The Switch

06| Considered Evil

Serena White:

After I give Tamlin a chaste goodbye kiss, I dutifully head to my next class- Princessology. The rest of my classes fly by and soon enough, it's almost time for my audition. I grab a quick but delicious lunch in the castleteria with both Crimson and Rose, then I take my leave, off to the auditions. Once I arrive at the enormous auditorium that can seat hundreds of spectators, I notice, to my dismay, that the gold encrusted, carmine satin covered double doors that are directly underneath golden cherubs, are sealed shut. The angelic, golden winged beings that had always offered me comfort during the nerve racking hours before an opening night, now seemed to guard the closed and locked auditorium doors with a surprising amount of ferocity that almost made me back up. Did someone bewitch the statues to act like feral animals upon the approach of an enemy? Was I an enemy? Shaking my head, I attempt to banish such silly, ridiculous thoughts from my mind. It's then that I notice the white that mars the blood red perfection of the doors. ‎Upon closer inspection, I realize that on the doors, is a white scroll held in place by a spell that left no indicator of its castor, saying: 'Auditions for Helen relocated to the Rose Gardens'. I fight my wince. It's not that Everadon High's Rose Gardens are dreadful and unkempt. No, rather, I dislike the gardens because, as the name suggests, they are exclusive to growth of the flowers that I hate: roses. Yes, I am aware, from endless instances of experience, that such a statement will always require me to implore others not to judge me. Why would a princess, especially the Princess of Everadon, such a vast, thriving and scenic kingdom, dislike the platonic ideal of such flowers? That is what most ask. Others ask if I feel as though what some might describe as a 'luscious red rose', looks more like a syphilitically inflamed orange color, or perhaps a highlighter-pen salmon color, or that a so called 'yellow, almost golden hued rose' that is oftentimes attributed to friendship and warmth really looks more like an overripe-banana yellow to me? Of course not. Like any other individual, I possess the capability to acknowledge the deep, rich-perfumed, full-petaled beauty that roses have. Notice how I said acknowledge, rather than appreciate. Honestly, I believe that the beauty of roses hides the flowers' inner hideousness. I mean, the plant itself is plagued by drab, minuscule leaves and grazing aphids. Like a gorgeous individual with a duplicitous nature. Another similarity between these flowers and vile individuals with only remnants of their soul left intact? Pruning roses is practically impossible, just like ridding oneself of a savage opponent is practically as tortuous to oneself as it is to the opponent. Both are tragic shadows against the ethereal light of truth. What's more, pruning roses all but requires an intellectual individual to wear chain-mail, lest one wishes to suffer from a thorn puncture. Likewise, when facing a feral opponent, one must always protect oneself both physically and verbally, lest one wishes to suffer pain, in endless ways. Not to mention how enraptured people are upon the sight of roses. I cannot even begin to list the number of individuals with rose tattoos, songs named after roses and of course, my friend Rose Beauty. With a shiver, I realize how much my comparative inner monologue reminds me of a certain ebony haired, locked up Queen whom I would describe as a practitioner of animalistic tendencies. Namely, the Evil Queen, Natasha Petrova. No, forget her. Forget what she did. Instead, I force myself to focus on the fact that, unlike most enchanted idiots, I am able to identify the savageness of roses' protruding thorns and exercise precaution when handling the beautiful, ivory flowers. "Why the Rose Gardens?" I practically moan aloud. "Rebecca said it is such a nice day and she'd rather be outdoors to better appreciate the weather. Thus, she decided to move the auditions to the garden." Ty Silvestri, a drop dead handsome prince, who is my close friend, as well as an acquaintance of Tamlin's, explains to me in his lovers voice, pulling me back into the constraints of reality. "Oh, well, I cannot disagree with her. It really is such a beautiful day outside." I reply, smiling. "Yes, it is." Agrees Ty as he runs his pale fingers through his perfectly coiffed black hair. I cannot help but follow the movement, gazing at his ethereal beauty. "You're heading there too, right?" I finally ask, not for the sake of requiring an answer, as of course, I am aware that Ty is also heading towards the cursed Rose Gardens to audition, (as he and I regularly get the leads in school plays), but instead I ask for the sake of distracting myself from my attraction to Ty through conversation. I then find myself smiling