Rocking the Boat

By Kimera225

Chapter 4 – Doomed Relations

After Blondie's MirrorCast show, the majority of the students couldn't help but to approve seeing Blondie put in her place - given the fact that she hadn't endeared herself to many, given how noisy she was – and she went from being one of the most popular Royal girls, being given the cold shoulder; and thus, to an all-time low in her popularity. Ironically, that MirrorCast show had the most views she had ever been capable of achieving. And the next MirrorCast she made had zero views, signaling also an all-time low with her audience.

However, while the majority was ok with how Blondie got her just right; not so many were so about Apple. Still, some were of the opinion that she had earned the remarks from the new student, since someone had filmed the entire casteleria episode - even Cedar's part on it, after Raven and Jackie had left - and posted it on MyChapter. Naturally, it spread like wildfire.

On a side note, there were also other more hidden consequences to the whole episode of the MirrorCast show:

Ashlynn Ella was not talking to Blondie, Apple or Briar after the live streaming of the show and the Casteleria episode. She took instead to hang around with her boyfriend and the friends she had among the rebels.

Jacqueline had talked with her roomie about her attitude towards Raven, which escalated to a fight and ended up in both of them ignoring each other. Melissa felt awful about it and tried to apologize, but Jackie wouldn't accept it, saying: "You are apologizing to the wrong person".

Poppy also fought with her sister due to her cruel remarks about both Jackie and Raven, which Holly had done on an attempt to impress Daring Charming, which lead to more arguments of the type of how Holly was changing until Poppy could hardly recognize her.

Raven's roomie situation hadn't changed and so, she simply kept up ignoring Apple's ramblings.

~o°°o~

The week passed by with little changes. Raven introduced Jaqueline to the other known Rebels like Madeline, Cedar, Cerise, Cupid and Hunter, who made the introductions with Ashlynn (to say that Jackie was exited at meting the couple would be to put it mildly) and took to hang with them. Unsurprisingly perhaps, she fit in just right with them.

Another week passed by in high tension on the school halls and everyone was just glad that the school week was nearing its end. The girls made plans on going to the Village of Book End to buy a few everyday things (like parchment and such) and meet with those working - Poppy and Ashlynn – later at the Mad Hatter's Tea Shop and throw a little celebration for Jackie's first two weeks at Ever After High. At least, that was the official excuse Maddie gave them for her tea party.

And so, we have Raven, Maddie and Jackie running a bit behind, since both Raven and Jackie had a late class on Fridays than the rest and Maddie was, well, the other two girls weren't certain, but it didn't matter now, did it?

"I was having tea"

Oh dear…

"Who are you talking to Maddie?" of course, Jackie doesn't know that you can hear me Maddie.

"Oh my! Why, the narrator, of course!"

Jackie looked towards Raven, but she only got a shrug in response "Don't look at me"

"Why would you look at Raven? Does she have a cookie crammed up beneath the end of a deck?" It was fairly obvious that Jackie had little experience with Wonderlanders, and it showed in moments like this. Raven took pity on her.

"Wonderish alert Maddie, wonderish alert" Maddie only giggled as she took out a cup from her hat, steaming with hot tea, which just now Jackie was eyeing suspiciously…

"Hey, are you sure she isn't, you know, three sheets to the wind?" she whispered to Raven, who shook her head and laughed; but Maddie heard it without problems.

"Oh you speak riddlish too?"

"Nay, I speak like a buccaneer, savvy?" she winked at the wonderland girl, taking a closer inspection on the 'tea'. Which was indeed just tea.

As they were leaving the school grounds, Maddie suddenly came to a stop, making both Raven and Jackie walk past by only to note that the wonderland girl was a few meter behind them without moving. They both hurried back when Maddie began to move again and looked straight to the pirate girl.

"Jackie, the sweet in the below that crosses your path needs to find its way to the raven. Would you be a dear and help it on its path before it losses all light?"

"What now?"

"Wonderish alert Maddie, wonderish alert" Raven warned the teal haired girl.

