The Everboys glared at Ravan.
“Nevers shouldn’t talk to Evers.” Chaddick frowned at him.
“Well, she’s my friend.” Ravan glared back.
“Lies.” Kai barked. “Phoenix is too good to hang around scum like you.”
“Who’s scum?”
Ravan internally swore as Phoenix approached them, looking annoyed.
“This guy thinks he’s your friend.” Bastian sneered at Ravan.
“And that makes him scum, does it?” Phoenix voice was low and dangerous.
“Phoenix…” Kiko looked nervous.
The boys didn’t pick up on Phoenix’s annoyance.
“Yeah.” Kai said.
“Really?” Phoenix said slowly, but then caught Ravan’s eye and he shook his head subtly.
She sighed. “How interesting. Come on Kiko, I want to check up on Lucky.”
She and Kiko walked away, the princes watching them go, and Ravan took the chance to dart away.
For the next week, Sophie had a giant change. She looked tired every day.
By the sixth day of the change, Sophie had risen to #55, indicating that she had stayed up late studying. But each new day, she looked more like a zombie, skin sickly white, eyes glassy and bruised. Instead of a fancy new frock or hat, now she loped around with dirty hair and a wrinkled dress, trailing study notes all over the tower like bread crumbs.
“Maybe you should get some sleep,” Tedros mumbled to her during Yuba’s lesson on “Insect Cuisine.”
“Too busy trying not to be the ‘worst girl in school,’” Sophie said as she took notes.
“Insects are often available when meerworms are not,” Yuba said, holding up a live cockroach.
“Is there a certain way to eat them?” Phoenix asked, raising her hand.
“No.” Yuba cracked a grin. “Just chuck it in your mouth and chew.”
Everyone winced.
“I’m kidding.” Yuba said. “First remove the inedible bits,” he continued and tore off the roach’s head.
A month before the Ball, Dovey moved Phoenix into Kiko’s room, saying that Agatha had the plague.
“I hope she’s okay.” Phoenix said, suddenly worried for her dark-haired friend.
In these one-on-one duels to prepare for the upcoming Trial by Tale, Sophie beat every person in her group using approved spells, whether stunning Ravan with a lightning bolt, icing Beatrix’s lips before she could call for animal help, or liquefying Tedros’ training sword.
All she had trouble with was beating Phoenix’s phoenix form.
“Someone’s been doing their homework,” Tedros said, agog.
“Before it was dumb luck. This is different,” Hester griped to Anadil as they bit into a lunch of charred cow tongues. “How is she doing it?”
“Good old-fashioned hard work,” Sophie said, swishing by in shimmering makeup, ruby-red hair, and a black kimono, sparkling with gems that spelled “F is for Focused.”
Hester and Anadil choked on their tongues.
By the end of the third week, Sophie was up to #5 and her Lunchtime Lectures had resumed due to popular demand. So had her black-robed fashions, bolder and more extravagant than before, in a grand pageant of scalloped plumage, fishnet bodices, faux monkey fur, sequined burkas, leather pantsuits, powdered wigs, and even a chain-mail bustier.
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Fire Princess
FanfictionYears ago, once her fairytale had ended, Rapunzel married a prince who's entire family possessed the powers of phoenixes. That same power was passed onto her children. This is the story of her daughter, Phoenix of Firebirch, who attends the School f...
