Author's Notes. Hello everyone. A few weeks ago I was looking for some bio information on the Ever After High characters and came across this site by chance. I didn't understand what these stories were, so I clicked on one of Sigmu's novels to see what it was all about. Needless to say, I was blown away! I must admit, I am completely unfamiliar with fan fiction, so if I have made any mistakes (or social blunders) please let me know.
I was so intrigued with the idea of fan fiction that I just had to try one of my own! It is incredible how fun it is to write about a world that has been flushed out already and to know that the readers already know (and like) the world. I know that there is a part of this first chapter that seems to happen very abruptly and seems unnatural. Please trust me, that is on purpose and will make sense later!
your community here seems wonderful! I'm glad I stumbled upon you all. I hope you enjoy my first attempt!
Part 1
Chapter 1 - Cats, Birds, and Wolves
Fall had come to Ever After high and the trees were preparing to dress up in their favorite yellow, orange, and red costumes. Summer was finally releasing its warm hold and blissfully cool days were settling in. So much had happened over the last two years. So many traditions destroyed, so many rituals debased. The storybook of legends was gone, all magic released from its ancient frame by a reluctant Raven Queen, and now half the school intended to move on with their fairy tales and the other half were just waiting to see what life would throw at them.
A new year was beginning which meant a whole new batch of students and already the new entries were trying to decide whether they were going to be royals or rebels. Most had been raised by generations of tradition and found the idea of rebelling terrifying. Without the stories, what was the point of Ever After High?
It's funny how important stories are. Thousands of years ago some truly morbid things had occurred. Things so strange, evil, or just plain silly, that people couldn't help but retell them. They sat around fires and dinner tables and told the stories so often that they became beloved. Of course they changed with each telling. It was impossible to know what had actually happened all those years ago, and in truth, that wasn't really important. It was the stories that were important now. So important that they had been repeating them, generation after generation, for hundreds of years.
How important is a story? Important enough to force kingdoms to reenact them and for people to base their entire lives around them. To give up who they were so they could pretend to be someone who died long ago. At Ever After High, you were who you were told to be. Not who you wanted to be.
Until Raven Queen came along and shattered everything. It was such a mundane revolution, all high school drama and childish temper-tantrum, but it's implications were widespread, and no one understood the chaos that it would bring to a society obsessed with stories. So many things changed after the story book of legends was destroyed. So many people decided to take their destinies into their own hands and shape them as they saw fit.
And so this is a story about people obsessed with stories. This is one person's tiny revolution during a time of a million revolutions, and perhaps this one will help change everything, or it will become just another story of the past.
"Well you're feeling very philosophical today, Mr. Narrator!" a bemused and slightly miffed Maddie Hatter says to her dorm room. Her roommate Kitty stretches and then puts her pillow over her head, trying to block out the noise. "But you might want to keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep!"
Understood, Maddie, understood.
First day of the semester: Morning 5:30AM
Her weapons gleamed in the candlelight. Everything was polished and ready to use. She had been preparing all summer. Today was the day. She sat quietly meditating, but her mind wasn't quiet. Raven had showed them all the way. She had boldly stood in front of everyone and proven that you would not disappear if you didn't follow your destiny. Watching her deny destiny with absolutely no consequences meant that for all of them, there was no judgment. No overarching power seeing over everything. The world was all chaos and happenstance and she was gifted, with no discernible reason, with a very unique set of skills. This was in her lineage. She had the power to take what was hers, therefore she had the right. What did a little blackness on her soul matter if she finally had her way?
It would be such a quiet sin. No one would notice. And would it even be a sin if it would cause good? If it finally put things the way she knew they should be? She ignored the feeling in her gut and let her heart and mind take over. This was the right thing to do. This is what she did. This is how it was supposed to be.