"Oh you silly feisty girl. You have to take a detour in the enchanted forest. Raven and I will wait for you at the tea shop" and with that, she took the dark haired girl arm and started to lead her towards said tea shop, leaving a confused Jackie behind

"What… but why?" Maddie turned her head towards Jackie, and her eyes were pleading.

"Please, just do it"

~o°°o~

Maddie and Raven were the first ones to arrive to the tea shop, closely followed by Cedar, Cerise and Cupid and few minutes later Poppy and Ashlynn arrived, followed by Hunter.

The clock ticked by second by second, minute by minute; and when they were starting to worry about Jackie. After all, she could get lost in the forest while doing Maddie's 'errand', which ever it entailed.

Maddie just told them that the sweet had to get patched up when Jackie entered the establishment, a dazed look on her face and with an unknown girl of petite figure, curvy chocolate brown hair with mint green high lights and caramel eyes.

"Jackie, over here!" Cedar stood up and waved, to make themselves noted in the small crowd.

"Hey mates, sorry to keep you waiting." as Jackie approached the table, still with a dazed look as she posed her gaze on the counter, where Maddie was messing around with tea pots and cups. Her companion behind her seemed restless.

"Whatever after happened to you? We've waiting for you since forever-after!" Poppy replied as she hugged the pirate girl.

"Yeah, I was doing an errand for Maddie and…." She trailed off, distracted when movement behind her broke her of her of it "Oh, where are my manners? Everyone, this is Saffron" she gently pushed the smaller girl to stand at her side "No worries, they won't hurt you. Cross my heart" Jackie drew an 'X' above her heart.

"Emmm hi…" mumbled Saffron, twisting the end up the skirt of her lovely white and mint green dress.

"Aw, she looks just like a candy doll" gushed Ashlynn, which made said candy doll blush and the rest laugh a bit.

"You look like you could use a nice cup of tea" Maddie appeared out of nowhere, and faster than a blink, she had pulled out a chair, had the caramel eyed girl sitting and with a nice cup of tea in her hands.

For a moment, Maddie seemed deep in thought, but then, she simply took Jackie by the arm and dragged her over the counter.

"Is it just me or Maddie seems more… crazy than usual?" asked Cupid, eyeing the backs of the retreating girls.

Hunter shrugged, before passing his arm over Ashlynn shoulders in a one armed hug.

"Dunno" muttered Cerise, Raven just shoots her an amused look

"Wouldn't be Maddie, I suppose"

"So, she is always like that?" Saffron couldn't help but ask, and this prompted the laughter of every on in the table.

~o°°o~

"You knew"

"Knew what?"

"Don't play with this Maddie. I don't know how, but you knew what I was going to find in the forest when you left me."

"Oh that!"

"Yes, that!" practically screamed Jackie, as she covered her face with her hands in clear distress.

"You were the best suited to save her, after all" at this, Jackie lifted her face "You see, I can sometimes see things"

"What sort of things?"

"Things that can be, things that could be" softly answered Maddie. Every time she told someone about her visions, it would be passed on as more of her craziness.

"Well, next time you pull another stunt like today, I'm just going to run and do what you tell me to do…" replied Jackie as she collapsed behind the counter, burring her face in her arms. She didn't doubt Maddie, not for a moment and not after what she had seen.

"You… you believe me?" the quiet surprised tone on Maddie's voice made the brunette look up from her arms.

"After what I saw? I'll never, ever doubt that you can see the future Maddie"

"Oh, thank you Jackie" Maddie's small smile said more than word could.

"Don't. You don't have to thank me"

"Well, I'm actually fairy surprised at how well you are taking this"

"Uh yeah, it's actually the only way it makes sense"

"Mmmmm… I just saw that that girl needed someone to lend her a hand…"

"Thanks for small mercies, then. It was awful" Maddie placed a hand on Jackie's shoulder "When I arrived, those… monsters had already managed burned her left arm and the girl was punching her as she lay in the floor. The boy was standing there with a torch and filming the whole thing… she looked so broken Maddie, I wanted to break every single one of their bones!" she ended in a wail, a couple of tears already down her eyes, which she quickly wiped off.