at the memory of the last time Ty and I acted together, he in the role of Julius Ceasar and myself in the role of Cleopatra. It's quite humorous, not to mention fun, how we usually end up playing each other's love interests. No, Serena, it's just acting that you find fun, the opportunity to immerse myself into a character's world. To feel what the character feels and to act upon those feelings as the character would, is what truly excites me. Not the fact that Ty is often my co-star. Tamlin never mentions it, but I am well aware of the fact that the roles Ty and I play in the Academy's dramatic productions often, (understandably), bothers him. It must make things awkward between the two men, I suppose. "I most definitely am, don't worry, Bella." He responds with a wink of one of his glimmering emerald eyes that rivaled the color of the most expensive, luxurious emeralds, (with my parents riches, I had been able to prove this). As he opened his other eye again, I noticed the familiar way Ty's eyes sparkled in the light of the afternoon sun, like a fresh sheet of morning dew. As Ty shifted his pale face to the azure colored sky, taking advantage of the sun's caressing light, the next glance he shot at me displayed that his emerald colored eyes had shifted into the exact color of a deep, raging ocean shimmering in the moonlight, as it always did when he was deep in thought. After pausing for few moments, Ty hooked his elbow though my arm and stated,‎ "Let's go." Together, we walked through the hallways of Everadon High, where some of the walls depicted tales through intricate paintings that were accentuated in the light of the ornamental crystal wall lights. So, in a comfortable silence, we passed through hall after hall. Finally, Ty and I arrive at the school's luscious Rose Gardens, that boasted hundreds of roses in shades of pink, yellow and red in full bloom. Ugh. Across from one of the marble fountains, we spot a large group of people facing a medium sized outdoor white stage. There they are; the auditions. Hence, we head towards them. "Scene!" Rebecca calls out seconds after our arrival, as she scribbles something down on her clipboard. "Thank you, next!" Says the tall, blonde haired woman into her megaphone from the director's chair she's sitting on. Ella, daughter of King Charming and Queen Cinderella, heads onstage followed closely by her entourage, a group of cute, woodland animals including a small deer, multiple birds, squirrels and a fluffy bunny. "Hey sweeties, you can sit over here and watch me audition." She lovingly coos to the animals, as she bends down to pat and indicate a warm, sunny spot in the luscious grass next to the stage. The animals readily obey, sitting down in union. I've always envied that Ella, as the daughter of Cinderella, is able to communicate with animals in a way few other humans can. Of course, there are lots of species of the lower faeries, of immortals, that can communicate with animals, but I was initially referring to mortals. As Ty and I make our way through the crowd of students to the front to take the seats that Katana, who is the daughter of King ‎Li Shang and Queen Mulan, had kindly saved for us, Ty and I wait for our turn to audition, as something peculiar happens. I cannot explain the scene very well, as I can barely understand the instance myself, but basically, the instant I enter into the animals' line of vision, they freeze, as if frozen by the cruel hands of terror. Then, the animals' devoted silence for Ella's audition transforms instantly into a cacophony of scared whimpers and chirps. Suddenly, without warning, the scared animals run and fly away as fast as their paws and wings can take them, desperate in their need to escape the danger. What is the danger, though? I must have made an incorrect assumption, as there is no possible way for the animals reaction to have been triggered by my presence. Woodland creatures love me. No, they adore me. Granted, the last time I spent an elongated period of time with an animal other than my pet wolf cub, Caelena, is about, well, around my years as an adorably chubby toddler. Perhaps I should invest some of my time reengagimg myself with the animal population? No, that's not necessary, because of course the animals are not fleeing from me. Glancing around at the shocked faces staring relentlessly, as if they could pry an explanation out of me with their probing stares, I realize that not only did my presence just terrorize an innocent, harmless pack of woodland creatures, but everyone in the surrounding area is now staring at me as if I had purposefully scared those animals. With a painful gulp, I come to the realization of the meaning of those gazes that are portraying dislike, curiosity, fear, and even- no... Is that- that's hatred. This realization causes a painful throb to tug at my chest, at my heart. These