Wicked Ugly Bad (A Kinda Fairytale) (4 page)

“Well,
baby, you’re the closest thing I’ve ever come to finding it.”  His face got
softer somehow.  “The
real
kind of Good is pretty damn rare and you wear
it like a perfume.  No wonder I scare you.”  Golden eyes stayed locked on blue
for a long moment and then Marrok smiled at her.  It wasn’t a smirk, he
actually
smiled
.  “Letty, do you really not know who I am?”  He asked
softly.

Scarlett
looked away, unnerved and confused by the gentle tone.

“This
topic is straying from our objective this week.”  Ramona flashed Scarlett an
annoyed glare, blaming her for capturing Marrok’s attention.  “We’re supposed
to be discussing ways you can all make amends for you wicked ways and live
decent lives.  Or, at least, as decent as you’re able, given what you are.”

“Once
again… life plus a century.”  Avenant’s tone suggested Ramona had the IQ of a
toadstool.  “What possible difference could it make
what
kind of life I
lead, if I’m destined to live it here amongst these hillbillies?”

“Hillbillies?!” 
Esmeralda threw her hands up in exasperation.  “He just
said
that!  Come
on
, people!  Words hurt.”

“No
one ever gets out of here.”  Drusilla put in gloomily.  Her eyes stayed fixed
on the peeling paint.  “No one ever has and no one ever will.  Prince Avenant
is right.  It’s all hopeless.”

Benji’s
hand inched up.

Everyone
ignored him.

“Avenant’s
an
ex-
prince.”  Rumpelstiltskin corrected snottily.  “Being a prince and
getting
fired
is worse than never being a prince, at all.”  He clearly
wasn’t over the whole “grimy basement dwellers” comment.

“I
was born a prince and I will die a prince.”  Avenant retorted with icy distain. 
“That usurper may have my crown, but I am the one and only legitimate ruler of
the Northlands.  You would do well to remember that, troll.”

Benji
waved his hand like a kid wanting to be called on in class.  “Doctor?”

“
No
,
we’re not doing this, again.”  Marrok dragged his gaze from Scarlett long
enough to glowered at Avenant.  “We’re not gonna spend this whole time talking
about
you
and that fucking crown.  All we
ever
talk about is you
and that fucking crown.  I want to talk about sexual fantasies, for once.  Last
night, I had one starring a bossy redhead and this huge caldron of vanilla
pudding…”

Avenant
cut him off.  “Really?  The pudding thing, again?”  He rolled his eyes.  “Ramona,
there
must
be a better share circle I could join.  Where was that guy
who touches things and they turn to gold assigned?  I should be in
his
group.”

“
Doctor!
”
 Both of Benji’s hands waved impatiently.

“Al
right
,
Benji.”  Ramona clearly would’ve preferred to discuss Marrok’s sexual perversions,
but the ogre just wouldn’t let it go.  “What would you like to share?”

“Trevelyan
got out of here, so it’s not hopeless.”  Benji gave Dru a wise nod and settled
back in his chair as if he was satisfied.

Half
the group cringed like they expected lightening to strike at the sound of the name.

“The
dragon
got paroled from here and they locked up me and Dru?!”  Scarlett
shouted.  That son-of-a-bitch sold magic and death to the highest bidder.

“We
don’t talk about Trevelyan.”  Ramona nervously glanced towards the door.  “Just
know that he was a problem right from the beginning.  I had to start holding
special therapy sessions
after
our group sessions, just to deal with the
trauma he inflicted during the
first
session.”

“They
didn’t
let
Trevelyan out.”  Rumpelstiltskin corrected.  “He escaped
about five years ago.  They try to keep it quiet, but…”

Scarlett
cut him off.  “How?”

“How
what?”

“
How
did he escape?”

“I
don’t know.  I didn’t really get a chance to ask him
before he escaped
.”

“As
if he would lower himself to talk to you, anyway.”  Esmeralda scoffed.  “Marrok
knew him though, didn’t you, Wolf?”

“We
met.”  Marrok said shortly.

“You
were in the same cell!”  Ez snapped.  “That’s more than just ‘meeting’
someone.”

