A/N:
Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 14 of Through the Looking Glass. Last chapter, I covered some of the events of the Beauty Pageant and MirrorNet Down. I was trying to cover both events but I ended up doing more for MirrorNet Down more than the Beauty Pageant, and as you all know I dislike them, if Blake's disdain for toddlers and tiaras is evident.
Today, we shall cover the events of Rebel's Got Talent. I have decided to turn it into an event, but of course this comes at the end of this chapter, as the main parts will be in chapter 15. This chapter will cover Blake's meeting with Cinderella and Aurora, as well as a few other special things that I have added to this chapter, so I hope you all like it. As for Thronecoming, that will start with chapter 16 and most likely end with either chapter 20 or 21. I haven't decided yet. But you will all finally get to see Henry at his pettiest, and I assure you all of you will most likely hate him from 16 onward. I will also be adding my own twists to the events of Thronecoming, because it wouldn't be fanfiction if it wasn't.
I would like to apologize for the for length of this chapter, I know it might seem a bit short, but the next few chapters are actually a bit longer and have more narrative to them, so I do hope you look forward to that. If you have any questions or comments on the story so far, please feel free to PM me, I will always do my best to answer your questions. Leave a review, like and follow the story so you get all the alerts...and all that stuff.
As a final note: Chapters 15 and 16 will contain song lyrics, and that will make the format look a bit weird, maybe a little clunky, but I will put up a key for you all to know who is singing and all that stuff. I'll try to make it as easy to understand as I can, and if you still need a little help, then please feel free to ask and I shall answer your questions.
Also, to my reviewer, for some reason your review didn't pop up on the site and I had to check my email for it...I will answer your question since I can't find your review for some reason. I would like to apologize to you, but at the moment I do not have an interest in Monster High at all...it just didn't appeal to me the same way that Ever After High does. So I just don't really feel like delving into that fandom...it isn't my cup of tea perse. So I do apologize for that, but I do hope you are liking this story. For everyone else, I wish you all a happy Wednesday and a happy end of November start of December, we're nearing the final month of 2017, and while it has been a rather rocky, interesting and at times scary year, it has been a very good one to me, and I hope it has been to you...see you all tomorrow with my next update! Au Revoir!
Ever After High
Through the Looking-Glass
Chapter 14
Blake's Fairytale First Date
The night was light and crisp, with nigh an ounce of wind. It was the perfect night for a stroll through town, or to hang out with friends after a long day at school. For Blake however, this night had a different meaning. He was of course about to meet two current Fairytale characters from his childhood. Not just that, both were Queens of their own kingdoms. And even though they had come out to see their daughters, they were also going to meet him for the first time, and he felt extremely nervous and embarrassed. On the inside, he was screaming, but on the outside he had a facade of calmness beyond his years. He was sure of he could maintain his outward calm look, he could deal with anything in the future.
Alongside him was Hunter, who was equally nervous. He wasn't wearing his normal outfit, instead he had chosen something more formal. A long sleeved light green dress shirt, with a few green leaf markings on them. He was wearing a pair of light brown pants, stuffed into a pair of black leather boots. Over his shirt he was wearing his supposed lucky vest. Apparently, when he had asked Ashlynn out, he had been wearing it and when she said yes, he had called it his lucky vest, so he went no where without it. Like Blake, the boy too was nervous.
You see, Ashlynn had thought it best to introduce her boyfriend to her mother. Though she had decided to Rebel, she had already signed the Storybook of Legends, and had sealed in her fate. So she wanted her mother to at least meet the boy she wanted to spend her life with, even though their future wasn't certain. The prospect of meeting Cinderella had also made the boy quite nervous, though like Blake, he had a calm facade, which was near it's breaking point. He let out a sigh, stepping in front of the boy.
"Dude, I can't do this!" he said.
"We're like twenty feet away...we can't turn them down, that would be rude to Ashlynn and Cinderella, not to mention Briar and Aurora too." he said firmly.
"I know but...dude this is crazy! I'm dating Ashlynn Ella, a girl way out of my league and totally out of my story! Here I am about to meet her mother, the current Cinderella, mind you. How the hell do you think I feel? How can you just be so calm?"
