Flunked (Fairy Tale Reform School, #1)(9)

I smile. “Really? I can’t say the same.”

Headmistress Flora, however, is not fazed. “I’m sorry to hear that, but nonetheless, I’ve been expecting you. The police commissioner has kept me abreast of your, shall we say, extracurricular activities.”

I try not to laugh. Extracurricular activities—why have I never thought of calling it that?

“I knew it was only a matter of time before you made your way to our doors,” Flora tells me. “I think we can do wonders for you. Our etiquette classes, history lessons, and behavior training are geared toward children who have problems just like you.”

My eyes narrow. “What do you mean problems?”

“Your issues with authority,” the headmistress says. “You have no respect for your elders. My own girls were the same way.” She turns a frame toward me and I see Ella’s stepsisters, Azalea and Dahlia. The girls are dressed in gowns as gorgeous as Snow White’s. Their makeup is flawless, and their hair is done with Rapunzel’s finest hair extensions. If I didn’t know better, I would think they were royals.

“It took a lot of reflection and meditation—which we offer here—but eventually my girls saw the error of their selfish ways. Today they attend the Royal Academy. They are some of the only commoners to do so,” she brags. “Wouldn’t you like your problems to vanish like theirs did?”

My frown deepens. “Look, lady. I’m hungry. I want to feed and protect my family. If FTRS could help me do that, I would have snuck in a long time ago.”

Kids don’t really buy this garbage, do they? I mean, how can a school change me into a whole new person? Will I ever not want my siblings to have the things they deserve? Or not wish Mother had an easier life and a bigger shoe to live in? I doubt it.

“Is that why you take things? To make money?” the headmistress asks me.

I play with the fraying hem of my overalls. “Who doesn’t want more money?” I challenge her. “I do it to buy things we need, okay? And I only take things from royals who won’t even notice anything’s missing.”

“Whether or not people miss things is not the point,” Flora tells me. “You’re taking something that does not belong to you. Today it may be a dragon’s tooth clip, but tomorrow it could be a carriage. Where does it end? Before long, your face is on Wanted posters throughout the land.”

“You mean like Alva and Gottie?” I ask.

I’m talking, of course, about the infamous villains in hiding—Alva, the cranky fairy who cursed Sleeping Beauty (Stay away from those spinning wheels!), and Gottie, Rapunzel’s kidnapper (Here’s a nice tower we can lock you in forever!). Being drop-dead gorgeous and royal seems to come with a lot of baggage.

While I’ve heard there are occasional Gottie sightings, Alva has been missing for years. Rumor is she’s dead, but I doubt Enchantasia is that lucky.

“People need to want to be saved,” Flora tells me. “Sadly, Alva is untraceable and Gottie has not committed to reform. But we will bring them in.”

Maybe she thinks I need her to say that so I’ll sleep better, but I sleep just fine, thank you.

“Is that what you want for your own life?” Flora asks. “To be an outlaw?”

I snort. “Your scare tactics don’t worry me. You can’t keep me here forever.”

“Oh, I’m afraid I can, my dear.” Without hesitation, Flora produces a proclamation no one showed me before. The long scroll has Flora’s signature, Pete’s…and my parents’?

I sit back up. “What’s this?”

“Permission to hold you until I see positive changes in your behavior,” Flora watches my reaction. “I had the scroll messengered over after your arrest. Keep this attitude up and you could be here indefinitely.”

I wonder if Flora gets a kick out of moments like these. “My parents agreed to hold me here forever? This place is for real criminals.” I stand up I’m so outraged. “I allegedly took a dragon’s tooth clip! That’s not a big deal!” Flora stares at me sadly.

“Since your thefts were not violent crimes, you will have the freedom to move around school as you please and can choose extracurricular activities like our Pegasus flying lessons.” Flora looks at me. “We want to get to the root of why you’re thieving.”

“How long am I stuck here?” I ask.

“Once we feel you have successfully mastered the right behavior skills and knowledge to be an upstanding resident of Enchantasia, you will be released,” Flora says.

Clever. She didn’t really answer the question. “When can I see my family?”

Flora frowns. “I’m afraid visitation is not allowed. We find the pull of home makes it hard for students to concentrate. They can visit you in three months, right around the same time as the school anniversary ball we’re hoping to host. If you’re doing well, they are welcome to attend too.”

Who cares about a stupid ball? “No thanks. I just want to get out of here and back to my brothers and sisters.”

“Exactly my point,” Flora says. “That’s why you need FTRS right now. If you don’t change, they won’t either. Is this the life you want for them someday?”

My stomach feels squishy inside. Threatening the well-being of those rug rats is the ultimate weapon when it comes to me. I would never do anything to hurt them. Just thinking about Felix or Trixie stealing things makes me sicker than eating a tuna sandwich.