"I didn't know it was that bad…"

"How many more are out there Maddie? How many more are out there that are suffering in silence due to their stupid fate?!" Jackie yelled, thankful of the noise in the tea shop that covered her voice. But then, she turned to Maddie and the sad look on her face was so out of place, that she hated the cause of it. Maddie was always so full of energy, bouncy and care free, that seeing this facet of her was simply wrong. It was all wrong, this world was wrong.

"Did you ever saw Raven?" the words were out of her lips before she could stop them. Maddie got a faraway look and didn't answer for a while.

"Yes" she finally said "And I saw what all this hate and isolation would do to her." She got a faraway look "She is so kind and sweet, but she would lose herself among the cruelty of this world." The bitter smile on the tea crazy girl looked so out of place "So approached her and we slowly became friends. Best thing ever-after I could have done"

"Maddie, you are my hero" Jackie admitted right then and there, but Maddie simply laughed.

"Don't laugh! I mean it." She couldn't help but to join Maddie's laughter, it was contagious "When I grow up, I want to be just like you"

"Silly girl, aren't you older than me?"

"Blimey! There goes my dream!" She closed her eyes, tears stinging behind them, and grabbed at her chest as in pain, following the game for a few more precious moments, before she became serious once more "But for real, that's just amazing. You, Madeline Hatter, are the most amazing person I've ever meet"

"No you silly, Raven is amazing after not going towards the dark path set before her, Raven's defying destiny is amazing"

"There's that, but I can bet all my doubloons that she could only do it, because she had you"

"I am to be in shadows, and I am happy with that"

"You are still my hero" And she hugged the other girl.

~o°°o~

Maddie and Jackie returned to the table, carrying drinks and treats for everyone, only to find Raven and Saffron deep into a conversation about magic and other specifics, with the rapt attention of the others. Even if it seemed they couldn't understand, not to mention follow the conversation.

"Whoa, slow down. I'm not getting a word you two are saying" Cerise nearly growled at them, feeling a big bad headache breaking though her skull.

"Yeah, care to explain a bit for those not in the know, please?" Hunter still had his arm around Ashlynn.

"Sorry guys" Raven replied, both she and Saffron looking apologizing. "Well, what would you like to know?"

"Well, for starters: What exactly is magic?" asked Cedar. Raven looked troubled but Saffron answered before the dark haired girl

"Magic is energy applied to get something we want, whatever that is to put someone to sleep or make a flower bloom"

"Energy? I have never thought about it that way" said Cupid "But how come some can use it and others can't?"

"You know, I actually haven't the faintest idea" Raven blushed heavily after admitting that.

"You don't?" Saffron couldn't believe her ears and took a few moments to let those news settle in "Ok, first of all, magic can be learned by anyone who is willing to put the effort into it. Of course, it's not easy and it takes a lot of time –years, actually- for those who are new to it, but with enough patience and willpower, it can be accomplished. The only differentiation that exists on those who use magic it is if they need a medium to manifest their power, or not." Seeing the confused look around the rest of the table, she explained "That is, if they use a wand, staff or even jewelry. If they do use any sort of medium, the correct way to refer to them is witches or wizards. If they do not need one, the correct term to refer to them is sorcerer (tough in reality it really doesn't matter, they get mixed up all the time). The later ones are usually rarer, since magic is harder to control on your own."

"Oh, how exciting! So Raven here is a true sorcerer!" clapped Maddie

"But there are some that just are born with it, like Raven here." pointed out Ashlynn

"She didn't start to learn magic from scratch, right?" she asked said girl

"No, I didn't need to learn how to have magic; I just had it and just had to learn how to use it."

"That's where it gets actually interesting. You see, those who learned magic actually pass the ability to their children, and those children can access their inner power more naturally and easily than their parents, however, they lack control and thus need to learn how to use it, not how to get it."

