The stymph’s bony claws tightened around Sophie, lifting her into the inky night sky. She screamed, her hands clawing at the creature’s gnarled talons, her golden hair whipping wildly in the wind. Below, Gavaldon’s tiny village shrank into obscurity, and the forest loomed darker than she’d ever imagined. Sophie had dreamed of being taken to the School for Good her entire life, but this wasn’t how she’d pictured it.

“Help!” Sophie cried, the words torn from her throat by the rushing air.

A sudden voice pierced the cacophony. “Don’t worry, Sophie! I’m coming!”

Sophie twisted her neck to see Aurora—a pale girl with fiery red hair and a sharp, angular face—chasing after her on another stymph. Aurora didn’t look frightened. Her icy-blue eyes gleamed with excitement as if she were enjoying the chaos.

“Aurora?” Sophie gasped, both relieved and confused.

Before Sophie could ask how her second-best friend had ended up here, a third voice broke through, this one softer but resolute.

“Sophie! Hang on!” It was Agatha. Of course, it was Agatha.

Sophie groaned. This wasn’t how her grand entrance to the School for Good was supposed to go. Aurora? Sure, she’d wanted Aurora there. Aurora understood her, shared her ambitions, and always knew the perfect thing to say when Sophie’s insecurities surfaced. But Agatha? The idea of her scraggly, dour friend meddling in her fairytale made Sophie’s stomach churn.

The stymphs soared higher, the three girls now suspended in the starry sky. Sophie’s heart raced as she spotted two castles looming ahead: one a shimmering fortress of light, the other a shadowy spire wrapped in fog. The School for Good and Evil. Her destiny.

But which one would claim her?

---

The moment they landed, Sophie tumbled from the stymph’s claws onto the cold, mossy ground. She barely had time to recover before Aurora landed gracefully beside her, dusting off her black coat with a smirk.

“That was fun,” Aurora said, her voice dripping with mischief. “A bit rough, but fun.”

Sophie glared at her. “Fun? I nearly died!”

Aurora raised a brow, unimpressed. “Oh, please. A princess doesn’t die in the opening act of her story.”

Sophie blinked, unsure whether Aurora was trying to reassure her or mock her. Probably both.

A loud thud interrupted their exchange as Agatha crashed to the ground a few feet away, groaning in pain. Sophie’s lips curled into a frown.

“What are you doing here?” Sophie snapped, crossing her arms.

Agatha sat up, brushing twigs from her black dress. “Saving you, apparently,” she muttered. Then her dark eyes widened as she took in the eerie forest around them, its twisted trees dripping with mist. “What is this place?”

Sophie didn’t answer. Her attention was fixed on the two glowing paths that suddenly appeared before them. One path was paved with glittering gold, leading to the radiant castle of the School for Good. The other was cobbled with jagged black stones, snaking toward the sinister towers of the School for Evil.

Her heart leapt as the stymph nudged her toward the golden path. Yes! This is it!

But then, as if sensing her anticipation, the creature abruptly veered, shoving her onto the dark path instead. Sophie stumbled, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“No! There’s been a mistake!” she protested, trying to backtrack. But the stymph blocked her way, its hollow eyes unyielding.

Aurora chuckled, stepping onto the dark path without hesitation. “Looks like we’re roommates, Sophie.”

Sophie turned to her friend, horrified. “Aurora, this is the School for Evil! We’re not supposed to be here!”

Aurora smirked, her sharp features illuminated by the eerie glow of the path. “Speak for yourself. This feels... right.”

---

As the trio approached the towering gates of the School for Evil, Sophie’s dread deepened. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the sound of distant screams echoed in the distance.

Aurora, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. She even stopped to admire the grotesque gargoyles perched above the gate, their stone faces twisted into malicious grins.

“Charming,” Aurora said with a sly smile. “Don’t you think, Sophie?”

Sophie shot her a glare. “This is a nightmare.”

Agatha, trailing behind them, looked equally unsettled. “Maybe we can talk to someone,” she suggested. “Explain the mistake and get you transferred to the other school.”

Before Sophie could respond, a group of students emerged from the shadows. They were dressed in tattered uniforms, their faces pale and their eyes glinting with malice. One boy, tall and gaunt with a cruel smile, stepped forward.

“New recruits,” he sneered. “Welcome to the School for Evil.”

Sophie froze, her heart pounding. These weren’t the kind of people she wanted to associate with. She belonged in the School for Good, surrounded by princes and princesses, not... this.

Aurora, however, seemed unfazed. She stepped forward, her chin held high. “Aurora of Gavaldon,” she announced confidently. “I look forward to proving myself.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, impressed by her boldness. “Ambitious. I like that.”

Sophie’s stomach churned as she realized Aurora was actually enjoying this.

“What about you?” the boy asked, turning to Sophie. His gaze raked over her pink dress and golden hair, a sneer curling his lips. “You don’t look like you belong here.”

“I don’t!” Sophie blurted, desperate. “There’s been a mistake. I’m supposed to be in the School for Good.”

The boy laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “You’re here, aren’t you? That’s all that matters.”

Sophie opened her mouth to argue, but Aurora cut her off.

“She’ll fit in,” Aurora said, her voice cool and commanding. “Give her time.”

Sophie shot her a look of betrayal, but Aurora didn’t seem to care.

---

Inside the School for Evil, things only got worse. The halls were dimly lit, the walls lined with ominous paintings that seemed to watch their every move. The other students eyed Sophie with disdain, whispering behind her back.

Aurora, on the other hand, seemed to thrive in the dark atmosphere. She quickly made a name for herself, her sharp wit and ruthless demeanor earning her the respect of their peers.

Sophie tried to keep up, but it was impossible. She felt out of place, out of her depth. And no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was exactly where she belonged.

Agatha, of course, was her only comfort. She’d been placed in the School for Good, but she often found ways to sneak over and check on Sophie.

“Don’t give up,” Agatha told her one night as they sat in the shadows of the courtyard. “We’ll figure this out. We’ll get you to the School for Good.”

Sophie wanted to believe her, but the longer she spent in the School for Evil, the more she doubted her own goodness.

Aurora didn’t help. If anything, she seemed determined to pull Sophie deeper into the darkness.

“Stop fighting it,” Aurora said one day, her tone dripping with exasperation. “This is who you are, Sophie. Embrace it.”

Sophie shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m not like you, Aurora. I don’t belong here.”

Aurora’s expression hardened. “You don’t belong anywhere else, either.”

---

As the days passed, Sophie found herself torn between two worlds. On one side was Agatha, her loyal friend who refused to give up on her. On the other was Aurora, who seemed determined to show her the power of embracing her true self.

And as much as Sophie hated to admit it, she couldn’t deny the allure of the darkness.