Awake For A Waking
Donnie's eyes opened to smell the ebony wood and the lavender in the room.
"Cedar, I just had the weirdest dream and-"
"Cedar, I'm not Cedar, silly, I'm Amoree Lancaster, your new room-mate, remember?" said the brown haired girl.
"Oh yeah, Headmaster Grimm had to make people switch room-mates," Donnie said as she remembered, so she was not dreaming, this was real.
"Yep and you are my room-mate, we are totally gonna have so much fun together, what story are you from again?"
"Looking through the Emeralds, it's a new story."
"Well, what's it about, I would love to know about your story since I don't even know my own, my parents say that I am just destined to marry some Charming."
"Really, you wanna hear? I don't think we have time for-"
"Nonsense, we have loads of time, classes start at eight-thirty and it is only seven-thirty."
"Oh well I guess it wouldn't hurt."
To save her time from making a story on the spot, Donnie just started telling Amoree the Wizard of Oz, after all the story hadn't even started yet, in fact it would be at least a year before the tornado in Kansas.
"That is so cool, your story has so much adventure and you melt a witch, face a Wizard and meet different creatures. I wish my story would be like that, you know I really don't want to be some damsel-in-distress, I actually want to be a hero. But you know, my mum says a proper lady must never do a man's work and I guess she is right, to some extent."
"Amoree, you shouldn't let your mother determine who you should be."
"Well, I'm going to sign the Storybook so I guess there is nothing I can do."
"Sure there is."
"Like what?"
Donnie was about to tell her not to sign the book, but that would be risky, what if she did disappear or something worse, her disappearance would have an effect on the present, Daring, Dexter and Darling would cease to exist.
"Nothing."
"Okay, so I guess you should get ready, we have to go get breakfast."
Donnie and Amoree walked in the Castleteria, there were already many tales in there with their meals on trays.
"Catch you later, Amoree," Donnie smiled.
"Oh you can sit by me and my friends over there," Amoree said as she pointed at a table with Snowanna, Ashley, Paris and other princesses.
"I would love to, but I would want to sit with my friends, maybe lunch?"
"Okay, bye Donnie, see you soon," Amoree said as she joined the queue with her tray.
Donnie looked around for her friends and saw them all sitting at different places: Apple was sitting with her mother so was Raven, Daring had decided to sit with his father on the same table as Evie, Cerise looked confused, she didn't know whether to sit by her father or mother, Cedar was laughing with her father, Blondie was chatting with her mother while criticising the meal, everyone was with a parent except for the Ozians and Wonderlandians.
Once Donnie got her honey porridge she sat by them and eyed Leo and Jackson who were, to her surprise, sitting next to each other.
"So you two made up?" Donnie asked.
"Yeah, I realised, I mean, we realised that being at each other's throats would only make matters worse," Leo smiled.
"Yep, that's it, I would do anything for you, sweetie," Jackson said as he gave Donnie a kiss on the forehead.
"I just love you two!"
Cupid looked around the Castleteria, she felt that Mother's Touch thing and her eyes drifted here and there to find her mother and after some searching she did. She was a pink haired girl with wings talking with some fairy godmothers.
"So then Paris came to me and was like, Amoree number two and I had to stop her and say one..."
"Sorry, for bothering you but can I sit here?" Cupid asked her teenage mother, she knew this pink haired girl was the one, being close to her she felt the connection run deep.
"Of course, every godmother is welcomed here," the pink haired girl said. "By the way my name is Amor Madrina, a future godmother."
"Oh I'm not a godmother, I don't even know what my story is," Cupid replied.
"Well obviously you are, you have wings, either you are a godmother or a fairy."
"I never knew," said Cupid, she had now found out her destiny, why her adoptive father brought her to the Land of Ever After.
"Guys, why don't you introduce yourselves?" Amor asked.
"Well my name is Flora," said the godmother with green hair and a silky flower dress.
"Mine is Dawn, I'm a fairy from Sleeping Beauty and I'm totally hexed out for the Waking today. I mean her daughter will be the girl-"
"Or boy," a boy with blue wings, who Cupid discovered later was called Kevin.
