The Forgotten Fairytales Read Online Free

thrift store wear in comparison. Add the dried mud and slightly disheveled hair and I had a messy trifecta. What a great first impression at a school for the couture.
    Girls gave me the once-over as they passed, scanning my messy appearance and whispering to the person beside them. Most of the guys looked at me as well, but in a different way. In a way that made me want to wear Eskimo clothes. Some were cute, many had potential, but again, something was off.
    A strange feeling tugged at my insides remembering what Danielle told me. We’re all storybook characters…so are you…
    Danielle did resemble Cinderella. Well, if Cinderella wore couture and stilettos. And Pearl with her bright red hair and sea foam green eyes did remind me of The Little Mermaid. No, Norah, you are not buying into this crap!
    The door closest to me swung open and a girl—not nearly as fashion-minded as the others but equally as beautiful—tripped, face planting right onto the hard floor. The papers and books she held scattered across the cold, stone floor. Instead of helping, people around her muttered insults and laughed. Even Danielle found the girl’s misfortune amusing. “What a disaster.”
    People stepped on her papers as if she were invisible. Poor girl. She didn’t wear fancy clothes and had thick-rimmed glasses, but her pale blonde hair was long and curly and her complexion was flawless. Compassion filled my heart.
    I hurried to help pick up the pieces. “Here you go.” The girl studied me as I handed her a stack of crumpled notebook paper.
    “Um, thanks?” Her deep brown eyes met mine and that’s when I saw it—the scar running down the side of her face like a lightning bolt. The skin contorted near the edges, twisting her porcelain skin.
    I rose to my feet and gave her a small smile. One she didn’t return. Instead her attention flickered to Danielle’s icy glare. Before I read too much into it, the girl scurried away.
    “Speaking of the good life.” Danielle smoothed her pin straight hair and waved.
    I tipped my head back as a guy walked toward us, shoulders back, head held high. He unbuttoned the top of his white sports coat, showing off the gray cotton shirt beneath. His light brown hair swept across his forehead effortlessly. Despite his simple brown eyes, he had a regal air about him and he was kind of charming in an old world sort of way.
    He greeted Danielle without so much as a smile. She hadn’t noticed because she was too busy applying a heavy layer of shiny lip gloss. She dabbed her lips with a tissue from her purse and grinned.
    “James, this is Norah Hart.” Danielle tucked the tissue in the front zipper of her pale blue purse. James nodded, his eyes traveled up me fast and a sad smile warped his mouth for a second, before vanishing behind his noble facade. Then, like something out of a scene from an old movie, he took my hand and planted a kiss on the top. The ring on his thumb was of a crown. Great.
    “Pleasure to meet you, Norah.”
    I took my hand back and wiped the back of my hand on my pocket, praying no one noticed. “It’s, um, nice to meet you, too.” Again I forced a smile and prepared to make my exit. I needed to get the hell away from these whacked out people. Storybook characters. What a crock of shit. “I should get to class. See you—”
    I pivoted away, my head still facing Danielle, James and Pearl and when I did, I slammed into something—or someone—hard, almost knocking me backward. Two strong arms laced around my waist, pulling me back up. My stomach tangled into a million intricate knots when I peered through my loose bangs and saw my savior. Black hair soaked wet from a shower. I breathed in his soapy smell, my head dizzy.
    “You.”
    “Me,” I whispered, barely able to speak as his beauty resonated within me. Showering did wonders to his spiky hair and dripping jade eyes. No pimples, no scars, no imperfections whatsoever. Even his eyebrows were shaped better than most girls.