"Okay, one more time, Raven."
Raven sighs, careful of the aura around her hands. "Aren't you worried about this?"
"Pfft! Of course not!" Apple says behind a brick wall. Raven sighs. When she had said she needed time to practice before the day of hexams, an outing to the archery range together was not what she had in mind.
Raven spreads her two index fingers apart, waves them in a heart shape, and points them at the target. The aura shoots from her hands at the target, and the target falls. It bounces off the ground as a large red apple. Apple runs over and scoops it up. "Wow, Raven!"
Raven stretches her arms over her chest. "Can we take a break? My arms are starting to cramp up."
"Okay." Apple tosses the fruit aside, and it crumbles into ash. "Raven, do you think not saying the words will affect your grade?"
Raven sits on the bench and takes some water. "I'm doing the same spells. As long as I do them correctly, I should be fine. Besides, this is easier, somehow."
Apple rolls her eyes and chuckles. "Whatever you say, Raven."
Raven crosses her legs. "So, what's your hexam about?"
Apple perks up immediately. "In Princessology, we must present a grand speech to our loyal subjects, then for Debate, we must supply a thesis which - "
Raven tries to listen, but her mind wanders. Apple is her friend, and she knows that she cares about her. The Book doesn't know the extent of what Apple did, and Raven could have made it worse if she mentioned it. But it probably wouldn't matter. The Book was right. Apple had been truly selfish before. Always pressuring to follow their destiny, wanting so much for Raven to be evil, so close-minded that it infuriated Raven. But she was the one who had decided on destroying the Storybook of Legends. Raven had thought that finally Apple understood. But then she freed Raven's mother. After all this time, is Apple really her friend? Or is Apple right, and the the Book is just messing with her head?
"Raven?"
She snaps out of her trance and looks at Apple.
"I asked what's going to be on your hexam."
"Oh, uh..." Raven clears her throat. "I'm actually not sure. I think it's loosely based on how our stories play out."
Apple rests her hand on her shoulder.
"I mean, it's fine, I guess. It's just for another year."
Apple smiles slightly. "So...if poisoning me isn't what you want, what is it?"
She shrugs. "I don't know. That's the exciting part, isn't it? I don't know what will happen."
"You're very brave, Raven..."
"I don't know about that. I just feel like I have a choice. We all have a choice."
"A choice..." Apple's hand slides down Raven's arm, and her fingers entwine with hers. "Raven, can I tell you something?"
"Uh..." Raven shifts. "Sure."
Apple inhales shakily, nervous. "When I woke up from that enchanted sleep, I thought Daring had woken me. But he didn't. It was...someone else."
Raven nods. "I heard about that." Her hand tightens in Apple's grip.
She sighs. "I had spent so much time wondering who it was that woke me. And I realized the only boy there was Daring." Her eyes stare at their hands. "For a moment, maybe I thought...but you weren't there."
Raven's eyebrows knit together. "Apple, what are you saying?"
The blonde-haired princess gulps. "Raven, I think...well, if you have a choice now, would it be possible to choose your destiny as my prince charming?"
Raven's eyes widen. Had she heard that correctly? Her cheeks go bright red. "A-Apple!"
"I-I know that's coming out of left chapter!" Her shoulders tense. "But...well, I've been thinking about it. And I don't think I've ever realized it. I loved Daring as a friend, and I was content to live happily ever after with him, but I'm always happy when I'm with you. We were always together, by story and by choice. You were always my best friend." Her eyes finally meet Raven's. "But that also means I might not have someone to help me play out my story...or someone to pass my story onto."
"Apple, you don't have to - "
"I'm not asking for you to do it, Raven!" She interrupts. "I'm only asking if it's a possibility!"
Raven stutters, trying to process what her friend is saying, and what it all means. "Um...well, of course I think it's a possibility..." she glances at her, trying to read her expression. "But are you willing to go that...off-page?"
Apple squeezes her hand. "I don't know... All my life, I was so afraid to do anything that wasn't written for me. I was told I would be saved by my Prince Charming. But, since that day, I don't know what to think."
