Chapter Three: Friends and Classes
On the first day of classes, students headed towards the castleteria. Raven sat with her usual crowd. She had always felt more comfortable with commoners than fellow royalty-her three best friends at EAH were Maddie, Cerise, and Cedar (she was also stone-sisters with a dwarf named Opal, but she didn't go to school here)-but she was also close to Darling, and had gotten to know Darling's friends Rosabella Beauty, Ashlynn Ella, and Farrah Goodfairy quite well. In the past year when Raven had steadfastly supported the forbidden relationships Ashlynn spent more time with her, which was great because their boyfriends were best friends and both girls saw them more when they all hung out in a group. Briar Beauty and Faybelle Thorne had been drawn into the group through Rosabella, Briar's once-estranged cousin. Of course, Wonderlandians were also nearby-Raven knew them quite well, and would help them with any issues they might have not understanding a land that wasn't mad, and issues with those who didn't understand them. The two overlapping cliques sat side-by-side in the castleteria.
As everyone talked about their summers-the most common topic was Raven's two-week trip to Wonderland with her mother and Dexter and Darling-Briar looked a little sad. Her parents had not taken the news of her relationship with Faybelle well, especially her father, and she had lived with Rosabella over the break. Darling hadn't gone back to her parents' house either. For once Briar did not wear something styled with roses and thorns but just a pretty, pale pink dress and silver sandals, and like Cerise Darling wore leggings, a tunic, and sturdy, sensible shoes. Raven was glad when future fairy-godmothers began popping in and handing out schedules. She looked at her classes: Kingdom Management, Princessology (ugh), Damsel-in-Distressing (double ugh), Environmental Magic, Crownculus, Music, and Grimmnastics. There was also a note for the headmaster-her daily trip home for (secret magic) lessons with her mother had been reapproved as well. The group compared schedules. Cerise, Darling, Ashlynn, and Briar were all also in DID. All the princesses had Kingdom Management and Princessology (though not all were in the same class period), and Rosabella, Ashlynn, Hunter, and Cerise were in Environmental Magic. Raven's mom had succeeded in getting Darling into Hero Training with the boys.
"Why do you have a class with your mom, Raven?" Briar asked. Raven froze.
"She's not supposed to tell," Darling answered. "Family secrets. She had one last year too."
"There's the Unholy Trinity," Cedar blurted out. She had been enchanted at birth never to tell lies, but the young fairy was inexperienced and overpowered the enchantment, causing Cedar to be unable to censor herself.
The "Unholy Trinity" was the name Cerise had given Apple, Blondie, and Duchess. They were the three meanest girls on campus. As they stepped into the castleteria three fairies appeared in front of them. They squeaked and, seeing they were about to leave, Apple made a threatening gesture. They dropped the schedules, and Blondie stooped to pick them up.
Apple looked over her schedule. Advanced Villainy, Magicology, Kingdom Mismanagement (yawn), History of Evil Spells/Poison Fruit Theory (each was one semester), Crownculus, Experimental Fairy Math, and, of course, Grimmnastics. Better than she'd expected-Magicology was dreaded, but inevitable. The truth was, Apple wasn't a very good witch. She wasn't strong magically. Potions and poisons, which anybody (or almost anybody) could create, were her weapons of choice. History of Evil Spells would probably occasionally have practicals involving spellcasting, but only Magicology would be a constant source of embarrassment.
Crownculus would be a drag too. She probably could have tested out of that class her first day of freeman year. Why couldn't she take Princessology? She was royalty too!
She and Blondie compared schedules. The Princessology class had also rejected Blondie (though not Duchess). Blondie had mostly non-story related classes, as it didn't take much skill to eat, sit in chairs, and lie down in beds, which is essentially all Blondie did. Even trespassing was easy considering Blondie's talent for unlocking doors. Blondie and Duchess would be with Apple for Crownculus, and Blondie would also be in her Grimmnastics. That was it as far as shared classes went.
As Apple began to withdraw from the schedules, she noticed that Duchess had not been paying attention to the examination at all. Instead, she stared across the castleteria to Raven White's table. Apple curled her lip in disdain. Raven White-Apple hated her. She had the most famous name in all of Ever After, and what did she do with it? Befriend commoners! Date the least charming prince in the whole school! Support rebellious romances! She never made allusions to her story. She hadn't started wearing makeup at all until last year, and even then she was as bare-faced as a spellementary schooler most days. She didn't deserve what she had! Apple would do so much better. If she were a normal princess, she'd rule the school!
Apple looked back at Duchess. "What are you staring at?" she asked coolly.
"Briar Beauty," came the response. "She's not wearing any symbols from her story." Duchess sighed. "Neither she nor Ashlynn have ended their relationships, which are doomed to failure, and Darling is going about in exercise clothes and jousting with the boys. It's disgraceful. If they disrespect their stories, why do they get to have them? I'd do anything to be in their shoes!"
"Oh, they're getting up to leave," Blondie said. "Grizz, let's go!" (Grizz was a bear-shaped golem Apple had made for Blondie the summer before freeman year to be her cameraman when she took her gossiping onto a Mirrornet show.) Blondie and the lumbering pseudo-bear got up and raced to the castleteria doors.
"Briar, Ashlynn!" Blondie called. "Are you planning on ending your forbidden romances soon?"
"No comment," Darling said. Rosabella grabbed Briar's hand in support, and in warning-for Briar had looked like she might respond.
"You do realize that these romances won't work out? Surely you don't intend to continue past Legacy Day?"
"No comment," Darling repeated.
"Briar, is it true that you lived with the Thornes over the summer? How does it feel, to be rejected by your parents for a villain-?"
"Enough!" Raven said. "Blondie, stop harassing these girls. This is none of your business. The details of other people's private lives should not be posted on the Mirrornet, and you have no right to put them there. If you continue speculating I'll contact a lawyer."
"I have freedom of speech, you know!" Blondie shot back.
"Freedom of speech is not freedom of gossip," Raven maintained. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Go back to reviewing local boutiques and leave us alone."
With that Raven and her friends escaped. Blondie turned back to the camera. "Well, folks, that's the heir to the White empire and her stance on the issue," Blondie said. "But I have interviewed some other students from prominent families who feel quite differently. Let's roll the clips, please!" Grizz turned the camera off and Blondie turned back to her friends. "I'd better edit and post this as soon as possible," she said. "Spell you later!"