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Chapter Text

In the forest Primeval

A school for Good and Evil

Two towers like twin heads

One for the Pure

One for the Wicked

Try to escape and you’ll always fail

The only way out is

Through a Fairy Tale

-

Apple raised the clipboard to her face, scanning it to make sure she had everything. 

Dresses? Check. Makeup? Check. Facial ingredients in case the school didn’t have any? Check. 

She smiled, settling down on her mattress. It barely curved under her slight figure as she took a sip of cucumber water, staring out the window of her mother’s kingdom and thinking of how one day, she would have a kingdom just like this. Would her prince be soft and gentle, or rugged and strong? 

Either way it didn’t matter, because soon she would be setting off to school. 

“Apple, darling!” a voice called. She opened the door to her smiling mother, who embraced her the second it was open. “Oh, I hope that you’re excited!” 

Snow White hadn’t aged a day since her storybook had closed. Tall, willowy and beautiful, her face was completely smooth, lacking the usual crevices of age. Her black hair fell in a soft bob that framed her face, with wide brown eyes that were constantly tilted up, making her look like she was smiling even when she wasn’t. Ruby red lips were drawn into a smile as she regarded her daughter. 

“I can’t wait, mother,” Apple told her. Her entire body felt electric with anticipation. The school for Good was waiting for her. 

Ever since she was little, her mother had recounted her with her fairytale, telling her again and again the magnificent fate that had awaited her. Apple’s father would sit beside her, nodding along to the story and adding in his own little details about why he fell for her. It always made Apple swoon. 

Now it was her turn. Her entire life had led up to this moment, when she would depart and create a legacy as beautiful and undoubtedly Good as her mother’s. It was her birthright.

“Do you think I packed enough cucumbers?” she asked, turning to her suitcase. “I wasn’t sure if they would have any at school.”

“I can always ship you some,” Snow White assured her, patting her shoulder sympathetically. “And if that doesn’t work, they should still have a garden in the blue forest. But Apple, remember what is important. Our family has a legacy that we need you to live up to.” 

Apple nodded, her throat feeling a bit tight. Her family legacy was something her mother had been telling her about almost as long as she had told her of her own fairytale. For Apple was descended from a millenniums old line of princes and princesses, known for their pale skin, dark hair and utter, undoubtable Good. Centuries of prince charming’s and helpless damsels came from her family, and now it was up to her to join their ranks. 

Her hair was blonde, but she figured she would make do. 

“I’ll make you proud,” she said. Her mother nodded, dark eyes scanning Apple quickly before swapping over to look at her suitcase. 

“Hm,” she mulled. Apple felt her hands sweat. Had she forgotten something? Perhaps a lip balm, or a spare crown. Her mother’s fingers snapped, which made her flinch. “I have just the thing.”

Snow White disappeared from her room, and Apple tried to calm her breathing. She would be fine. 

Looking out her window, she gazed at the civilians that were just visible at the edge of the castle, mulling about the street. Only the most wealthy were allowed to stay close to the castle, of course. Apple shivered at the thought of being born into one of their lives, forced to work every day, no glory waiting for them. 

But she was different. She was destined for greatness. 

“Here you go, my sweet,” Snow White chimed, her voice practically musical as she handed a gold tiara to Apple. It was much smaller and more practical than the ones Apple had packed, with several clips lining it to keep it in her hair. “I wore this back when I attended school,” her mother explained. “It will serve you much better than those training tiaras we’ve been giving you.” 

Apple was at a loss for words, and launched herself into her mother’s arms, prattling thank you’s as her mother fastened the tiara to her head. 

“Now, are you going to be alright to get there on your own?” Snow White asked, pulling away from her daughter with a worried frown. Apple was tempted to say no and extend her time with her mother, but she knew that would be the wrong answer, so she nodded her head. Her mother broke into a beautiful, white toothed smile. “Perfect. Just like my perfect girl.”

Besides, there was still one more visit Apple had to make. 

-

Raven stared out the window, ignoring her dad. 

This was the day. The day that she had been dreading for fifteen excruciating years had finally come to pass, and she wanted to hold onto the little bit of peace left in her life for as long as possible. 

Shadows curled protectively around her as she sunk deeper into her corner of misery, until a weary sigh broke her out of her haze.

“You weren’t moping again, were you?” her dad asked, poking his head inside her room. The Good King had salt and pepper hair, with big blue eyes that always reminded Raven of a baby deer. Once again, Raven found herself wondering how a man like him had ended up with her mother. Especially with how doomed villain romances were. 

Then again, it wasn’t like the two ended up happily with each other, so maybe all was right with the world. 

“Are you sure I can’t just keep going to school in the village?” Raven pleaded. Her dad gave her a sad sigh and settled next to her in her window nook. 

“You received an invitation to the school, Raven,” her dad said, placing his hand on top of hers. Her hands were always ice cold, while her dad’s hands were warm and comforting. He nudged her softly. “It can’t be all bad, can it? You’ll get to do real magic there, and you always loved watching your mother cast spells.” 

Until she learned what the spells did. But Raven didn’t correct him, just hunched in on herself a bit more. 

“I’ll try,” she promised, averting her eyes. They had a small kingdom that only managed to be mildly successful because of her father’s management of it, but Raven loved it there. If it was up to her, then she would never move away from her house. She could stay safe and secluded, her father at her side as she lived a normal life. 

But even in her own kingdom she was an outcast, having to hole herself up in the palace. The townspeople didn’t mind her father, but Raven? They despised her. 

Sighing, she wondered what her life would have been like if she had been born into a civilian family. One who had no relatives who had gone to the School for Evil, one where she could go out in the daylight without being chased by pitchforks. That was a particularly unpleasant memory. 

“And if you ever feel homesick you can always write to me,” her dad assured her, before he looked at his shoes, his shoulders tensing a little. Uh oh , Raven thought. She knew that look. “I also came here to tell you, well, your mother would like to talk to you. 

Her stomach twisted the way it always did when she thought of her mother. The woman who was the reason she got pelted with tomatoes in her own kingdom. 

“Do you want me to go with you?” the Good King asked, but she shook her head and squeezed his hand. 

“I’m about to go off to her alma mater,” Raven said, trying for a smile and knowing it just ended up as a grimace. “It’s only right that I talk to her beforehand. And I won’t have you to help me face her once I’m at school, right?” 

“Right,” her dad frowned. 

Raven emerged from her nook and took one last look back at her dad, who tried to smile encouragingly, which she appreciated. Then she headed into the darkness. 

The castle her mother had built was as terrifying as it was beautiful. Gothic archways lined the black and purple halls, which were all abandoned. When Raven was little and her mother still lived there, the castle used to be crawling with monsters of all kinds, but now the only thing lining it was dust. 

That didn’t make the place any less creepy. Raven’s mother knew what she was doing when she designed the place, the high ceilings allowing echoes from things that had been said years ago to still float around the place. 

Among other things, the hall was one of the reasons Raven hated visiting her mother. Because like her mother, the route to get there was only full of ghosts. 

A female ogre was standing guard at the door, and Raven relaxed when she recognised who it was. “Hello Helga.”

“Miss Queen,” Helga said, raising a hairy eyebrow. “You don’t have to face her. Tomorrow she won’t be able to reach you, regardless of the tantrum she throws.”

It was a tempting offer, but Raven shook her head. “I can’t just run away. She’s my mother.”

Her voice sounded weak, even to her, but Helga stepped aside and let her through. In front of her, the giant black door guarding her mother slowly creaked open, a cloud of dust blowing out of it. Raven coughed a couple times, savouring the outside air before she stepped inside. 

The ceilings inside her mother’s cell were just as tall as the hall outside. Only the cell was an empty room, devoid of any furniture or decoration, the only object being a human-sized mirror in the centre of the room. Helga looked at her again, the door still open. It was her last chance to back out. 

But as much as Raven didn’t want to see her mother, she was still her mother. Didn’t she owe her that much?

She entered the room slowly, as if something would come out of the shadows and attack her. This was her first time entering this cell without her father. When she had her first visit here, her father held her hand the entire time and let her have as much hot chocolate as she wanted after as a reward. 

This time, there was no warm hand in hers, no reassuring voice telling her that she would be okay. A chill ran up Raven’s spine, and she prepared to turn back-

“Well, look who finally decided to visit.” The cold voice echoed around the room, the high ceilings making the sentence repeat two or three times before silence descended. Raven felt every muscle in her body tense as she turned towards the mirror. 

Inside the mirror stood her mother, wearing the same giant silver crown and purple and black robes that she had been sealed into the mirror with years ago. Her purple eyes narrowed as she scanned her daughter for any signs of weakness, the same cold look that Raven had grown up under. She remembered to straighten her back and puff out her chest a bit, trying to look brave as she prayed that her mother wouldn’t notice her shaking knees. 

“You asked me to come,” Raven retorted. Her mother’s eyes flashed, but they both knew there was nothing she could do while trapped in that mirror. Instead, she laughed. It was a cruel sound, if that was possible. 

“Silly child,” the Evil Queen snapped when her laughter stopped. “It is only natural for a mother to wish her daughter goodbye on the day that she departs. To my old school, no less.” 

Even though Raven had told herself time and time again that her mother’s affection was never sincere, she always fell to it. Her mother’s voice softened as she spoke, and Raven could feel herself softening in return as she shifted a bit closer to the mirror. 

“You packed a spare cape, of course?” the Evil Queen asked, although her tone made it clear that wasn’t a question. 

“Yes mother,” Raven answered anyway. 

“Dead frogs?”

“Yes mother.”

“Bird heads?”

“Why would I need those?” Raven asked, but her mother didn’t answer, choosing instead to give her a disappointed sigh. Like it was Raven’s fault, and she couldn’t believe Raven would bother her with such an inane question. Feeling very uncomfortable, Raven said, “I’ll, uh, I’ll find some.”

Instantly, her mother was warm and smiling again. “There’s my good girl. Such a shame I cannot say goodbye properly to my only kin, don’t you think?”

“You and dad are still married,” Raven told her. Her mother frowned at the mention of the Good King, but she ignored her daughter. 

“Come now, darling, you know that you are the only person I have in this world,” the Evil Queen cooed, placing one of her hands against the glass of her mirror. “I know that I cannot be with you on this day, and that must be difficult, but you must be strong, yes? Perhaps I can lend you that strength. Come dear, come give your mother a proper goodbye.” 

Instead, Raven stepped backwards, shaking her head. “I can’t let you out of the mirror realm, mother. You know that.” 

The Evil Queen snapped. “You ungrateful brat ,” she hissed, her eyes flaring as she scratched her nails along the surface of the mirror. They didn’t dent it, but the sound was so much worse than nails on a chalkboard. “I should have left you in the forest to rot like I was supposed to. Villain children are supposed to grow up strong, but look at you! Weak and simpering, just like that pathetic excuse of a father.”

It wasn’t the first time Raven heard this rant. Her dad would shut it down within a few seconds when he was with her, but even before her mother had become trapped she said the same things to her daughter in private. Her knees shaking more violently, Raven backed towards the massive door as her mother hurled insults and threats at her, and gave three knocks on the door with a shaky fist. 

Her sign that she was done there. 

Creaking doors swung open, and this time Raven didn’t stop to chat with Helga. She raced away, trying her best not to cry as her mother’s voice echoed in her mind, bouncing off the high ceilings and abandoned walls. 

-

Apple made her way into town, determined to get one more good deed in before she left. Not on foot, of course. It would be lunacy for a princess to travel that way. 

The caravan of guards behind her might have been a bit of overkill. 

But she was a princess! She was born with the right to rule, and shouldn’t that also give her the right to parade around her future kingdom whenever she pleased?

Plus, she needed something grand enough to match her outfit. With her mother’s gifted tiara atop her golden tresses, Apple had donned a red knee length dress with gold embroidery and white puff sleeved bolero, with giant gold earrings and a gold necklace to match. Her apple red pumps that she always wore were strapped to her feet as well, ensuring a good impression when she reached the School for Good.

The orphanage was on her way towards the drop off spot anyway. Otherwise she would have called it a day and not bothered, but why not try and get as many Good points as possible when it was on route? Maybe word would even travel of her Good deeds, of a princess so kind that she could melt any prince’s heart. 

She swooned at the idea as she dropped off her food to the orphanage. Flourless, sugarless cupcakes. Looking around at acne ridden faces, she made a mental note to drop off face creams when she got back. The children were absolutely hideous! 

Perhaps she didn’t want word of this visit spreading. Who wanted to be known as the princess with a kingdom full of ugly citizens?

Even worse, a few of the children were fat. That made Apple sport an actual frown. How could the children be fat if they were starving orphans? She should have received sainthood for dropping off her diet cupcakes, because at least with those the poor children stood a chance of being beautiful one day. 

Ugly children aside, the visit went incredibly well. The orphanage volunteers gave her the same perplexed look as she dropped off the cupcakes, but thanked her nonetheless. She then greeted the children before looking at the clock and dashing off. 

This next part would be the best, after all. 

Her caravan continued outside of the kingdom, Apple resting inside a carriage. A princess couldn’t be seen on horseback beside people in the lower station. Some simpleton might confuse them for equals!

Finally, the caravan reached its destination, and Apple let her footmen help her out of her carriage. 

In front of her spanned a wide clearing, with Ever children on one side and Never children on another. The Evers were waiting excitedly for the Flowerground to come, while the Nevers scanned the sky in anticipation of stymphs. Apple scanned the crowd, careful to keep her expression pleasant, and smiled when she found who she was looking for. 

Although every Never had a grim facade and looked ready to kill if anyone talked to them, there was one person who hung out at the edges of even their group. Her long black and purple hair fell around her face, obscuring it from view, while the cloak wrapped tightly around her shoulders almost obscured her from view. 

But Apple had grown up with that face. She would recognise it anywhere.

“Raven!” she called, waltzing her way over. Everyone gave the two a wide berth. It was well known that Snow White’s daughter had befriended the daughter of the Evil Queen. Most people thought she was delusional, when Apple knew she was the furthest thing from it. 

Raven had been her secret weapon. When children would push her away and call her a witch while they were kids, Apple saw an opportunity to prove that she was Good. That she could live up to those who came before, that she could live up to her mother. So she had decided to make Raven her pet project, the greatest Good deed anyone their age would do. 

She held back a triumphant smirk as she tackled Raven in a hug. The poor girl stiffened up underneath her, glaring at her when she pulled away. 

“Apple, you really can’t be doing this,” Raven made a vague gesture between the two of them, “anymore. We’re about to be students.”

“And I’ll be your nemesis, of course,” Apple agreed, waving her hand nonchalantly. “But we need to make sure we get the details of our fairy tale right! If we’re not careful it could be something dreadfully boring.” Apple let out a horrified gasp. “You could end up as Rumplestiltskin.” 

Raven frowned blankly at her. “Isn’t he super famous?” 

“Yes, but what a boring fairytale!” Apple shook her arm. “We need to ensure that when you’re my villain, you pull off something great. Something that will make people remember us for the right reasons. Just like our parents!” 

Raven stiffened at the mention of her mother, but Apple paid her no mind, continuing to talk about her plans for their fairy tale as Evers began walking towards the Flowerground. Evers and Nevers looked around, nervous titters running through both groups. The entire clearing held its breath, until even Apple fell silent, her eyes trained on the Flowerground. Raven tried to swallow some vomit as she looked at the sky. 

The first stymph appeared, sweeping down and snatching up a girl that Apple vaguely recognised. She and Raven were constantly hanging out together, and when she had first seen that Apple worried the girl had caught onto her plan. But she smiled at the thought of her going to the Evil school.

She had bright turquoise hair, and giggled as she was lifted off the ground, waving goodbye to a few girls before looking at Raven and waving goodbye to her as well. One of the girls she had waved at just rolled her eyes, which were a striking shade of teal, and had a heart painted around one of them. 

With bated breath the Evers waited, and finally one of the girls looked at the ground to see a giant flower materialising out of it. The summoning to the Flowerground. Apple felt her breath hitched as she watched her disappear. 

After that, people began disappearing pretty quickly. Evergirls were swallowed into tulips and roses and daffodils, while Everboys got wrapped in trees or vines before they disappeared. Screaming Never were carted off by stymphs as the clearing began to thin, the two hundred or so kids that had been hanging around depleted into two hundred and fifty, then one hundred, a hundred and fifty.  

“Apple?” Apple turned at her name and saw Raven staring at her with wide eyes, tears brimming them. “Will we still be friends, after I go away to the School of Evil?”

Apple felt her chest flutter with affection for her friend. “Of course! We’re destined to have our fairytale be with each other, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends at school. Our destiny won’t start until we graduate.”

Raven frowned. Apple had always been convinced that their stories would entwine, although she had never understood why. But a bigger fear was looming over Raven, and as kids kept disappearing she grabbed onto Apple’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “I don’t want to die a miserable old villain.”

“Oh, Raven,” Apple sighed, taking Raven’s free hand in hers as well. “Good always wins. It’s just the way things are.” 

“But we could change that, couldn’t we?” Raven pleaded, searching her friend’s eyes for some doubt or hesitancy about their fates. “What if I didn’t try to kill you? I could join you! We could end our story happily.” 

“But villains don’t end up happy, Raven,” Apple frowned, confused at Raven’s behaviour. Meanwhile, Raven felt her blood run cold. 

A delighted laugh broke the two out of their exchange, and they turned to see a princess only a few feet away disappear. Raven felt her grip on Apple’s hand tighten as she stared at it. The stymphs were getting closer as well, slowly making their way towards the girls. Raven turned to her friend, hoping to see some trepidation-

Apple was staring at the Flowerground hungrily. Her eyes shone and she stepped away from Raven, gently pushing her back to her side as she gave her friend a wide, excited smile. 

“Raven, you will make an excellent villain,” she said, although she wasn’t even glancing at Raven now, her eyes fully focused on the Flowerground. There were what, thirty people left now? It would be happening any second. “Once you get to the school you’ll see that’s where you belong.” A girl was taken by a cedar tree. Twenty-nine.

“I don’t want to hurt people,” Raven insisted, fully crying now as she grasped Apple’s arm, who still wasn’t looking at her. Twenty-eight. 

“Raven,” Apple’s voice was much less understanding now. “Your mother was Evil. Your grandmother was Evil. Your great-grandmother was Evil, too. You will be Evil.”

“Maybe we can run away,” Raven suggested, her desperation making her feel manic. That got Apple’s attention, who turned towards her with wide eyes. “We can be normal. Forget about Good and Evil. We’ll have to hide out for a little bit, of course, but then we could go back to my kingdom and be friends! We wouldn’t have to have a fairytale tearing us ap-”

“ARE YOU INSANE?” Apple shrieked so loud that the remaining students all turned to them with wide eyes. She turned red in embarrassment, and then quieter, said, “You expect me to give up a Happily Ever After with a prince in a castle and become what? Schoolmates with you?”

Raven frowned. “Maybe not that exactly, but we can work out the details later.”

“I.” Apple took a step towards her, shoving Raven back a little as she poked her chest. “Am.” Raven slipped a little on the grass, dewy with autumn condensation. “Getting.” Another poke, this one much more aggressive. Raven cringed at the sensation, sure it would leave a bruise. “My.” Apple was a foot away from her, usually friendly blue eyes now fiery and ready to burn Raven to the ground. “Happily.” Poke. “Ever.” Poke. “After.” 

Raven stared at Apple with wide eyes. She had never seen her friend so angry or aggressive before, and the remaining students were giving the two confused looks. They didn’t seem bothered by Apple’s behaviour though, probably convinced that Raven had somehow provoked her. 

“With or without you,” Apple huffed, turning away and stomping back towards her side of the clearing. She scanned the students. Only ten left. Her spirits began to lift as she thought of the school that was waiting for her. If Raven wanted to run away, let her. Apple had been kind to her and that was the repayment she got? She took back what she said about them staying friends, because she would not associate with someone willing to ruin their fairytale like that. 

The last students disappeared as Apple huffed in a corner, planning all the ways she would take revenge on Raven for saying that once they got to school, until the two girls were the only ones left in the clearing. It brightened her spirits a little as she waited patiently for the Flowerground to snatch her. 

But Apple made a mistake. She was too busy thinking to notice it, but Raven did. 

At first she thought the stymph was coming for her, and she awaited it with slumped shoulders, resigning herself to her fate. When the stymph passed over her head, Raven’s eyes widened. 

Because she saw who it was heading to. 

“APPLE!” she screamed, but it was too late. As Apple turned, the stymph snatched her in one claw and her bags in another. Raven chased after them desperately, crossing over to the Ever side of the field, but she tripped over a vine. 

No, not tripped. She was snatched by it, the vines crawling up her legs as she tried to wrestle away from them, calling Apple’s name. 

“APPLE!” she sobbed desperately. Apple was twisting around in the stymph’s claw as she tried to free herself, to no avail. 

“RAVEN!” she cried, her voice getting carried away by the wind as she was brought higher and higher into the air. Her eyes caught Raven’s, and they stared in shock at each other, Apple watching Raven get carried away to her school as the vines wrapped around the rest of her body. 

Raven watching Apple get carried away to the School for Evil by a stymph. 

Chapter Text

The tree wrapped around Raven, blocking out her light and choking her. As she suffocated, she wondered if her body would end up at the School for Good anyway. The princesses and princes could all point and laugh at her hideous corpse that would surely be blue from the lack of oxygen. 

But just as she began to fear suffocation, light permeated through the darkness and Raven gasped in air, hunching into a ball as she collapsed on the ground. She would have taken a stymph ride over that any day.

Her fingers dug into the dirt, the beautiful dirt, and she felt it lock uncomfortably under her nails but she didn’t even care because at least it meant she was still alive. Hair fell in front of her eyes like it always did. Usually, that was done on purpose, to avoid people looking at her face. But she brushed it aside to try and take note of her surroundings. 

As it turns out, she had an audience. A circle of Evergirls was huddled around her, wide eyed and open mouthed. Raven felt like a trapped animal under their stares, and glared back reflexively, hunching her shoulders a little.

The girls seemed to take that as their cue. Either that, or the nine foot tall nymphs that began walking through, ushering everyone inside. 

Raven walked up to one, frowning when she saw her escapades underground had ripped her favourite black tights, and tapped it on the shoulder. As soon as the nymph turned around, her worry and confusion bubbled up and the word soup started. 

“Excuse me, I know you don’t know me but I don’t know you so maybe you’ll consider us equals, but I need to tell you that there’s been a mistake. I’m the Evil Queen’s daughter, you see,” admitting that, she was glad that the Evergirls were all at the door to head inside and out of earshot, “and there’s been some sort of mistake. You see my friend, Apple White, well she’s the one who’s supposed to be here. She’s the daughter of Snow White, I’m sure you know the one, and she has this ridiculous idea that we’re supposed to be in a fairytale together so we can face off like our moms want us to.” 

A nervous laugh bubbled its way out of Raven, who couldn’t seem to stop now that she had started. “I just wanted to say, you know, you guys are Good, right? And I can’t really be messing around with Good or my mom will kill me. Like for real kill me, not just threaten to, because she’s Evil, which is where I should be!”

Raven smiled at the nymph like she hadn’t just been completely unhelpful, but instead of an explanation she was shoved towards the other Evergirls. “Um, I don’t think you understood what I was saying-”

With a harsh shove to her back, she was practically thrown into the foyer of Evergirls, skidding to a halt on her knees. She frowned at the additional rips in her tights that would be caused because of her fall. 

When she looked up, she saw she had bigger problems. 

Surrounding her was a collection of the most beautiful teenage girls Raven had ever laid eyes on. Perfectly combed tresses cascaded down in all shades, as long lashed eyes blinked at her in surprise, with what felt like a million dainty mouths opening in shock. 

Raven wished she had her magic abilities already, so she could just turn invisible and throw herself in the moat. The moat!

Her stomach turned as she realised that was probably where Apple was right now, struggling to keep her head above water. With a horrified shock, she remembered how Apple couldn’t swim, and her concern grew.

“Do you think she’s a Reader?” one of the girls asked. She had tan skin and long brown hair with pink highlights. Her dress was an almost obnoxious shade of hot pink and fuschia, and instead of the usual tiara she had pink sunglasses pushing her hair back. “I hear they dress differently there.”

“No, Reader’s over here,” another girl chimed in. Long strawberry blonde curls framed her face perfectly as she gestured to a girl who looked about fourteen, wide brown eyes bugging as she took in the school and vibrated with excitement. “Maybe she just ate butter with her breakfast?” The crowd of girls let out gasps, staring at Raven in horror. 

