The walk to the headmistress's office was quiet and it had remained long after they had arrived. The three boys watched Bloodgood carefully stack up some papers and sent the horse (which they learned was named Nightmare) away. Other then the strange looking animal, they couldn't necessarily find anything else strange about her with careful scrutiny.

Bloodgood knew they were watching her, but she decided to let them continue. Let them calm down and come up with their own conclusions, and then they could continue forward. At least, she would like to do that, but seeing as how the one wearing the hat seemed to still twitch every few seconds since they sat down, she might have to cut to the point.

"As you may have guessed," She said slowly, watching them straighten up. "This is not exactly the most normal of places. I do not doubt that you boys have some questions for me and I am absolutely free to answer whatever they may be."

"Where the hell are we?"

The question made the headmistress pause, looking over the short boy in the middle chair. Eddy (she believed his nickname was) seemed to have a suspicious look, tense and ready to run at a moments notice. He had his hand on Double D's shoulder as an attempt to soothe him- or was it to move him in case she turned out to be dangerous? She assumed the latter as he had a hand ready to grab Ed that was dangling limply off the armrest in said boys direction.

"You are within the city limits of New Salem and Bookend." She answered simply. She made sure to keep eye contact, watching as Eddy's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What- what my compatriot here means that," Double D started, flinching as Bloodgoods gaze switched to him. "What we're asking is what exactly this location is."

The headmistress sighed. "Now that is a harder question to answer." She composed herself carefully, making sure all eyes were on her. When she determined they were, she continued. "A good many years ago, the people of the world were classified into three groups; Humans, Monsters, and Legends."

"Monsters?" Ed said in wonder, eyes widening. It looked like he had begun to relax, curiosity instead of trepidation entering his features. An encouraging look if Bloodgood could say so herself.

"Legends?" Eddy said carefully, looking to Double D in confusion. His suspicion remained, but he was still listening. Double D seemed to also share these feelings, watching the administrator with critical eyes.

"For many years, the three groups lived in a fragile harmony. While it couldn't be called exactly abject peace, it wasn't close to absolute war." A small smile fell onto her features. "Many of these groups used to intermingle, working together towards common goals. Legends focused on becoming the creators of tremendous stories, while Monsters would focus on great innovations that would move each group forward. As for humans, they made sure to record everything and become the first historians."

"I'm sensing a but." Eddy interjected, raising an eyebrow. She would have been irritated, but at least a joke meant he was calming down. She kept going.

"But," She sent a look their way to not interrupt again. "There came a time when all groups wanted more from each other. Legends wanted monsters to play their parts more. Monsters wanted humans to write them in a better light. And humans simply… well, just wanted more."

She waved vaguely all around here at the knickknacks on the walls, the haunted items she kept as a collection. Even the pencils on her desk that were virtually worthless compared to everything else.

"When the situation kept boiling over with actions of taking rather then giving, no one can really blame the ensuing conflict on any one side." She sighed, looking down to the floor. "However, in the end, there was only one true winner."

"Humans?" Double D asked, carefully, like he didn't want to set her off somehow. He received a small nod, with an expression that wasn't quite negative.

"Humans." She confirmed with finality. "Humans ended up outnumbering the powers of Monsters and Legends, attempting to take everything within their grasp. All magic, all of mad science, and anything that was in between. In the end, even when Legends and Monsters attempted to settle their differences in the name of a common enemy, they could not truly win."

Ed looked confused at the headmistress. "But you guys are still here. It looks like you won."

"No." Bloodgood sighed. "No, we did not." She got up and moved to one of her shelves. Grabbing a book, she carefully looked through it, holding onto the pages delicately, minding its age. When she found the right page, shoe moved it to face the boys.

From what the Ed's could see (after bunching up to get to it), they were looking at a picture of two people, standing across from each other. One looked was dressed in a fine gown, jewelry, and other fineries and standing with authority and grace. The other, dressed in dark robes, pale skin, and large teeth, stood imposingly, reeking of intimidation.