"Oh I'm a blubbering mess on the inside. Inner me is clawing at the walls, wanting to shout and scream and kick like a little kid with a kidney stone. Trust me, if there was another way, I would. But I don't want to leave Ever After without meeting Cinderella or Aurora. It's a supreme honor...plus think about it, if she likes you she'll totally let you marry her daughter." he said.
"Y-yeah...you're right. I just gotta act like myself."
"Hunter there you are, why are you standing all the way out here?" Ashlynn cried, causing the boy to scream.
"No! I can't do this!" he cried loudly, ducking behind a trash can, his body shivering in fear.
"Oh dear, he told me he was nervous, but I didn't think he was this nervous." Ashlynn said, a frown on her face.
"Yeah, I don't think he's gonna come out of there if you ask him. Just calm him down, Briar is flagging me over so I'm gonna go. Thanks again for this Ash."
"Sure, like I said before...I didn't want to let my mom's biggest fan leave Ever After without meeting her once." she said, giving him a smile.
Blake gave her a nod glancing briefly at Hunter before walking the rest of the way to the Silver Swan. It was a large restaurant, mostly white in color with marble posts that had intricate designs etched into it, mostly of swans and other animals. The sign that stood outside the restaurant was a giant neon swan, which was gray in color, the name of the restaurant was spelled out with small white lightbulbs, which flickered on and off every so soft.
Briar stood next to one of the posts, wearing a rather fancy dress, mostly pink and red in color. The area around the bodice was black and had thorn like designs on it, each bearing a rose bud about to bloom. The skirt had several roses printed onto it, each having a rather sharp thorn on it. She was wearing a dark pair of panty hose, with pink heels. Her long brown hair fell down past her shoulders, and was curled at the ends. She was wearing her pink glasses atop her head, an accessory she was never seen without. She gave him a smile, looking him over.
"You look nice, I'm sure my mom will like you." she said.
"Uh...is there a hidden meaning there?"
"Didn't Ashlynn tell you? I thought she did!" she cried, causing him to glance back at the daughter of Cinderella, who was coaxing Hunter out from behind the trashcan.
"She didn't tell me shit, what was she supposed to tell me?" he asked, his calm facade starting to break. The girl sighed, closing her eyes as she glanced away from him.
"Okay, at first it was all cool because this meeting was something me and Ash were planning forever after. It was just our moms and us...but then Ashlynn invited you because you are a fan of Cinderella, and I thought my mom wouldn't mind meeting someone not from his world. But Ashlynn made it worse when she said she wanted to introduce her boyfriend to her mother...I didn't want to seem like a loser so I told my mom that I would be bringing my boyfriend as well."
"But you don't have a boy...oh."
"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to feel awkward about this, but now it's even more awkward."
"It's fine Briar, technically speaking we are dating, if you recall that lie on True Heart's Day...if Grimm bought it, I'm sure Aurora will too. But just for reference, what are the ground rules?"
"Wait...you're readily agreeing to this...why?" she asked curiously, earning a smirk from the boy.
"Because it's a cliché and I want to jot down as many of those as I can, for future reference."
"A cliché? What are you talking about?"
"Oh you know...the cute girl tells her mom she has a boyfriend so she doesn't feel left out cliché. It's one of the fifty well known anime cliches...just tell me what the ground rules are so we can get it over with." he said, earning a nod from her.
"Okay, you can hold my hand during this entire date, and if we go somewhere else, highly likely with Ashlynn's mom, you can wrap your arm around me. If you see Ashlynn and Hunter kiss, I guess you can do the same with me, I'm totally cool with it. Oh, and no talking about me sleeping, like at all. Last thing I need is my mother giggling at the fact that I fell asleep in soup, three times." she said, earning a nod from the boy.
"Alright then, it has been committed to memory. So...are they already inside or?"
"Yes, they're incognito...they didn't want to come here formally, so they dressed like commoners to blend in. If you have a question for my mother, just call her Briar Rose or Rose for short. And for Cinderella, just Ella will do."
"Um, alright. You know it's kinda funny that two queens are blending into the crowd just to meet their daughter's boyfriends. This will make an interesting addition to my books in the future." he said, jotting the plot idea down in his notes. Ashlynn and Hunter finally joined the two, with Hunter looking a bit calmer than before.
"Time to face the music, no more cowering for me!" Hunter said, a firm look on his face. Blake rolled his eyes, shoving his phone in his pocket.
