"The theory of evolution by natural selection, first formulated in Darwin's book "On the Origin of Species" in November 24, 1859, is the process by which organisms change over time due to changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits," I read in a whisper and smirked right after. "I know of a great example of this. Bullying."

Bullying is a common occurrence especially in grade school. Why? Because it’s the starting step before maturity, so everyone is true to their selves. If they see someone inferior to them, they target those as their prey. So it’s like Charles Darwin’s Survival of the Fittest. Thus, if you’re weak, your life is as good as over.

Because of my cynical thoughts, I remembered a certain memory back when I was at grade school.

──◈─▣─♕─▣─◈──

I sat on the floor of the boy’s toilet with a bucket on my head. The contents of which had drenched my school clothes completely. In a stand as my protection between me and the bullies was a girl, probably a 6th grader, one year above us. She brushed her brilliant copper hair over her shoulder as she turned to me with a confident smile.

“Stand. From now on... you’re my little brother,” she said to me, and the three boys that bullied me cowered in fear. “With that, if you once again lay a single finger on him, don’t expect to get away unharmed.”

“S... sorry!” the three bullies apologized in a jiffy and ran away.

That girl didn’t use any kind of violence. She fought those bullies using words, something I couldn’t even imagine that would work. The girl turned around to face me and offered a hand. At first, I was hesitant. But after two seconds, I took it and she gently pulled me so I could stand up.

“So with that decided, as your sister, here’s my first order to you,” she said in words that were absolute yet with a smile. “Forget the word ‘weakness’.”

──◈─▣─♕─▣─◈──

“Jeez. This is not how you use a science book, you know,” I commented to myself and fixed my glasses. I was at the reading section of my school's library. I sat at the end part of the area near the windows where you could see the sunset. In that position, you could also feel the breeze of the wind as it blew past the curtains. After a fast daze, I called it a day and closed the book. I then stood up and walked towards the second floor. Along the way, I didn’t see anyone.

“So it’s been six years since then. To think that I was even getting bullied back then. I've come a long way, I guess. I hope Rosa is doing fine nowadays.”

Our high school’s major library, the biggest one in the city, comprised three floors. The reading area and circulation section were on the first floor. The reference section, where I got the book I read, was on the second floor. So I head there to return it.

My name is Prince, a name not befitting for a nerd like me. But because my parents named me like that, I have no other choice but to grow accustomed to it. Even though it was one way to bully me back in my grade school days, I wouldn’t say I hated that name. It’s because I’m always isolated (alone) in an enormous structure (library). Wait. Isn’t that a princess?

“Jeez, why am I having a monologue at a time like this? Am I that bored?” I whispered to myself with squinted eyes and placed back the book on its shelf.

With no warning, a light earthquake occurred.

“At a time like this?” I exclaimed, and my heartbeat became faster.

But what started as a weak tremor sent me face-first into the shelf of books. Volumes from the upper shelves rained down on me.

“Woah!” I panicked and the tremor finally stopped. “That didn’t even take 3 seconds.”

*bam*

After the earthquake passed, I stood straight and saw an opened door in the library floor.

“The heck is this? I don’t remember seeing this door earlier?” I muttered before I knelt and peeked below the door. “It’s dark though.”

But this is strange. I’ve been going here since my first year, but I didn’t notice this door. It’s like it appeared out of nowhere.

To see what was inside, I grabbed the smartphone inside my pocket and set the torch on. Under its light, I saw some old shelves with books full of dust and spider webs.

“Is this a hidden room?”

I jumped inside and the content of the room surprised me a little. It was a small room that looked like another section of the library. As I pointed the light around, I spotted another room without a door. I entered it and saw a small table with a big old book on top of it. Other than that, the room was empty.

“Is this... a dictionary?” I asked myself as I lighted the old dusty book. There was an old lock on it but it looked corroded so I removed the surrounding dust with my hand. “I wonder if I can look inside...”

“Don’t!”

“What?” I reacted, stunned by the sudden almost inaudible shout. “Where did that come from?” I looked around, but no one was there. “Is that my imagination?”

A chill ran down through my spine.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this book. If my intuition is correct, it’s a book that I shouldn’t open.

“I don’t want to become Pandora so I better leave this book alone. This place is creepy anyway,” I concluded with a slight nervous face and turned around.

