Ever After High: Next Top Villain: A School Story

by Suzanne Selfors

  Blondie held her MirrorPad up to Mr. Badwolf’s face. “Does this mean Raven Queen gets a fairy-fail on her thronework assignment? Is she out of the contest?”

  “That’s what it means,” Raven said. She stepped off the table. “I congratulate you, Duchess. I guess you’re the Next Top Villain.”

  “Nooooo!” Apple screeched. “This is not happening. Raven’s supposed to be the Next Top Villain. My destiny depends on her.” With her hand on her forehead, she fainted, landing right in Daring Charming’s strong arms.

  “Not so fast!” Mr. Badwolf roared. A wave of hot air blew across everyone’s face. The cooks darted back behind their cauldrons. “I am most disappointed in you, Ms. Queen. Allowing yourself to be sabotaged is a rookie mistake. You should know better.”

  “Does that mean Duchess wins?” Blondie asked.

  Mr. Badwolf grabbed his coffee cup. “I will announce the winner at the end of school Friday.” Then he headed toward the teachers’ lounge.

  Duchess couldn’t believe it. “Wait, what?” she asked, following him. “Why do we have to wait until Friday? I won, didn’t I? I foiled everyone’s plans, so that earns me the A.”

  “That remains to be seen, Ms. Swan.”

  She stopped walking. Her arms suddenly felt so heavy she almost dropped the baby swan. Angry tears stung her eyes. That remains to be seen? But she’d successfully completed the thronework, while everyone else had failed.

  Sparrow grabbed his guitar. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “You totally rocked it. You’ve got the win, for sure.”

  Yes, she told herself. I won. But until Mr. Badwolf made the announcement, she had no A and no chance at a different destiny. The only thing she knew for sure was that she’d destroyed her friendship with Lizzie.

  The room began to spin. She needed fresh air. She needed to fly. With the baby swan tucked in the crook of her arm, she hurried through the Castleteria and out into the courtyard.

  Raven was just a few steps ahead. Duchess picked up her pace and caught up to her. “Why did you do that?” Duchess asked. “Why’d you pretend that I’d sabotaged your spell?”

  Raven looked around. “Follow me. Quick, before Blondie sees us.”

  Duchess and Raven hurried down a steep staircase and into an alley behind the school. A sour scent filled Duchess’s nostrils. This was where the garbage trucks came and went. Stacks of wooden crates lined a damp wall. Some bins of rotting vegetables were being attacked by the Pied Piper’s rats. It wasn’t very pretty, which made it a great place to talk because none of the other Royals would be caught dead back there.

  They stepped into the shadows behind a garbage container. The cygnet had fallen asleep, its little head tucked in the crook of Duchess’s arm. “I know you don’t like me,” Raven said.

  “I never—”

  “Oh, please, don’t bother denying it. You glare at me all the time. But I’m used to it. Lots of people don’t like me. It comes with being the daughter of the most terrifying woman in fairytale history.” She sighed. “But I feel I can trust you. You’re not like the other Royals.”

  “What do you mean?” Duchess asked innocently. She wasn’t ready to admit anything.

  Raven tucked her black hair behind her ears. She looked right into Duchess’s eyes and smiled knowingly. “You’re different. You don’t want your destiny.”

  “But…” Was it that obvious? Duchess had done her best to hide her feelings from everyone. How could Raven know?

  “Don’t bother denying it. I don’t want mine, either. In that way, we’re the same.”

  A bin of rotten radishes overturned as a rat scurried away. Duchess didn’t startle or shriek. A hundred rats could have held a parade in that alley, and she wouldn’t have cared. All she knew, at that moment, was that the daughter of the Evil Queen knew exactly how she felt.

  “I get that you want the perfect grades, Duchess. I also get that you’d like to win Next Top Villain so you can go on to Advanced Villainy and learn dark magic.”

  Duchess nodded slowly.

  “If it were up to me, everyone would have the right to change his or her destiny. So I wish you luck. But I think you should know that it won’t be easy. If you want approval, then don’t be a Rebel.” She started to walk up the alley.

  “Wait,” Duchess called, catching up with her. “Why don’t you want your destiny? You could have everything. You could do anything you want.”

