#time loop trope

Lesso was not ashamed of her body, despite the modesty of her sharp suits and long coats. She just preferred to maintain a professional appearance while at work. As she stood before Dovey clad only in her satin, button-down, long sleeve shirt and shorts, she was hyper-cognizant of the fact that the other woman had never even seen so much as her ankle. Her grin grew wider. This could be fun. 

“If you want me to be on time, I suggest allowing me the privacy to get changed.” Lesso teased slowly, mirth positively dripping from her words. 

Dovey cleared her throat and shook her head slightly, clearly flustered. She gave an irritated snort and huffed as she marched down the hall, refusing to look back. Lesso didn’t shut the door until the fairy godmother had rounded the corner. 

She was determined to make the best of today. Especially if there would be no lasting effects. She readied herself quickly and nearly sprinted across the bridge to the School for Good. Outside the assembly hall, she caught her breath and fixed her hair. 

“It’s showtime.” She whispered, violently slamming open the doors and striding confidently to the main podium. 

“Are you actually on time?” Dovey asked her incredulously.

“Better to start this semester off on a positive note, don’t you think?” She answered coyly. 

Her sharp eyes followed Dovey’s gaze as her large brown eyes flicked from the column of her throat to the exposed flesh of her forearms, and finally down the lines of her tight, pinstripe pants. Lesso was rather enjoying the way the simple exchange from the morning had left the other woman unnerved, and she was glad she had changed her outfit and foregone the long coat. 

Lesso cracked her cane loudly against the podium a few times and put a glowing, purple finger to her larynx, amplifying the volume. 

“Attention future good and evil!” She called over the drone of inane chatter and silence descended upon the hall. 

“Welcome back, welcome back! I hope everyone had the chance to enjoy a restful break away from classes. Today will be an easy day of reorientation. Regularly scheduled classes will resume after breakfast. Please refer back to the schedules that were distributed before break.” 

Dovey looked to her once more, and Lesso couldn’t help the curious tilt of her head. While the core of the message was the same, Dovey’s delivery was distinctly different from the previous trials. 

“Lady Lesso?” Dovey prompted. 

Lesso shook herself out of her thoughts and added, “If you lack personal responsibility, schedules are in the main halls and in your dormitories. Use your eyes, since I can’t be certain any of you were blessed with brains.”

Dovey muffled a bark of laughter into her palm and cleared her throat. “Have a wonderful first day back! You are dismissed!” 

Lesso hustled out the door without a backwards glance. She had somewhere to be. 

At the junction of the main hall, she hid herself in a darkened alcove and waited. At precisely 27 seconds past 8:52 AM, Emma Anemone turned the corner. With a quick flick of Lesso’s finger, a jet of violet crashed into her back, sending her stumbling slightly forward with a yelp. Black ink spread like tentacles from its mark and started to envelop the hideous hues of her formerly pristine dress. 

Lady Lesso did not wait for Anemone’s reaction and, instead, briskly continued her walk to the library. If she skipped breakfast, that would leave her with three hours of solitude for her own enjoyment before the staff meeting. Anemone’s angered shrieks followed her down the hall and gave her a pep to her step. 

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Lesso had settled down with a stack of books. Her curious nature had led her up and down the seemingly endless rows filled top to bottom with books. She had steadfastly avoided the section on fiction and fairy-tales…having had more than enough of her fill during her aching childhood and subsequent personal experiences with many of the main characters. Still, she knew most of the stories by heart. 

Instead, she had gathered a miscellaneous collection of non-fiction works: art history, cookbooks, Italian for beginners, how to play the cello…

Lesso took her hoard to a secluded alcove she had never noticed before in the back of the library. A small, circular table separated a pair of overstuffed armchairs under a stained glass window. It was welcoming and rather cozy. She couldn’t have been settled for more than twenty minutes before a quiet voice broke through her concentration. 

“I don’t mean to intrude. It’s just, I’ve never seen you here before.”

Lesso tore her eyes from the pages and met the inquisitive stare of Clarissa Dovey. The Fairy Godmother had settled into the opposite chair and looked as if she had been there for a time. 

“How long have you been sitting there?” Lesso questioned incredulously. 

A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of Dovey’s painted lips. “About five or so minutes. You were very engrossed in… How to Waltz: Steps With Confidence, Style, and Ease .”

A delicate brow arched in question and Lesso couldn’t contain the flush that crept up her neck. She slammed the book shut and surreptitiously scooted her stack behind her good leg under the chair. 

“You could have just asked! I would be more than happy to teach you.” Dovey clapped excitedly. 

“Perhaps another time…” Lesso coughed. “Why are you here?”

“Oh! I come here often. I find the library to be a perfect place to get a moment of peace before diving head-first into our duties. And there’s rarely a student to be found! Other than the occasional reader, of course.”

“Often?” She questioned. 