“Sad
really.”  Avenant mused.  “Trevelyan was part of a majestic race.  Doomed and
enslaved by lesser beings, but majestic, none the less.”  His gaze swept over
the rest of the group with a sigh.  “I know the feeling well.”

Scarlett’s
mind raced.

Someone
had escaped from here.  Someone evil and way more powerful than her, but it
could
be done.  You just had to have the guts to try something bold.

Letty’s
gaze slowly lifted to Drusilla.  The royal wedding was in just a few days.  This
would be the last time Scarlett and Dru were in the same room together before then,
so this was Scarlett’s only chance.  No way would Charming or her grandmother
be able to help her in time.  It was all up to Letty.

She
had
to do something.

Now.

Ramona
made another effort to seize control of the conversation.  “We really need to
concentrate on our group work.  Benji, why don’t you tell us about some of the
personal goals you’ve striven towards this week?”

“Well,
I’ve been trying not to eat so many light bulbs…”

He
trailed off as Letty rose to her feet.

“Scarlett,
you mustn’t stand during share time.”  Ramona scolded around her cigarette. 
“It doesn’t show good listening-ship.”

“Ya
know what, Ramona?”  Scarlett turned and gripped the back of her chair.  “I think
I’m through sharing with you.”

Hefting
the chair up, she swung it right into the doctor’s head.  She’d never hit
anyone before, but it was so amazingly simple that Scarlett was shocked she hadn’t
tried it sooner.  Ramona toppled to the floor in an unconscious heap while the
rest of the group gaped at Scarlett in shock.

She
stood over Ramona’s fallen body, the chair held an awkward angle, and arched a
brow at Marrok.  “Tell me again I’m not Bad.”

A high IQ
and delusions of grandeur are dangerous in any Baddie.  In this patient, they
seem particularly troublesome, though.  To my highly trained mind, Scarlett’s
firebrand tendencies and inability to know her place make her the most
dangerous villain here.

Psychiatric
case notes of Dr. Ramona Fae

“Wonderful.” 
Avenant rolled his eyes.  “Letty’s killed the doctor.  Now I’ll have to start
all over with training another one to stand when I enter a room.  It’ll take
weeks.”

“Luckily,
you have life plus a century to get it right.”  Esmeralda retorted.  She bent
down to pick up Ramona’s clipboard and flipped through the pages.  “Geez, look
at the shit she wrote about me.  ‘Anger issues?’ ‘Lacking empathy?’  ‘Can’t
take criticism?’  Hell, I’m glad the bitch is dead.”

“She’s
not dead!”  Scarlett peered down at her victim and had no idea what to do
next.  “I just knocked her out a little bit.”  She hesitated and glanced at
Marrok.  “Right?”

“How
am I supposed to know?”  He casually leaned back and arched a brow.  “
I’m
not the one who beat her skull with a folding chair.”

“But
you’re the most experienced criminal here, so I’m bowing to your expertise!” 
Scarlett inched closer to Ramona’s still form and tried not to hyperventilate. 
Her grandmother would expect her to stay calm.  “I think she’s breathing.  Oh,
thank God.  Don’t you think she’s breathing?”

Marrok
barely glanced down at the woman.  “She’s breathing.”

“She’s
also unconscious.”  Benji said worriedly.  “Should we call someone in here to
help her?”

“No!” 
Rumpelstiltskin cast a frantic look towards the door.  “That’s the last thing
we need!  They’ll blame the whole group for this.  Throw us
all
in the
dungeon.  We have to get out of here!”

“Oh,
this isn’t going to look good on the weekly report.”  Dru lamented.  “Letty,
you’ll be getting some demerits for sure.”

“I’m
not going to be
around
to get them.”  Scarlett dragged her attention
away from Ramona.  “None of us are.  Rumpelstiltskin’s right.  We need to get
out of here.  All of us.”  She nodded, convincing herself of her new plan even
as she created it.  “We’re escaping the WUB Club.  It’s the only way.”

Marrok’s
mouth curved.

“But,
I’m finally making some real progress on my confidence issues in here…”  Benji
began.

