“The villain had been hidden all this time.”

It wasn’t Sophie. Or Evelyn. It was—

“NO!” She lunged towards Sophie. “Sophie, don’t! Please! She’s using yo—”

Willow branches grabbed her, pulling her back, and gagging the princess along with her prince.

Sophie ignored Agatha’s garbled cries. Her eyes lifted back to the Dean’s. “What do I have to do?”

Evelyn leaned over, sharp nails caressing Sophie’s face. “Only be true to your wish, Sophie. Be willing to pay any price to see her again.” She smirked slightly, looking Sophie straight in the eyes, as if knowing she would do anything to get her mother back.

Agatha screeched through her gag, but couldn’t get words out—

“What price?” Sophie frowned.

“Agatha kissed a prince, Sophie. She tried to banish you forever and made you watch,” Evelyn said darkly. “You have no one anymore. No prince. No friend. No father. No one to go home to. No one to trust.” There was something in her eyes, something that made Agatha doubt she was telling the truth. But that didn’t make sense…

Sophie looked into Evelyn’s eyes, crestfallen.

“Isn’t seeing the only person who loves you worth any price?” Evelyn coaxed, her voice as smooth as honey.

Sophie didn’t move, listening to Agatha’s muffled screams behind her.

“I can really see her again?” Sophie asked.

“Your wish can end your fairy tale just as much as Agatha’s,” replied Evelyn. “All you have to do is mean it.”

Agatha tore against the willow tree, the branches lacerating her arms—

“I’m ready,” Sophie nodded, swallowing.

Evelyn grinned toothily. Reaching towards her breast, she magically drew out a long, blue sliver of glow from her heart that lit up the night sky. As she did, the butterflies on her dress turned scarlet red . . .

Agatha howled in horror, but Sophie’s eyes stayed on the blue light as it swirled into a hypnotic, hovering orb.

“Now close your eyes and say your wish out loud,” the Dean wheedled.

Sophie closed her eyes. “I will do anything to see my mother again,” she rasped, trying to ignore Agatha’s cries.

“Mean it,” the Dean said wolfishly. “The wish only works if you mean it.”

Sophie gritted her teeth. “I will do anything to see my mother again.”

Then there was silence, for even Agatha had gone quiet.

Sophie peeked open her eyes to see the orb begin to spin in midair, expelling a sweep of eerie blue light. Inch by inch, the light morphed and sculpted, taking on dimension, until Sophie staggered back, seeing a human phantom take form. Two ghostly, delicate bare feet floated above the navy grass. Sophie’s eyes slowly moved up the billowing blue robes, the pale stick-thin limbs angled from its sleeves, the long, white-swan neck . . . and then a face that could have been a mirror, with ageless vanilla skin, a small, rounded nose, and cool hazel eyes. The ghost smiled lovingly at her, and Sophie fell to her knees.

“Mother?” she whispered. “Is it really you?”

“Kiss me, Sophie,” her mother said, her voice distant and foggy. “Kiss me, and bring back a life. That is the only price I ask.”

“Bring back a l-l-life?” Sophie stammered in shock.

Behind her, Agatha screamed until her voice broke—

“Just as once upon a time, you were brought back to life by your friend’s kiss. A kiss of love,” Sophie’s mother said. “But that ending didn’t last, did it? Now it’s your turn to find your real true love.”

“But no one loves me,” Sophie grieved. “Not even Agatha.” In the background Evelyn winced slightly, but nobody noticed.

“I love you, Sophie. But you don’t have to end like me,” consoled her mother. “For there is someone who loves you more than Agatha ever did. Someone who loves you for who you really are.”

Agatha frantically chewed through the willow-bark covering her mouth.

“Is it you? Are you my true love?” Sophie asked her mother, eyes wide. Something about it looked fake to Agatha, but she didn’t know what.

Her mother smiled. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” said Sophie, tears running. “You’re the only one who knows who I am.”