What stood between them was what could only be described as a large fire, with colors of varying shades. The colors were swirling together, turning into a fire twister that extended far above the edges of the page. Every time the Eds would blink, it would look like the colors changed, turning into new shades or just change colors all together.

"When the war between the three became too high a price to pay, the leaders of the Monsters and the Legends made a truce. When that truce turned out to not be enough, they went forward with a new plan." Bloodgood sat back down in her seat, folding her hands on the desk. "They made the humans forget them."

Like the book had been paying attention for its cue, the page began to turn on its own, revealing a new scene. The picture upon the next page showed the shifting rainbow flowing outward across the land, this time swirling into a hurricane. In the eye of the storm stood the two figures, back to back, while faceless beings scattered across appeared under the rainbow cloud.

"Stop."

Bloodgood, interrupted, looked at the person in question. It was, surprisingly, Double D who had stopped her. He was rubbing at his eyes, face scrunched up into what looked like a painful expression. A close look would have revealed that he was sweating. It appeared he was having migraine.

"As much as we appreciate the history lesson- at least, I appreciate it,- but that isn't answering the original question." Double D attempted to sit up straighter, but he was a little hunched over. It appeared the migraine weighed down on him physically. "But let me ask again; where are we?"

The headmistress appeared to be sympathetic. "Sorry. But the context is important." She opened a drawer in her desk, grabbing a bottle of aspirin. Handing some pills out to the boy, she smiled as he took them and swallowed them dry.

Usually Double D would have asked for some liquid to avoid the risk of dry swallowing, but he couldn't bother to even think about them.

"As I was saying," She continued softly, closing the book with a thump. "When the humans forgot about us, Monsters and Legends went into hiding to make sure it stayed that way. We hid cleverly in communities they never looked too closely, with magic they no longer knew. In some cases, we built communities of our own."

"And we're in one of them?!" Ed, who had been silent for what was probably the longest time in his life, finally spoke. It honestly appeared like Christmas, Halloween, and his birthday were all being done at once for him, ten times over.

Bloodgood could only chuckle. At least someone was enjoying this. "Well, it looks like you're all quick on the draw at the very least. Accepted it very easily."

"Unfortunately, we have to." Double D's voice was shrill. "Magic, dragons, and virtually everything else apparently exists. Saw it with my own two eyes." He took a shaky breath in. "This is fine. I am absolutely, completely fine with this."

Bloodgood quirked and eyebrow and nervously looked to Eddy. "Will he be alright?"

"You just rocked his whole worldview, but he'll adapt." Eddy winced as he heard a sharp laugh from said friends direction. "Maybe." Moving the topic aside, he leaned forward, hands clapping in front of him. "So. Cool story. Nice to know humans are just as horrible as they've always been. But I think me and my friends made a wrong turn, we're supposed to attending a Merston and Evelyn Aster High right now-"

"Oh, no, you three were meant to come here." She leaned back in her chair, steepling her hands. "And it's Monster and Ever After High. Cover names for the schools, just in case anyone asks."

Eddy tensed. "Subtle. But, uh, what the heck does that mean?"

Bloodgood shrugged. "It means that you were brought here on purpose. No human would get here accidentally dearie. It would be chaos otherwise."

"…We're going to be human sacrifices to keep this amnesia spell up, are we?"

The headmistress sputtered. "Wha- Of course not! Why do you-" She stopped, putting her hand to her temple. She took a breath. "Alright, that may have not been the way to phrase this. Let me try again."

Ed brightened up. "Please? I want to know more about this place. Are there any more dragons here? Oh, you wouldn't happen to have any zombies here too?" Before he could continue, the headmistress held up a hand, causing him to quiet.

"Yes, on both accounts." She sighed. "And when I say that I brought you three here on purpose, it was for a much more humane reason. No human sacrifices, that I can assure you."

