When Everett awoke, he was still on the forest floor. He felt stiff. Had he been there all night? Everett slowly sat up and looked up. The sky was still cloudy. He couldn't have been out for long. He brushed himself off. Remembering the rose, he looked around for it. The only trace he could find was a single petal laying next to him. When he reached to grasp it, it moved away.

Determined to keep his memory of the rose, Everett reached for it again, but it whisked away into the forest. Everett desperately ran after it. He hadn't realized the paths he had been taking. He wasn't going anywhere familiar. His home was in the opposite direction. The metal continued to fly towards the kingdom. Everett chased it out of the forest and into the town surrounding the kingdom.

On the outskirts of town, the petal led him to a small house. He didn't recognize it, but the petal swooped into a window on the second story. Everett eyed the house curiously. He reached up to the door and knocked. After a few moments, Carlos opened the door, looking at his son strangely. "You don't need to knock to get into the house."

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Everett asked.

"I live here," Carlos raised a brow. "As do you and the rest of our family."

"Uh..." Everett stepped inside. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Carlos nodded. "Where else would I be?"

"At the cottage castle with mom," Everett suggested.

"We don't have a cottage castle," Carlos's face filled with concern. "Did you hit your head while you were at practice?"

"I don't think so," Everett shook his head. Perhaps this was a dream.

"I think you better rest. We've got to go to your birthday party later tonight."

"Okay," Everett gave his dad a small nod. He looked around the house. He had no clue where anything was. "Where's my room?"

"Upstairs, where it has always been. Conroy, are you sure you're alright?"

Everett flinched at the use of his middle name. "Yep, I'm fine. Thanks, dad." He walked upstairs cautiously, looking back at his dad once before running up the stairs. Was he dreaming? Why didn't he recognize this house?

Once upstairs, Everett had no clue with the door to turn into. On his left, a door was creaked open. He stepped in front of it and pushed it open with his knuckle. It swung open to reveal Charlotte. Or who he thought was Charlotte. Her long white hair hung down on her shoulders. She was dressed in a red dress with a white belt tied around her waist. Very unusual.

"I know everyone's going to be there," Charlotte spoke into the hone she held to her ear. "No, I haven't started getting ready yet. I—" she suddenly turned to see Everett in her door. "Hold on a second." She set the phone down and got up off of her bed. "What do you want?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Uh...Char?"

"Uh...Connie?" Charlotte widened her blue eyes. That was strange. Charlotte had brown eyes.

"What?"

"Conroy, either state your business or leave."

"Why are you calling me that?"

"That's your name stupid. Now, why are you here?"

His name? Did anyone know his real name?

"Where are your normal clothes?" Everett asked, confusion rising in his voice.

"What are you talking about? These are my normal clothes," Charlotte smoothed her skirt.

"But what about when you go into your workshop and—"

"You're so strange," Charlotte moved to close the door. Everett jumped back in surprise at the door slam. That was not like Charlotte at all. She would never be caught dead in a dress if she wasn't forced against her will.

Everett turned down the hall. There was another door that was propped open. When he pushed it open, Everett sighed in relief. It looked at least somewhat familiar. His red comforter and little nightstand were the same. But upon the nightstand, the petal that led him laid. Everett dropped his pack on the floor and gazed at the petal.

As he went to grab it, the petal flew again. But this time, it went under his closet door. Everett opened the closet doors to see the glowing pink rose levitating inside. It wasn't a dream. As he neared it, the whispers echoed in his ears again. The single petal that had led him here was laying upon the nightstand. That was when he remembered a single line.

When the final petal falls, I shall return to the ones I love

Return. But where had he gone? He seemed to be in the same world. In a strange sense. Things were different, but also the same. It was still his birthday. He was still alive. He still lived with his dad, sister, and his mother.

"I'm home!" a female voice called. Everett shut the closet.

"Mom," Everett sighed. He bet she wouldn't have changed much. He was about to rush out of the room, but then he tripped over his pack. Everett groaned as he picked himself up. He grabbed the bag and placed it on his dresser. That was when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His brown eyes widened in horror.

His blue hair was now a dark brown.

He screamed.

Before he could even catch his breath, his mother appeared in the doorway. Her long dark hair was pushed to one side, her blue eyes wide. "Conroy, what's wrong?"

"W-who are you?" Everett asked, his voice shaky.

"Your mother," Jane raised a brow. "What's with the screaming?"

"Is everything alright, Jane?" Carlos called from down the stairs.

"Yes, just fine," Jane called down. "Don't come up here."

Everett was still shaking. Where was he? Who was he? What did all of this mean?

Jane took a step into his room a closed the door behind her. "I think I know what this is about."

"You do?" Everett asked. She crossed the room to him and placed her hands on his tense shoulders.

"You're scared about the party. There's going to be a lot of people there. All eyes will be on us."

