The meeting of the headmasters came. It all took place in a large room, a large table in the middle; surrounding the large table were several chairs; and each chair had a figure sitting in it. Everyone here in this meeting was an important figurehead to the land of Ever After. It wasn't very often these people met, so for this case it was of importance, and decided the future of Ever After and its schools.
It was Milton Grimm that first stood up from his seat, with a loud clearing of his throat he continued onward; as he started to recite the names of the headmasters that was attending this meeting.
"Andersen?" he spoke clearly.
"Here!" one spoke.
"Carroll?"
"Here."
"Jacobs?"
"Here."
"Baum?"
"Here."
"Giles Grimm"
"Here." Milton's brother spoke from his side. Milton couldn't help but smile; it's been a long time since the two of them were at one of these meetings.
"Perrualt?"
"Here."
"Barrie."
"Here."
"Collodi?"
"Here."
"Cheng'en?"
"Here."
"Gacy?"
There was a loud honking noise, "Here," another voice spoke.
Milton looked through the room, connecting gazes at all those that had attended this meeting; he nodded with a small grin and took a seat next to his brother – the co-headmaster of Ever After High.
It was an elder man that cleared his throat first, "first I would like to congratulate everyone." Collodi spoke up, "This year's international school festival was a complete success," he smiled, with a small clap.
Suddenly a small round of applause went around the room, each headmaster mentally giving themselves a pat on the back for a job well done.
"I also have to add in," another voice came up, "that I am surprised by the results of the 'Knight' tournament." He spoke up. It was the strangest man in the room. While everyone else was wearing something more professional; this person was wearing what had seemed to be a clown costume. "I went in fully expecting the finals to be between the son of King Charming going up against my school's own 'little' Tex," Gacy continued. "To imagine, that it came down to, not the son, but the daughter of Charming; and Hua Zhu, Hua Mulan's son."
The creepy red make-up emphasized the toothy smile of Gacy; the sight would have left a cold chill down anyone's back. "Cheng'en. Grimms. You must be proud of your students for giving such a fine performance."
Both Milton and Giles nodded with a grin in unison; both of them proud in Darling's fight.
"Saying that I'm proud is an understatement," it was this time that Cheng'en was the one to speak, "I was afraid that the young son of Mulan was going to let his pride get in the way; I was worried that it was Sun Wukong's daughter, Luna, beginning to rub off on him, but luckily it seems that I was proven wrong." He smiled.
A few smiles and nods went around the table; the excitement from what had just happened just mere days ago still fresh in the air.
"Alright, now," Carroll spoke up, "While the festival itself was wonderful, we need to prepare for what comes up next for the school year, and the graduating classes as well as the new freshmen coming…"
Many things were discussed in the meeting; for these people of longevity, time almost felt like it could have gone on forever. As each member of the different branch spoke about their thoughts and opinions on the different matters, it seemed the atmosphere became heavy as if watchful eyes were keeping them in sight.
"Before this meeting comes to an end, is there anything else that needs to be discussed," Barrie spoke up again, "Outside of the obvious, of course?" he smiled.
Silence, each person that sat around the table knowing what was going to happen next.
"That's good," Barrie noted, "Since he has been so patient, let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room." He said looking up over his shoulders. "You can come out now."
Everyone turned their attention to the empty corner of the room; a place most would never give a second look.
But…there was something there.
A small chuckle came from the shadows, "I guess I should have expected of those that are said to be descended from the blood of our creators..." A smooth voice came from the shadows that dwelled in the corner of the room.
Milton Grimm cleared his throat, "If you have something to say, than please reveal yourself."
"Of course," the voice said, "It wouldn't be much of a request if I wasn't here in person, now would it?" and so he took a step forward.
As he took a step, it was as if he was walking out of nothingness – as if taking a step into existence. As he took a step, it was as if the shadows themselves move along with him – as if he was their god.
"Oh?" Barrie spoke up, looking their uninvited guest over. "And who might you be?"
Pale as almost the dead, if you were to say this thing's face was bare of any facial features such as eyes and mouth, no one would blame you; if you don't focus your attention on his face, it was as if he had no face to speak of. This person was a very tall man, very thin; so much to call him "human" would feel as if they were equal on life. Dressed for success, his black suit showed that he was here for business; but the atmosphere about him told that he didn't mind getting his sheet-white hands a little red.
First impressions? This was most definitely something wanted to deal with.
"Who I am at this moment is not important!" this mysterious person said as matter-of-factly, "What I am here for, is!"
This time it was Giles, Milton's brother, whom spoke up for the headmasters. "You said you came to request of some king."
If you weren't focusing your eyes on his face, you would have missed his smile. "That I have," he said.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the counsel of Ever After's school board," this thing started. "and Gacy…"
Despite what the red make-up was saying, Headmaster Gacy was not smiling whatsoever. "Get on with it."