people, most of them my parents' subjects, (which technically makes them my subjects, as I am their Princess), are looking at me like I'm a- like I'm a villain. That's all it takes, the occurrence of such a minuscule incident that is completely out my control and all my so called friends now doubt me? How dare they look at me like that! I am their Princess, I demand respect, I- A comforting squeeze of my hand shakes me out of my angry haze, and I glance down at my hand that is now entwined with Ty's. An inexplicable sense of relief overwhelms me. Ty's not looking at me like the majority of the others are. No, his stare is conveying something else entirely. Glancing at Ty again, whose eyes have turned a deep ocean green, I focus on the calming sensation of Ty's thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand. Do not think about the stares, Serena. Do not look at the- "Why are they running away from you? What did you do to them?" Colette, one of the daughters of the twelve dancing princesses and who is my supposed 'friend' asks me, the bitter accusation evident in her tone. I thought the stares were bad. Seems as though they were nothing. "Nothing! I did not do anything to those animals! I haven't the faintest idea why they ran away from me!" I say, deeply hurt by the accusation. Colette's accusing gaze softens, but it's too late. "I'm sure it's nothing." Ty comforts me, giving my hand a squeeze. Then to the crowd, he says loudly, "The departure of the animals is in no way related to Serena, so I would refrain from staring so acusingly at my friend if I were you." My heart swells with appreciation and something else that I did not dare clarify. 'My friend'. Such simple words that expressed possession. I almost longed to tweak the the six-letter word, to add four more letters to Ty's declaration. Interrupting my thoughts with his sudden movement, Ty turns to Rebecca, stating coldly, his anger at both the ugly stares and Colette's accusation palpable."Should we not we get back to the auditions? You're wasting my valuable time, Rebecca." Looking away from me, Rebecca nods in hesitant agreement. "Alright people, let's get back to it. Come on!" Thankfully, everyone returns to their original spots, no longer crowding around me and turn to look at Ella. "I should go make sure they're okay." States a worried Ella, heading offstage hurriedly. "I'll be right back." And without waiting for a response, she's off, a strawberry blond whirlwind running after the estranged animals. "Fine, then-" Rebecca checks her clipboard. "Ty Silvestri - you're up." "Wish me luck." He calls to me and a smile envelops my face, despite the circumstances. "You don't need luck, Ty." Squeezing my hand one last time, Ty winks, leaning towards me. "True, but if you wish me luck, I know it'll greatly impact my performance." Standing this close to Ty, I'm enveloped in the heady, sensually ‎spiced aromatic scent of Ty's cologne, paired with Ty's natural scent of the forest that's always on him. Leaning even closer, our lips a breath, a heartbeat,  away, I whisper, my voice taking on a beautifully feminine, but husky tone that is completely unlike my normal tone of voice, as I say "Good luck, Ty." Then I kiss his cheek tenderly with a shy smile. Ty jumps back with surprise, as if the touch of my lips on his flawless, creamy skin had burned him. Shooting a longing look at me, Ty murmurs, the now husky timbres of his voice not unlike my own, "Thank you, Rena." As he leaves me, heading towards the stage, the deep gouge of separation between us, never mind the fact that we're only six, now seven feet away, unleashes the torrent of negative questions, of probing thoughts, within me. Come back to me, Ty. But of course, Ty is no kind reader, so now, he prepares himself onstage, readying himself for what is sure to be an extraordinary performance. But now, I, Serena White, who is an avid fan of both drama and Ty, cannot focus on Ty's performance, which has just begun. Instead, my attention is forced to focus on thoughts, on questions, that I wish were not my own, and I feel as though I'm spiraling downwards... knee-deep into a thick, crimson pool of blood. Despite the almost macabre thoughts spinning in my head, I keep wondering why. Why did those animals run, flee, away from me? Why were they so terrified of me?‎ Could it be that they sensed something? Some horrible, buried, sleeping thing within me? What if the thing that slumbered within me was rousing, awakening from its slumber? ‎Was that what those animals sensed? What does this all mean? But, the next question, such a dreadful one indeed, that scared me even more than the thought that a slumbering thing within had woken up, was the question- what would my parents think, if- once they heard about this incident that marred my family's perfection? The coldness of my fear numbed me.