"A boy? That would be totally weird, I mean imagine a guy pricking their finger and falling asleep for a century, and who's gonna save him? A valiant princess not afraid of danger or maybe a prince?" Amor snickered.
"Yeah, yeah keep laughing, but I still cannot wait to see the Sleeping Beauty, Hector is already getting ready and he is super excited, catch you girls later," Kevin said as he flew away.
"Whose's Hector?" Cupid asked as curiosity got the better of her.
"Oh he's the guy l destined to wake the Sleeping Beauty from her a century's sleep, and lucky him, he actually gets to sign the Storybook of Legends way before everyone else, you should have been here last week. I swear to you I think the Sleeping Beauty is one lucky princess, Hector is a total dream-boat, his skin reminds me of chocolate, and you all know how much I love chocolate," Amor smiled.
"I love chocolate too," Cupid said with excitement, she and her mum had a lot in common, the first priority was to get to know her, at least a little before she and her friends went back to the present.
"Has anyone seen Cedar?" Cerise asked as she joined her friends.
"No, it's a bit weird as she is always the first to wake up before every tale in the whole school," Donnie said.
"Does anyone remember her assigned room-mate?" Vanilla asked. "I really hope she is okay, it is unlike Cedar to actually miss breakfast, even if we are in another time."
"I think she was assigned that girl, Ginger's mum I think, daughter of the Candy Witch," Copper informed.
"Let's go find her," Willow said.
"We can't all go, I mean, that would be a bit awkward, I think some of us should stay, not a lot of tales trust the new kids and all of them going somewhere at the same time would arouse even further suspicion," Leo said.
"He does have a point, so who will go?" Apple asked.
"I think I should, I'm her, well going to be, you understand, I'm her room-mate, she'll talk to me," Donnie smiled. "Now someone show me where the Candy Witch's room is?"
"Why the hex are you freaks looking for my room?" a girl with rainbow coloured hair asked.
"Oh we are looking for our friend," Donnie replied.
"You mean that wood girl, she is really weird, as long as you are gonna get her out, it's third floor, two doors to your right."
"Thanks."
After a short search, Donnie knocked on the door, there was no reply.
"Cedar, open up, I know you are in there."
Still no reply.
"Cedar, can I come in?"
No reply.
"Okay Cedar, I'm coming in."
Donnie opened the door to find Cedar in bed just looking at the ceiling, she was getting a very bad feeling about this.
"Cedar, are you okay?"
Cedar nodded.
Donnie walked to her bed, "Sweetie, what's wrong?"
Cedar seemed as if she was not going to talk and then suddenly she started to cry.
Donnie opened up her arms and Cedar started to cry on her shoulder. "There, there, Donnie's got you."
After five minutes of non-stop tears and consoling , Cedar finally stopped crying.
"Okay now what's wrong?"
"I lied," Cedar said it as emotionless as possible.
"What do you mean you lied?" Donnie asked with confusion.
"I lied, I told a lie," Cedar said once again.
"What? When?"
"Yesterday at the party, my dad was asking me questions about my story and I told him the fake one and... I got scared and happy and surprised all at once."
"Wait but how is it possible you lied? Is there not some kind of truth spell on you?"
"Yeah but I think since I'm not exactly craved yet there is no wish for me to be honest."
"You're not taking this well, are you?"
"No, I feel weird and I'm scared, I feel insignificant. I mean I was Cedar, the only Pinocchio who could not lie, now I'm just Cedar, just another Pinocchio, and-"
"Okay, Cedar enough, you are not insignificant, not at all, and you are special, I mean sure you were, well are the only Pinocchio who cannot lie-"
"But I lied yesterday."
"And so, you are the only Pinocchio who even given a choice has not lied after that incident, I mean in your mind you did know the spell was not on you but you were still truthful. Cedar that makes you special, even when given the power to do wrong you always choose the right path, and that no Pinocchio could ever do."
"Thank you Donnie, that means a lot. And I guess I have to live with this till we get back home. Do we even know how to get back home?"
Donnie suddenly realised that they did not know, maybe Willow could say the spell, but she had no magic now, none of them had their powers as they were not born yet, with them in the past how was the future coping?
"We'll find a way, we always do."
