"I think I would look even better with a mustache!" Daring exclaimed. He and Lizzie were sitting in the castleteria, eating dinner.
"Um..No," Lizzie laughed as she held up a yellow french fry up above Daring's lips. "Not your best look." Daring smiled a took a bite of the french fry. "You can have it." Lizzie put it onto his clear plate. She still had a few fries left on her plate, so she ate them quickly.
"Maybe a real one would look better," Daring shrugged as he ate the rest of the fry.
"I don't really want to kiss a caterpillar," Lizzie shook her head and smiled up at Daring.
"Then maybe we won't kiss as all," Daring took a sip of his water.
"Whatever," Lizzie rolled her eyes as she sat back in her chair. She looked down at the small cuts on her arms. They were more scratches now, thanks for Daring helping her clean them up. Today was a truly eventful day. She knew the stress level wasn't going to subside anytime soon. The attacks were surly warnings of what comes next. It was these moments that Lizzie treasured most, not worrying about anything.
Across the castleteria, Raven looked at her plate of food. She had hardly touched any of it. She was hungry, but too stressed to eat. Her eyes looked at her white bandages before she ate a few chips. "Not hungry?" Dexter asked from the other end of the table.
"Stressed," Raven shrugged. She began to eat some more chips to make Dexter feel less concerned about her.
"You don't have to force yourself to eat," Dexter gave a soft smile. Raven took slower bites as she grinned back.
"Thank you for that rose by the way," Raven changed the subject,"The one you left in my locker."
"Oh," Dexter's cheeks turned a shade of pink,"You're welcome."
"It was really beautiful," Raven continued,"Where did you get it?"
"I dyed it purple," Dexter shrugged,"It's simple really, if you get the right ingredients."
"You're too sweet for me," Raven shook her head and smiled. She looked back down at her bandaged arm. "Do you think we're gonna have to fight my mom?" Dexter stayed silent for a moment.
"Yes," Dexter said in a low voice,"But you're not going to have to fight alone. We always have help at out fingertips."
"But what if she has help at hers," Raven said quietly as her eyes connected with Dexter's. They only starred at each other with fearful expressions. "I don't know if we can face her and come out alive."
"Well at least I know that we can die fighting for a rebellion. For us." Dexter placed his hand on the table, and Raven placed her on his.
Briar sat on the student balcony, looking up at the moon. Breeze swept through her brown and pink hair. It was out of her messy bun and crazy, but she liked it. She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath of fresh air. A figure appeared next to her suddenly, but on the inside of the balcony rail. Briar didn't need to glance his way to know who he was.
"I did it," Hopper said lightly, he look up at the moon with her. "I talked to my dad on the phone, about you."
"What did he say?" Briar watched her breath go up into the night sky.
"There was a lot of lecturing and a bit of yelling," Hopper scratched the back of his head,"But I think he'll adapt easy."
"It was probably because of me," Brair's hair dropped to her sides,"I'm not a good influence when it comes to following our stories."
"It seems to be the way things are going," the frog prince sighed," Rebellion. It'll eventually become normal life, but you have to get through some adjusting."
"At least you know where your life is going," Briar looked down,"I can't tell my mom. Maybe she already knows but it's just so much pressure to add to the plate. I mean being a princess isn't all just smiles and rainbows."
"Neither is life," Hopper looked over to her,"We'll just have to except it. For now at least."
"I just wish it was simple," Briar snapped,"When I can choose who ever you want to end up with, how you fall in love, live to your own expectations, and stop the fighting." She rolled up her sleeves and tore off the bandages to see her small cuts. She was full of anger and hate. Briar moved onto her other sleeve. She shuffled too close to the edge and slipped. Hopper grabbed her waist and steadied her back onto the railing.
Briar gasped as she almost fell to her death. "Brair you need to stop and come back," Hopper whispered under her deep breathing. He hadn't let go of her. Her anger had subsided into a sense of shock. A single tear fell down her cheek before she swiveled around into Hopper's arms. He placed her gently back onto the balcony. More tears drained from her eyes as he held her close. He himself felt like crying, but he needed to be there for her.
"Promise me we'll get through this together?" Brair asked in a soft voice, not removing her head from under his.
"I promise," he said lightly. Hopper didn't truly know what would happen now, nobody did.
Briar came to her dorm at 10:25. Only a lamp light remained on. She looked over to see Apple passed out on her bed. Her arm wrapped in bandage. Ashlynn emerged from the bathroom, in her pajamas. "What happened to Apple?!" Briar asked quickly.
Ashlynn jumped back a little. she didn't even notice Briar in the room. "Dexter and Raven brought her in a couple hours ago. They said she fell with a glass vase and it cut her arm pretty badly."
"Oh no," Briar looked back at the sleeping princess,"Hopefully she gets better quickly." She suspected it was an attack from the Evil Queen. She would ask Dexter and Raven in the morning. Today was too stressful. Briar said goodnight to Ashlynn before she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas.
As she brushed her teeth with her pink toothbrush, Briar's eyes looked down at her unwrapped cuts. Her face fell at the sight of them. Everything was going to change, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She finished brushing her teeth. When she looked back up at herself, she noticed a moment behind the shower curtain behind her.
Briar whirled around quickly to see the movement was real. The curtain was swaying back and fourth slowly. With a few deep breaths, Briar grabbed the broom from the wall and walked slowly over to the curtain. She could see a shadow of a person standing in it. A slight whisper echoed in the back of her head to get help, but she ignored it. Her hand slowly moved up the fabric then she pulled swiftly.
There was no one there. Briar did a double take of the empty tub. Her head shot up when there was a soft knock behind her. It wasn't the sound of wood from the door, it was tapped glass. She turned her head slowly to the giant mirror. She saw herself, but the tapping continued. The voice in her head screamed for her to pull away, but instead she walked up to the mirror.
She placed her hand on the mirror where the tapping was coming from. Suddenly the tapping stopped. A hand lined in purple flame touched Briar's hand on the other side. Briar quickly pulled back and gasp. Laughing was coming from the other side of the mirror now. Briar backed away as flames grew on the mirror's reflection. Her head was pounding and screaming, but then suddenly stopped to a bang on the door.
Briar looked back up at the now normal mirror. The banging on the door continued. Briar went out of the bathroom to answer the door. Ashlynn was still somehow asleep even with the banging on the wood. The daughter of Sleeping Beauty opened the door quickly to see Daring Charming. "Daring?" Briar looked at him puzzled,"Do you know what time it is?" She looked at him as he breathed heavily. Sweat was dripping from his forehead.
"Brair!" he managed to spit out,"It's Hopper."