First day of the semester: Morning 8:22AM
Cerise Hood could sense that something was off. Her ears twitched under her hood while she looked around the castleteria, trying to spot the disturbance. Something wasn't right. Maddie was chatting at her, and Raven, like always, was off in her own little world. Everyone was busy eating lunch or talking. Cupid was just walking in and sitting down next to Dexter and Daring. Ginger Breadhouse was taking bites of her food and scribbling in her journal. Apple had just come in a few minutes earlier and, of course, that had caused a ruckus. Everyone seemed to dote on the spoiled princess. Daring was was staring at himself in a mirror and making sure there was nothing stuck in his teeth.
Nothing looked out of place. Perhaps her nerves were getting to her. She tried to calm down and join back in her conversation with Maddie, when Raven suddenly stood up and left. She watched her friend leave, her sense of foreboding returning. She could smell the witch's magic, bubbling up, close to the surface. Something was definitely going on. Just as Raven left, Cerise noticed Kitty Cheshire slowly blink out of existence. She stood up and followed Raven. Perhaps kitty was up to something?
Raven was nowhere in sight, but Cerise had no trouble picking up and following her scent up the stairs and into the girl's dorm. Fears ran through her head a million miles a minute. Raven had been a trouble magnet ever since she started school. One fear played strongest in Cerise's head. Raven's mother. She let out a low growl, her eyes turning a deadly shade of yellow, and followed the trail, speeding up as she went. The scent led to the showers.
Cerise wasted no time slowing down. She gave the door a strong push and it slammed open. Raven let out a little yelp and turned to face her friend, her hand suddenly glowing menacingly. When she saw that it was only Cerise she extinguished her magic and fell back against the sink. Her hand over her beating heart.
"Cerise, You scared the hex out of me!"
"Is everything okay? You left in a such a rush!"
"I'm fine, I just needed to wash my face." Raven answers lamely, her face betraying the fact that she also knows it's a terrible excuse.
"Come on Raven, I'm your friend, talk to me."
"I'm sorry, I just, got a little flushed, I don't know what happened."
"It's about Dexter isn't it?" Cerise let's out her breath, not realizing she'd been holding it. It's obvious that whatever's going on isn't as bad as what she'd been imagining.
Raven runs her hands through her hair and lets out a sigh, "I wish it was about Dexter. I don't think he'll ever get up the nerve to ask me out again. Every date is a struggle. It is like a herculean task for him to ask me out again, even though I've already said yes to him every other time he's asked. The truth is, it's beginning to feel like it is more trouble than it is worth."
Usually when Raven talks about Dexter her face lights up, but this time the words come out without any excitement. They seem forced.
"Yeah, a little shyness can be cute at first, but I imagine it can wear thin pretty fast."
"It sure does."
"Raven, I know I've said this a million times, but you are my friend, no, even more, we are a pack. You know more about me than anyone here." Cerise's hand moves up unconsciously and rubs her ears through the top of her cloak. "I've got your back. Anything you need, I'm here for you." Cerise walks up to Raven and puts her arms around her. "We're a pack, understand?" Raven returns her friend's hug.
"I know. Thank you." She gives Cerise a smile. Suddenly the room is filled with the sound of an alarm. Raven pulls out her mirrorphone and groans. "I gotta go, I promised Apple I would help out in her Damsel in Distress class this afternoon!"
Cerise lets out a laugh. "Well that should be fun!" The sarcasm in her words is impossible to miss. "Why did you agree?"
"I don't know, she is so serious about us being 'frienemies' and I have really put a damper on her time here. She was so hexcited when she met me and was so looking forward to us working on her fairy tale together and I ruined it all for her. I feel like I should try to work with her every once in awhile." Raven puts her mirrorphone back in her bag and heads out the door.
"Have fun with that!" the door closes slowly and Cerise is left with her thoughts. Or is she? She checks her reflection in the mirror and let's the moment stretch before turning to the seemingly empty bathroom.
"Come out Kitty, I wanna talk."
A mad grin appears, followed by the rest of Kitty Cheshire. As always Kitty is wearing mostly purple and her purple hair is done up in two pigtails on the side of her head. Her entire face is all smile. Cerise's eyes flash a menacing yellow in response. She hasn't forgotten that very recently, Kitty almost revealed her family's most guarded secret.
