A/N:
Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 43 of Through the Looking Glass. I would like to apologize for not uploading last night, I kept getting a Type 1 error preventing me from uploading. So today I am going to do a double post, posting yesterday and today's chapters for you. This is the last chapter in the Prelude, so you all get to see what happens after Blake and Cerise broke up.
I would like to apologize to you all. I know you all liked Blake and Cerise as a pairing, but I admit that they never were the official pairing. Originally, Blake wasn't going to be with anyone, but I knew that I could come up with a lot of ideas for him being in a relationship. It was originally supposed to be him and Holly, as after Henry started the rumors, she was going to give him a job at the Hair Salon and they would have gotten closer, but that was an idea that I ended up scrapping.
So I instead made it Cerise because she got closer to him, not just the band but she saw the good in him, and I know you people must be wondering, but Celestial, if she's so in love with him then why did she break up with him? Without him explaining? Well, everyone...women are hard to understand. But the major reason, is because of all the things that happened. She doesn't truly know if he cheated on her, and if he wasn't able to tell her the secret of him being the Radio Rebel, then how many other secrets hasn't he told her? And sure, at three months you would think there would still be secrets among the two, but she only has one secret, about being half wolf and she confided that with him early on in the story. It was the only thing she had to offer while he had a similar one and kept it. So he made a mistake sure, but he was sure going to tell her eventually. But it is okay, even though they dated, they will remain the best of friends.
The next chapter, chapter 44 will be the first official chapter of the Spring Unsprung arc, and I shall be posting it in about three hours so I can edit it and all that fun bullshit. So I do hope you look forward to it. I do hope you like this chapter as well, let me know what you all think. As always, review, favorite and follow the story. Uh...if you have any questions feel free to PM me with your questions and I will answer them in a timely fashion. See you in chapter 44.
Through the Looking-Glass
Chapter 43
Spring Unsprung Prelude 3:
Phase 2
Blake didn't remember much, when his eyes snapped open. All he was looking at was the glow of the afternoon sky, as the sun was slowly dipping below the horizon. He felt a bit lighter, and the air around him smelled like magical smoke. He couldn't feel his arms a bit, but as soon as he started moving them, the normal pins and needles started to pop up. He groaned in pain, forcing himself to sit up. He saw the Vorpal Blade, stabbed into the ground several feet away from him. Glancing around the clearing, he noticed that several trees has been cut down. All of them seemed to have gotten sliced right in half, instead of cut at an angle with an axe. It was clear that he had done it with the aid of that blade, as it was the sharpest weapon ever created. He noticed the around around him was singed, and completely gone in some areas. He didn't hear any critters, bugs or anything...it was just dead silent. He forced himself to his feet, brushing off his clothes as he tried keeping balance. He felt like vomiting, his head was swimming around and he didn't know what was going on. His hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword, and it retracted, quickly disappearing. He attached it to his belt, glancing around the clearing.
Images flashed into his mind, and he remembered what had happened. After Cerise had broken up with him, he had walked all the way to Raven's clearing in the Dark Forest, and he had just started unleashing his rage on the nearby trees. He remembered hitting them with his full magic power, disintegrating several on impact. Once he had lost most of his magic from how much he had expelled, he had just started chopping trees with his sword, his eyes blurred with tears. He had continued doing that until he had literally passed out. He didn't know what time it was, nor what day it was.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out his watch. He flicked it open, seeing the picture of him and Cerise. He quickly snapped it closed, unhooking the watch from his belt, shoving it in his pocket. He reached into his pants pocket for his MirrorPhone, only to realize it was completely dead. He blinked a few times, brushing some hair out of his eyes as he looked at the sky, his eyes hurting slightly.
"How long have I been gone?" he muttered, his voice sounding a bit raspy.
It was only then that he realized just how thirsty he was. His throat hurt, from all the screaming he had done. Luckily, the clearing was far away from Ever After High and Bookend, so no one would hear him, unless they lived in the woods. He shook his head, and started making his way back to the village of Bookend. He clutched the side of his head, his migraine lessening a bit. He frowned, remembering everything that had happened.
Cerise had broken up with him, that was his new reality. The girl he had fallen in love with, had spent most of his time with, had lost trust in him. It was all because of the hijacker, the fake Radio Rebel...the one who had stolen those diaries, had somehow managed to spill his secret. He hated himself for putting Cerise through that...he hated himself for jumping to conclusions. She was probably crying and screaming because of him. It just destroyed him even more, he felt tears brimming his eyes, and he didn't bother hold them back. He fell to his knees, shoulders shaking.
"Dammit...it hurts...it hurts so goddamn much. Why did this have to happen? Who's doing this to us?" he cried, slamming his fists against the dirt. His fingers were sparking with magic, long since exhausted.
"Blake? Oh my gosh, there you are!" a familiar voice called out. He glanced up, his eyes blurred with tears. He wiped them away, eyes widening a bit when he saw it had been Kitty. She knelt down next to him, looking him over for injuries.
"Kitty?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You've been gone for three days...what the hell were you doing out here?" she asked.