"As you know," the tall man started, "as WE all know, our stories never move backwards; we must always move forward as the next chapter appears."
"As we have seen in our world; new stories come, and try as we might, the old ones leave. As we have seen with our own eyes, the stories in this world change and grow; they change as times moves on; evolving and maturing as the kingdom does."
"As we have seen with our own eyes, more and more stories appear: Fairytales, Folklore, Tall-tales, ballads, and even the recent Urban Legends; and from there, we know it is only a matter of time before the story creates a new twist-"
Milton Grimm cleared his throat, "Exactly what are you getting at?"
The intruder smiled, a gentle smile but it was still able leave those with an unnerving feel. "What I'm getting at is simple - I have found a new "Storybook of Legends."
Murmuring filled the room as the counsel of headmasters; each one taken back by the sudden revelation that a new book had been created, the new plot twist.
"A new book?" Gacy, the clown, was the one to speak up first, "Are you telling us that there are already new stories in this world."
The tall man answered, "While I do not know how we came into existence, but I can confirm personally that yes, new stories have indeed been brought to life."
Giles Grimm shook his head in disbelief, "T-that can't be," he spoke, "It hadn't even been long since Gacy and his school appeared. This is happening way too fast."
"Oh I do agree," the dark man said as he lifted his hand, revealing his branch-like arms, "But alas, times are changing and we must quickly create a school for these students, before something bad will happen."
Silence.
It was then Carroll that spoke up, "Are you telling me that there are already children that had already been born from these stories?" all eyes turned to the man in the middle of the room, "Who are you?"
The tall man chuckled, "Oh excuse me; I guess it is time for my introduction," he said, "over these centuries, I have gone over several names. Personally, I always liked the name 'Der Grosse'" The Slender man spoke.
"and to answer your question, yes. One of these students is about to make her move."
Things were just about to get creepy.
Cerise quietly made her way through the dark forest. Sure most of the time she would have loved to run the trail she was on, but there were definitely times when she just wanted slow down and just enjoy a peaceful stroll – this was one of those times.
While she admitted that the rushing of the wind against her face was exhilarating; she also felt that just listening to the crows in the trees as they caw'd was calming to her very nature. Walking or running, both things totally different – yet felt great to her.
She continued down the trail that she had always taken, a scenic route to her school if you will, a path that was so well hidden by the thick darkness of the forest, that only she and her sister, Ramona, knew about it. It was one of the few things that were kept as just a secret between the two of them.
But as she made her way down the path, Cerise stopped in her tacks. There should have been no one else in the area; she should have been alone.
Standing in the way of Cerise was another girl, about her age; standing there with her head facing downward – the way she stood, it seemed like her very body could have been swayed to a strong breeze if one passed by.
Cerise studied over the girl, she was most definitely not someone from Ever After High or any other students from other schools that she had encountered. With dark red hair with black highlights that match her color scheme, she wore a red partially ripped shirt and a black jean-skirt over black jeans with red-accents that seemed to drip down the side of her pants legs.
It was a pretty strange attire for Cerise to come across; as she hadn't seen such outfit in the village of book-end. She was most definitely sure that this person was not from this kingdom.
She took a step forward. "Hello?" Cerise spoke up softly, not wanting to spook the young girl in case something was wrong with her. "Are you alright?"
The stranger in front of her did not respond, she wasn't even registering that Cerise was even there.
Cerise took another step. "Ma'am," she tried again, "Is everything alright?"
Crack. Cerise stepped on a twig; almost scared the bejeebus out of her.
"…"
Cerise stopped, "Come again?"
"…" The woman lifted her gaze, looking at the only other life in the dark forest. "Daughter of the Big Bad Wolf…"
Cerise swallowed hard. If Faybelle was blue, than this person she was facing was almost as white as a ghost. With eyes that felt so sunken into her skull, they almost felt that they were digging into her face. Her make-up wasn't exactly appeasing either, as they were just two red streaks to fell down the side of her face.
Cerise smiled cautiously, as she brought up her hands. "Sorry, sorry," she said as she tried to defend herself with open hands. "I'm afraid you have the wrong girl." she lied trying to cover herself as quickly as she could. There was just something unnerving of this person in front of her, cerise thought, it was probably best to just avoid her. "My name is Cerise…and I'm-"
Duck!
Cerise fell to her knees; she didn't know why, but something inside of her told her to move. As fast as she could, she did what she could.
Then she felt herself being tugged at her neck.
Looking upward, Cerise found that her hood was removed from her head – her ears revealed for the entire dark forest to see. Standing right behind her was this mysterious person, just grasping Cerise's hood in her hand.
Cerise's eyes went wide, that weird feeling in her stomach was churning into overdrive. This girl was fast her senses were telling her.