Eddy was starting to get impatient. "Then say it."

Bloodgood rolled her eyes. "I want you three to attend the schools here."

There was a beat of silence. The three boys didn't seem to know how to respond, with Eddy looking baffled, while Ed didn't seem to register. However, Double D, coming out of his panic attack slowly let out an important, intelligent question.

"What?"

Okay, maybe not so intelligent, but still important.

"I said that I want you three to attend school here, at Monster and Ever After High." She leaned forward, folding her hands on her desk. Her attitude had shifted from lecturing to serious. No jokes as far as the boys could tell. "And not just for a lark, but for a purpose."

"A purpose?" Eddy's confusion was evident on his face. A subtle eye twitch and a quirked smile showed how he felt about this.

"Are we the chosen ones?" Ed asked in wonder, gasping as he put his hands on the side of his face.

"No, but you have the right attitude for it." Bloodgood shook her head, letting out another chuckle.

Double D sighed. "What would that purpose be exactly? I don't necessarily get why you would want us to attend your establishment, much less the other down the lane. I also don't understand why monster and fairy tale schools exist, mind you."

"Everyone needs a proper education, dear. Even us monsters." Despite the joke, the headmistress looked outside at the city forlornly, looking into the distance at the town of Bookend. "And it's simply to help further a goal of me and… a close friend. We wanted to try something that would help better the world."

The Eds were only getting more confused as they listened, but they had the sense to keep quiet. Even Eddy fought down a retort and allowed her to continue.

"There are two main problems in our small, secluded world, but big ones all the same." Her eyes flickered downward. "The first? Despite the treaty that was made to unite Monsters and Legends in the end of the war, the two races have never really learned to work together. Some attempts have been made, but tensions have never been higher. Despite having all of this time, relationships have just… stagnated."

She paused. "As for the second…" She attempted to continue, her face morphing into a grim expression. "We've been in the dark for quite a long time. And quite honestly? The population is starting to become too big to ignore."

She got up from her chair and moved to the window, looking out at the towns pensively. "Despite what many leaders on both sides think, we can't hide forever. At some point, someone is going to slip up or the humans will find something they weren't ready to know. We will have to reunite with humans someday. Even if it is slow." She sighed and turned back to the boys. "Which is why I brought you here."

Eddy narrowed his eyes. "Don't get me wrong," He said lowly, hands clasped together tightly. "It's nice to have ambitions, but how is us going to school here going to help that?"

"Because, believe it or not, you three have traits that are needed to pull this off." Opening another drawer, she picked out some files and opened them up. To the Eds horror, they couldn't help but notice their pictures on the top.

"Oh, permanent records!" Ed move forward, trying to read his. "What do you think these have guys?! You think they have that time we set fire to the cafeteria after trying to sub for the lunch lady? Or the time with the Kankers and that Zamboni we borrowed?"

"I'm more concerned as to why she has it." Double D said, though he was attempting the same thing. He really hoped that it didn't mention some of what Ed said earlier. Especially the Zamboni incident. "What exactly does it say, and what exactly were you looking for?"

"You can rest assured that most of what was said in here is positive." Bloodgood tried to assuage the smart Ed boy. "As for what I was looking for, I was looking for endless creativity, with an imagination to match." She pointed to Ed, who simply beamed in pride.

"An astute mind that knows exactly how to strategize and know exactly what to do next." Double D, while still trying to remain serious, fought back a smile of his own. He didn't exactly get complemented that much.

"And lastly," She turned her gaze to Eddy, who was still keeping a close eye on her. "Someone who knows how to manipulate and keep a lie together, even long after it should've died."

Eddy smirked, but his eyes were still narrowed. "That's cute, Hannibal, but I'm pretty sure you can find plenty of other kids that would be able to help pull this off. None of those things are unique to just us, you know."

"Statistically, Eddy isn't wrong." Double D straightened up, running some calculations. "Even if you applied the broad statement of us being 'one in a million," that would mean there are about 327 people in the United States alone that are like us."