“You’re sitting in my chair, actually.” 

“Finders keepers.” Lesso shot back with a shrug of her shoulders. 

Dovey pulled a golden pocket watch from one of the many folds in her dress and sighed at the time. 

“The staff meeting is set to begin. Would you like to walk with me? You might actually be on time for once.” 

“Or…” Lesso stood, leaning heavily against her cane at the change in position. “You could be late for once and see that the world, in fact, keeps on turning.”

Dovey rolled her eyes good naturedly and set off for the staff room. Lesso followed steadily a few paces behind with a contented smile fighting her usual frown. She refused to fight the chaotic glee at seeing the heads turn as they entered the room together. 

Lady Lesso fell heavily into her usual chair and met the questioning eyes of Emma Anemone. A slow, predatory grin overtook the smile on her face. 

“I like what you’ve done to your dress.” She remarked casually. 

Anemone’s eyes narrowed into suspicious slits. “Do you enjoy pain?” 

“Excuse me? I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about!” 

“I know it was you, Red. The way I see it, is that you must enjoy the havoc you wreak. Why else would you do it, knowing it’s only going to come back at you in some shape or form?” The historian seethed, drawing the attention of the rest of the staff. 

Lesso’s eyes flickered briefly to the others before scoffing mockingly. 

“How sad that little girl inside must be!” Anemone continued. “I remember when you got here, Red. You’re just the same now as you have always been. And some day, you might realize that all the time you have spent making everyone else around feel low, is because that is what you feel! And maybe then you’ll realize that not once has it done anything to make you any better than any other Never who has walked through this school. Maybe, one day, you’ll figure out that there are some of us here that have simply been trying to accompany you along the way. Lest you become as alone and irrelevant as you always reared you would be.”

Lesso’s cane clattered to the stone floor as she launched to her feet and slammed her hands against the table. “Listen here, you airheaded…”

“ENOUGH!” 

Dovey’s hand pushed down roughly against Lesso’s shoulder, forcing her back into her seat. She bit her lip hard to stem any remaining words from raging out of her mouth but complied with the demand. The beat of silence that followed was suffocating. 

“There are other, more important things we are here to discuss than the trivial nit-picking between the two of you.” Dovey hissed as she rounded the corner to her seat, pinning the both of them with a rather harsh glare. 

Silence continued to fill the hall, filled only by the scuffle of shoes against stone, creaking of wood chairs, and uncomfortable coughs. 

“Are there any pressing matters that need to be discussed today? I suddenly find myself longing for a cup of tea before morning classes.” Dovey addressed the room. 

Compared to the chaos of the previous loops, not a single hand was raised. Lesso studied the subdued quiet of the room with an astonished expression. The difference was off-putting. 

“Okayyyyy…” She drew out. “I guess I’ll just do it myself!”

Lesso pointed a silver painted nail at Yuba. 

The gnome dumbly looked around before pointing a finger at himself. “Me?”

“Talk.”

“I don’t…” He stumbled.

“Yuba can’t figure out how to get the students to collaborate effectively. I believe Espada is a misogynistic narcissist who doesn’t know how to adapt his teaching methods to fit each student individually. And Anemone wants to overhaul the curriculum to teach sex education and manners.” 

The beauty teacher opened her mouth to respond but was quickly silenced with the snarled “No!” that came from Lesso’s clenched teeth. 

“Well…that was insightful. ” Dovey said slowly. “Anybody have any suggestions on how to address these, uh, weaknesses?”

Lesso leaned over to whisper in Dovey’s ear. “I bet you a fiver that Beauty Teacher volunteers me for her class.”

Dovey’s quirked lip and short nod was the only indication she had even heard Lesso’s proposition. 

“I think Lady Lesso would be an excellent choice to help in keeping the students under control for the health and education course.” Anemone offered. 

Dovey gaped at her in open disbelief, even as she elbowed the Dean of Evil to cease her cackling. 

“Hell no, I won’t teach the course.” Lesso continued, wiping an errant tear from her eye as she composed herself. 

“Any other suggestions?” Dovey called. 

At the answering silence, the Dean of Good sighed and offered the table a tight smile. 

“I think I’ll sit in on Professor Espada’s class. I might be able to offer some tips on teaching strategies for my Never boys. ” Lesso offered with uncharacteristic altruism. 

“Thank you, Lady Lesso, but I don’t need a babysitter. And I am fully capable of teaching my class myself. I have been doing so for many years.” Espada cut in harshly. 

“Suit yourself.” Lesso sneered. 

“Professor, a fresh set of eyes could only help, not hurt.” Dovey argued gently. “And I think I would like to join as well.”

Both Espada and Lesso turned to her with equal expressions of surprise. 

“Meeting adjourned!” The Ever called cheerily, ignoring the dual stares.  