“But who would do such a thing?” a third girl tousled her way to the front. She wore a silver and arctic blue dress, her platinum blonde hair tied away from her face and falling in perfect ringlets.   

The girls' heads all turned towards her, and with a jolt Raven realised they were expecting her to speak. “I, uh-”

“It’s a bit odd, isn’t it?” the brunette mused, her brown eyes beginning to narrow. “Princesses always get warned to dress their best for the first day, and here she is looking like she’s dressed for another school entirely.” 

Ripples of doubt ran through the entire group, but they all stayed looking towards the brunette, who stalked towards Raven slowly. 

“Doesn’t look much like an Ever.” Raven had been expecting the words, but she hadn’t expected the lack of judgement in the girl’s voice. She just sounded confused, and if anything a bit sympathetic. 

“You don’t think it’s a mistake, do you?” the platinum blonde asked. More worried murmurs spread through the crowd and Raven coughed. 

Everyone went silent, staring expectantly at her. 

She just had a stuffy throat, but she knew she needed to say something. Still, her throat felt like it was closing up at the sight of so many eyes staring at her, especially when they were coming out of such beautiful faces. 

“I got swallowed by a vine,” Raven finally managed to squeak out, her palms sweating as her heart rate picked up and dread began to settle in. The girls continued to argue amongst themselves when a sharp cough turned all their attention to the front of the room, where the palest woman Raven had ever seen was smiling down at the students. 

“Welcome, children, to the School for Good Enlightenment and Enchantment,” a honey sweet voice greeted the girls. “I am your Dean, the White Queen. You may address me as Your Majesty.” A couple girls next to Raven exchanged excited whispers. “The boys are currently off fulfilling their entrance exam, but they will be joining you all tomorrow.” Raven shuddered. She heard stories about what the Everboys had to go through from her father. At least the girls got taken straight to the school. She would never want to fight a dragon. “In the meantime, your class schedules will be passed out with your room assignments.”

Raven paled. Class assignments? She wasn’t even supposed to be in this school!

An even worse thought occurred as she contemplated if the schedule wouldn’t be hers at all, but meant for Apple, a final confirmation of the terrible mistake that had occurred. 

A nymph shoved a schedule into her chest, and Raven could barely bring herself to look at it. In fact, it might have been better if she didn’t. 

Raven Queen of Queen Castle

Good: 1st Year

Charity 63

              Sessions:

• • BEAUTIFICATION (Fairy Queen)

• • PRINCESS ETIQUETTE (Blue Fairy)

• • ANIMAL COMMUNICATION (Maid Marian)

• • HISTORY OF HEROISM (Giles Grimm)

• • LUNCH

• • GOOD DEEDS (White Queen)

• • SURVIVING FAIRY TALES - FOREST GROUP #4 (Jack B. Nimble)

Raven felt herself choke on her own spit. 

-

Clutched in the stymph’s oppressive claws, Apple punched and kicked and screamed for as long as she could. She tried everything, from animal calls to singing softly to the crazed, bony bird, hoping something would free her. Eventually she had to give up, exhaustion overtaking her as the stupid bird ploughed on, oblivious to its captive’s despair. 

Apple felt rage slowly begin to overtake that despair the long they stayed in the air. There was no way that Raven could have sent the stymph after her on purpose, right? 

No, she shook her head. As long as she had known Raven, the girl cried if she even killed a mouse. When her mother killed her pet dog and replaced it with a giant rat, Raven had sobbed to Apple for weeks. Apple still couldn’t bring up the subject, lest her friend’s eyes get misty. 

Her breathing calmed as she reasoned with herself. This was all a simple mistake that could be fixed when they arrived. She would tell someone at the school, and soon Raven and she would be where they belonged. 

That didn’t make the moat any easier. 

When Raven had paced around for days, whining about how she was scared of getting eaten by some Evil creature when the stymphs dropped her off, Apple had hand waved her concerns. At the time, she told Raven that she was just being dramatic, and there was no way the moat could be as bad as she had been told. People were probably just exaggerating for shock value. 

Now, she wished she could bite her tongue. The two pires came into view, and Apple nearly cried as she spotted the School for Good. Her school, which she should have been arriving at via rose or tulip or daisy. 

Instead, she felt the stymph begin to loosen its claws on her, and felt her throat tighten as she looked down at the black water that rimmed the School for Evil. 

“There’s no chance you could just forget this ever happened and drop me off in the right place, is there?” Apple asked the stymph, her voice shaking  violently. If the stymph understood her, then it didn’t respond, continuing its beeline towards the three dark towers. 

“If you need more charity donations, I’m happy to do so.” Apple felt more than a little insane as she tried to bargain with a bird that was all bone, but she was desperate. Her hands clutched desperately onto the bird as they began to descend. “I’m sorry I thought those children were ugly and fat, but I was delivering food that would help them fix those remedies! Isn’t that a Good Deed?” 

Closer and closer. Apple’s throat began to close up as she continued her manic ramble. “I’ll give to charity, I'll confess every bad thought I’ve ever had, I'll do anything. I’ll scrub the castle until it’s spotless and give the dwarves a day off. Isn’t that nice of me? See? Aren’t I- AHHHHH!”

The loudest shriek Apple had ever produced left her body as she tumbled towards the moat, black water growing closer and closer to her. 

When Apple was six, she fell down a well. For several long minutes she was trapped down there alone. At the time she hadn’t learned how to swim yet. Her small arms had thrashed around, desperate for something to hold onto, some help that would keep her alive. 

Instead, her hands slipped on the rocks and she went under. 

Apple had only been in the well because she had gone against her mother, and learned her lesson that day. When her father’s strong hands lifted her to safety, she vowed to one day become as Good as them, to have a Happily Ever After so secure she would never feel the same floundering dread she had on that day. 

But as Apple plummeted towards the black waters, she felt that same dread rise up, and then she was submerged. 

Under the water she couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Her arms flailed helplessly as she tried to keep herself from drowning, eyes fixed on the receding light of the world above. Beside her, she saw her bag get dumped in the water and sink into the depths, and held back a sob as she saw her belongings disappear.  

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to drown here. Her mother would never learn of the mix-up, and she could forget that any of this happened….

A hand reached through and snatched her out of the water, tossing her onto the shore. Curling into a ball, Apple gasped for air as she shivered. The water had been freezing, and the effect of it would not be wearing off soon. 

She looked back to thank whoever had helped her, and squeaked when she saw a large wolf glaring back at her. Her mother had told her stories about the guards at the School for Evil, but she always talked about it in an airy, distant voice. It was airy with the steady reassurance that neither her nor her daughter would ever have to face something so horrible. 

Apple wondered if they could talk, before someone shoved out of the water, sending her sprawling. 

“Sorry about that!” a girl about a year younger than her chirped. She had bright baby pink hair, round hot pink glasses, and overall looked like a gingerbread cookie come to life. A hand extended, and Apple allowed her to help her up when she noticed the girl frowning. “Are you supposed to be here?”  

It took a lot of resolve for Apple to avoid collapsing from relief on the spot. “No, there’s been a terrible mistake, I need to get out.” 

The girl nodded. “Figured,” she said, patting Apple’s shoulder sympathetically. Apple could have cried. Here she was worried that she would be tormented in the School for Evil, and she had been there for five minutes with help already! “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a blonde Never before.”

“Exactly,” Apple gushed, clasping the girl’s hands. “Could you point me towards a teacher’s office? I just need to talk to them quickly and I’m sure this will all work itself out.” 

But the girl extracted her hands from Apple’s, picked up her gingerbread coloured suitcase, and called, “Well, good luck with that!” over her shoulder before walking straight into school. Just like that, Apple’s spirits plummeted once more. 

Apple huffed, indignant. If she had been in the School for Good like she was supposed to be, she would have been trading schedules with new friends, planning out shopping sprees and movie visits and debating what the princes would look like tomorrow. Instead, she was stuck in a school full of people who were either friendly and useless, or completely malevolent!

Turning back to the wolf, Apple saw it snarl at her, and scurried inside as she allowed the crowd to sweep her up. 

Surrounding her were definitely the children of villains. Children of all heights, shapes, and sizes crowded around her as she was forcibly led towards the main foyer of the building. All around her were scowling faces, and the longer she looked the more menacing they seemed. Every time she caught someone’s eye, they snarled at her, until she just fixed her eyes in front of her. 

That was no better a sight than the children surrounding her. A woman with a red shawl draped half over her head and half over her shoulders stood elevated on the stairs, glaring down at the children gathered before her. 

But Apple was focused on what was above her. The word N-E-V-E-R was spelled out along the top of the wall, each letter slowly creeping around the room as it encircled it, and below that were the labels for each tower. 

Apple had heard tales of the towers at the School for Evil from Raven, who often fretted about which one she would get put into back home. MALICE, MISCHIEF and VICE were spelled in rusted silver letters atop all three of the staircases that led to the respective dorms in each. Looking at the tower labels made her situation dangerously apparent, and Apple struggled her way towards the front, villain kids looking sideways at her with disgust. 

“Excuse me!” she called, raising a pale hand in the air as she struggled forward. The woman on the stairs regarded her with distaste as she finally managed to break free of the crowd, standing at the bottom of the stairs. 

“What,” the woman snapped, glaring at her. Apple mustered up a sweet smile, even though she wanted to yell at the woman for speaking to a princess with such a tone. 

“Well, you see, there’s been a mistake. I’m in the wrong school,” Apple simpered, batting her long lashes as she tried her best to emphasise her innocence, even though it should have been more than clear. She looked nothing like the horrible villains surrounding her! But teachers always had sense, that was what her mother always told her, and she tried to remember that as she smiled up at the grumpy old hag. 

“Well,” the woman’s face broke into a wrinkly grin, which looked plenty malevolent and plain ugly. “It seems we have a student who thinks interrupting teacher’s before they have even finished the opening ceremony is appropriate. Strange looking thing, too. No wonder she has bad manners, dressed like a princess.”

Apple felt her face turn red as she opened her mouth to protest. The hag had allowed her to respond! And had she not been listening? Apple was there by mistake, a mistake that needed to be quickly corrected before Raven messed up her rooming assignments. 

But when she opened her mouth to respond, no words came out. Gagging on her own tongue, Apple pried at her lips, but the hag just gave her a pacified smile, then glared at the wolves, who grabbed Apple’s arms and threw her back into the crowd. 

“My name is Baba Yaga,” the hag boomed, her voice becoming so loud that a couple paintings on the walls began to shake. “I am your Dean at the School for Evil Edification and Propagation of Sin! If any of you interrupt me again, then you will be getting an early taste of the Doom Room.” A shudder ran through the crowd as the hag smiled down at Apple, as if she were already picturing her there. Apple pried at her lips a bit more aggressively. 

“The Evers think that Evil is on a losing streak,” Baba Yaga continued. At the mention of Evers, the entire hall’s eyes turned towards Apple, who had taken out one of her hairpins to try and wrestle her lips open. “They think that Good will always triumph over Evil. During your time at this school, you will learn just how incorrect that statement is.” 

An excited cheer ran through the Nevers, and Apple felt her blood chill. She needed to get back to her real school as soon as possible. 

“Now, the wolves will hand out your schedules,” Baba Yaga continued, her tone becoming bored, like her students' excitement was of no interest to her. The wolves shouldered their way through the crowd, dispensing different schedules to students who either whooped in joy or grumbled about assigned rooms. 

At the sight of a few unhappy Nevers, Baba Yaga glared at the group of students. “If anyone has an issue with their schedules or assigned rooms, do not come whining to me. Anyone who does will get extra time in the Doom Room.”

A shudder ran through the crowd, one that Apple couldn’t suppress herself from participating in. 

But as she watched the wolves move through the crowd, shoving school schedules into Nevers chests and knocking a few over, she felt hope swell in her heart. If she was given Raven’s schedule, it would prove that this entire thing had been a mishap! 

She tried to hold back her glee, but the thought of that Evil Dean realising Apple was telling the truth would be worth it. 

Speaking of, when Apple raised her hand to her lips she found that they had unsealed. Apparently Baba Yaga was serious about her punishment being for interrupting her, with it ending the second her speech did. 

“She’s not ugly enough to be a Never,” Apple heard a disgusted voice say. She had been facing towards the stairs for Baba Yaga’s speech, but the sound of conversation drew her attention. 

Hundreds of Nevers scowled back at her, looking positively ravenous. Beady eyes glared at her, sizing up her curly blonde hair and red and white ensemble outfit as Nevers came to the same realisation that she needed the teachers to. 

She did not belong there.

More voices began to talk now, as if spurred on by the first. 

“Could eat her. Wonder if her hair would taste like gold?”

“Do you think her crown would sell for much?” Apple’s hand flew up to it, and she let out a small breath of relief when she found it still nestled safely on top of her head. 

Desperate to get away from the cannibalistic crowd, she turned towards one of the wolves. “Excuse me, sir, but you wouldn’t mind escorting me somewhere else, would you? Preferably far, far away from this dreadful place and back to the school I’m supposed to be in.”

The wolf huffed at her, blowing small bits of spit in her face. Behind her, Apple could hear a couple people cackling as her face flushed in embarrassment. She wiped the disgusting animal saliva off, holding back the urge to yell at the wolf for disrespecting her like that. No one would dare show such disrespect to their future queen in her kingdom. 

She backed away from the wolf, who continued handing out schedules to the other students like Apple had never been there. Her breathing felt quick as eyes followed her through the crowd, tracking her every move. 

It was easy enough, considering she stuck out like a sore thumb. 

Apple wasn’t even particularly sure what she was looking for until she found a break in the crowd and rushed through it, which was when she spotted it. 

The giant, looming doors that the students had come into the school through. 

That was it! All Apple had to do was go through those doors and find her way across the moat until she reached the lake, where Good fairies would sweep her up and away into her school. Raven would be brought back to Evil, and Apple could focus on finding her Happily Ever After. 

She didn’t hesitate as she made a break for the doors. 

To others she must have surely looked ridiculous. Her high heels kept her from being able to run properly, so she was more doing a combination of skipping and hopping to the doors, and her tiara caught all natural light, practically putting a neon sign on her back. 

Two wolves blocked the entrance way, a third grabbing her arm and dragging her back to the huddled crowd of Nevers, who were all beginning to disperse as they headed towards their assigned rooms. 

“You don’t understand!” Apple screeched, pulling one of her heels off and slapping the wolf with it. “Someone else is supposed to be here! It’s all one big mistake and no one will listen to me but I need to get to the Good side to make sure I start towards my Happily Ever-”

Red eyes glowed down at her, the wolf’s mouth dripping saliva as it stared at her with pure hatred in its eyes. She was certain it would say something, but instead it shoved a paper into her so hard she fell on her butt, making several of the Nevers around her giggle. 

Apple was far from amused, struggling to her feet as she slipped her shoe back on. But her eyes widened when she saw what the wolf had handed her. 

Apple White of White Kingdom

Evil: 1st Year

Malice 24

              Sessions:

• • UGLIFICATION (Evil Stepsisters)

• • HENCHMEN TRAINING (Professor Badwolf)

• • CURSES & DEATH TRAPS (Baba Yaga)

• • HISTORY OF VILLAINY (Giles Grimm)

• • LUNCH

• • SPECIAL TALENTS (Pied Piper & Rumplestiltskin)

• • SURVIVING FAIRY TALES - FOREST GROUP #4 (Jack B. Nimble)

Her face paled as she stared at the schedule in horror. 

When she saw the wolf walking away she followed him, waving the paper around frantically as she shoved her way through students, her heart hammering. 

“Excuse me, sir, but I think you gave me the wrong one!” she yelped, chasing after the hulking animal. “Perhaps you confused my name for another one? You see, it’s supposed to be Raven Queen on this schedule, not Apple White, and like I said before I really do need to get to Good before I miss too much, so if I could just get this little mistake corrected-”

On the stairs, Baba Yaga was filing a rotting yellow nail and ignoring the scene while the wolf turned towards Apple, snarling. 

“There are no mistakes,” it growled, and shoved her with force towards the staircase with MALICE printed above it. Apple tripped over her feet and landed on her buttocks again, second time in ten minutes and second time in her life. 

But that wasn’t what Apple focused on as the wolf walked away. 

“THEY CAN TALK?” 

-

Across the bay, another girl sat watching the School for Evil as the children filed in, dark eyes scanning them one by one, heart pounding as she searched for any sign of her friend. She was just about to give up and go sulk in her room some more when she saw it. 

A flash of gold. 

Both girls felt their pulses thrum in a quick, terrified rhythm as they thought of the other, stuck in a school where she did not belong. 

And both thought of how they were going to fix it.

Chapter Text

Apple was dragged to her room kicking and screaming, her shrieks echoing around the hall. 

After being handed her schedule, she made a real break for it, shoving her way past wolves as she tossed the schedule aside, hoping someone would trample it. She even managed to get pretty far, breaking out of the front doors of the school before a wolf clubbed her with a wooden bat and she collapsed, wheezing. 

From there, two wolves grabbed an arm each, and her histrionics began. 

Being a princess, it was only natural that Apple had been given lessons on what to do if she was ever kidnapped. People always wanted to bother the pretty and powerful, and none wanted that more than the poor and ugly. Or at least that was what Snow White had told her. 

Although she wasn’t sure this was quite what her mother had in mind when she said those words to her daughter, Apple followed the training she had been given. She screamed for help, dug her heels into the carpet, bit the wolves arms. That move made them yank her hair, and she was careful not to try it again.

But they couldn’t scare her into silence, and so Apple wailed like a banshee as they carted her up the stairs of Malice tower. She could have been sipping tea with like minded princesses and exchanging skincare routines, and instead she was being dragged off like a prisoner. 

Even worse. She was being dragged off like she was a Never . 

Just the thought made Apple gag, her shrieks quieting for a moment, but the next they were right back at the same shrill volume. The halls echoed her screams along it, and with a chill Apple realised that was probably what they were built for.  

After all, what would the Evil enjoy more than to hear the screams of those that they tormented?

Apple managed to swallow her vomit as the wolves tossed her into a dark room, her face scratching against a carpet. The sound of the door slamming behind her rang through the room, and Apple began to push herself up onto her elbows. 

“Figures we’d get the runt,” a sharp, dignified voice said. 

“Maybe we can eat her,” replied a second voice, smooth as honey, almost purring her words. 

“I don’t think people pair very well with tea,” a third chimed in, completely unbothered by the mention of cannibalising Apple. 

Her head whipped up, and three unfriendly faces met hers. Actually, two unfriendly faces. Apple knew why the third girl sounded so unbothered by her death, and it was because she was playing a game of solitaire on the window ledge, a cup of tea in one hand as her other turned over cards. 

The other two were much more scary. One, she recognised from the clearing from the red heart around her eye. They were the same striking blue, with her dark hair making her pale face stand out even more. She looked at Apple like she was a particularly hard to get rid of cockroach, and Apple had never been looked at like that before in her life. She had a feeling the two would not be friends. 

The final girl looked somewhere between the two. She was smiling at Apple, but it was nothing like the friendly smile that Apple had trained herself to always be wearing. No, this smile was sharp and wicked, like the girl hadn’t yet decided which part of Apple she wanted to detach from her body first. It didn’t help that the girl’s eyes were thin slits with a pale blue background, her purple hair looking almost like cat ears. 

Even the way she was sitting was feline, as she perched on the edge of a stool. 

But Apple huffed, helping herself to her feet and brushing off her dress. Intimidating or not, Raven was currently at her school, and she needed to get over there before her blissfully idiotic friend messed up everything Apple had worked so hard for!

“Maybe if we put her into scones!” the girl by the window exclaimed, drawing the three out of their weird power assertion game. 

“Scones don’t have meat,” the dark haired girl said, frowning at her friend. 

“We could always put her in tea sandwiches,” the catlike one suggested, eyes raking up Apple’s body like she was a particularly fat bird, and Apple lost it. 

“None of you are eating me!” she said, her voice still shrill from her meltdown in the hall. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get out of here.”

“Obviously,” the dark haired one scoffed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl look more like a princess.”

Apple felt her cheeks pink, but then saw the way the girl regarded her as she said it and felt any excitement wilt. “Well, the teachers here are clearly all useless, because I clearly explained the situation-”

“In the middle of Baba Yaga’s speech ,” the catlike one snorted, reeling back a little. “I thought she was going to kill you!” 

“Wouldn’t that have been a sight,” the dark haired one sighed, the red heart around her eye seeming to grow a little darker. “Trespassing Ever murdered on the first day of class. Would’ve been a nice way to start the year.”

Then the two girls glared at Apple, like she was the one responsible for the fact that Baba Yaga hadn’t decapitated her. 

“What’s your name, anyway?” the one by the windowsill asked. She was a bit difficult for Apple to look at. Her entire outfit was just about the most gauche thing Apple had seen in her life. Bright turquoise and magenta hair sprung out around her head in wild curls, barely held down by a teacup headband, and her dress was so laden with colour that it was giving even Apple a headache. 

“Oh, well-” Apple began, before being rudely interrupted. 

“Bet it’s something snivelling sweet,” the heart-eyed girl said, turning to her catlike companion, whose smile had seemed to stretch her face even wider. It looked unnatural, as if something were pulling the corners of her mouth apart and her face wasn’t built to naturally move that way. “Like Marzipan or Bubblegum or Sugarplum.” 

“No, I think it’s revoltingly innocent,” the cat one practically purred, leaning in to inspect Apple, who took a step back at her leering. “Like Beatrice or Sophie or Kiko.”

“If I had a kid, I’d name it Beelzebub,” the last girl chimed from her corner. Even Apple stared at her in shock, and she just looked back at them blankly. “What?” 

“Ignoring her,” the dark haired one said, the girl by the windowsill placing another card down, “what is your name anyway, Ever ?” Apple never heard the word Ever spat as an insult before, but this girl managed to make it sound that way. 

“Apple White,” Apple told them stiffly, trying to hold her chin up. “Future queen of my mother’s kingdom. You might know her as Snow White.” 

“Rats!” the girl at the windowsill yelled, throwing her teacup out the window in disappointment. When she saw the confused looks the rest of the room were giving her, she explained, “I lost my game. Third time in a row, you know.”

Apple groaned, pressing her back to the door. Then, she got an idea. “How do I talk to the School Master?” 

The three girls turned back to her, mouths agape. 

“You sure you aren’t a Reader?” the dark haired one asked, raising an eyebrow. Apple bristled. 

“Of course!” she said, more than a little shrill. “I’m in line for one of the largest kingdoms in all of the woods, and I need to get to that school ,” Apple gestured wildly out the window, where the bright blue and pink towers of the School for Good were just visible through the fog clouding the bay, “before I get behind on my classes!” 

The three girls exchanged a look, and Apple was ready for them to either yell at or eat her when a hush fell over all of them. 

A faint jingle could just be heard. A jingle Apple had heard several times before in her life, heard described hundreds of times more by her mother, a jingle that promised salvation. 

Fairy wings. 

She pressed her ear to the door, and even the three witches were silent as they waited for the sound to make its way up the hall. Three doors down. Then two. Then one. 

Apple swung open the door, beaming brightly. “Hello there-”

Her face went straight into white fur. Two fairies continued down the hall until they reached a wolf at the end of it, who was eating what looked to be hunks of some disgusting miscellaneous meat. He handed the fairies a portion, and Apple’s face paled at the realisation that they were not, in fact, for her. 

The wolf she ran into growled at her and threw her back into her room, where her roommates were all giving her sinister smiles. 

“So much for fairy godmothers,” the dark haired one said, smiling as she stood up. 

“I’ve never tasted real princess before,” the catlike one mused. Even the turquoise haired one who Apple had seen wave goodbye to Raven stood up. 

“She made me lose focus on my card game,” she complained, curls bouncing with each word. 

“I am a future queen!” Apple hissed, even as her hands began to sweat as she backed further into the door. The three continued to advance like a pack of lions that had just spotted a wounded gazelle. 

“So am I,” the dark haired one said, “but I think even I’m less of a prat about it than you, and you’re supposed to be Good .” 

Once again, the word Good was said like it was a particularly annoying foot fungus. Apple blanched as the three advanced, musing about the different ways they could kill her and hide the body, and felt herself wish that if she had to die it would at least be quick-

The door flung open, slamming directly into Apple as she was sent sprawling on the floor. The catlike one snorted at her humiliation. 

“Lizzie Hearts,” the dark haired one frowned, “Kitty Cheshire,” the catlike one turned to the wolf, “Madeline Hatter,” the turquoise haired one pouted, muttering, “It’s Maddie,” “and Apple White.” The wolf grinned at Apple, who was still sprawled on the floor. “Report to the Tunnel of Trees for the Welcome Ceremony.” 