"Three days? Wow...I'm sorry...I just...wanted to be alone." he replied, glancing away from her.
"Yeah, well next time, remember there are people back home that care about you. Do you know how agonizing it was searching for you? Cerise didn't want to talk to anyone, and Ramona said she was depressed over everything. You two need to talk this out like adults, alone."
"She doesn't want to talk...you probably already heard this all. She believes that fake Rebel...she said I broke her trust...it was my fault." he said softly, eyes tightly closed as more tears spilled from them. Kitty sighed, wrapping her arms around the boy.
"Blake please, you're my best friend...I don't like seeing you like this...you guys need to talk. If you can't get back together, at least end it in good terms...don't let her get away from you. She loves you and you love her." she said. He wrapped his arms around the girl, crying into her shoulder.
"I'm sorry...it's all my fault. I shouldn't have said that too her...this damn fake, I hate him so much." he said, coughing a bit from his raspy voice.
"I should have stopped you...it's my fault too...I'm not a very good friend." she said sadly. He let go of the girl, taking a hold of her face, wiping away her own tears.
"You aren't...you are an amazing friend...you came out here this far for someone like me. I don't deserve your friendship, I don't deserve to be in Ever After, surrounded by so many people."
"That isn't true...you deserve to be here, more than that douche bag Joey. He seemed really pleased with what had happened...the asshole. You have to talk to her Blake, promise me you'll at least do that. Even if it doesn't work, please just end it on good terms. It'll hurt you even worse if you don't." she said, a pleading tone in her voice.
"Okay...I'll talk to her...can we walk back? I want time to think." he whispered, rubbing his throat a bit. She nodded, reaching into her purse for a bottle of water and an apple.
"Here, you must be hungry." she said.
"Thank you, you have no idea how fucking thirsty I am." he replied, opening the bottle. Kitty smiled brightly, her smile wasn't one of mischievousness, it wasn't a sneer of pride. It was a genuine, smile. A smile of pure love."
xxx(Queen of Hearts' Castle Outer Grounds, Wonderland)xxx
Hiding from the Card Soldiers wasn't an easy feat. Somehow, they managed to find you no matter how well hidden you were. But thankfully, Gloriosa and Mavis hadn't been found. They had been hiding in the outer grounds of the castle, waiting to see what was going on. The castle was always patrolled by guards, ever since the curse had been put over Wonderland. It was once a place that anyone could come visit, and as long as one didn't anger the Queen, you could explore the grounds, even play her in a game of croquet, as long as you were prepared to lose. But recently, the Queen of Hearts was growing paranoid, weakened by the poisoned magic, scared by the curse. It was why the two girls always came back to check on the castle, to make sure everyone and everything was in working order. Thankfully, this time was one of those times.
It didn't take long for several card soldiers to come out from inside, pushing along a pair of teenagers, the first being a tall blond young man with side swept hair. He wore a blue jacket over a white shirt, with dark brown pants and boots, around his shoulder was a satchel, filled with various things. This young man was Alistair Wonderland, son of Alice from Wonderland. The girl beside him was a young woman with light pink skin and white hair cut just above the shoulder. She had a pair of fluffy white ears atop her head. She was wearing a white dress with short silver sleeves, a bell shaped skirt with black and white buttons, and matching heeled boots. This young woman was Bunny Blanc, daughter of the White Rabbit. It was obvious the two had gotten caught for the very reason they were hiding.
It had happened to Gloriosa many times, but she always used the Diplomatic Immunity card to get away scot free. Alistair and Bunny didn't have that choice, so they had to sit there and listen to the ramblings of a mad woman. They reached the entrance of the castle, were unchained and unceremoniously throne out.
"Hey, be more careful with her!" Alistair snapped, glaring at the soldier as he went to check on Bunny.
"You've been given a final warning boy. If we catch you around here, it'll be back to the trial room for you...good day." the soldier said, swiftly turning around. Alistair helped Bunny to her feet, looking her over for injuries. She hissed a bit, seeing the new scratch marks on her arms.
"Ow, it stings." she said softly, looking at the injury.
"It's nothing, probably from the rocks. I've got some things back at the house that we can use, come on." Alistair said, taking a hold of her hand. Gloriosa moved behind the two, following them at a distance, making sure she stayed close.
Mavis was following suit in her Hare form, jumping around and dashing across the trees. Often times Gloriosa was a bit jealous of her shape shifting friends, but she had more control over her Wonderland magic than some others, so she at least had that over them. She briefly wondered how Madeline was doing, seeing as she was the most insane of them all. She also remembered only having met her a couple times before she was taken to Earth, so she was sure the girl didn't even remember her. Once they had left the outer areas of the Queen's castle, Gloriosa dashed out of the brush, running up the path after her friends.
"Alistair, Bunny!" she called out. The two teenagers came to a stop, eyes widening in surprise.
"Gloriosa!" the boy cried, catching the girl in a hug, laughing a bit.
"It's been such a long time! How have you been?" Bunny asked, briefly hugging the girl, who had taken both of their hands.