“Then kiss me, Sophie, and do not break it,” Sophie’s mother warned. “Break the kiss, and you will lose your last chance at love.”

Agatha bit harder on the gagging branch, trying to snap it—

Sophie stepped towards her mother’s ghost, heart hammering.

Agatha felt the willow splinter—

“Kiss me now, Sophie,” said her mother. “Before it’s too late.”

Agatha spit out the gag. “SOPHIE, DON’T!” she screamed—

But it was too late. Sophie stepped forwards and pressed her lips to her mothers.

But in the waning moonlight, Sophie pressed her lips to her mother’s, her face softening, glowing with faith that happiness was coming . . . that this kiss would at last bring her the end she deserved. . . .

But then the kiss turned colder, harder, and Sophie saw her mother’s phantom face shriveling and rotting as if turning a thousand years old, its skin flaking off a maggoty, pockmarked skull. Stunned, Sophie wanted to break away but, remembering her mother’s warning, held her lips to the icy chill, praying for love that would never leave her, love deeper than a prince’s or a friend’s. Slowly, the skin started to firm over like white marble, as the face lost its phantom glow, smoothing younger, younger— until Sophie gasped with recognition, and stumbled back, a boy’s real lips parting from hers.

Bare, ivory-fleshed feet stepped onto the ground, dark blue grass prickling between the toes. The School Master raised his head, unmasked in his billowing blue robes, his young chiseled face flawless and ghostly pale, his hair a shock of thick white hair.

Agatha and Tedros both quailed, breathless against the tree, finding each other’s hands beneath their binds.

Sophie looked up at the School Master, restored to life, more beautiful than any boy she’d ever known. “You—you did all this . . .”

“For you,” the School Master whispered.

“Well, that’s too bad,” Evelyn interrupted, stepping forward. “Because she’s mine.” And with that, she raised the Storian that was still struggling in her hand, and thrust it through the School Master’s chest.

~C~

Four Days Ago...

“Sophie, can I talk to you after class?” Evelyn asked. Sophie looked at her and nodded, something undefinable flashing through her eyes. Evelyn smiled, and went back to teaching.

Agatha looked at her curiously and tried to catch her attention to ask what that was about, but Sophie pretended not to see.

After class, Sophie waited until everyone had left the room and the door was shut tightly, then walked up to Evelyn’s desk. Evelyn stood up to meet her, and pulled her into her arms, and kissed her passionately. After about thirty seconds of this, Sophie pulled away, and asked, “What did you need to talk to me about?”

Evelyn pouted. “How did you know I just didn't want to do this?”

“Because I know you. Also because you wouldn’t have told me to talk to you in the middle of class, unless it was important. Secrecy, remember?”

Evelyn laughed. “Sometimes I underestimate you too much, love.” She paused, looking uncertain for a minute, then spoke again. “You remember when I told you what Rafal did to me, and how I have a piece of his soul inside of me?” Sophie nodded, looking curious. “Well, I found a way to get rid of him for good.”

Sophie looked at her, shocked. “You did?” she whispered.

Evelyn nodded, looking at her young lover hopefully. "Will you help me?"

“Of course! What do you need to do?” Sophie replied.

“Well…” Evelyn hesitated. “We would have to resurrect him first to be able to do it...”

~C~

“Well, that’s too bad,” Evelyn interrupted, stepping forward. “Because she’s mine.” And with that, she raised the Storian that was still struggling in her hand, and thrust it through the School Master’s chest.

His eyes widened and he staggered backwards, falling to the ground. Tedros and Agatha both froze, wondering what was going on.

“You know, before you put a part of your soul in somebody, you should really check to see if that person wants to kill you first Rafal, ” Sophie said, smiling viciously down at the School Master, tears drying from her cheeks.

The School Master flinched at the name, blood pouring rapidly from his chest. “W-why?” He rasped out, looking at Evelyn.

She glared at him. “Because I found someone easier to love. Someone who doesn’t take advantage of me, or forces me to do stuff I don’t want to.”