The wolf tossed four black sacks onto the floor, and Apple’s roommates picked them up, slipping them over their heads without question. On his way out, the wolf slammed the door shut and made even the windows rattle. 

“Funny, isn’t it?” Maddie mused as she fiddled under the black sack, her previous turquoise dress landing with a soft thump on the floor. “You say you aren’t supposed to be here, but the wolf said your name along with all of ours. So one of you has to be lying, and the wolves work for the School Master.” 

Lizzie and Kitty baulked at Maddie, who just shrugged. “What?”

“Sometimes I forget she can make sense,” Lizzie said to Kitty. The two turned to Apple, frowning. “Suppose we can’t kill her if she’s supposed to be in our school.” 

“Maybe she’ll fail and end up a bird,” Kitty suggested, licking her lips at the idea. Apple, however, paled at the suggestion.

“I am not supposed to be here!” she protested, glaring at the three girls. “My mother is a queen. A Good queen! Good queens don’t make Evil daughters!” 

“And yet the fairies didn’t come to save you,” Kitty taunted, hoisting her own black robe on. Her purple pigtails flattened for a second as she yanked it over her head, then bounced right back up as she pulled the dress all the way down. “So either we believe some crazed princess-”

“Or the School Master,” Lizzie finished, smirking. Somehow she managed to make her dumpy black frock look regal, but it might have just been the condescending smile she was giving Apple. 

“How am I supposed to stay here?” Apple wailed. “I’m too pretty to be stuck with the likes of you!” 

“Definitely Evil,” Maddie quipped, opening the door. “But if you really want to plead with the teachers then you shouldn’t mope here.”

“What are you talking about?” Apple frowned, taking a brief pause from her self pity part. Lizzie, Kitty, and Maddie all exchanged looks as they stared at her in disbelief. 

“Are all Evers this stupid?” Kitty asked Lizzie, who snorted. 

“The Welcome Ceremony,” Maddie repeated slowly. When Apple continued to stare at her in confusion, she added, “Where the Evers will be joining us.”

A lightbulb went off in Apple’s brain as she recalled her mother explaining the Welcome Ceremony to her as a child, complaining about the presence of Nevers and lamenting that they couldn’t just have separate introductions for the students. At the time, Apple had nodded along to her mother in complete agreement, but she grew a newfound love of the Welcome Ceremony. 

She bounded towards the door, grinning ear to ear at the thought of finally being able to talk to one of the teachers at the School for Good, but the wolf blocked her, glaring. 

“What?” she shrieked, her excitement crowding her brain. She needed to get down there, not be interrupted by some snarling animal. “You told us to go to the Welcome Ceremony. I’m going!” 

But the wolf wasn’t looking at her. It was looking behind her, at the black frock clumped in a pile on the floor. Apple paled. 

“Oh, no,” she said, backing up. Maddie, Lizzie, and Kitty all stared at her, not moving an inch to interfere. No, they looked more than happy to watch her suffering continue. “I am not wearing that thing ,” Apple spat the word, gesturing to the clump. “Not now, not ever. So don’t even try-”

The wolf yanked it over her head before she could finish her argument. 

-

Raven stared out her window, miserable. 

After she received her schedule, she spent several long moments staring at it, mouth agape in shock. A couple of the girls who had been standing near her giggled as they exchanged their own schedules, talking about room assignments with excitement as they discovered who was paired with who. 

When Raven got to her room, she settled into her bed. Her suitcase landed onto the carpeted floors with a soft thud and she flopped onto the bed, her head a mess. 

Her schedule had her name on it. That had to mean something, didn’t it?

For as long as she could remember, Raven had been told what her future would look like. When she was little it was her mother, talking about the School for Evil with twisted fondness as she let Raven know what her future school would entail. Then it was her dad, reassuring her that she would get used to school after a while, she just had to keep her head up. Finally, Apple had come into her life. 

She could remember the day she and Apple White became friends vividly. It had been a normal day until that point, people avoiding Raven like they always did. By that time in her life it had stopped bothering her. Solitude was her normal. Besides, it was hard to feel lonely about not having friends when she never had any in the first place. 

She was at a diplomatic meeting with her father. Since their kingdom shared a border with White Kingdom, they had frequent meetings to keep the political climate stable after Raven’s mother had nearly destroyed both. Since Raven was too young to participate in or care about these meetings, she had been dismissed to a room with Apple and her nanny, along with a few other chaperones for the young princesses. 

A chorus of gasps had echoed around her. Raven wondered if her eyes had started glowing again, a side effect of being her mother’s daughter that happened whenever she felt a particularly strong emotion. Her mother had assured her that when her finger glow was unlocked this ability would make sense. But Raven wasn’t feeling any emotion particularly strongly, so she didn’t understand why her eyes would be glowing. 

Then a pale hand shoved itself in front of her face. 

The girl attached to it had perfect blonde tresses that framed her face as they curled their way down her back, not a strand out of place. Her blue eyes were warm and as soft as the sky in summer. Red lips curled into a friendly smile as she introduced herself. 

Raven had immediately known that she was a Good Deed to Apple. Before that day, Apple had never spoken to her before, ignoring her like the rest of the children that Raven met. After they had become friends, Apple had also made it very apparent that a large part of the reason she had reached out to Raven was to make sure their fairy tale would go perfectly. 

But Raven didn’t have any other friends, so she had gladly accepted the offer. Even if it meant she had to put up with Apple’s detailed rants about how Raven would have to act while trying to kill her, and Apple constantly lecturing her for not looking Evil enough. 

“How am I supposed to cower in fear for my Prince Charming if you aren’t intimidating?” Apple would scold her, and then whisk her off to go shopping for another spiked shouldered cloak to add to Raven’s collection. 

Over time, Raven had even begun to look forward to these visits. Her dad was just glad that she finally had people to hang out with, and the more time that Raven spent with Apple, the more she could feel her confidence in herself growing. Someone wanted to be around her of their own volition, even if it was for a self serving purpose. 

Raven crumpled her schedule and put it in her bedside drawer, her hope fading away. Apple was the first person to reach out to her, and here she was hoping to stay in a school that she had only ended up in by accident, while Apple was off suffering in the School for Evil. 

She shuddered at the thought of her friend in that place. Her mother had told her enough stories for her to know that, much like her house, it was large, dark, and as unwelcoming as a building could possibly be. It was no place for a girl like Apple White, who spent half her time preening and the other half browsing through her tiara collection. 

The door opening pulled Raven out of her thoughts. She had completely forgotten that she would be getting roommates. 

Two girls entered. They looked identical, except for their hair. One had long auburn hair that reached down to her ankles, nearly skimming the floor. The other had a short pixie cut with a thick purple streak throughout her own auburn locks. 

When they saw who they were rooming with the two paled and quickly fled the room. In the hall, Raven could hear them talking to girls who sounded like the ones that had questioned her earlier, Briar and Ashlynn. 

She sighed as she pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and tucking her head into her elbow. Of course people would still be afraid of her. It was naive to assume that just because she was in the School for Good meant that suddenly people would be nice to her after a lifetime of being rejected. 

Still, no matter how many times Raven learned that lesson, she always hoped that next time things would go better. 

Her mother used to say that hope was the tool of Good, which was why all Evers were such bumbling idiots. Evil used cunning, manipulation, and schemes to get what it wanted. Maybe she had been right. Raven felt like a bumbling idiot. 

A nymph opened her door and deposited a package on the desk by the door. Before Raven could even open her mouth to ask it a question, the door closed as gently as it had been opened. 

On the desk there sat three uniforms. Pink pinafore dresses with matching blouses that had puffed sleeves were folded neatly and stacked on top of each other. Beside each lay a hot pink tie that was already tied and just needed to be slipped over the head. Raven could only sigh at the reminder that she was supposed to be making friends. 

If she had been in the School for Evil, she would have had a friend there already. Maddie Hatter and she had met on one of her dad’s visits to other kingdoms after the war in an effort to re-establish a good relationship with the places her mother had pillaged and ransacked. Raven had never approached Maddie, but had instead been immediately adopted by the girl as her friend when she went inside the Mad Hatter’s Tea Shoppe. 

Her spirits lifted at the thought that if she couldn’t be talking to Maddie, Maddie might have at least been helping Apple. After all, she knew how close the two were. Surely she would lend a hand when she noticed the mistake that had happened!

That still did nothing to fix her current situation. 

Raven had heard plenty of stories from her mother about her first day at school and the Welcome Ceremony, her mother cackling as she told Raven about the few students who had been forced into their uniforms by the wolves. Even though she was in the School for Good, and was pretty sure they wouldn’t be near as forceful with her, she still knew that there was no way she was getting to the Welcome Ceremony without putting on the uniform. 

Her dad didn’t talk much about his time at the School for Good, but when her mother had explained the Welcome Ceremony she could remember a remark made by him about Evers who wanted to look different being dragged back to their rooms by nymphs until they emerged in proper attire. 

Since Raven didn’t particularly feel like being dragged around by the nymphs twice in one day, she decided she could survive wearing the uniform for a couple hours. 

It was weird wearing pink. As she slipped the dress over her head, Raven could hear her mother’s voice lecturing her on why black and purple were necessities of a proper villain wardrobe. Strangely enough, Raven hadn’t minded the wardrobe decisions. The dark colours allowed her to blend into shadows, and sometimes if she was lucky she could disappear from people’s vision completely. 

In the pink pinafore, that was made impossible. 

Raven avoided looking at the mirrors stationed all over the room as she took them down. Hopefully, by the end of the day she should be in the School for Evil, but if she had to return to the dorm room she didn’t want her face to be the first thing that greeted her. 

She had nothing against people who enjoyed checking their own appearance, but mirrors had always reminded her of her mother, who could always be found in front of a mirror if she went missing. Her opinion on mirrors hadn’t been made better after her mother had been imprisoned in the mirror realm, and Raven always felt uncomfortable in front of them after that, worried that somehow her mother would find a way to spy on her life through them. 

With that out of the way, she officially had no choice but to join the swarm of pink clad girls in the hallway. 

When Raven opened her door, the first thing she noticed was the noise. Clearly the Evergirls wasted no time in befriending each other, several already swapping jewellery and hair ties as they told each other about their palaces back home. 

Technically, Raven also lived in a palace, but she only ever spent her time in about three rooms, so it never felt that large. 

They gathered in the same foyer as before, the nymphs herding them away when Raven caught something in her peripheral. A flash of a white robe disappearing around a corner, a robe that looked oddly familiar to the one from that morning. 

A nymph blocked her when she tried to follow it, and Raven tried to force a smile. 

“I forgot my tiara in my room,” she told the nymph, hoping it sounded believable. She usually wore a silver headband instead of the spiked tiara her mother had given her, so it wasn’t a lie. 

Luck must have been on her side, because the nymph let her pass. 

Instead of heading back to her room, Raven turned down the corner she had seen the white robe vanish around, following the click of high heels down an increasingly confusing series of tunnels as she tried to keep her own footsteps light. The School for Good wasn’t known for its punishments, but she was sure they could make an exception for her. 

After a while the footsteps stopped, and Raven poked her head around the corner she was hiding behind to see a tall set of doors that opened into what looked like a museum. Above the doors, carved in pristine gold lettering, was a sign that read: THE GALLERY OF GOOD. 

“So good of you to drop by,” a voice drawled. It was a woman’s voice, and an old woman if the rasp was anything to go by. For some reason it sounded vaguely familiar. 

“You said we need to talk.” Raven had been right about the White Queen, because there was no way she would forget a voice that sweet anytime soon. 

“Because the School Master has gone completely mad!” the first voice yelled. Raven risked another peek around the corner, and raised a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. She knew why she recognised the voice now. Her mother had been a star pupil at the School for Evil, and before she began her war against Ever After she used to invite her old teachers around to boast about her accomplishments. 

Her former Dean being among those visitors. 

“He’s not from Wonderland,” the White Queen said, sounding completely unbothered by Baba Yaga’s outburst. 

“You know that isn’t what I meant,” Baba Yaga growled. Raven glanced around the corner, and when she saw that the two had their backs to her she darted into the gallery, hiding behind a large sculpture of Siegfried Charming slaying his dragon. “The stories are being tampered with. Good always wins!” 

“You worry too much,” the White Queen said. 

“Something is coming,” Baba Yaga continued, her voice softening. Raven had never heard a villain sound so vulnerable. “If we do not act, I fear something terrible will brew.”

“Worse than the catastrophe with the Evil Queen?” the White Queen asked. A chill ran through Raven at the mention of her mother’s name. “Did you think that the reason the stories are tilted is to make up for that unfortunate incident?” 

“Something else has happened,” Baba Yaga said. Raven ducked under a muscular marble arm to look at the two. Baba Yaga was staring at a series of paintings, the White Queen beside her. “Whatever it is, things cannot go on this way. The Storian will need to restore the balance soon, and I fear what it thinks will need to be done in order for things to go back.” 

“Maybe they need not go back,” the White Queen mused, extending a hand to the last painting in the series and brushing her fingers against the bottom of the frame. “Is this just because you think you got an Ever at your school this year?” 

“No,” Baba Yaga huffed, but it didn’t sound very convincing. “You received a strange one as well, didn’t you?” 

The White Queen only hummed, which disappointed Raven a little. She needed someone in the school to acknowledge the mistake that had been made, but apparently the only one with sense was Baba Yaga!

“Time will tell, I suppose,” Baba Yaga sighed. “Although I don’t know how I’m supposed to make a villain out of this one.”

“Come, old friend,” the White Queen laughed, slipping her arm through Baba Yaga’s as the two walked towards the end of the gallery. “The Welcome Ceremony will be starting soon, and we can’t have the Deans missing.” 

Raven knew that was her cue to leave, but something told her to stay behind. The sound of footsteps slowly faded away, and after a few minutes of silence Raven ducked out from under the arm of King Siegfried, looking around the gallery. 

It was beautiful, gowns and tiaras and swords and crowns littering the long hall. She could have stayed exploring all day, but there was something else she wanted to see. 

The series of paintings were on the far side of the hallway. There would only be a few more minutes before nymphs were bound to come looking for her, so Raven made sure to hurry over, and froze at the sight of them. 

Giant canvases that spanned from the floor to the ceiling were all beside each other, portraying the most prominent victories of Good. From Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty to Belle and her Beast, the canvases seemed endless. Raven even found Snow White’s kiss with her prince, the Evil Queen in the background dancing in her heated shoes. Her mother’s feet still had scars. 

The last painting was the one she had been looking for, though. Sure enough, it fell at the end of the lineup, and took Raven’s breath away. 

A girl with dark hair and a beautiful lilac princess gown was embracing a blonde girl in a black witch’s frock, magic swirling around the two girls with the School Master’s tower hanging above them. The style was impressionistic, so Raven couldn’t make out the faces, but something about the two felt chillingly familiar.

The sound of footsteps jolted her out of her haze, and she darted down the same hall she had seen Baba Yaga and the White Queen vanish through, her mind racing. 

She never noticed the man leaning against the door, who smiled and stroked his white beard thoughtfully as he watched her go. 

Chapter Text

Apple pulled at the robe as she was swept along with the crowd through the Tunnel of Trees. Her roommates had apparently decided that eating her wasn’t worth the trouble, considering they were all convinced she was a Never after that ridiculous wolf. First the schedule mix-up, and now even her roommates thought she was Evil!

But that wasn’t Apple’s primary concern at the moment. No, it was the dark sack hanging off of her. Her mother would have fainted at the sight of such a dress on her daughter, although Apple figured she still looked better than any of the Nevers. 

That meant nothing when the Evergirls would be in beautiful gowns. How was she supposed to win the eye of a prince like this? 

The clearing was bright with the mid afternoon sun, chairs surrounding the grassy lawn for the students that were split into two halves. The Evers had yet to come out of their tunnel, so Apple took advantage of the few moments she had left to fuss with her hair. 

“She really seems convinced that a prince will come and get her,” Maddie whispered to Lizzie and Kitty, who looked horrified by Apple’s preening. 

“It’s positively baffling,” Lizzie remarked, taking a seat near the front of the clearing. “She’s madder than a hatter!” 

“Not as mad as a hat though,” Kitty added, settling in next to Lizzie. 

“Yet,” Maddie corrected. 

It had been like this the whole walk down to the clearing, and Apple could feel her sanity slipping the longer she overheard the girls’ conversation. She just tried to ignore them, scanning the positions of the wolves at the edges of the clearing. Surely no one would mind if she snuck over to the Good side?

“Why are we at the front?” Apple asked, taking her tiara off to check her makeup. It hadn’t been too badly damaged by her stint underwater, which was to be expected since it was the top of the line elfish cosmetic waterproof foundation, but she had to make sure. Nevers apparently hated mirrors, considering she hadn’t seen a single one since entering that horrible school. 

“Why indeed?” Maddie repeated seriously. 

“Because I need the people to know that I do not take my future rule lightly,” Lizzie huffed, smoothing out her skirt. “My mother expects top grades from me, so I must achieve even higher than her expectations!” 

“What’s above the top?” Maddie asked.

“The ultra top, perhaps?” Kitty pondered. 

Apple groaned, fixing her tiara back on her head. The wolf had let her keep it, perhaps repulsed by the sight of gold in an otherwise entirely silver school, or maybe he just knew that Apple deserved something that proved she was supposed to be Good. 

“Well, at least this will deliver a good sighting of the princes,” Apple mused, smoothing her own skirts. 

Lizzie opened her mouth to respond when the click of shoes drew their attention to the Tunnel of Trees on Good’s side. A herd of girls in pink descended out of the tunnel, and Apple felt her mouth water at the sight of their pristine uniforms. 

Snow White was careful to prepare her daughter for the School for Good, letting her try on her old uniform several times and squealing in delight when it fit Apple like a glove. Her dreams for the past month leading up to her first day at school had all been of her in that pink pinafore, and now she had to see it on a bunch of others. 

One person was missing as her eyes scanned the crowd. The various Evergirls took their seats, hair dozens of shades of blonde and brunette and pink, but none with purple highlights. 

“Bathroom,” Apple said to Lizzie, who either ignored her or didn’t care as she pulled a deck of cards out of her pocket, starting a game of serjeant major with Maddie and Kitty. She snuck down an aisle, trying not to look suspicious as she looked around for Raven. 

A couple nymphs stood by the Good entrance to the clearing, and Apple knew better than to risk upsetting them. Instead she just stood by the back of the chairs on Evil’s side, looking around for any sign of Raven. 

One appeared when Raven burst out of the tunnel, sweaty and wide eyed, her head whipping around until her eyes landed on Apple. 

If her mother had been there, she might have told Apple to have more composure, but Apple was just so grateful to finally see her friend again. It surprised even her that she was so happy to see Raven, considering she always tried to keep a distance from the girl who would be her villain, but after a day full of being told she was Evil it was just a relief to see one person who didn’t believe that. 

People were still milling about and talking to each other, and the Everboys were still missing from the clearing, so nobody noticed an Ever and Never tackle each other in a hug in the back. 

“Raven! I’m so happy to see you,” Apple squealed, pulling back to examine her friend. 

Raven kept glancing around the clearing like a skittish animal, but Apple was more focused on her outfit. “Good, they gave you a uniform. Quick, we have to switch before they notice us.”

“Huh?” Raven asked, her eyes bugging as Apple started to slip the pink pinafore off her. She slapped Apple’s hands away, backing up. “What are you doing?”

“Getting us back in the right schools,” Apple frowned. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you just saw a ghost, and Good never gets haunted. No one could ever hate us that much.” Raven gave her a sceptical frown, one that Apple was used to seeing whenever she talked about Good’s triumphs. 

“That’s not true and-Apple, stop!” Raven pushed Apple away as she slipped the pink tie from around Raven’s neck and fastened it around her own. 

“Raven, you must know that this was a horrible accident,” Apple said, ignoring her friend as she adjusted her tiara for the tenth time that afternoon. “How am I supposed to catch the eye of a charming prince in this smock? Really, I don’t know how you wear such dark colours all the time.”

“You get used to it,” Raven shrugged. “But Apple, I have to tell you something.”

“Can you tell me while I change? I really shouldn’t do that in front of the princes, and Neverboys are basically girls don’t you think?” Apple said, tugging at the shoulder of Raven’s pinafore, who slapped her hand away again. “What?”

“I think us ending up in the wrong schools might not have been an accident,” Raven whispered. She glanced over again, and Apple finally found what she was so fixated on. 

At the front of the clearing, the teacher’s were gathered in a long line. Evil stood to one side, Good on the other, the two Dean’s being the closest to the centre. Apple recognised Baba Yaga right away, her mouth still sore from the hex that had been placed on her earlier. 

The other woman was still familiar. Her white hair was tied up, a heavy silver crown sparkling under the sunlight. A long white gown draped onto the floor, somehow spotless as it dragged across grass. 

The Dean of the School for Good looked exactly how Snow White had described her.

“What are you talking about?” Apple asked, taking the tie off in frustration at the realisation that Raven was not about to swap uniforms with her. Raven snatched it out of her hand and slipped it over her head. “Of course it was an accident! You saw me get swept up by that blind stymph!” 

“Look, I heard the Dean’s talking, and I’m really worried Apple-”

“Girls,” a voice cut Raven off, the two stiffening. A teacher stood behind them. 

Her outfit was far too bright for her to have been an Evil teacher, but what really drew Apple’s attention was the blue cone and veil sitting atop her bright red curls. She would have thought that the woman looked ridiculous if she didn’t know who the woman in question was. 

“Maid Marian!” Apple gasped. 

“Indeed,” Maid Marian smirked, pushing her veil aside to reveal her bright green eyes. “You know, girls, Evers and Nevers really aren’t supposed to be friends. Best not to talk in such a public place next time.”

“Oh, no, but this is all a misunderstanding!” Apple protested, thrilled that she finally had the opportunity to talk to a Good teacher. “You see, my friend here is the one who’s supposed to be in Evil-”

“You’ll do well,” Maid Marian interrupted, grinning at Apple as she ushered her back over to Evil’s side. “Lying is a key weapon of villainy. Keep that up and you might even get to be class captain!”

“She’s not lying!” Raven protested, running up to the two. Apparently all that time in the woods had improved Maid Marian’s hand-eye coordination, because she flawlessly manoeuvred the two girls to push Apple towards Evil and Raven towards Good. “I can’t be in this school, please, my mom is gonna kill me!” 

Apple was sat down with a hand on her shoulder, and watched in horror as Raven was dragged over to Good. 

“Now what mother would harm her own child?” Maid Marian laughed, pushing Raven down into her seat as well. “No mingling until your Surviving Fairy Tales class girls. Be careful, or next time the ones sitting you down will be the nymphs!”

Both shuddered at the thought, glancing over at the nine foot tall creatures that loomed on Good’s entrance to the Tunnel of Trees. Fairies were thankfully monitoring the students, keeping the nymphs in a corner. 

Maid Marian walked away before either girl could utter another protest, and both stared at each other helplessly. Apple tried to shove down her resentment, but she couldn’t help but feel snubbed. If Raven had just swapped clothes when Apple told her to, the two could have gone to their proper school’s before anyone caught on!

Maddie peeked around Lizzie, frowning at Apple. “Did the teachers ignore you?”

“I’m stuck here,” Apple sobbed, her resolve breaking as she buried her face in her hands. She heard Lizzie scoff and chose to ignore it. “I’ll never get to the School for Good at this rate! Even their teachers aren’t listening.”

“Definitely Evil,” Lizzie and Kitty chorused. 

“And worst of all, I’m going to be stuck in this when the princes see me,” Apple complained, pulling at the black frock. She regretted giving Raven her tie back. It wouldn’t have been much, but at least some pink would help. Her only accessory was her tiara, which was beautiful, but the Evergirls were all adorned with dangling earrings and necklaces that would be sure to catch the Everboys attention. 

Apple forced her chin up. Her mother was the fairest in all the land, and Apple was her daughter. The Evergirls may have been beautiful, but none of them could say that about their parents, could they? 

“Princes, princes,” Lizzie said, placing a card down on a plank of wood that the three were using as a table for their card game. Apple didn’t want to know where they had gotten the wood from. Knowing villains, it was some dark magic for sure. “In Wonderland we have knights, the proper thing for a boy to be.”

“Do you think we’ll see Chase?” Maddie asked, placing her own card down.

“Alistair too, probably,” Kitty mused, placing her card last. Her perpetual smile grew even wider as she scanned the pile. “I won the trick! And I believe that makes five, right Lizzie?” 