"It's been rough...I got really close to Marmoreal, but Bunny's dad put a rabbit hole in front of it, we ended up in the River basin not far from here." the auburn haired girl said, a frown on her face.
"I'm sorry, if I had known I would have closed it up for you. Maybe we can take one back to the palace and help you out?"
"Don't bother...it's already...in the process of...moving." Mavis said falling to her knees next to her friends. She was panting a bit, clearly tired from the run.
"Mavis, you can't be this tired. We didn't run that far, you seriously need to stop eating so much sugar." Gloriosa said, earning a glare from the girl.
"It's nice to see you too Mavis, it's been awhile. We should catch up, Bunny got hurt so I was going to take her home." Alistair said, earning nods from the two girls.
"We've got something important to share with you anyway, it's rather serious."
Seeing the look on Gloriosa's face was enough for Alistair to grow worried. They remained mostly silent on the walk back to Bunny's house. It was the nearest place to the castle, her father was almost always with the Queen, so she spent most of her time with Alistair exploring Wonderland, looking for a way to Ever After. They had spent a lot of time catching up, though the topic had mostly been Gloriosa's search for Marmoreal, and how Mavis had tagged along for most of it. They had gotten close this time, but were still off quite aways due to the rabbit hole. It didn't take long for them to make it to Bunny's house, which was near the Tulgey wood. She pulled out a doorknob from her pocket and placed it on the door, giving it a twist.
"Maybe my dad is home this time." she said hopefully, as they entered the house. Just by looking around, Gloriosa could tell that he hadn't been there in awhile. Bunny still felt the need to check, but her hope was quickly dashed. They moved to the kitchen, where Alistair started tending to Bunny's scratches.
"Sorry about your dad not being here Bunny...I haven't seen my dad in a long time either." Mavis said, giving the girl a smile.
"It's alright, I'm sure he'll be home sometime soon. So, what was it that you needed to talk to us about?"
"Well...we found a portal that's still open." Gloriosa said, earning a chuckle from Alistair, who set down the wet rag. He pulled out some ointment from his bag, blowing all of the flies from it.
"That's impossible Gloria, all of the portals were closed when the worlds were quarantined. We went to every area the portals had once been, the one behind the Woods that lead to Nottingham, the one in the desert that lead to Neverland, let's not forget all of the ones that lead to Ever After. There's no possible way a portal is still open." he said. Gloriosa smirked, reaching into her bag.
"Oh? If there are no closed portals than how did we find this?" she asked, slamming the Storybook of Legends on the table top. His eyes widened in shock, Bunny similarly letting out a gasp.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked.
"Yup, in it's leather bound magical glory. Bask upon the might that is the Storybook of Legends!"
"How did you get this?" Alistair said, walking toward the table, once he had put a bandage on Bunny's scratch. He grabbed the book from the table, the mirror in the center glowing brightly.
"Well, we fell down a rabbit hole into the river basin. Gloriosa landed right on it, and once it had started jabbing her in the butt, she reached under her skirt and bam. Storybook of Legends." Mavis explained, earning a huff from her friend.
"When you put it that way, it sounds perverted."
"Well, it was poking you in the butt, so yeah it sort of was." the copper hair girl added cheekily. Alistair opened the book, looking through all of the pages, eyes scanning the words on each one.
"It's the real deal alright...but how did it even get here? There's really an open portal?" he asked.
"Maybe it was one that was forgotten...the Well of Wonder?" Bunny asked, Gloriosa stood up, unrolling her map.
"That is the most likely case. We didn't just find the Storybook, we found a pocketbook belonging to someone from Ever After. So there's definitely a portal and the Well is it. So if you want to reach the other world, you'll have to start there." she said, placing the map on the table.
"What do you mean you? Aren't you the one returning it?"
"Sorry Al, Gloria and I can't leave Ever After. We need to get the Holy sword so we can protect the Queen of Hearts. You know she's in danger, and we can't risk leaving her unguarded." Mavis said firmly.
"I was hoping you and Bunny could go smooth things over with the Headmaster of Ever After High. Besides, I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing my mother after so long." she said, glancing away from the table.
"It would be ideal for us to go Alistair...we could talk to our friends there. They must be worried about everything that's going on, especially Lizzie." Bunny said, giving the boy a pleading look. He sighed, giving her a nod.
"This is a riddle that only we can solve...so I'll...no, we'll do it. We'll keep the Book safe until we locate the well. Since it moves around, we'll need to time it so we can find it closer to us." the boy said, glancing at the map.
"WonderMap, show me the Well of Wonder." Gloriosa chanted, causing the map to glow. A blinking gold dot appeared half way across the map, the current location of the well. She tapped the dot, zooming in on the location.
"The Wonderlandian Deadlands...they say nothing ever goes in there, and everything that goes in never comes out." Mavis said, an ominous tone in her voice.
"Pfft, that's bullshit. Where do all the stories come from then?" the auburn haired girl said, a smirk on her face.
"We won't know exactly where the well is going to appear next. So planning some sort of route wouldn't be ideal...I think we should wait it out." Alistair said, earning a nod from the girls.