"Why are you skulking around following Raven?"
"Why Cerise, you know I have the same heightened senses you do. Something chaotic is going on here and I wanted to follow that scent. Maybe blow on the fire a little bit, help the chaos along."
"What did you find out?"
"Oh, that is for me to know. Why should I share my information with you?"
Suddenly, and without warning, the floodgates open and Cerise is livid. She knows a lot of her anger is coming from her 'almost' de-hooding recently, but she's worried about Raven as well. A low growl slips from her throat.
Kitty lets out a tinkling giggle. "You are too easy Cerise. Your little witch is stronger than you and she is so damaged. I saw her in here. I know what she's feeling, but I'm not going to tell you. It's more fun to watch." Kitty slowly begins to fade away until only her bright Cheshire grin is left.
Cerise doesn't listen to a word. Her mind is a thunderstorm of rage and the laugh sets her off. This girl, this crazy disrespectful cat girl almost destroyed everything for her and now she laughs. It was time to teach her a lesson. Unfortunately, she's almost disappeared, so Cerise does the one thing she can to vent her rage. She grabs on to that smile.
Suddenly the world goes cold around her and she is caught in what feels like a tailspin. It is impossible to tell which way is up and which is down. Kitty lets out a yelp and wraps her arms around Cerise in an iron grip. All thoughts of struggling or fighting leave Cerise's mind as she puts all her energy into trying not to pass out. Her stomach lurches as Kitty whispers through clenched teeth. "Hold on to me Cerise, hold on tight. Don't let go. The wind howls in Cerise's ears and rips Kitty's words away. She catches glimpses of color as her eyes scan wildly, trying to locate where she is, but everything is moving too fast. Suddenly something heavy hits her in the back of the head, she turns quickly to catch sight of a dusty old book flying out of sight. She just turns her head back when a clock hits her in the cheek and then tumbles off into the whirlwind all around her. Tears spring to her eyes from the pain in her cheek and the pure cold insanity all around her. The wind burns her face. She closes her eyes. It's too much. She feels her consciousness slipping…
And then it's over. The world solidifies and she is laying on top of Kitty in a grass field. Birds chirp playfully all around and Cerise realizes she is still crying. Her stomach is lurching and she has to focus on keeping her breakfast down. She wills herself to move, but her body won't respond. The two of them stay entwined on the grass, Cerise shaking violently and finally finding her voice. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you." Her pride is shattered. She has never been so afraid, so disoriented, and so embarrassed.
"You're okay. I got you. We made it." All of Kitty's malice has melted away and her voice is filled with comfort and just a touch of fear. Cerise still can't bring herself to move. She is fighting dizziness and the after effects of an adrenaline dump.
"You're doing something to Raven and I promise you this. I will protect her with everything I have. I'm not going to go down easy. You caught me off guard this time. It won't happen again."
"Actually, it was you who caught me off guard. I can't even begin to tell you how dangerous that was. And I promise you, I'm not doing anything to Raven."
"Yes you are. You're doing something to Raven and you tried to give away my family's secret. Did you think it would be funny to let the world know that my mother and father chose to ignore their destinies. Can you even comprehend the backlash? Why would you do that to us? What have I ever done to you?"
Kitty moves her hand slowly up Cerise's back and lightly caresses her wolf ears. Her hood had fallen in the whirlwind. Cerise tries to fight back, but she still can't move. The cat is quiet and Cerise senses that she is confused.
"Why would you hide these? They are beautiful! Why would you hide your ability to run faster than anyone else? Your heightened senses? You are the bravest girl in this school and also the most cowardly. I've never seen anyone so opposite! So… topsy turvy! No one has ever gone with me during a transport. You are extremely lucky. More lucky than you understand."
Cerise makes no reply. Kitty's words seem genuine. She is truly confused and suddenly Cerise begin to wonder if she didn't misunderstand the entire situation. She trembles. She cries, but she doesn't move and in the end, she's not sure if it's because she can't, or doesn't want to.