No, this girl was dangerous.
Quickly, she pulled her hood from the girl's grasp as she tried to put the some distance between the two of them. As she looked over her shoulder, she didn't even bother to put her hood back on over her head, she knew her secret was no longer an issue in this situation; there was no reason to even hide it.
The other woman just stood there, watching her. "Daughter of the Big Bad Wolf…" she spoke in a monotonous voice, as if she was just clarifying what she had already known. She turned to look at Cerise, with that sunken gaze that felt like it could just pierce souls.
Cerise stood her ground; she couldn't just leave, as far as she knew, the safety-ness of her family was in danger. "Y-yeah… and what is your name?" She demanded to at least know the person that threatened her.
For a moment the girl did not say anything, but ended up complying. "My name is Sally," she answered with not real emotion. "Sally Go."
"Sally Go" was not a name that Cerise knew of, must not have belonged to a story from her kingdom after all.
"Sally" rose up a hand; for a moment, Cerise watched, her nerves beginning to reach their edge. With five fingers opened to her, she spoke in her monotonous voice, "I will beat you in five moves."
Cerise readied herself; there was no way she was getting out of this one. Some stranger just appeared now like some sick plot twist out of nowhere and threatened not only her, but possibly her entire family.
Though as the young girl stood ready to fight, the other girl "Sally" did not move, instead she just looked at her – watching.
Silence. Neither girls making a sudden move; one waiting for the other to attack.
Cerise was proud of her speed, she couldn't help but possibly see her as the fastest person in Ever After High; Now that she knew the danger, there was no way she was going to lose in this confrontation.
Cerise launched herself at Sally, the adrenaline in her blood said this was the fastest she had ever moved. While she was part-human, even she took pride in herself and her movement. Five moves? She was going to end this in one.
Launching herself, Cerise lead off with a punch.
With barely any effort, Sally dodged.
Cerise landed on her feet, the girl she was facing was faster than she thought; but she had no time to have such thoughts linger in this situation.
Spinning quickly on the heel of her foot; Cerise led with a spinning right hook.
Without even trying, Sally caught the first with ease in her right hand.
She gasped. This girl that Cerise just met wasn't just fast.
Sally clenched her hand tighter over the girl's balled up fist.
She was also strong. Suddenly, by sheer force of strength alone, Cerise found herself on the ground, on her knees – as if now, that she was in a game of mercy. It was almost as if she was now being forced to kneel down in a show of the might that was presented to her.
"Now it's my turn…"
Without even time to react, a punch from the girl's left hand struck Cerise hard into the head. It was only one punch, but strong even to launch Cerise backwards – It had seemed that had she been just a normal human, she would have surely been dead.
Launched a few feet back, Cerise tried to get her footing; she needed to get the upper hand quick-
"Now for my second move…"
Without her senses even registering, Cerise found herself doubled over; the very air of her knocked out of her by the second punch of Sally to her solar plexus. She could have easily passed out from such a blow.
If the young girl could think clearly, surely she would have thought "how am I going to survive three more of these?"
"My third…"
Cerise had no time to react; she quickly brought her arms up to protect herself as a leg came into her peripheral vision. She didn't have the footing, let alone not even the strength, to block everything; but she tried to soften what she could.
It was almost a mistake.
It was almost as if Cerise could hear the bones in her arms start to crack as she found herself hitting the ground hard and fast.
Sally quickly leapt back.
Pain was starting to register through her body; Cerise gritted her teeth as she tried to break past the senses that told her to just lie down and go quietly. She tried to push through it all and get back to her feet.
"I thought we were done with all of these monsters…" she commented, as she staggered her way to her feet.
Sally spoke, not a sense of emotion in her voice. "You're one to talk."
"A joke, seriously?" Cerise snickered, despite the pain. "I wasn't expecting that from you."
Using all her strength, Cerise rushed the girl again, swiping at Sally's face.
With little effort once more, the girl blocked, but Cerise was again on the counter as the woman dodged. One more strike, and the girl blocked once again.
If there was one thing that the wolf can put its pride in the most it was their legs.
Leaping into the air, Cerise aimed her kick into the shoulder of the woman as her quick reaction lead to her reaching out to grab the leg – it was a feint. Cerise's other leg came out, using the Centripetal force of her first kick, she aimed her foot into the temple, by passing Sally's defense.
CRACK!
One hit and the whole fight was over.
Cerise hit the ground hard, but not before she sent the woman flying through the air, hitting a tree with a sickening thud.
Sally laid there sprawled out at the base of the tree, motionless; a thick dark spot that had been painted on the bark of the tree with her own body.
Cerise huffed and puffed; closing her eyes she tried to regain her composure. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but it was over now. Perhaps when the girl wakes up, the two of them could talk. Opening her eyes, she looked over at Sally's fal-
Cerise's face had almost gone as white the woman's skin.