"What's a lot?"

"Well," Jane pondered that a second. "Let's just say with Simon's broadcast, the whole kingdom."

Everett swallowed. "Ja—mom." That felt weird to say. "The whole kingdom? I-I can't—I won't I—"

"Did you hit your head or something in practice?"

"Practice?" Everett raised his brows.

"Your tourney practice."

"But I'm not on the team."

"What?" Jane suddenly became very concerned. She let go of his shoulders and pulled out her phone. "I'll call the coach right now. There must be some mistake if you got kicked off."

"No," Everett pushed the phone down. He didn't really know what to say. "I was just messing with you."

"Oh," ane eyed him strangely. "You shouldn't mess with people. It's bad for your reputation. Speaking of reputation, make sure you wash before you change. You smell like you've been trudging in the forest. Imagine what people would think if they saw you go into that dangerous place"

"Yeah," Everett shook his head. "That would be crazy. But, about the party—"

Jane suddenly grabbed his arm. "I trust that you'll represent this family well. I can trust you, right?" Her grip suddenly tightened. Everett bit his lip to avoid wincing. He looked at his "mother's" face. It was still expressed calmly.

"Yes," Everett managed to say. He could feel her nails digging into his skin before she released him.

"Good," Jane smiled as she moved out of the room. "I would be unhappy to think otherwise. I'll see you downstairs in an hour."

"Okay..." Everett mumbled as the door shut. How was this real? Was this real?

Everett suddenly checked his pockets. The butterfly charm was still there. This definitely was real. Everett looked back to his reflection and flinched. This was really strange. What would've made this strange spell occur?

"I wish you weren't my mother."

Everett clapped a hand over his mouth. He had done this to himself. He made a wish, and it came true. Now, Jane was his mother. He had heard about her before. She was his father's first girlfriend. It wasn't anything serious. Soon after they had gotten together, Evie had stolen her mirror back and became possessed. Carlos realized his feelings for her and broke up with Jane.

The rest was history.

There was another knock on his door. This time, Carlos was there with a somber expression on his face. "Hey, dad," Everett let himself relax. He rubbed his arm where Jane grabbed him. His father walked into the room and looked at the butterfly charm on Everett's dresser.

"Where did you get this?" Carlos asked.

"I found it," Everett told him. "A gift from someone."

"A girl?" Carlos held it up.

Everett was about to mention Alyssa but decided against it. "I think so, it was in my locker." That was when Everett noticed the bruises on Carlos's forearm. Carlos seemed to notice Everett's eyes studying him. He placed the charm back down onto the dresser.

"Maybe she'll be at the party tonight," Carlos grinned. "You can dance with your secret admirer."

"Oh, please," Everett chuckled. "I'll probably just hang in the background with Lori." Everett had forgotten about Lori. Surely she shouldn't be any different in this strange universe. The glimmer of hope showed itself in Everett's face.

"Lori?"

"Lorelai Beast."

"I didn't know you were friends with her."

"Yeah, I have been since we were like ten," Everett raised his brow.

"Really?" Carlos raised his brow. "You've never brought her around her."

"Who do I normally bring around?" Everett asked.

"All of your tourney friends hang out here sometimes."

"Oh, right," Everett played along. "I just think of them as family instead of friends, you know? Because 'team is family', right?"

"Uh," Carlos gave him a small nod. "Right."

"Was there any reason you came up here?"

"I just...uh...wanted to make sure you weren't too nervous for the party," Carlos scratched the back of his neck.

"Dad, are you sure you haven't hit your head?"

"I haven't, thanks for asking," Carlos shot Everett shot him a look. "I'll see you downstairs in an hour." He then left, making Everett more confused than before. His father acted a little differently in this world.

But at least he was reminded of Lori. At least there was hope.

Everett got ready fairly quickly once he figured out where the bathroom was. He wore a black button-down with matching pants. He hung up his blue jacket and put on the maroon suit jacket. He ran his fingers through his bush hair. Only his hair color had changed, not its temperament. He looked closer at his face. His skin remained unfreckled, and his eyes were still a lighter hazel, not the same dark eyes of his father's.

He still had traits of Evie.

Before Everett could even begin to wonder why before Jane called from downstairs. "Conroy! Charlotte! Let's go!"

Everett left his birthday socked on as he laced up his dress shoes. He then shoved the butterfly charm into his pocket before he left his room. He needed to hold onto a little something for his other life while he was still trying to figure out what was happening in this new one. He patted his pocket just to be sure it was there as he made his way down the stairs.

It was a silent ride to the party. Charlotte and Jane were both on their phones the whole way over. In his other life, the car would be filled with chatter and laughter. When the limo pulled up to Auradon castle, Everett became hopeful. He had to find Lori and try to make sense of what had happened. He was sure that she wouldn't have changed. He held onto that thought as they made their way to the gardens.

