Page 12 of Switched

Jack narrows his eyes at my princely friend. “That’s not what the headmistress thinks. And hey—who am I to argue? I saw the class list. I’ll take this class over Suppressing the Villain Within any day.”

“Good point,” I agree, and Jax looks at me.

Maybe I’m getting soft, but I feel bad for Jack. We seem to have some things in common. As the others turn back to their conversations, I can’t help but say what’s been on my mind since yesterday. “I’m sorry about your mom…and, um, cow.”

Jack’s brown eyes look sad, and yet he says, “I don’t need your pity.”

“Who said pity?” I stiffen. “I’m just saying I get it. Stiltskin took someone I love. Is that what happened to your family?”

Jack is quiet for a moment. “Yes.” He moves his chair closer to mine. “Did you get the people you lost back?”

“No.” My voice breaks. “My sister went with him a few months ago. She hasn’t returned.”

Jack’s mouth falls open, and I fear the fly buzzing around Maxine will land on his tongue. “My mum and cow were taken. But your sister willingly joined the Stiltskin Squad?”

“Yes.” I feel pained even talking about this. “She felt like Stiltskin understood her in a way we didn’t. We haven’t heard from her since. I know the professors and the royal court are on the case, trying to find all the missing kids. They say they’ll track him down, but…it’s taking forever.”

He laughs. “You think that royal court of yours is going to get the job done? All they care about are their crowns. They don’t care about your sister or my mum.”

I blink.

“I’m not sitting here waiting for someone else to do something they’re just going to screw up.” Jack looks around carefully. “First chance I get, I’m breaking out of here and finding my mum and Milky Way.”

I snort. “Good luck with that. Students never break out of FTRS. You’ll get caught.”

There is a glint in his eye I recognize well. “That doesn’t mean I can’t try.” His voice softens, and he stares into his vanity mirror as if it contains all the answers. “I’m all they’ve got in this world. The longer my mum and cow are with Stiltskin, the better the chance he can control them and keep them with him for good.”

I shudder. “You think he’s brainwashed your family?”

“My mum and cow don’t have an evil bone in their bodies,” Jack explains. “But the longer people are around Stiltskin, the more they start to think like him, you know? How else do you think he gets so many people to turn evil?”

Anna? Evil? Never… I hope. She’ll come to her senses and leave his squad soon. I know she will.

“He’s coming!” someone whispers.

Everyone quickly gets back to their seats as the prince enters the room with a purposeful stride. “My apologies. Let’s begin the class that will transform your little lives.”

I want to give a sarcastic reply, but I am on thin ice as it is, so I keep my mouth shut. I want this class to go well. I can only imagine what we’ll be learning in here. Will it be hands-on, like Red was in the Hollow Woods? Or will we be taking lots of field trips to the village to watch different businesses at work? Is the prince going to bring in experts to tell us about different fields? Or will we be required to shadow workers to get a feel for their responsibilities? I’m so excited, I can’t stop bouncing in my seat, even if there is a silly mirror in front of me. What’s this about? I wonder if Miri is watching us to make sure we behave for our newest teacher.

The prince snaps his fingers, and gold quills appear on our desks. “We will start today’s class by writing down the class rules.”

Boring!

Scrolls appear in front of us. “From Mischief Makers to Model Citizens is a new program, and the headmistress and I will be constantly revising and reviewing our plans for the syllabus. Eventually we will have a full schedule that will replace all your other classes, but for now you will take this class in addition to the rest of your regular coursework.” We all moan, and the prince grunts in a beastly manner. “Be grateful you only have one class with me right now. Write this down.” We grab our quills. “You will arrive to class, not on time, but early. We have much to cover and not a lot of time to do it. You will have weekly assignments in addition to larger projects that you will have several months to complete. You must receive a B plus or higher on all assignments for you to stay in this line of classes.”

“B plus?” I can’t help but ask. “It’s a C in our other classes.” AG’s toes start tapping again.

“Yeah, seems extreme when you aren’t even sure what the coursework is yet,” chimes in Jack.

Prince Sebastian leans closer to the two of us, his blue eyes blazing. “This isn’t like other classes. I expect both discipline and excellence. Being good isn’t enough. You must be great. To assure that, the headmistress and I have a system in place. If your grades fall below a B plus three times, you will be dropped from this class.”

“Dropped?” Maxine’s mouth opens wide. The prince closes it.

“No one said growth was easy. It takes discipline. Complete your work and your assignments to my standards, and this won’t be an issue. Get sloppy, and you’ll regret it. Once you’re dropped from this class, you’ll need to reapply and there is already a wait list.”

I feel myself growing angrier. I could get kicked out of the class I suggested? I don’t think so. Who does this prince think he is?

Prince Sebastian snaps his fingers, and an hourglass appears on each of our desks. “Time waits for no man. You want to succeed in Enchantasia and make something of yourself? You will need to work harder than the children in the village and the students at Royal Academy. You will have to be more gracious than royals. You need to be two steps ahead of everyone around you. Why? Because you have a stigma on your back that royals and regular villagers do not. You are former villains—or were on the path to becoming ones—so you have reputations that it could take a lifetime to repute.”