The Vote (The Truth)
Apple briskly walked towards the royal student council room. It took the woodland critters longer than expected to clean up the mess from her and Raven's fight. Apple still hoped Raven would show up and cast her vote. As she opened the door she saw everyone was already seated.
"Apple, darling, we almost started without you." Duchess said in a sing-song voice.
Apple gave Duchess a look, but covered it up.
"I had some important matters to take care of, a royal never leaves her work undone." Apple answered with a smile.
Duchess gave Apple a nasty look.
"Enough chatter, it's time to see where the end-of-school-year trip." Maddie cheered as she jumped on top of the desk.
"Miss Hatter, that is mahogany!" Headmaster Grimm complained at Maddie for standing on the furniture.
The screen showed the votes pouring in for either Mirror Beach (purple) and the Enchanted Forest (red) until the colors were tied. The students began chatting among each other on what to do about the tie.
"I feared this would happen." Apple began as she stood up. " So I asked a fellow princess to be the tie breaker."
Soon everyone was wondering who the princess could be? The school was full of princesses it could be anyone.
*SLAM*
The door kicked open revealing a very agitated Raven Queen.
"Raven, you came!" Joy filled Apple seeing that Raven considered to come.
"if anyones good at decision making it's, Raven." Maddie agreed.
Raven didn't say anything, not even to Maddie. She pulled out a sheet of paper and a purple pen, wrote down her answer, and handed it to Apple.
"Thank you, Raven." Apple thanked her fri- room mate. "I just know you'd picked the perfect -"
Raven didn't let Apple finished as she left the room and slammed the door.
"Okay, then." Apple stated awkwardly.
"What's the verdict?" Maddie asked.
Apple unfolded the paper, read the vote, with a surprise looked on her face.
"What did Queen vote for?" Duchess asked tapping her fingers on the desk.
Apple didn't say anything, she just put the vote into her mirrorpad and the big screen went black.
"The final votes will be announced on 'Just Right' at dinner. The next meeting will be about collecting funds and supplies for the trips." Apple declared.
" Bye, everyone." Maddie waved.
As everyone left the room Apple shoved Raven's vote in her apple purse. Apple decided to finish her homework in the library to give Raven some space, and give her time to work on an apology.
Dinner
Monday's dinner was vegan burgers and tofu stir-fry. Everyone was either enjoying their meals or complaining.
Cerise groaned as she bit into her vegan burger. "This sucks!"
"You can say that again." Raven stabbed her tofu stir-fry until it was nothing but bits.
Cerise, Maddie, and Cedar both gave each other concerned looks, then to Raven.
"We're still talking about the food, right?" Maddie asked as she bit into her vegan burger.
"What else would it be?" Raven snapped.
"Well-oaf!" Before Cedar could answer Maddie and Cerise covered her mouth until they were sure she was done blathering. "- and you've been on edge lately."
"On edge? What do you mean?" Raven questioned.
" You've been more of a worry flurry lately." Maddie answered as she bit her lip.
"And kinda jumpy." Cerise added.
"And you've gotten paler, you seem like you're losing weight, and you seem a bit irritated." Cedar gasped at what she said. "Sorry."
"Yeah, better hear it from my friends than strang- GAH!" Raven spat out her apple. "Jesus!"
"Raven! Are you okay?" Maddie rushed to her.
"Just another bad batch." Raven shallowed the remaining bits of apple.
The theme of Blondie's just right began to play.
"Hello, fellow fairy tales." Blondie greeted the viewers. "The royal student council has finally made their decision on end-of-school-year trip will be, sadly it ended in a tie between the Enchanted Forest and Mirror Beach. In a surprise twist, Raven Queen, was the tie-breaker."
The video showed Raven giving her vote to Apple and leaving.
"And the results are - drum roll please!" Blondie said as she pulled out her phone to see the results.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen ready for the results.
"The Enchanted Forest!" Blondie proclaimed.
"WHAT?" Raven yelled. "I did not vote for that!"
The ground began to shake, food levitated into the air, and thunder and lightning filled the skies outside. Students began to scream and shout as Raven became more furious.
"Raven!" Raven turned to see her friends in terror.