"Well, the Spring Fairest is happening soon I think...maybe we can wait until then to go to Ever After? It would be easier than just randomly popping up. Then we can just hand the book over, speak with Lizzie and be back before we're missed."
"Bunny has a point, the Headmaster would probably be more lenient too. I'm not sure what's been happening over there since the last time I visited, but hopefully nothing bad has happened. I can only hope my friends are alright." Gloriosa said, placing a hand over her heart.
"Friends? You have friends over there?" Alistair asked curiously, earning a smile from the girl.
"I do, but that's a story for another time."
xxx(Ever After High)xxx
It had been rather awkward for Blake when he arrived back in Ever After. He didn't want to face anyone, so he had Kitty flash him to his room. She gave him a smile and told him to text her later before leaving. He then went to his bed and fell on it, falling asleep again. When he woke up, he didn't know what time it had been, closer to morning than before. He decided it was time to take a shower. His cloak was dirty and needed to be washed, so he decided to hand wash it in his sink to kill some time. Once it had been washed and set to dry, he grabbed a fresh change of clothes and jumped into the shower. He didn't know how long he had been in there, but by the time the hot water had run out, it was around six in the morning. He got dressed and brushed his teeth, glancing up at the mirror.
He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept in days. He had a bit of stubble on his chin, which he quickly took care of. He brushed his hair a bit, which had gotten a bit longer, though he hadn't noticed. He opened his cabinet and grabbed the foundation he had hidden inside. He hadn't used it in awhile, but it was time to break it out again. He shook the small bottle, grabbing a small sponge and started applying the make up around his eyes, until the dark rings were gone. His brilliant green eyes were filled with sadness, but he wasn't going to let that deter him. He took a deep breath, squeezing the bottle in his hand.
"I'm not just gonna let this end...I'll at least talk to Cerise, see if I can change her mind. If she doesn't then I'll respect her wishes. But that fake Rebel is going down, I'll make sure he pays for what he's doing." he said, his eyes flashing violet for a second. He took a drink of water, his aching throat making him cringe.
He didn't remember much, but he figured he had been screamed in rage while in the woods. Because of that, he could barely speak due to his sore throat. Every time he tried talking for more than a few seconds, he started coughing, and Kitty had told him not to talk until his voice was better. Until then, he had to have some cough drops for when his throat started hurting. He grabbed his pocket watch from his pocket, looking at hit closely, wrapping the chain around his hand. He closed his eyes, sighing as he placed it back in his pocket. He walked back into his room, sitting down on his bed, it was still dark outside.
Cadence had noticed her friend had been a little sad, and had flown out of her bed toward him. She jumped up and nestled next to him, placing her head on his lap, giving him an upward look. He smiled a bit, placing a hand on her snout.
"I'm fine Cadence, honest." he said in a whisper, as to not strain his voice. He felt his phone start vibrating, and he reached into his pocket for it, looking at the screen. It was a message from Kitty, he was honestly surprised the girl was up at six fifteen in the morning, seeing as she loved sleeping. He sent her a message back, telling him he was up, and a second later she flashed into his room, standing right before him.
"You look better, did you sleep alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine." he said softly, glancing down at Cadence. Kitty sat beside him, giving him an apple, a smile on her face.
"They're your favorite and you need to eat. I wanted to make sure you were fine last night, but I could tell you wanted to be alone."
"It's okay Kitty, I appreciate it. How are things in school?" he asked, taking a bite from the fruit. The girl stood up from the bed, patting her skirt a bit as she moved.
"Um well...you sort of revealed yourself as the Radio Rebel, and that was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was a good thing because the Fake Rebel stopped announcing things over the PA. I guess they felt threatened when you did, we even recovered Melody's diary, but it had no finger prints or DNA strands of the one who took it." she said.
"That's good I guess, what's the bad part?" he asked, cringing a bit from the scratchiness of his throat.
"Well, there are some people who aren't too happy with our work. Melody, Duchess and I haven't said anything, but people think that the operation was done by you alone. Remember, we've been busting rumors since October, getting people in trouble, hell some of the teacher's even dislike what we do, since some of the rumors centered around them. The Headmaster has already said that you had been punished for it, though he turned a blind eye to it in the first place. That hasn't eased some of the tensions. There are some Rebels annoyed with you, some Royals are proud of you, and the mix that just doesn't care." she said.
"Excellent...so, that means people dislike me more than when they did during those rumors." he said, taking another bite from his rapidly disappearing fruit.
"They don't dislike you...well, most don't. They're focus is more on the fake Rebel and finding him, after all he's hurt three girls. Most agree that what we were doing was a good thing, we played good music, answered personal questions and helped people out...so they aren't that annoyed." she said, giving him a small smile.
"Yeah, but that means that there are people that will have a problem. On top of that, my relationship sunk faster than the Titanic, and that fucker is still at large." he replied, a frown on his face.
"Fine then, since you exposed your identity as the Rebel, then I'll just expose myself as your informant." Kitty said, earning a curious look from the boy. He shook his head, tossing his apple core in the trash.
"Don't Kitty...I don't want you to get in trouble." he said firmly, coughing a bit from the strain on his voice. She put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a smirk.
