LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Or not, given we’re fifteen minutes late,” said Dot.

      Indeed, the only thing chillier than Lady Lesso’s frozen classroom was the looks she gave the four girls as they slipped through the door to their seats.

      “I would send you for punishment, but they’re occupied with students from my last class.”

      Boys’ screams echoed from beneath their feet. The whole class trembled at the thought of what was happening in the Doom Room.

      “Let’s see if our latecomers can redeem themselves,” said Lady Lesso, heels clacking ominously.

      “What are we doing?” Sophie whispered to Hort.

      “She’s testing us on famous Nemeses,” Hort whispered. “If you get a question right, you get one of these.” He flaunted a massive stick-on wart glued to his cheek.

      Sophie recoiled. “That’s a reward?”

      “Hester, can you name a villain who destroyed her Nemesis with a Nightmare Curse?”

      “Finola the Fairy Eater. Finola the Witch haunted the fairies’ dreams and convinced them to cut off their own wings. With the fairies no longer able to fly, Finola caught and ate them one by one.”

      Sophie swallowed whatever came up. But she had never heard of Finola the Fairy Eater, so Hester had surely gotten it wrong.

      “Correct! Finola the Fairy Eater! One of the most famous stories of all!” Lady Lesso said, and stuck a giant wart on Hester’s hand.

      Famous? Sophie wrinkled her nose. Famous where?

      “Anadil, name a villain who killed their Nemesis using disguise!” Lady Lesso said.

      “Rabid Bear Rex. Dressed himself in a bear skin because Princess Anatole loved bears. When she tried to pet him, he cut her throat.”

      “A great role model for us all, Rabid Bear Rex!” said Lady Lesso, and planted a wart on Anadil’s neck. “If he was alive, he’d wipe that grin off every one of Clarissa’s gloating cockerels!”

      Sophie bit her lip. Were they making this all up?

      “Dot. Name a villain who murdered their Nemesis with transformation!”

      “The Frost Queen! Turned the princess into ice and put her in the morning sun!”

      “My favorite tale of all!” Lady Lesso thundered. “A story that will live forever in the hearts of—”

      Sophie snorted.

      “Is something funny?” said Lady Lesso.

      “Never heard of any of these,” Sophie said.

      Hester and Anadil sank in their seats.

      “Never heard of them?” Lady Lesso sneered. “These are Evil’s greatest triumphs! The glory that inspires future villains! Four Girls in a Well! Twelve Drowned Princesses! Ursula the Usurper, The Witch of—”

      “Never heard of those either,” Sophie sighed, combing back her hair. “Where I come from, no one would read a story where Evil wins. Everyone wants Good to win because Good has better looks, nicer clothes, and more friends.”

      Lady Lesso was speechless.

      Sophie turned to her classmates. “I’m sorry that no one likes you and you never win and that you have to go to school for no reason, but it’s the truth.”

      Hester pulled her robes over her face.

      Dot leaned forward and whispered into Sophie’s ear. “The riddle, love.”

      “Oh, yes,” said Sophie, all business. “While I have the floor, here’s a bit of a brainteaser. It’s quite important that I solve it, so any help would be deeply appreciated. What does a villain never have that a princess can’t do without? Any ideas? Feel free to shout them out. Merci, darlings.”

      “I have an idea,” said Lady Lesso.

      “I knew you would.” Sophie smiled. “What is it? What do I have that you don’t?”

      Lady Lesso thrust her face in hers. “Nothing. Which is what we’ll be hearing from you the rest of class.”

      Sophie had an appeal, but it never made it out of her mouth. Her lips were sealed shut.

      “Much better,” Lady Lesso said, and blessed Sophie with a wart between the eyes.

      As Sophie pried at her lips, Lady Lesso stood calmly and smoothed her purple gown, ignoring the petrified students around her.

      “Now, Hort, tell me a villain who employed a Raven Death Trap.”

      Wheezing through her nose, Sophie wrenched at her mouth with a pen, hair clip, and icicle, which pierced her lips. Gasp, wail, scream, she tried it all, but all she found was silence, panic, blood—

      And Hester glowering from the front row.

      “Good as solved, eh?”

      gatha had no idea why lunch was a joint-school activity, because Evers sat with Evers, Nevers sat with Nevers, and both groups pretended the other wasn’t there.

      Lunch took place in the Clearing, an intimate picnic field outside the Blue Forest gates. To get to the Clearing, students had to journey through twisty tunnels of trees that grew narrower and narrower, until one by one the children spat through a hollowed trunk onto emerald grass. As soon as Agatha came through the Good tunnel, she followed the line of Evers receiving picnic baskets from nymphs in red hoods, while Nevers from the Evil tunnel took rusty pails from red-suited wolves.

      Agatha found a shady patch of grass and reached into her willow basket to find a lunch of smoked trout sandwiches, rampion salad, strawberry soufflé, and a vial of sparkling lemon water. She let thoughts of riddles and dead ends fall away as she opened her watering mouth to the sandwich—

      Sophie swiped it. “You don’t know what I’ve been through,” she sobbed, scarfing it whole. “Here’s yours.” She plunked down a pail of gruel.

      Agatha stared at her.

      “Look, I asked,” Sophie garbled between bites. “Apparently Nevers need to learn deprivation. Part of your training. This is lovely, by the way.”

      Agatha was still staring.

      “What?” Sophie said. “Do I have blood on my teeth? Because I thought I got it al—”

      Over Agatha’s shoulder, she saw Tedros and his friends pointing and snickering.

      “Oh no,” Sophie groaned. “What’d you do now?”

      Agatha kept gaping at her.

      “If you’re going to be a brat about it, you can have the soufflé.” Sophie frowned. “Why is that strange imp waving at me?”

      Agatha turned and saw Kiko across the Clearing, waving and flaunting newly red hair. It was the exact same color as Tristan’s. Agatha’s face went white.

      “Um, you know her?” Sophie said, watching Kiko giddily approach Tristan.

      “We’re friends,” Agatha said, waving Kiko away from him.

      “You have a friend?” Sophie said.

      Agatha turned to her.

      “Why do you keep looking at me like that!” Sophie yelled.

      “You

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