Raven swallows. Of course she's proud of her for opening up to her, but Raven doesn't know if she is the right one for Apple's story. At least, not in that sense. She supposes that if she looks back, she should have noticed the signs. But now, Raven's starting to become happy with what she has now. Friends, a new year, time with her dad, Dexter...
"Apple...I'm so proud that you'd trust me to know this. And I'm happy that maybe you'd consider this. But..." She winces as Apple's face falls. "Apple, I see you as a good friend. Just a good friend. And I value that. I think, if a Princess Charming is part of your story, then spell-tastic! I just...I don't think I'm the one for it. You know?"
Apple looks at her shoes, her eyes glossing over. But she nods. Raven rests her hands on Apple's shoulders. "Hey, you'll figure it out eventually. I'm still figuring a lot out. Who knows? Maybe your Charming will sweep you off your feet tomorrow."
Apple musters a smile, but it doesn't last.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Apple nods, but says nothing.
"Okay..." Raven stands up and gathers her things. "I'll see you back at the dorm tonight. Good luck on hexams."
With that, she heads out of the archery range.
That night, Apple lies awake in bed. She knows she should be getting some sleep; hexams are the next day. But thousands of thoughts race through her head: destiny, Raven, Princes, apples, fate. She rubs her eyes, another headache coming on. She looks over to Raven's side of the room. Raven mumbles in her sleep, though Apple can't tell what she's saying. She squints in the darkness, trying to make out the words on her lips. She gropes for her nightstand and pulls her glasses out of the drawer.
The sudden clarity is foreign to her as she slides them on. She slips out of bed and creeps over to Raven's side. Her limbs are flailed over and under her body, the covers tangled around her legs and her fingers twitching as she dreams. Some clothes and her bookbag lay scattered on the floor. "Wh-Where're you going with that tiny hammer, lil Tinker Bell? ..."
Apple snickers and pulls the covers over her properly. Her foot knocks against her bag, and it tumbles over, revealing the grey, leather-bound book. She gasps and looks back at Raven. Still sound asleep. Carefully, Apple stoops down and picks up the book. It feels old and rough, but not tattered to where it could be ancient. It's almost soft like fur. She tries to open it, but the chain stops her. A green jewel on either side of the book holds a gold chain across the pages. Apple flips it over. There doesn't seem to be any sign of a clasp.
She flips it back to the front, tapping the green gem. She feels around the pages for any sort of opening and fiddles with the chain. She manages to pull a bit of space between the middle. She curiously peeks in for any information, but just as she does, the book snaps onto her hand. She gasps, fumbling back to her side of the room. She flails her hand in the air to shake it off, but holds her other hand over her mouth. The book falls onto her bed with a soft thud and sits there. Apple gasps for air. Her heart is racing a mile a minute. Did that book just...bite her? She looks at her fingertips, now red and purple from where the blood had been held in. It doesn't hurt much anymore, but still it surprised her.
She looks back up at Raven. The sleeping Queen twitches. "Queen Elizabunny...you are my closest friend..."
Apple scoops up the book, unsure what she should do. Something like this feels too dangerous to be used as a study guide. Whenever Raven had been acting strangely, it was with this book. Something about this rubs her the wrong way. But through it all, Raven has been improving on her studies. But that comes with more problems. Raven is too goodhearted. She's too helpful. And story or not, Apple doesn't want her friend lost to darkness. She stares at the book, glowering at it.
She sighs. "We'll see what happens after tomorrow."
Raven needs to pass this class. So, Apple tiptoes back over to Raven's side of the room, slides the book back into her bag, and heads back to bed.
The next morning, the students gather in the castleteria awaiting the time when hexams will commence. Apple arrives and sits with Ashlynn, Briar, and Blondie. Rosabella's head nods, the dark circles under her eyes now a shade darker. Darling appears at her side and hands her a large iced coffee. Raven chats nervously with Cedar as Maddie slips some tea out of the tower of cups and saucers she's created. The Book sits safely in her bag. Raven doesn't know exactly why she brought it, but she thought it'd feel right.