"Wow" muttered Jackie "But what about those like Hopper, that he just can change into a frog at any given time? Or Briar that falls asleep anywhere?"

"That's easy" smiled Saffron "The key aspect of this is control. Do you control the magic or does this control you? Raven controls her magic where this boy and girl are controlled by the magic of the curse he or she is under"

"But…" Raven looked a bit depressed "I don't have actual control of my powers. Whenever I try to use them for good, they just backfire! It's like they have a mind of their own…"

The mint girl took Raven's hand in hers, her caramel eyes understanding "Good or bad is centered about choices, but remember what I said before about the children inheriting the parent's ability? It also affects wherever if the parent used his or her powers for good or bad. Of course, at the beginning of the child's life, it's neutral and can do whatever it pleases the child, but as they enter the teenage years, it starts to show preference towards the parent's inclination. It starts little, but soon enough, it gets to a point where the children of bad sorcerers won't be able to use their magic for good at all, no matter how hard they try. Same thing can be applied at the inverse"

"Is there anything I can do…?" Raven was looking at her hand (the one who wasn't clasped by Saffron) in despair.

"Of course you can!" a squeeze on her hand, took Raven back at the present "Magic alliances can be changed, but it takes a lot of hard work. Remember that is all centered on willpower"

"Well, that's good!" Cheered Jackie

"Do you know how can I do it? I've tried on my own with no luck so far" Raven looked at Saffron directly onto her eyes, lavender meeting caramel and something passed between both of them.

"I know some things…" Saffron shrinks a bit in her seat, noticing everyone staring at her, expectantly.

"Please, would you help me?"

"Sure…?"

"Thanks…"

"This deserves a tea party!" yelled Maddie, breaking the tension and making everyone laugh.

"So, how do you actually start? Like, what should Raven do?" asked an excited Cedar, happy for the so much needed help her friend needed

"Well…" began Saffron, while Maddie was tinkering with the teapots beside her "You start small, of course"

"Like, with what? How do you start small in changing magic affiliation?" asked a curious Ashlynn

"Ammm… well…" Saffron was looking around her for some sort of inspiration, that's when her gaze settled on a platter of cookies at the middle of the table. "I know!" Inspiration found, she turned to Raven excitedly "Think about - for example - making those cookies" she pointed at the before mentioned cookies "float into everyone's plates!"

"How does that exactly helps? And without backfiring, might I add?" asked a cautious Cerise. Raven simple looked at the plate like it was going to devour her.

"I was getting to that" she excitedly replied, only to notice her enthusiasm and shrink back a bit more. She focused on Raven "Don't think about what good your actions will cause, just focus on the action itself. You can even twist it, like thinking that if you make your magic float the cookies, you won't have to get up and do it by hand or something like that. Selfishness can be both good or bad, but the dark magic in you will recognize it as bad, as in saving you the effort because you are lazy or whatever, and will do it anyway"

Raven didn't look reassured, still eyeing the plate as if it was a bomb. Saffron sighed…

"However, if you think about it as helping Maddie not to get up, it would probably make the hole platter go out in a boom" now Raven, and everyone else on the table drew back their chairs in fear "It all begins with small steps. Just focus on the result, not what it implies Raven"

"There aren't enough cookies for every one of us…?" they all looked back at the plate, where 6 chocolate chip cookies lay perfectly still. It was a lame excuse, and they all looked at Raven in disbelief.

"For real?" asked an incredulous Hunter.

"Raven, you have to try" gently coached Cerise.

"Cerise is right Raven. You won't know until you try it" chorused Cupid and Cedar.

"You can do it Raven" yelled Maddie

"Okay… here I go…" and as the familiar violet glow appeared on Raven's hands, they all backed a bit as a precaution. But it was for naught, for slowly, that gentle violet glow guided all 10 cookies into the different plates.

The whole group stayed silent in amazement.