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Lesso sat at her desk very much lost in thought. The students in her first period Potions and Poisons class sat diligently studying the texts they found on their desks. The hesitant raising of a small hand broke her attention. 

“Yes?” She answered with obvious irritation. 

The hand fell back quickly to the desk with a muttered, “Nevermind.”

Lesso leaned back into her chair and groaned loudly in frustration. 

“Why are we even here? You can read just as well in your dorms as you can in this godforsaken room. Leave! Before I change my mind.” 

The students hesitated at the command and looked at each other in confusion. 

“I said get out!” She shouted.

Chairs scraped against the floor as the students scrambled to leave. Lesso sighed as the heavy closing of the door echoed in the empty classroom. The familiar headache began to pulse between her eyes. Was this to be a recurring curse as well? She pinched the bridge of her nose tightly, temporarily relieving the incessant pressure. 

The bells of the clock tower chimed noon and Lesso idled for a moment. Did she dare try another attempt at a sociable lunch? It felt like she had already uttered too many syllables on the day, and it had just turned afternoon. Her stomach growled loudly as if to argue with her for even thinking of skipping both breakfast and lunch. She cringed, however, as she thought of the lackluster lunch that awaited her in the dining hall. The cookbooks, she decided, would take priority. Nevertheless, she dragged herself across the bridge and made a beeline for the vacant chair she had occupied on the previous try. To her surprise, Dovey was noticeably absent. A small frown pulled at her lips as her eyes quickly scanned the hall. 

“Looking for someone?” 

“Assessing for threats.” Lesso drawled boredly. 

Anemone leaned across the vacant chair between them with entirely too much interest. 

“Rightly so. I would watch my every step if I dared to pull one over on the person likely most-versed in the history of magic.” 

Lesso’s sharp gaze cut across to eye Anemone from her periphery. 

“Good afternoon Lady Lesso…Emma!” Dovey said brightly as she settled in the chair between them. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all Clarissa!” Anemone placated with an affectionately placed hand on Dovey’s arm. 

Lesso’s eyes followed the movement and her hands clenched at her side. She suppressed the flare of irrational rage and began to fill her plate with the disappointing lunch offerings. 

“You provided some very helpful information today at the meeting. How did you know?” Dovey asked as she shuffled the food around on her plate with a grimace. 

Lesso hummed noncommittally and shrugged her shoulders. 

Dovey cleared her throat at the stall in conversation and returned her gaze to her tasteless meal. 

“Well, this is awkward.” Emma stated quite clearly from the safety on the other side of Dovey. 

Lesso would have kicked her if she could have reached. Instead, she just glared at her plate and choked down a few more bites of rubbery chicken. Suddenly, she slammed down her cutlery, startling the table, and turned fully to Dovey.

“I don’t know how to do this!” She blurted. 

Dovey looked at her nervously. “Do what?”

“Compliments…pleasantness…conversation.” She listed on her fingers, meeting Anemone’s amused stare over Dovey’s shoulder. 

Dovey’s doe-eyes blinked in confusion. “Are you supposed to?”

It was Lesso’s turn to be confused. Hadn’t Anemone said “yesterday” that these were qualities that Dovey looked for? Her penciled eyebrows pinched in the middle. Why did it matter to her what traits Dovey enjoyed? Why did she want to be these things for her? She shook her head slowly and her red curls swept over her eyes. 

“Well, we all have things to work on! Myself, included.” Dovey said chipperly. 

Lesso looked back to her warily. It was nearly the same response as before, and yet entirely different. This time, Lesso didn’t feel like she failed a test. 

“I think I've had quite enough of today’s lunch. It was rather bland, don’t you think?” She continued, pushing away her plate. “Would you like to join me on the walk to Professor Espada’s class? We have some time, but I would be happy for the company.”

Lesso nodded slowly, not quite trusting the turn of events. She placed her napkin over her plate and stood, catching Anemone’s raised eyebrows. As she turned to follow Dovey, a quick crook of her violet finger surreptitiously sawed off a couple of inches from one of the legs on the historian’s chair. The accompanying yelp of surprise as the chair fell off-balance brought a satisfied grin to her face. 

“One of these days, she’s going to get you back.” Dovey hummed knowingly as they walked through the halls. 

They chose a spot high on the hill to settle down. Lady Lesso let her body fall to the ground and leaned back casually on her elbows while she watched Dovey putter about. Eventually, the Dean of Good conjured a delicate looking cushion and sat daintily, arranging her skirts perfectly symmetrical around her. Lesso hid her endeared smile behind a soft cough. 

“Afraid of a little dirt, princess?” She teased. 

“What’s the point in getting dirty when magic exists?” Dovey shot back. 

Lesso tilted her head in begrudging acknowledgement to the argument before her attention was drawn to the clearing below. 

“Double or nothing, a fight breaks out within the first two minutes.” She smirked slyly. 

