Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2013. Found: 2017.- Licia

"Frankly, I think it's good that Raven ran away. I don't see how she tolerated rooming with that... that bitch."

The others nodded, ignoring the swell of students who flooded into the auditorium for Headmaster Grimm's big announcement. Word had quickly spread around the school that Raven Queen had disappeared; run off and left Ever After High and her destiny far behind. The whispers had ranged from annoyance, disgust and anger to admiration, pride, and the hope that if Raven could vanish into thin air and avoid her destiny, maybe others could, too. It was quickly becoming clear that the school was splitting down the middle- dividing itself into two factions: Royals and Rebels.

The Royals were those who were determined to stick to their stories, follow tradition and sign the Storybook; they felt that their destinies were owed to them, and that one rebellious action had taken it all away. Whereas, the Rebels were those who believed that they should be allowed to follow in Raven's footsteps and create their own stories, their own destinies, and not be forced to follow in their parents' footsteps. If only Raven had been here to see what her little act of rebellion had brought about.

Cerise and the others looked up as Ashlynn Ella took a seat beside Maddie. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sitting with the Royals?"

Ashlynn blushed, but didn't get to say a word as Hunter Huntsman took a seat beside her, taking her hand, and suddenly, the girls understood. "How long have you been-"

The couple shared a glance. "Since last spring. Secretly. Raven was the only one that knew." Ashlynn whispered, quickly dropping Hunter's hand as Apple walked past. The blonde watched her friend, who glanced quickly at her before lowering her gaze. She then turned to Hunter, whispering something to him that made him start in surprise; his dark eyes darted towards Apple, who set her jaw and stalked off, slipping into a seat beside Daring. Dexter sat in the middle, between the Rebels and Royals, showing that he was clearly torn.

"Students!"

Every head turned as Headmaster Grimm's voice echoed through the microphone at the front of auditorium. "Great, another 'motivational' speech." Cerise muttered, and Ashlynn choked on a giggle. A moment passed, before he continued.

"It has been brought to our attention that one of our students- Raven Queen- has disappeared. It appears that she has run off, in attempts to avoid her destiny-"

"No, really?" Cerise whispered, glancing at the others. "She was going to be forced to become the Evil Queen. I don't blame Raven for running off. If anything, I'd have gone with her." She tugged the hood of her cloak closer, and Ashlynn leaned around Maddie.

"Raven's the only one that had the guts to stand up for what she believes in. The rest of us are all just... just sheep, doing what's expected of us, especially the Royals."

"I thought you were a Royal." Cerise replied, and Ashlynn sighed.

"Raven told me once that my happy ending will come true if I don't force it; that I don't need to become my mother to find my prince. That I need to let my heart tell me who it belongs too, because it knows. And... not long after Hunter and I started dating, I realized she was right, and that my heart knew exactly who it belonged to." She glanced at Hunter, who took her hand and squeezed gently. Before Cerise could say anything in response, Headmaster Grimm once more spoke up.

"It is of utmost importance that not only is Miss Queen found and brought back to Ever After High, but that we, now more than ever, stick to the stories." A grumble of annoyance rustled through the students, causing a few to speak up in annoyance or anger. Safe to say, the assembly quickly ended, with the students filing out in a hurry. In lieu of classes, the students were given the day off, and Cerise and her small group made for Bookend, stopping at Hocus Latte before making their way to the clearing she'd stumbled upon in the Enchanted Forest a few weeks prior. She quickly glanced around at the others; Ashlynn and Hunter had kept quiet, and Cerise thought back to when Raven was still here- how she'd always had a kind word for the future Cinderella, a quick smile for the young Huntsman. And if Raven was the only one to know about their secret relationship-

That sounds like Raven. She's the leader of this little band of misfits without even realizing that she is.

"So what do we do?" The question hung heavy in the air, and everyone turned to Maddie, who sat staring at her teacup with tears in her eyes. She was perhaps taking Raven's disappearance the hardest, being her best friend and all. Cerise shrugged.

"I don't know."

"We could go look for her." Ashlynn suggested, sipping her drink.

"But where would we even begin to look? She might not even be in Ever After anymore." Hunter replied.

"She's not." Maddie replied, sniffling. "She said in her note that she's leaving EAH and Bookend, which means she must have left Ever After completely."

"Could she have gone home?" Cedar asked, from her place on one of the fallen logs. Cerise shook her head.

"No. That would be a sure-fire way for her to get caught. Raven's not stupid. If she wanted to get away, she found a way to do so." She looked up through the canopy, the sun's rays warm on her face and she closed her eyes. Was Raven feeling the same sun on her skin? Or was she out there, in some long-forgotten, distant land, alone and cold and starving? Either way, Cerise hoped she was free. "She's not in Ever After anymore. I can't explain it, I just know that she's not. And wherever she is, I hope she's happy."