"In all my thirty-seven years of teaching, I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING SO DISGRACEFUL!"
All her years of rebelling had gotten Raven sent to the headmasters office so often that it began to feel like a second dorm. She used to count items around the room to keep herself amused: six hundred twenty books, seventy-eight files, sixteen pens, ten pencils and on one occasion she counted three plasticine unicorns that the headmaster claimed belonged to his niece though neither he nor his brother had children. Raven used to be terrified of being yelled at my the headmaster, but it ended up happening so often that she learned to tune him out.
"Milton you need to calm down, the girls aren't even with us right now! If you need to discipline them I won't stop you, but right now you are just ranting at nothing!"
After getting in caught by the headmaster, Apple and Faybelle were separated and taken to the nurses office for their injuries while Raven and Dexter had been called in as witnesses. So all they could do was wait. Luckily they were seated far away enough from the headmaster's desk that they could whisper to one another without being heard.
"DO NOT-" Headmaster Grimm caught himself and took a breath. "Do not tell me to calm down Giles. I would say this is an appropriate reaction all things considered."
He checked his watch, impatiently tapping his foot.
"What is taking Nurse Ruth so long? It is a quarter past six already and I want these students back to their dorms before dark!"
Raven had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. Headmaster Grimm always gave long tedious lectures anyways, they would be here until dark regardless.
A few more minutes dragged along until finally, there was a knock on the door. Without waiting for an answer Nurse Ruth, also known as The Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe (Her sewing skills gave her surgeon-like precision when she did stitches) hurried in out of breath.
"Goodness gracious Milton! First those swan girls and now this? How many fights am I going to have to look after? I have a whole army of kids at home you know!" She puffed.
"That's HEADMASTER GRIM to you Nurse Ruth !" The Headmaster grumbled. " Now where are-"
Before he could finish, Nurse Ruth dragged the two girls into the office and immediately left to go home.
"MAKE SURE TO READ MY REPORTS THIS TIME BECAUSE I WON"T BE REPEATING THEM!"
The door slammed behind her. The sound echoing through the empty halls.
Without missing a beat Faybelle brazenly Flew up to the Headmaster's desk and pulled up a seat. She was pinching her nose with a cloth to stop the bleeding , but other than that didn't look too injured. Still, Faybelle looked uncharacteristically anxious. She still wore her usual scowl but wouldn't stop squeezing her arm and wouldn't meet anyones eyes.
The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Every second felt agonizingly long and sudden at the same time. Even though it had likely only been a few minutes, it felt like hours passed before Headmaster Grimm finally asked Apple to take a seat. It felt wrong. Apple didn't get in trouble, she always had a reason for what she did. It felt like she had become a different person.
Shaking with each step, Apple made her way to a seat beside Faybelle and in front of Raven and Dexter. She shot Raven a desperate glance, as if begging her to having a solution, before turning away. Raven never felt so helpless.
Not wasting any more time, Headmaster Grimm spoke.
"I want you all to listen to me carefully. Ever After High has gone through monumental changes in the last few years, traditions that were upheld for years are being called into question, and some have died out entirely. That does not change my authority in this school, and it most certainly does not give anyone her permission or excuses to disgrace this school, as you have."
Raven quietly reached out her hand to Dexter who quickly took her hand into his, giving it a squeeze.
"This is the second public fight that I have seen this fall and I will not stand for one more. I have given my life to maintaining this schools reputation and I will not let your inability to control your emotions throw that all away!"
He spoke as if each word was venom seeping into his system, his composure breaking with each syllable.
"In a world of magic, fights like these can easily take a turn for the worse." Giles finally spoke. "You are lucky that Madame Yaga caught you when she did, you could have been hospitalized."
"Oh COME ON! She hit me first!" Faybelle complained.
Headmaster Grimm glared at her.
"I.. never mind."
"And don't tilt your head forward Ms. Thorne" Giles added softly, "That won't help your nose, it can make you sick."
The Headmaster continued.
"This is not your first offence Ms.Thorne, your antics have previously caused catastrophe for this school, and now am I to believe that you are responsible for leaking the news of the DNA results? Do not try to lie to me. I have MANY sources."
Faybelle's breathing became heavy as she lowered her head and nodded.
"Very well." He responded coldly.
In the corner of her eye Raven saw Giles sigh deeply with sadness. Dexter rubbed his thumb along her hand.
"The last Evil Queen went entirely off-page in her attempt to destroy the rest of the fairy tale world, I will not take that risk again. I have other students to take up the mantle in the case that you would prove yourself untrustworthy. You are herby prohibited from taking Ms.Queen's place as the next Evil Queen."
