An: We're in the book now. I'm going to go back and forth between Donna and the story so it doesn't get all confusing.

Creator of Magic: Well...all I can say is the figure is not Brooke. If it was I would have had the narrators talking among themselves rather than describing the figure. She won't be revealed just yet, but there will be clues along the story of who she really is...

Mia: Thank you for your compliments! I really hope this story delivers to its expectations. I've really been putting a lot of thought into it!

THANK YOU BOTH!

Chapter 1

The Beginning of an End

Ever After High. A school that was restored almost twenty-five years ago when Raven Queen lead the rebellion against her mother. The Evil Queen was dead, Snow White was still locked away, and the following of destinies was outlawed. Now, all students were free to choose what their stories will be. With Apple White acting as headmaster, she made sure the peace was kept. Milton Grimm had inspired her to lead others to the new ideas of writing their own stories. Apple was glad after all of these years, no student had to feel the pressure she once had.

Although walking up to the doors of the school, a blonde fairy was already feeling the pressures of high school. Laura was nervous for her freshman year at Ever After High. It all seemed like a distant dream in middle school, and now she was finally here. Everything was supposed to change now, according to Fauna. Laura was skeptical about it. What kind of change was in her future?

She walked with her mom, Flora -the daughter of one of the good fairies who helped the prince save sleeping beauty. Laura kept her eyes away from most of the other parents dropping their children off. She didn't want to covet something she would never be able to have. Laura never had a father figure in her life. He had left before Laura was even born. Her mother never spoke of him. Laura didn't think she ever would. Some part of her came to peace with that, but somewhere inside she felt there was a gap of where her father was meant to be.

Many parents had gathered around the main entrance of Ever After High. Laura ignored them as her blue eyes flicked through the crowd, searching for her friends. She only had two, but it was all she needed. She hadn't seen them since they graduated middle school. Unable to seek them out, Laura's gaze turned up towards the school's doors. There was a golden sign that read:

Ever After High

The School Where Freedom Was Won

...

Warriors of Destiny

.Raven Queen. Apple White. Madeline Hatter. Lizzie Hearts. Briar Beauty. Cerise Hood.

.Dexter Charming. Daring Charming. Humphrey Dumpty. Hopper Croakington lll.

Laura had heard about the war, but didn't care about it much. Sure, they had a history lesson on it, but who actually listens in class? She certainly didn't and she still passed. Her mother had told her about the students who fought in the war. She had said to her, "Those kids were just main characters. They always acted as if the world was below them."

Ugh. Main Characters. Why did they always get so much credit when in reality without help from others they wouldn't prevail?

Just how her mother never got the chance to be involved in anything. The daughter of Sleeping Beauty simply cast aside her destiny after she said she was going to sign the book. Apparently, she had found true love with Hopper Croakington lll first. Laura didn't know how someone could give up a destined prince for a simple guy who changed from a frog to a man. She wasn't a destiny follower herself, but Laura just didn't see the circumstances correctly.

Now, she rolled her eyes before her mother places a hand on her shoulder. She slowed her step and faced her mom. She was dressed in scrubs for work, but she had let her blonde hair fall on her shoulders. It was starting to grey at the roots- most likely caused by stress. "I'm going to miss you at home," Flora said with a small smile. The wrinkles around her tired eyes were more prominent in the sun's bright light. "Your magic is very advanced for your age, so, I wouldn't be showing it off to anyone. It might alarm them."

"Yeah, I understand," Laura said in a monotone. This was a lie. Laura had planned to continue to study more advanced magic for her powers. They were getting stronger by the day, and Laura loved the feeling. She was ready to take the next step and would begin to cast spells more frequently. She could barely hold in her excitement last night while to was trying to go to sleep.

Her mother hugged her. Laura was as stiff as a skeleton but managed to pat her mother's back. Her face was emotionless. She didn't want to deal with this strange parting. She just wanted to start this new chapter in her life. "Now, I have to go back to the hospital for work, but I promise I'll call you this weekend. Then you can fill me in on everything." Flora smiled at her daughter. She knew that smile. It was more fake than the fairy tattoo Laura drew on her arm. Laura didn't care that her mother didn't love her, she cared that her mother lied to her about it.