At the gate, Everett stared in disbelief. Everything was decorated in blue and red, a DJ was blasting music, and hundreds of people were celebrating. Everett couldn't believe it. He had never had this many people show up for his party. The music suddenly stopped at his arrival. "Hey!" the DJ called over the microphone. "The birthday boy is here! Happy Birthday, Conroy De Vil!"

Everyone cheered. Some people had even come up to them and took pictures. Jane and Charlotte posed automatically. Carlos grinned, and Everett felt as if he had been blinded by the flash. "Jane, over here!" someone called. A reporter perhaps? Is this that Simon she was talking about?

"Carlos!" Mal suddenly called. Everett felt sudden relief at the sight of her and Ben coming towards them. Mal embraced Carlos. "What do you think?"

"Don't ask me," Carlos put his hand on Everett's shoulder. "It's his birthday."

"What do you think, kiddo?" Mal grinned. "This is a pretty good sweet sixteen, isn't it?"

"Uh..." Everett's eyes darted around. It was pretty awesome. But how could all of this be for him? "It's amazing."

"Glad to hear it," Ben came up to them. "Jane had the very best working on this."

"Really?" Everett raised his brow. He gazed over at her. She was still talking to reporters. Charlotte was by her side like a trained dog. That made Everett wonder. Where was Dixy? She wasn't back at the house. Did they not have a pet at all?

"Of course," Carlos patted his shoulder. "Now, go enjoy the party."

"Where's Lori?" Everett suddenly asked. Mal seemed shocked by this question.

"I haven't seen her much tonight," Mal admitted.

"She doesn't really like these social events," Ben added. "But I'm sure you'll find her."

Everett knew exactly where he would find her. He gave a nod to each of them before he began to shuffle through the crowd. As he merged, he heard many people comment and compliment him on his appearance. Others gave him happy birthday wishes. Everett just gave them a small smile and moved on. This was all strange. Why were there so many people being nice to him? Since when was he in the light?

When he reached the outskirts of the party, Everett stopped suddenly at the sight. In his special hiding place, he saw only one girl. She was dressed in a plain blue dress. Her long brown hair covered half her face. She looked detached and lonely. Her blue eyes were what gave her away. Everett couldn't believe it. The girl was Lorelai.

"Lorelai?" Everett called as he walked closer to the bench. Her blue eyes flickered to him, then widened. She didn't say anything, just stared at him. "Oh, Lorelai," Everett sat down next to her. "Thank the gods that you're here. I thought I was going insane. But at least you still remember our spot."

"Our spot?" Lorelai asked in a breathy and meek voice. Her eyes were full of confusion.

"Yeah, we've hidden here since we were like ten," Everett reminded. He then chuckled. "Or I did, and then you would come and find me and try to drag me out to the dance floor."

"I've never done that," Lorelai shook her head.

"Yes, you did," Everett insisted. "That's how we became best friends."

"Best friends?"

"Lori, it's me, Everett. Or Ev."

"Conroy, did you hit your head?"

Everett sighed, frustrated. "No. Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because you've never talked to me before," Lorelai looked frightened. Was she scared of him? Everett's heart sank in his chest. Lorelai was different too. The one person who knew him best suddenly didn't know him at all.

"But I have," Everett was about to explain everything when he heard a voice call to him.

"Roy!" a familiar voice called. Everett recognized it to be Noah. He turned, expecting to face a gang of fearsome boys with menacing grins. Instead, he was met by a group of tourney boys who had friendly faces.

"Where have you been, man?" Brad slapped him on the shoulder.

"I've been..." Everett looked back to Lorelai, but she was gone. "Talking to Lorelai."

"You dog," Noah chuckled. "You can get girls millions of times better than Lorelai Beast. The girl is a nervous freak."

"Besides, she might try to turn you into a toad," Brad added. that made the rest of the players laugh. Everett felt his hand clench into a fist.

"Pft, who needs her," Noah took Everett under his arm. This was strange. No. Not strange. Just unnatural. Unreal. "Besides, I know a girl who's been waiting for you."

"Alyssa?" Everett asked as the boys pushed him towards the dance floor.

"Who's Alyssa?"

"Alyssa Legume. Gil Legume's daughter."

The boys suddenly laughed. "Strange joke, Roy."

"I wasn't joking," Everett stopped walking. "Where's Alyssa?"

Noah exchanged looks with Brad. "Uh, if she even exists, she's rotting on the Isle with her father."

"What? No, that's not right because the barrier was let down and—" Everett stopped talking when he saw the boys' confused faces. They began to laugh again.

"Oh, Roy," Noah put his arm around Everett again. "As if the barrier would ever be let down after Uma escaped."

The barrier hadn't been let down either? Everett couldn't believe how much had changed. "Ha, right," Everett covered himself. "So, who's waiting for me?"

