Life Is But A Dream

Headmaster Grimm looked at the pictures on his table, the pictures of Donnie and her friends, each picture seemed to be slowly fading away as if they would turn into dust and fly out the window.

"Why must I keep these?" Grimm asked the shadow.

So that I can know when time has completely wiped them away and-

A knock on the door stopped the shadow in mid speech.

"Who is it?" Grimm asked.

"It's Odelia Swan, can I come in?"

"Sure come in, Miss Swan."

The shadow disappeared as Odelia waltzed in.

"What do you want?"

"Well Headmaster, it has come to my attention that as I am a child of one of the most important fairytales in Ever After, I believe that once Legacy Day arrives, I would be able to get the honours of becoming queen and I-"

"Miss Swan, stop right there, you cannot become queen, you're not even a princess."

"What? Are you feeling okay Headmaster, because the last time I checked I was the daughter of the Odile, who took Odette's place when she didn't have any kids so technically I'm a princess, a Swan Princess and since my story is technically one of the most important I think-"

"Enough Miss Swan, leave my office immediately!"

"What!" Odelia looked shocked. "Why? I haven't done anything wrong!"

"I said leave."

"Yes sir," said the swan princess as she danced out of the room.

Once she was out, the shadow appeared once more.

"This is madness, with them gone, everything is turning upside down, how can Odelia Swan be a princess and Darling Charming is now Darling Queen, indicating King Charming married the Evil Queen, Pinocchio is depressed over some love he had at high school and refuses to crave a new wooden character, Snow White has no children and therefore the reign of Snow White may come to an end. All madness, we have to get them back."

No we don't, they will come back by themselves, probably

"But how? Doesn't time change them when they are in the past, twist their memories? Even right now time is taking away their existence in this world," Grimm said as he pointed at the photos, the edges looked black on each one of them.

Grimm, they survived Wonderland, they defeated some Evil Queen, they can handle this time thing and if they don't...well that's their problem

"But their problem is my problem, think about the stories? Snow White is the most popular story in our world, told numerous times, if Apple and Raven don't show up then the power of the Book could start to fade and I also need the rest especially the new tales from the Wizard of Oz. New stories mean more power."

Oh Grimm, is that all you think about? Power?

"I care about destiny and organisation."

Well then, I think we have something in common

"So what are you saying?" Donnie asked as she watched Sam typing some kind of codes onto the computer in the Lifairy.

"I'm saying that we have stayed too long, and when that happens, the balances tip, I mean think about how the future could be affected by us staying for the night?" Sam said as he continued to type.

"So is there a way we can get out of here?"

"None that I have discovered, I mean we could have used magic but none of us have that anymore."

Donnie looked at her hand and suddenly it seemed as if it pixelated, like she was made up of air, "Ahh, what was that?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"My arm, like it phased in and out like-"

"Pixels?"

"Yeah, how?"

"It happened to me the day we came, two days ago."

"What does it mean? Are we disappearing?"

"Well I have a theory, I believe that we are not vanishing or anything like that, because Time needs us."

"Time needs us for what?"

"Well, Time can't get rid of us just like that, it's like we are patterns of on a fabric, remove one and the patterns cease to have meaning anymore."

"So you are saying that Time needs us because we are essential to it, if we disappeared it would ruin the meaning of Time itself."
"Exactly so all this pixelating, I believe is not to make us go poof but to change us."

"Change us? Into what?

"Into people that can fit into this era, this time."

"So that the pattern goes on."

"Exactly."

"We have to warn the others, but it's so hard to find most of them, I mean Cupid spends all her time with her mum, so does Apple and Raven and Briar and the others with their parents here. It's like we have broken apart."

"Which we shouldn't if-"

"Hey there," a voice stopped Sam. It was Odilina.

"Hi," Donnie smiled, she didn't know the girl that well but she knew her daughter in the future, Odelia, how could someone so nice give birth to a villain like Odelia.

"I just wanted you guys to know that the Legacy Day practices are taking place and I was wondering if you guys were part of the A to G category?"

"Yeah, but I thought the Bs finish around 12, it's only 11," Donnie smiled.

"Oh, I just thought you guys were next and wanted to inform you, but oh well, bye."

"Thanks anyways."

Odilina smiled, "You're welcome."

Once she was gone, Donnie and Sam turned back to the computer.

"We have to find a way back, we have already changed the future already, being stuck here would ultimately change the course to a much extreme extent," Sam said.

"Then we better get cracking."

Jackson was in his father's dorm room playing some Hextreme Sports game, he knew his dad had been a video game fanatic but he didn't think it was to this extent.

"So, you and that red head, you two going out?" his father Jaq, asked.

"Yeah for a while now, she's the best thing that has happened in my life for a long time," Jackson replied, his eyes focused on the game, he knew his dad's tactics, get him distracted so he could win. "Do you have anyone special in your life?"