"Please calm down, you're scaring us." Cedar squeaked as her knees buckled, lip quivered, and looked like she was about to cry if she could.
Raven stopped and her magic returned everything .
"Raven?" Raven turned to see a frightened Apple.
"How could you change my vote?!" Raven shouted as she pointed the accusing finger at Apple.
"But I didn't- see!" Apple pulled out Raven's vote from her purse and handed it to her. "It's your vote I didn't change it."
Raven looked at the piece of paper it was true the paper read Mirror Beach in her handwriting. Raven still glared down at Apple before running off.
"Raven, wait!" Maddie, Cerise, and Cedar ran after her.
"She's getting better." Headmaster Grimm said to himself as he bit into an apple.
Dinner (Apple edition)
Apple was still upset about Raven's vote, well actually with herself. She was hoping to talk to Raven, but she left as quickly as she came and she hadn't seen her since.
"Yo, Apple!" Apple turned to see Briar greeting her.
"You won't believe how cute the six new bikinis i got are." briar squealed as she showed Apple on her mirrorphone all the bikinis in shades of pink and black.
"Yeah, they look great." Apple answered nonchalantly as she chewed her food.
"Are you okay?" Briar asked. "Usually when I show you things that make me look cute you say I look: fabulous, dazzling, or enchanted."
"Sorry, Briar." Apple apologized. " I'm just not myself right now."
Briar didn't push any further.
The theme of Blondie's just right began to play.
"Hello, fellow fairy tales." Blondie greeted the viewers. "The royal student council has finally made their decision on end-of-school-year trip will be, sadly it ended in a tie between the Enchanted Forest and Mirror Beach. In a surprise twist, Raven Queen, was the tie-breaker."
The video showed Raven giving her vote to Apple and leaving.
"And the results are - drum roll please!" Blondie said as she pulled out her phone to see the results.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen.
"The Enchanted Forest!" Blondie proclaimed.
"WHAT?" Apple yelled.
How could this be; Raven voted for Mirror Beach.
The ground began to shake, food levitated into the air, and thunder and lightning filled the skies outside. Students began to scream and shout as Raven became more furious. Everyone was screaming and shouting; Apple had to stop this. Raven's friends seemed to calm her down by the time she got to their table.
"Raven?" Apple called the girl's name only to earn a glare.
"How could you change my vote?!" Raven shouted as she pointed the accusing finger at Apple.
"But I didn't- see!" Apple pulled out Raven's vote from her purse and handed it to her. "It's your vote I didn't change it."
Raven looked at the piece of paper it was true the paper read Mirror Beach in her handwriting. Raven still glared down at Apple before running off.
Apple stood in place before picking up the paper. She had to get to the bottom of this!
Pond
Ever After High had many small ponds on the premises the most popular one was the swan one. Where the students would watch the swans gracefully swim and fly. Raven was currently sitting on one of the stone edges staring at her reflection how pale her purplish-white skin has gotten, how skinner her gaunt figure had become, and her dark her eyes were, and how she looked like her mother minus the strands in her face.
"So how'd she convinced you?" A voice questioned breaking Raven's trance.
Raven looked up to see Duchess as she stood on the water.
"What?" Raven brushed some of the strands of hair out of her view.
"How'd Apple convinced you to pick the Enchanted Forest?" Duchess asked again in an irritated tone.
"She didn't - I didn't." Raven stuttered. "I voted for Mirror Beach."
"What?" That surprised Duchess. "Than how did - are you saying, Apple White, rigged the vote in her favor."
Raven didn't answer.
" I knew it; that privileged brat! Wait til I tell Headmaster Grimm-" Duchess continued her rant unaware of Raven to looking at her and Duchess's reflections in the water.
"It's not fair." Raven spoke.
Duchess stopped her rant. "What?"
" How Headmaster Grimm tricked us." Raven answered still looking at the reflections. "Do you really think you'll be happier taking over my destiny, Duchess?"
Duchess was left speechless the only person she talked about she over heard from Headmaster Grimm was with Sparrow, how did she know?
"Who told you that?" Duchess tried to threatening but it came out like whimpers.