“You’re a cheating Cheshire!” Lizzie yelled. “Off with your head!” 

Kitty just extended her hand, and after a moment of glaring at her Lizzie dumped her cards into Kitty’s hand. 

“Well, you may have knights, but nothing can replace a proper prince,” Apple huffed. Lizzie’s eye twitched. “Once I get my own fairytale, you’ll see just how helpful a prince is then!”

“Helpful,” Lizzie scoffed. 

“And yet you’re never full after,” Maddie frowned as Kitty dealt cards to each of the girls. 

Around them, students began to take their seats at the direction of the teachers. It became glaringly apparent that the Everyboys weren’t present, the Evergirls heads all turning to look back at the Tunnel of Trees. Apple couldn’t spot Raven in the crowd, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to see her at the moment. 

Raven would definitely be getting a lecture in their Surviving Fairy Tales class tomorrow. 

The clearing went deadly quiet, all of the Evergirls ceasing conversation completely. The Nevers were silent as well, although Apple could see a few who were looking around confused. They couldn’t hear what the Evergirls, and by extension Apple, were picking up on. 

A sound that every girl who had been promised a fairytale would be ready for. A sound that promised Happily Ever After. 

The clink of metal swords. 

Boys burst into the clearing, each engaged in combat with one another. All were tall, handsome, and knew their way around sharp objects. One stood out, battling at least six other boys as he made his way through the clearing. 

Apple fixed her eyes on him and knew that she had made her catch. All the Evergirls were staring at him, wide-eyed. If she could land the most sought after prince, then she would have to move schools! 

“Hey, there’s Chase!” Kitty said, craning her neck around Lizzie, who looked in a far worse mood than she had been a few moments ago, which was saying something considering her temper. 

But Apple didn’t even hear Kitty, focused on the boy as he slowly but surely fought off every single one of his classmates like it was nothing, not even breaking a sweat. A golden crown was nestled on his perfectly coiffed blond hair. His blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight, made brighter by the cornflower blue blazer. 

He was perfect. 

When the boy disarmed his last opponent, the boys gave up, accepting defeat at the hand of such a skilled opponent. With a flourish, each boy produced a red rose from the inside pocket of his jacket. 

Apple had dreamed about this part of the Welcome Ceremony for years, the descriptions her mother painted for her fresh in her mind. It was where Snow White met the prince that would wake her from her cursed sleep, the one who would go on to become Apple’s father. 

It was where Apple would meet hers. 

The boys each raised their hands, scanning the crowd before either closing their eyes and launching the rose, or aiming for a specific damsel. One girl with platinum blonde hair and blue highlights ended up with over a dozen in her lap, her companions eyeing her jealously. 

“Who is he?” Apple asked Lizzie, still enraptured by the handsome prince. He was scanning the crowd slowly, waiting for the proper princess. She liked that. Clearly, this was a boy who would only accept the best, and she was the best so naturally he would go for her. 

“Daring Charming,” Lizzie spat with a surprising amount of venom. Apple wondered if he had made an unpleasant remark about her ridiculous tattoo. “All the Good princes are brainless, but that one had to be the worst.” 

“He’s so perfect,” Apple sighed. Lizzie just rolled her eyes and turned back to her card game. 

Daring was still scanning the crowd when he found her group. At first he didn’t notice her, tensing at the sight of someone, but then his eyes finally landed on her. 

Time seemed to slow as the two looked at each other, and any doubt about him was wiped from Apple’s mind as he examined her. She knew that he recognised how utterly Good she was, how clearly an utter mistake had been made. 

He smiled and closed his eyes, raising the rose above his head. Every girl in the clearing waited with baited breath. Well, every Evergirl. The Nevers looked ready to kill him. 

Daring tossed the rose into the air, and it soared with perfect grace in Apple’s direction. Several of the Evergirls gaped at her, and she set her shoulders back smugly. It was okay. She would accept their apologies for thinking her a Never once she got to her school. 

A gasp ran through the crowd, and Apple looked in her lap, expecting the rose to be sitting in it. 

Only to find the rose in Lizzie’s lap instead. 

-

After Raven was separated from Apple, she didn’t know what to do with herself. Maid Marian sat her down at the edge of a row of seats near the back, with an empty seat beside her. 

Nobody rushed to fill it. 

It didn’t bother Raven anymore. She was honestly a little grateful that she had a moment of peace to herself, to think about the painting she had seen and what she had overheard in the gallery. Before her mother’s tirade, it was true that Evil had been winning an equal amount of stories to Good. 

Since her mother had entered the mirror realm, something had shifted. Good began to win. Not just one or two stories, but every single one for the past decade. But what did that mean? How had her mother caused it?

And most importantly, what did it have to do with Raven being in the School for Good?

“Hello there!” a voice chirped. Raven jumped, lost in her thoughts, and looked beside her to find a girl sitting there. She had a large bush of blonde curly hair, with bright blue eyes and a wide smile. What really stood out was the giant blue bow nestled on top of her head, in the same place most princesses wore their tiaras. 

The girl seemed to notice, because she adjusted it and continued to beam at Raven. “Do you like my bow? It would be a tiara, of course, what with my family being royalty, but my tiara is just so opulent that I think it isn’t fair to the other girls here. By the way, I’m Blondie Lockes. You’ve probably heard of my mother, Goldie Lockes? She’s not portrayed as a princess in the story of course, but that’s just because she was too young at the time and hadn’t inherited her crown yet.” 

Blondie spoke at a speed that rivalled Maddie once she had three cups of tea spiked with sugar. Raven could barely follow along to her words, until she was pretty sure that at one point Blondie was having a conversation with herself more than Raven. 

“But I’m being rude. You’re the new Ever, right? A bunch of the princesses have been talking about you. Nothing bad, of course! We’re all Good here, after all. What’s your name?” 

Raven had begun to space out so when she was issued an actual question she started. “Oh, uh, Raven.”

“Raven? That’s an odd name for a princess,” Blondie said, reaching down to adjust her laces. She was wearing black boots with a fur hem, and the heels were formed like locks. It was cute. “What’s your last name, Raven?”

The girl had been so friendly that Raven didn’t want to tell her. In all of Ever After, there were thousands of queens. Somehow, there were no other family lines with her last name among them. 

“Queen,” Raven said, as quietly as she could. “Raven Queen.”

Blondie sat up so quickly she banged her head against the chair in front of her. As Raven was about to ask if she was alright, Blondie grabbed her hands and leaned in so they were almost nose to nose, her eyes sparkling. 

“You’re a Queen! But whatever after are you doing in this school?” Blondie asked, yet she didn’t sound like she wanted an answer. “How exciting! I’ve never heard of a villain kid going to the School for Good before!” 

It was so different to how people normally reacted to her. In all her years, Raven had never seen someone be excited by her family heritage, and she had to wipe away a few stray tears when Blondie began on a rant and turned away from her, hands flying about wildly to help emphasise her words. 

Another girl sat beside Blondie, this one with pink curls and white wings that hung off the back of the seat when she sat down. 

“Hello there,” she greeted Raven. “I see Blondie got to you.” 

“Cupid, she’s the daughter of the Evil Queen!” Blondie squealed, hooking her arm around her friend’s shoulder. Raven made a mental note to not share secrets with Blondie in the future. 

“Your name is Cupid?” Raven asked. 

“C.A. Cupid, to be more precise,” Cupid said, leaning around Blondie who was still talking over both of them. “But I usually just go by Cupid, yeah.”

“I knew I could be a good journalist,” Blondie continued, leaning back against her chair so forcefully she almost tipped it over, Cupid catching the edge of it just in time. “We’ve been here for less than a day and I already have the best piece of news! I need to start my gossip column soon, this will sell so well.”

“You want to be a journalist?” Raven asked, hoping to draw the conversation away from her parentage. Blondie nodded. 

“I heard there was a girl who everyone thought was a Never, so I figured it would be good to investigate,” she said. Raven felt herself deflate a little at the comment. “But who would have thought I would find an actual scoop! Girls here can be a little superfluous, especially about appearance, so I thought they were exaggerating when they said you looked like a Never. Who could have guessed it’s because you’re related to one!”

“Hey Blondie, do you remember how we talked about timing?” Cupid piped up, noticing Raven’s discomfort. She could have hugged the girl. 

“I did it again, didn’t I,” Blondie said, shoulders slumping. 

“It’s okay,” Raven assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I wasn’t bothered.”

Blondie opened her mouth to respond, but snapped it shut a moment later. Confused, Raven looked over to Cupid for an explanation, but she had also gone silent. In unison, the two girls turned their heads towards the Tunnel of Trees. 

Raven turned to the other Evergirls, but all had focused on the Tunnel of Trees. The Nevers looked unbothered, but Raven still felt her blood run cold. Maybe a monster was approaching that was only audible to Evers and would eat her for being in the wrong school. That was just what she needed. 

One Never stood out from the others, head twisted around to face the tunnel. Raven was sure that Apple couldn’t see where she was sitting, but Raven could see her, and could see the hungry way Apple eyed the tunnel. 

A look that Raven had only seen on her when talking about one thing. 

Boys spilled out of the Tunnel of Trees, their swords clanging together as they sparred. Around her, Raven heard the sound of fifty girls sighing dreamily in unison. 

Personally, she was less than impressed. Even with her father, the least impressive thing about him was by far his combat ability. Everboys had always seemed far more vain than Evergirls to Raven, especially with all the pageantry they constantly partook in. 

One boy did catch her eye. He lost early to one of the boys on the side, and laughed it off easily. The two boys were clearly friends, patting each other on the shoulder in reassurance as they stood off to the side, watching the battles that continued to take place. His friend left after a moment, going to join the other boys as he continued to fight, but the boy stayed behind. 

“That’s Dexter Charming,” Cupid leaned over Blondie’s lap to get to Raven. “Everyone thinks his brother Daring is so great, but isn’t he just the dreamiest?” 

“Is that a word?” Raven asked instead of answering. She clasped her hands together, reminding herself that villains weren’t supposed to have princes. Even if, by some fluke of fate, she was in the School for Good on purpose, she had no doubt that she was not the hero of whatever story was unfolding. 

“Daring is great,” Blondie protested, ignoring Cupid as she craned her neck around the girls in front of them to try and get a better glimpse of a blond boy who was fighting off six challengers at once. “He’s strong and charming and everything a prince should be!”

“Are you going to go for his rose?” Cupid asked. 

“What rose?” Raven said, still fixated on the boy in the corner. She shook her head a little, forcing herself to look away and noticed the love-struck way Cupid was ogling him, guilt immediately rising up at the thought of her interrupting them because of a mistake. 

“Princes give out roses to the maiden they find fairest at the Welcome Ceremony,” Cupid explained. “The fairest maidens end up with the most roses, naturally, but a lot of times the roses are said to also dictate who will serve a role in the other’s fairytale!”

“So a guy thinks you're pretty and that determines if you marry him?” Raven didn’t want to judge, but she couldn’t help but feel that it was a little ridiculous. 

Then again, her parents weren’t exactly role models for a perfect marriage, so she figured she could try to be a bit more open minded.

“Pretty much,” Blondie quipped, head craning to get a better view of Daring.

“I hope I get Dexter’s,” Cupid sighed. 

“If Daring gave me his, I would never get questions about my heritage!” Blondie squealed, sitting up sharply and knocking Cupid off her lap. “Oops, sorry.”

Raven hoped that no flower would land in her arms. It was already proving difficult to convince the staff that she was a mistake, and she didn’t need anything making her attempts more difficult. Besides, one of the fundamental rules of Evil was that they never, ever loved. Hate was the only acceptable emotion for a villain, something Raven’s mother had made abundantly clear in her childhood. 

Maid Marian was watching her from the sidelines, which wasn’t helping with Raven’s nerves. Then, the teacher did the oddest thing, and winked at Raven. 

A hush fell over the clearing once more as the boys pulled roses out of their lapels with a flourish, the dozens of red flowerheads lighting up the otherwise bland clearing. Raven wondered if the roses had been painted to look more beautiful than they were, since their hue was so vibrant it seemed unreal. 

One by one, each boy raised their rose over their head, and Raven turned away. Boys had always hated her, mocking her for being creepy and off putting, and the only dates she had ever been asked on were as a joke. She knew better than to get her hopes up. 

Choruses of gasps and squeals of excitement rang through the crowd as the boys began to throw their roses, girls all around Raven beginning to jump up to show off their new prize, or turning to their friends to gloat. 

A sharp gasp sounded off beside her, and she turned to see Cupid staring as Dexter lifted his own rose. He seemed a little unsure about what to do with it, glancing nervously at the other boys as they tossed their own roses with no hesitation. Raven wondered if she might not be the only one who felt less than at home there. 

Their eyes caught, Dexter’s eyes widening a little. She wondered if he recognised her from her mother’s old wanted posters. They looked frighteningly similar, especially to someone who didn’t know her well. 

She glanced away, picking at the hem of her pink dress, which she felt especially ridiculous in considering the swoons of princes and princesses that she was not a part of all around her. The final few roses were being thrown. 

A sharp inhale to her right made Raven turn to see Cupid staring at her lap, her blue eyes wide in disbelief. Slowly, Raven turned to look at what she was ogling.

A rose. 

Her head whipped around, but Dexter had disappeared from where he had been standing, presumably taking his seat as the other princes around her were doing. 

In fact, she was so busy staring in disbelief at the rose in her lap that she missed the person staring at her from the opposite side of the clearing. The person who had finally managed to find where Raven was sitting. 

A rose in one lap, and none in another. 

Chapter Text

Raven glared at the schedule. 

It was pinned on the wall with her classes, reminding her of what would happen tomorrow. Something she was dreading beyond all else. 

Class. 

Being trapped in a room full of Evergirls who would know that she wasn’t supposed to be there made Raven feel ill. What made her ready to throw up was the thought of what her mother would say when she found out. 

She would find out. Raven was sure about that. Even if she was trapped, the Evil Queen could still be talked to through the mirror in Queen Castle. Although she had told Raven several times that her power couldn’t extend past that mirror, Raven knew better than to trust her mother. 

And the School for Good was crawling with mirrors. Every time she passed one, Raven ducked her head down instinctively, hoping her mother wasn’t seeing her actions. 

Maybe the nymphs and teachers didn’t believe her, but if Raven didn’t get out of school soon then there wouldn’t be a Raven to believe anymore. 

She got out of her bed, hoping enough time had passed for the princesses to be asleep. Apple always gave Raven lectures about the importance of a proper sleep schedule, which she never understood. Her mother told her that sleep was something done out of necessity, but Evil was best executed under pressure. 

Slipping into the dark dress she had worn when she first came to the school, Raven untucked her hair, letting it fall in front of her face. She wasn’t even sure if Special Talents were something Evergirls had, but her mother made sure she had one. 

As she opened her door, she was careful not to make a sound. Emerging into the hall, the discomfort of wearing the bright pink uniforms of the School for Good fell off Raven. 

Evergirls may have functioned best with all eyes on them, but there was nothing Raven knew better than the shadows. 

From the moment she had begun wandering off as a child, her mother had been delighted. Raven couldn’t just blend into the shadows, she could become them, absorbing the darkness and disappearing into it as she navigated the school. From then on, sunny days made her squirm in discomfort and bright colours only made her recoil.

She used that ability to trek around the school without making a sound, trying to find a way onto the bridge. Maybe the teachers at the School for Good wouldn’t listen to her, but she knew Baba Yaga. If the Dean refused to let Raven swap, then she would at least demand an explanation. 

Nymphs patrolled the hallways at night, searching for anyone who was out of their dorm rooms past curfew. As Raven snuck down to the main hallway, she felt her breathing slow. 

Her entire body felt relaxed. A long time ago, her dad told her about how, when someone was really stressed, they would sometimes override their own system and become calm. The stress was overwhelming to the point of going away entirely. 

She felt that way at the moment, the pent up fear of getting caught and what would happen if she didn’t cross each other out as she snuck past the nymphs, never making a sound. 

A sound startled her, and she ran up the closest stairwell, tucking herself around a corner. A shadowed figure came into view, decked out in silver armour that hid the person’s face. 

A prince! Raven thought, raising a hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp. If she was caught, she would surely be ratted out. Evers were like that, always following the rules and holding loyalty to their principles above all else. She never liked that about them. 

The nymphs had apparently given this prince permission to go out at night, because none of them stirred as he walked through the hall with practised confidence. The swagger of his step looked familiar, and with a chill Raven realised it looked familiar because it was familiar. That was the prince Apple had been swooning over at the Welcome Ceremony. 

She had seen him with a sword, and doubted he would have any reservations about attacking her when she was dressed like a Never. 

Not just dressed, you are a Never , she reminded herself. 

Breathing shallowly, she watched with bated breath as the boy moved over to the stairs. 

Don’t come this way, don’t come this way, she repeated silently. It must have been her unlucky day, because the boy headed straight towards her. 

Without waiting to be discovered, Raven sprinted up the stairs. She passed by dorm rooms, libraries, and countless doors that she didn’t bother checking for descriptions. As she ran, she realised she could see her hands in front of her. Silently she cursed the prince who had made her lose focus. Anyone could catch her now!

Eventually the hallways ran out, and Raven found herself in a giant room, a mural covering the wall in front of her. 

The story of Snow White spanned out across the mural. Raven cringed at the sight of her mother berating her former step daughter, and followed along to see Snow White at the well where she made her wish for a Happily Ever After. As she kept looking she saw her escape to the woods, where the Huntsman saved her life, and her discovery of the cottage with dwarves. 

Raven paused at the final image in the series, of Snow White kissing her prince, the Evil Queen visible in the background with her burning shoes. Looking at it, she almost understood why her mother had lashed out so violently afterwards. 

Something was off about the mural. Raven wasn’t entirely sure how she knew, but she was positive it had magic. 

Tentatively, she reached a hand out towards the painted wall. For a second she felt a power course through her, running up her arm and down her spine as the magic of the mural tingled under her hand. 

Then, a burst of energy erupted from the wall and she was blown back, ending up on her butt on the floor. 

The sound was booming, echoing off the walls, and from the staircase below Raven heard rummaging. The nymphs had surely heard the blast. Her heart thrummed as she looked at the wall, trying to steel her nerves. 

It was magic. So was she. If she tried, perhaps she could conceal herself in the wall before the nymphs reached her. 

She scanned the mural again, a bit more desperately this time, trying to search for the shadows in it. Finally her eyes landed on the well, a shadow extending from it across the wall. When she brought her hand against it this time, the magic didn’t repel her, but she couldn’t absorb into the shadow. 

It was an odd sensation. Even though the magic felt more powerful, it was like her hand was hovering at the edge of a fire as she tried to get warm. This was not the most powerful source of magic held in the mural, she was sure of it. 

Hearing the footsteps grow closer, Raven moved her hand towards what felt like the strongest section of the mural. Eventually her hand landed on the water in the well. 

The footsteps were almost at her level. Without time to consider, Raven pushed herself forward, finding that her hand slipped through without issue this time. As she continued to press forward, the mural began to suck her in, and soon she was plunging head first into darkness.

-

Apple came back to her room with her arms full of ingredients from the greenhouse. To the confusion of her roommates, she had managed to sweet talk a wolf into letting her go there, with the promise that all of her plants would be used for Evil potions. 

She wanted to snort at the idea. Dumb wolf. 

Still, it was the first victory she had at the school, which gave her hope for the next day of classes. If she managed to be more convincing, then she might finally be able to get to her proper school. 

Makeup was sure to help with that. Once inside the greenhouse, Apple had found a pantry full of ingredients also meant to help students with potions, and had raided as much of it as she could. 

With what she had managed to take, she had just enough for a natural blush, eyeliner, and lipstick! It wasn’t the best start, and if her bag was with her she wouldn’t have needed to take the trip at all, but it was a start. 

Maddie seemed completely unaffected by her shenanigans, sitting on the wall. Her hair didn’t even dangle down, completely unaffected by gravity. From her hat she kept pulling out different items, inspecting each for a second before shaking her head and throwing them onto the floor. 

Kitty had curled up in her bed the second they got back, snoring loudly. She smiled even when she slept, and curled up just like a cat would on top of her covers. 

Therefore, Lizzie and Apple were left in each other’s company as Apple hunted for a mirror. 

“Why do you care so much about what you look like?” Lizzie asked as she scribbled something in a notebook. “Our first class tomorrow is Uglification, so it’ll be a waste anyway.”

“That class is a waste,” Apple muttered, giving up and settling down on her own bed, resigned to once again using her crown as a mirror. “Who would purposefully make themselves look ugly? This is why Evil keeps losing, you know.”

Lizzie’s smile tensed at the words, and she drew her finger across one of the pages of her notebook. Her finger worked like a knife, slicing cleanly through the parchment as half of it fluttered onto the ground, and Apple made a mental note to never get too close to Lizzie’s hands. “If you said that in my kingdom, you would be beheaded already.”

“Off with her head!” Maddie giggled from the wall, placing her whole head into her hat as she continued rummaging. Lizzie smiled at the expression. 

“Indeed,” she said, nodding approvingly. “At least someone understands.”

“It’s true,” Apple frowned as she tried to get her eyeliner straight, a difficult feat in the curved reflection of her tiara. “Good always prevails, it’s just the way of things.”

“It wasn’t always,” Lizzie mused, frowning at something in her notebook as she scribbled on it. 

“At least Good had love,” Apple said, a little unsure of why she felt so defensive. “Evil will just end up sad and alone in every iteration, even if you do win.”

Lizzie’s pen stopped on the page, silence echoing throughout their room. Even Maddie placed down her hat, head turning between the two girls as they stared at each other. In the faint glow of the moon through the window, Lizzie’s heart around her eye seemed to glow, enhancing the teal colour of her eyes as she glared at Apple, making the girl shiver. 

“Then why did I get a rose and you didn’t?”

-

Raven tumbled onto a bridge. She felt like she had been rolled up in a carpet and tossed down a set of stairs, her entire body aching as the world around her spun. 

Raising her head just barely, she saw the School for Evil at the other end of the bridge. When her head turned, sure enough there was the School for Good behind her, blue and pink towers glowing brightly even in the dark of the night. 

If she did this, there would be no returning to the School for Good. For some reason, she felt oddly hesitant, despite her earlier conviction that had driven her to end up on the bridge in the first place. 

It was difficult not to feel a little attached to the school as she thought about Blondie and Cupid, who had been kind to her from the moment they met. Unfortunately, thinking of them also made Raven think of the moment that rose had ended up in her lap. 

Cupid had waved off her apologies, but Raven could see how devastated the girl looked. She had insisted that Cupid take the rose, and after a few minutes of convincing she finally accepted it when Raven mentioned how Dexter had thrown it without looking, probably intending for Cupid and ending up with poor aim. 

Despite her reassurance, Raven could tell something in the air shifted after that, an awkwardness that had been missing before. The worst part of it was that, when the rose landed in her lap, for a moment she actually felt her heart thump in her chest. 

With that memory as her conviction, she moved towards the School for Evil. 

And ran straight into a wall. 

Well, not a wall, per se. A barrier of some sort that sent Raven falling onto her butt for the second time that day. 

When she got up, she saw someone looking back at her. She reeled back, prepared to run, but stopped when she realised she recognised the person who was staring at her. 

Kind of. There was something strangely familiar about the person. Purple eyes stared back at her, purple and black streaked hair tied up in a ponytail that framed the girl’s face perfectly, matching the gold tiara she was wearing. A blue top that sat high up and framed the girl’s face made up the top half of her dress, the bottom half a mermaid cut skirt that spilled out into a train behind her. 

The girl opened her mouth, which had perfectly applied pink lipstick. 

“Good with Good, Evil with Evil, back to your tower before there’s upheaval,” the girl said, which was when the recognition clicked in Raven’s mind. 

“You’re me,” she gasped, averting her eyes immediately at the realisation that she was looking at her reflection. Her reflection just rolled her eyes like that should have been obvious. 

“Who else would I be?” she said, adjusting the gold crown on her head. 

“We don’t wear gold,” Raven frowned. For some reason, that just made her reflection smile, as if she knew something Raven didn’t. It was a little annoying, if Raven was being totally honest. 

“Sure,” her reflection drawled. “Just like we don’t attract the attention of princes, right? Now, back to your tower before I have to report you.”

“I have to get there,” Raven said, pointing at the School for Evil in the distance. 

“You’re Good,” her reflection giggled. Raven had never giggled in her life, the sound of it making her back up a little more. “Come on, I  won’t report you if you get going now.”

“I’m not leaving,” Raven pressed. Her reflection frowned at her stubbornness. 