"Not right now, but when I sign the Storybook of Legends in a couple of days' time by destiny is gonna be sweet, meeting giants, golden eggs, magic beans the whole display, crap thing is that I have to live in some cottage for a while. What about you, what is in store for you after you sign?"

"Well same as you, get to live it large at the end of my story, but live it small at the beginning, like most stories around," Jackson smiled.

"So when are you gonna introduce me to your lady friends, I know it hasn't been that long since we have known each other, but I feel a bond, like a brother-type bond."

"Really?" Jackson said as he used his console to accelerate his speed in the marathon they were taking part in.

"Yeah, so what are their names, especially the feisty girl with green skin, she a witch or something, cuz that girl cast a fine spell on me," Jaq laughed at his cheesy line.

"Her name is-"

Suddenly the name slipped out of his mind, it had been there a couple of minutes ago but now it was gone, the girl, the girl who was always with Donnie, her friend or something like that, Jackson didn't know what she was exactly to Donnie. It was as if he had been dreaming and now he was awake and the dream had faded from his mind, trying to remember but always forgetting, what was her name, raven-black hair with chestnut highlights, had that wicked cool smile, her name, her name, her name!

"I actually don't know," Jackson finally replied.

"Really, you came with her and you don't know her name? Well I guess I have to find out myself. Dude when we are done, you gotta come with me and check something out, my friend Hopper sent a message saying that the guys should meet at the willow tree near the riverbank, hope he's not gonna turn into a huge frog."

"Willow tree?" Jackson asked and for a brief second, he remember the girl's name, but yet again it vanished from his memories like fog.

"Miss...I'm sorry I didn't catch your surname," Headmaster Grimm said as he beckoned Briar Beauty to the podium.

"It's-"

Briar's mind fogged and when it cleared, she seemed to have forgotten something essential, something that was part of her heritage. Slowly it was replaced by another memory, a false memory, well she didn't know that, but the memory that had taken the place of the one before her mind fogged was a fake, an imposter, but she didn't realise a thing. Her surname to her was now Bollace, she was now Briar Bollace.

"Bollace, it's Briar Bollace, Daughter of Rosy Lace," Briar smiled.

"Well then Miss Bollace, time for you to practice for Legacy Day."

Copper Man was taking a walk around the school grounds, his time for practice wasn't soon, could be tomorrow if the others took time, Ever After look the same as it was in the future, or the better way to say it, would look the same in the future. He touched the group, he truly missed his abilities and not only that he missed home, he knew how to get there, just because the Wizard of Oz story had not started didn't mean Oz didn't exist, it just hadn't come to anyone's attention, his father said that sometimes he missed the old days when the world of Oz was only for the Ozians.

He saw Cupid walking with some other pink haired girl, most likely her long lost mother, he waved at her but strangely she didn't wave back, she saw him but the look on her face made her seem as if she were looking at a stranger. Weird, Cupid was not that kind of girl to brush off her friends even if she just met her mum, more likely she would try and introduce her mum to the rest. Copper decided to let matters rest, maybe it was the joy of seeing her mum, whatever it was Copper thought Cupid deserved some time alone.

Donnie and Sam were walking to the gardens where the podium stood, it was time for their Legacy Day practice, they didn't really need to come but Donnie insisted that coming would keep them on the low and not arouse any suspicions.

"So we say our stuff and then we leave?" Sam asked.

"Yep, if we get back to our time, this is exactly what would happen, so we are just preparing," Donnie smiled, however deep inside she was scared, scared that they may not get back to their time at all.

They had reached the gardens and they saw Briar leaving, Donnie called to her, "Briar!"

Briar turned and smiled, "Is it your time to practice?"

"Yeah, you do know our surnames are in the C to G category, so how was yours, did you say your full name?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah, duh, why wouldn't I?"

"What! So you said Briar Beauty in public, did Headmaster-"

"Briar Beauty, that's not my name, Donnie, I thought you knew that," Briar smiled.

"Then what is it?"

"It's Briar Bollace, I'm the daughter of Rosy Lace."

"Nice cover-up Briar, but there is no need to act like you don't know your last name around us," Donnie said.

"Cover-up?" Briar looked confused. "My last name is Bollace, talk to you guys later, I need to see if Apple and Blondie need me."

Briar walked away and Donnie and Sam looked at each other with concern.

"It's starting," Sam said.

"Memory? We are starting to forget who we are," Donnie gasped.

"In order to fit in, we are not only changing physically, we are changing mentally," Sam said. "We have to get everyone in a meeting before we all start forgetting each other, for good."

THINGS ARE STARTING TO GET INTENSE, DO YOU THINK THEY CAN ESCAPE TIME AND RETURN TO THEIR ERA? AND IF YOU DO HOW? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW SOME OF YOU THINK THEY WILL, YOU NEVER KNOW ONE OF YOU MAY HAVE DISCOVERED HOW I WILL END THE STORY, BUT MY MOUTH IS SEALED, JUST ENJOY, MORE SURPRISES COMING THROUGH ;D :P