Once Upon a Girl

XXX - once upon a girl

I make my way back into the house. The others can now move on, but there's still someone I need to see before I have closure.

"Mrs Nightcast?"

I look down and see her dying body lying in the rubble. She tilts her head up to look at me and faintly smiles.

"You did it... thank you."

I move my hand in a sassy manner. "Mrs Nightcast, why are you thanking me? I defeated you."

She sighs. "I know it's hard to believe, but a small part of me always hoped you would succeed. I... I wasn't myself when I carried out those cruel deeds. I mean, I suppose I did allow myself to transform into that wicked woman, but it's never what I wanted to be...

"You've come a long way, Sunita. I think you must understand by now that we don't always act the way we think we should."

I shake my head. "Why does everyone keep talking about this like I've made some great journey to find myself? I wasn't even in the story, other than three sad days."

Mrs Nightcast cackles pathetically. She sounds like a possessed heron. "That may be, but you've learned a lot about yourself, my child. And although right now you don't understand the story of how I became who I was, maybe one day you'll learn a lot about me too. 

"Now, hurry along. My time has come, but the police will arrive any minute. You'll need to tell them your story. Maybe they'll even get you to write a book about it. Make sure you include my reformation. I don't want my reputation to be completely tarnished, you know." She winks at me. 

"But Mrs Nightcast..." I say suspiciously, "didn't you already write this book? You were reading it to me in chapter 7."

She suddenly appears shifty. She looks left and right.

 "Sunita," she says before closing her eyes for the last time. "Remember who you are."

I take one last look at my English teacher. Maybe in another life, we could have been friends. I consider this for four seconds before walking back outside.

Despite Jensen's warnings that the police are for losers, they seem to be doing a good job at sorting out this mess. They wrap Giggles' body in chains - you know, just in case - and a crane comes to carry him away or something. However, I don't look at the police for long enough to even remember their faces; I have other people to talk to.

I see Zac sitting alone, looking up at the stars. He must still be thinking about Donna. I know he resents me after Donna's sacrifice and confession, but it's not really my fault if you think about it; I didn't choose to be so delightful and humble. I'm sure he'll come around. I think about going over to talk to him, but for now I think it would be best to go our separate ways.

I divert my attention to Miss Terry and Mrs Margherita struggling to open a bottle of champagne with their teeth, with J-Lo dancing behind them, but I am soon interrupted by none other than Mettaton.

"I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU, GORGEOUS."

"Thanks, Mettaton," I reply. He sits beside me on a hillside, because that's where we are.

"YOU KNOW, SUNITA, I ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING A STAR. YOU KNOW THAT, RIGHT?"

"Of course," I tell him. "Everyone does. You're waiting for the opportunity to start anew in the big city."