Dovey, ever the optimistic Ever, tilted her chin in defiance. “I’m sure Professor Espada has everything under control.”

The Fairy Godmother confidently stuck out her hand to shake on the deal. Lesso took her hand and was mildly taken aback at the warm softness of the other woman’s skin. 

“Triple or nothing, Espada doesn’t do anything to stop any hypothetical fights.” 

She tightened her grip minutely and Dovey responded in kind, sealing the deal with a firm shake. 

“You’re on!”

Dovey let loose a gleaming smile that felt more blinding than the afternoon sun. Lesso found she was hesitant to let her hand go. Dovey pulled away slowly and turned toward the gathering group. Lesso, for her part, clenched her now empty hand that was left tingling. 

Right on cue, the brawl began among the young males of the class. A cheshire grin split her face nearly in two at the astonished look that now adorned Dovey’s. And just as before, Professor Espada let it continue. Lesso held out her hand in silent victory and graciously accepted the bills placed into her palm. 

“I think I’ve seen enough.” Dovey sighed in disappointment. 

“Going to intervene?” Lesso asked distractedly as she thumbed through her winnings. 

“Not today. I believe I need some time to think on this before I make any rash decisions.” 

Dovey stood and cleared away her conjured furniture. Her expression was guarded but noticeably stormy. Lesso put her earnings in her pocket and fumbled for something to say. 

“Look, Dovey, he’s out of his depth. And that’s not even taking into consideration that he refuses to teach any of the girls.”

Dovey’s eyes darkened more, if it were even possible. 

“Look, if you think it would help the student’s…I have a double free period. I could start sitting in on the classes and helping to restructure.” Lesso offered quietly, gesturing to the mess down below. 

Dovey looked down at her with genuine surprise. If she were being honest with herself, which she usually wasn’t, Lesso would say the reaction stung a bit. 

“You would do that?”

Lesso looked away, unable to tolerate the scrutiny. “Yes, of course. It could only benefit my Nevers to have some competent instruction.”

She flinched minutely at the harshness of her own response, but that was all she knew. Sharpness was an effective defensive mechanism. She missed the flash of hurt across the Fairy Godmother’s eyes. 

“Yes, well…that would be more than acceptable.” Dovey answered flatly. “Thank you for accompanying me this afternoon. I do have some paperwork I need to complete, so if you’ll excuse me. Have a good afternoon, Lady Lesso.”

Lesso watched her retreating form until she passed through the castle doors before yanking at her hair in frustration. 

Self-sabotage. Every single goddamn time! What was the fucking point?

She snatched up her discarded cane and began her trek back to the bridge. Might as well go back to the library for the remainder of her free periods. After all, there was a stack of books with her name on it. 

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It had been hours. Truthfully, Lesso had cast away the rest of her day in the library without any notion of the passing of the time. She had poured over book after book on curses and theories of time travel and come up short, once again. It was certain to be a curse. Why else would she be doomed to relive the same damn day with varying paths to the same damn outcomes? 

She would still be teaching the same routine. She would still be spinning her wheels on the monstrosity of unifying the two schools. And she would still be woefully incompetent at whatever interactions she had with Clarissa Dovey. 

She didn’t even know why she wanted to try in that area. Fucking wish fish making her think that she wanted something so clearly unobtainable. Lesso scoffed harshly and slammed her open book shut, shoving it off the table roughly. 

A Never, falling in love with an Ever…how disgusting. How repulsive. 

And she startled violently.

Nobody had ever said anything about falling in love. 

She launched herself out of the chair and made to leave. Just as she rounded a corner, her shoulder roughly collided with another, sending them crashing to the floor. 

“I thought I might find you here, but that certainly wasn’t the welcome I was expecting.” Dovey groaned from her position on the floor. 

“Storian, Dove! You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Lesso offered a hand and helped the woman to her feet. 

“Dove?” Dovey asked with a pretty blush. 

Embarrassment flooded over Lesso and she sputtered, unable to find the words to take it back. 

“I didn’t see you at dinner.” Dovey redirected. 

Grateful for the escape the Dean of Good provided, Lesso shrugged. “Lost track of time, I suppose. I prefer to eat alone, anyway.”

Dovey looked up at her through her lashes with an indecipherable expression. Lesso shifted her weight uncomfortably underneath the stare. 

“Doesn’t that ever make you feel lonely?” She finally asked. 

Lesso grit her teeth against the unsettling repeat of the same conversation. 

“Nothing I’m not used to.” She finally bit out.

“Well, I appreciated your company today. It was…refreshing. If you ever change your mind, there’s always a seat for you next to me.”

Lesso felt her throat constrict against the emotion desperate to escape. She clenched her eyes tight and gave Dovey a curt nod of acceptance. 

“Don’t stay up too late! You’ll regret it in the morning.” Dovey said softly as she turned to leave. 