“And why do you need to go there so badly, hm?” her reflection asked, tilting her head. “If you go back to the School for Good, you’ll have a prince and friends waiting for you.”

Raven paused. She wasn’t going to convince her reflection to let her across with any normal begging or reasoning. 

Steeling her nerves, Raven glared at her reflection the way her mother taught her to. Shoulders pulled back, chin high in the air, eyes blazing with rage and power. Her reflection faltered at the sight of her, but only for a second. 

“I don’t have friends,” Raven said, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. She never heard herself sound so haughty and intimidating before. “And I certainly don’t have a prince.”

“Then why did you get a rose?” her reflection challenged. 

“Only the greatest Evil can disguise as Good,” it was a saying her mother used to tell her. “Isn’t that right?”

“And how do you know we’re the greatest Evil?” her reflection asked. 

“Because people have hated us our whole life,” Raven spat, forcing down the tears that threatened to bubble up. “Nobody could love a girl like you.”

Her reflection frowned, looking almost sad for a second, and then it changed, morphing to reflect Raven’s current outfit and hair that spilled in front of her face. She averted her eyes, staring at the ground as she advanced, reaching out to find if the barrier was still up. 

Instead, her hand met the air. 

Not willing to risk waiting another second, Raven sprinted towards the school, focused completely on the goal in front of her. 

Two hazel eyes watched her vanish into the fog, the teacher chuckling as he turned to head back inside. Behind him, he closed the curtains. 

No one else would see her escape. 

-

Raven reeled back when she entered the School for Evil. 

It looked so much like her house that for a second she had to wonder if she had somehow been transported back in time. The high ceilings arched above her, allowing for the hallway to be freezing cold. Raven regretted not bringing a cloak, her dress being sleeveless, but she rubbed her arms as she made her way through the school. 

Her mother had described it well, each stairwell that led up to the separate towers adorned with rusted silver labels. No wolves were in sight, which surprised Raven. 

Then again, maybe the school didn’t need to worry about anyone escaping because they knew no one would be dumb enough to try. After all, the students in this school were different from the Evers. They had grown up with stories of doom rooms and torture instead of promises of pink pinafores and soft pillows. 

Raven finally felt at home. 

She frowned as she examined the stairwells, trying to decide which to go up, when she heard a loud screech. When she was about to duck behind the nearest statue, she realised she recognised that scream, and began running. 

The person shrieked again, and Raven used the sound to find her way through the halls, eventually landing on the second floor, flinging open the door that the noise was coming from. 

On the ground, Apple was being pinned down by a girl with long dark hair and a red heart tattoo. She was shrieking like a banshee, twisting every which way to try and break the grasp that the girl had on her. Raven dove in, pulling the girl off of her and standing between the two. 

“What’s going on?” she asked as Apple sat up, pointing a finger at the girl. 

“SHE ATTACKED ME!” Apple shrieked. “ME! A FUTURE QUEE N ! HOW DARE YOU-”

“Raven!” A rush of turquoise and magenta flooded Raven’s vision as she was tackled in a hug. When she pulled back, she saw Maddie looking up at her with a wide smile. “I was worried you would actually stay in that horrible place!” 

“No, I’m not staying,” Raven said. She noticed the room had gone quiet, the two girls who had been fighting both staring at her. 

Apple was the first to speak up. “Well there you go! I knew you would come to your senses Raven. After all, you’re just built to be Evil, aren’t you?” Raven flinched at the way she said that so casually. “Now, where’s my uniform?”

“Oh, you won’t be able to get back to the School for Good,” the tattooed girl hissed. She looked furious, making even Raven want to take a step away from her. “You’re as Evil as they come.”

Apple just stuck her tongue out and looped her arm through Raven’s. “I come from a long line of Good kings and queens. Just because you’re too selfish-”

“ Selfish? ”

“-to admit that I belong there, doesn’t mean everyone is so stupid,” Apple continued, ignoring the girl. “Now, how will I be getting to my school?”

The way Apple so casually referred to the School for Good as her school made Raven’s skin prickle. 

“I don’t know, actually,” she realised after a moment. “I just teleported in.” 

“You can teleport?” a girl asked. Raven recognised this one as Kitty Cheshire, and finally remembered why the girls looked so familiar. 

The atrocities her mother had committed were the worst against Wonderland, crippling the land for years and making it so that they had to rebuild from the ground up. Her father had taken her on several diplomatic visits, yes, but there was one woman he would never let her go in front of, for fear of what she would do to the daughter of the woman who had destroyed her kingdom. 

“Uh, yeah, I can,” she said, feeling very uncomfortable in the presence of Lizzie Hearts. Maddie had told her lots about the future queen, but Raven had never met her in person. Lizzie wasn’t allowed to leave the palace, and Raven wasn’t allowed to go in. 

“Then just teleport me to the bridge,” Apple huffed, her grip tightening around Raven’s arm until it began to hurt her. 

“It isn’t as simple as that,” Raven huffed. “I mean, it’s technically a form of teleportation, but it’s really just shadow hopping. I can only do it with a lot of shadows around in the first place, and I can’t take another person with me.”

Apple’s eyes narrowed as she regarded Raven. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that boy who gave you a rose, does it?”

Baulking, Raven took a step away from her friend. “Of course not! I don’t even know who he is, and he meant to give his rose to Cupid, not me.”

As Apple regarded her, Raven felt strangely out of place. Despite being sure that she was supposed to be in Evil, as Apple looked at her she felt the same feeling she used to have when she was caught sparing mice from their traps by her mother. Back then, she would be lectured on how she couldn’t be soft as a villain. 

The words echoed in her head as Apple glared at her, time freezing as she waited to be yelled at. 

Instead, Apple nodded and put her hands on her hips, turning to Lizzie. “See? This is just the type of girl you would get along with, seeing how much you hate princes. That rose was wasted on you.”

Lizzie’s eyes narrowed, her jaw clenching briefly, and Raven was sure she was going to attack Apple again. Her eyes shifted to meet Raven’s, and then she stepped back, falling onto her bed with the easy grace only royalty could have. She was just the kind of girl the Evil Queen would have encouraged Raven to be friends with. 

“It would have been wasted on you, too,” Lizzie spat. “If you really try to leave, then don’t come back here crying when you get rejected by that ridiculous circus.”

“I’m the one who’s meant to be in Evil,” Raven said, drawing the eyes of the room. She squirmed under that attention, but forced herself to remain calm. “Apple’s right. She’s inheriting her mom’s kingdom one way or another, and her kingdom is a Good one. This was all just a big mistake.”

She didn’t bring up her plan to talk to Baba Yaga. It felt foolish when she actually thought about presenting it to the girls. Regardless of the reason the mistake had happened, anyone could tell Raven wasn’t meant to be in the School for Good. 

Apple leaned an arm on Raven’s shoulder, grinning smugly at the girls. “Don’t worry Raven, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this school so much more. You’re built to be a Never!” 

“That still doesn’t solve how you two are going to get out of here,” Maddie pointed out. She had gone upside down on the ceiling in the time it took Raven, Apple, and Lizzie to have a conversation. She was a bit dizzying to look at, making Raven feel like she was the one who was upside down instead. 

Kitty looked at Lizzie, and the two turned towards the girls wearing matching grins. Raven had a bad feeling about this. 

-

“I’M GOING TO KILL THAT STUPID CAT!” Apple screamed as she swung off one of the spires of Malice tower. 

“You’re doing great!” Raven called, trying to find her own way down. She melted in and out of shadows, keeping one eye on Apple in case she needed to catch the girl. 

For such a normally graceful princess, Apple was surprisingly bad at physical labour. The way she swung from point to point reminded Raven of baby monkeys she had seen on trips with her father. When she tried to point that out to Apple, she’d gotten a stone thrown at her. 

“You’re almost here!” Raven said, reaching out a hand. Apple hesitated, looking down at the drop below them. More pointed towers were the only thing that awaited them if they fell. “Hey, don’t look down! It’ll just make you nervous and throw you off.” If Raven was partially saying that to reassure herself, well, that was no one’s business but hers. 

“Are you sure you can’t just teleport me down?” Apple asked, clutching onto the tower as she poked the edge of the spire she was balanced on with her foot. 

“It doesn’t work like that,” Raven sighed. “I wish it did, Apple, really. It would make this a lot easier for me, too.”

“See, now you sound like a real villain,” Apple grumbled. “Why couldn’t Lizzie have heard that?”

Raven wasn’t sure if she was supposed to hear that or not, so she chose to ignore it, extending her hand a little further instead. “I’ll catch you if you fall, I promise.”

Apple hesitated for a second, then closed her eyes and leaped towards Raven. It looked like she was going to make the jump, Raven’s spirits lifting as she kept her arms out, ready to receive Apple and complete the final few jumps down to the bridge.

Just as her hopes began to soar, Apple crashed directly into Raven, sending both of them toppling off the tower. 

“AHHHH!” Apple screamed, Raven joining her screaming this time. 

As they fell, Raven kept her hand locked on Apple’s. Her ability to melt into shadows had never worked with another person, but she was just hoping for a miracle instead of them dying. 

But it wasn’t a spire that was coming into view. The object they were about to collide with was smooth at the top. 

The girls were separated when they crashed into it, each rolling to one side. Raven pushed herself up weakly onto her knees, her whole body aching from colliding with stone, even if she was grateful that she hadn’t been skewered. 

“Are you alright?” Raven asked, pushing herself off the ground slowly.  Somehow, Apple hopped right up, seemingly unaffected by the drop. 

“Certainly not!” Apple hissed, kicking the statue they had run into. “What kind of idiot designed these towers? My mother would never have allowed for such shoddy architecture.”

Raven was thinking up a retort when she noticed the stone statue in front of them move. 

“Uh oh,” she said, backing away. Apple whirled towards her, huffing. 

“What?”

The statue rose up, several feet taller than either of the girls, and turned to look at Raven. Yellow eyes glowed in the dark, staring straight at Raven. She didn’t dare breathe, and for a moment there was only silence. Enough time for Raven to recognise what the animal was. 

Gargoyle.

“RUN!” she screamed at Apple, but there was nowhere to go as the gargoyle opened its mouth, roaring at Raven. 

She stumbled back, her heel catching on the edge of the ledge. Below were only more spikes of the towers, ready to impale the girls if they made one misstep. 

As she kept looking around, Raven saw an opening between the spires. She reached out, grabbing Apple’s hand, and launched them off the side of the tower. 

It was a difficult task to keep calm when the girl who was attached to you was screaming profanities in your ear as you fell, but Raven managed. They landed with a thump on the edge of the bridge, two options for escape presented. Either they could try and run for the School for Good, or turn and hide in the School for Evil. 

Apple didn’t wait for Raven to decide, taking off in a sprint towards the glossy pink and blue towers. 

“Hello, makeup! Hello, hygiene! And hello, my prince!” she cheered as she sprinted across the bridge, tossing a grin over her shoulder to Raven, who could only stand slumped in shock. She couldn’t see where the barrier was in the dark of the night, but it was clear to her that Apple must have passed it some time ago. 

“Oh, don’t look so sad Raven!” Apple called, smiling with true joy for the first time since they had arrived. “We’re where we belong now.”

She was right. Raven’s dark clothes and slumped posture made her almost disappear into the darkness of Evil, while the glow of the School for Good reflected perfectly off of Apple’s smooth curls and golden tiara. Maybe there was no greater reason for them to have ended up where they did, and this whole ordeal was just some wretched mistake. 

Good with Good, Evil with Evil.  

A wave swept up as Apple turned around to head into her school, arching high over the two girls. Both backed away, intent on escaping, but the water seemed to bend towards them so that there was nowhere to go. 

The wave swept down onto Raven, disorienting her as she was swept away in the water. She couldn’t breathe, the same terror that welled up in the Flowerground sprouting as she tried to gasp for air. 

But the sensation didn’t last long, the wave depositing Raven onto the shore. She coughed, inhaling air desperately in case another one came to sweep her away, but the river between the two schools had become unsettlingly calm. 

It took a moment for Raven to realise where she was, the shore glimmering with a light that had been missing before. 

Eyes wide, she looked up and found herself in front of the School for Good, the blue and pink towers arching above her like a threat. And sure enough, on the other side of the shore stood an equally wide eyed Apple, mouth gaping as she stared at Raven with a newfound venom. It made Raven’s blood churn as she fought the urge to run from her best friend, even though they were separated by a bridge. 

Two nymphs grabbed each of Raven’s arms, two wolves grabbing onto Apple’s, and both girls were dragged back to their schools. 

Chapter Text

Apple stabbed the paper in front of her with her pen, all pretence of good manners gone. 

Two of the ugliest women she’d ever seen stood at the front of the classroom, glaring at the class in front of them. Their hair was piled into beehives that poked out like horns from the top of their heads, while thick red rimmed glasses settled on the edge of their noses. A fat wart adorned each of their chins, making them match, and Apple held back the urge to gag each time she looked at it. 

The Evil Step sisters. Apple heard all about their fairytale, and didn’t fail to note the scars rimming each of their eyes. She wasn’t totally convinced the glasses did anything, with both of the sisters consistently peeking over them, their eyes glassy. 

“Why is it important to uglify?” one of the sisters asked. She wore a maroon high-necked gown and a stern glare. 

A hand shot in the air. Apple turned to see who it was, and was surprised to see a fairy. That wasn’t the surprising thing. Dark fairies and fae were a concept her mother had raised her on. But she was surprised by how pretty the fairy in question was. Her skin was sallow and grey, but her grey eyes twinkled with mischief, and she seemed to wear a perpetual smirk.

What was most surprising to Apple was her enthusiasm. Several other students had their hands raised, Lizzie being among them, but the fairy was waving her arm obnoxiously to get the attention of their teachers. 

The sister in a high necked navy gown sighed and pointed to her. “Yes, Faybelle?”

Faybelle seemed to attempt a sneer, but her face was a little too soft, and ended up twisting up in a way that just came off as unnatural. “Because it drives people off. Everyone knows that only the most selfish Nevers get Nevermore.”

“Wrong,” the maroon dressed sister snapped. Faybelle frowned, pouting. Pouting! Over getting a question wrong in an Evil class!

Apple gazed out the window longingly, the bridge visible clearly in the sunny morning. The memory of a wave crashing over her made her shudder, and she turned away. 

“Lizzie,” the maroon sister called, “why must we look revolting?”

“It inspires fear,” Lizzie smiled smugly at Faybelle. “Everyone knows that you can only truly rule through fear.”

“Wrong!” In her head, Apple tried to think of a way to identify each sister. 

They had introduced themselves to the class as, “Ms. and Ms. Step.” Without leaving any time for questions about those ridiculous names, they had launched immediately into their lessons, one passing out bowls of some obnoxious smelling liquid while the other explained what they would be doing in class. 

Apple tilted her head at them, labelling the one in maroon Step 1 and the one in navy Step 2 silently. 

“Can no one explain why it was necessary for us to be ugly?” Step 2 moaned, collapsing dramatically against the blackboard behind her. Apple frowned at the unprofessional display, quietly seething about how such a display would never have been allowed in the School for Good. 

“You there!” Step 1 pointed a ruler at a girl with long brown hair and a wolfish grin. She had wolf ears, too, and something about her unsettled Apple. Maybe it was the way she smirked at Step 1. Professional or not, that was still their teacher! “You flunked this class last year, didn’t you Ramona?”

“Maybe,” the girl drawled, her voice a low timbre that rang throughout the classroom like a threat. It sent shivers up Apple’s spine. 

“Well, if you answer this question right then maybe you’ll be moving forward with your education instead of wasting away like the useless sack of flesh and fur you are,” Step 1 hissed. Apple recoiled at the insult. She would have cried at such harsh words, but Ramona didn’t even flinch. 

For some reason, that didn’t make Apple any more inclined to like her. 

“We uglify to scare off rotten siblings and children who think they can take our custom baby seal leather boots without asking,” Ramona grumbled, kicking her feet up so they were resting on her desk. 

“Horrible answer!” Step 1 screeched. Her sister began to stand back up from where she’d fainted. “Can nobody give me a worthy reason?” 

Tentatively, a pale hand raised in the air. “Yes?”

“Well,” Apple started, her voice shaking at the sight of a room full of villains turning their attention towards her, “I just don’t think it’s that good of a question.”

“Excuse you?” Step 2 hissed, snapping the ruler in her hands. 

“I just think that lots of villains do care about their appearance!” Apple said quickly, staring at the shards of wood from the ruler in horror. “My mother, Snow White, was tormented by one such villain. The Evil Queen wouldn’t have been nearly as Evil if she didn’t care about what she looked like, would she?”

The Step sisters looked at her with narrowed eyes for a moment, and Apple’s shoulders drew up around her ears as she prepared to be dragged away to the Doom Room. Then, the strangest thing happened. 

The sisters began laughing. 

“Not bad, girly,” Step 1 cackled. Her laugh was worse than nails on a chalkboard, and Apple was relieved to see that she wasn’t the only one flinching away from the sound. “But you are missing something. To gain vanity, one must first embrace Evil. And to embrace Evil you must become ugly!” 

“The Evil Queen was a particularly odd case,” Step 2 added, grinning wickedly down her nose at Apple, who shivered under her gaze. “She excelled in our school, embracing the need for ugliness. But her desire for outer beauty trumped all in the end, taking away from what should have been her true focus!”

A couple students nodded in agreement, but Apple felt more lost than ever. 

“What should have been her true focus?” she asked, unsure if she actually wanted the answer. Step 2 leaned down over her desk until they were almost nose to nose, and Apple could smell the disgusting stink of onion on her breath. Who ate onion in the morning? 

“To hurt Good.”

-

“I don’t want to go,” Apple huffed. 

Maddie dragged her along the hall, ignoring her protests. “An apple a day keeps the ravens at bay!”

“That makes no sense,” Apple sobbed. 

Uglification was horrible. She had thought that, by pointing out her own mother’s Good story and ending, she could point out how ridiculous it was that someone with as virtuous a background as she was stuck in such a terrible school. Instead, the Step sisters had gone on a long rant about the ways in which they uglified, with a terrifying promise of potions to be introduced next class, and had sung Apple’s praises the whole time! She even ended up ranked first in the class, a feat that made her face burn with shame. 

Lizzie looked positively murderous by the time they walked out of class, students dispersing to their different schedules. As Maddie had explained while dragging Apple towards their Henchmen Training class, first years typically had the same schedules. Which meant Apple was stuck with her unruly roommates for the entire day. 

At least Maddie was the only one happy about the arrangement. Both Lizzie and Kitty kept sending her disgusted glances, with Kitty’s being as disgusted as one could act with a smile stretching her cheeks apart. 

They finally emerged onto the Belfry, where Apple had been told Henchmen Training always took place. She wasn’t terribly thrilled at that revelation, sending nervous glances over the edge of a rail from the open air cloister. It wasn’t too high up, but the memory of those sharp spires would be something Apple didn’t soon forget. 

“GOOD MORNING, IMBECILES,” a snarling voice boomed, echoing loudly over the expansive clearing. All the students flinched at the sound, and their teacher emerged in front of them. 

Apple couldn’t hold back her gasp. Her teacher, or rather, the Evil teacher was huge. Seven feet tall at least, and a wolf man. His grey fur exploded out of his brown leather coat, and yellow eyes peered out at the class, scowling. 

Reaching up, Apple adjusted her tiara. Her mother had gone through plenty of obstacles to get her Happily Ever After. Granted, those obstacles occurred after she already graduated from school, but that didn’t matter. This was just another thing Apple would have to face to prove she was worth her future title. 

“Scrawny lot this year,” the teacher remarked as he scanned them, his eyes landing on Apple. She trembled under his glare, but he just smirked like she was a somewhat amusing bird. “Scrawny and out of place. We’ll have to fix that, won’t we?”

Silence stretched over the cloister. The teacher raised a bushy brow at his students. 

“When someone asks a question, you answer, yeah? Now, we’ll have to fix that, WON’T WE?” 

“Yes, sir!” students chorused, glancing at each other. Apple held back her own frustration at the way the man spoke to them. He was harsher than the drill sergeants who trained the army in her kingdom! 

“Now, I’m Mr. Badwolf. This is your Henchmen Training class. But if you didn’t already know that information, then I don’t think you’re particularly worthy of a henchman, are you now?” Mr. Badwolf glowered at his students. 

“No, sir!” they responded. He nodded. 

“As you all know, you will be assigned henchmen later on this year. If you’re a real prat, or just particularly lucky, you might even get a real henchman one day through graduation.” Excited buzz ran through the lineup of students. “SHUT IT WHEN I’M TALKING!”

Everyone’s mouths snapped shut. 

“Only the best of you will get real henchmen, and judging by what I’m looking at, that means none of you!” he barked. A couple of the students who had been speaking shuffled around guiltily. Apple couldn’t help a smug smile. Served them right for speaking over a teacher! “Unfortunately, the school insists on giving you practise henchmen every year despite my much better advice to leave you lot to the stymphs.” 

A shudder ran through the crowd at the mention of the terrifying bone birds, and Apple couldn’t suppress one of her own. She knew that they were friends of Good princesses, but the memory of one clutching her as it dragged her to the School for Evil was still too fresh in her mind for her to forgive it. 

“So instead, it’s my job to try and keep you from letting your henchmen animals burn the school down. Today we’ll be starting that process with a golden goose.” 

With that inspiring speech, Mr. Badwolf raised two fingers to his mouth and let out an ear piercing whistle. All around her, Apple saw students covering their ears, and did the same. From the same shadows that Mr. Badwolf had emerged from came a creature that waddled into the sunlight. 

It was the most beautiful goose Apple had seen in her life. Gasps echoed around her, and she couldn’t even find the will to be annoyed, because the goose was truly a sight to behold. 

Gold feathers ruffled softly as the goose came to sit beside the feet of Mr. Badwolf, each feather sleek and perfectly groomed. Dark eyes shimmered as they peered out into the crowd of students with far too much intelligence for a simple goose, and the creature let loose a squawk that sounded more elegant than anything Apple had heard since arriving. 

The goose’s head twisted around to look at each student, and Apple felt her breath hitch when it landed on her. She knew it could sense the overwhelming Good in her! Maybe the goose could finally be her ticket out. 

“Your goal today is to get the goose to lay an egg,” Mr. Badwolf explained, frowning at the creature like it was an unsightly mole. Apple felt herself bristle in defence of the animal. “In order to get the goose to lay an egg, you will have to use henchmen training techniques. They are as follows.”

He brandished his arm, and smoke began pouring out of his finger, forming into a list. 

1. Command
2. Taunt
3. Trick
4. Bribe
5. Bully

When he was done writing each of these commands, Mr. Badwolf glowered at his students, his expression so fierce that even Apple felt herself on edge. 

“Each of these must be completed in the order they were written,” Mr. Badwolf said. “If you bully a henchman, they have every right to bully you back. Try to bribe them before you trick them, and they may just run off with your money! Now, who wants to go first?”

Faybelle’s hand once again shot into the air, but she wasn’t who Mr. Badwolf was smiling at. 

Lizzie walked with an unnerving amount of ease towards the goose. Those closest to her parted to make way as everyone watched with bated breath. Like it or not, she would be setting the tone for how the rest of this class would go. 

“Goose,” she said, her voice as haughty as ever, “I order you to surrender a golden egg to me, Lizzie Hearts, the future queen of Wonderland!” 

The goose squawked at her, and Lizzie’s eye twitched in annoyance. As much as Apple knew the Good didn’t take pleasure in someone struggling, even if they were an enemy, she couldn’t deny the lick of pleasure she felt at seeing Lizzie so publicly embarrassed. 

“Off with your head!” Lizzie screeched in response, raising her hand. To Apple’s surprise, Maddie pulled a golden croquet mallet out of her hand and gave it to Lizzie with disturbingly practised ease. 

Lizzie wasted no time in swinging the mallet at the goose, landing a clean hit in its stomach and sending the goose rearing back a few feet. Everyone watched in silence, waiting to see what would happen as Lizzie kneeled down to look at something in front of her, blocking the view from the onlookers. 

When she stood, it was with a golden egg the size of a fist clutched victoriously in her hand. 

A roar of approval sounded from the crowd of students, people lining up to volunteer after that. Mr. Badwolf critiqued her method, but even he seemed in high spirits. 

Someone had to be, and that person was certainly not Apple. She slumped her way to the back of the line, resigning herself to the circus show she had been forced into. 