"We'll be just fine. Just don't put your foot in your mouth." he said jokingly, taking a hold of Briar's hand. He reached for his ear, flicking the small communicator in his ear on.
The four teenagers walking inside the restaurant, taking a look around. For Hunter and Blake it had been the first time setting foot inside. The main dining hall was in the shape of a square with tables and booths running alongside the walls. The center of the restaurant had a beautiful marble fountain, with two dancing ballerinas at the top, along with a black swan and a white swan. A couple swans were also swimming about in the water, and looked totally tame, unlike the ones Blake saw back in his home world.
There was a large counter at the back of the restaurant, peeking into the kitchen, where various Chefs were busy preparing the dishes their patrons requested. Several servers could be seen walking around, holding menus, platters and drink trays. Though the restaurant was large, it was mostly empty. Blake figured it was due to it being a Thursday night, he honestly was glad for it, the last thing he needed was him making an ass out of himself with a full restaurant as his audience.
"This way, we've all picked a table in the very back, in case someone recognizes them." Ashlynn said, pulling Hunter along who was still glancing around.
"I gotta say, this place looks really good. No wonder Duchess hates it so much, the White Swan must really have it in for her."
"You know, I completely forgot Odette owned this place, wonder how Ophelia is doing, I haven't seen her in awhile." Briar said.
"Apparently she's at ballet school, because Ever After has a school for everything...why can't there be a Martial Arts Dojo though?" he asked, a frown on his face.
It didn't take them long to reach the booth in the very back, occupied by two ladies who were in avid conversation. The first was a young woman, around her mid to late thirties, with long shoulder length blonde hair, most of it being hidden by a white bandanna. She was wearing a long sleeved baby blue shirt, with a long brown skirt, she was wearing a white apron over it, which had intricate embroidery around the edges, forming various things, the most notable being a slipper and a pumpkin. He also noticed the glass slippers barely peeking from under the long skirt.
The other woman was wearing a dress similar to the first, with long tanned sleeves and a black bodice, accenting her curves quite a bit. The lengthy skirt fell down past her knees, and bore no markings. It was in fact a rather plain garment, though he did see a few patches here and there, as if it had been mended in the past. She was wearing a pair of sandals, though at the moment she didn't have them on. Her lengthy blonde hair was held back by a black ribbon, hidden under a black cloak, which she kept mostly down. Blake did notice the rose broach she was wearing, which kept the cloak pinned in place.
Hunter and Blake shared a look, swallowing the lump in their throats, the nervousness once again returning. Blake looked away from the two, finding the swans more interesting, but this was a rouse as he didn't want to lose his cool. Ashlynn and Briar moved forward, grabbing their attention. Both women stood up, embracing their daughters rather tightly.
"Look at you Ashlynn, you've grown rather tall, and it's not due to those glass slippers your wearing."
"Thanks mom, I go on nature hikes every day just like you used to." Ashlynn said, giving her mom a kiss on the cheek. Briar however was being looked over by her mother, who's eyes were narrowed.
"You're skin is so smooth, have you been sleeping regularly? Well, as regularly as you can? Have you been using that cream I sent you? Have you been avoiding thorns and needles?"
"Mom, chill out. I've been using the cream, I sleep more than enough and yes I've been avoiding thorns. I also have thimbles for when I have to sow something up." Briar said, a hint of annoyance on her face. Her mother hugged her tightly.
"I've missed you so much, and so have your siblings. They keep asking when you'll be back, but I told them that you are a big girl that needs to attend school. They really don't care for that explanation however."
"Of course they don't." Briar replied, a small smile on her face.
"Um, mom...we brought our...boyfriends along. This is Hunter Huntsman, the son of the Huntsman." Ashlynn said, taking Hunter's hand. The boy remained silent as Cinderella looked him over.
"Hmm...he's cute...are you sure this is your Prince Charming?"
"I'm sure mom, he's really sweet...he's just extremely nervous." the auburn haired girl replied.
"Mom, this is my boyfriend Blake...he comes from another world." Briar said, following Ashlynn's example, she took his hand.
"Ha, that kid to bit by the swan, shouldn't have been messing with it kid." he said, holding back his laugh.
"Blake...it isn't funny to laugh at other people's misfortune." Briar said, causing the boy too look back at her.