First day of the semester: Morning 6:30AM
Raven sits up in bed and rubs the dreams from her eyes. The room is still dark, but a dim gray glow on the horizon tells her that the sun is about to come up. She stays in bed for awhile, watching the sky lighten and enjoying the last few moments of warmth from her blankets, then sits up and places her bare feet on the cold wooden floor. The floor squeaks as she stands up and the sound meets her ears with a small tinkle of nostalgia born from months of repetition. She finally feels like she is getting used to her life at school. She sneaks a glance over at her roommate, Apple White, who is asleep in her bed, hoping she hadn't woken her. Apple's slightly parted lips and deep breathing let her know she hadn't. She quietly collects her clothes for the day and heads out into the corridor.
Her dorm room is at the end of the hall, furthest from the shared bathrooms. She passes door after door of her friends and peers. The raw wood of the corridor creaks with every step and mingles with the early morning bird song. Most of the doors she passes are quiet, but she can hear some movement and even talking behind others. She can hear Maddie talking, which is odd. Maddie is never up before her. She stops to listen for a moment but her mad friend's words make no sense. Something about philosophy and narrators. She giggles quietly and continues on to the bathroom.
It takes Raven about an hour to ready herself for the day. As she showers and dresses girls slowly stream into the bathroom, rubbing their eyes and yawning. The conversation gets more lively moment by moment. About twenty minutes into Raven's routine, Apple files in with Maddie close behind. Maddie is chattering excitedly and Raven can tell that Apple isn't listening to a word of it. Their eyes meet and Apple gives her a look that says "How does Maddie always have so much energy?" Raven shrugs, gives Apple a smile and goes back to combing her hair. Apple yawns and starts to unbutton her pajama top as she heads into the shower.
When Raven finally makes her way to the castleteria breakfast is in full swing. The room is filled with chatter. Raven walks to her friend's table and sits at the farthest end. Dexter catches her eye as she sits down. He is sitting with his brother, Daring and Hunter. She gives him a smile and a wave. He waves back, then looks away quickly, but not before Raven catches a blush spreading across his face. She happily notes that he is getting up his nerve to ask her out again. Cerise, Maddie, and Cedar all greet her as she sits down. Talk quickly turns towards schedules and what their new classes would be like.
A few minutes later Apple enters the room. Her roommate is a total ham, who loves a great entrance and Raven has to admit, the princess has a way about her. The only way Raven could describe Apple's charm was a kind of naive and humble narcissism. Their relationship has been rocky, but she is proud to count Apple as one of her friends, albeit a friend that is annoyingly obsessed with her own fairy tale, something Raven has made very clear that she has no intention of being a part of.
Suddenly, Raven feels a warmness invade her as she watches Apple. She inhales sharply. The feeling seems almost… foreign. She can't seem to take her eyes off of her silly roommate. She tries to clear her mind and let the sensory details of the scene imbed themselves perfectly into her brain while she tries to understand this odd feeling. She looks around the room. She watches Maddie nod in the affirmative in response to something Cedar said but Raven couldn't hear because the many conversations were forming into an incoherent drone. She rubs the edge of the lace tablecloth between her knees and smells the scent of her friend's perfume.
Raven, through many years of having to navigate the world without people her own age, interacts with memories like a collector. She wants to taste them, to swish them lightly in her mouth and find every subtle nuance before ingesting them, and this memory was the first she has ever wanted to keep that involves Apple. The moment seems almost… poetic.
Nobody can captivate an entire room like Apple. She has a charm that is so strong, so humble, that you can't help but be swept away by it. Usually Raven is immune to it, but today she is suddenly very susceptible to it and she doesn't understand why. She clamps down on this new found appreciation for her roommate and tries to figure out where it is coming from, but it is impossible to explain. It is a million little things combining to make one perfect whole. The way she wears her clothes, the fabric seeming to come alive around her. Her thick blonde hair falling like water to her waist.