"I… I did it…" Raven looked down at her hands in joy "And nothing went horribly wrong!" she jumped out of her seat and hugged Saffron among the joyful cries of her friends.

~o°°o~

The group of friend continued talking, and every once in a while Raven would try to use her magic for not evil stuff with the help of Saffron. Currently, she was trying to replicate her favorite magic feat of her childhood: make a flower burst into butterflies.

"So, how exactly did you two meet?" asked Ashlynn to both Poppy and Jackie.

"We meet at Beauty School" a few eyebrows shot at that.

"My mom's idea" was the explanation "Needless to say, I was scuttling there. Poppy here saved my sorry self, way too many times"

"Remember THE mid-term exam?" Jackie was shuddering at the memory "We had to come up with a new scheme of color highlights and this one here somehow gave her blond wig something that resembled the rainbow. That was such a fairy fail!"

"Blimey! You are being too nice when describing it." looks at the others "It look like a rainbow that I had washed in a swamp."

Hunter laughed quite loud at that.

"It couldn't have been that bad, right?" Cedar picture the time she helped Blondie to prove just right the school myths…

"Worse" answered in tandem Poppy and Jackie, only to break in pearls of laughter.

"Oh curses…" Raven had just transformed the flower into a single lilac butterfly "It was supposed to burst in to a dozen more"

"Hey, you still managed it without making it go on flames. You are making progress" Saffron consoled her.

"Yeah, but that took way more magic that I thought it would Saffron"

"Don't be such a worry flurry. That was still hat-tastic!"

"Take a bit of a break Raven" Ashlynn pushed a cupcake towards her "You have been doing magic all afternoon"

"It's normal that this exhaust you, you know. It's all about making slow steady progress Raven" Raven picked up her own cup.

"I guess, but I can't help to be hexcited! It's been forever after that I haven't been able to use my magic like this!"

"Still, a break is in order" Cerise told her, a smile on her lips "Now, Poppy and Jackie were telling us how they meet"

"Oh yeah. We actually meet during our first class at Beauty School and Jackie here" she pointed to the cheerful pirate girl "was a right mess in it and I took pity on her.

"I will never thank you enough for that, by the way mate"

Poppy laughed some more "Well, it also helped us to become friends that we also had to sticking together with all those classmates of ours…"

"Urgh, don't remind me of them…"

"Uh, why would you need to do that?" Cerise looked at them both from underneath her cape, along with the others.

"Oh…" both Poppy and Jackie shared a look and a grimace. Some gesticulation went between them, before Poppy continued.

"Well…" Poppy doubted on how to proceed

"We were basically suffering for being the daughters of fairy tales…"

"Yeah, that's the short end of it"

"But why?" Aslynn asked them.

"It's complicated…?" offered Jackie, not really wanting to tell that tale.

"Pfff… no it's not. Outside, fairy tale characters aren't as popular as you might think. Mostly due to the suffering that some of the villains cause outside of their stories and also because some consider unfair the privileges that some get with little effort. Like how Goldie Lockes will get a happily ever after, after trespassing and destroying someone else's property, for example."

"Like what my mom did to all the land of Wonderland, you mean?" Raven was looking at the butterfly she had transformed from a flower mere minutes ago, flying above them.

"Sadly, yes." Jackie was honest, as usual.

"I had no idea…" murmured Ashlynn

"Yeah, well…" change of subject needed here "After all those sunken ships, my dad changed me at the end of the school year to the Naval Academy" Jackie continued as if they hadn't just unleashed a big pink elephant in the room. That's not literal Maddie.

"The what now?" asked Cedar, and she wasn't the only one, to which the name of the school didn't ring a bell.

"I've heard of it." Hunter turned to be the center of attention "It's supposed to be the best hero training school for those that don't have a story. Also, the best for sea related stuff, right?"

"You do know your hero stuff Hunter" praised Jackie surprised that one of them had actually heard of it. Aslynn kissed him on the cheek.

"Did you had trouble there too?" asked Cerise, making Jackie wince, since she hoped they could put that subject behind, for Raven's sake if nothing else.