“I highly doubt it.” Lesso mumbled under her breath. 

“What was that?” She asked as she came to a stop, looking over her shoulder. 

A burning question flared to life in her chest. 

“How do you always find me?” Lesso called back. 

Dovey turned to face her fully, confusion plain in the pinch of her brows. “What do you mean?”

“You just always seem to know where to look…even if I’m somewhere unexpected. The library isn’t my usual hang-out.” Lesso answered, gesturing to the shelves around them. 

The furrow of Dovey’s brows deepened as she seemed to think about it. “I don’t know. I just felt like I would find you here.”

Her eyes brightened and she shrugged, continuing her exit. 

“Goodnight Lesso!” She called over her shoulder. 

“Goodnight, Dove.” Lesso answered. 

The nickname gave the other woman a slight pause, but she continued onward. Lesso knew she must be on her way to the lake for her ritualistic visit to the wish fish. There would be no nightly stroll to the lake for Lesso tonight. There was no more information the enchanted creatures could give her. And she certainly didn’t want to intrude on Dovey’s “consultation,” whatever that meant. 

No, tonight she would skip the lake. She gathered a few of the untouched books in her free arm and began her trek to her personal chambers. Her eyes burned and she was mentally exhausted. Not to mention the fact that she hadn’t had a drop of alcohol all day and she was oh so thirsty. 

Lesso slowly walked the length of the bridge to her chambers underneath the starry sky. Up above, she watched the shooting star arch into the night. 

Maybe tomorrow would be different. 

Maybe, tomorrow, she would get today right.

Previous Chapter - Chapter 3

“Welcome back, students!” The Dean of Good called across the auditorium. 

But the deafening volume, if possible, grew louder. She shot Lesso an imploring look that was promptly ignored. 

“Attention!” She shouted, attempting to imitate the authority usually present in the Dean of Evil. 

A few Ever heads turned in response. 

“ATTENTION!” She shrieked, slamming her golden staff against the floor. 

Immediately, the chatter died down. 

“Well done, princess. There’s hope for you yet.” Lesso smirked. 

“Thank you, Lady Lesso.” Dovey smiled brightly. “Welcome back, students! I hope everyone enjoyed their time away from school and got to enjoy some rest and relaxation. Today will be a day of reorientation. We will resume our regularly scheduled classes after breakfast. Please refer to the schedules handed out to you before break.”

Lesso mouthed silently along to Dovey’s speech. After a beat of silence, the blonde looked at her. 

“Do you have anything else to add?”

“Nope!” She said with a loud pop of her lips. 

Dovey looked at her quizzically before returning to address the children.  “Copies have also been posted in the main halls of each castle and in your personal dormitories. You are dismissed! Have a wonderful first day back!”

The students rose from the bleachers and began streaming out the door. Lady Lesso stood to follow them. 

“I’ll see you at the staff meeting after breakfast. Don’t worry, I won’t be late.” She called over her shoulder, missing the unnerved expression left on Dovey’s face as she exited the hall. 

Lesso stopped and waited at the junction of the main corridor and the hallway leading to the dining hall. She leaned her back against the stone wall and counted to three before sticking her cane into the walkway. Perfectly timed, Emma Anemone rounded the corner and tripped over the walking stick and crashed to the ground. 

“Oh, Professor Anemone! I’m so sorry.” Lesso cried with exaggeratedly feigned remorse. “I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened if you had been watching where you were going.”

She hummed sagely like she had just imparted some grand, life-changing advice. 

Emma rolled her eyes and with a stupid amount of grace, picked herself up off the floor and adjusted her dress.

“Are you satisfied?” Anemone asked with a bitter edge to her tone. 

“Very.” Lesso nodded succinctly. 

Emma cocked her head and scrutinized her from head to toe. 

“See something you like?”

“I see you , Red. I see the sad little girl inside. And some day, you might realize that every effort you have put into making everyone else around you feel low is because that’s what you feel. Maybe then you’ll realize that not once has it done anything to lift you any higher. You are in the same place now that you were when you started. Maybe, one day, you’ll understand that some of us have been trying to simply accompany you along the way. I really do hope you realize that before you end up completely alone and just as irrelevant as you always feared you would be.”

Leonora’s eyes narrowed and she lunged for the historian, grabbing her by the flared, pink sleeves. 

“What the fuck did you do to me?” She hissed in a rage. 

Anemone pried Lesso’s fingers off her dress and shoved her lightly away, confusion plain on her usually impassive face. 

“Have a good day, Lady Lesso.” She said dismissively. 

Emma gave her a wide berth and did not take her eyes off of the Evil Dean until she had rounded the corner, shaking her head incredulously as she made the turn. 