And oh, what a circus show it was. Maddie tried to bribe the goose with her favourite brew of earl grey. Faybelle lost her patience and tried to hex the goose, only to be reminded by Mr. Badwolf that finger glows wouldn’t be unlocked for another few weeks, and slouched away with a red face and empty hands. One boy with bright auburn hair and a spiked vest over his uniform swaggered up to the goose, proclaiming himself Sparrow Hood. He was then chased around the courtyard by the goose, who gave up when Sparrow launched himself into a bush to avoid it. 

After a long line of people, Apple was the last one remaining. She bent down to greet the goose, putting on her best princess smile. 

Hello there, a voice said. She started, looking around, before turning back to the goose when she noticed no one else seemed to have heard it. 

Can you hear people’s thoughts? Apple asked. She had heard of various creatures with such an ability, but never a golden goose. 

I can do more than that, the goose said, its dark eyes twinkling mischievously. You have a wish that needs granting, princess, do you not?

Apple could have burst into tears on the spot. After so much turmoil and hardship, finally she had found someone who addressed her by her proper title. Not only that, but someone who knew that she didn’t belong at this horrible school!

Could you help me? she asked. The goose nodded. 

Just focus on what’s in your heart, the goose said in her mind. It must be a pure wish, made from the heart.

Apple nodded, focusing her mind on what she wanted. Immediately she thought of her mother’s stern voice in her etiquette lessons, telling her about the responsibility on her shoulders that she would need to live up to one day. She thought of the twinkling golden castle that Snow White inhabited with her prince charming, and how she had promised Apple the same fate. 

But then Apple’s mind began to wander at thoughts of a prince. She recalled one prince in particular, with his crisp blond hair and bright blue eyes, and latched onto the thought. She deserved to be with him, anyone could see that!

Gasps sounded from behind her, and Apple opened her eyes, expecting to see herself adorned in a bright red and gold ballgown, ready to be swept off to Good. 

Instead, she was still in rags, and staring into blank eyes. 

The golden feathers rotted off of the goose’s flank, turning grey before her eyes, its head bowing. Then, it let out one painfully ordinary squawk. 

“What happened?” Apple demanded, panicking at the sight of the animal. 

Mr. Badwolf smiled at her, pride gleaming in his eyes. Not a good sign. “She’d rather give up her power than help you.”

A bright red one appeared over Apple’s head. From within the crowd of students, Lizzie snapped her croquet mallet with one hand.

-

Curses and Death Traps was already a bad enough name for a class. But knowing it was taught by Baba Yaga was Apple’s last straw. 

Two wolves had to drag her down to the dungeon, where the classroom was, after she tried to climb out a window. She may have been scared of spires with sharp ends and gargoyles ready to eat her, but nothing scared her more than Baba Yaga. 

The tall old hag glared at her as she was shoved into the classroom, her classmates staring at her. Technically she wasn’t late, but she was the last to arrive and felt a pool of shame in her gut as she made her way to her desk. Her head hung low, avoiding the eyes of the other students as she tried to blink away tears. 

That goose’s face was still bright in her mind, its blank eyes unsettling her. 

It had given up its power rather than help Apple. The sound of its squawk wouldn’t leave her, ringing around her head like some cruel taunt. 

There were no windows for her to stare longingly out of in the dungeon, only the pressing cold that had everyone around her shivering. Baba Yaga seemed completely unaffected, picking dirt from under her nails as Apple settled down. 

“How nice of you to join us, Your Majesty ,” Baba Yaga simpered, her eyes hard as she glared at Apple, who sunk further down in her chair. 

One or two people glanced her way, but most seemed preoccupied with the temperature, which was starting to make Apple’s teeth chatter. She glanced at her fingers, recoiling when she saw that they were already a light shade of red. 

“U-um, excu-use me, Miss, b-b-but could you please low-lower the temperature?” a timid voice asked. Apple could feel her heart begin to swell with sympathy, until she saw that the girl who asked was that pink haired girl that had refused to help her when she’d been dumped at this prison on her first day! 

“The Doom Room is much warmer, Miss Breadhouse,” Baba Yaga remarked, unbothered. 

Distant screams rang through the class. Nobody complained about the temperature after that. 

Apple could feel her mood growing sour. If she were in the School for Good, where she belonged, then she would never have been freezing in a dungeon. Everything her mother told her about the school was to sing its praises, with its warm classrooms and kind teachers. There certainly wouldn’t have been a Baba Yaga to deal with, or a particularly stupid golden goose. 

“This class is meant to teach you spells,” Baba Yaga continued, “but that won’t be happening until you unlock your finger glows. Until then, we will be discussing your Nemesis.”

“What’s a Nemesis?” Maddie asked. Her hand hadn’t been raised, and Apple could see several students glancing nervously at Baba Yaga to catch her reaction. The Dean didn’t seem to care, looking amused with Maddie instead. 

“It is the obstacle you must overcome,” Baba Yaga said, the entire classroom seeming to grow darker around her. “A Nemesis is your other half, and you must defeat them to truly triumph in your story. They will visit you at night, haunting your dreams and drawing your power until you win against them.” She paused, picking a cockroach out of her hair. 

A hand raised. Since their Henchmen Training class, Lizzie hadn’t even looked in Apple’s direction. Her eyes remained fixed in front of her instead. 

“Ms. Hearts,” Baba Yaga said. “What is it?” 

“How soon until we get our Nemesis dreams?” Lizzie asked. “My mother told me that hers didn’t start appearing until a few years into her reign, but is that unusual? Could we get them even in school?” 

“Patience, child,” Baba Yaga said, although Apple noticed that she sounded less annoyed with Lizzie than she had with the other students. 

“Wait, my dad didn’t tell me anything about a Nemesis,” Maddie complained. Baba Yaga glared at her. 

“That’s because your father was a sidekick in his fairytale,” Baba Yaga sniffed. “He would have no need for a Nemesis, just like many of you in this room. Only the most exceptional villains are granted Nemesis dreams, and honour you should not take lightly.”

Apple held back a sigh. It wasn’t like she would need any of this information once she got to the School for Good, and Raven surely knew all of this already. 

“In the meantime, none of you should be focusing on getting Nemesis dreams, or a Nemesis for that matter,” Baba Yaga continued, sweeping through rows of desks to glare at her quavering students. The cold was beginning to be unbearable. “What you should be focusing on is the frankly embarrassing losing streak Evil has found itself on.” Her eyes scanned the room, and landed on Apple. “And what you can do to help end it.”

Shivering, Apple leaned away from the terrifying Dean in her seat, but Baba Yaga quickly moved on to explaining Nemesis dreams. So quickly that Apple wondered if she had dreamed the glance up, but that icy glare was something she would never imagine. 

Another hand raised. To Apple’s surprise, Baba Yaga’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the sight of who it belonged to. 

“What is it, Courtly?” she hissed. “And please remember that interrupting my class for no good reason is worth a detention.”

The girl, Courtly, looked ridiculous in Apple’s opinion. She had on a jester’s hat that jingled every time her head moved, which was quite frequently considering how much she was shivering from the cold. If Apple had just been passing her by she might have written her off as one note, but there was a gleam in her eyes that made Apple shiver, and she added Courtly to her list of people to avoid. A list that only seemed to extend the longer she stayed at the School for Evil. 

“Could our Nemesis be another Never?” Courtly asked, her drawl drawing out each syllable. She glanced to her side, and Apple saw her eyeing up Lizzie Hearts, who managed to look at Courtly with more malice than she regarded Apple with, if that was even possible. 

“No,” Baba Yaga snapped. “Picking fights without reason with your fellow Nevers will not be tolerated in my classroom, I might add.”

With a sheepish smile towards Baba Yaga, Courtly turned away from Lizzie and sank a bit lower in her chair. As Baba Yaga continued with her lecture, Apple began to count the crevices of the brick wall, tuning her out. 

Two people were whispering behind her. 

“If you turned into a swan I bet you could’ve gotten an egg out of that thing.” It was a voice Apple recognised, from the boy who was in her Henchmen Training class. Sparrow. 

“At least I managed to get something out of it,” another voice hissed, a girl this time. “You just made an ass out of yourself.”

“The people need to keep entertained somehow,” Sparrow replied. Finding their conversation more interesting than Baba Yaga’s rant, Apple leaned back in her seat to hear them better. 

“Juvenile entertainment like that will only get you so far,” the girl simpered. “Everyone knows that true entertainment comes from art with class. Like ballet, for example.”

“What an unbiased opinion for a ballet dancer,” Sparrow huffed. “Still, with the way things are going neither of us will be Class Captain. So much for your plans, eh Duchess?” 

“You might not,” Duchess snapped, “but I will. It’ll be a disgrace if I lose to this lot. Our competition is the crazy queen’s daughter and some Ever who’s lost her way.” With a chill, Apple realised they were talking about her. If people were already beginning to think of her as Class Captain because of a couple false first places, then she needed to hurry with her escape. 

“Careful Duchess,” Sparrow snickered. “Wouldn’t want you honking up a storm because of a silly class competition.”

Then came the clear sound of someone being slapped, and a yelp from Sparrow. Everyone fell silent as Baba Yaga turned towards the two students, her eyes flaming. 

“And what, pray tell, were you talking about?”

The warmth of the corridor was no relief to Apple, who continued shivering long after she left Baba Yaga’s classroom. Two wolves had dragged Duchess and Sparrow off to the Doom Room, despite the begging and sobs of the two students. 

Being in the corridor, Apple could see the sunlight glinting off the beautiful towers of the School for Good, although the fog seemed to have thickened during the time she was in class. Darkened, too. Still, the reminder that the School for Good was waiting for her was some reassurance. 

That was, until she remembered Raven. 

Raven, who despite all her protests against the school had received a flower. Raven, who had been dragged without any kicking or screaming towards the School for Good last night. Raven, who had bothered her in her room only to humiliate Apple with that stupid plan to swing down to the bridge. 

Apple trembled with rage at just the memory of it. Surely Raven was messing up all her progress in the School for Good as well, ensuring that Apple would have to make up for the low grades when she finally took her rightful place. 

Around her, the students began to form together into a crowd, several running past her towards the windows. A couple got dragged off by wolves, to Apple’s horror. 

She had been making her way towards her History of Villainy class, and the rest of her class had been accompanying her. Desperately, she pushed her way through the crowd, looking for any sign of teal hair. At the very least, Raven had saved her in one way. Her friendship with Maddie meant Apple had one person who didn’t want to eat or kill her. 

“Maddie!” she cried when she finally spotted the girl and her bright maroon hat. 

“Apples and oranges, or tangerines?” Maddie giggled in greeting. Apple didn’t bother trying to piece together what that meant, glancing over to where students had begun to crowd around the window. 

“What’s going on?” she asked, feeling a strange mix of excitement and trepidation churn in her stomach. 

“The tumbling towers,” Maddie answered unhelpfully. A smiling mouth appeared beside her, followed by the rest of Kitty Cheshire, who was still leering at Apple like she was a particularly rare treat. 

“Classes are cancelled for the rest of the day,” Kitty told her. “Somebody set the Good towers on fire.”

Chapter Text

Raven didn’t mean to burn the school down. It was more of an unfortunate side effect of a terrible day. 

Her morning started off normal enough.

She woke up in a terrible mood, which was a pretty common occurrence. If anyone asked her why, Raven would just respond that they should try growing up with her mother and see how well they slept.

Bright light streamed through the window, blinding her, and she pulled her covers over her head for a moment of respite. At home, she had thick blackout curtains and a lamp that would send soft lights over her room, the way that a person should wake up. 

The bright lighting was bad enough, but what was worse was her headache. After the nymphs dragged her to her room, Raven was quick to hide her wet clothes. She wasn’t scared of the nymphs telling on her, since she was pretty sure they couldn’t talk, but she was afraid of the faculty finding out she’d been out of her room past curfew. Despite its cheery appearance, Raven didn’t trust how the School for Good might choose to treat her for such a transgression, especially considering her already dubious position as a student. 

She sighed. At least if she was in the School for Evil, she would know what the punishment for breaking the rules was. Say what you like about Evil, but they were at least upfront with their cruelty. Good tended towards the passive aggressive, something Raven never could stand. 

Her pink pinafore was hung up on her closet, taunting her. For a moment she considered wearing the clothes she had yesterday, but the thought of nymphs forcing her into the uniform after feeling how strong they were last night sent her getting dressed quickly. 

She left her hair down, and the only accessory she bothered with was her silver spiked headband. Best not to draw any more attention than she already had. 

The hallway buzzed with excited Evergirls as Raven made her way to her first class. Perfectly styled hair and spotless faces swarmed her. Raven tugged her hair a bit further in front of her face at the sight of them. 

When she remembered that her first class was Beautification, she held back a groan. 

Unfortunately her hair clouded her vision, forcing Raven to keep her eyes trained on the ground. It wouldn’t have been an issue if she didn’t quite literally run into someone, knocking herself and them back in the process. 

“I’m so sorry!” she replied on impulse, cringing for a moment at what her mother would say to her apologising, and feeling strangely light when she remembered that her mother had no reach in the School for Good. As it turned out, the person she had run into was an Everboy, and as Raven’s eyes moved up to his face she realised with sinking horror that she knew him. 

“I’m the one who should be apologising,” Dexter Charming said, fixing his glasses. He was handsome up close, with bright blue eyes that peeked through thick frames and tousled brown hair. For a second Raven was struck with the inexplicable urge to run her fingers through it. “I should have been paying attention and-oh! It’s you.”

Her whole life, Raven had been recognised. With a mother as infamous as hers it was impossible. Every room she walked into was met with turning heads and expectant gazes, all of them landing on her and making the people in those rooms recoil. She could never blame the people. After all, her mother was the Evil Queen, and it was to be expected that one day Raven would be just as, if not more Evil than her. Her name had been uttered a million times in recognition, accompanied with horror, shock, disbelief, and fear. 

The way Dexter said her name was different. She’d never heard anyone address her that way, recognition accompanied with… joy. Soft, innocent happiness at knowing her. 

She shoved down the tears that threatened to burst, knowing that she would look insane if she started breaking down on her first day of school in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, she remembered how excited Cupid had sounded about Dexter, and reminded herself that he was off limits to her. 

“Sorry to bother you,” she mumbled hurriedly, trying to shove past him to get to her class when her arm was grabbed. 

“Wait!” he yelped. When she turned to him he let go of her arm quickly, blushing. “I’m sorry I didn’t-I only mean that-well I won’t keep you long. Could I just, uh, could I have a word?” His voice pitched up as he asked the question. It was cute. 

“I guess,” Raven said, shifting awkwardly. She could only hope that Cupid wouldn’t see them and get the wrong impression. 

“I saw you at the Welcoming Ceremony,” Dexter said. “You, uh, you looked nice.” 

Dexter seemed to navigate conversation like he’d never had one before, but Raven couldn’t blame him. If anything it was endearing, his nervous stuttering making him seem a little less perfect. In a school full of seemingly flawless people, Raven couldn’t help but feel endeared at his lack of perfection. 

“Thanks,” she said. He held out his hand. 

“I’m Dexter Charming,” he said, finally seeming to get his nerves under control as he smiled nervously at her. “Nice to meet you.” Ah, introductions. Raven felt her hand sweat at the thought of how his attitude would change when she said her name. 

“Raven Queen,” she replied, seeing no reason to lie. Even if it meant losing such a nice boy, maybe her identity reveal would just push him closer to Cupid. 

“You’re the Evil Queen’s daughter?” Dexter yelped. She waited for him to run away screaming, but instead he took her hand and leaned in. “Don’t, uh, don’t worry about what people are saying. I know everyone around here talks a lot, but if you can wait it out they usually lose interest eventually.” Raven didn’t respond, staring at him with an open mouth. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No!” It was Raven’s turn to yelp. She took her hand away quickly, brushing the sweat on it off on her pinafore. “I just, well, why are you being nice to me? Having my mother isn’t exactly something most people look for in a person.”

Then Dexter did the strangest thing. He smiled at her. His smile was soft and kind, a lot like him, and he stayed leaning towards her. 

“You aren’t the only one who’s had people talk about them because of something they couldn’t control,” Dexter kept his voice low as people passed them. “When I saw you at the Welcome Ceremony, well, I thought you might need a friend?”

She may have been able to hold back her tears, but there was nothing Raven could do to stop her voice from cracking as she replied, “I think I’d like that.”

“Perfect,” Dexter stood back up, backing away from her and bowing slightly. Confused, Raven did the same as he turned away, offering her one last smile over his shoulder before he walked away. “I’ll see you around, Raven.”

By the time she got to class, it was taking all of Raven’s willpower to hold back the smile threatening to tug at her lips. 

That smile disappeared when she saw the Beautification classroom. 

The entire thing was made of candy. Gingerbread walls, shortbread desks, candied chairs. As Raven sat down, she just prayed that she wouldn’t have caramel stuck to her when she stood up. That would be just her luck. 

A few of the girls were already there, while some hadn’t yet arrived. She recognised a couple of them. The blonde girl who had greeted her, the Reader, and one or two faces she’d seen in the halls. The two identical girls that were supposed to be her roommates were there as well, sending her nervous glances. 

The Reader approached her desk, her face stretching with a wide, excited smile. 

“I heard you’re the daughter of an Evil queen!” she said when she reached the front of Raven’s desk. Raven just raised an eyebrow in surprise. It was the second time someone hadn’t run away at the mention of Raven’s mother. 

“Not an Evil queen,” Raven corrected. “ The Evil Queen. One and only, unfortunately.” She cringed, glancing over at a giant mirror hanging on the wall. 

“Is there a difference?” the girl asked. She was adorable, with wide brown eyes and long black hair that kept falling in front of her left eye. “I keep getting confused, but there’s just so much to learn! I mean, I always read storybooks at home so I thought I knew everything, but things here are just so exciting!” 

“I can’t imagine having to learn all the rules of this world over again,” Raven chuckled. “I can barely keep track of them on a good day.”

“I’m Brooke,” the girl, Brooke, said, extending her hand. Raven shook it. “Brooke Page. Are you a princess? I mean, if you’re the daughter of a queen I’d think you were, but apparently that’s not always the same thing? Briar has been trying to help me, but there’s just so much.”

“I am a princess,” Raven answered, laughing. “My name is Raven Queen, but I’m not a queen yet. Although it’s probably not a good idea to keep talking to me.”

“Why not?” Brooke asked. She reminded Raven of a baby doe, the kind her mother used to hunt, and she felt her heart swell in affection for the curious girl. 

“I’m a bit of bad luck, I’m afraid,” she said, her smile straining a little at the words. 

“Oh,” Brooke frowned, stepping away as she looked around the classroom, where one or two of the other girls had been glancing over at them, whispering. “But why? You seem so nice.”

“Sometimes just being nice isn’t enough,” Raven said. Brooke nodded, still looking confused, and turned to leave. 

“Well either way, it was nice meeting you!” she said. 

Raven tried to smile at her, but all she could think of were those doe heads displayed in her mother’s castle, and the echoing whispers of her childhood troll guards saying how much she looked like her mother. 

Thankfully a distraction came immediately after Brooke sat down, the door slamming open to reveal Ashlynn. Her face was drawn, her chest heaving as she hyperventilated, her head whipping around the room frantically. 

“Am I late?” she asked, eyes darting between the clock on the wall (made from licorice) and her dress. “Am I late?” 

“If anything, you’re early,” the blonde girl who had greeted Raven said, smiling at who Raven assumed was her friend. Something about the girl was strikingly familiar, her icy blue eyes shifting over to meet Raven’s, who quickly ducked her head down. 

“Thank goodness,” Ashlynn sighed, flopping into a chair next to the girl. “I spent all morning prepping my hair. Yours looks amazing by the way, Darling.”

Is that actually her name? Raven thought, shaking her head. She would never understand Evers. 

Another girl walked in afterwards, sauntering with the grace of someone who knew they were perfectly on time. Briar, the third girl who had greeted Raven. Her pink and brown hair was done up in an elaborate bun that had pink rhinestones woven throughout small braids that adorned her hair, her crystal sunglasses nestled in her curls. She made her way straight to the other two princesses, launching into conversation with them. 

The rest of the class filtered in soon after, each girl more beautiful than the next. One had icy blue skin and matching blue hair, while the next had thick, lucious black curls and warm brown eyes, and the girl that followed had short white hair and bunny ears and smiled shyly at her fellow classmates. 

One thing they all had in common was their beauty. It seemed etched into the very fabric of their beings, in their friendly smiles and kind voices that echoed around Raven, making her feel more hollow with each second. 

She pulled a lock of hair in front of her face, wanting to disappear, when someone spoke to her. 

“Raven! It’s so nice to see you again.” Cupid smiled at her the way someone would smile at a friend. As Raven looked at her, she couldn’t help but wonder about that. Were they friends? Could she even have friends, at a school that wasn’t hers?

Before Raven could get a response in, Blondie sat down in front of her, turning in her seat to look at the two. Another girl sat beside her, but Raven couldn’t quite see her face. 

“Raven, hello there,” Blondie said, then turned to the girl beside her. “This is Cedar. She’s the daughter of Pinnochio, isn’t that curious? I mean, so many people are royals at this school, and here we have a commoner! Not that I would know anything about being a commoner, of course, but I think it’s a marvel!” 

“Nice to meet you,” Cedar said. “You’re probably feeling out of place right now.”

“Fun fact about Cedar, she can only tell the truth!” Blondie said quickly, looping an arm around the girl, who had slapped her hands over her mouth. “Runs in the family, I guess.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cedar said, fanning her face. “I really didn’t mean to be, well, mean. It’s just that everybody keeps talking about how weird it is that you’re here and, uh, and I’m going to stop talking before I look even dumber.”

“I don’t mind,” Raven said, surprised at just how much she didn’t. “It’s kind of refreshing.”

Cedar smiled like she’d never been paid that compliment before, even though Raven was sure she had. “You’re strangely nice for the daughter of the Evil Queen.”

“Speaking of, I heard the most delicious bit of gossip yesterday,” Blondie said excitedly, rubbing her hands together as if she were in front of a particularly appealing feast. But she never got to share that bit of gossip, because at that moment the door opened, and in walked the most beautiful woman Raven had ever seen. 

She had on a floor length pink and green dress, flowers adorning every inch of the frock. A gold circlet hung around her head, and as she made her way to the front of her class the entire room fell silent. 

As she walked, Raven couldn’t help but notice she didn’t really walk. She seemed to glide, her large pink wings dragging on the floor behind her like a shimmering cloak. 

In her life, Raven had seen beauty used in many ways. With her mother it was always something to be pursued, an active goal that she worked towards. Beauty and power were interchangeable to the Evil Queen, and Raven was raised to believe that was how the world worked. 

But she had met other examples in her life. Her father would always tell her that beauty was internal, something to be found through actions and not appearance, but Raven was never quite naive enough to believe him. Apple always seemed to use beauty as a ranking system, the more beautiful a person was determining the kind of life they ought to live. Seeing as Apple thought she was the most beautiful person in the room, which was true, she naturally thought her own beauty guaranteed her a happy ending with true love. Her beauty had earned the ending for her, and all she needed to do was show up.  

In the Fairy Queen, Raven saw an entirely new aspect of beauty. Commanding attention and holding it, her beauty seemed to pour out of her, and into the very air around her brightening the whole room with her presence. 

“Welcome, children, to Beautification,” the Fairy Queen said when she finally reached her desk. “As you know, I am your teacher. You may address me as Your Majesty. Now, for today we will be practising smiles. Don’t feel nervous, children, this is mostly an introductory lesson, and we'll start our true efforts next session. For now, I simply wish to see what I’m working with.” 

She went around the room, having each girl show her the best smile they could. The longer Raven watched, the longer she was reminded of why she avoided anything to do with beauty.

Eventually, the Fairy Queen got to her circle, asking each to smile. 

For Cedar, she clapped and said that her smile was as lovely as the tree she’d been named after. Initially, Raven hadn’t been entirely sure that was a compliment, but Cedar started beaming after her words. On Blondie’s turn, the Fairy Queen’s smile faltered, and she recommended that Blondie stop trying so hard. 

“If you do, I suspect your beauty will be the talk of the school,” she said kindly, but Blondie looked anything but happy about her words. 

Then it was Cupid’s turn. With a name like Cupid and a father like Eros, it came as no surprise to Raven that the Fairy Queen began lavishing the girl in praise the second her mouth moved. She looked just like an Ever should. 

Raven sunk a little lower in her chair.

“Hello dear,” the Fairy Queen said when she reached Raven’s desk. Her smile faltered a bit when she actually looked at her, no doubt also seeing the wave of darkness that Raven was sure was rolling off her. “I suppose Ella took some time, too. Well, let’s see that beautiful smile.”