"Oh, you should well by now know," Brad chuckled.

Everett didn't. There was a cluster of girls ahead of them, and he could feel the nerves building inside them. A single blonde girl turned and smiled widely. Everett stopped for a moment. It looked like Alyssa, but her face wasn't quite the same. That was when Everett remembered the last time he had seen her.

"I didn't know if the rumors were true, but you just proved everything."

"Oh, Roy," she called with a dainty wave. "I've been looking for you all night. Come here and dance with me."

"Uh," Everett didn't move. "Who are you?"

Before she could hear his question, however, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor. Other pairs joined them. The blonde girl was a wild dancer. She twirled herself under his arm and jumped on the occasion. "I took dance classes when I was younger," she told him as she did another twirl. "In case you were wondering why I'm so good."

"I wasn't" Everett mumbled. He glanced around for an escape. Where was Lorelai? He had to make her understand. He had to get out of this strange place.

"My turn," another girl came in and stole Everett's hand. He began to dance with a short black haired girl. He recognized her from his other life but didn't know her name. She was definitely more his speed. They swayed to the music nicely. And when the song ended, she kissed his cheek before going back to the group of girls on the sideline.

Maybe Everett could get used to it here.

At the end of the party, Everett searched for Lorelai again, but she had disappeared completely. Charlotte had reappeared suddenly next to Jane as they were about to leave. Everett hadn't seen much of either of them that night. He wouldn't escape from the crowd of boys.

"See you at practice tomorrow, Roy," Noah called as he left. Everett still couldn't wrap his mind around what had happened tonight. He was popular and on the tourney team. Maybe this was for the better. But still, Everett wondered where Evie was in this new world. He saw Jay and Lonnie, but he couldn't spot Evie anywhere. Was she even alive?

"Dad," Everett caught his dad in the kitchen after they had gotten home. "What happened to Evie?"

Carlos froze. He checked around the room to see if anyone else was there. They were completely alone. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I thought I would've seen her at my party tonight," Everett shrugged.

"That's a silly thing to think. You've never met her before."

"Why not? I thought you, Mal, and Jay were all friends with her—"

"We were," Carlos cut him off. He spoke in a very low and quick voice. His expression looked pained. "She had left us long before you were born. I don't know where she is, but that's all I would like to say on the subject. Now, I think it's time you went to bed."

Everett widened his eyes at his dad's outburst. Clearly, it was a touchy subject. He gave his dad a small nod before picking himself up and going upstairs. As he crossed the way to his room, he saw Charlotte and Jane in her room. Jane was twisting rags in Charlotte's white hair. "Now, I think these will get your hair under control."

"But I like my hair when it's kinky," Charlotte complained as Jane tied another rag. "These hurt."

"You'll get used to them soon enough," Jane didn't have any sympathy in her voice. "You'll thank me when you have beautiful ringlets in the morning. Now you'll look like a proper woman."

Everett set his jaw ad he moved into his room and shut the door. Keeping the lights off, he threw off his dress clothes and put on the pajamas he had brought from his pack. They smelled like home. His real home in the woods. Where Charlotte had her workshop, where Evie designed her clothes, where Carlos would play with Dixy in the yard, and where Lorelai and Everett looked at the stars together.

Everett opened the doors to his closet. The rose was still there, a single petal lay on the floor. He thought of the spell.

Face the reality in time for the last petal to fall, then the spell would be broken

Face the reality? What did that mean? He was already in a whole new world. What else did he have to face? Must he act as he belonged here in this strange place? Or does he have to find his way back to his normal life? Would he have to gain back the things he had lost? Somehow make things right, then everything could go back to normal?

Everett was too scared. Too confused to know what to do. He lost his sister, his mother, and his best friend. The picture of Lorelai's frightened eyes made Everett feel lost. How could she not remember him?

"Because you've never talked to me before."

He had no one. No one he could trust to figure this strange spell out.

That was when his blue jacket fell from its hook on the back of the door. Everett flinched as it crashed on the floor. He then widened his eyes. The jacket couldn't have made a sound that loud. There had to be something in the pocket weighing it down. He picked up the jacket and searched the pockets. The small wrapped box the real Charlotte had given him was still unopened.

Everett dropped the jacket and gazed at the box. She had instructed him to open it at lunch, but Everett had forgotten. He pulled the red ribbon off and flipped open the little box's lid. Inside, there was a single photograph. It was wallet-size and line in a white square rim. Everett squinted in the faint light of the night to see what the picture was of.

It was himself and Lori. The real Lori with purple hair and a little grin. It was taken last night when they were sitting on the roof together. He didn't know when Charlotte had taken this, but he assumed it was right before they were interrupted by Max. They were looking at each other, Lori grinning, and Everett's expression softened.

That was when Everett knew what he needed to do.