Scarlet (An SGE Fanfic)

Motives

Hester

I tried to focus on my studies, I really did. It was my one advantage over the princess, the only reason I was still ranked above her. But, naturally, my mind kept drifting back to murder.

How could this have gone so wrong? Becoming Class Captain, aspiring to be the most powerful witch in the Endless Woods; it was the only way to prove to them that I was more than they always said I was, the only way to throw their insults back into their faces. And maybe, just maybe, the only way to make them proud of me for once.

Now, not only was I about to lose my position, but I was about to lose to an obnoxious pink-loving Reader. A snake in sheep's clothing, that's all she was.

A stack of books slammed down on the scorched wooden table beside mine. I started, almost toppling out of my chair. Anadil stared back at me, one pale eyebrow raised, and took a seat beside me.

"Hard to focus?" she rasped, opening Spells for Suffering and flipping to today's pages.

"I can't stop thinking about her," I growled, my hands curling into fists. "We underestimated her. We thought it was a mistake, but really she was in the right place all along. She almost killed me, and now she's coming for my title."

Anadil was silent. After a moment, she closed her book, giving me her full attention. "Why do you care?"

I frowned, taken aback. "Why do I care?" I repeated. "Of course I care! It's the highest honor a villain at the School for Evil can receive! If anyone is going to get their names into a storybook, it's Evil's Class Captain!"

"But Evil is cursed," Anadil reminded me. "No villain has won a fairy tale in hundreds of years. If you do make your way into a storybook, you'll end up dead at best, caught in eternal torment at worst. Seems like a better idea to kill from the shadows. Though I suppose you have a flair for the dramatic."

"You...don't want to be Class Captain?"

Anadil snorted, then burst into laughter. "No! Gods, no! Can you really see me as Class Captain?"

I suddenly felt very stupid for all the time I'd considered her my competition. Anadil was powerful, perhaps more powerful than I knew, but her lack of motivation for villainous success was what kept her from reaching her full potential. I wasn't sure whether to encourage this behavior, as it meant less rivalry, or to condemn it.

"Then what do you want?" I decided to ask.

Anadil looked away. "Personal, much?" she snapped, opening her book once again. "And here I thought you were a Never."

I dropped it, not wanting to get on her bad side. As much as I hated to admit it, even to myself, Anadil scared me, from her quiet power to her uncanny ability to get inside your head.

Why do you care? Her voice whispered in the back of my mind. You'll only end up dead. The thing was, I wasn't sure I cared. Death is a villain's destiny. Every Never knows that from the moment we set foot in the School for Good and Evil for the first time. We bluff, saying that we can change, that we can strengthen our attacks and finally beat Good. But it's all in vain. If the School Master controls the Storian, there's no hope for any of us but the mere, fearsome memory of our existence.