Lady Lesso slumped uncharacteristically against the wall and pulled at her hair in frustration. She abandoned the idea of breakfast and instead made for the library in the School of Evil. Clearly, she was cursed. Though, even as an expert on curses and death traps, she felt way out of her league. Maybe the beauty teacher had nothing to do with it. It was not in the realm of “good” magic, after all. But the words felt as if they had been carved into her brain and she was left feeling distinctly haunted. 

She poured over book after book on curses, but none provided any answers about re-living the same day. She did find a simple text on enchanted tattoos that gave her pause. If she was doomed to relive this day over and over again, would permanent changes carry over? She hadn’t yet noticed any consequences from the actions of her last trials. Lesso twirled her brightly glowing purple finger and with a hiss, a small raven appeared at her wrist. 

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“You’re late!” Dovey hissed as Lesso found her seat. 

“Better late than Ever.” She answered, rolling her eyes. 

A brief, glazed look flitted across Dovey’s face before she gathered herself to address the staff. “Thank you everybody for joining me for our quarterly staff meeting!”

“Let’s get this over with.” Lesso grunted. 

“We don’t have much to discuss since our previous meeting. Lady Lesso and I just wanted to follow up with everybody regarding the unification of classes and to problem-solve any hiccups.” 

Hands waved in the air and the staff all at once began to talk over one another. 

“SHUT UP!” She shouted over the dull roar, startling the participants into silence. “Let me guess…Yuba, your pea brain can’t figure out how to get the students from sabotaging one another, other than a shared grade. Beauty teacher wants to discontinue the curriculum and teach sex education instead. And Espada is incompetent and can’t figure out that his teaching methods are garbage.” 

Owlish, dumbfounded blinks stared back at her. 

“Was I right? Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Well…I don’t know that it needed to be worded quite so rudely.” Dovey stuttered. 

“No, I won’t teach the course.” Lesso continued, pointing an accusing finger at Anemone. “And you need to introduce girls from both sides into your class, Espada. And you need to adapt your teaching to their individual strengths and weaknesses. That should be common sense.” 

Still, her audience gaped. Before the swordsman could open his mouth to question her, she met his eyes. 

“You want to know how I know…Let’s just call it intuition.” 

“Lady Lesso, that was very insightful advice.” Dovey added from her seat, attempting to break the tension. 

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Lesso asked sarcastically. 

Deep, chocolate eyes cut over to Lesso’s and firmly held her gaze. 

“I never said that I was. I believe I was offering a compliment.” 

The undercurrent of defensive hurt laced Dovey’s words. Embarrassment crept in Lesso’s chest and she was once again caught off guard by the Good Dean’s support. She averted her eyes and cleared her throat uncomfortably. 

“In the interest of the students’ education, I will offer some assistance in teaching Espada’s class.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Dovey said warmly. 

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Lesso started her first round of classes with a simple textbook on each desk. She refused to suffer through the agony of the practical with students already so far behind in the curriculum. She very pointedly ignored the groans of protest and enjoyed the silent study hall instead. 

“When do we actually get to the poisons part of Potions and Poisons?” 

Lesso launched a paperweight into the center of the room. 

“Get out!”

The students scattered like pearls off a broken string and she was alone again. Lesso pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply into the empty classroom. A headache was forming between her eyes and the exhaustion of her situation started to settle in. What was she missing? Why was this happening to her? 

The clock tower chimed noon and as if perfectly synched, her stomach growled in expectation. She trudged across the bridge to the dining hall and scanned the table for a vacant chair. Absently, she noted she was significantly earlier than “yesterday” and the crowd was much larger. Lesso’s eyes settled on the only empty chair at the table, next to Dovey.  Across the hall, her doe eyes shifted from whoever she was talking with and met Lesso’s unintentional stare. Her face brightened and she patted the seat next to her welcomingly. 

An unidentifiable feeling squirmed in Lesso’s belly. Her eyes darted around the room for a moment before her feet betrayed her. 

“Lady Lesso, good afternoon!” Dovey said brightly as Lesso hesitantly dropped into the vacant chair. 

She flushed warmly under the incredulous stares of the other staff members present and did not return the greeting. She filled her plate with the lackluster grilled chicken and some sad looking green beans. 

“It’s rather bland, wouldn’t you say?” Dovey whispered out of the corner of her mouth. 

Lesso watched the fairy godmother cut at the meat on her plate and push it around convincingly. She allowed a soft hum of agreement to be heard over the scraping of the cutlery. 

“Thank you for volunteering to help with this afternoon’s class.” Dovey tried again to elicit conversation. 

“If your teachers demonstrated any semblance of common sense or ability, I wouldn’t have had to.” Lesso barked and internally cringed. 

As the words fell from her lips, she suddenly desired to take them back. Why were conversations with this woman so impossible lately?

The same tight smile from before pulled at Dovey’s face and her gaze averted uncomfortably to the tasteless meal. Unfamiliar shame crawled up Lesso’s back at having put that expression on her face. She liked the genuine smiles better.