Dozens of eyes turned towards her, expectant. It wasn’t a challenging task, and it wasn’t like Raven thought she was ugly. Her mother may have been terrifying, but part of that terror had been her beauty, and Raven was practically her twin. 

She felt her mouth twist into a smile. 

To her credit, Raven really did try at the assignment. She tried to picture something nice to help her, but everything she thought of turned sour. 

She pictured her dog that she got as a birthday present one year, then saw her mother turning it into a mole rat. She thought of going into town with her on holidays to celebrate with her people, and saw them chasing her out of the town with torches and pitchforks. A bit cliche afterwards, but at the time she had been a terrified nine year old. 

Mostly she saw her mother. That regal posture, those piercing purple eyes, her long hair that was always perfectly styled. 

Her smile. The way people would cower when she smiled at them, her beauty making them so afraid. The way she would delight each time Raven smiled, saying how one day, Raven would inspire the same fear that she did. 

“Oh dear, stop! Stop, please!” the Fairy Queen shouted, Raven’s mouth dropping back into a comfortable frown. “My dear, if ever you need to inspire trust in somebody, please do not smile at them.”

Raven could only sigh at the warning, and the red twenty that appeared over her head. If her mother was watching, then she could at least be happy knowing Raven was utterly failing at fitting into her new school. 

Cedar was looking at her, and when Raven noticed, she tried to give her an encouraging smile, but it quickly fell away. She sighed. 

It was going to be a long day. 

-

Her next class didn’t go much better. She couldn’t tell whether she should be happy about that or not. 

Princess Etiquette was taught by the Blue Fairy, a short woman who was wearing the most blue Raven had ever seen on a person. She could at least be reassured that her teacher lived up to her name. 

People were giving Raven a wide berth after Beautification, not that Raven could blame them. She wouldn’t have wanted to talk to herself after that disaster of a class either. Everyone had been thoroughly horrified by her smile. 

It was the best compliment a villain could ask for. So why did she feel so rotten about it?

Whatever the reason, she decided to put it out of her mind for the next class. Regardless of why Apple and she had been switched, if they could figure it out they would be returning to their proper schools, and Raven knew Apple would never forgive her if she was failing by the time she reached the School for Good. 

But Raven was certain now that there was a bigger reason the two had been switched. 

It wasn’t exactly unheard of for the children of unimportant and low ranking Evers and Nevers to end up at the opposite schools of their parents, but those were for people of low rank. Sidekicks, people who had barely managed to graduate. 

The children of Ever queens and kings, though? The children of legendary villains?

No, they would never end up at a different school to their parents. It was completely unheard of. Plus, Raven and Apple didn’t just have well known parents. The story of Snow White and her Evil Queen had gone on to terrify kingdom after kingdom in Ever After, especially after Raven’s mother went on her rampage. 

Something bigger than the two of them was going on, and Raven was determined to get to the bottom of it. 

Right after she passed her classes. 

“Today, you will be practising balance,” the Blue Fairy explained at the head of the class. “I’m sure you’ve all had practice with books as children?”

Everyone around Raven nodded, and she held back a groan. Great, so not only was this class going to be difficult considering that she couldn’t sit straight if her life depended on it, but now she was going up against girls who had literally been schooled for this exact lesson. 

“Quite good,” the Blue Fairy continued. “Considering all of your experience, I thought today it would be nice for all of you to have a bit of a bigger task.” 

Nervous murmurs surrounded Raven, who felt her spine stiffen at the remark. Just what was she supposed to do if this was more difficult than books?

“We’ll be using nightingale eggs!” 

Ten minutes later, Raven sat sweating between Cedar Wood and a brunette with red glasses. 

“Excuse me?” the brunette asked, making Raven jump. 

“Me?” she asked, pointing to herself. The brunette nodded. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the girl said, smiling kindly. Yes, she was the picture of a perfect princess if her smile had anything to say about it. “I’m Rosabella Beauty. I was just wondering, are you Raven Queen?” 

Raven nodded nervously, waiting for an insult. 

“Wonderful,” Rosabella said instead, leaning towards her a little more. “I just wanted to say, well, not everyone thinks you don’t belong here. Just because someone’s parents acted a certain way doesn’t mean they will, don’t you agree?”

Did she agree?

Raven had spent her entire day believing that she was supposed to go to the School for Evil, and her time at this school would be getting cut short at any moment. 

Bur Rosabella was still staring at her, brown eyes wide, excited, and most of all expectant, so Raven just gave her a nod and tight smile. 

“Wonderful,” Rosabella said again, twisting back to the front with a smile. “Evers can be terribly close minded sometimes, in my opinion at least. I mean, what’s the point of being Good if you aren’t kind? It’s just ridiculous.” 

“I guess,” Raven said, trying to force her smile to continue. 

Girl after girl descended the stairs perfectly, not a nightingale egg even moving. The longer she watched, the more Raven began fidgeting, catching the sight of the window and staring at it longingly. 

In the distance she could just barely see the School for Evil through the fog, and felt her chest tighten at the thought of it. Inside, Apple would be going through classes that she hadn’t prepared for either, classes that Raven had been raised for. She could’ve passed Uglification with her eyes closed, but instead she made the Fairy Queen recoil from her in disgust. 

Self pity wouldn’t come when she thought of how Apple must be doing inside those walls. Her silly, bubbly friend, who was constantly talking about her hair or face creams, who may have been a bit facetious at times, but had also befriended Raven when she of all people had every reason to hate her. 

And where had that friendship gotten her? Stuck in a school full of villains while Raven got to live her dream. 

Raven sighed again, slouching further into herself. 

“I don’t think sitting like that will help you with the assignment,” Cedar remarked. She was sitting with perfect posture, although considering she was made of wood Raven wasn’t surprised. 

“Wait, wouldn’t you have been given life by the Blue Fairy?” Raven asked, sitting up despite herself. 

“Yeah,” Cedar shrugged, looking over at her. “Why?” 

“Oh, uh, just, well,” Raven felt her face flush as she stumbled over her words. “Isn’t that a bit awkward? Being in her class now?” 

“She comes over for dinner once a month,” Cedar replied, shrugging. “So no, not really. It’s just like having a parent be my teacher, if anything. She’s the closest I have to a real mom.”

“Right,” Raven said, unsure of how to reply to that. 

She ended up not having to reply at all, since Cedar was the next to go down the stairs. She bounced up when her name was called, turning back to Raven for a second. 

“Wish me luck!” she said, bouncing off before Raven could say anything. 

“Luck,” Raven muttered. 

Not that she needed it. Cedar was perfect, her wooden posture as she went down resulting in a glowing review from the Blue Fairy and top marks, one or two Evergirls groaning about how she had an advantage. 

As Raven watched Cedar’s excited reaction and the way the Blue Fairy smiled at her, she couldn’t help wondering what growing up like that must have been like. Even if she was wooden, and the Blue Fairy wasn’t her real mother, they were more like mother and daughter than Raven and her mother had ever been. 

By the time her name was called, she had thoroughly lost any hope of passing. 

Too many thoughts were going through her head as she walked down the stairs. Cedar and the Blue Fairy, her childhood dog, the way Rosabella had smiled at her, the screams of children in her town that she would one day rule over. 

Just when she thought her head couldn’t be more crowded, she caught a glimpse of the School for Evil through the window. Apple’s face from last night flashed in front of her, the shock morphing to pain and then, finally, to anger. She thought of what Apple would say to her at lunch, and felt her stomach twist in fear at the thought of losing her only real friend.

Her foot caught on the step. 

“AHH!” she screamed as she was sent tumbling down the last set of stairs, landing on her butt in front of the entire class. Her vision blurred as she rolled down, eventually landing at the bottom, and she cringed at the sensation of egg yolk in her hair. 

A couple of Evergirls were laughing at her in the crowd, which didn’t make her feel much better. 

“Better luck next time,” the Blue Fairy said, helping her up. 

Rosabella was the last to go, a much less entertaining candidate than Raven considering she descended without any accidents, and cradled the eggs softly in her hands once she was done. When Raven tried to approach her she backed away, cringing at the sight of broken eggs on her. 

Gently, Cedar took her arm. 

“It may have been a disaster, but you can make up for it next class, right?” she said. Considering she wasn’t allowed to lie, Raven wasn’t exactly feeling hopeful about that statement. 

“Right,” she said hollowly. 

Distantly, she recalled that Animal Communications was her next class. She had always been good with animals, her mother often scolding her for how well she got along with them. She would say that animals were to frighten, not befriend. 

A red twenty appeared over Raven’s head, and she felt her stomach sink further. 

Three fails and she was done. This next class would have to go well, or else there might not be a Raven to return to Evil at all. 

Chapter Text

Animal Communication was held outdoors, in a small cove on the banks of the river surrounding the School for Good. The girls gathered on the shore as their teacher introduced herself. 

Maid Marian. 

She looked different to how Raven had imagined her. A long blue gown draped to the floor, with a tall cone hat adorning her curly red hair that had a veil that shielded her face. 

Well, mostly shielded it. Since it was transparent, her eyes were still visible through it, bright green and scanning her class. 

They landed on Raven. “Hm,” she said. “Mixed bunch.”

It didn’t come out with the trepidation and masked disapproval of the other teachers who had seen Raven that day, instead making Maid Marian sound almost proud. At that point, Raven would take what she could get in terms of teacher favorability. She couldn’t risk failing. 

Three fails meant an unspeakable fate. Quite literally unspeakable, since even Raven’s mother hadn’t told her what awaited her if she failed thrice in a row. When Raven had asked her about it her nose would wrinkle and she’d change the subject. For even the Evil Queen to avoid the subject, Raven figured it meant eternal torture or some other similar horror. 

She was planning on never finding out what it meant, but if things kept up at the rate they had been going she wasn’t sure she would have much of a choice. 

“As you all know, the lowest ranked among you will end up being turned into animals,” Maid Marian was saying, frowning like the words displeased her. Internally, Raven wondered if they did. If someone else thought the School for Good was as insane as it seemed. “But for those who end up graduating intact, you will need to learn how to communicate with animals. They can save your life one day.” 

A hand raised. “Yes Ashlynn?” 

Ashlynn Ella, daughter of Cinderella, stepped forward. Although she had gone through three rounds of attendance, Raven had barely been paying attention to the actual names of her classmates, but Ashlynn’s was one she couldn’t forget. Her mother was almost as infamous as Raven’s. 

“I don’t mean to offend, but I just don’t think this class is really necessary for me,” Ashlynn said, blushing furiously. “I can already talk to animals. Quite fluently, in fact.”

“Animal Communication is mandatory for every first year,” Maid Marian said flatly. “If you’re fluent, then this should be an easy first place, don’t you think?” 

“Of course!” Ashlynn yelped, her face so red that she looked almost purple. “Sorry to bother you, Miss.”

As she sunk back into the crowd, Raven could see Ashlynn fidgeting with the hem of her uniform. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Raven couldn’t help the pang of pity she felt for the girl. After all, it was an innocent enough question. 

Beside Ashlynn, the Reader girl Brooke had a hand held up as well. 

“Another question?” Maid Marian sighed. 

“Do we really get turned into animals if we fail?” Brooke asked, her high pitched voice thick with anxiety. “Is that true? We could get turned into a bird? Or a deer?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it yet,” Maid Marian said, her voice thick with sympathy. “You have three years to keep your grades high enough so that you don’t fall into the bottom third of the class. Besides, animals are the ultimate helpers of our stories. As someone who lived in the woods for most of my life, I would be the one to know, wouldn’t I?” 

Brooke nodded, although she still looked unsure. Maid Marian looked the most unsure, glancing around at her students like she was assessing them for a funeral, and Raven had a strong feeling that there was more to her teacher than she was letting on. 

“Now, let’s get into today’s lesson,” Maid Marian said, clapping her hands together. Just like that, the nervous air around the Evergirls disappeared as they tripped over themselves trying to figure out which animal they would be talking to. “It will be something simple, seeing as this will be the first time communicating with animals for most of you.” 

In the crowd, Ashlynn bowed her head, ears shining bright pink against her auburn hair. 

“We will be communicating with Wish Fish!” 

The class erupted in discussion, Evergirls squealing and jumping around at the news. Which left Raven standing there, completely confused. Her mother had taught her all about trolls and orcs, and the many other monsters that roamed Queen Castle. Wish Fish were entirely unheard of. 

“Wish Fish, as their name suggests, will show you your greatest wish,” Maid Marian explained. “You must remember to keep a clear mind as you do this, and if your wish is strong enough, they may even grant it!” 

This time, Raven was not the only one left in confusion. 

“Allow me to provide you with an example,” Maid Marian smiled, walking over to the shore. 

A small school of white fish were gathered by the shore, waiting patiently as she approached. They looked similar to any other small fish a person would usually see in water, but when Maid Marian stuck her hand into the water they began to vibrate, changing colour. 

The class watched as slowly, the fish began to gather together, and Maid Marian pulled out a bow and quiver of arrows. 

“You can never go wrong with a good weapon in the woods,” she sighed dreamily, her hand tracing the wood of the bow gently. “But for all of you, they will only show you a vision of your greatest wish, if that. Remember to keep a clear head, girls.”

The first to approach ended up being Ashlynn, who seemed desperate to prove that she hadn’t been lying about her ability to communicate with animals. She bent down to the fish, chatting with them for a couple minutes until she had to be reminded of their assignment, and finally stuck her hand in the water. 

Raven wondered what she would wish for. After all, she looked pretty nervous, looking at the fish like she almost wished they would show nothing at all. 

Like they had for Maid Marian, the fish began to vibrate and change colour. The girls all leaned forward, trying to see what would happen. Instead of turning into an object like they had for Maid Marian, or even a picture, the fish began to turn every colour on the rainbow, and then finally faded to grey and back to their original white. 

“Foggy mind,” Maid Marian sighed. 

Ashlynn backed away from the water, frowning at it. Dejected, she returned to her group of friends, Briar looping an arm around her shoulders. 

“You’ll get it next time,” Briar said, ruffling her hair a little. Ashlynn smiled at her, but her eyes were still focused on the fish. 

“Darling, you’re next,” Maid Marian called. Darling emerged from the crowd, and Raven couldn’t help thinking about just how much her name suited her. 

If it had been Raven with a name like that, she would have been bullied relentlessly, but the girl in front of her was so beautiful that any other name would have felt wrong.

“Am I allowed to opt out?” Darling asked, backing away from the fish. She looked almost scared of them, a ridiculous thought for a princess. 

“As with the class, the assignment is mandatory,” Maid Marian sighed, although she looked about as happy with her statement as Darling did about going up to the fish. Whatever her deal was, Raven had a feeling that her teacher enjoyed teaching her class about as much as Raven was enjoying taking it. She was certainly different from the other teachers Raven had that day. 

Like that bow and arrow. Odd wish for a teacher of princesses….

“Alright,” Darling huffed, inching towards the fish like they would bite her. As her hand stretched towards the water, Raven noticed that it was shaking. She took a deep breath, and then her hand submerged. 

The fish began to vibrate once more, changing colour, and Raven saw a bead of sweat fall down Darling’s face as she stared at them. Her mouth was just barely moving as she whispered something to herself, and the fish began to settle on black, red, and white as their colours, arranging themselves quickly. 

In the corner of the clearing, Maid Marian was fidgeting with the edge of her veil as she watched. 

When it became clear that the fish were starting to make a portrait, the class began to gather closer to the lake, hushed whispers of excitement passing through the girls. Cupid, Blondie and Cedar all walked up beside Raven, placing their own bets on what it would be. 

“I heard she always wanted a horse,” Cedar mumbled. “Dunno why. They’re horrible creatures. Always slobbering over my limbs.”

“Oh, maybe I can use her wish to get closer to her!” Cupid whispered. 

“Why would you have to do that?” Raven asked, frowning when she saw the gaping looks her group gave her. “What?”

“Darling is a Charming. She’s Dexter’s sister,” Cedar said slowly. 

“Oh.” Raven hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. The Charming’s were a legendary legacy, one even her mother felt prudent to teach Raven about, but just because she generally knew about the most celebrated Ever lineage in history didn’t mean she knew who the children of that lineage were.

“And if I befriend her, she might introduce me to Dexter!” Cupid added with a hushed squeal.  

Cupid’s eyes were fixed hungrily on Darling as the fish began to gather, finishing their portrait. Watching her, Raven wondered what an Ever’s love must feel like to make somebody have an expression like that. She could never imagine befriending someone just to get closer to a person she loved, but she didn’t actually befriend people. Anti social behaviour became the norm when any attempts at starting a friendship were met with tomatoes in your hair.

A chorus of dreamy sighs went up around her, and Raven turned to see that the Wish Fish had finished their portrait. 

In the water, a boy stared back at Darling. He had close cropped black hair with a red streak, red and silver armour, and a dashing smile that fit perfectly for a prince. 

Right, Raven thought dejectedly, Evers wish for love .

“Chase Redford,” Cedar whispered to Raven. “He’s one of the Wonderland kids. A bit of an odd choice when she could have a prince, but I guess rank doesn’t really matter to her.” When Raven tilted her head, Cedar added, “Since you were a bit confused about who people were.”

She suddenly felt her heart swell in affection for her wooden friend, and choked back a heartfelt sentiment to say, “Thanks.”

Cedar gave her a small smile, and turned back to the lake, where Maid Marian was congratulating Darling. 

“This is exactly what I expect out of you,” she said, patting Darling’s shoulder proudly and turning to face the rest of the students. “When you all make your wish, remember to keep a clear picture in your head like Darling did. Next!”

Briar went after, wishing for a boy with floppy burgundy hair, a nervous smile, and so many freckles it would be impossible to count them all. 

“Hopper Croakington II,” Cedar whispered in Raven’s ear, making her chuckle at the long name. 

Cupid went next, predictably wishing for Dexter. After she went, Raven couldn’t help but ask Cedar another question. 

“Are all of you going to wish for boys?” she asked. Cedar nodded. 

“You kind of have to,” she muttered. “Snow Ball and all that.” Raven raised an eyebrow. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know.”

She then explained a fate so horrific Raven fought the urge to jump in the lake and swim right over to Evil. The Snow Ball, an annual event hosted by the School for Good, where each girl got asked to go. Whoever didn’t get asked? 

Well, they failed. 

“What if a boy doesn’t get asked?” Raven muttered in horror as Blondie frolicked off for her turn. 

“Partial marks,” Cedar shrugged. She laughed at the terrified look on Raven’s face. “I’m sure that won’t be you. You’re quite pretty, even if you are the daughter of a famous villain. Chances are you can convince someone to take you.” 

Remembering that she might not even have until the Snow Ball to fail if she didn’t get a good mark in this class, Raven nodded, her throat feeling very tight all of sudden. 

One by one, the girls approached the water and wished for their princes. Raven watched them, trying to avoid her panic as she thought about what prince she was supposed to get to take her to the Snow Ball, and trying her best to ignore the knowledge that if Apple were in her place, she would have ten different suitor options already. 

For the briefest moment Dexter Charming’s smiling face from that moment flashed before her eyes, and she quickly slammed them shut, erasing him. 

He’s off limits, she hissed at herself internally. 

Instead, she watched who the girls wished for, thinking about wishing for a popular prince to avoid suspicion. 

There was certainly a popular prince to be wished for. The longer Raven watched, the more she realised that, aside from one or two outliers, every Evergirl was wishing for the same prince. 

Daring Charming. 

Girl after girl dipped their hand in the water, and Raven watched as he appeared in the water every time. Perfect blonde hair, a perfect white smile, and perfect blue eyes. He looked just like the princes of her childhood, the ones her mother had promised she would kill one day. 

After the twelfth girl wished for him, Raven started looking away. 

To pass the time, she watched the girls in her class and their reactions to the various wishes being made, paying attention as Maid Marian called out the names this time. She could be grateful for Cedar’s help while also knowing that if she had to have someone be explained to her again, she really would swim over to Evil. 

When it was Rosabella’s turn, she decided to look. Part of her felt like she owed the attention to the first actual princess to be kind to her. Cupid, Blondie and Cedar were all non-royalty. Unless Blondie was to be believed about her heritage, which Raven wasn’t quick to indulge. 

It cost them less to be nice to her. But the royalty who attended the School for Good, well, she really couldn’t blame them if they hated her. After all, most of their kingdoms were still recovering from the damage her mother had caused. 

Adjusting her glasses, Rosabella marched towards the water with a kind of confidence that only came to a person after a lifetime of earning it. She muttered something to the fish before sticking her hand in the water, the fish making quick work of her portrait. 

A boy stared back at her from the water. 

Even though she had seen row after row of girls wishing for him, it took Raven a moment to actually recognise who the boy was. 

Daring Charming looked far less perfect in Rosabella’s portrayal of him. He couldn’t have been older than thirteen, his face split in a wide grin over a face that was covered in mud. For the first time that day, the fish had included a background to their portrait. Daring stood in front of a tall tree, having obviously just fallen off it, if his ruffled hair and mud stained face was anything to go by. 

It was clearly a memory. The level of detail paired with how specific the scenario was gave away that fact enough, but what confirmed it was the sad smile Rosabella gave the water as she looked at the picture. 

Hearing sniffles, Raven turned to see that almost every girl in the class was teary eyed. Even Maid Marian grabbed a handkerchief from her dress pocket, dabbing at her eyes at the nostalgic display. Unlike the rest of the girls, who had pictured almost identical pictures of the prince, Rosabella’s vision of him was almost uncomfortably intimate. 

“I think we have found the winner of today’s challenge,” Maid Marian said, wiping the rest of her tears away and helping Rosabella up. “That was beautiful.” 

“Uh, thank you,” Rosabella said, but she was still focused on the Wish Fish, who had faded back to white. 

Maid Marian ushered her back to the crowd, and Raven noticed Darling moving away from her as she approached. Raven couldn’t help but wonder how it must feel, to have a brother that beloved by your classmates. Especially to have to see the image Rosabella conjured of him, which was arguably the most romantic of the entire class. 

She didn’t have time to think for long, because then Maid Marian was scanning through the class. 

“Alright, who didn’t have a chance to go?” she asked, eyes trailing through the girls. Raven glanced over at Cedar, and the two raised their hands in unison. Just like that, Maid Marian's smile dropped. 

So much for her not hating me , Raven thought. 

“I suppose we’ll have Miss Queen go first,” Maid Marian said, gesturing Raven forward. 

As she approached the lake, Raven felt very much like a lamb being walked towards slaughter. Maid Marian’s hand on her shoulder as she was steered towards the Wish Fish felt practically oppressive, her breath coming in shorter and shorter bursts as she stared down at the lake. 

Dozens of options flashed through her mind. She tried to picture wishing for Daring, but Rosabella’s beautiful portrait of him as a kid was really the only thing she liked about him. Other than that, he was just as boisterous and annoying as every other prince she had met. She wondered what would happen if she actually did wish for Dexter, but that too was met with an immediate reason why it wouldn’t work, the bright pink of Cupid’s hair all too visible in the crowd of Evergirls. 

She even wondered if she would have a cloudy mind, but the mark that would get her could very well be last place, and she couldn’t risk a failure. 

By the time her hand was extending towards the water, it was shaking even more than Darling’s had been. 

What do I wish for? Well, I wish to not fail I guess. Does that count? Could you show me a way to not fail?

Nothing happened, and Raven felt herself begin to panic at the thought of the fish fading to grey like they had for Ashlynn. Unfortunately, that panic also led to her thoughts beginning to race. 

Don’t fail - Be Good - Be Evil - Don’t disappoint mom - Don’tfaildon’tfaildon’tfail-

The fish began to vibrate like they had for the others, condensing around Raven’s hand in the water. They started to change colour, and she felt her head race even faster. 

Dexter - No Dexter - Friends - Friendless - Acceptance - Rejection-

“Oh dear,” Maid Marian sighed. “Complete confusion.”

Raven felt tears well up as she tried to retract her hand, ready to accept defeat. 

Then her head exploded. 

Good Evil Dad Mom Boys Girls Old New Lost Found-

“AHH!” she screamed, doubling over as voices ran through her head. The fish, which had only been gathered around her hand before, began to form a solid mass, locking her hand in the water. She yanked her arm back, but her hand wouldn’t budge. 

Panicked, she looked at Maid Marian, who looked as shocked as she felt. 

HateLoveNearFarAbandonKeepLeaveStayCareNeglect-

The mass of fish began to crawl up her arm, locking around it in a tight embrace. Raven screamed again, but it was no use. Nobody could do anything but watch as it slowly encased her. 

