Chapter 1
The day before
" Do you know why you were brought here, Miss Cocoa?" Headmaster Grimm's lips curled in a smug movement.
"Because I'm a writer." We had danced this dance before and I hadn't been introduced to the school yet.
"Yes and you're going to do us all proud. I've never seen someone with your love for the characters." He smiled for real this time.
Weeks ago, Grimm kidnapped, or as he puts it "a surprise scholarship with immediate boarding", me. He had my parents brainwashed and was able to get my stuff. I was locked in a room until I calmed down. He explained that I was chosen out of the literal millions of young writers to represent all writers around the world to the next generation of fairy tales. He was one of the original Grimm brothers. Like me, he was a writer a long time ago. Unlike me, he was an author of now world famous fairy tales . Apparently, that gives you access to Ever After, this place. Some famous writers chose death over Ever After. Writers have to die to get here, but since Grimm was a part of this world now, he took me through a portal.
"Cocoa, are you listening?" Grimm snapped.
"No, I'm bored." I stirred my cereal, Lucky Charms.
"I said tomorrow's the first day back from break. You're going to school tomorrow." He told me, drunk with excitement.
My eyes widened, "No!"
"Yes, and Ever After requires all under 18 to go to school." His slasher grin came back. He hadn't hurt me, but I knew something was wrong with him. The maid, Helen, took our dishes.
She took me shopping after breakfast. We drove away from the mansion and into town. Shopping was boring. We ate out. Helen didn't like Grimm, but she was treated decently (so far) and payed well. She didn't want me near him whenever possible. It wasn't a great idea to go where my new classmates shopped, but it was close. I saw some teens, one in a red dress and the other in a blue dress. Red dress had blond hair and blue eyes. She noticed me and walked over.
'Crap.' I thought. Grimm warned me about students. Not to meet them outside of school.
"Hi, I'm Apple White. You're new, aren't you?" Apple bent down to my eye level. My quiet nature made people want to care for me like a little sister. Usually, it didn't so fast.
"Hi. I'm Cocoa." I said, watching the girl in blue come closer.
"I'm Ashlynn Ella. What fairy tale do your parents come from?" She asked.
"Uh..." Grimm hadn't told me what to say.
"That's enough. We're busy." Helen sighed. They left without a argument. We went back to the mansion after that. Grimm was in a better mood. Helen told him we met Apple and Ashlyn.
"Did you talk?" He asked, a glimmer in his eyes.
"A little bit. We wanted to get home." I said quickly. He nodded. Dinner rushed by and again I found myself in the room Grimm lent me. The room was bare. Just a bed and some dressers. My emotions overwhelmed me as the realness of my situation finally kicked in. I called this place home.