The Lady's Secret (School for Good and Evil)

Forest of Blue

Agatha, after all this time with the Lady's crystal ball, had still not grown used to the whirlwind inside the crystal. The air pulled at her hair, so much wind whipping at her face that it was almost strangling her.

But then it stopped and Agatha was back in that familiar white room hearing the familiar voice of the Lady of the Lake.

"You've fixed your past and you aren't going to your future reality just yet, but you must remember that something in the future will always be changed, no matter how hard you try to recreate the past," the Lady of the Lake said, her voice warbling from the effect of the crystal ball.

Agatha gaped at the empty room. "Why was the Storian writing your story-"

"Agatha, you must remember that something in the future will always be changed, no matter how hard you try to recreate the past."

"Yes, I know, but-"

"Your future will always be changed."

Agatha felt a whoosh of wind and as she squeezed her eyes shut. With a thud, she felt cold ground beneath her.

Agatha was in the Blue Forest.

She clutched a turquoise rock and pulled herself to her feet, just in time to hear-

"You need to do it now." It was... her own voice. That's when the memories came flooding back and Agatha suddenly knew where she was. The blue forest. The trial. Hester about to become Evelyn. This is what Agatha had been waiting for; she was so close to getting everything right, this stop in the crystal may be her last.

Now Tedros's voice boomed through the blue, though it sounded as though he was trying to be quiet- emphasis on trying. "Agatha will do the blackout charm so that it goes completely dark, then you will go in using Yuba's spell so you look like Evelyn Sader and she will put a spotlight on you," he said. "You will only have one min-"

"I know, I know. I only have one minute so I need to go fast, blah blah blah," Hester grouched. "Just do it."

A faint gold light lit the blue leaves and Agatha recognized it as her own finger glow. After a moment-

"Ew, I didn't know I would get the dress too," Hester must have already been transformed, clutching the horrible silk of Evelyn's blue dress.

"You need to sound more high pitched," past-Agatha pointed out. "That way Japeth will really think you are Evelyn."

Japeth. Japeth was here. Alive. Agatha snapped out of her stupor; she knew what she had to do.

"Hello, I'm Evelyn," Hester said in a high pitched voice.

"Now you sound like a cartoon character," past-Agatha sighed.

"Hello, I'm Evelyn," Hester grouched and, though Agatha couldn't see her face, she was sure Hester was sulking.

"Perfect. Now go!" past-Agatha hissed. With a flash of gold from her finger, the sky went black.

Agatha's plan was in motion.

She bounded forwards, just barely evading tripping on some overgrown vines only to trip over her past self at the last second.

"Hester!" past-Agatha's voice was filled with panic, as she squirmed around in the darkness. "There's someone else here-"

Agatha shot a stun spell, silencing her as she fell to the ground. The light burst back into the forest as past-Agatha's spell wore off now that she lay unconscious on the forest floor.

"Hester!" Agatha hissed, trying to sound as much like her past self as possible. "You need to come back!" With a jolt, Agatha realized she would need to hide her past-self's body; it might be a bit odd if Hester came running back to two Agathas when she had left only one.