  Sadness filled Raven’s eyes. “When you’re a villain, people pretend to love you because they’re afraid. And they despise you for the same reason.” She reached out and ran her hand gently over the cygnet’s downy back. “I never want anyone to be afraid of me.” She turned and walked away, her black cape flowing with each heavy step.

  The competition was over. Raven had purposefully failed the thronework. Everyone else was out. Mr. Badwolf would have no other choice but to declare Duchess the winner. At least, that was what she hoped. She should have felt ecstatic. But instead, she felt very alone.

  She carried the cygnet to the pond and left it with the other swans. A female quickly adopted it, wrapping her wing protectively around its little body.

  Duchess wished someone would wrap a wing around her.

  Chapter 22

  Horsing Around

  It was a terribly long night. Lizzie didn’t speak a word to Duchess. In fact, she built a wall out of cards, separating the sides of the room. There was lots of tossing and turning by both roommates, neither of them able to sleep. Even Pirouette seemed ruffled by the tension. She sat in her nest, preening excessively.

  But now it was Friday morning. Mr. Badwolf’s announcement would be made at the end of the day. Duchess would get the grade and the title. And Sparrow would get to pick a prize from the treasure vault. These were the positive thoughts that Duchess replayed in her mind as she got dressed in her riding gear.

  Lizzie refused to walk with her to their Princessology class. Even Shuffle gave her the cold, prickly shoulder. Whispers filled the hall. Students were looking at her differently. Was it respect for her accomplishments, or was it judgment? What did she care? Soon she’d be the prima ballerina. She shot a glare at Daring Charming. Soon you won’t need to be reminded of my name! Her head held high, her chin out, she walked past all the gawkers. I don’t need any of you. I’m going to change my destiny, and you can’t stop me. Maybe Headmaster Grimm was right. Maybe she had a black swan side after all.

  After grabbing a quick bite at the Castleteria, she looked around for Sparrow but didn’t find him. Raven’s picture had a big gold X over it, but there was no title beneath Duchess’s picture. Soon, she told herself.

  By the time she reached the stable, the other princesses were mounted and ready. Each had color-coordinated their riding attire to match their saddles and bridles. Manes had been braided, curled, and beaded. Hooves had been polished and painted. Lizzie had stenciled red hearts all over her horse. Raven’s wore a black tiara.

  “Excellent accessorizing,” Mrs. Her Majesty the White Queen said as she made her rounds. “Magnificent mani-curses. Stupendous styling.” Then she came to a dead stop at Duchess’s horse. Duchess had been so busy with her General Villainy thronework, and so worried about her friendship with Lizzie, she’d forgotten about appearances. “Going au naturel?” Mrs. Her Majesty asked with a curled lip. “A princess should never be seen on a plain horse. I do hope your riding skills make up for this unfortunate lapse.”

  “They will,” Duchess assured her as she settled onto the saddle.

  Blondie rode up to her. “Do you want to say anything to the viewers?”

  “No.”

  “What about to Lizzie? Do you want to publicly apologize?”

  Pretending not to hear the question, Duchess grabbed the reins and nudged her horse out of the stable.

  The grandstand was full. Usually, no one would care about a Princessology thronework assignment. But thanks to Blondie Lockes and her Just Right MirrorCast, the drama between Lizzie and Du
chess was all anyone was talking about. Even the teachers were in attendance, including Mr. Badwolf. As Duchess rode past, she caught bits of student conversation. “I hope Duchess fairy-fails. She deserves it for what she did to Lizzie.” There were some boos directed at her. And lots of glaring.

  If you want approval, then don’t be a Rebel.

  When Lizzie rode past the grandstand, Daring stood and cheered. The other princesses rode in a protective clump around her. “If Duchess fails, it will be sweet revenge for Lizzie,” someone said.

  Duchess knew she wouldn’t fail. She was the best rider among them. She could ride with her eyes closed.

  She was the first to take the course. The happy villagers, the angry villagers, the troll bridge, the dragon poop, the rainstorm, windstorm, and fairy hail—nothing forced her horse from the golden path. Duchess finished in record time. Mrs. Her Majesty greeted her at the end of the course and congratulated her with a perfect score.

