Leave it to Alissa to bake cookies with her daughter's every mood change. Once Christina was contently sitting at the kitchen table nibbling on double chocolate chip cookies Alissa answered the door finding Draculaura.

"Is Christina okay?"

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Alissa asked lightly.

"I saw Christina leave and got worried, is she okay?"

"Physically yes but it seems her feelings have her drowning"

"Can I see her after school?"

"Of course"

"Who was at the door?" Christina asked when her mother returned to the kitchen.

"Draculaura wanted to check on you," Alissa sat in the chair next to her, "Do they know-"

"He joined us for breakfast this morning"

pushing her plate of cookies aside, Christina dropped her head to the table.

…...

Ever After:

"What are you reading?"

"Eryx," Christina whisper-yelled, "Don't scare me like that," she looked up at the merman just behind her.

"Sorry," he apologized with an easy smile, moving to sit across from her, "You haven't answered my question yet"

"You can read the spine can't you?" Christina moved her hand so it wasn't obscuring the title.

Conceal, Don't Feel: A Twisted Tale the shiny blue lettering on the spine of the plain black book proclaimed

"Not much to look at," Eryx stated, "That has to be the most visually boring book I've seen you read"

"It has a jacket," Christina whispered, "I just take it off during school"

Eryx knew he wouldn't get the answers to the onslaught of questions until they were at the beach just like he knew that Christina was very protective of her books, like her music. There was no following conversation, he let her get lost in a world unknown to him. Happy to watch her eyes light up, her mind spinning with unanswered questions.

Eryx loved seeing her like that. Even though he had a mountain of homework to do, even though it would overwhelm him later he ignored it all in favor of watching Christina with her book.

When the chimes of the bell dismissed them for the day, Christina shut the book, fishing the jacket out of the bag before sliding it into place. Two girls stood back to back mere silhouettes like the castle below them, or the forest behind them against a rich blue background. The question at the top only made him ask more questions.

What if Elsa and Anna never knew each other?

The question was asked in such a way that Eryx suspected these names were supposed to ring a bell but he drew a blank, following behind Christina on their normal stroll to the beach.

"You can ask questions now"

"I've never seen that book before, granted I don't read much but-"

"You wouldn't have," Christina explained before he got carried away with words, "My cousins send me these"

"Your monster cousins?"

"Well, I'm not talking about Faybelle"

"So it's a monster book?"

"No, it's a Disney book"

"What's Disney?"

"Disney is a movie company in the human world, they make all sorts of movies but the most famous ones are based on fairy tales"

"Our stories?"

"Yes, oh you should see the movies! They're my favorite thing to watch"

"So who are Anna and Elsa?"

"characters from the movie inspired by the snow queen, they're sisters. Elsa is born with magic, Anna's not"

"I would like to see these movies," Eryx decided suddenly.

"You would?" Christina asked, eyes glittering with excitement.

"Yes"

"Then come by my house this weekend, we'll have a marathon"

"That sounds fun"

…...

Now:

Christina had disappeared midway through school. Eryx was left confused. Christina had moved on. Christina had a boyfriend.

Too much had changed. Much too much had changed.

When school let out, Eryx walked to his father's new house. The beach house was quaint but it wasn't his home. No, home was their stone grotto hidden deep within the oceans of Ever After. Home was the beach.

Home didn't exist anymore. Destroyed by a mad bloodthirsty shark.

The house with faded yellow paint rose into view before he was ready to see it. Hopping the creaky wood porch steps he let himself inside knowing his father wasn't home. His father was never home anymore. Having thrown himself into his travels, into his work, Eryx was left to watch the house in his absence

Where the outside was yellow the inside was navy blue and white, the nautical-themed furniture left by the previous owners made Eryx roll his eyes. Hurrying past the living room, kitchen and his father's bedroom Eryx climbed the stairs to the second floor where his room with stark white walls and even whiter floors awaited him. The room was so lifeless. So empty it still echoed when he moved about. The first day his father had brought dark wooden furniture with polished limbs from someone in town.

The mattress on his carved wooden bed was too hard. The blankets smelt strange.

He missed the cave on the little island where his family kept things their underwater home would destroy.

Dropping his bag to the floor, Eryx moved to the closet where his meager possessions were stored. Carefully, he lifted the sole book among his things.

Christina's twisted tale novel. Opening it he began to read desperate for escape from his awful reality.

…...

Christina had finished her tea and cookies. Now she was sitting cross-legged on the floor trying to watch a movie. But, she couldn't focus. Her mind kept bouncing between Eryx and Shaggy as one awful thought after another stampeded through her brain. Angry, awful, all-consuming.

Why could she never imagine the good outcomes? Maybe good outcomes were simply hard to come by. Simply impossible to find. That had to be it!

"Like, are you okay, Christina?"

letting out a surprised yelp, Christina fell onto her back where she saw Shaggy standing in the doorway with a panic-stricken expression on his face.

She wanted to lie but she could never lie to Shaggy, "No, I'm not"

tears sprung to her eyes. How babyish she must have looked crying on the floor.

Shaggy, however, simply sat beside her, drawing her against his chest.

"We don't have to talk about it, Christina"

"But we do," her voice was strained, "I-I-I lied to you this morning, I feel horrible"

"What do you mean? What could you have like, lied about?"

"Eryx," she sobbed.

"What about him?"

"He-he-he used to be my boyfriend," Christina tried catching her breath, "I was surprised to see him then you arrived and I-"

"Didn't know how to tell me?" Shaggy finished, "Like, it's okay Christina, I understand I was in that position too remember?"

"Googie"

"Yeah, that was like, so weird"

"What happened to her anyway?"

"She got a scholarship for a fancy boarding school in Paris"

"Good riddance"

"Agreed," Shaggy stood, pulling Christina to her feet, "I promise I'll be nice. Okay? Clawdeen and Draculaura invited us to the Maul, you want to go or would you like, rather stay here and watch a movie?"

"Let's go"

"After you"