The Twilight Children//The School for Good and Evil

23 ~ War

. : Laura of Neverland : .

Laura hovered at the door to the Circus pavilion, watching with sharp eyes as Agatha and Tedros distracted Sophie. Evers streamed past her in a stampede of colourful fabrics and floral scents. Sebastian skidded to a stop next to her.

"What do we do?" He asked, looking at her expectantly.

Laura blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I figure you've fought a witch or two in your time, what do we do?"

Laura glared at him. "How old do you think I am?" She snapped. "And besides, I've never even met a witch."

Sebastian huffed, but joined her at the door, shepherding the Evers through.

Laura watched, waiting until everyone was through, excluding Tedros and Agatha.

"Let's go!" Sebastian shouted, and Tedros turned.

Sophie hissed once at them, before tugging back on the hood of her cloak and vanishing through the Never doors.

Tedros and Agatha ran past them, heading to the Good castle, and Laura and Sebastian pulled the broad doors of the Pavillion shut.

Laura jogged behind the Evers, ensuring that everyone was in front of her and entered the tall glass castle. It was stained grey in the dark morning, light trickling faintly over the horizon.

She spun once everyone was inside the castle, and threw one hand up, blocking the bridge and door into the Good castle with a wall of fire. Her magic cackled, happy to once again be used to its full extent.

"What do we do know?" Someone called.

Laura shook her head, tugging at her brown hair. "I don't know, they aren't going to attack for a while so we are best off getting some rest."

The Evers mumbled, but filed out, heading into the towers. Laura followed slowly, holding her magic tight to ensure the door remained covered.

Once in the common room, she collapsed into a colourful chair, ignoring the surroundings as the Evers trickled up to their bedrooms. Agatha sat nearby, and she was faintly aware of Sebastian's magic as he paced the room, his sword lose in his grip.

Tedros and Nikolas stood outside the entrance to the room, sweaty and bleeding, but determined to protect the good tower.

The fire in the once-cozy room was now extinguished, and Laura flicked her hand, sending roaring flames cackling up. A deep sense of melancholy flooded the room as Evers limped by, faces bruised and bloody, their clothes torn and muddy.

Sebastian looked at her from across an oaken coffee table. "I forgot how exhausting war is."

Laura hummed her agreement, staring into the flames.

~~~

There was nothing from the Nevers, so by early evening, restless Evers began to creep around the castle to bath and change.

Laura stood in her room, pulling on her old Neverland clothes, which she had washed and dried early on in the semester and stored under her bed to avoid them vanishing. If a battle was to occur, she would be far better off in the pants and tunic than her uniform.

Laura joined the Evers congregating in the large dining hall, where the enchanted pots insisted on continuing to cook, despite the fairies darting around nervously. Most of the Evergirls had shortened their skirts, or shaped them into mismatched pants, making it far easier to run if needed.

She stepped past the door and walked to the end of a table, faintly acknowledging the way the crowd parted for her to walk through.

She sat by Agatha and Tedros, across from her were Nikolas and Sebastian. The silence was listless, and Laura poked at her food until Kiko's voice rang through the silent dining hall.