"Chaos is my middle name...besides, you took the heat for me when Grimm's ring was taken, so I'm not letting you fall alone. I'm your friend right? So friends stick together." she replied. He gave her a hug, making her freeze in place from the sudden action. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around the boy.
"He's so fragile, like he's going to break. No, he's already broken, and is trying to keep himself together. Hopefully Cerise can see that too...if she doesn't than she's an idiot." she thought to herself.
"Thank you Kitty...I guess I'll just wait until class and just show up. It's gonna be fun, especially after being gone for three days." he said, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"It'll be fine...all of our friends will be there. I'd talk to Raven first, she was really worried." she suggested, earning a nod from the boy. It would still be some time before class, so for now he would just wait.
xxx
"Three days gone eh? Did the break up hurt you that much?" Joey muttered to himself, as he glanced up from his breakfast. It had been rather awkward when Blake walked into the castleteria.
Almost everyone stopped talking when he walked into the large dining hall, accompanied by Kitty Cheshire. He just bowed his head, putting on his hood as he walked toward the breakfast line. Joey couldn't help but smirk, relishing in the boy's misery. He glanced over to Cerise who had stopped eating her breakfast, having rapidly lost interest. Cedar said something to her, but he didn't know what. She grabbed her half eaten breakfast and tossed it, rapidly leaving the castleteria. He had noticed Blake had been watching her from afar, a disappointed look on his face.
"This is so perfect. Those two aren't going to talk any time soon, so now I'll do my best to keep it that way. Then when the time comes, bam...I'll let every one of these losers know he, Briar and Kitty dumped the book in the well."
"Yo, Joey...aren't you going to say something to him?" Jack asked, causing the boy to look up from his food. He hadn't even noticed him sit down, nor did he notice Pierre and Frost sit down either.
"Say something to who?"
"To Blake of course. Aren't the two of you friends? You should talk to him, see how he's doing...you've known him longer than anyone here." Frost said firmly.
"I doubt he'd want to speak with me of all people. We haven't been seeing eye to eye recently, so I'd just make things worse."
"While that is true, he needs the support of his friends now. Cerise is clearly confused, and that fake Rebel isn't helping. Just be there to reassure him, at least." Pierre said, taking a drink from his milk. Joey sighed, standing up from his seat.
"Alright, just stop breathing down my neck about it." he said, walking over to the breakfast line, a bit hunched down in annoyance.
"Can't believe this shit...at least I can take this chance to aggravate him. That should be fun." he thought, smirking inwardly. As he approached them, he noticed Kitty look at him with annoyance in her eye. She quickly flashed in front of him, arms crossed as she stood between him and Blake.
"What do you want?"
"To speak with my friend, the fuck else would I come here for?"
"Who said Blake even wants to talk to you? You know, I'm still pissed off at what you tried to do to me. I can claw out your eyes, I'm not scared of doing it you know." she said, holding her hand out. He had to admit, her nails almost looked like claws, and would no doubt hurt like hell if he was scratched by them.
"Yeah well, I was his friend before you, so I get privileges. So step aside kitten, I'm just trying to make sure he's alright." he said firmly.
"I don't want to talk to you. What gave you the idea that I did?" Blake asked, his voice strained as he glared at Joey. He adopted a hurt look on his face.
"Seriously? Come on man, I just wanted to make sure you were fine. I know what you are going through. My girlfriend disappeared too, sure my circumstance was a bit different, but it still hurts the same. I'm honestly glad Lucy didn't just break up with me, it would suck to see her every day and have to remember what had happened." he said firmly.
"Are you trying to make him feel better or make him depressed?" Kitty asked, her eyes narrowed in anger.
"Obviously I want to make him feel better."
"I fail to see how you are doing that...Lucy left you without saying a word, his break up happened in public. People all around him were watching as his heart was breaking, and now people are still most likely talking. How do you think he feels?"
"Kitty, it's fine...I just want to be left alone alright?" Blake said. He hadn't grabbed anything other than a few apples, which he stuffed into his pockets. He grabbed another Red Delicious from the top of the basket before turning to leave the castleteria.
"You can't act depressed all the time Blake. Sometimes you gotta put on your big boy pants and deal with the problem." Joey called out, causing the boy to stop. He clenched his hand so tightly the apple in his grasp literally exploded, wisps of violet magic flowing around his hand.
"You wanna do me a solid and never talk to me again? That would be amazing. You can just fuck off...fuck right off a cliff, right to your death." he said, cringing a bit. He grabbed his throat as he walked off, reaching into his pocket for some cough drops.
"Okay, see you later then!" he said cheerfully.
"You know, you are a real piece work. You see him, hurting because of his break up, and here you are acting like a douche bag. Telling him to grow up? Are you kidding me? What kind of friend tells that to someone after a break up?" Kitty hissed, her firsts were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. He shook his head, turning to face the violet haired girl.
