Anna (A Fairy Tale Reform School Story)

The Gilly Way

This new school was a bust. We cannot afford Enchantasia Trade anymore so we're going to a completely free school called Jack of All Trades. I'm enrolled in shoemaker classes, obviously. But the teacher, Mr. Hide, is a snooze-fest. Even some of the students are scary. Hansel and Gretel–the candy-loving twins–go there and they are not all sugar and sweet. I can't help but wonder why they go to shoemaker school.

On the bright side, this school allows me to get an internship so I can work with Father at Cobbler Shoes. I've also made a few friends (a girl in the back of my class named Kelly and a boy I sit next to named Sean). But nothing like the friendship between sisters.

As I'm walking through the village and just about to pass the Humpty Dumpty Clocktower, I see a snotty group of royals trout past me. I roll my eyes. They show up once a week, take over our peaceful village, and act like they own the place. How annoying is that?

A royal with jet-black hair pulled back tightly has a shiny ruby ring on her finger. The gold band seems just a little bit too big for her pinky, which the ring is on. It could easily fall off in a second.

What is she gonna do when the ring falls off? It's not like she's gonna notice or care, like how that royal Gilly took the bracelet from didn't notice anything. But then again, she might notice, like that royal that Gilly stole the tooth clip from. But she probably wouldn't notice.

And what happens then? It just gets swept up and thrown out? That ring is big enough and shiny enough to feed an entire family for a week!

My family.

If Gilly saw that, she would steal it. Then, I would lecture her. But my lectures mean nothing because at least Trixie, Felix, Han, and Hamish get food. Gilly would steal it for them and I know it.

My do-gooder ways aren't working. It's time to try a different strategy. It's time to steal.

I follow the royals a little bit of a way down the street, staying a good enough distance behind them for them to not notice me. We weave past peddlers, street stands, and pattycake carts, in and out of a few shoppes. Wow, this is a process. Gilly must have a lot of patients.

Finally, the moment I have been waiting for, we're just outside of the local HEAS building when the black-haired royal reaches her hand out for an issue of the latest news and the ring goes flying off her finger. I give it a moment and they slowly start to back away. That's when I move in closer and put my foot lightly over the ring, covering it so I can reach down and grab it.

Yes! I got it! My siblings are getting dinner tonight! The ring is cold in my hands and the ruby reflects the light back into my eyes. A feeling of power and authority washes over me like a running river. I feel as if I'm on top of the world.

But I'm quickly taken back down when I hear what the royals are talking about.

"Oh my goblins! Alive gargoyles attacked that villain school!" one of the royals exclaimed. "You know, Fairy Tale Reform School?"

Fairy Tale Reform School. That's where Gilly is. It got attacked? My heart sinks.

"Holy harpies, some shoemaker's daughter literally saved everyone," another blurts.

Hold up. "Shoemaker's daughter?" I stutter.

All at once, the royals flip their heads toward me and are all looking at me. The black-haired royal gasps. "My ring!" She lunges towards me and grabs the ring out of my hand. Gingerbread!

"Uhh," I stumble, "Yeah, I saw you drop it and I picked it up to give it back." Fail. Oh well. Better luck next time. "So what does that say about a shoemaker's daughter?"