"Yeah, but it was mostly due to my dad being a pirate and how good I was at stuff. That's also where I learned how to deal with bullies as I do now." She confided them in a conspirator tone, making them all lighten up a bit "Battle ship's simulations were my favorite thing there. We would form teams and have simulated battles on the school's ships. It was awesome and it eventually helped me to get some of my classmates off my back"

"How so?" sked Maddie

"Well, they preferred to be on my team than on the opposite of me. I used to go all out without giving quarter"

"Remind me to be on the same team as you when we start covering that on Heroics…" said Hunter. Half joking, half serious.

"Quarter?" asked Cedar "What is quarter?"

"It means mercy" a very masculine voice answered her and looking behind her, she was meet by the view of Jason Hook. The blush that came over her made her feel the grain of her wood burn, but it was worth it in her opinion for such a great view.

Jason Hook not only was tall, and dressed in elegant pirate garb in brown and navy blue with a long red coat, he was definitely handsome with sun kissed skin, long curly dark hair pulled back into a pony tail and intense blue eyes.

"Oh, but if it's the old seadog. How are you Jason?"

Jason's face contorted into a grimace at the sight of the girl, a light punch and glare from the handsome fair skinned, silver haired and light blue eyed prince in white and brown prince clothes with a golden crown on his head beside him the only thing that made him answer.

"I was quite well… until now"

"No need to be rude, you know?" The baritone, with hints of bass, voice of the prince standing next to the next Captain Hook, send a shiver down Cerice's back.

"Well, you wound me" replied with heavy sarcasm Jackie, now having a glare contest with the male in front of her.

"Ejem…"

"Let's get out of here pal" said Jason while trying to push the other boy, still not breaking his stare contest.

"Ejem!"

"Damn it! No!" he finally broke eye contact to tell off the other boy, but this one managed to elude him and took Jackie's hand in a very prince-like gesture.

"Excuse, may I present myself? I'm Dominic Rosecastle, friend and roommate of Jason here. And I have to say, I have been wanting to know you for a while Jaqueline"

"Eeee thanks?" Jackie was now really uncomfortable thanks to Dominic's gesture and, wait… was Cerise glaring at her? She cleared her throat "This are my friends: Raven, Maddie, Saffron (why did she looked surprised?) Hunter, Ashlynn, Cupid, Cedar and Cerise…"

"Pleasure to meet you all" Dominic replied with a small smile, while in the background, Jason looked murderous…

"Dom…"

"Oh just shut up! You've brought this on yourself. I told you I wanted to meet her, after all" he told him.

It all seemed like it was going to escalate into a fight between them when the bells of the door jingled and a yell reverberated in the walls.

"No hex, you didn't!"

An older girl with long light brown hair and brown eyes in lavender dress with pink details here and there, stood at the gate looking both surprised and furious. She turned and annoyed glare at her companion of olive skin, blue hair and amber colored eyes.

"Well, I had to do something, since you wouldn't be bothered to make proper introductions" and with that, she pulled the brown eyes girl towards the rebel's table.

"Dominic!"

"Earie, dearest!" both the prince and the blue haired girl hugged "Have you found my 'princess' yet?" he asked as they pulled apart with a wink. It was obviously a joke between them, since the girl merely giggled in delight.

"Give me a break, would you?" she winked back.

"This reeks of a set up" Jason stood with his arm crossed and glaring at his friends back.

"Never thought we would agree on something Hook" the lavender dressed girl replied, also crossing her arms and looking with distrusts at the pirate.

"Darling" he acknowledged with a nod of his head

Jackie, meanwhile, had sunk as much as possible in her seat, head down and buried in her arms.

"Giselle, if you had only made proper introductions…"

"I told the same thing to Jason here…" interrupted Dominic

"And you are?" Interrupted Raven, casting a worried glance to Jackie, only to be ignored by the seniors.

"So, where is she?"

"She is right there, the one with her head buried in her arms" laughed Dominic, clearly amused by the discomfort of those around him.