"NO!" Faybelle shouted. She bolted out of her chair and began to plead with the headmasters. Blood dripped down her face and onto the floor.
"I was defending myself from her! Everyone saw it! I'M THE ONE ACTUALLY BLEEDING HERE!"
"I WON'T HEAR ANOTHER WORD!" Headmaster Grimm hollered as her slammed his fist on the desk, causing everyone to flinch. "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I AM TIRED OF YOU DOING WHATEVER YOU PLEASE! ANY OTHER STUDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPELLED A LONG TIME AGO BUT YOU HAVE DRIFTED BY WITH YOUR HIGH STATUS!"
Faybelle looked horrified.
"THE DAMAGE THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE GIVEN THIS SCHOOL IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE! YOU WILL STICK TO YOUR ORIGINAL FAIRY TALE AND I WILL HEAR NO MORE OF IT!"
"Milton stop this!" Giles exclaimed and he struggled to make his way to his brother but was overtaken by a coughing fit.
As if a switch had been flicked, Milton Grimm stopped dead in the middle of his rant and hurried to his brother with a horrified look in his eyes.
"I'm fine-" was all he could make out before deep pained coughing took over again.
"I'll-I'll get the nurse!" Dexter stuttered running for the door.
"Oh for goodness sake I'm fine!" Giles finally managed through strained breaths. "I'm just old."
Milton looked like he wanted to protest but Giles cleared his throat.
"This has gotten out of hand! Milton just tell them what you need to so we can leave, it dark out."
It HAD gotten quite dark. The time just seemed to fly by.
"Very well..ahem, Apple White."
Apple took a deep breath.
"While it is true that I have a handful of students selected to become the next Evil Queen, you mother has given me permission to move you to the top spot. I am afraid that if you choose not to take it, that you will not be without a destiny entirely. If you choose to take this path, I will ask that you limit any non-villainous classes to electives, and you and Ms.Queen will both be given the option to take an extra year to make up for your lack of experiences in these fields."
Apple nodded, tears welling her eyes. Raven couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"But with your behaviour as of late, some changes must be made to ensure you stick to the right wrong path. To do that I am afraid that I will be separating you and your roommate for the rest of the year."
Raven felt her heart sink to the soles of her feet. She used to hate the idea of living with Apple but now? She couldn't imagine living without her.
"Raven, you will be moving in with Duchess Swan, as I am aware of how seriously she takes her duties as a student. As for you Apple, I am having you move in with Ginger Breadhouse, though she is a rebel she has experience with potions, which you will desperately need if you are to be an Evil Queen with no dark magic."
"But what about Darling?" Dexter asked, still shaken up from Giles' health scare. "Wasn't she supposed to be Apple's Princess Charming?"
"That will have to wait. You and Raven already handed in your witness reports earlier, and now that you are aware of your new rooming arrangements I can't see any reason why you need to stay here any longer."
Headmaster Grimm looked at his pocket watch with a concerned look and gestured at his brother to get ready to leave.
"Before you leave, I want you to know that I will be contacting you parents about this."
Dexter immediately tensed up, unconsciously crushing Raven's hand in his grasp.
"They mean for Apple and Faybelle, not us." Raven whispered, wincing a bit from the pain.
Noticing his tight grip, Dexter quickly let go of her hand.
"Yeah of course he meant that!" Dexter gave a nervous chuckle. "We aren't even in trouble, why would I even... I mean that's so dumb right?"
Dexter looked away in embarrassment.
Apple looked terrified too, and even though he was trying to hide it, Dexter was still tensing up over the idea of his parents being called. Raven was suddenly very grateful to have such a loving father (And a mother who was trapped behind glass). This was what Apple was trying to tell her earlier, how the Charmings were with their children, the pressure that the felt to please their parents to the point of being scared of them. After her mother was sent away, Raven's home was where she escaped to be herself with her friends and she dreaded going to school. Was that was it was like for Apple all this time? She put everything into her live at Ever After because it was an escape from her life at home?
The thought was interrupted by Dexter leading her to the door.
"Do you want to walk home with Apple tonight?" He asked her "You might only have a few more days together as roommates."
Raven looked back at Apple, who was slowly making her way to the door. She nodded.
"Sounds good, I have stuff I need to go take care of so... uh,"
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and took off.
On the way back, Raven tried to think of something to break the silence, but what was there to say? That all the unity that they achieved in the last few years had been for nothing? That Apple would have to give up most of the classes that she loved? That they would not only be split up but some of their friends would have to be split up from their roommates because of them?
They walked back in silence.