The speakers turn on as Grimm approaches the balcony with a microphone in hand.
"Students of Ever After High!" he announces. "I'm sure you're all eager to take your final examinations."
The crowd erupts with a mix of cheers and groans.
"Yes, well..." he clears his throat. "To ensure the safety and legitimacy of each test, no personal items are allowed within the testing site. This includes MirrorPhones, quills, parchment, and of course, textbooks. Within your testing site, time will be altered to ensure everyone finishes at the same time, regardless of story length. And remember, any deviation from your story will result in a failing grade." His eyes land directly on Raven. "So do well!"
The students clap for their headmaster as he heads out. Raven gulps.
"It's okay, Raven." Cedar says, Maddie dumping out all the contents from her hat. "You probably won't go off script because it's only a test. A very realistic test that makes us play out our fantastical and maybe horrific stories."
Raven sighs. "Thanks, Cedar."
Maddie pulls her up towards the door. "No matter what grade you get, we still love you!"
Raven chuckles, drops her bag next to Maddie's pile, and heads out of the castleteria with the rest of the crowd to their testing sites. She waves to Maddie as she skips off towards the other Wonderland kids. Apple hugs Raven from behind.
"This is hexciting, isn't it, Raven?"
Raven grumbles.
Apple lets go. "Oh, right. I'm sorry."
"I-I-It's okay," she sighs. "I'm just... I just want to get it over with. You know?"
Apple nods. "You'll do great."
"Thanks..." Raven looks down the hall. "I'll see you after testing is done."
She waves to her friend and heads into her testing room. Room 113, a stone room with a single desk. She slides in, looking at the heavy book in front of her. She looks up. Headmaster Grimm stares at her, tall and stern. She sits up straight, hiding any hint of fear she may have on her face. He nods.
"Let us begin, Miss Queen."
He flips the book open for her, and the room fills with light.
Raven awakes in a dark space. Her feet are on the ground, but she cannot see it. She looks around. Everything is pitch black. Suddenly, a soft voice echoes overhead:
"Welcome, Raven Queen. This final hexamination will measure your ability to recognize, recreate, and remember advanced evil spells. To start, please step forward."
Raven sucks in a breath and takes one step forward. A mirror panel appears in front of her with a brief glimpse of her reflection. An image appears, a picture of a cobblestone road in Book End with carriages and traffic lights.
"To proceed, select all the pictures with traffic lights on them."
"Seriously?" Raven asks.
"Just to make sure you're not a bot."
She sighs and taps all the photographs with traffic lights. The image disappears, along with the mirror.
"You have 240 minutes to complete the test. Time and perception outside the designated testing site will be altered depending on the length of your destined story. Begin."
The area around her morphs and materializes. Black drapes hang on the stone walls, candles with green flames provide dim light in the dark chamber, the air smelling like violets and bitter almonds. Her mother's room. Raven takes a deep breath and approaches the wall where the mirror is usually held. The wall, however, is void of any reflective surface. Raven looks at her hands.
It's not real, she reminds herself. Just do it for the grade... Magic Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
She raises her right hand, a purple aura engulfing it. She lifts her left hand with the same result. She holds her palms flat and thrusts her arms downward. A large, round, ornate mirror materializes from the top of the wall to the floor. Raven's reflection stares back at her as she lifts her hands. She cups her hands, lowering them down and creating a sphere. She gently pushes the sphere towards the mirror. The sphere slips through the glass as if through water, rippling the surface. Her image disappears, replaced with a smiling image of Apple.
Raven sighs as the scene around her fades, replaced with a dark throne room. In front of her is Hunter, or what appears to be Hunter, kneeling before her with his hand out. A long table stands between them with four items: A sash, a comb, a bright red apple, and a hunting knife. Raven holds her hand over the apple, tempted to get the story over with. Maybe not have the blame put on her.
She pulls her hand back. No, that's not fair. It wouldn't be fair to put the blame on Hunter. Besides, it's just a test.
