"What's wrong?" Daring turned around to see Darling leaning against the door of the Charming Hall, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Why do you think that something's wrong?" Daring asked.

Darling's eyes flicked from Daring to the mannequin that ha had been attacking. "It's missing all of it's limbs," she said, "That only happens when something's wrong."

Daring looked at the mannequin, all of its limbs were gone, spewed across the floor. Darling was right, it was something that he only did when he was frustrated or confused. Right now, he was both.

Cerise was avoiding him. Every time that he got within ten feet of her, she disappeared or turned the other way. He really wanted to talk to her. He missed hanging out with her. Missed her snide comments, her jokes, the way that she didn't let him get away with anything.

Apple wasn't any better. She kept trying to convince him that he was wrong. Despite the fact that Cerise was avoiding him, Daring still didn't think that he was wrong. He wasn't Apple's true love, that was some one else.

"It's Apple, isn't it?" Darling asked.

Daring shrugged. "Among other things."

"Other things?"

"There's a girl that I like, that keeps avoiding me."

Darling laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

Daring shook his head.

"But how is that possible? You're...you. You're the most pursued guy at the school. I know tons of girls(and a few guys too) who would die to go on a date with you."

His sister's words stung, even though he knew that they weren't supposed to. There had been a time when Daring Charming enjoyed being the most pursued guy at Ever After, but that's been before he'd met Cerise. There was something different about Cerise, something that he wasn't quiet sure that he wanted to name. Something that he was afraid to name.

Cerise kept running away from him, like he was something terrible. Like he was the big bad wolf. But Cerise hadn't been afraid of the big bad wolf. She was weird that way. What kind of person was afraid of a hero and not their own villain. It was why Daring had asked Mr. Badwolf if there was any relation between the Hoods and Wolfs. It was the only explanation that he could think of.

"Yeah, well, not this girl."

"Who is she?"

A second, then, "Cerise."

"Cerise Hood?" Darling asked, "You like Cerise Hood?"

"Don't act so surprised," Daring said defensively.

"I'm not. I mean, she's a great person. I'm just surprised that she doesn't like you."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Darling said, shaking her head, "Nothing at all."


"You've been avoiding me," Cerise looked up from her MirrorPad at Darling Charming in the seat across from her, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Darling's accusations were right. Cerise had been avoiding her, but not all of the time. Only whenever her brother was in the room because that would give him a reason to come over and talk to them.

Cerise had been following her father's orders to stay away from Daring, as much as it pained her to do so. She was ninth nine percent sure that Daring had broken it off with Apple because of her. And she wanted, more than anything, to start a relationship with Daring. He was great; brave, funny, a leader. But Cerise couldn't start a relationship with Daring Charming. As long as she was a wolf, it was impossible.

"So, you don't deny it? You've been avoiding me," Darling said.

"If you say so," Cerise shrugged and picked up her empty tray.

Darling followed her to the trash can. "Good," she said, "So, now you have to make it up to me."

Cerise looked at Darling. "I don't have to make anything up to you, Darl," she said.

"Fine, whatever," Darling said, "But just answer my question."

"Go ahead."

"Do you like my brother?"

Cerise choked. "What?"

"Daring, do you like him?"

Darling was standing in front of Cerise with her arms crossed. How did she know? How on earth had she figured it out?

"Um...he's nice, I guess."

"That's not what I mean," Darling sighed.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Fine," Darling huffed, "Don't answer my question." Cerise breathed a sigh of relief. "On a totally unrelated topic, I have two tickets to the Bookball Super Bowl, and Rosebella has a protest and Raven has a date with Dexter, do you want to come?"

Cerise smiled, glad that Darling wasn't asking her if she liked Daring anymore. But, the Super Bowl was on a full moon, the last time that she had gone out on a full moon, she'd ended up kissing Daring Charming. But this wasn't Daring, this was Darling, her friend. The girl that she had been avoiding because her father was afraid of what a Charming would do if they learned their secret. She could keep a secret from Darling, her brother, on the other hand, was different.

"Since when have you known me to pass up on Bookball?"

"Good," Darling smiled, "I'll meet you in the Charming box. Just show them this." She handing Cerise a laminated pass.

"Thanks," Cerise said.

"Oh, don't thank me yet."


Darling caught up to Daring as he was walking down the hallway with Briar. "Here you go," she said, handing him a laminated bookball pass.

"What's this for?" Daring asked.

"I just thought that it would take your mind off of the whole Cerise thing," Darling said.

Daring looked down at the pass. "You hate bookball."

"Just think of it as me doing something nice for my brother."

Daring narrowed his eyes at her, but slipped the pass in to his bag anyways. Darling smiled to herself as she ran off towards her dorm room. By this weekend, everything was going to be fixed, one way or another. Or it was going to be a million time worse. Darling tried to ignore that last thought. Think positive.

"What'd you do?" Rosebella eyed Darling as she entered their room.

Darling shrugged. "Nothing," she said, "Nothing at all."