Raven broke out of her trance and clutched her head.
"AH, my head!" Raven shouted frightening the swans. "What were we talking about?"
Duchess just blinked. "Nothing, nothing!"
Duchess jumped out of the pond and into the pavement, before pulling something out of her purse and handing it to Raven.
"Here, you need this more than I do." Duchess turned into her swan form and flew away.
Raven looked down to see that Duchess handed her a jar of lilac scented hair gel. Raven used the pond as a reflection as she applied to hold the strands of hair back, then she applied it to more areas of her hair until not a hair was out of place, until she was perfection.
"NO!" Raven gasped as she dumped her head in the pond.
Obsessing about beauty and looks was something her mother did not her.
ACHOO
Raven sneezed as she wrapped her arms around herself to warm up.
"I need to take a hot shower." Raven teleported to the girls shower to fight off the cold.
Sparrow's Clubhouse
Sparrow and his merry bandmates were practicing there songs. Guitars riffed, drums banged, keyboards hit, and voices loud... Until.
"Sparrow!" The doors to Sparrow's tree house slammed opened as Duchess glared at his direction.
"Dude, what ya do this time?" One of his bandmates asked.
"I don't know." Sparrow gulped.
"If you gentlemen don't mind, me and Sparrow need to talk. Alone!" Duchess demanded.
The merry men just packed up their instruments and left their leader to his doom.
"You guys can't leave me!" Sparrow commanded.
"Oh yeah we can!" One bandmate shouted as he ran out.
Duchess slammed the doors as the last bandmate left the treehouse.
"Who've been talking to Sparrow?" Duchess hissed.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sparrow tried to sound tough (wasn't working).
"Don't play dumb!" Duchess hissed again as she crossed her arms. " I know what you did and if you think I'm gonna go white swan on ya, you got another thing coming!"
"Alright, alright, I'll sing; I used all the school's hot water yesterday in the shower while practicing my air guitar!"
" I'm not talking about that." Duchess said nonchalantly.
"Oh, then is it about my stealing all the brownies from last month's royal feast?" Sparrow asked.
"That was you - no!" Duchess said again. "I'm talking about how Raven found out about me maybe being the next evil queen."
"Oh!" Sparrow realized. "Wasn't me."
"What do you mean wasn't you? Beside, you're the only one who knows about my destiny situation." Duchess explained.
"I know! I'm rocking the whole bad guy style, but what you told me either taking Raven's story or being a swan forever was personal. And I'm not that dirty, plus Raven's no fan of mine." Sparrow explained as he strummed his strings.
"Well if it wasn't you, than who?" Duchess felt very uncomfortable.
Computer Lab
Apple made her way to the computer lab where a certain egghead was tangled in wires.
"Humphrey!" Apple shrieked as she rushed to the boy's side and started to pull on the wires.
"Don't worry I got it." Alistair said as he examined the wires. "Red, yellow, blue, green-aha! Pink!"
Alistair pulled the pink wire releasing Humphrey.
"Thanks." Humphery greeted the two as they helped him up.
"So what did you need us for, Apple?" Alister asked.
"I think there was a glitch in the system during the last vote." Apple began. " Raven's vote was the tie-breaker, but the vote went to the Enchanted Forest. So I need you guys to check to see if it was a mistake."
"Impossible!" Humphery slammed his hands on the keyboards. "I programed the voting page so there's no way-"
"Hey, Humphery, can you check this out?" Alister called out to the egg boy.
Apple would help, but she was feeling bad for herself. She tried to use Raven for something as petty as a school vote. Maybe she was selfish.
"Am I late?" The trio turned to see Blondie with her mirrorpad in hand.
"Blondie, what are you doing here?" Apple asked.
"After finding out about the end-of-school-year trip - scandal, I had to find out the truth." Blondie answered.
" You and me both." Apple said. " I know I pressed Raven's vote for Mirror Beach so how did the Enchanted Forest win?"
"What the heck, we've been hacked!" Humphery shouted.
"What?!" Both Blondie and Apple cried out.
"It's true." Alistair declared as he pulled up a voting chart on the computer screen. " As you can see Mirror Beach (purple) and the Enchanted Forest (red) were tied, until Raven voted for Mirror Beach."
