There he was, the new kid. He just stood there. Didn't know where he was going, that didn't seem right to her. His outfit wasn't like what everyone else. A long coat covered dark clothing. All he wore was tattered and faded. Why was he here? Did he really have a place here? Well only way to find out. "Hi there!"
"Huh?"
"Hi!" She spoke to him. He didn't have a clue how to react.
"Oh, hello?"
"Hi, I'm Apple White."
"…Alex?"
"Haha, are you nervous? It's okay. I know being a new student and starting late can't be easy, but this is a pretty great school. Every one's really nice."
Just then another girl passed by. "Hey Apple!"
"Hey! So, you've got your classes right?"
"Yea…"
"Good, well, as class president, I'm more than happy to show you around; Headmaster Grimm said you were a special case."
"What did he say?" Alex glared at her with a look of suspicion.
"He said you're a new student. That's special to me."
The look on his face changed instantly back to utter confusion. "…are you okay?"
"Just fine, you see, I'm the daughter of Snow White. It is my destiny to be queen one day. And I will care for all my people, no matter who they are."
"I'm…pretty good…I think it's best if I-" It suddenly dawned on him, as he looked at his list of classes, that he was in a new school, and didn't know where anything was. "...do you know where Madam Yaga's room is?"
"Sure come on."
"Thanks."
She knocked on the door. "Hello?" Apple peaked her head in carefully. She didn't want to interrupt the class.
"Apple, come in dear."
"Hello Ms. Yaga. I have a new student for you."
"Oh, well hello young man."
"Hi…"
"Okay, well, I'll be off, again feel free to find me, if you need help. I'll see you around, and welcome to Ever After High." With that she was gone.
"Yea…" Alex looked around the room, only to see students on their chairs sitting around in a circle.
"Well, would you like to introduce yourself?"
"Hm…oh, I have a choice? I choose no."
"…" Ms. Yaga was not amused by this boy's behavior.
"…fine. Hi, I'm Alex. Can I take a seat?"
"Is there something you'd like to tell us?"
"No…not really." Wanting to lift his confusion he asked "…what class is this?"
"This isn't so much a class, as it is a gathering of students."
"Huh?"
"You see, there are some students who are…uncomfortable with the path that is set out for them. Here they can express themselves in an open environment without fear of being judged."
"So what? Group therapy?"
"To an extent, if you would?" Alex took the only open seat he could find next to another boy. "Now, Hunter, I believe you were speaking."
"Yea." Hunter looked at Alex and wasn't so sure of himself "…I don't know if I should…"
"Nonsense, it's quite alright."
"Well, it happened on the last day of summer break, me and dad went out into the woods when we found a wounded farmer, he said he was attacked by a wolf. We went looking for it but didn't find it, but I remember all the while thinking what if we did find it? What then? Would we kill it? And what if we did? It's not like killing it would heal the farmer. I just…I don't know."
"Did you find it?" Alex asked.
"Huh?"
"Did you find the wolf?"
"Uh, no, we looked and didn't find it."
"That's it?"
"Yea."
"By 'woods' you don't mean the woods near the school do you?"
"Yea?"
"Interesting…" Hunter's story gave Alex an idea. What it was, even he didn't know. But a wolf in the woods, he liked the sound of that. Wasn't sure why.
"Well, thank you for sharing Hunter. Perhaps our new student would like to speak?"
"Oh, he would not."
"Well, he doesn't have a choice."
"Ugh…fine. So, yea. I'm Alex, my mother used to call me Alexander. No one calls me that anymore."
"Where are you from?" Ms. Yaga asked.
"Somewhere far."
Hunter asked. "What's your story?"
"Huh?"
"You know your story? Like my dad was from Red Riding Hood, and Snow White."
"I don't follow?"
"Well who was your Dad?"
"Some sad piece of filth."
"…" Ms. Yaga was speechless. She never had a student like this.
"Who was your Mom?" Another girl asked; dressed in purple, with a thorn crown.
"Alice."
"Alice?!" Ms. Yaga was astonished. "Queen Alice?"
"Aye, some called her Queen. Never heard any do it. But I heard some called her."
Again the girl spoke. "So, if you're the son of Alice, aren't you a royal?"
"A what?" Again, Alex was confused.
"You know, a royal? I mean you're not a rebel, are you?"
"I have no idea what you mean?"
"In this school, there are two types of people, the royals and the rebels. Royals are decedents of royalty, like queens and kings, people like Apple White and Daring Charming. They want to relive their parent's story, because for them it's the greatest thing in the world. Then there are the…not so fortunate. There are some who don't want live out past stories. Those who want to write our own stories. For that they're rebels. So which are you?"
"…I…I don't know. That's what I'm here to find out. That's why she sent me here."
"Your mom?" The girl asked.
"No, my nanny."
"Oh, why'd she do that?"
"Said, it was time I found mine. Time I got back what was taken from me. But how can I get back what I never had?"
"What of your mother," Ms. Yaga asked. "What did she think of this?"
"I don't know." Alex turned and looked her dead in the eyes. "She's been dead since I was eight."
"…what?" She was shocked. She could believe what she just heard.
"Oh." The girl had a look on her face, one of sadness and disappointment. "I heard Wonderland was poisoned, and sent into chaos, but…Queen Alice…Dead?"
"'Fraid so. Not sure if it had to do with Wonderland's poisoning, but my mother…she wasn't right in the head…she learned if she drank, it wasn't so bad. So, she did, drank her fill, drank her end, and now she's dead, to drink again."
"I'm so sorry." She really was. Everything about her said she was.
"It ain't your fault. You're not the one who scrambled her head. And even with him gone, couldn't undo the damage. It was too much. In the end, it was for the best."
"…I…" She could believe what she was hearing. Alex, what had he been through?
"So, seeing as I don't want to go and do that, guess that makes me a rebel no?"
"I guess so…" She didn't know what else she could say…