"Maybe we're special." Ed said, trying to steer his friends to his side. "I mean, maybe because we're good friends it makes us easier to work together."

Bloodgood nodded but didn't seem particularly bothered by the concerns. "All of you are correct in bringing this up. While you three having a history does help you all cooperate, there ar probably other people more qualified. However, there was one factor when deciding that you three would be good candidates."

"Enlighten us then." Eddy threw his hands outward, sarcasm clear in his voice. Double D sent an elbow the ribs once again, causing him to double over and sent a glare to his friend as he did so.

At this, she hesitated. She looked down at the files on her desk and seemed to think her next statement over. When the pensive look on her face eased, it was replaced by a calculating one as she looked forward and asked them one question. "Where were you three staying about a month ago?"

"Excuse me?"

"I asked," She said slowly, tongue clicking. "Where were you three staying about a month ago? What city were you in?"

The Eds couldn't help but remain quiet at this, their mood shifting. They couldn't help but look at each other, expressions turning neutral but strained. Ed's smile was plastic and unmoving as he squeaked out a response. "What do you mean?"

The headmistress's frown settled more on her face. "Not going to talk? Fair enough." She neatly stacked the folders, not making eye contact. "Let me enlighten you with another story, this time only from a month ago…"

Headmistress Bloodgood did her best to enjoy the sights of New Orleans, she really did. However, while passing through the lively streets and listening to music fall come out of the clubs despite being early in the afternoon, her mind remained occupied. The plan was failing through before it even began.

Just what the hell did Milton do? At first, things were going quite well if she could say so herself. The candidates were being reviewed, she had a few phone numbers she had been ready to call, but she had found the stack of papers in her office the next morning. Like someone had been trying to hide it frantically and return it to her.

She scowled. All the hard work that had been done so far was being put to waste, all because of Milton, something she knew she couldn't stand for. However, without the connections she had relied on, this made things so much more difficult. She could only do so much with her own resources before needing some outside help.

A particularly loud bout of music from a passing troupe made her jump out of her reverie. A lively city, she couldn't help but think. So many spirits here too, but they only came out at night. She really wished that she had picked somewhere quieter, but this was far enough away from the school and she figured she might as well visit some college friends while she was here. It was too bad she couldn't enjoy the atmosphere as much as everyone else was.

She sighed and steeled herself. Bloodgood would have to do something before meeting up with her friends later. She didn't need to be in a depressive mood for this.

"Maybe I'll go to one of those fortune tellers." She huffed good-naturedly. "Their predictions are always good for a laugh."

She'd made it a massive open space where many 'fortune' tellers, souvenir stations, and various other little stands scattered across. Maybe she could get a tarot card reading or see if one of those crystal ball ones were still around. A souvenir wouldn't be a bad idea either, but she didn't exactly have anyone that would appreciate it.

"Ladies, gentleman, and everyone in between, come and buy a good taste of good ol' Louisiana before you leave! We have a limited stock, so buy fast!"

"Eddy, please get off the table."

Bloodgood couldn't help but immediately straighten. Strange. Usually the voices trying to hook in customers weren't so… young.

She turned slowly towards the voices, narrowing her eyes. Admittedly, the sight of a small table carrying overpriced souvenirs wasn't unusual here. However, instead of an adult running the stand, three teenagers were running it, one of which was attempting to get another off of their table. Unsuccessfully, she might add.

"C'mon, Einstein, how else am I gonna' attract attention around here!" Eddy swept his hand over the courtyard, noting the stands around them. "We're floundering here."

"That doesn't mean you have to break the table. The last one we had was in two pieces thanks to your theatrics and it took us a week to find another one." 'Einstein' pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Ed, you wouldn't have happened to create a few more trinkets."

"Tons of them," Ed said, in the van parked not too far away. Wood shavings and paint were scattered around him as he slowly carved out another shape with precision. "Running out of wood, though. Gonna' have to restock at some point."

