Chapter 13: Dead Ends

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The morning started miserably for all three girls. Not only had they gotten zero sleep, but now they were back in their mismatched schools for another day of despicable and potentially dangerous classes. Even worse, neither knew the answer to the School Master's riddle, nor could they ponder it together until lunch. And if all this wasn't bad enough, their Hobgoblin Debacle had become the talk of both schools.

In Uglification, Sophie tried to ignore all the snickers and focus on Manley's lecture about the proper use of capes. This took valiant concentration, given Hester's vengeful glares and fact that capes could be used for protection, invisibility, disguise, or flight, depending on their fabric and grain, with each type requiring different incantations. Manley blindfolded the students for the class challenge, where students raced to identify their given cape's fabric and successfully put it to use.
"I didn't know magic was so complicated," Hort murmured, massaging his cape to see if it was silk or satin.
"And this is just capes," Dot said, smelling hers. "Wait until we do spells!"

But there was one thing Sophie knew, it was clothes. She recognized snakeskin under her fingers, mentally said the incantation, and went invisible under her silky black cape. The feat earned her another top rank and a look from Hester so lethal Sophie thought she might burst into flames.

-

Across the moat, Agatha couldn't turn a corner without seeing Tedros and his mates mimicking hobgoblin lurches, howling gibberish, and beating each other with squashes. Wherever she and Y/n went. But every time Tedros saw Y/n, he would make nervous coughs, elbowing his friends and telling them to "stop acting like children".
But each time they were caught, Y/n gave him a more and more disappointed look. But after a while, Agatha had enough and snapped. She snatched a squash from them and jabbed Tedros in the chest with it.
"The only reason this happened is because you chose me! YOU CHOSE ME, you boorish, brainless thug!" Tedros gaped dumbly as she stormed off. If looks could have killed, Y/n's look at the moment could have killed all those boys twenty times over as she looked at them all before following her friend.
"Damn, you've got one scary girl, Tedros..." one of the guys said as they all felt chills.
"Wait, let's back up a moment." Chaddick said. "You chose the witch?" Tedros turned to find boys staring. "No, I- she tricked- I didn't-" He pulled out his sword. "Who wants to fight?"

With Hansel's Haven still in ruins, classes were moved to the tower common rooms. Agatha and Y/n followed a herd of Evers through the Breezeways linking all the Good towers in a zigzag of colorful glass passages high over the lake. While crossing a purple breezeway to Charity, both girls whispered to each other to try and figure out what the riddle meant while tuning out gossiping and snide looks, but then they managed to lose the rest of the group.

After fumbling through the bubble-filled Laundry, where nymphs scoured dresses, dodging enchanted pots in the Super Hall making lunch, and trapping themselves in a faculty toilet, Agatha and Y/n managed to track down the Charity Commons. The pink chaise couches were already full and none of the girls made room for them. Just as they were about to sit down on the floor–

"Sit here!" Kiko, the sweet, short-haired girl, scooted aside. As the others tittered, Agatha and Y/n squeezed in beside her, sandwiching Y/n between the two. "They'll all hate you now," she mumbled, more directed to Agatha. "I don't understand how they can think of themselves as Good and be so rude. I mean, they seem to try and find any excuse to make you look bad." This time it was more directed to Y/n.
"Probably because we almost burnt down the school." Y/n chuckled nervously.
"They're just jealous because you two can make wishes come true. None of us can do that yet."
"Nah, mine was just a fluke." Agatha said, engaging in the conversation. "If I could make wishes come true, I'd be home with my friends and cat."

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