"I'm not, didn't you see him though? He was grabbing its neck, you don't do that with a swan." he replied.
"He likes swans, like a lot...right Blake?" the brunette asked, jabbing her elbow into his ribs.
"Yes...I'm sorry, I must have seemed impolite. My name is Blake Bigby, it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Briar Rose." Blake said, taking a hold of the woman's hand, planting a kiss on her knuckles. Aurora giggled, smiling at her daughter.
"He's quite the charmer, you've made a fine choice sweetheart. You can call me Rose sweetie, just don't say my actual name, that wouldn't fare well for any of us."
"Of course! Ah yes, it's nice to meet you too Miss Ella, I'm not sure if Ashlynn has told you, but I'm a huge fan...of both of you actually." he said.
"Yes, she's told us quite a lot...I'm rather curious about your world, you wouldn't mind sharing some things with us, would you?" Cinderella asked, earning a nod from the boy.
"Not at all...there's quite a lot that I believe might interest you."
"Then let us sit, I hear the food here is to die for." Aurora said, gesturing to the booth. Ashlynn and Briar both sat next to their mothers, with Hunter and Blake sitting to their sides. The black haired boy took a hold of Briar's hand, much to her surprise. He just gave her a smile, placing a finger to his ear.
"Nice work there Casanova, we've been listening in and looks like you've garnered some interest. The jacket cam caught it all nicely."
"If you say so Kitty, first topic, go." he said softly.
"Disney Land, I wanna see their reactions when you tell them."
"Well, I have a topic to start...in my world there's a theme park centered around all of your fairy tales." he said.
"Are you serious? A theme park?" Ashlynn asked, earning a nod from the boy.
"It's called Disney Land, and I've only been there like two times as a kid. Cinderella's castle is an actual hotel and it sits right in the center of the park, there are also a lot of areas to visit. Cast away Key down in Florida is the tropical resort, there's a place in the Bahamas, Hawaii which I really want to go visit. There's one in Hong Kong which is pretty cool, on and they also have Disney Cruises so you can experience fairytales on the high seas." he said.
"That's incredible. Briar had told me about your world having our fairytales in it, but I didn't think they would have centered an entire park around it." Aurora said.
"Oh yeah, that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are movies, plays, ballets, and the best of all...Disney On Ice. A retelling of famous fairy tales on Ice. I went twice to see The Glass Slipper and let me tell you, it was amazing. Then there's the quintessential Disney experience if you are a kid, and that's Kingdom Hearts, a video game series that combines Disney Fairytales with Final Fantasy elements, another famous game in my world. So yeah, you two are really popular in my world." he said.
"This is extraordinary...what else can you tell us about your world?"
"Hmm, well your stories were turned into animated movies, starting with Snow White back in 1939. Cinderella was the second major fairytale told in this way, then it was Alice in Wonderland, then Sleeping Beauty, that one was popular with teenage girls for some reason...and I sort of forgot the dates for the other major releases. The only one that comes to mind is the Little Mermaid which was in 1989, I believe." he said.
"So you truly do know every single one of our stories?" Briar asked.
"That's insane...it feels weird knowing someone who knows exactly what's gonna happen to each and every one of us." Hunter added, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Ashlynn took a hold of his hand, calming him down a bit.
"You have to remember, his world is different than ours. To everyone else, our stories are just that...I don't think Blake would have ever even met us if not for that Mirror." she said.
"Yeah, I haven't had the most exciting time here in Ever After, especially with those rumors but...I'm glad I at least have friends here, and a lovely girlfriend, which mind you, I didn't have back home." he said, causing the two queens to giggle.
"So tell me, how did you meet my little Briar? Was she sleeping in food again?"
"Mom! Don't say that like it's a normal occurrence!" Briar snapped, a flushed look on her cheeks.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I don't mind if you sleep more than a house cat. I actually got introduced to her by Apple White the day I first arrived here. Oh boy that was a doosey, I thought all of this was a dream so in order for her and Raven to prove to me it wasn't she slapped me across the face. I was rocking that hand print like a G all day."
"Um Blake, what's a G?" Ashlynn asked, causing the boy to frown.