But the wooden floor buckled after I stepped on it. Then, like a seesaw, the other end hit the leg of the table and it fell apart with a bang. The book hit the floor and landed in an open position. Dusts scattered around the floor and disappeared soon after.

“Shoot,” I whispered as I look at the book. After three seconds, lots of ghost-like figures came out of it and gave a horrid howl. They dispersed in different directions and left me with an opened mouth. “I am Pandora...”

After that, my head emitted a dazzling light, so I covered my eyes using an arm. After five seconds, the light disappeared.

“What was that?” I muttered and opened the camera on my phone. Then, I selected the front view to see what lighted on top of my hair.

There, I saw a golden crown designed with red heart-shaped jewels.

“The heck is this crown?” I exclaimed, confused, so I tried to remove it, but my hand went past through it. “Why the heck can’t I touch it?”

As I tried my hardest to remove a phantom-like crown on top of my head, the book glowed next. Then, a figure of a small fairy-like girl emerged from it. She was wearing a green-blue gown with glittery wings behind her back. She also had an unusual light green hair in pigtails.

“A... fairy?” I reacted in awestruck and let go of my smartphone. Because my phone landed screen first on the floor, the torch still illuminated the area.

“That crown... so you’re the one who opened the book,” the fairy said to me with a pout and furrowed eyebrows.

“This is insane!” I shouted in shock and ran away. There was a small ladder near the doorway of the room where I entered earlier. Using that, I got out of the hidden room and ran towards the first floor. “First, ghosts came out of a book and then a fairy? I’m not the protagonist of a darn fiction novel!”

"Well, you are now," a voice said, and before I could even go down the stairs to the first floor...

...I was floating.

“What the...” I struggled, but nothing happened. Then, the fairy from earlier appeared before me while she carried my smartphone. After that, she placed it in my breast pocket and flew away.

“That’s one heavy magical tool all right,” she complained and pointed her wand towards me. “Now, do you understand what you did, prince?”

“You... know my name?” I asked in confusion.

“Wait... that’s your name?” she asked and laughed. “This might really be destiny.”

Now she’s in a good mood.

“When will you release me? I’m not comfortable floating in mid-air. I’m not David Blaine for your information.”

“Fine,” she replied with a smile and swung her wand up. And as if I woke up from a dream, I found myself in a standing position before the stairs of the library.

Was that... an illusion? But since when?

"You used an illusion at me?" I asked, wary.

"Correct," she answered with her smile still there.

"Since when? I'm here before the stairs so... is it when I floated?"

"That's right. Though I'm surprised you know of illusions. Is magic common here too?"

"Yes. In fiction novels at least."

“Novels? But more importantly, you did something horrible, Prince. You released eight curses from our world to your world through that book from earlier. And now, those curses are searching for a host.”

“Curse? You mean those ghost-like figures from earlier?” I asked, still confused.

“Correct. In our world, there are eight princesses, each with a curse that will lead their life towards a tragic end. And those curses got sent here to your world because of you,” she explained in a serious tone.

“Princesses? What kinds of curses are those eight, anyway?”

Wait, why did I ask that question at a time like this? Darn my curiosity!

She hummed to think and continued, “They vary depending on the life of the princesses in my world. A curse that makes you sleep in eternity, a curse that makes a mermaid gain legs in exchange for her voice, a curse that can poison you... something like those.”

“Those... sound familiar...” I whispered with squinted eyes. “It’s like Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid and... Snow White?”

After those words, the shrill scream of a girl reverberated throughout the second floor.

“Prince, your crown!” the fairy pointed on top of my head.

“It’s glowing,” I muttered as I see the lights from it.

“That means that a new cursed princess of your world is nearby!” she exclaimed in panic.

“Darn it!” I reacted and ran towards the location of the one who screamed. “There’s already a victim, you say!”

If I’m not mistaken, the scream came from the Periodical Section.

I passed shelves after shelves as I ran towards the source of the sound earlier. When I turned towards the corner of the Periodical Section, I stopped in my tracks out of shock.

There, a redhead girl in a ponytail was sitting on the floor, confused. She looked at me with teary eyes after she noticed my presence. She was wearing our school uniform, a white blouse partnered with a red short skirt. But inside her skirt was the tail of a mermaid instead of two human legs.

“Little... Mermaid...” I whispered with widened eyes.