The School Master took a last, shuddering breath, his eyes full of pain and hurt, and died.

There was silence. The willow branches holding Agatha and Tedros fell away, but they just stood there, too shocked to move.

“Um, shouldn’t we, you know, stop the war that’s happening right now?” Sophie said nervously looking at her best friend and her best friend’s prince. Agatha and Tedros stared at her blankly.

Evelyn cleared her throat, lifting her gaze from where she was staring at the School Master. “That is an excellent idea, Sophie.” She pointedly looked at Agatha and Tedros.

They both snapped out of their daze and nodded, looking between Sophie and Evelyn, a bit confusedly. Evelyn smirked, and let go of the Storian that was fighting to get out of her hand.

She watched it somersault to the suspended storybook and erased the aborted last words below Agatha and Tedros’ kiss.

Almost instantly, it conjured a new page, the pen gliding across a brilliant painting of Sophie and Evelyn standing over the dead School Master.

It swept across the page, recarving once bold, erased words beneath - THE END.

And with that, the story book slammed shut and fell softly to the ground with a light thump.

Agatha and Tedros were staring at it dazedly, but when it hit the ground they started, and looked up at Sophie and Evelyn.

Sophie was watching them warily, as if afraid of their reactions. Evelyn was glaring at them, as if daring them to say anything. Then she turned and said, “Are you guys going to continue to stare at Sophie, or are you going to help me stop a war?” Then she walked off. After a second Sophie followed her.

Agatha gazed at Tedros, who was looking at them incredulously, mouthing wordlessly, with no sound coming out. As if sensing Agatha’s gaze on him he glanced at her, and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged and they followed Sophie and Evelyn, who were walking close together, whispering to each other.

Agatha had never seen Sophie look so... happy. She smiled, just watching them. Apparently Tedros was having similar thoughts. "They seem to fit together so much," he said, scrutinizing the two figures in front of them.

Agatha smiled. “Yeah, they do,” she softly agreed. And they walked on.

~C~

Evelyn was standing in front of Lady Lesso’s room, glaring at Sophie. Sophie just raised an eyebrow at her, and gave her a nudge in the back. Evelyn sighed, pushed open the door, and walked in.

Lady Lesso looked up from where she was grading some papers. Now that the two sides, Boy and Girl, were turned back into Good and Evil, all the students were given a lot of work, to make up the year they missed.

There were still a few fights between Boy’s and Girl’s, but they were resolved quickly. The School, and the Woods, were quickly going back to normal. Evelyn had been named the new School Master by the Storian.

“What are you doing here, Evelyn?” Lady Lesso asked, glaring at the woman. Then at Sophie, as if it was her fault that Evelyn was there. Which it might have been.

Evelyn glanced back at Sophie, who nodded at her encouragingly. She took a deep breath. “I… wanted to say sorry for what happened all those years ago. I shouldn’t have told the School Master that you were sneaking out to see your son. I’m really sorry.”

Lady Lesso stared at her for a minute, her violet eyes flashing. Then she turned her gaze to Sophie. “What did you have to do to get her to say this?”

Sophie frowned. “I didn’t get her to do anything. She chose to apologize to you on her own.”

Lady Lesso looked at her in disbelief, then looked back at Evelyn. “I’m not particularly ready to forgive you, considering I had to abandon my six year old son, and when I met him again, he wanted to kill me,” she said angrily.

Evelyn winced, as if she had been expecting this. She nodded stiffly, looking a bit sad, and turned to walk out of the room. When she was gone, Sophie and Lady Lesso just studied each other warily.

“I honestly never thought that would happen,” Lady Lesso said, shaking her head. Sophie smirked. Lady Lesso continued, saying, “But there are a lot of things I never thought would happen.” She looked at Sophie pointedly. “For example, you and Evelyn.”

Sophie’s smirk vanished. She glared at Lady Lesso, then turned around and swept out of the room without saying anything. Lady Lesso sighed, and went back to grading her papers.