Wait, what?

"Yes, well, we all still have things to work on. Myself, included.” Dovey answered distantly. “Good luck with your afternoon.” 

The Dean of Good stood and cleared her plate. 

“See you later.” Lesso said lamely, watching her go. 

Storian, she wanted to slap herself. That was just as bad as her first go at it. And she didn’t even know why she wanted her conversation with the infuriating woman to not go poorly. Maybe it was those stupid wish fish getting into her head. 

“Well, that went well.” 

Lesso flinched violently and whirled around in her seat to glare at the one person who would dare to make a comment. Emma graced her with a self-satisfied grin and lowered herself fluidly into Dovey’s now-vacant seat. 

“What the fuck do you know, beauty teacher?” Lesso scoffed, shoving her plate away angrily. 

“A great deal more than you give me credit for, Red.” 

Lesso’s eyes cut sharply back to regard the historian from her periphery. 

“Clarissa is an Ever , Red. She thrives on compliments, pleasantness, and genuine conversation.” Anemone spoke as if she were talking to a toddler. 

“Are you telling me she wants me to sit here and tell her she’s pretty?” Lesso asked flatly. 

“Do you?” Emma interrogated. 

“Do I what?”

“Think that she’s pretty?”

“I don’t have time for this.” 

The thought was absurd. She had nothing but time! But she certainly did not want to be a part of this trainwreck of a conversation any longer. Lesso pushed her chair away from the table and reveled in the series of cringes as the feet screeched against the floor. 

___________________________________________________________

She didn’t bother observing Espada’s miserable attempts at instruction. She met him on the lawn and promptly told him to sit down and shut up. 

“Save your petty fighting for the battlefield. Use the opportunity we are giving you to hone your strengths and purge your weaknesses! Win or lose, these matches are supposed to teach you about survival. Consider it practice, because in life, there are no do-overs.”

She fought the shudder that threatened to break free at her own lecture. She matched the boys into more optimal pairs, learning from her previous attempt and set them upon each other. 

“Espada, where are the girls?” She questioned him during the reprieve. 

“Princesses do not belong on the battlefield, witch.” He said pompously. 

Her lip curled in abject disgust and the tip of her cane roughly found the center of his chest. 

“Have you learned nothing in the past year?” She snarled. “Any one of my Never girls could crush your Princes in a duel…in no time flat.”

Espada gave an unbothered shrug and slapped her cane away. “Prove it.”

Already on edge from the way her day was going, Lesso shucked her coat in a rage and snatched up a sword from the pile. 

“Let’s do this.”

The commotion drew the attention of the students practicing and the clang of steel faded as they lowered their arms to watch. Lesso and Espada bowed respectively and each took up a differing readying stance. The Dean of Evil adopted a more rounded position: she leaned lightly back into her bad leg with her good leg forward, and maintained a two handed grasp on the sword positioned across her body with the hilt anchored at her hip. Espada took up a more traditional posture, with the sword far out in front of him in a long point stance. 

She didn’t have to wait long. The consistent brashness of Evers came through and he lunged. The attack was easy enough to dodge as she pivoted on her forward leg and maintained her position. He swung high and she parried. Lesso allowed him to push her backward a few paces. With a few more carefully positioned ducks and dodges, she finally had him where she wanted him…staring directly into the afternoon sun. 

Sweat had started to collect at his hairline and his collar from the exertion of his offensive attacks and from maintaining the forward hold of his sword. In a flurry of swift slashes, she danced around the falling arc of his sword and tapped his flank with the broad flat of her steel as his weapon clattered to the ground. 

A slow series of claps erupted from the student audience and a piercing whistle highlighted her victory. 

“That was awesome, ma’am!” One of the Ever boys complimented. 

Lesso threw down her sword and lifted a sculpted eyebrow at her opponent. Espada scoffed and stalked off the field. 

“Worse than children.” She muttered, shaking her head. “Class dismissed!”

She snatched up her discarded cane and limped heavily back to the office. She hissed and cringed at every stair she was forced to climb, and in heels. 

“She was so caught up in the routine of her day, she almost missed the presence of the Dean for Good at the tower window.” The Storian narrated as she walked by. “Her steps faltered and her sharp gaze cut suspiciously to the quill.”

“Are you writing about me?” Lesso snapped, sounding mildly unhinged to her own ears. 

Her cane cracked loudly against the floor as she stomped over to the book. 

“Her turbulent green eyes searched the page for any helpful information, but found nothing of use.”

“Stupid fucking feather.” She hissed. 

The golden quill poked her roughly in the shoulder as if in reprimand and remained poised threateningly. 

“Alright, I’m going!” Lesso surrendered with narrowed eyes. 

She shoved open the doors to the office, immediately looking to the window to find Dovey looking through the pane. 

