I found him a second later, because he was standing right next to me the whole time.

"Aaah! Don't do that!" He dodged my slap. I composed myself quickly.

*Sorry, that's just my reaction thing.*, I signaled slowly, so he has more time to process it through his small brain. That explains why his grades are always around 20s. Okay, I'm just kidding.

"Hmph." He adjusted his suit."I only came because I wanted to dance with someone, but apparently not. Oh, and also, your parents told me to give you these. There was more, but I used it to buy a new video game." He dropped some shining coins into my hand, all except for the last coin. "This will be mine to spend on something else." He grinned and ran off, leaving me alone.

I sighed. At least I have some. Dropping them into my handbag, I glanced at the clock and realized that it's almost 3 pm. Right now, it's 2:55pm. I should hurry.

I weaved my way through the crowd. At least Arthur is on his "good-feeling-or-mood-and-good-manners" side. It's the best he can get up to. I finally managed to get to the backstage. I looked at the clock again. 2:58 pm.
Great, I thought to myself, 2 more painful minutes of standing here.

There is some other girls here, but I doubt they would want to talk to me.

I seriously doubt it.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .    .    .   .    .    .   .   .   

"We were honored to teach these fine, young, ladies and gentlemen, princesses and princes. They have accomplished all the tasks that were required. This ceremony was held today to celebrate their effort. We will first call the ladies and princesses. First, is Maria Angeles...". Headmaster Anastasia Raingold droned on and on as she shook hands with the called females. I fidgeted nervously with my gown. Oh, why do I have to attend this stupid ball?!

"Jenna Dazzlegem." My name echoed in the murmuring room. I gathered myself, held my head high, and placed one foot in front of the other. 1,2,1,2. My head ticked with each step. I curtsied, shook hands, and she gave me a smile , but it was icy cold. Her eyes shot daggers, filled with bubbling hatred. Her fingernails raked my pale skin. I shivered at the slight touch of her fingertips. It was cold too, as if I'll freeze to death any moment.

I retreated to my place behind the stage. The image of her eyes were burned into the inside of my eyelids. Keep to yourself, my mind called out, Do not stand out. I headed farther to a dark corner, far away from the headmaster. My head pounded with questions. Why does she hate me? What have I done wrong? The answer was silence, except for the faint and continuous voice of  Anastasia in the distance. Even if someone is willing to answer, I cannot speak. 

Many people would describe Anastasia Raingold as a wonderful role model, but my eyes tell me something else. I have another word for her, opposite of the ones others say. It is, after all, the forbidden word, one that nobody has dared to say in decades except for the fools.

I suppose I am one of those fools. My head is throbbing with that one single word, one that has a dark history that stretches back to the birth of the first immortals. I can tell the identity she's hidden from the others in a clever way. I can feel it, the strange pull surrounding her.

Anastasia Raingold is a witch.

(A/N) Dang, Anastasia! She can cast a spell without anyone noticing! If you were to cast a spell, what would it be? Pushing the vote button without touching it?