"Sorry, I guess I reverted to my old lingo. A G is the abbreviated term for the word Gangster. A typical G spends his nights walking around with his friends, with his pants sagging past his waist, holding bottle of Budweiser in his hands and acting like he owns the place." he said firmly.
"Hello, welcome to the Silver Swan, please excuse the wait, would you like to see the menu?" one of the waitresses asked, putting a pause to whatever reply Blake was about to get.
"Do you have Fillet Mignon here?" Blake asked, earning a curious look from the waitress.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I've heard of that dish before sir."
"Oh...what about Foie Gras?"
"No, never heard of that one."
"Seriously? Escargot? Fondue? Tarte Flambee? Ratatouille?" he asked.
"I haven't heard of any of those dishes sir, this is a restaurant, not an Apple Bees."
"Oh sure, you know what Apple Bees is but not what a Tarte Flambee is."
"We'll uh...just look at the menu." Briar said, bowing her head in embarrassment as she took three menus, handing one to her mother and Blake, who looked rather annoyed.
"We'll just start off with water now, thanks miss." Cinderella said, earning a nod from the waitress, who left right after.
"I'd like to apologize...it seems my world's food is totally different from here, even though we have the same basic dishes." he said, glancing at his menu.
"It must be hard for you having to adapt no?"
"It's harder than you think Rose...the first few days were great, then someone started these awful rumors about me and Apple having this weird pseudo-masochistic relationship. After that people just treated me like a sexual deviant...I swear I don't know what a dominatrix is." he said, earning wide eyed looks from the two queens.
"Eheh, look they have salad! We should all try to eat healthy tonight!" Ashlynn said.
"Anything for you Ash." Hunter said, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek.
"So Blake, Ashlynn has told me you have quite the singing voice...do you have any songs you could sing for the two of us?" Cinderella asked, a small smile on her face.
"You...want me to sing? I mean, I can but...I don't really have anything on my mind." he said.
"Don't worry about that, Blake here is entering the talent show being held on Monday, so he's gonna be singing then."
"Wait...I am?" the boy asked, earning a vigorous nod from Briar.
"Yes...you...you promised me you would sing a song for me, before you went back home." she said, pouting a bit. She was acting, and damn she was good at it. He pursed his lips, giving her a nod.
"Fine...I'll enter the talent show and give you a song. It's the least I can do." he said, smirking a bit as he pecked her lips, much to her surprise.
"Aw, you two are so cute together...I'm just sad that you'll have to break up."
"It's alright mom, we already decided that we would have fun with this relationship while it lasted. He's gonna go home and I'll sleep for a hundred years, so we aren't gonna see each other again...it sucks, but that's destiny." Briar said, a dejected tone in her voice. Blake squeezed her hand, a look of concern on his face.
"You alright babe?" he asked.
"I need to use the restroom real quick, I'll be right back." she said. The boy moved out of the way, allowing the brunette to head to the restroom.
"I'll go too, play nice okay?" Ashlynn said, giving Hunter a kiss as she left. The two boys shared a look, now being left alone with two Queens and nothing to talk about.
"You're all alone with the parents...this is gonna be good."
"Kitty, not the right time." Blake hissed into his wrist microphone.
"So...how are your classes?" Cinderella asked, glancing at the two boys.
"We're doing great, we just got our test scores back from Sword and Weapon Training, and they were really good." Blake said.
"Good? You're kidding me right? You're the second best swordsmen in our class, right after Daring. Your skills with that Katana are insane." Hunter said, earning a grin from the boy.
"Well, I watch a lot of anime and play a lot of video games. I don't have formal training, I'm just swinging a wooden sword around. Mr. Knight said that if I keep my training up, he'd get me a real Katana, then I would be a true Samurai." he said, frowning a bit as he glanced at the table.
"Of course, our last day of classes is tomorrow, since next week is the Thronecoming preparation week...so I won't get to move onto the next stage in the class...I'll be back home before the dance." he said.
"Have you...considered staying?" Aurora asked, causing the boy to look up.
"No I haven't, I'm sorry Rose but I can't stay. I've got family and friends back home, they're probably going crazy looking for me. If time moves differently here than over there, then it would be even worse. I just hope that I've only been gone for a month over there...they probably think I'm dead." he said.
