uiRifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2014. Found: 2018. - Licia

Two hours later, Raven followed Cerise and Cedar back up the path that led to Ever After High, her arms laden with bags that contained everything from textbooks to things she would need for when the snow came in winter, because apparently, up north, it was a lot colder than down south. Down in Marberly, the snow was light and oftentimes, there was simply a chill in the air.

"Do you two room together?" The girls nodded. "And you get along?"

"Why wouldn't we? We're best friends." Cedar replied.

She shrugged. "My roommate at Wanderley and I didn't exactly get along at first. But then again, we grew up together, but we didn't really know each other either. It wasn't until we were forced to room together that we got to know each other. Mira's my best friend. Now. But back then... not so much."

Cedar giggled. "That happens sometimes. Who are you rooming with here?"

She adjusted her hold on the bag that had her textbooks, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Um... Apple White? I think that's her name."

"Hold up. You're rooming with the daughter of Snow White?" She nodded at Cerise's look of horror. "I'm so sorry."

An eyebrow rose. "Why?"

"Because it's Apple. She's the most... conceited, self-centered prissy princesses at Ever After High."

"I cannot tell a lie, and she's... well, she's just not very nice." Cedar added.

"She's thinks she's better than everyone because she's the daughter of Snow White. Getting her Happily-Ever-After is the most important thing to her, and she doesn't care who she steps on to get it, even though she has no rival who will be her Evil Queen. Legacy Day is this year, and she's thrilled, because everyone will be forced to sign, regardless of whether they want to or not."

"Rival?"

"There's no one here who will become the next Evil Queen." Cerise explained as she quickly unlocked the door to her dorm once they reached it and led them inside. After putting her things away, she plopped onto the bed, inviting the other girls to join her. Cedar took a seat on the edge while Cerise curled up on the foot, tucking her legs beneath her. Slipping out of her heels, she settled back against the multitude of royal purple pillows that resided at the head of her bed, pulling the smallest- one her grandmother had made for her when she was a child- into her arms. So you have a piece of home with you while you're away, her father had told her.

"I guess there was a girl from a kingdom to the south of Ever After that was the daughter of an 'Evil Queen', but she never showed up. When Apple realized that her potential rival had never arrived at school our freshman year, she threw a fit and demanded that Headmaster Grimm order the girl to come. But the girl was already attending another school or something, and when he contacted the king of the country, he put his foot down and told him that he wasn't going to send his beloved daughter to a school where she had to become a villain to make another girl happy. He's the only parent to ever stand up to Headmaster Grimm."

"I take it most parents don't stand up to Headmaster Grimm too often." She responded, hugging her pillow tighter, thoughts racing.

"Never. Most parents are just so happy that their children are attending Ever After High, they'll bend over backwards to please Grimm. They don't care about what their children are learning, or that maybe some of them don't want to follow their destinies." Cerise grumbled, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Why is it so important that you follow your destinies?"

The girls shared a glance. "It's how the stories continue." Cedar replied. "We're the next generation of fairy tale characters, which means we have to keep the stories from closing."

Another eyebrow rose. "Closing?"

"If we don't follow our destinies, our books will close and we'll..." Cedar swallowed. "Disappear."

She snorted in derision, sitting up and setting her pillow aside. "That," She stood, going to her desk and pulling open a drawer. She dug around for several minutes before pulling out a small tin with a smile and shutting the drawer with her hip before making it back to the bed. "Is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." She collapsed on the bed, making the other girls bounce, and opened the tin, setting it between the three of them. She pulled something out, before pushing the tin towards them.

"What are these?" Cerise asked, eyes narrowed.

"Sweets from this small confectioner's shop in one of the villages in my home country. The confectioner is a man I've known since I was a little girl, and he gave them to me before I left, so I'd have a taste of my homeland while away." She pushed the tin closer. "They're not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about." A moment passed, before Cedar took a piece, unwrapping the shiny paper from around the hard candy and popping it into her mouth. Cerise watched her in anticipation of something; she didn't fully trust this new girl- there was something she was hiding, something big. Granted, they'd only just met her, and she was probably being cautious around new people, but still. A look passed over Cedar's face, and the girl appeared to melt.

"Oh, oak, that's...fantastic!"

Raven giggled, removing the lollipop from between her teeth with a grin. "I told you. Best candy in all of Marberly." She stopped, eyes going wide, but neither girl noticed her slip. Cerise was tentatively surveying the various pieces of candy and chocolate, before she finally picked up a truffle wrapped in shiny silver paper. The other two watched as the girl slowly unwrapped it; the sweet scent of chocolate floated into the air, and after a moment, Cerise popped it into her mouth. The look on her face told Raven all she needed to know.

"But why are you sharing this with us? It's yours." Cedar asked, pushing the hard candy into her cheek as she spoke. The twist of lemon and raspberry once more hit her senses, and she shivered; those were two flavors that, on the surface, didn't seem to mix well. Cerise watched the other girl shrug, lollipop resting against her lower lip.

"My father taught me that the best way to break an awkward silence between new acquaintances is through something sweet, because no one can resist candy, not even the oldest adult. Sharing candy makes new acquaintances into old friends, as he always taught me."

"Candy breaks the ice." Cerise replied, licking the chocolate off her lips as she reached for another piece before stopping. The other girl nodded, pushing the tin closer to her. "Thanks." Cerise's whisper was soft as she reached into the tin, pulling out a hard candy wrapped in shiny yellow paper.