Free Storykiller by Kelly Thompson

effects.”
    As much as she hated to admit it, Morgana knew he was right. “They’ll change. Time will tell exactly what the change will be, but they’ll change, that much is certain.”
     

     
    Tessa, Brand, and Micah lay prostrate on the floor of Bluebeard’s home in an exhausted shape that looked part triangle and part circle. They had been lying there, face down on the plush carpet, breathing quietly and not saying anything for maybe three full minutes. Brand, as always, was the first to speak.
    Without lifting his head and talking directly into the thick carpet, he said, “So, are we going to talk about this…or what?” Tessa and Micah turned their faces toward the center of the triangle. Brand did the same. Tessa sighed and pushed herself up to a kneeling position.
    “What’s there to say?” she asked, and then stood up.
    “What’s there to say?! Well, for starters, Fictional characters are real—including Batman—which I just have to mention again, because, well, it’s awesome,” he paused and then pointed at Tessa. “You’re some kind of badass superhero and you can basically teleport. I mean, these are things that deserve to be discussed over pancakes.”
    Brand and Micah were kneeling now too, looking up at Tessa, waiting for her to say something. Just as Tessa was about to speak, there was a crackle and pop of blue energy and Snow came stumbling through a gateway. She was cussing and spitting in a rage, her gown even more inappropriate here than it had been there. Tessa crossed her arms defiantly .
    “And just what are you doing here?” she asked, an unfriendly bite in her voice.
    Snow spun around to see the trio staring at her and tried adjusting her totally unsuitable clothing. “It was decided that you needed an emissary.”
    “And you got the short straw?” Tessa hazarded.
    “I volunteered,” she said haughtily, straightening her wrinkled dress. “Honor and all that. I’m full of that honor crap.” Snow had the look of a wild animal trapped in a suburban house. Tessa raised an eyebrow. Snow clearly didn’t want to be here any more than Tessa wanted her here.
    “Yeah. I vaguely remember The Snow Queen story, that’s who you are, right? The villain of the freaking story. Yeah, you’re just mad crazy with the honor,” Tessa said rolling her eyes.
    Tessa gazed at Snow for a moment and then left the room. Everyone waited for her to return, but after a few moments they heard the front door slam and ran after her.
    “Tessa, wait!” Micah called. But by the time they got to the porch she was gone, the woods dark and teeming all around them.
    “You think her powers include super speed?” Micah asked Brand, looking around, wondering where she could have disappeared to in so little time.
    “Or flight,” Brand said, looking up at the night sky and scanning it for some trace of her.
    Snow sidled up behind Micah and Brand and cast a bored expression their way, “So, which one of you minions has a place for me to stay for the night?”
    The two friends continued staring at the empty night sky and, in unison, said “Not it.”
     

     
    Yesterday, Tessa had missed her first class since she’d also missed the bus. She was used to school and what passed for home being closer together, and she hadn’t timed things right. Now that she knew Trig was her track one first class for the rest of the year she foresaw a whole lot of poor timing. Today, however, she’d actually gotten up early because she had decided to skip the bus so that she could also skip Brand and Micah.
    Tessa had decided on the super-effective plan of pretending.
    She was going to pretend yesterday hadn’t happened at all. A full reset. It was all just a bad dream as far as she was concerned. Snow, Bluebeard, Story, and The Troll. Micah and Brand were the only real loss in the whole plan. But she figured they were way safer without her anywhere near their lives.
    Well, and Bishop, of course. But Tessa wasn’t sure how