The time had come for the Waking and every tale (except Noir and her friends) were at the Beauty Castle, they had all been teleported there using mirrors, and now the time had arrived for the Waking. Hector, the Sleeping Beauty's prince to be was escorted to the briar thorns, which he had to cut with his magical sword. Every tale at school and in fact some who were from far and wide came to see this glorious event, after all this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, a Waking would not be seen for another hundred or so years.
Snowanna was obviously excited, even her mother, the Queen and her father had come to see the Waking, this was the time to prove to them that she was as much a leader as her mother was and still is.
The others were with her, all eyeing Hector as he sliced the thorns with his impressive strength, some envied the Sleeping Beauty for Hector was one of the most dreamiest boys in school, other wondered when they could get back to school or even back to their dorms.
Snowanna faced the princesses by her side, "Guys, remember what we rehearsed, this has to be perfect, the Sleeping Beauty depends on it."
"Yeah, everything is gonna work out," Paris smiled, she was in charge of the water display and was part of the singing group.
Briar smiled as she watched her dad chop through all those thorns and enter the Castle, no wonder her mum feel in love with him faster than a prick on the spindle wheel. This was going to be her someday, and watching everyone so excited filled her with more hope to fulfil her destiny.
It would be perfect, but why did that voice in her head disagree, seeming as if a century's sleep was not a good idea.
"Hurry the hex up, Hans," Noir said as she flew to Headmaster Grimm's office, she had made sure that she, Hans, Odilina and Robert had not been teleported to the Beauty Castle and she had created clones of themselves.
"How are they gonna work?" Hans had asked as he tried to touch them.
"Duh, fill our places and don't worry, whatever they see once they come back, I'll transfer it into our minds, so it seems as if we were truly there," Noir had smiled.
"Don't you feel bummed out that you can't see the Sleeping Beauty, after all she is your nemesis," Odilina said.
"Actually no, her story is technically complete after today, my nemesis will be her child and so will my child, so basically the Sleeping Beauty's daughter will have two Dark enemies."
"Hans, hurry up," Noir had already reached the Headmaster's office and was using her magic to open the door.
"Why am I even here to stand guard, everyone is at the Waking?" Hans said.
"Well in case someone comes back, like the Headmaster so you can warn us, stupid," Noir rolled her eyes, she could not believe she still talked to a moron like Hans.
The door clicked and opened, "Bingo!"
"Robert, try and get the book from its case without setting off the alarm, Odilina, transform into one of the new tales, like one that you have studied well enough and Hans...just stay outside and warn us if there is any trouble, got that?"
"Yep."
"Okay, let the plan commence."
Robert used one of his spells and the book turned into dust and flew from the case through the keyhole and once it was outside, it was a book once more. Odilina had already shape-shifted and she was now the girl who had got of Noir's bad side yesterday.
"Really, that swan girl?" Noir said.
"She was the one I got most details from," Odilina said.
"Wow you even sound like her. Okay, Robert, the keys are in the second drawer on the left side of the desk, Got it?"
"Got it?"
Robert opened the book and the pages blew to a blank space even though there was no breeze.
"Odilina, touch the book, if these tales are who they say they are, their stories will appear and if not we know they are fakes and they will ultimately get exposed."
Odilina placed her hand, well Duchess' hand on the page and...nothing, the page was still blank.
"What, nothing?" Noir looked surprised.
"Let me try again," Odilina said.
Still nothing.
"Maybe the book can sense that you are not the real deal," Robert replied.
"Please it's just a book , what the hex does it know, transform into another one, maybe the Evie look alike."
Odilina transformed into Raven and when she touched the book, the pages showed the destiny of the Evil Queen.
"See," Noir said. "Something appeared."
"Yeah, but this is Evie's destiny as the Evil Queen, maybe their destinies will appear on Legacy Day, if they are fakes then everyone will know then," Odilina said as she removed her hand and changed back to her true self.
"We better hope so, those tales are just too weird to stay in my school for long and anyone else wonder why they are always together like-"
"Noir we have problems," Hans said as he stormed in.
"Really? I was in the middle of a sentence."
"The janitor came back and he's coming this way."
"We gotta go," Robert said and used his spell to put the book back.