Faster than a blink, this blue haired girl had Jackie out of her seat and was critically looking over at her.

"Oh wow! You can really see the resemblance"

"I know!" and with that, Jackie was dragged between Jason and Giselle, looking like she would rather be anywhere else. Cupid couldn't help the surprised exclamation that left her lips, for it was once looking at the three of them side by side, that the resemblance was as obvious.

"Giselle, your sister looks so much like you!" indeed Jackie and Giselle had similar looks, having similar bone structure and hair color.

"Don't leave my man out; they have the same eyes! You guys are really of the same blood" he grinned.

'This are Jackie's brother and sister!?' Ashlynn though surprised as well on how much they looked alike (she wasn't the only one), since not all siblings share resemblance. I mean, look at the Charming siblings!

Earie and Dominic would have kept comparing them, if Jason hadn't lost what little he had of patience.

"She is nothing mine! Thank you very much!"

"Likewise…" muttered Giselle.

Jackie forced her face to look impassive, but her friend saw the hurt looking behind her blue eyes.

"Knock it over, would you!" boomed a voice behind the Hooks and Darlings.

"Smithy!" Jacqueline's face lighted up at the sound of the voice and turned around to smash herself the chest of the newcomer in a hug, who was definitely not a high school student, but rather a young adult in his early 20's in suiting pirate garb with kind brown eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses and long brown hair underneath a pirate bandana.

"Hey there little riff rat" the man said while hugging Jackie back "Long time no see" he held Jackie at arm's length "Like my surprise?" he asked cheekily at Jason, Giselle and Jackie.

"So this was your idea Smith…" growled Jason.

"Not his idea alone" cheekily told him Dominic "I contacted him, since you couldn't be bothered…" he finished glaring at Jason. The older man just laughed at this.

"But how did you know where I was going to be?" interrupted Jackie, still hugging the older pirate and not really wanting to know what machinations had happened behind her back.

"It's ridiculous easy when you know where to look" " he nodded towards Poppy "I just cheeked MyChapter… Poppy made a post about meeting you lot here and the rest is history"

The sound of Poppy's hand against her head trembled against the walls of the shop, leaving in its wake a wave of silence. That, was quite disturbing.

"Erm… yeah, careful what you put up on the mirror net next time… So, Jackie, care to present me to your friends?"

"Eh, right… just next time hext me, ok?" replied the girl "Emmm, guys, this is
John Smith, my brother in all but blood. Smithy this is Raven, Maddie, Cerise, Cedar, Cupid, Saffron, Hunter, Ashlynn and of course, the one you already knew but haven't meet: Poppy" she said pointing to them in turn.

"I'm confused…" Poppy was looking at Jackie, who had finally had let go of John to make introductions "I always thought he" she pointed at John "was your brother"

"If only" muttered Jackie in a sad tone.

"Almost. We grew up together" smiled Smith, while taking the offered seat that Maddie had took out of her hat for these new arrivals. Giselle and Jason ignored the offered seats, remaining standing behind their companions.

The large group was curious about one another, and so chatter quickly began to float, or at least, was starting to…

"Have fun Earie, I'm out" Giselle said as she tapped on her friend's shoulder.

"What?! Hex no! How long has it been since you last saw your sister? You should totally stay Giselle"

"I rather not" was the gritted answer

"But this is a tea party! You must absolutely have a cup of tea!" yelled excited Maddie, and pushed Giselle and Jason onto their chairs.

"It's just a cup of tea" murmured Jackie. Resigned, Giselle let herself be seated by an over enthusiastic Maddie. She could see Jason receiving the same treatment, and that made her smile against the hot cup of tea that had found its way into her hands.

~o°°o~

Conversations floated all around her, but Giselle's focus remains onto her tea cup. She had no desire of being there, but had resigned herself to that for the time being. Meanwhile, both John and Jackie were suffering the fate of being questioned by the teenagers at the table. For John it was with the desire to know about life beyond high school and his various adventures as a pirate under the command of the legendary Captain Hook. For Jackie it was about getting to know her more to satisfy Dominic and Earie's curiosity.