"Bye," Laura said flatly. This always happened. Her mom was always off to work. She wouldn't call, so Laura put it out of her mind immediately. This way, she wouldn't get her hopes up. She then shuffled through the crowd. Her eyes glazed over people as she passed them. Many faces were recognizable from middle school, others were complete foreigners to her. She rolled her eyes as she passed some second-year boys eyeing her. They could look, but Laura would never let them lay a finger on her. If they only knew what she was capable of.

"Laura!" a voice called. She turned to see her friend, Eliza. Her auburn hair curled just below her shoulder. Her slim pale face had matured over the summer. Laura at first didn't recognize her. They hadn't hung out much over the summer, but of course, that would change now. They would be rooming together all year. Laura was almost as excited as Eliza was. They both wanted to get away from home.

To complement her grey eyes, Eliza was dressed in a turquoise shirt layered with a black and silver jacket. She was standing by her parents Duchess Swan and Sparrow Hood. Laura had only met them once, but she knew that they were a strange pair. Eliza waved them goodbye as she ran over to Laura.

"Hey!" Laura smiled. "I hardly recognized you with the nose piercing." She gestured to the small silver ring on the side of Eliza's small nose.

"It's just a clip," Eliza shrugged. "I wanted to get a real one, but my mom wasn't for it. This is the compromise." Eliza's parents had always controlled her. It was a conflict between them rather than her. They each wanted something different for their daughter, and it didn't give her enough room to live her own life sometimes. It was a strange thing that bonded them. Laura was the breath of fresh air Eliza needed.

"I think it looks good," Laura looked beyond Eliza and grinned. "And I think the Wonderland kid does, too." Eliza turned. They both looked at a tall boy with mint green and purple curly hair. His blue eyes flickered from them to the ground once he noticed they were staring. He was with his parents, Wade White, and Maddie Hatter. Along with his grandmother, the White Queen, who was still teaching at Ever After.

Laura laughed as Eliza looked down to the ground herself. Her cheeks were reddening. "You didn't have to say that so loud," Eliza scolded her. Laura laughed again and grabbed her friend by the arm and led her through the crowd. There was only one person they were missing. They had the powerful fairy leader, the secret rebel, and now they just needed to find the pure-hearted treehugger.

"I'm going to miss you guys so much!" Fauna hugged both her parents tighter. Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman looked down at their daughter. Fauna was known to be sweet and innocent, she didn't know how to be anything else. She had always enjoyed her home life. Her parents both knew it would be hard for her to leave, but she was always up for an adventure.

"We're going to miss you too, but I think it'll be good to get some time away from your five siblings," Ashlynn smiled warmly, her strawberry blonde hair glistening in the sun's afternoon light. "It's time to start your teenage life. You never know what life will throw at you."

"You'll never forget your time here. It's better not to have any regrets," Hunter added. He put a hand on Ashlynn's shoulder. She looked at him and smiled.

"Fauna!" Laura's voice called. Fauna turned to see her and Eliza smiling. The dark-haired girl turned to her parents. Nerves were tingling inside of her. She had never been away from her parents this long before. It was a big change, one she was willing to accept. But she knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Ah! I love you guys!" Fauna exclaimed as she hugged her parents one last time. After saying goodbye, Fauna turned and smiled at the other two girls. Her nerves quickly melted away as she embraced both Eliza and Laura. "I'm so excited for this year! But I'm nervous."

"Oh, Fauna, you'll be just fine," Eliza soothed her.

"This year is going to be great!" Laura grinned. "I'll finally be able to work on my magic!"

"I'm going to be free to make my own decisions," Eliza bit her lip with a smile.

"And we're going to do it all together!" Fauna said happily.

"Buckle up, ladies, we're going in." Laura grabbed the girl's hands. The three laughed before running through the big, golden doors. Then they were so innocent. Then, they were just three girls. It was the start of a new year. They were finally high schoolers. It was the start of a new life, a new beginning. But what they didn't know that it would be the beginning of the end...