Page 165 of Naughty Nelle

“Dismissed!” she shouts, rolling her eyes with impatience.

The little suckers file out of the courtroom, and I breathe another deep sigh of relief. Smart thing I tossed my disguise into that river. There’s no evidence to prove I killed Snow White. In no time, I’ll be free to go back to my castle and lay it on the line with my magic mirror. “Let’s get one thing straight, smart one. I’m the fairest one of all.”

The judge’s thunderous voice catapults me back to reality. “Will the last witness please step forward?”

My eyes flicker around the courtroom. Who the hell is she talking about? There are no other witnesses. Well, except for that snake which I’m sure won’t be slithering in here anytime soon.

There’s a loud, collective gasp as the witness enters the courtroom. My mouth drops to the floor. It can’t be! But it is! Snow White!

Wearing the same puff-sleeve rag she’s always worn and that same revolting red velvet bow, she waltzes toward the stand.

My eyes fix on her face. Her lips are as red as blood, her hair as black as ebony, and her skin as white as snow. In fact, her skin is fairer than ever. Damn it! There’s nothing like a deep sleep to make your complexion glow. My body shakes with envy.

Facing the stunned courtroom, she tells the judge how the dwarfs kept her preserved in a glass coffin. The “sweeties” just couldn’t bear to part with her.

I don’t get it. She was dwarf-proof dead.

“So, how exactly did you get here?” snaps the judge, her interest piqued.

“This morning, a handsome prince rode by and woke me with a kiss,” she says dreamily.

With nothing but a kiss?Rage is shooting through me like a thousand crossbows. I paid a fortune for that evil potion. I deserve a refund.

“We’re getting married,” she beams.

What! She’s going to live happily ever after? I’m close to imploding as the courtroom erupts into raucous cheers and applause.

“Order in the court!” roars the judge, jiggling her layers of jowls.

As the courtroom quiets, Snow White’s eyes meet mine. Tears stream down her cheeks. “I feel for you,” she says.

I feel for her too. An unbearable hatred that makes me want to jump out of my skin. I want to kill her! I want her dead!

The judge reaches down under her bench and holds up something as if it were a dead rat.

My hag rag! It must have washed up on shore. My heart leaps to my throat. I’m doomed!

“Miss White, do you recognize this?” asks the judge, puckering her lips in disgust.

Terror washes over Snow White’s porcelain face.

“Yes, the woman who gave me the apple was wearing that,” she says, her voice trembling.

The judge shoots me a contemptuous look and then bangs her gavel. “Off with her head!” she roars.

I’m numb. My life is over!

“Your Honor, please be lenient on her,” pleads Snow White. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

“Yes, I do deserve a second chance—this time to get it right and destroy you once and for all, Snow White!” My stepdaughter blanches, her snow-white skin turning whiter than ever. The judge fires me another dirty look and slams her gavel once more.

“I hereby sentence The Evil Queen to one hundred years in prison!”

One hundred years! The words reverberate in my head. One hundred years! What will I look like when I come out? That is, if I come out. The headline in tomorrow’s Fairytale Tattler flashes through my head: “Evil Queen’s Fairest Days are Over!”

---