All in all, the ambient around the table was a pleasant one, if you ignored Jason's brooding and Giselle's uncomfortable silence.

All too soon for the majority, the time to return to the castle neared and they started to rise from the table, which started to clean itself.

'Finally!' thought Giselle as herself and Earie where on route to the door.

"Your sister is great! I have to hang out with her more often…" Earie muttered to herself, unaware that Giselle had heard her without a problem among the general noise of people getting ready to return to the school. All afternoon, she hadn't stop chattering about how great Jacqueline is and was already making plans to hang with her (they already had made plans together for that day!), and incorporate her to their group of friends ("Of course they are going to love you Jackie!" said Earie), and who knows what else she had missed while she was contemplating her tea.

That's when Giselle realized with sadness that Earie, her best friend forever after, would choose Jacqueline over herself. Just like her mother always did… Couldn't she have something just for herself?

Ever After High for the past 3 years had been just that: a place of her own, where she could be herself while she made friends that didn't knew her family's secret: how her mother cheated on her father with the villain of her story and brought Jacqueline to this world.

Ever After High had become to Giselle Darling the only thing in the world that Jacqueline couldn't touch nor take away from her… until she did.

"She's just an attention seeker…" grumbled Giselle

"Come on Jackie girl! Tomorrow you have to come with us shopping!"

"Sure, sound good" the girl replied with a smile

"No!" yelled Giselle, finally losing it "We made plans to go shopping just the two of us Earie"

"Hey, calm down" Giselle looked with hatred at Jacqueline

"You! Don't interfere and just stay away from me and my friends"

"Woah, calm down." Earie interfered "There's nothing wrong with one more. The more the merrier, right?"

"So long as it isn't her" Giselle jerked her head in Jackie's direction. "Trouble follows wherever she goes"

"That's quite unfair, don't you think?" surprisingly enough, Jackie stayed silent, just watching the argument between Giselle and Earie.

"She's just a mistake that should have never come to be" gritted Giselle.

~o°°o~

'I should have seen that one coming' thought Jackie in a daze.

She had heard worse all her life from Giselle's father and Jason's mother, without a care of her presence. It was a constant source of conflict between her parents and their respective spouses; it shouldn't have surprised her so to hear once more from someone else's lips.

'Then why does it still hurt?' she thought as she saw her sister being pushed out of the tea shop by a furious Madeline Hatter.

~o°°o~~o°°o~o°°o~o°°o~o°°o~o°°o~o°°o~o°°o~o°°o~

Hello again!

I was finally able to post Chapter 4, thank you all for your kind reviews and patience.

This should have been done and delivered ages ago, but good news everyone: I finally got a job!

Currently, I'm posting this from theoffice, since I left my USB last Friday (I went nuts looking for it all weekend) while taking advantage of the office's lull thanks to the birthday party we had a bit ago in honor of the boss's wife/sales managerwhile I eat some chocolate birthday cake. Of course, I won't be able to do this like, ever again, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts

As for the story, this chapter took a different path that I wanted. I'm barely beginning and it already it has a mind of its own, damn it!

Also, I can't seem to be able to move pass this day and its getting ridiculously long (I broke my previous record, this chapter is well beyond 6,000 words long), which is why I cut it were I did. And I still have much more to write before the weekend of the gang of EAH is over. Again: Damn it!

My favorites of this chapter are the interaction of Maddie with Jackie and Raven with Saffron.

Also, this chapter introduces some new Original Characters of mine. Can you guess the fairy tale where Saffron, Dominic and/or Earie belong? Or their respective fairy tale parents?
John, Jason and Giselle are more than obvious.

And no, the Darling-Hook siblings don't get along very well, with their family history and all that. I'm trying to be as realistic as possible with those 3.

Please review, since I could use the feedback.

I own nothing but those characters from EAH that you don't recognize and I do this just for fun.