Snow White fell onto the bed, hissing as she covered her eyes.
“Things are going to change around here,” the queen said. She touched her golden necklace and smiled pleasantly. “First things first, we are awake during the day and asleep at night.”
“But I hate the light. Make it go away!” Snow White wailed and bared her teeth.
The queen folded her arms and raised a single eyebrow. She did not look directly at Snow White.
“Please,” Snow White said, her ruby lips trembling tragically. “It hurts my eyes. You don’t want to hurt me, do you?”
“I want to do what is best for everyone,” the queen said.
“But I feel so weak during the day.”
This time, the queen’s smile was not so pleasant. “I know, child. I know.”
After that, everything was different around the castle. The servants loved the beautiful child with a fierce devotion. They tried to sneak around the queen’s horrible, strict rules. So the queen fired them.
She set Snow White to work in their place, scrubbing floors, cleaning rooms, and, though Snow White cried lovely crystal tears, tending the garden. The queen’s stepson, Jack, didn’t have to do anything. He wasn’t even allowed to play with Snow White so she would have a friend.
r /> The new queen was evil, the people of the kingdom whispered. She had killed the king and kept Snow White imprisoned in the castle. After a while of the queen’s rule, all that remained were the rumors of Snow White’s beauty, her sweetness, the way everyone who saw her loved her. But no one ever saw her anymore.
Almost no one, that is. The queen was very busy and frequently traveled on mysterious business. As far as Jack knew, she had been troubled by recent hair loss. Which didn’t make sense to him, because she still had as much hair as ever! (He should have asked for a spell-check.)
Whenever she got back, she checked in with Jack first thing. This particular time when she returned, he was nowhere to be found. She went out into the garden to ask Snow White where Jack was.
Snow White hung upside down from the branches of a tree, deep in the heavy shade it provided. Jack was digging in the vegetable patch with feverish devotion, even though it was Snow White’s job.
“Jack,” the queen said.
Jack continued digging.
“Jack, that is Snow White’s chore. You don’t know which vegetables to plant. You’ve never even willingly eaten a vegetable in your life. I don’t think you could name a single one.”
“I know,” Jack said, voice distant and dreamy. “Isn’t it wonderful that Snow White’s letting me do it for her?”
The queen took Jack’s face in her hands and tipped it up toward her own. Though Jack was normally healthy and tan, he looked pale today. Almost as fair as the queen.
“You!” she said, pointing to Snow White. “Get back to work!”
“That’s not fair! You spoil him, and you’re so mean to me!” Snow White hissed at Jack, lunging forward.
The queen grabbed Jack’s hand and yanked him out of Snow White’s grasp. Then the queen dragged him away from the garden, through the castle, and out the front gate. She tossed a bag of gold at him.
“Get out of here.”
Jack’s big eyes filled with tears. “What? Why?”
“Go to the first village in the next kingdom. There’s a woman there, an old friend. Tell her I sent you. She’ll look after you. She has a daughter your age—Jill, I think. You two will get along. And if that doesn’t work out, keep going until you find another castle. Castles always have work.”
“But we already have a castle! I want to stay here! With you! And with … Snow White.” His eyes got far away and fuzzy again.
The queen kicked his bottom, startling him out of his trance. “And don’t come back!” she shouted as he scurried away.
The villagers saw this and shook their heads. They muttered to each other about the wicked queen. If she treated her first stepson that way, how must she be treating poor Snow White?
Every morning, the queen dragged poor little Snow White out of her bed and into the sunny dressing room. Castles were very inefficient, and each room served only one purpose. A dressing room, for getting dressed. A dining room, for dining. A bathroom, for bathing. A ball room, for playing ball. A toilet room for … toileting.
In the dressing room, the queen would sit next to Snow White with a mirror and stare at their reflections as they combed their hair. The queen’s hair, still thick and dark, now with strands of silver. And Snow White’s, as black as a raven. Or perhaps a bat.