"You and I deserve to be together. We don't need anyone else. Do you understand?"
The witch, combing the princess's hair with eerie tenderness, spoke in a cold, commanding tone.
"Yes, Maleficent," the princess replied softly.
"Now go to bed."
Obediently, the princess stood and walked to the corner of the stone room where a worn mattress awaited her. As she lay down, the witch floated into the air, her cloak rippling like smoke.
"The next time you try to escape from here, I'll kill you. Do you understand?" she hissed, locking eyes with the terrified girl.
"Yes… Maleficent," the princess whispered, her voice trembling.
The witch's dark aura froze her body in place, and though she couldn't move, tears slid silently down the sides of her face.
"Sleep now, princess."
With that, the witch vanished into the shadows.
*SARAH*
"Mom!"
Sarah jolted upright in bed, panting.
"You're going to be late on the first day of the term," Mrs. Williams called from the doorway.
"Thanks, Mom," Sarah mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"You had that nightmare again, didn't you?"
"Yeah… but I'm fine," Sarah replied quickly.
Mrs. Williams frowned. "We should see a priest."
"I'm already running late!" Sarah jumped from the bed. "Love you!" she added, dashing toward the bathroom.
She was brushing her teeth when the bathroom door creaked open. Through the misty mirror, she saw a dark figure enter.
Haaahhh! she shrieked.
The person rushed over.
"What's wrong, twin?" a girl with a ponytail asked.
Sarah let out a sigh of relief. "It's just you, Dora. I thought it was... someone else."
Dora raised a brow but didn't ask further. "Now hurry up. We can't be late for our first day of a new term."
Sarah dressed quickly, returning to her room where her eyes caught the worn teddy bear on the floor — the one from her birthday, just five days ago.
She remembered the scene clearly. She had finally found that teddy bear she'd wanted for months… only for a guy to grab it at the same time. He claimed he'd already paid for it. They argued, pulled, and fought until the bear tore apart. They both ended up splitting the cost, each walking away annoyed and with half a ruined toy.
Disgusted, Sarah tossed the bear into the bin and left the room with Dora to wait for the school bus.
They climbed aboard and took seats near the back.
"Hey, Sarah. Dora," a boy called out as he sat nearby.
"Hi, Sam," Dora replied cheerfully.
Sarah, as usual, ignored him and buried her face in a book.
Sam chuckled. "You should drop the cold act and be friendly for once. The only person you ever talk to is Dora."
Sarah looked up, unimpressed. "What do you want me to say?"
"You're our class and school president, Sarah. People look up to you."
Another boy slid into the seat next to Sam. "What's up, buddy?"
"I'm good, man," Sam replied.
"Hey, babe," Dora smiled. Jake had arrived — her boyfriend.
"How was your night?" Jake asked as he sat beside her.
"Great," Dora replied.
Soon, the bus reached school. In the classroom, Dora sat beside Sarah, who had her earpiece in and was reading a comic book while the others chatted.
The teacher walked in with a boy trailing behind her.
"Good morning, class," she said.
"Good morning, Mrs. Kelly," the class chorused.
"We have a new student. Introduce yourself, Mr. Allen."
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Shane Allen," the boy said confidently.
The class clapped.
"Miss Williams, can you please take Mr. Allen around the school?" Mrs. Kelly asked.
"Sam can do it, ma. I'm busy," Sarah said flatly.
"You are both class and school president, Miss Williams. Learn to act like it," the teacher snapped.
"I'll do it!" Stella offered eagerly.
"No, Miss Scott. Miss Williams will do it. Mr. Allen, sit with your classmates for now."
Mrs. Kelly left the room.
"He's totally my type," one girl whispered.
Stella leaned toward Shane. "Hey. I'm Stella. You can ask me anything."
Shane smiled politely.
Moments later, Sarah stood. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah," Shane said, following her.
She pointed at different spots as they walked. "This is the library. That's the boys' restroom—"
"You're the teddy bear girl from five days ago!" Shane suddenly exclaimed.
Sarah stopped. "And so?"
"Thanks to you, the bear's gone," he said.
"Thanks to you, I had to spend money on something I didn't even want," she retorted.
"You're the first guy I've met who fights over a teddy bear."
"I was buying it for a friend's little brother — he needed it to impress a girl."
"Whatever," she muttered, pointing ahead. "That's the cafeteria."
With that, she turned and walked off, leaving Shane grinning behind her.
Hello readers this is my first story
Read and enjoy, I promise it is going to be delicious