"Don't think I don't see what you are doing. Now that Blakey and Cerise broke up, he's all up for grabs...I can clearly see your hidden intentions. Don't worry, maybe Apple will beat you to it...or Duchess, or Briar, hell if Ashlynn wasn't dating Hunter I bet she'd go after him too. Honestly, I don't see what you all see in him." he said, pulling on his collar.
"Do you know what I see in Blake? I see kindness, compassion. He's helped so many people in this school, he's talked to people. He helped so many decide if they wanted to be Royals or Rebels. He made Ginger's dream come true, he created the Winter Concert, almost by himself. Yet there are dick heads like you, who are jealous of his accomplishments...just face it Joey, between you and Blake, you are always going to be second best." Kitty said, giving him her famous Cheshire smile before disappearing.
"That fucking bitch, you think you are acting so cute. You're just acting like the needy bitch you are, thinking he'll replace Cerise with you. Heh, that will be the day. Now, to act like nothing happened." he thought, turning around. He walked back to his table, sitting back down with a frown on his face.
"Well, I tried to cheer him up, but he took what I said negatively." he said.
"You probably said the wrong thing then. I didn't hear shit from here, but Kitty looked really upset." Jack said firmly.
"Eh, I just told him that I knew what he was going through. After all, my girlfriend disappeared on me, that's worse than a break up in public." he said with a shrug.
"I think they're on par. At least she disappeared on you and when you found out, it wasn't in public. Do you know how visibly hurt Blake was during all of that? He was screaming and pleading for her to come back, and she didn't...because she lost trust in him. That hurts way more than someone just going missing." Pierre said.
"Oh what do you know? You haven't even know what love is."
"Are you serious? Of course I know what love is, I'm in love with the next Esme, the next Esmeralda. Even in my story, I'm destined to fall in love with a woman that won't love me, and I'll be killed by being thrown off a church. So don't sit there and tell me I don't know what love is."
"Calm down Pierre, I'm sure Joey didn't mean it that way, right?" Frost asked.
"Yeah...sorry man...I didn't mean it." the brunette said, bowing his head.
"It's fine...just remember, your words may seem right to you, but to someone else, they'll have a different effect. I'm sure that's what happened with Blake just now. He might not want to see you ever again, but I'd still apologize to him." Jack said, earning a nod from Joey.
"Heh, in your dreams Jackie-boy. No way in hell I'll apologize, besides, I've done way more shit to him than you can even imagine."
xxx
Blake found himself on the fourth floor outlook. It was his thinking place after all, whenever he felt upset or just wanted to be alone, he would come up here. He hadn't been to any of his classes, he hadn't felt like them. The fake Rebel had felt daring and had dropped another one of Apple's diary entrees, but he had only read one. It seemed as if they were getting closer to him, the urgency in their voice was as a clear indicator. He leaned back against the railing, the wind blowing his wind slightly as he ate the apples he had taken with him. He didn't know how many he had eaten, but all he knew was that he felt much better now that he had gotten a fill of his favorite fruit. Nothing would beat the taste of a Zap Apple of course, but Red Delicious apples were still delicious. The entire outlook was empty, save for himself. He glanced up at the clock tower belonging to the castle, it was the highest tower in the castle, bearing the face of a beautiful olden style clock.
It was the tallest structure in the entirety of the castle, he had heard that from the ground to the very top was at least nine stories. There was no way to enter the clock tower, except from a single door on the first floor. According to some students, the clock hadn't been functional for awhile. It had once played beautiful music on the hour, but that hadn't happened for awhile. It lead to the commission of the clock tower in Bookend. He wished he could hear that music now, it would definitely ease his mind a bit, but the clock tower's mechanism had been busted and no one had been able to fix it, so it had been condemned. Though he did hear from Giles that the sound disks were still around somewhere. That had piqued his interest.
He sighed, glancing away from the tower. He had been thinking about a lot of things, but mostly because of his own mistakes. If he hadn't done what he did, if he hadn't said that to Cerise, then maybe he wouldn't he have had that problem. It wouldn't have lead to his break up...but he was sure those passages from Apple and Duchess's diaries would have been enough to make her question if it was true or not. Even though he denied it, his accusation coupled with those diary entree had been a recipe for disaster. Now that he had revealed himself as the Radio Rebel, it was even worse. He had kept a huge secret for her for the longest time, so he figured that would factor into everything as well. Once he had finished thinking that, he knew there was no way she could forgive him for that. He had been prepared for it, but he didn't want to admit it. Still he would talk, see what she had to say, and if she didn't want to continue dating him, then he would accept her wishes. He took a bite from his apple, glancing back toward the doors, seeing one move slightly. He rose a brow, taking a bite from his apple.
"You know, I can see you." he said firmly, trying not to strain his voice too much. It had been getting a bit better, but it was still a bit raspy. The person behind the door stiffened a bit, finally deciding to walk out onto the observation deck.
"I didn't mean to bother you...you seemed like you wanted to be alone."
"You never bother me sis, come on. You're like, the only family I have here, it makes me happy that you came to check on me." he said, giving Raven a smile. Even though she knew they weren't related, she was happy he considered her family. She wrapped an arm around his waist, giving him a side hug.