She picks up the knife and sets it in his hand. The scene melts again, sending her hurdling into a dark, dank dungeon. In front of her, an array of vials, jars, animal pieces, body parts, and a large red box all gathered around a massive black cauldron that bubbles and boils with green mist. She steps up to the cauldron slowly and looks about the table. Potion making. Not her strongest suit. She taps her thumb to her chin, trying to remember the transformative formula.
She thinks back to the Book, her thumb on her chin. And she remembers. Thumb on the chin, right hand claps the top, left finger tickles her chin, blow a kiss. She grabs a handful of mummy dust, extract of darkness, old hag's cackle, and shriek of a banshee.
Sorry for calling it ridiculous, Book, she thinks.
She drops these items into the cauldron. The mist spills over the rim and swirls around her, blowing her hair back. When the mist dissipates, she looks down at her hands. Nothing appears to have changed. She looks into the cauldron, gasping at the withered old hag staring back at her. She gulps, knowing what she has to do next. She snatches a lock of nightshade from the table and a bushel of hydrangeas, and she tosses them into the cauldron. The pot bubbles and boils with a thick green ooze. She takes an apple from the table and carefully dips it in. The ooze coats the apple's skin, dripping and seeping green and black and blue until the deep red coat appears once again. She sighs and holds the apple to her chest. By Grimm, she doesn't want to do it...
The scene changes again to the Enchanted forest. Birds chirp overhead with the sun shining on a beautiful stone cottage. A sweet voice sang from inside. Raven swallows. Is a final grade really worth having to live through this? Maybe if she didn't have to see Apple taking that bite, it would be better? Raven cups the fruit in her hands, surrounding it in her aura. It floats above her hands. She gently pushes it towards the cottage, opening the window as it gently floats in. She sees Apple in the window, still beautiful in her rags and worn clothes. She watches as the princess takes the fruit, looks around, and happily bites into it. Raven looks away.
Raven feels herself falling through space. The clearing falls away from her, thick trees forming as she finds herself on the ground. She pulls herself to her knees and rubs her eyes. What now?
The sound of hooves makes her jump. She throws herself behind a tree, carefully peeking to see who it was. A tall knight in dazzling white armor rides on a white stallion, a blue cape on their back and a blue feather on their helmet. A Charming. They turn their head. Raven ducks behind the tree again. Can they actually see her? Are they another student or is this just an illusion caused by the test? What is she supposed to do now?
Should she leave them alone and let them find Apple? Or should she confuse them, make it nearly impossible to find her? Either way, the knight will find the sleeping princess and wake her. It seems inevitable at this point. The horse passes her hiding place, and she peeks back at the knight. The forest is clear enough for travel. Raven thinks and thinks until she thinks a hole in the ground. What would her mom do?!
Raven gasps. No...No, she can't! She... She has to.
She grasps her hand tightly together, whispering into them. Her first spell. The most dangerous spell she's ever been taught. She keeps whispering, slowly separating her hands as lighting zaps between her fingers. Her hands shake with the effort as the ground shakes beneath her. Unable to hold it any longer, she thrusts her hands upwards towards the sky. Dark clouds gather overhead as the ground tremors. Lightning flashes as heavy stones hurled towards the earth. The trees turn black and jagged, brandishing heavy thorns. The ground cracks open, heading towards the white knight. The horse breaks into a gallop and charges deeper into the forest. The knight unsheathes their sword and slices through the black brambles, jumping over the cracks to look at her.
Raven gasps, trembling. The knight charges right for her. Her hands are still pointed at the sky to hold the spell. She's never performed it on such a grand scale; she can't hold it! The horse is quickly approaching! She doesn't want to hurt them! She wants them to save Apple! But she wants to pass this test! She hates this! She hates this story and she hates this destiny! All she wants is for this to be over!
The breath is suddenly knocked out of her. Raven's head hits the ground, and the ground stops shaking. The sky shines brightly again as the white knight puts the shield back on their back. Before Raven loses consciousness, she spies a lock of platinum blonde hair peeking out from the knight's helmet.