  Ashlynn, Briar, Apple, and the others took their turns. Despite a few setbacks—Ashlynn stopped to converse with a chipmunk, and Briar fell asleep on the troll bridge—they each made it to the end of the course. Then the princesses dismounted and gathered to watch the final rider. Duchess stood off to the side, alone.

  Lizzie looked pretty in her gear. She’d tied a bright red sash around her waist. But she was visibly nervous, her riding crop shaking. She waved at the grandstand. Daring cheered her on. Then, her teeth clenched, her hands gripping the reins, she kicked her horse. It didn’t budge. She kicked it again. It ate some grass. “I order you to go!” she hollered. After reaching back and nipping Lizzie’s boot, the equally temperamental horse began to walk down the path.

  Blondie sashayed over, her curly locks bouncing even after she’d come to a stop next to Duchess. “How does it feel to be a terrible roommate?” she whispered. “Do you feel bad about what you did?”

  “No comment.” Duchess pushed the MirrorPad away.

  Then she turned toward the forest. She didn’t want to see Lizzie fail the test. Two failures in as many days would be so humiliating. But there was no way to help her at this point. Lizzie would either keep to the golden path or she wouldn’t. Gasps arose from the grandstand, but no screams, which meant Lizzie was managing to stay in the saddle. Maybe she’d make it. Duchess crossed her fingers.

  But wait, what was that?

  Sparrow Hood stood at the edge of the field, his green pants and hat blending perfectly into the forest backdrop. He set an amp on the ground, then slipped his guitar strap over his head. What was he doing? Was he going to play his guitar in the middle of Lizzie’s test? Why would he do that? Didn’t he remember that his muse-ic upset the horses?

  Sparrow looked straight at her and smiled.

  Duchess took a sharp breath. Of course he remembered.

  The first chord shot out of the amp like an icicle to the brain. The second chord made her bones vibrate. As Sparrow launched into a frenzied string of chords, screaming arose from the grandstand.

  Duchess whipped around. Lizzie’s horse had gone into a wild rampage, its nostrils flared, its eyes wild. It charged right through a pile of dragon poop and headed for the troll bridge and the deep ravine.

  “Help!” Lizzie cried. Her riding crop fell from her hand as she leaned forward to grip the horse’s mane. If she was thrown into that ravine…

  Daring Charming leaped from the grandstand. “I’ll save you!” he called as he ran onto the obstacle course. But even though his legs were long and he was the best damsel-rescuer in the school, he would never be able to catch up to the horse, which was nearing the troll bridge at a full gallop. Mrs. Her Majesty the White Queen shouted for help into the receiver of an Emergency Prince Patrol phone. Blondie held her MirrorPad aloft, the record light glowing red. The other princesses watched with expressions of horror. Raven’s face had gone paler than usual, and she stared helplessly at the unfolding chaos. Mr. Badwolf stood on one of the grandstand benches, straining to get a better view. Sparrow stopped playing. Tragedy was about to strike, and no one could get to Lizzie in time to stop it.

  And then, just before the horse reached the bridge, the troll jumped out and blocked its path. With a terrified whinny, the horse skidded to a stop. Lizzie lost her grip and was thrown into the air. She shrieked, her hands flailing as she reached out for something, for anything, that would stop her fall.

  Duchess didn’t try to hide the transformation. Before she’d even come up with a plan, she was in the air, soaring across the pasture, her wings beating as they’d never beat before. With a dancer’s instinct and precision, she streamlined her body and flew at record speed. Lizzie began her descent, past the troll bridge and into the ravine. Every muscle in Duchess’s body burned, but she pumped faster and faster until…

  … she swooped into the ravine and grabbed Lizzie’s red sash in her beak. But the weight was too much for Duchess’s wings, and, together, the roommates began to plummet.

  If Duchess Swan knew one thing, it was this: When she thought her body could take no more, she could always find a last reserve of strength. This was what ballet had taught her. All those endless hours of training, of practicing a movement over and over until she thought she’d collapse. Then she’d dig deeper and find what she needed.

  Her eyes closed, Duchess found what she needed, and she pumped those wings, until she gently lowered Lizzie onto the ground.

  And then everything went black.