"No they don't! Come on man, you've told me how your sisters care immensely for you, just by how you described them, I don't think they're the types of women to forget their little brother. You'll go back home, and they'll tell you how much they've missed you and you'll have tons of awesome stories to tell them about all of us." Hunter said.
"That's true...I can totally rub meeting Cinderella and Aurora in their faces too." he said, earning stern looks from the two queens.
"Now Blake, it isn't right to tease women. You know they can be rather vengeful." Aurora replied.
"That's right...I have two step sisters after all, and they're still jealous of me...speaking of which, how are those two? They terrorize you at all?"
"Whenever we need to check out a book, we always get this evil glare, like they want us to speak in the library, just so they can whack us with that damn meter stick. Ugh...I've had nightmares about it for months now." Hunter said, shivering a bit.
"That's just you man...I am not scared of them. I have yet to meet Ashlynn's step sisters though, she said they're rather annoying." Blake replied. The waitress finally returned, bringing them their water. Ashlynn and Briar had also returned, the brunette looking a bit better now.
"So, have you all decided what you want?" the waitress asked, giving Blake a glare. He glared back at her, a smirk on his lips.
"Manager's Special." he said.
"Spicy, sweet or regular?"
"Surprise me."
She wrote down his order, glancing at Briar, who ordered a salad. Her mother decided to go with the pasta, as she had heard it was delicious, according to a few of her other friends. Ashlynn and Hunter also got themselves a salad, while Cinderella ordered some steamed fish. The waitress left a second later, once again leave them all alone.
"I think that waitress hates me." Blake said.
"What gave you that idea?" Hunter asked curiously.
"Well the death glare was one. I mean, it isn't my fault that she's culturally inept when it comes to fine dining and traditional French Cuisine." he replied.
"You certainly are a rather interesting young man." Aurora said, taking a sip from her water.
"Thank you, you are much different than I expected. You two seem rather...well not royal." he said.
"Well, we were commoners before we became the heroines of our stories. So we know what it's like to live in your shoes, or slipper." Cinderella said, earning a chuckle from the boy.
"What about Snow White, do you two speak with her?" Hunter asked curiously.
"She's rather busy, other than formal gatherings we don't speak like we used to. I believe being the Fairest in all the Land has started to go to her head. She isn't the sweet girl we met in high school." Aurora replied, earning a nod from Blake.
"Well, at least I know where Apple gets her stick from." he said.
"What stick?" Ashlynn asked curiously.
"I'd rather not explain right now." he replied.
xxx
The rest of the night turned out rather well. Due to their royal duties, Cinderella and Aurora had to return to their castles, but had been quite happy to meet both Hunter and Ashlynn. It was kinda sad that they had to leave so early, but they had promised to visit their daughters when they had the time. As a present for Blake, the two gave him their signatures, and had taken several pictures with the use of his phone. He was rather happy to have met the two of them, and Cinderella had even given him one of her glass slippers as a keepsake. He was definitely gonna cherish that one forever.
Ashlynn and Hunter had decided to continue their date by themselves, so they had decided to go over to the lake to watch the stars. That of course left Briar and Blake all alone, not exactly knowing what to do. It had been a rather awkward night for the two, especially with what Aurora had told them before she left.
"I know you two aren't dating, Ashlynn and Hunter kept giving each other those looks. You two on the other hand are trying to keep it formal...I was expecting a kiss or two, but I knew you were being polite."
The smile on Aurora's face told him she was a rather cunning woman, who was very hard to be lied too. The two just decided to sit at the edge of the fountain in front of the academy, as neither of them wanted to return to their dorms. It was mostly a peaceful quiet, but it was still pretty awkward, considering he did give her a kiss on the lips. He didn't exactly know if he should apologize or something. So he just sat there, staring at the moon, a blank look on his face. He felt movement beside him and glanced beside him, seeing Briar had stood up. He gave her a questioning look.
"I'm gonna head back to my dorm...thanks for tonight."
"No wait...it should be me thanking you. You let me meet Aurora, and I got to know her personally, it was a surreal experience that no one else will ever get to do in their life. I am never forgetting tonight, for as long as I live." he said.
"I'm glad...I just wanted you to have a good memory of us for when you leave." she said.
"Briar...is something wrong? You can tell me...I am a friend after all."