Without any hesitation, without any issues, the woman sat up.
Outside of this person cupping her face with one hand, she seemed fine – totally unfazed of the fact that her blood had hit the tree next to her.
Then, Cerise's nose took a whiff of the air. There was no scent of blood, no metallic smell. What she smelled was something that was strange to her, yet it was something she had smelled before.
"What…" she stammered. "What are you?" Cerise's eyes were filled with confusion – confusion and fear.
"I'm…" Sally removed the hand from her face. "I̛'m̶̦͚͕̦̭ ͇̠͚͍̬a̴l̖̗͙͢i̝͎̟͇͢v̰͙̥̪̲̞e…" she said turning her gaze towards Cerise.
Cerise's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.
That stench in the air became stronger, thicker. Now, Sally sat there just looking at Cerise; despite the fact that her eyes was missing. The black gunk that was on the tree was now pouring from not only her eyes but also from her mouth, strings of it connecting to her hand she had just used. The black gunk drippled out of her body, as if it was matching the pulsating of her heart beat.
That smell, Cerise finally realized what it was.
It was ink.
"C̩̥̀he̙̞̬͎̳c̢͙͙͙̠̼̱̘k̰̫̺̙̼"
Searing pain ripped through Cerise's shoulder.
Faster than even her mind could register; in a split second it was like the black ink itself came to life and struck at her; tearing into her shoulder. Cerise could only watch as her eyes traveled down from her shoulder, down the tendrils of black ink that led back to Sally's face.
She hit the ground hard, blood hitting the grass around her. Cerise screamed in anguish; it almost felt like it was the ink itself that was digging into flesh, one piece of her soul at a time.
Her voice would not stop, it became even more apparent as the tendril itself was ripped out of her flesh wound with a sickening "slurp!," if she had any sense at that moment, she would have probably registered the almost licking sensation that it left as it left her body.
Perhaps it was a form of adrenaline, but Cerise tried to bear with the pain that coursed through her body. She gritted her teeth as she opened her eyes, only to find a shadow looming over her beaten body.
"Ć͔̦͇̗͎̖͟h̷̟͉́e̛̛̯̲̕c͙ͅk̢͈̖̭m̵͔͖̞͈͈͘a̧̧̹̮̠̙̥͖͢t̲͎̰̱ͅͅe̸͉͈̺̰͈̟͝!̸̲̦"
With that, Sally brought her hand down, a killing blow to the heart of the daughter of the big bad wolf. Five moves, five moves was all it took, and this child had proven her placement in this new world that was about to be born. All it needed was some "guidance."
But her hand hit ground. Even though it had blood on it, there was no body to be found; it wasn't even the same blood that had coated the ink of hers mere moments ago.
Sally stood up, she looked at her hand, studying the red on her fingers – as if trying to decipher her opponent's location just by it alone. She then turned to look around her, but no one was there. It was only her and the quiet dark forest that surrounded her. She was all alone.
"The girl, she is gone." a voice came from behind Sally. She turned to look at the voice of the man; his long stretched out body silently made its way towards her – not even disturbing the old dried up leaves, almost as if he were hovering over them. "So, what did you think?" he asked in a calm voice, his long branch like hand reaching out to her.
Sally said nothing; all she did was turn away from him. He may have been a friend of her father's, but she didn't wish to speak to him. "She seemed really nice…" she finally said.
She didn't even budge as the sheet-white hand landed on her shoulder.
"Good," Der Grosse spoke from behind, "because this is only just beginning."
Sally didn't reply.
"As our first student, you are in charge of our story book of legends. You must show them where they stand." The Slender man said with his featureless smile.
Madeline Hatter sat on her bed quietly; she was rummaging around in her hat as she was trying to find the next recipe off the top of her head. She reached in deeper and deeper as she was nearly shoulder deep – alas, she had creator's block.
Then it all came crashing down.
With an eruption of glitter and lilacs Maddie watched as a figure fell from the ceiling of the room and striking the ground as hard as gravity allowed it to; causing the entire room itself to shake.
"Oh my fairy godmother, are you alright, Kitty?" filled with worry for her friend from wonderland, she leapt from her bed with almost impossible agility as she raced over to the side of the room where her roommate had fallen.
But in actuality, it wasn't just her friend's body that she had found in the middle of the room, there was a second one. It wasn't just Kitty that had appeared, but Cerise Hood as well. Both figures had teleported from who knows where and crashed into the room, blood was surrounding them both.
Kitty, whom was clinging onto Cerise's unconscious body, tried her best to look up at Maddie, seemed to start to shake.
"C-call…c-call an ambulance…" she sputtered, "h-hurry…"
Kitty's eyes went white, as she passed out from the loss of blood from her back and arm.