  Chapter 23

  The End Is Just the Beginning

  Beyond the darkness, Lizzie’s voice was saying, “She doesn’t need a kiss to wake her up. Get out of the way!” Then she said, “Duchess? Can you hear me?”

  Someone was gently shaking her.

  When Duchess opened her eyes, the first thing she realized was that she was human again. Then she realized that Lizzie was okay, because Lizzie’s smiling face was looking down at her.

  Duchess turned her head to the right, then the left. She was lying on the ground near the troll bridge. Mrs. Her Majesty the White Queen, Daring Charming, Raven, and the rest of the princesses had all gathered around. No one was glaring or booing.

  “You saved me,” Lizzie said. She started to kneel next to Duchess. Daring whipped off his letterman’s jacket and placed it beneath Lizzie’s knees.

  “And I saved you from the mud,” he announced with a flourish of his hand. “No need to thank me. Just doing my duty.”

  The mud was cold beneath Duchess’s head, but Daring didn’t bother offering her a jacket. Not even a sock. Even though she now realized that he wasn’t one hundred percent perfect—because no one was, and that included herself—she still thought he was drop-dead gorgeous.

  “I’d be as flat as a card if you hadn’t swooped in and grabbed me,” Lizzie said. “Thank you.” She gave Duchess a hug.

  Lizzie hugged her! Did this mean they were friends again?

  Then Raven knelt beside her. “That was amazing. But I don’t think the princes are very happy that you out-rescued them.” Indeed, Daring and the members of the Emergency Prince Patrol were looking a bit red-faced. None of them made eye contact with Duchess.

  A bell sounded in the distance, marking the end of the school day. Everyone turned to face the grandstand, where Mr. Badwolf stood, holding a megaphone. “It is time to announce the official grades for the General Villainy thronework,” his voice boomed.

  “And the winner of the Next Top Villain,” Blondie hollered.

  Lizzie and Raven helped Duchess to her feet. Her backside was coated in mud, but she didn’t care. This was it. The moment she’d waited for.

  Mr. Badwolf wiped spit from the corners of his mouth. “After reviewing the disappointing thronework from each of my students, I had decided that Ms. Swan’s acts of sabotage and double-crossing were worthy of an A grade.”

  Duchess smiled.

  “But that has all changed.” He snarled, revealing his canines. “Any villainy she practiced was erased by the fact that she rescued a p
rincess. A villain never rescues a princess. That is unheard of. By being a do-gooder, Ms. Swan sabotaged her own grade. She receives a DG. So that means the A will be awarded to someone else.”

  Duchess’s mouth fell open. The person walking across the grandstand, toward Mr. Badwolf, was Sparrow Hood.

  “For disrupting the Princessology equestrian examination, and for forming an alliance with Ms. Swan and then double-crossing her, I hereby award Mr. Hood an A in General Villainy.”

  There were a few random claps, but no wild applause.

  Duchess stared in shock as the grandstand’s mega-mirror lit up, and Sparrow’s face filled the screen. A streaming headline read:

  THIS JUST IN:

  SPARROW HOOD WINS NEXT TOP VILLAIN

  Blondie almost tripped on her own feet as she scrambled over the benches to get an interview. The obstacle course began to clear of people. The adoring and the angry villagers left, along with the troll. Students started heading back into the school, or down the lane toward Book End. Life returned to its normal fairytale pace.

  Using Daring’s jacket, Lizzie wiped mud from Duchess’s face. “I don’t care that I fairy-failed. I’m just glad that stupid Villainy thronework is over.”

  “It’s only over until Badwolf gives us next week’s Villainy thronework,” Raven said.

  Lizzie groaned.

  Duchess felt light-headed, and her heart was beating quickly, like a bird’s. It wasn’t surprising that Sparrow had double-crossed her. She’d known he couldn’t be trusted. But she’d surprised herself by failing. “I got a DG,” she said quietly. “Do-gooder.”

  “Yep.” Raven nodded. “And we got FF’s. But at least Sparrow seems happy.” They looked over at the grandstand. Sparrow beamed as he gave his interview, his proud smile almost as blinding as Daring’s.

  “He’s happy because he’ll get a prize from Badwolf’s treasure vault,” Duchess said. “At least he got what he wanted.”