Bloodgood didn't necessarily mean to hear all that, it just sort of happened. Just how like she was apparently walking toward the stand without necessarily thinking about it. Looking over their wares, she noted several key shapes of the fleur-de-lys carved out of wood, several bead necklaces, and skulls made out of clay. There was even little keychains with those little stylized ghosts.

"I still don't believe we should be selling some of these." Double D picked up one of the clay skulls. "I highly doubt that anyone in Haiti would appreciate these attempts at appropriating their culture."

"We're literally just selling skulls, Double D. At least we're not selling it with skulls painted on our faces like the three white guys we passed on the way here." Eddy got off the table, moving to lean back in a chair near the stand. "Keep em' coming Ed! The keychains are a real hot item."

"Excuse me." Bloodgood interjected, getting the attention of the boys. "Is it alright if buy one of your keychains? I know a few friends of mine who'd find them adorable." She didn't necessarily need them, but she was compelled to buy them if only to get a better look. She didn't see any authority figures nearby, so these three were obviously alone.

"Three bucks. Seven if you decide to buy a skull with it." She just nodded and pulled out some cash, Eddy only sending a brief glance her way. "And Sockhead, what else do you think tourists buy here? It's certainly not the peaceful atmosphere that attracts them." Eddy pointed to a band playing outside a few blocks away.

"I suppose the subject matter involving Voodoo and haunted locations does draw in more then a few buyers." Double D sighed. "We are running a bit low on funds. We'll need some more money before we head out to the next town."

Bloodgood, attempting to stall by putting the keychain on, couldn't help but note that. She looked into the van where Ed worked, noting that she could see some blankets and pillows in the back seat.

Concerning. Very concerning.

"Hey!" She heard a voice shout, stopping the conversation dead and ruining her concentration. An officer down the sidewalk started to approach, waving down at them. "You boys have a business license to sell those?"

"S***." Eddy scooped up the merchandise, making sure to snatch the money first. Double D picked up the table and was muttering up a storm as hurriedly folded the legs. Ed had already moved up to the front seat, turning on the ignition. "Looks like we're headin' out early."

"Thanksforhthepurchasema'm!" Double D said in a flurry, moving the table to the back part of the van. Eddy followed and spilled some merchandise as he went, the van speeding off as soon he got in. As it moved into the distance and through the busy streets, she could have sworn it blasted 'La Cucaracha' as it disappeared.

Bloodgood didn't necessarily remember much else from the day except for the cursing of the officer and the cooing of her friends after she showed them her new souvenir.

"My friends loved the little ghost you made. Said it was absolutely adorable." She dangled said trinket in front of them, the keys jangling.

"Thank you." Ed smiled at the praise.

The other two Ed's couldn't help but blush at the reminder of their New Orleans escapade. They'd outrun the law, though it would be a little while before they could return there.

"I should have charged you double for all of that." Eddy ran a hand down his face. A chuckle from the administrator only earned a glare from him.

"I suppose that is a nice little story," Double D, recovering from his embarrassment, folded his hands in his lap. "But I fail to see what made you think that made us more qualified above all other applicants."

Bloodgood moved the keychain into a little bowl, face neutral. "The thing I saw that put you three at the top?" She made sure to look them each individually in the eye before she continued. "I saw that you three needed help the most."

Eddy sputtered, the statement seemingly slapping him in the face. "What are you talking about?! We were doing just fine! What gives you the right to but in?"

"Considering the facts I uncovered after seeing you three? Several." She opened up several files that contained their pictures. "You see, after I saw that you were sleeping out of your van, I obviously grew a bit concerned. While doing some research of my own, I uncovered three very interesting facts about you three."

She looked at Ed, surveying him carefully. He shrunk a little, his expression strained. "One; You three were not only not from New Orleans, but you were all obviously from out of state. While a road trip isn't unheard of, it is considered strange when you're alone and states away. Much farther than even more lackadaisical parents would allow."