Avenant
cut him off.  “It’s impossible to escape.  I say we turn Scarlett in and hope
that Dr. White only punishes her.  It’s our best option.”

Marrok
lazily shrugged.  “Or we could blame
you
and finally get rid of your
ass.”

“I
like that idea.”  Esmeralda voted.

“Two
minutes ago you guys told me Trevelyan escaped.”  Scarlett reminded them,
drawing their attention back to her scheme.  “It
can
be done.”

“Are
you
also
capable of turning into a fire-breathing monster?”  Avenant
asked snidely.  “Because if you
are
, now’s the time to mention that. 
Otherwise, I don’t see how you plan on getting passed the guards…”

“I
don’t know exactly, but…”

“…and
the all the alarms…”

“We’ll
have to work out the details…”

“…and
the Lake of Forgetting…”

“Obviously,
that will be a problem…”

“…and
flying monkeys…”

“
Alright!
 I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but neither is spending the rest of your life
locked up in here.”  She glared at him.  “Do you
want
to sit there in
cheap sweatpants while someone else wears your crown around like a party hat up
in the Northlands?”

Avenant’s
mouth thinned.

“I
didn’t think so.”  Scarlett said regaining her confidence.  She could do this. 
She just had to convince them that this was the only way.  “Life plus a
century, Avenant.  This moment –
right now
-- is the only chance you will
ever
have of seeing your big icy castle, again.  You know that.”

He
watched her broodingly, but he stopped talking about turning her in to the
guards.

Encouraged,
Scarlett moved on to the others.  “Do
any
of you want to be here?  Even
you Benji.  Wouldn’t you be happier living under a nice bridge frightening
trespassers?”

He
gave a dreamy sigh.  “I love a good trespasser.”

“Esmeralda?” 
Scarlett turned to the witch next.  “Don’t you want to do magic, again?”

“Of
course I do!  It’s the only thing I
dream
of.  Casting spells…  Turning
people into frogs…  Genetically engineering my gingerbread army…”

“Well,
you’ll never even get to say another hex unless you come with me.  Wouldn’t you
risk
anything
to regain your powers?”

Esmeralda’s
expression grew fervent.  “
Anything.
”

“Alright
then.”  Scarlett looked over at Rumpelstiltskin.  “And you… while you’re stuck
in here, who’s looking after all those cute little first borns you bargained
for?”

“Nannies. 
It’s costing me a fortune.”

“Right. 
Don’t you want to get home to the kids?”

“Mostly,
I just don’t want to be here when the guards find out what you did to Dr.
Ramona.  Right now, I’m all about the running away.”

“Whatever.” 
She didn’t care
why
he agreed, just so he agreed.  “Marrok…?”  Scarlett
finally turned to the wolf, at a loss as to what argument she could use with
him.

He’d
be released from the WUB Club soon, if for no other reason than he was the most
popular Baddie in the tabloids.  He made Good folk money and that was more
important than his list of crimes.  Why would he want to risk a life sentence
on escape when he could just wait it out and be free to go back to his life of
fame?

Marrok
arched a brow at her, waiting for her sales pitch.  Every time he looked at
her, Scarlett felt him seeing straight through to all her secret doubts and
insecurities.

“Just…”
 She exhaled heavily and didn’t even try for cleverness or subtly.  It wouldn’t
work to persuade him.  Even discounting everything else, she expected him to
refuse to go along with this just because he liked screwing with her.  “Look, do
you want to escape with me or not?”  It was the only thing she could think to
say.

He
lounged there, considering her with unreadable topaz eyes for a long moment.  “What
the hell.”  He eventually drawled.  “I got nothin’ else to do today, so… sure.”

Scarlett
blinked, amazed that it had been so easy to convince him.  “Really?  Because,
if we’re caught, it’s an automatic life sentence.”  She wasn’t sure why she was
suddenly reminding him of that, but she couldn’t help it.  Unlike the rest of
them, Marrok shouldn’t go along with this plan.  Logically, it was a poor
decision, even for someone with such staggering impulse control problems.  “In
less than six months, your sentence is up anyway.”