The Corpse That Lived.

Chapter 2

At St. Mary's School for Girls, all the good children were absolutely and perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were all perfectly obedient, perfectly happy, perfectly worshipful.

If you looked at the dictionary definition of perfection, you would likely see a description of St. Mary's School for Girls. That is, if you didn't take into account Lola "No-name"—the "freaky girl" who could not for the life of her fit in.

While the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls were entirely normal, Lola was abnormal. While they were able to have full faith in God, Lola was skeptical: a typical sign of a horrid person, as the matron often said.

You see, Lola discovered at the young age of six that she was special in a way no one else she had ever met was. Not only because of the lightning-bolt-shaped scar she carried on her forehead, or her status as an "unloved and unwanted burden" to the matron, but because she could perform magic.

The first time Lola performed this magic, she was starving, and one of her classmate's food suddenly appeared in front of her. She was of course slapped for stealing, and no one believed her when she said that the food had just suddenly appeared in her hands. Lying in her bunk bed that same night, young Lola considered the possibilities for why the plate had repaired itself earlier in the week. She didn't believe it was a coincidence that she desperately wanted it fixed to avoid the matron's sharp slaps, but she had to consider other possibilities.

The longer she lay there nursing her injuries, the smaller the list of possibilities shrank. Lola didn't believe that someone gave it to her, as she had never heard of such a thing happening before. She also didn't believe that someone else in the house made it happen, since she was the only one who saw the plate falling before it broke. She was also likely the only one who wanted the plate to be repaired the second it shattered in order to avoid her classmates' wrath.

Lola was rather young, but even she could add two and two together to come to the conclusion that if it was freaky magic, it could have only come from the freak in the corner. The morning after the stolen food incident, Lola was locked in the dark basement all day due to the bruises and marks the matron's hands and belt left on the visible parts of her body. It was the price for their "generosity" in taking her in when no one else would.

Usually, this would be a cause for concern for Lola, who knew she wouldn't be given even a scrap of food unless she completed her list of chores. But ever since deciding it was a possibility she could do magic, she wanted more alone time to see if it was a one-time incident or not.

The young girl wasn't sure how to start. She thought back to the prior night and tried to remember exactly what she was thinking and feeling when the plate repaired itself. She knew she was scared, and she remembered thinking she didn't want the plate to be broken, but she didn't remember saying anything out loud that could have been considered a spell. Because, as all children knew, even the Fairy Godmother herself had to say bibbidi-bobbidi-boo in order to change a pumpkin into a carriage.

Lola grabbed a piece of paper stuck to her wall that proudly stated 'Lola's Room' and ripped it in half. She laid the two halves of paper on the cot right next to her legs, closed her eyes, and thought to herself: I'm scared and I want this paper to be fixed. I'm scared and I want this paper to be fixed.

She repeated this mantra a couple of times before peeking open one eye to check. She felt bitter waves of disappointment hit her when she saw the paper was still ripped.

So Lola tried again.

And again.

And again.

On the fifth try, Lola had to fight hard against the tears prickling her eyes and making her nose sting. All she wanted was one thing, just one thing. Why couldn't she have it? Lola didn't ask for much. She never asked for her parents to return; she never asked for new clothes that fit just right. Lola didn't ask for hugs or for big plates of food like the other kids got.