“Don’t you have class?” She asked as she collapsed at her own desk, opening the decanter of bourbon. 

Dovey eyed the alcohol with distaste but didn’t comment. “I have a free period.”

Lesso’s glass paused midway to her mouth and she raised a questioning eyebrow. “I didn’t know that.”

“I don’t usually spend it doing paperwork.” Dovey said with a self-deprecating smile as she gestured to her disastrous desk. “But I just had this odd feeling that I should be up here today. It was rather persistent, actually.”

Her smile faded to a pensive frown. 

Lesso’s eyes darted to the doors leading to the antechamber and back to Dovey. “Have you paid any attention to the Storian lately?”

“I don’t typically pay it any mind. The words just tend to fade into background noise, if I’m honest.” Dovey confessed. 

Lesso gave her a noncommittal hum and poured herself another glass. 

“You’ll fill up before dinner.” Dovey said quietly, gesturing with her chin to the glass. 

Lesso knocked it back and shrugged. “I probably wasn’t going to dinner, anyway.” 

Dovey pierced her with a scrutinizing look. Her soulful eyes looked sad and the intensity of her stare made Lesso squirm. 

“Doesn’t that ever make you feel lonely?” She finally asked. 

Lesso swallowed thickly against the nausea that lurched in her throat. The question felt entirely too on the nose and she fought back the eerie feelings it provoked. 

“I am a Never, Dove. To be a Never is to be alone.” She rasped into the rim of her glass. 

“It doesn’t have to be.” Dovey replied simply. 

The fairy godmother rocked on her feet and cleared her throat. The silence settled heavily in the air and neither Dean knew how to move forward. 

“I am going to go freshen up before dinner.” Dovey finally said. “There’s always a seat for you next to me, if you change your mind.”

She offered one last smile and turned on her heel before striding through the door. 

Lesso nursed her glass for a few minutes more. Truthfully, dinner did not sound appealing in the slightest. The cacophony of students and staff in the crowded hall was enough to make her want to stab her own ears on a good day. And today certainly was not a good day. And yet, inexplicably, she did not want to disappoint the other woman…something she seemed to do every time she opened her mouth. 

No, today was scrapped already. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. Lesso eyed her empty glass and sighed deeply before placing it hard on the desk. No more. 

She glanced at the hideous clock and decided to take a walk. It was earlier than she had been, but she wanted some time alone at the lake before Dovey would inevitably come by. 

She forced herself out of the chair and into the rapidly approaching night. The sun was sinking behind the broad backdrop of the castles, casting hues of red and orange against the sky. Objectively, it was beautiful. But Lesso couldn’t be bothered to notice. 

Her legs carried her over the well-worn paths and to the edge of the lake. She sank heavily into the damp earth and glared at the softly rippling water. 

“Did you do this to me?” She asked the wish fish below, but her reflection staring back at her was the only thing that she saw. 

Lesso reached out a hesitant hand to the surface and let a slender finger break the tension. Again, Dovey’s glowing face formed in the magical glow of the wish fish. Her smile was soft and wistful. Lesso’s heart clenched at the almost sad look depicted in her eyes. It was the same look she gave her in their conversation earlier. 

“Nevers can’t love, you stupid fish.” She bit out angrily. 

The picture shifted then. She saw herself, unmistakable except for the glowing smile and twinkling eyes. Her likeness cradled Dovey’s face so gently and captured her lips in an unbreakable kiss. Dovey’s hands came up to cover her own and those sad eyes fluttered in pure bliss. 

Lesso gasped and snatched her hand from the water as if she had been burned. She stumbled back from the water’s edge and breathed in deep through her nose to quell the rising panic. 

“No. You know what, I don’t need to take life advice from a couple of enchanted guppies.” She snarled. 

Lesso continued grumbling and she stomped back to her chambers. The sun had long set behind the trees, and in the dark she careened into a warm body. 

“Fuck me, this happens way too often to be natural.” She groaned from the hard, cold ground of  the stone bridge. 

“Lesso! I’m so sorry! I was just on my way down to the lake and I was not watching where I was going.”

Concerned, Dovey stared down at her, offering a hand to help her up. 

“Nope!” Lesso shouted, hauling herself to her feet and brushing past Dovey. 

She practically sprinted up the invisible stairs and to the safety of her bedroom. Behind the closed door, she slid to the floor and bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a scream. She traced a finger over the fresh ink at her wrist, praying for answers. Slowly, and then all at once, she had an idea. 

“You can’t start the day over if you don’t sleep!” 

She lunged for the bedside table and was immediately grateful for the change in routine of the day’s morning. Her hands found the small clock, clutching it tightly to her chest. It was nearing eight PM. Only twelve hours to go before this hellscape would start over. 

She could manage that. 

Next Chapter - Chapter 4