The four fiends rushed out of the office and as they were turning the corner, Noir remembered she didn't lock the door and threw a hex that shut it tight.
After a while Hector came out with the beautiful Sleeping Beauty, her mocha brown hair with pink streaks glowed in the setting sun and her olive skin seemed to radiate light, she wore a rose patterned dress and she looked baffled with everything around her.
Everyone was silent and then Snowanna coughed, that was the sue for the song to begin and the displays to appear.
"La, la, la, la, la, la, la," Snowanna began and the birds from the nearby forest rushed out to help with the symphony.
The other girls joined and everyone was memorised by the beauty of the song, Evie started the displays with some fireworks and Paris built on that by raising the waters and making them dance as the prince and princess crossed the drawbridge. It was truly beautiful and a Waking no one would forget any time soon.
A boy shouted, "What's her name?"
The Sleeping Beauty looked for the source and seemed scared when the fireworks continued.
"Her name is Rosetta Beauty," Hector replied.
"Rosetta, such a pretty name," a girl with a rose crown rushed forward and hugged Rosetta. "Hey there, I'm your cousin, Roselle Beauty, daughter of Beauty and I'm gonna help you adjust. I can take it from here Hector."
Roselle walked Rosetta to Snow White and she welcomed the princess back into the world, the briar thorns that had been there a moment ago were now gone and the castle looked brand new.
While everyone was excited about the Waking, Briar had been watching her mum ever since she came out, she blocked the melodies of the song and the fireworks and had watched her mum's expression. She didn't look at all excited like the people around her, in face she looked confused, scared and a looked at everything around her as if they were all strange to her. It was as if the land she had grown up in was not that land anymore and Briar wondered, was this the way she would feel when she woke up a hundred years after the spell was broken, would she feel lost and scared and literally alone with no old friends around. Would she be a stranger in her own land? Now the destiny she had been given just felt a little bit not so great anymore.
Darling Charming had so much on her mind right now, she was about to meet her twin, Dexter at the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe and discuss some Hero Training classes and also catch up, it had been forever after since they had their Twin Talks, yeah that's what they called their chats ever since they were young.
She looked at her Mirror Phone and scrolled to the D Section, Darile, Damien, Datra, Dennis. Suddenly a ripple appeared at the Tea Shoppe and everything including Darling froze, for a millisecond, no more no less, but it was enough for time to make some changes.
Darling scrolled past the D Section, to the E then F and wondered why the hex she was on her phone right now, well maybe about to listen to some Pixie Minaj beats but who was she about to call? She placed her phone back into her bag and looked around.
"The Tea Shoppe, why am I here?" she wondered out loud.
At the moment Darling was checking her phone, Hunter Huntsman was also at the Tea Shoppe, waiting for Ashlynn, his secret girlfriend and as Darling reached the D Section, Hunter was taking a sip of his Mocha Extra Hot Latte, that's when the ripple appeared and he too froze. Once time started once more and made some changes, he too like Darling wondered who he was waiting for and then he saw her, the girl with platinum blonde hair and blue streaks, she was in his Beast Training class, what was her name again?
She said something that he didn't hear and she caught him staring and he looked away.
"Hey, were you checking me out or something?" the girl asked.
"No, no, I just recognised you from school, that's all," Hunter replied.
"So who are you waiting for?" she asked, she didn't know why she was asking.
"I actually have no clue, what about you?"
"I'm about as lost as you are."
"So you wanna take a seat and talk?" Hunter asked flirtatiously.
"I guess, I'll have a Mocha Extra Hot Latte," the girl smiled.
"No way, that's what I'm having right now!"
"Oh really, it's my favourite."
"Well I guess it's mine now," Hunter smiled.
"Really," she said while trying to hide her blushing. "The name's Darling Charming, but people like using my mum's surname when referring to me, so I guess you can call me Darling Queen as well."
"I'm Hunter, Hunter Huntsman, and the pleasure is all mine to meet you properly."
Already time had done its work, it had started to erase the memories of Dexter and Daring from Darling's mind and even Ashlynn from Hunter's, and soon time could, no, would erase the very existence of Donnie and her friends altogether.