"I dunno...it's just...Thronecoming is almost here. I'm not sure if you know, but the Storybook of Legends will go on display for the public to read. It'll be the chance for those that didn't sign on Legacy Day can sign in front of the entire world. Headmaster Grimm has already told those who didn't sign to take the chance, and I'm expected to sign too." she said.
"You don't want to sign?" he asked.
"No, do you know what it'll be like? To sleep for a hundred years? I don't want to lose my friends. When I wake up in the future, I'll be meeting Apple's kids, and Ashlynn's kids...when I want to say hi to them, I'll have to speak to a fucking grave stone. It just tears me apart, one part of me wants to follow my mom's footsteps, and another part of me doesn't want to lose her friends. And now, I started getting to know you and hanging out with you, and we'll never see each other again." she said.
"Briar, I'm sorry...I didn't...I."
He remained silent, not exactly knowing what to say to her. She was distraught, that much was obvious, but he didn't think something like this could make her that upset. It made him hate the Storybook even more than he did before. He had been fed the destiny crap his entire time there, and now he got to see what something like that was doing to someone. He sighed, glancing at the ground.
"I'm sorry Briar...there's nothing I can do about leaving. I have to go back home, I have to go back to my family and friends. But that doesn't mean the times we've had will be forgotten. Briar, what do you want to do? Do you want to sleep for a hundred years and wake up to find everyone has died? Or do you want to break away from destiny and live with your friends?" he asked.
"I don't want my friends to die, I don't want to be alone!"
"Then don't sign the book...follow your heart and don't let a single person tell you otherwise. Even if they're your friends, it's much better for you to grow old with them then have to visit their damn headstones." he said.
"You're right...it's just difficult you know...people will judge me if I don't sign...then again, Ashlynn and Hunter embraced their relationship. Even Duchess switched sides, because you talked to her. I think you really did come here for a reason, to help end this conflict."
"Maybe...maybe not...it's all about perspective Briar. The only reason I tell people to break away from destiny is because I come from a world where we make our destiny. We have that right as human beings, and no book is gonna change my beliefs." he said firmly.
"I agree with you, thanks Blake...you've definitely cleared my mind quite a bit."
"You're welcome...oh um...about that kiss at the restaurant...I wanted to say sorry."
"It's fine...I told you not to worry about it." she said, looking away from the boy.
"I know, but it must have been your first right? It was my first too and I sort of feel like a loser."
"Seriously? Why would you say that?" she asked, feeling a bit insulted.
"No no, don't misunderstand. I feel like a loser because I kissed a girl and it was for less than a second. I bet Lucy would laugh at me as soon as I told her." he said, chuckling a bit.
"Oh...then maybe we should fix that." she said, taking a hold of his hand.
"Wait...what?"
Before he could even react, Briar closed the distance between them, planting a soft kiss on his lips. He went wide eyed from the shock, being unable to think of anything. His eyes slowly closed as he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her a bit closer to himself. She broke the kiss a second later, giving him a small smile. Before they could say anything, they both turned their heads, seeing Hunter and Ashlynn both looking at them, wide eyed. Briar and Blake shared a look, both thinking the same thing.
"Tell no one." they said in unison. They just nodded, not knowing what to say or do.
xxx
Blake was tapping his pencil against the spring holding his notebook together. He had been busy working on a song for the talent show, but hadn't been able to find any good lyrics. Rather he didn't have a solid idea for what he wanted to sing. There were plenty of songs out there that he could sing, but what Henry had told him had struck a chord with him him. He was a good singer, but he was singing off a track...he wanted to write an original song, but he knew he couldn't do it alone. It was one of the reasons he hadn't signed up for the show itself. He tore the piece of paper from the notebook and crumpled it up, tossing it in the trashcan. He glanced around his dorm room, a frown on his face.
"Won't be long until I go back home...the results come in on Monday...I would probably be gone by that night...right after the talent show...maybe I could wait until Tuesday to leave." he said, frowning a bit.
He glanced over at the framed picture he had of his family. It had been one he had printed from his phone and had gotten framed. It gave him a sense of calm, knowing he had something that reminded him of home. His pencil traced the lines again, lips pressed in a thin line as he tried to think of lyrics. He closed his eyes, thinking back on all of his experiences in Ever After, the only word that struck something within him was Destiny. His eyes flew open, a smirk on his face.