She moved her gaze to Double D, who did his best to keep the stare, but wilted. "Two; You three have police reports that seem to point to some form of delinquency, but they usually consist of cons that aim to get a set amount of money." She narrowed her eyes, causing the smart Ed to shuffle in his seat. "Almost like you three were struggling financially."

"And lastly," She moved on to Eddy last, who was just glaring at her with a barely contained scowl. She saw his eye twitch as she spoke the final words. "You were all reported missing in your hometown."

She put her hands on to her desk and rose out of her seat, staring them down. "I've worked this job for a very long time, boys. Longer then you know." She put her hands behind her back, standing at full height. "I know runaways when I see them."

The Ed's couldn't find a comeback, despite their resolve. Ed looked outside the window without shifting too much, while Double D started rubbing his arm. Eddy seemed to be forcing a smile on his face, teeth grinding at the effort. He was squeezing the arm rests with a powerful grip.

Finally, after a moments respite, Eddy sighed and sank into the chair. He looked exhausted, not even bothering to hide his irritation at this point.

"Fine." He moved his arms up limply in a lame shrug. "You got us there. Not like we can deny it now."

Bloodgood's stern face softened, looking over the nervous state of the boys. "What I'm offering here is a stable environment. Food, housing, and a proper education that would be valid anywhere. Yes, there are some strings attached, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Double D still wasn't looking her in the eye, as his were still glued to the floor. "What happens if we say no then?"

"Your memories will be erased." The admittance to that shouldn't have been surprising, but it did make them jump. "I will put you somewhere where you three can be worry free, but it'll be like this conversation never happened." She walked around the desk and leaned on it while facing them. "Either way, you'll be given a good home whether it's here with us or out there in the world. I think you three would like it here, however, which is why I wanted to get to you directly before making my choice."

The three boys sat and thought it over carefully. Money had been getting low, so having some free food and proper housing would be a plus. Double D appreciated the idea of actually continuing their education, especially if this place offered more due to magic and mad science. Ed would love to actually meet some more monsters here and the possibility for adventure was alluring.

Eddy however…

"I can't say that the offer isn't tempting," Eddy said carefully, gears turning in his head. There had to something else to sweeten the pot here. "But it sounds like we'd be fine either way. If you want to keep us here, you got to have something that any other place wouldn't have."

"Hm." The headmistress nodded, the noncommittal sound coming out of her mouth. "That's more than fair. No risk should come without reward. That's why we have a rewards program."

"Huh?" Eddy wasn't exactly ready for her to agree so readily. He blinked as she flicked over two brochures, this time containing the real information on both schools. At the front, he could see the 'generous scholarship program' tag at the top of each one.

"Ever After and Monster High provide scholarships to most students that attend." She explained, reminding Eddy of one of his own sales pitches. "For every student that does their share of the work and earn passing grades, they're awarded scholarships, with varying degrees of payment depending on their final grades. Even students that receive C's will barely have to pay for tuition.

"Of course, anyone with higher can expect to pay little to none." She saw the boys looking over the correct brochures this, carefully reading the same information she was saying herself. "If you three decide to apply yourself here, you three would never have to worry about student debt. Free education that will only make your lives richer."

Ed's eyes widened. "A head start."

"Exactly." Bloodgood watched as the boy carefully looked it over, reading the same passage several times over. He was calculating in his head the enormity of the offer. "Admittedly, while some human organizations do their best to provide these opportunities, it's instantly assured here. Ivy league colleges would be within your grasp with little effort."

Eddy licked his lips. The thought was tempting, though a little bit insane. That was… too good to be true. Double D getting to go to Harvard and having the world virtually at his fingertips, no strings attached? Ed being able to go to an art school that would work out for him, working on practical and special effects?

He stopped and looked up at her suspiciously. "And why should I believe that you're able to do something like that? I don't even think that would be possible, even if you had the right backers."