Coming back to their room felt like entering an abandoned home. Everything was exactly the way it was when they left, but soon they would need to put it away and leave. Raven's mind began to spin with questions. Who was supposed to live in which room? Would she move into Duchess's room or would Apple move into Ginger's room? One of them would have to get used to a much smaller room so she supposed it should be the one that moved out, Apple didn't exactly pack light, but it probably wouldn't be. This was technically Apple's punishment, so it would make sense that she had to move into a smaller room. What would Apple and Ginger be like as roommates? Raven and Duchess had become friends over the last year but with Ginger...
"Apple do you know Ginger that well? I've never seen you interact."
Apple looked up from her bed, not bothering to move the spare clothes to her closet.
"Hmm? Oh, no not really." She stretched before sitting up. "I mean, when the Headmaster said that he was splitting us up, I figured he'd pair me up with someone on the royal side, not that I mind of course but he isn't exactly fond of breaking tradition."
She had a point, but headmaster Grimm wasn't wrong about Ginger's temperament for potions. Ginger always said that it was just like baking, and if she was half as good at potion making as she was in the kitchen, then Raven could understand Grimm's decision.
"At least you will be surrounded by sweet treats all the time!" Raven hoped she didn't sound as desperate for a silver lining as she felt. "And you know maybe it's good that you won't be with someone you know super well, you'll be able to approach all your friends on you own time."
"I...guess so." Apple mumbled, unconvinced.
"It's still gonna be so weird without you here, I mean I've been sharing a room with you for the last three years and I've just been so used to being the person I get to talk to when I come home."
The day they found out about the switch, the only thing that Raven could think of was protecting Apple. She had to be strong, so she was. She didn't let herself falter even once, she put everything into making it right. But after all those months of pretending she finally did the one thing that she hadn't let herself do for months.
She started to cry.
"Apple-I *hic* I couldn't help you." She felt like she was choking on each word. "But I don't know what to do! So much is changing and I can't stop it!"
Raven felt Apple's small body embrace her.
"Raven, no... no it's not like that."
Apple held her tighter.
"This isn't my problem alone, it's ours. All of these changes hurt you just as much as it hurts me, you've done plenty!"
Apple had already emptied her tear ducts from all her crying already, so she simply closed her weary eyes and patted her friend on the back.
"When you first switched rooms with Maddie I thought we'd never get along," Raven sniffed. "But now it feels like the end of an era, our final year before we get separated! It was supposed to be special! Why couldn't things have stayed the way they were?"
Apple took a deep breath before separating from Raven and put her hands on Raven's shoulders.
"Listen, I really messed up today, and I got a bunch of people involved but we've gone through worse before! having new roommates won't stop us from sticking together!"
Apple wiped away some tears and tried to force a smile.
"C'mon Raven, we can't let this get to us! It's just another obstacle to climb, we can do this!"
Despite her sudden motivational speech, Apple still sounded completely drained. They had both been through so much.
"Apple what's gotten into you? You're suddenly ok now?"
"Not at all!" Apple smiled. "But seeing you so upset made me realize something, this is nothing like any of the disasters we've faced in the past. This time we are on the same side! We could arrange secret meetings, OH! WE COULD HAVE SECRET SLEEPOVERS!"
She began to laugh uncontrollably.
"Apple keep your voice down it's after curfew!"
Apple muffled her laughter with a pillow.
"Mmmph! hehe! Ah... I may have forgotten to mention that the nurse had to give me cold medication. It's reeeeeally strong."
That explained a lot.
Apple began to twirl around her room. Lazily tossing a pile of clothes into her hamper. She missed.
"Touchdown!" She giggled.
Raven grabbed Apple and led her to her bed.
"What did Nurse Ruth give you?" Raven asked. "You're completely out of it."
Raven turned around while Apple put on some pyjamas.
"I dunno" Apple mumbled, slurring her words. "My head feels... my head...feels..."
She collapsed on her bed and started snoring. She was out like a light.
Sighing, Raven put Apple's head against her pillow and tucked her in properly. She wished that they could have stayed up late and enjoyed their last night together... but she wouldn't make Apple stay up when she was sick.
As Raven made her way to bed, she heard the sound of her mirrorpad receiving a notification.
Move in Alert!- Tuesday October 22nd, 6:50 AM- Duchess Swan will be moving into dorm room 202 A*
She turned it off and plugged it in beside her bed. So Apple would be the one moving out then. She sighed and tucked herself into bed, contemplating what tomorrow would look like.
Apple continued to snore contently in her sleep and Raven couldn't help but smile.
Whatever waited for them, they would be ready.