"I can definitely write a cover song...translating lyrics into English is still writing a song, but the melody will have to be worked on." he said, grabbing his earbud, placing it in his ear. He searched through his phone, finding the right song.
As he listened to it, words started floating in his minds eye, and he started writing them down. He hissed in anger, rapidly erasing the word he had written, replacing it with another one. He listened to the song at least five times before he had gotten his rendition of the lyrics in. He smiled, writing the name of the song on the top line.
He grabbed his notebook and shoved it in his backpack, along with his pencil. Slinging it onto his shoulder, the boy grabbed his dorm keys and walked out of the room, closing the door after him. He started walking out of the Boy's Dormitories, heading toward the stairs that lead down one floor to the Girl's Dormitories. As he walked into the stairwell, he ended up bumping into someone, causing them to move back a few steps. Blake was about to apologize when he realized it was Henry.
"Bro, watch where the fuck your going!"
"Oh my bad, I didn't think there was an asshole crossing here, someone should put a fucking sign on the door." Blake said, brushing past him toward the stairs.
"I heard you were gonna sign up for the talent show. Just so you know, the only slots left are for full bands, so don't even bother going as a solo singer. If you some how manage to scrape together one, make sure they're decent. It'll be all the more fun when we defeat you."
"I'd like to see you try asshat." Blake spat, moving down the stairwell, Henry's laughter filling the well as he walked down.
Stepping into the first floor, Blake started walking toward Melody's dorm, hoping the white haired girl was actually there. He knew she liked going to the student lounge to download her mixes and some new tracks, as it was the place where the signal was strongest. Arriving at her dorm, he gave a few knocks on the door, making sure it was right at it's center. It didn't take long for Melody to open the door, a surprised look on her face.
"Hey, wasn't expecting to see you back so soon."
"Yeah, well I need some help." he said. She allowed him entree into the room, and he instantly walked over to the booth, where he could see the girl was currently mixing some new songs.
"So, what can I, Melody Piper do for you...this isn't Radio Rebel related, is it?" she asked, sitting beside him.
"Nope, this is talent show related. I was gonna enter as a solo singer, but Harry Cocksucker just told me there are only slots open for bands. Which really puts me in a bind." he said.
"Ah, I get it...you want my help? Wish granted, being a radio host is great, and I got my DJ gig, but being in a band would be totes awesome."
"Seriously, you'll join? Just like that?" he asked.
"Mhmm, just like that. But we can't just grab random people...what instruments can you play?" she asked.
"Guitar, bass, violin and I did try saxophone once but I didn't stick with it too long." He said, earning a nod from her.
"Well, then obviously you get the spot of Lead Guitar, unless you want to play frontman."
"I was thinking about it, but I want more than one person singing the lead. I got my own songs, but if you or anyone else writes one, they can go for it. Which also means we'll need to get people who can sing good." Blake said.
"First and foremost we need to find people who can actually play instruments, notably, bass, guitar and drums. I got keys, and I can also handle anything else with my turn tables, got any ideas on who can play any of those three instruments?"
"Um...Kitty can play guitar."
"That's a no go, Kitty is on the judging committee so she can't participate...it was a punishment for that Indoor Golf game you guys were playing."
"Shit, I forgot...the only other person is Lizzie, but she's on the committee too...who can sing and play guitar? Someone who's good at both and wouldn't mind handling an instrument when I or they have to sing?" Blake asked.
"Well...I might know someone who fits one of those criteria." Melody said, grabbing her jacket. She slipped it on, grabbing a brown guitar case from the side of her room.
"Uh...okay, I guess I'll follow your lead." he said, following the girl out of the room.
They didn't go far, in fact. They only walked a few doors down, coming to a stop shortly after. Blake glanced around the hall as Melody knocked on the door. He glanced at the plaque that had been installed onto the wall, seeing the names on it. He glanced at Melody, giving her a curious look.
"We're here for Blondie?" he asked.
"No, we're here for Cupid. Remember, she's the daughter of Eros, the god of Love, that means she has to know how to sing...to lure lovers together. It's just a hunch." she said. The door opened a second later, being greeted by the pink haired cherub.
"Hi guys, do you need something?"
"Cupid, how would you like to be in a band? The musical kind?" Blake asked. She blinked a few times, glancing around the hall.
"Tell me more."