Bloodgood shrugged. "I know how it sounds. But I am telling the truth." She moved to Eddy slowly, arms at her said. Standing in front of him, she leaned down so their eyes were face to face.

"Besides," Eddy felt a chill as he noticed the woman, with her eyes almost trying to probe into his brain and read his thoughts. He, along with his friends, couldn't help but notice the stitching at her neck, wrapped deep within her skin. Eddy scratched his neck before continuing. "I think you would enjoy the idea the most."

The Ed's shifted in their seats. Ed smiled nervously, making sure to look between the two carefully. The lady was pretty nice to them before, but he couldn't help but not like the calculating look in her eye. She wasn't trying to be mean, but that still didn't mean it didn't scare him a little.

"Really," The faux confidence in Eddy remained fixed, but it he could feel it slipping. "What makes you think that? Maybe I don't want to go to college."

She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head silently. "You don't want to?" She questioned, tilting her head to the other said. "Or didn't believe you could afford to?"

The staring contest between the two kept going. Eddy shrunk back slowly as the seconds went on, but Bloodgood stayed stock still. In the back, Double D couldn't help but realize that she wasn't breathing. Sure, the occasional sigh could be heard, but he wasn't seeing her breathe in. They'd forgotten that she wasn't exactly human, didn't they?

Eddy finally sighed, breaking the look between him and Bloodgood. She moved back up quickly into a standing position, head still tilted to the side questioningly.

"If," Eddy said haltingly, making sure to look to his friends. Receiving nods from them, he continued. "If we decide to do this, what exactly are the rules? Other than basic school rules, of course."

Bloodgood finally smiled, life returning to her face once again. "A few simple ones really. I expect you three to act with the utmost secrecy about this, for one."

"Duh," Eddy rolled his eyes.

"I mean it." Her voice turned deadly serious. "The policy of both towns states that any humans caught within the borders will have their minds erased of what they witnessed, but that only applies to the authorities and the faculty. Anyone else, student or otherwise, might go with something more extreme depending on their background with humans."

The Ed's winced at that. Right, the war. Needed to remember that.

"Secondly, I want you three to make an effort within your classes. While yes, passing only requires a C average, I do expect my students to actually try and excel no matter what. If you have any issues involving any subjects, tutoring is available across campus and other resources to increase your grades."

Double D couldn't help but feel his eyes twitch. Guess he was going to be tutoring Ed and Eddy for sure this year.

"Also, and this is somewhat optional," She took a brief glance to outside, making a note of the setting sun silhouetting Ever After High in the distance. "I would suggest attempting to make friends in both schools. I want to see some growth in how both communities interact."

Ed smiled widely, eyes glittering in excitement. He was going to make so many friends!

Eddy raised an eyebrow. "Is that all? Doesn't sound too difficult."

"Yes, infiltrating two societies sounds like a piece of cake." Double D deadpanned. This earned him glare from Eddy, which he shrugged at indifferently.

"Of course, I expect you all on your best behavior." Bloodgood sat back into her seat. "I do expect some chaos during the 'adjustment' period, but I do expect you to play by any rules every other school should have. Avoid fights, don't talk back to your teachers unless they deserve it, you know the rest." She waved her hand flippantly at the list.

"Sounds awesome!" Ed stood up abruptly, cheering. However, a thought crossed his mind. "Uh, wouldn't it be harder for Double D? I mean, he is attending both schools, so, he's gonna' have to work extra hard."

"Ed's… right?" The smart Ed boy looked incredulous but decided to shake it off for later. "Though, I guess I do have a friend in each school to help, but that does imply some extra work ahead."

"I will make sure to help you on that matter. You are not the first student that attended both schools before. I attended both of them myself at one point." Bloodgood was already putting the files away as she said this, rifling through her drawer.

