she was close to the edge. The very thought terrified her.
The rest of the class passed in a blur. The students were herded back to the school grounds, the usual chatter and laughter replaced by a heavy silence. No one spoke of what had happened; it was an unspoken rule to forget those who vanished, to pretend they had never existed. But Hailey couldn't forget. As they returned to their respective dormitories, she felt the weight of her own failures more acutely than ever. She was struggling in her classes, out of sync with the expectations of a princess. The looming possibility of failure and expulsion was no longer just a fear—it was a very real, very immediate threat.
In her room, Hailey sat by the window, staring out at the darkening sky. The events of the day replayed in her mind, particularly the moment she hesitated to run after Gregor, and the image of Lady Lesso that had so inappropriately distracted her during the sparring match with Andreas. Her thoughts were a tangled mess of fear, guilt, and confusion. How could she focus on becoming the perfect princess when her mind was so often preoccupied with thoughts of someone from the School for Evil? The more she tried to ignore these thoughts, the more they persisted, leaving her feeling even more out of place and out of touch with her peers.
As night fell, Hailey felt more alone than ever. The laughter and music from the common rooms seemed distant and hollow. She realized she was trembling, not from the cold, but from the overwhelming fear of what the future held. The school, with all its rules and expectations, suddenly felt like a trap closing in around her. The stakes were high, and Hailey knew she needed to find a way to succeed, to survive in this environment.
But as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the only thing she could think about was the look of pure fear on Gregor's face before he disappeared into the blue depths of the forest. The knowledge that she was not alone in her struggles brought her no comfort. Instead, it filled her with a deep setting fear that gnawed at her consciousness as she fell into a restless sleep.