"You know...the first time I lost my cool, I was gone for a week. My dad was so worried, he sent a regimen of soldiers to look for me. Mother was proud of course, Snow White was worried about me hurting people, and Apple was lost in her perfect little world, barely noticed I was gone. I couldn't speak for awhile either, and I didn't have the benefit of magic cough drops." she said.
"Hey, magic solves everything in this world. If you didn't get magic cough drops, then that was your loss." he replied, earning a punch to the arm from the girl.
"Don't get smart with me." she said. He chuckled, rubbing his new bruise. They remained silent after that, just enjoying each others company.
Blake honestly didn't know what to say, or rather he had too much to say and no way to say it. So he just remained silent. It reminded him of times where Susan helped him out, whether it was a school related problem or a problem with his friends. Mary would help him more often than not, but she never gave good advice...to him she was more like Ramona, the one that always made him have perverted thoughts. Remembering the older Badwolf made him remember Cerise was well, which made him frown a bit.
"You know...you'll be fine. It hurts right now, I know it does...but it'll get better. I suggest you at least talk to her, see what she says. Maybe you can get back together...but if you don't...then that's fine too. Maybe it was just...not meant to be."
"Have you ever been in this situation Raven? It's my first heart break...I sort of want someone with experience." he asked. She shook her head, glancing away from him.
"Sorry, I've never been in a relationship...I did kiss one boy back in middle school, but he just did it as a joke. I'm not sure if disappointment counts."
"Not really...but I guess I understand...a little bit. Whoever that was who kissed you, he's an idiot. Because he missed out on a wonderful girl." he said, earning a giggle from Raven.
"Wonderful huh? I'm the daughter of the Evil Queen, bad to the bone. I could turn people into rats with a single thought. Doubt anyone who wasn't evil would date me."
"Hey now, that isn't true. Dexter is totally in love with you...I can set the two of you up if you want, we're best friends after all."
"No no, I can handle that part on my own. It's embarrassing to have your little brother acting as your wingman." she said, earning a laugh from the boy, who broke into a coughing fit a second later. She looked at him with concern, but he brushed it off.
"You know it's weird...have you ever gotten this feeling in your heart like, your meant to be somewhere? I've been having it for the last few months now. It's as if I was meant to be here in Ever After...I even feel as if you were my real sister...it's odd, but comforting too." he said. Raven gave him a weird look, clearly confused.
"I don't really know what you are talking about. I guess if I was on Earth, after I awhile I'd feel like that...a place where I can be whatever I want without consequence? Sounds like a good place to be to me."
"Well Earth has it's fair share of problems...I guess every world does. You can truly do what you want, not without someone having an issue with it. Ever After is different...at least you can rebel against destiny here, you got no destiny on Earth, just the one you make yourself. I've seen destiny lead people to do some horrible things." he said, glancing into the distance. Raven sighed, patting her knees a bit as she stood up, turning to face the boy, who just looked at her oddly.
"Well, let's just talk about the important things. Right now, you need to talk with Cerise...I've tried talking to her, but all she's done is turn me away. She's confused, and I've done my best to let her know that everything that's happening isn't true. After all, I've been spending more time with Apple than I care to admit."
"I don't think it'll make a difference...she was hard set on it. I broke her trust by assuming she had said something about that entree. I mean, do you know how embarrassing it is to have someone say that over the PA? Now everyone thinks I'm a pervert." he said.
"Yes, but this happened before you even started dating Cerise. That's another thing I want to point out, did you seriously have a vivid wet dream about Apple?" she asked, earning a nod from the boy, who was trying not to flush.
"How could I not? She's Apple White, and she's the nicest person I've ever met. It isn't hard to like her. I already told myself not to let myself start crushing on her, but my scumbag brain thought it was a good idea to give me that vivid dream. I don't want to disgust you or anything, but the morning after was the worst. That was the hardest boner I have ever had." he said.
"That's too much information...I really didn't need to know how hard your dick was after a wet dream. But I'm not gonna deny that I haven't had my fair share of steamy dreams. It's harder when you have a roommate who's been watching you for awhile because you woke her up. At least I have that one over Apple, I did the same to her when she was dreaming about you."
"Yeah well, it's not the only one. I've had a few, even with...I'd rather not say." he said, glancing away from her. She rose a brow, a smirk on her lips.
"Oh come on, since we're being so open you should tell me. Was it Briar? Ashlynn? It was Melody wasn't it?"
"No...it wasn't any of them...plus it would just be weird with Ashlynn since she's taken and Melody is like a sister to me. It was someone else...someone you should know really well." he said, giving her a small smirk. She narrowed her eyes a bit in thought, before they snapped open and she backed away from him.
"You had a dream...about me?"
"Perhaps? Can you blame me? I like goth girls...but that's before I started seeing you as a sister...and no I haven't written it down either." he said.
"That's so embarrassing! I'm glad you didn't write it down, the last thing I need is that being on the air." she said, flushing slightly making the boy smile.
"See, this just proves one thing...Earth and Ever After are similar when it comes to horny teenagers. Wouldn't surprise me if some people are shagging like bunnies already. But still, Cerise isn't going to talk to me...not after what happened." he said.