The screen showed the once tied Mirror Beach (purple) and the Enchanted Forest (red) had changed in favor for purple.
"See? I did put down Raven's choice." Apple pointed at the screen.
"But-" Alistar continued. "About an hour before dinner the votes changed."
The screen showed that Mirror Beach (purple) and the Enchanted Forest (red) were tied again, then the favor shifted to the Enchanted Forest.
"We were hacked, but that's not the worse part." Humphery stated.
"Someone unfairly changed the votes, how was that not the worst part? " Apple asked bewildered.
" Because someone hacked us outside of the school." Alistair answered.
That shocked Apple to her core.
"You mean someone hacked us outside the school building?" Apple questioned.
"No, I mean someone hacked us outside the grounds of the school." Alistar answered.
"And I can't pinpoint where it happened, it left as quickly as it came. Our only clue was that the signal was near the Village of Bookend." Humphery finished.
"I can't believe someone would do such a thing." Apple was disgusted at such an action.
" I can't believe someone had the nerve to hack my system." Humphery hissed as he rapidly hit the keys to his laptop.
"And I can't believe- what a great scoop I got!" Blondie exclaimed. " I can see it now 'Hacker tries to sabotage the end-of-school-year trip!'! How, who, why, when, and what the reason is I'll find out."
Blondie happily skipped out of the computer room with a scoop in hand.
"Glad one of us is happy." Alistair said sarcastically.
Despite the revelation Apple still felt uneased. Someone went to a lot of trouble to change the vote in her favor, but who?
Apple and Raven's Dorm
When Apple returned to room she saw a purple force field that blocked off Raven's side of the room. Apple couldn't see a thing, but she knew Raven was on the other side of the wall.
"Raven?" Apple spoke.
No answer.
"I just wanted you to know that the the votes were hacked." Apple continued.
Still, no answer.
"I know things were - ugh - awkward earlier." Apple fretted as she twirled her fingers together. " I'm sorry."
Yet there was still no answer.
"Goodnight." Apple went to her side of the dorm to bed.
Raven's Side
Raven was in a pair of light purple sweats as she had her headphones on listen to Taylor Quick's new album on her mirrorphone. Raven was still p-miffed about what happened today. She was disrespected, lied to, abandoned, and so many other things. No wonder Bella and Brutta Sister rana way from this horrid place!
"Bella and Brutta Sister from the Tale of Two Sisters." The words escaped Raven's lips.
The original Rebels, the ones who inspired Raven not to sign, the ones who ran away. Maybe they were right.
Raven's phone ranged with a picture of her and her father eating ice cream.
"Hello?" Raven questioned.
"Raven, how are you?" Her father's voice at the other end of the line was cheery.
"Not too good dad?" Raven answered with sorrow in her voice.
"Oh, anything you want to talk about?" The Good King asked.
"Not really." Sorrow engulfed his daughter's voice.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, Birdie." The Good King spoke. "Just give me a call and I'll be there."
"Thanks, dad, I love you." Raven said.
"I love you too, Raven, good night." The Good King said before hanging up the phone.
The Good King placed his mirrorphone on the charger on his nightstand as he crawled into bed.
The Good King didn't want to push Raven. Ever since she was little every time Raven cried it broke his heart; from when she first cried from coming out of her mother's womb, from when she scrapped her knees on the pavement, when some hellbent heart hurt her feelings. It wasn't fair for Raven to face such prejudice just because of the sins her mother committed.
"Good night, my princess." The Good King whispered before falling asleep.
Raven was still upset about today's turn of events, but her father's call sure put a grin on her face.
Maybe things wouldn't be so bad.
Well this chapter was short, but it's done! This week has been pretty stressful for me: just got back from helping my siblings move, then Hurricane Laura (we were blessed that it passed us, but that was stressful preparing for it), as we all know Mr. Chadwick Boseman (aka Black Panther) had passed which is beyond upsetting, and a whole bunch of other things I don't wanna talk about! Still I hope things get better soon, good night everyone.
R.I.P CHADWICK BOSEMAN
WAKANDA FOREVER!