Raven looks around her confused. Her eyes travel back to Dexter, one of her favorite people to watch, but he suddenly seems positively uninteresting. Thoughts of Apple spring to her mind. Apple's angry face when Raven announced she wouldn't sign the story book of legends. The way her eyes look down at her feet every time she apologizes to Raven, which had been quite a lot!
All at once the warm feeling that has spread throughout her body intensifies and she can't stop her gaze. It travels across the castleteria to Apple, who, Raven is surprised to see, is staring back at her. The princess gives Raven a small wave and a smile. Raven waves back as she feels her face turning red. What is happening?
Without any warning Raven stands up and leaves the room. She can feel her magic inside of her, ready to erupt all around her and she has no desire to deal with a panicked castleteria all screaming "evil" and pointing at her. She has to get out so she can find someplace quiet to sit and think. To find a way to curb this entirely strange new sensation.
Raven finds her way upstairs and into the bathroom and splashes water on her face, hoping to calm down, but the image of Apple in her mind keeps filling her entire body with this new found warmth. Her cheeks are on fire, but most of all she is drowning… drowning in thoughts of Apple White. Apple white unbuttoning her shirt to head into the shower. Apple White asleep on the bed, her lips slightly parted. Apple white smiling. Apple White, Apple White, Apple White!
She puts her hand on the mirror and leans in with her head down, trying to gain some control over this new feeling. After a few minutes the images of Apple recede as does the warmth that has spread throughout her body. It doesn't disappear, it just kind of finds a place in her gut and radiates there. A place that until a few moments ago, had belonged to Dexter. Once she feels a little more in control of herself she looks at her reflection in the mirror and wonders 'What the hell is wrong with me?'
A few seconds later the door slams open and she is suddenly face to face with a very nervous Cerise Hood.
First Day of the Semester - Night, another time zone
Somewhere, far to the west in a kingdom far far away from Ever After High, Cloe, daughter of Clotho, an incarnation of the three fates wakes with a start. She isn't quite sure what has woken her, but she has always been taught that the world is a living entity and it will take you were it needs to, and show you what you need to see, so she gets out of bed, rubs her sleepy eyes, and goes out into her cave home to see what is happening.
You'd think that it would be uncomfortable to live in a cave, and on this count you would be wrong! the cave is full of modern convenience and is just as comfortable as any house. She can hear her mother chatting in the work room with Aunt Lachesis. Their voices are filled with worry and confusion, which draws the young girl to them. Eventually, she can catch their conversation.
"The problem can be traced to Ever After High, but I Can't see whose thread it is, this knot is intense." She grunts after speaking, obviously trying to undo the knot they were discussing.
"Here, let me help you. You hold this part and I'll pull from here and hopefully…"
They both let out happy little yelps as the knot comes undone and they are able to isolate the problem thread. Clotho pulls out the thread and they both stare down at it for a few seconds. After a moment, Lachesis sighs, steps over to the far side of the room and picks up the phone. She dials slowly and deliberately, then puts the phone up to her ear.
"Hello, Yes, we have a problem… Ever After High. Some form of fate change… Raven Queen. Understood. Speak to you soon." She drops the receiver into its cradle and walks back over to the thread.
"We need one of our own inside the school. But who?" Clotho pinches the bridge of her nose while she thinks.
Cloe quietly bows her head towards the earth as a sign of thanks and then steps into the room.
"How about me? I'm the right age. send me to Ever After High."
Both Clotho and Lachesis turn and regard the young girl who just barged in.
"She is the right age." Lachesis tilts her head in thought.
"And we could pull her out once this is taken care of and send her to school here" Clotho seems a little nervous as she speaks. This is her daughter they are discussing and she'd never been so far away from home.
"We will have to consult Atropos. We will let you know when the decision is made." Lachesis turns back to the thread and rolls it between her fingers.
Cloe bows and returns to her room. She throws herself down on her bed and stares at the ceiling. A new adventure would be starting soon. A visit to a whole new place. A smile of excitement crept slowly across her face.