"Don't give up on yourself, one of my friends is in deep. She's gonna get Cerise here against her will if she has too." Raven said, a smirk on her face.
"One of your friends...oh god, it's Kitty isn't it? Cerise is gonna be really mad." he said. As if on cue, Kitty flashed onto the plaza, with Cerise in tow. The hooded girl growled at the daughter of the Cheshire Cat, who took Raven's hand. She waved at Blake before leaving, the boy earned a wink from Raven before they left.
"That damn cat isn't safe from me! I'm gonna tear her apart when I find her next!" Cerise hissed angrily.
"Yeah, there are times I want to do the same...but you know she means well." Blake said, startling the girl a bit. She turned around to face him, a look of surprise on her face. They just stood there, looking at each other for a few seconds, before she turned to leave. Blake however wasn't going to let her leave, so he took a hold of her hand, pulling her to a stop.
"Wait Cerise, we need to talk...please." he said, his raspy voice filled her ears, causing her to turn around.
"What...happened to your voice?"
"Not sure...I guess I just blacked out after I entered the Dark Forest." he said, glancing away from her. He held onto her hand, scared that she would leave.
"Oh...could you let go?"
"No...I'm scared you'll leave." he said, earning a sigh from the girl.
"I won't...I promise." she said. He felt the firmness of her voice, and that look in her eyes that he had fallen in love with. He let go of her hand, which came to rest at her side.
"Listen I...a lot...has happened, in a short period of time. I know, I broke your trust, I know that I fucked up...and I know that you probably want to punch me right now. But at least wait until I'm done to punch me, I don't want to be unconscious again, it isn't fun."
"Blake, I understand what you are trying to say...it really hurt me. Saying that I was the one that gave the fake Rebel that information. But I know I would have done the same if they had gotten a hold of my diary. Then there's the fact that you kept being the Radio Rebel from me for so long that...I just...didn't want any secrets. I told you all of the important ones, but you didn't trust me enough with something like that." she replied, earning a frown from the boy.
"I know...I'm a piece of shit for not telling you. These damn diary entrees don't help, I broke your trust and all of this is just...adding fuel to the fire and I don't know what to do...I don't know what to say." he said.
"I don't know what to say either...I guess this was bound to happen, it happens to everyone at one point. Some are lucky, I don't think my parents have ever argued. We're in high school, it's natural."
"Is there a way we can move on from this? Is there a chance Cerise? If there is then I'll work hard to regain your trust. But if there isn't, please don't grow distant, don't just leave my life like you weren't a part of it. I can't let you become another face in the yearbook. I'd hate myself forever." he said, a hopeful look in his eyes.
"I...don't...I'm not...I'm just confused. I don't want to get hurt again like this, I know you wouldn't let this happen. But I don't want to risk it...I know you'll keep your promises, and keep my secret. Right now, I just want to be alone, have some time to think things over." she said.
"I understand, and I respect those wishes. But don't expect me to just be that guy you once dated, I'll regain your trust. Even if I have to grovel in front of you."
"No no...no need for that. That'll just make me look bad." she said, giggling a bit. He chuckled, giving her a smile. He glanced toward the forest, seeing all of the barren trees, most covered in snow while others were starting to get their leaves.
"I promised I'd be there for when your mother gave birth. Ruby is like my second mom, I don't plan to forget the good times we all had together. Even if we aren't dating, I'll be there for you, and for Momo." Blake said, a firm look on his face.
"I figured as much, you've got a good heart Blake...and I'm happy I got the chance to date you. Maybe in the future, once everything cools down we could try it again. This isn't a free pass to go screw Apple either you perv." she said, jabbing him in the ribs.
"Ow...like I would. That's just embarrassing, Raven is like my sister, and she's her aunt, that makes me like her uncle or something. Plus I don't like Duchess that way either, I already told her I just wanted to be friends."
"Well...whoever you decide to date in the future. I hope they're a better girlfriend than I was...and I hope nothing like this happens between you two." she said. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the pocket watch she had given him, placing it in her hands.
"I don't think I should have this...it's too important, I think. You should give it to the one you truly do love." he said.
"I gave that to you for Christmas, you can't return it. Just promise me, if you do find someone else, that you'll put her picture inside it, just like you did with me." Cerise said, giving him a smile. He nodded, reattaching the watch to his belt.
"I think...I'll be okay...we'll be okay." he said.
"Mhmm, we sure will...I'm gonna go now...see ya later." she said, about to leave.
He took a hold of her arm, pulling her back toward him, before she could say anything, he gave her a kiss on the lips. Her eyes widened a bit in shock, but softly closed as she kissed him back. They continued kissing until they broke for air, looking at each other. He wiped away her tears, giving her a smile before turning back toward the outlook returning to his spot by the rail. Cerise turned around, a sigh leaving her lips, it still hurt, but at least she could start on the path to recovery. Maybe one day she would kiss the boy again, and he would kiss her lovingly like before. She just hated how something so beautiful was so easily broken, by a single mistake and by someone hellbent on breaking them apart.