Eddy stood up himself, clapping his hands together. "Then I guess we have a deal. Thank you for this… enlightening conversation, but it looks like we got to prepare." Double D looked like he was going to raise some protests, but Eddy ignored it as he started heading for the door. Opening it, he took one final pause. Turning his head to look at her, he asked one final thing.

"Since we've talking about monsters and all, I've been meaning to ask you something; What exactly are you?"

Bloodgood only smiled politely, pristinely. "Why, can't you tell,"

She move her hands and rested her hands at the side of her head, smile widening. She slowly moved her hands up, seemingly dragging her head with it. Stiches unraveling, her head slowly disconnected from her neck.

"I'm the Headless Horsewoman."

Bloodgood would never admit it, but she laughed later at how fast the three ran out of the room.

"Okay, Eddy?" Double D breathed heavily, noting the distance they put between themselves and headmistress's office, noting they were several hallways away. Something told him he'd have to get used to sights like that. "As much as I appreciate the opportunity, what were you thinking?!"

Double D started pacing, hands frantically moving and voice pitched high. "Seriously?! How exactly are we going to do this?! I mean, yes, we've done plenty of scams at this point, but this is outright fraud!"

"Double D." Eddy carefully said, putting his hands in front of him. It was futile, though.

"You heard the headmistress, if we're caught, the best-case scenario is losing our memories. We don't even know the worst case one, but she made some heavy indications to what it was."

"Uh, Double D." Ed attempted to interrupt his friend as well, but it had the opposite effect as their hatted friend only got more frantic.

"And we definitely did not have an excellent start. I mean, the Ever After students didn't exactly seem to realize anything, but the ones here saw us freak out at the sight of their pet. How in the world are we going to explain our reactions to them?!"

The other two Ed's looked at each other, deadpanning. Eddy sighed as Ed gave a rueful chuckle. Old fashioned way it is.

"Not to mention that-" Double had no time to continue as Eddy then slapped him, with another quick one from Ed to follow. Stunning him, he spun in place before stopping to take a deep breath.

"-I really hate it when you do that." He sighed deeply. He instinctually straightened out his tie, looking at his friends with a stern look. "As much I needed that, it doesn't mean I don't have point. What we're attempting here is something more complicated than any scheme we've done in the past."

Eddy nodded, surprisingly taking the situation just as seriously. "You don't think I know that? I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was worth it, Sockhead." He moved to his friends' side, grabbing him close by the waist. He extended a hand, flourishing to highlight the dark walls of Monster High. "We do this, we can not only get into college for free, we also have access to tech you could only dream of."

Zipping over to head, he jumped to grab his friends head, looking him into his eyes. "And magic, dude. Magic! Can you imagine what kind of stuff we could do with that?! Free college is just the icing on top of all of it."

"Yeah, Double D!" Ed looked excited himself. "Magic is freaking awesome! You might not like it, but maybe you could study it?"

Double D felt a part of his analytical mind flair at that. It would be interesting to find out if there was an exact science to it, he supposed. There was also the matter of how people like Bloodgood could survive after death, especially without a working cardiovascular system and decayed lungs…

"I suppose," He said slowly. "But if we try to do a scam of this magnitude, it would require quite a bit of planning. More then anything we've done before."

Eddy clapped his friend on the back, already heading down the hallway. "Just leave it to me, guys. I already have a few ideas that we'll smooth over later tonight in the dorms."

"Alright, Eddy's the man with he plan." Ed followed soon after, already spouting off a list of ideas as to what they could do. Some inane, some impossible, but Eddy still listened for the occasional gem. Double D sighed, running to catch up with them.

"Guys, wait! You don't even know where the dorms are!"

It was going to be a long school year.

Well, what do you know, I'm actually updating this regularly. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thus ends what could be called the prologue and thus begins what I affectionately call 'The Preparation Arc.' Now, the real story begins and eventually conflicts will begin to surface as the Ed's move forward in their scheme to fool two societies into thinking they're something or not. I'll see you all later on the next chapter!