First it took her arm, then her shoulder. Her right leg, her left leg, all while Raven screeched and writhed about desperately, trying to kick or claw or bite the mass off her. When it began to encase her head as well, Raven was left with nothing to do but let out a final sob.

RevengeForgiveCourageCowardiceDayNightLightDarkEnemyFriendTake-

In her cocoon, Raven recalled the Flowerground, how it had swallowed all light and air until she was sure she would die. The current feeling was identical, as she gasped for air and came up short, tears streaming down her face until there was nothing left to-

Give.

The cocoon melted off her, leaving Raven gasping for air as she shivered, her tears coating her cheeks. 

There was a weight in her arms, and when she looked down she gasped at what she saw. 

A girl who was no older than her age, with long pink hair and bright blue eyes. She had a pink top on, and a skirt that looked remarkably like a fish tail. 

Raven realised that her gasps weren’t the only ones she had been hearing, the girl gasping gently for air like she was a fish out of water. When she looked up at Raven, her eyes were teary. She reached up with a shaky hand, cupping Raven’s cheek as she pressed their foreheads. 

“I was in there for a hundred years, and you were the first who wished to free me,” the girl said, her voice high and rattling softly like a wind chime. 

“What’s your name?” Raven asked, not quite sure how she managed with her mouth gaping open in shock the whole time. 

“Meeshell,” the girl said, smiling brightly at her. “Thank you.”

She melted away in Raven’s arms, becoming seafoam that slowly spilled back into the lake. 

It felt like an eternity that Raven sat there, staring at her empty arms in shock and trying her best not to cry in front of the class. The eyes of the girl kept flashing through her mind, their soft blue that was the same colour of the lake by Raven’s own home. 

“What just happened?” she finally croaked out, turning to look at Maid Marian. But her teacher looked just as confused as she did, eyes fixed on Raven’s arms, which were still held like they had been while she cradled the girl. 

Meeshell , she thought, I have to remember her name. Meeshell . 

Then, a rustle came from the forest. Everyone turned to look at where the noise had come from together, peering into the dark forest. 

A raven was the first to emerge, sweeping straight towards Raven. Its dark eyes were fixed on her in a way that made her spine chill, and she turned to Maid Marian, her stomach sinking in realisation when she saw her teacher’s face. 

They want it too. 

Then, the forest seemed to surrender every animal Raven had ever heard of, following her namesake bird with fury. Deer stampeded towards her, owls screeched as their wings beat the air, foxes and bunnies raced each other to see who could reach her first. 

She looked at Maid Marian, who was staring in horror at the animals she had been preaching friendship with only an hour before. 

“What do I do?” Raven squeaked, not even attempting to keep the panic out of her voice this time. 

Slowly, Maid Marian turned towards her, green eyes wide from below her veil, and opened her mouth to shout.

“RUN!”

Raven didn’t need to be told twice, and quickly bolted off the ground. Whatever shock Meeshell had put her into was quick to disappear at the sight of the stampede of animals ready to kill her.  

She scrambled to her feet, shoving her way past her classmates as she sprinted towards the school, the only viable direction to go. 

“Don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip-” she repeated as she scrambled up the steps, spilling into the main foyer of the school. The herd was on her heels, and she passed row after row of Evergirls and Everboys who glared at her in confusion that quickly turned to panic when they saw what was following her. 

The Blue Fairy poked her head out of a classroom, expression morphing into alarm as she saw Raven. 

“Help!” Raven screamed, blowing right past her. 

“NOT INTO THE TOWERS!” the Blue Fairy shouted after her. 

Naturally, this was the first place Raven ran. She used a combination of skipping steps and morphing in and out of the shadows to try and ascend the stairs, a barrage of various crashes and screams echoing in her wake as she sprinted through the halls. 

Everyboys began to emerge from their classrooms, brandishing their textbooks like swords at the animals, while Evergirls screamed and jumped up on their desks in various six inch heels. That didn’t seem like the best idea, but Raven didn’t have time to contemplate as she raced past the classrooms, running past the mural of Snow White and straight out onto a terrace. 

She doubled over, panting. Physical exercise wasn’t exactly the thing encouraged among villains when a spell could transport you anywhere, and running was never something she had particularly enjoyed. Her mother used to forbid her from running at all, while her dad would just encourage her to get some exercise. 

Wheezing on the terrace, she couldn’t help but wish that she had listened to her dad a bit more. 

A crash sounded beside her, and she spun around, legs braced to take off again. 

A gargoyle stared back at her.

Holding her breath, Raven waited for it to attack and put an end to the nightmare that had been her week, but when nothing happened she looked at it. 

The gargoyle was staring at her with wide eyes, ears drooping. Her mother had told her all about how the gargoyles were trained to attack and would surely kill her if given the chance, but as she looked at the monster in front of her, she couldn’t help finding it more cute than anything. 

“You want me to do what I did with the fish, don’t you?” she sighed, reaching out. The gargoyle leaned in, its head resting perfectly in the palm of her hand. 

It nodded. 

“But I don’t know how I did it,” she said, voice cracking as her eyes clouded. “I would help if I could. I’m so sorry.”

The gargoyle just kept leaning into her hand, and she wondered if it had ever been pet before. If it was even an “it” in the first place, or if it was like the girl who had been in the fish. 

Then the strangest thing happened. 

The longer she stood there with the gargoyle, the more she noticed that something looked odd about it. At first, the change was slow, stone softening under her hands bit by bit. Then the stone changed colour, until it wasn’t stone at all, but skin. 

The gargoyle and she looked at each other at the same time, eyes wide as they watched the gargoyle shift from a stone statue into a boy. 

Tufts of fluffy hair began to form from where horns had been jutting out, stone eyes turned brown as the gargoyle looked at her, eyes watering. Raven’s were, too, the tears spilling freely as she reached forward to embrace the boy. 

A sword stabbed straight through his chest, the boy’s eyes widening as he coughed up blood. 

“NO!” Raven screamed, reaching towards him, but it was too late. His skin hardened back up to stone, his eyes going lifeless as his body fell, the stone splintering when it hit the ground. 

Daring Charming stood in front of her, white teeth shining with his perfect smile as he retrieved his sword from the boy’s back. 

Behind him, Dexter was staring at her, expression unreadable. 

“I believe this is the part where you thank me for saving your life,” Daring said, tucking his sword back into his belt. 

“He was a boy!” Raven yelled. Daring frowned. “A little boy! And you killed him!” 

“If you didn’t notice, maiden, that was a gargoyle,” he said slowly, like she was a child who didn’t understand a problem. Raven felt her face flush with rage. “A gargoyle who was clearly about to kill you, until my brother and I came along to save you!” His smile returned, with all the arrogance of someone who never had a day of turmoil in his life. 

“You’re a monster,” Raven spat, stomping past Dexter, who was staring at the shattered remains of the gargoyle boy. She paused in front of him, blue eyes meeting purple just long enough for her to say, “Both of you are monsters.” 

She stomped off into the now flaming school, wiping tears from her eyes as she vanished into the shadows. 

The two brothers watched her leave. 

Daring turned to his brother, his smile fading as he kicked a piece of the gargoyle’s remains off the terrace. “Brother, what’s a witch doing in our school?” 

But Dexter was watching the splash of the water as the stone disappeared into its depths.  

Chapter Text

Apple had a theory. In a past life she must have been a serial killer or villain to rival Bluebeard, and the entire terrible experience at the School for Evil was some twisted karmic punishment for that other version of her wrongdoings. 

Which meant that she had absolutely no fault in the ridiculousness occurring around her, and would be where she belonged soon enough. 

Classes were cancelled for a week because of what happened at the School for Good. Every day that she was stuck in her small room with her three lunatic roommates, Apple could feel a bit of her own sanity slipping away too. 

By the seventh day of being locked in together, Lizzie had even become bored enough to talk to her. 

She approached Apple, who was sitting by the window. The School for Good was visible when the fog abated, and she liked to watch it to remind herself that better places really did still exist. 

Stuck in her room, the pastime had begun to feel more like torture than relief. 

“How did you pull off your stunt with the goose?” Lizzie asked her, standing in front of Apple with her usual pose, arms folded and back ramrod straight.

Apple, who had been admiring a tiara shaped cloud, raised an eyebrow at her. “What are you talking about?” 

“Golden geese don’t give up their power for no reason,” Lizzie huffed, visibly annoyed that Apple was forcing her to speak more. “You had to do something to it, but all you did was sit down in front of the thing. So what was your trick? Some special talent you aren’t telling us about?” 

“Even if it was, why would I tell you now?” Apple snapped. All she wanted was to go back to her cloud gazing and continue ignoring Lizzie. Unfortunately for her, Lizzie had no such plans. 

“So it was some special talent!” Lizzie yelped, pointing her finger at Apple. Apple bit back the urge to slap her hand away. “I demand you tell me now, or it’s off with your head!” 

“That doesn’t work here,” Apple grumbled, turning back to her view. “I bet one of those Evergirls caused the fire to try and steal Daring away from me.” Lizzie’s hand fell away from her face, and Apple was surprised at how angry she looked. 

“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking of some stupid prince,” she sneered. 

“And if I am? Princesses get princes,” Apple replied. 

“Princesses don’t tend to place first in Evil trials on their first day,” Maddie said. Lizzie and Apple both turned to her. She was pouring tea into seven cups stacked very precariously on top of each other, the tea somehow never spilling. “Bit odd for a princess.”

Lizzie nodded at Apple like that was all the proof she needed. 

“Fine, you want to know so badly?” Apple said, standing up from her windowsill perch. “The golden goose spoke to me, and chose to give up its power after that because it was an idiot who didn’t know its head from its tail. And do you know who can talk to animals? PRINCESSES!” 

“Maybe,” Maddie said, tucking her teapot into her hat, “but not even a princess can talk to a golden goose. For that, your soul has to be a hundred percent.”

“Exactly! A hundred percent Good,” Apple grinned, turning to Lizzie, whose condescending smile made her own expression falter. 

“Or a hundred percent Evil,” a smile next to Lizzie said, the rest of Kitty’s body appearing quickly after. “With those first place ranks, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were lying to us all about how Good you actually were.” 

“You’re all just jealous that I’ll actually escape this stupid school but you’ll be stuck here for the rest of your miserable little lives,” Apple hissed, sitting back down. “Maybe the golden goose just spoke to me because it knew the truth. That I’m better than you.” 

Lizzie looked positively murderous, marching towards Apple with fire in her eyes when Kitty stepped between them. “Now, now, let’s not kill each other on such a pretty day.” 

“Where were you, anyway,” Lizzie asked, turning to Kitty. 

Since Kitty was the only one who could actually leave their room without having to brave the wolves standing guard outside their door, she had taken to teleporting around the school to eavesdrop on their teachers. Even Maddie seemed jealous that she was the only one allowed to leave. The confines of their room were beginning to grate on everyone. 

“I have good news,” Kitty said, ignoring Lizzie. “We’re going back to classes tomorrow.”

Apple sat up. “Really?” 

“Says who?” Lizzie asked, folding her arms. 

“Baba Yaga,” Kitty replied, sticking her tongue out and teleporting back to her bed. 

“I won’t be stuck here forever!” Apple squealed in delight, hopping up to spin around the room. She ended up knocking over Maddie’s cups, a loud crash sounding when they fell. “Oops.”

“I miss Raven,” Maddie muttered as she scooped the remains into her hat, glaring at Apple. 

“That means classes are back on,” Lizzie marched over to Kitty, not done with her yet. 

“They should be coming to get us any minute,” Kitty agreed, grabbing a ball of yarn off her nightstand to fiddle with. Lizzie snatched it out of her hand. “Hey! I was using that.”

“What do you mean, any minute?” Lizzie hissed. 

“Did I not mention that part?” Kitty asked, her smile anything but remorseful.

There was a knock on the door.

-

When Raven saw the wolf, she actually felt herself hope. 

After all, there was no way an Evergirl would be allowed to have a wolf walk her through the towers of Good. 

Eyes followed her as she was led down the hall, girls peering out when they thought she wasn’t looking to get a look at her. She could only imagine the rumours that would be spreading by that afternoon. 

With a spark of joy, Raven realised it might not matter. If the wolf was taking her back to the School for Evil, then she wouldn’t have to worry about what any Evers thought about her. She could go back to doing what she had her whole life: keep her head down and follow along. 

She felt lighter at the thought, following behind the wolf with a smile. 

The longer they were walking, the more nervous she began to get. When they reached the foyer and turned away from the main entrance to the school, Raven knew that her hopes were for nothing. 

“Where are we going?” she asked the wolf. He didn’t respond. 

She hadn’t been expecting one. Her mother told her all about the wolves, and how unhelpful they were. That did little to reassure her as the two of them descended further down into the school. She wondered what would be done to her. If she would be stuffed for display like those artefacts in the Gallery of Good, or turned into stone like that poor gargoyle. 

At the reminder of the gargoyle, she felt her blood boil. Daring had killed that little boy without a hint of remorse, and Dexter had just stood by and watched. 

So much for being friends. 

Finally, the wolf paused in front of a large, white ornate door. It was as tall as the ceiling, with a handle that would be easily accessible to anyone over seven feet. 

It was lucky, then, that her companion was so tall.  

“Come in,” a voice called from inside. It sounded vaguely familiar, and whoever it belonged to seemed far from happy. Raven grabbed the wolf’s arm before he opened the door. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” she asked, her voice shaking. “I don’t want to die.”

The wolf seemed to soften a little as he looked at her, his expression almost sad. 

“I didn’t either.”

-

Special Talents was taught by the most ridiculous duo of the lot. 

One of her professors, the Pied Piper, was almost as tall as the classroom he taught in, with a salt and pepper ponytail and beard, and thick gold glasses that made his eyes look twice their size. He kept twitching in place, fingers drumming on his table like even a second not playing music was killing him. 

Her other professor was Rumplestiltskin. Apple had decided that he was her least favourite of the Evil teachers the second she saw him. 

When she was a girl, her mother used to tell her the story of the girl who outwitted Rumplestiltskin to make her feel better, but all it had ever done was make Apple afraid of him. 

The man in front of Apple wasn’t worth her fear. He wore a towering fur hat that still only managed to make him as tall as her shoulder, with pointed ears and a beard that scraped against the ground when he walked. She shuddered to think of all the dirt it must have collected over the years. 

“Who here can tell me what a special talent is?” the Pied Piper asked, stroking his beard. A dozen hands shot up in the air, Lizzie’s being the first. “Yes, Melody my dear?” 

The girl he called on hadn’t even moved, and seemed incredibly annoyed that she had to speak. Her bangs hung in front of her eyes, obscuring the majority of her face from view, but that didn’t exactly draw attention away from her when her hair was so vibrant. It was streaked with white and lavender that managed to stand out even among the class. 

Sparrow and Duchess, who were sitting at the desks next to her, both laughed when she was called on. 

“I’m sure other people could tell you, dad,” Melody grumbled, glaring at her father. 

Oh , Apple thought, head whipping between the two. Strangely, the Pied Piper seemed completely unphased by his daughter’s attitude, and simply continued smiling at her. Apple had never seen a villain be so kind to their child. 

“But I would prefer for you to answer, dearest,” the Pied Piper replied. 

Melody rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. “They’re an ability unique to each villain that sets them apart and helps them win against their Nemesis. Usually these talents are refined in school, and are what the villains become known for later on.” 

“And could you give us an example?” the Pied Piper asked. He was a rather bad actor, considering Apple could spot the skit from a mile away. Her classmates didn’t seem so smart, because they all looked incredibly invested in the exchange. 

Except Sparrow and Duchess, who had their fists stuffed in their mouths to stop them laughing. 

“Your musical ability would be an example,” Melody practically groaned, sinking further into her chair. Apple wondered if the Pied Piper was really being kind to his daughter at all, or if asking her to help was just some weird form of torture. She certainly would have been embarrassed if placed in Melody’s position. 

“A wonderful suggestion!” the Pied Piper exclaimed, pulling a trumpet from below his desk. Apple wondered if he took it around everywhere with him. 

He began to play, and to his credit the tune was beautiful. Apple found herself swaying along to it, and noticed the rest of the class doing the same. As she looked around, she saw something moving on the floor, and screamed. 

“RATS!” she yelled, pointing at the small animals. They ran out of the cracks in the walls, scurrying up to the Pied Piper and forming a small circle around him. 

The rats lined up in front of the Pied Piper, standing on their hind legs as he continued playing, ready at attention. After about a minute of them standing there, he lowered the trumpet and smiled at his students, spinning the trumpet in his hands and whacking himself in the face. 

“Ow,” he mumbled, before turning to his students and grinning smugly. “That would be an example of a special talent! My talent allows me to manipulate living creatures through my music.” Several students cringed at the description. “Today, you will be presenting your talents to the class.”

All around, villain kids began murmuring excitedly. Even Apple felt a small smile tug at her lips. A chance to prove those first place ranks wrong! All she had to do was show that her special talent belonged to a princess. 

Her smile faded when she realised she didn’t actually have a special talent. 

“SHUT IT!” Rumplestiltskin yelled. The class mostly dropped silent, one or two kids snickering at him. After the imposing Mr. Badwolf, Rumplestiltskin wasn’t exactly intimidating. “Anyone who speaks over us again is spinning gold for a month!” 

The threats were certainly effective. 

“Now,” the Pied Piper said, slapping his hands together, “Melody, why don’t you provide our example.” 

Melody groaned and rolled her eyes, but still made her way up to the front of the class. From her pocket, she pulled out a small instrument. It was a piccolo. 

She raised the instrument to her lips, and just like that the rats were back again. They lined up in front of her as she played a hypnotising tune, and Apple made a small mental note to never get her angry. 

Then, the rats began to vibrate. Melody’s tune picked up, her sour expression fading the longer she played. She began to sway to the music, the rats following her lead. They began a weird dance, the rats moving in sync with Melody as the tune she was playing picked up, and a couple of the students around Apple started to sway to the music as well. 

In fact, Apple felt rather in the mood for dancing. There was just something so nice about the music, and-

“MELODY!” the Pied Piper yelled. The music died instantly, the rats scurrying back into the walls. When Melody lowered the piccolo from her face, she looked on the verge of tears. “I think that’s quite enough, don’t you?” 

“Right,” she said shortly, marching back to her desk and shoving her flute in her pocket. 

When she slumped into her seat, a couple of the people around her shifted their desks away, until Sparrow and Duchess were the only ones still directly beside her. If Apple was sitting next to her, she would have moved her desk too. That ability was pure Evil. It had even been about to snare Apple! 

She resolved to keep a careful eye on Melody for the future. 

The next person to go was Duchess, who turned into a swan and began chasing people around and honking at them when they laughed at her. At the end of her turn she struggled turning back into a human, which just made the class howl, Sparrow the loudest of them all. 

Even Apple found herself giggling at the ridiculous display. When Duchess finally turned back into a human, she looked thoroughly mad at everyone. 

“When I’m class captain you’ll all bow to me!” she hissed as she stomped back to her desk. 

“ If you’re class captain,” Lizzie smirked, picking one of Duchess’ feathers off her desk. Duchess looked positively murderous, but was interrupted by the Pied Piper. 

“Who would like to go next!” he said, clapping his hands again. It was beginning to grate on Apple.

Sparrow raised his hand, and a collective groan went up. 

“Melody isn’t the only one with musical talents!” he proclaimed as he marched up. He removed a red feather from his fedora, and with a flick of his wrist it transformed into a guitar. Apple figured that would have been good enough as a display, but then he looped the strap around his neck and raised a hand, grinning at the class. “Listen and weep, losers!”

His hand struck the guitar, a loud screech echoing out across the classroom. Apple slapped her hands over her ears as he continued playing, the most out of tune music she’d ever heard coming out of his guitar. If Melody’s music could convince someone to do anything, then Sparrow’s was certainly the antidote. 

Rumplestiltskin ended up being the class saviour, taking off his hat to whack Sparrow on the head. Apparently his hat was made of stronger stuff than it appeared, because it also knocked Sparrow out, and he had to be carried back to his desk by a couple wolves. 

“Perhaps we could have someone with a bit more of a, uh, handle on their talent to go next?” the Pied Piper suggested. 

As people continued marching to the front, Apple began to pay attention to her classmates. She would be going back to the School for Good any day, and it would be good to get the advantage over the Evil kids. After all, one of the people in her class may one day be the villain she had to defeat, and what better way to gather info to use against them? 

Maddie waltzed up after Sparrow, going on for at least five minutes about tea as she pulled increasingly large objects out of her hat. It began with a teacup, then a teapot, a chair, and by the time she pulled out a table the Pied Piper had enough, shooing her back to her seat. 

Kitty went after Maddie, teleporting behind Rumplestiltskin and stealing his hat. When he tried to send her to the Doom Room, she teleported out of the grasp of the wolves, and the Pied Piper declared her presentation so good that she could be exempt from punishment. 

At that declaration, smoke began to emerge from Rumplestiltskin’s ears. 

Not all presentations were as successful. Courtly went to the front of the class and juggled for several minutes, only to be reprimanded and told that wasn’t actually a talent. A boy named North Wind made the room gust with wind, but his face turned bright red from the effort and he ended up fainting. Faybelle tried hexing someone with fairy magic, which blew up in her face and ended up turning her bright blue. 

The boy who went up after her seemed odd, different from the other Evil kids. He had brown hair that hung in front of his face, and Apple realised she hadn’t actually heard him talk. 

“Hunter,” the Pied Piper said, voice dripping with venom. 

Apple scooched forward in her seat. She didn’t dare allow herself to hope, but the boy looked so out of place. Was it possible that she hadn’t been the only mistake? 

The boy pulled an axe out from his robes, hoisting it above his head. With his face pulled into a grim frown, he swung it forward, splitting the desk clean in half. The sound echoed around the classroom as everyone watched the two halves fall to the side, even their teachers speechless. 

He marched back to the corner of the room and slumped into his chair.

Apple swallowed heavily. 

Lizzie was the next to stand up, the red heart around her eye pulsing angrily. When she stood, she sneered at Apple, “We’ll see about you being better than me now, shall we?” 

As she stomped to the front, Apple straightened up in her chair. She would be an Ever queen one day! There was no room for fear of amateur villains like Lizzie. 

When Lizzie reached the front of the class, though, something strange began to happen. The heart around her eye changed colour to a deep wine red, and began to move. Everyone held their breath as they watched the heart peel itself off of Lizzie’s face, hopping down onto the floor.

It hit the floor in a puff of red smoke, and from that smoke emerged something entirely different. 

A card stood up. The ace of hearts. Apple would have rolled her eyes at the irony if the card in question didn’t look so terrifying. Its arms were so long they dragged against the floor, the card lacking any actual facial features, its hands long and clawed. 

When Lizzie glared at Apple, she felt her blood run cold. 

There was no time for anyone to blink as the card soldier advanced toward her, its long talons reaching out and grabbing Apple before she could even move away. 

Apple kicked it, her heel almost impaling the card and allowing her to wiggle free as she felt herself panic. Around her, the other Nevers all seemed highly amused by the display. Even her teachers weren’t moving in to interfere, the Pied Piper watching with interest, Rumplestiltskin practically giggling beside him. 

She darted towards the window, the card scrambling towards her. It caught the edge of her robe, tripping her as she slammed into the wall, and she stared at her teachers for help. 

“Well, I believe this would be a wonderful time to see what your special talent is, Miss White,” the Pied Piper said, sounding completely calm, like it was a normal day and his class wasn’t being actively destroyed by some weird demon creature that wanted Apple dead. 

She wanted to scream at her teachers for abandoning her when she got an idea. 

Her special talent. 

Right, she just needed to prove that her special talent was Good, and she could plead her case to be sent away! 

The unfortunate part of that was that Apple didn’t exactly have a special talent. Sure, she was pretty and well liked, but neither of those things would help against the card she was currently fighting off with a textbook. She could sing, but it just sounded pretty. She wasn’t like Melody, who could convince someone to take care of the mess for her. 

She thought back to when she would sing, and animals would gather around her, and felt like laughing at how obvious the answer was. 

One thing that would always assist a princess was animals!

Lunging towards the window, she hurled the textbook through it, smashing the glass. A chorus of gasps went up behind her, but she paid them no mind as she climbed up onto the windowsill, her hands bleeding as the broken glass cut into them.

Leaning out the window, she sang an animal call. It echoed over the water, the sound pure and bright and beautiful. 

Then, silence. 

“You idiot!” Lizzie laughed. “What was that supposed to do?” 

A floor of hornets burst through the window. 

Screams went up around the classroom, students abandoning their desks to run away, but the hornets weren’t interested in them. They were attacking the card, surrounding it and digging their stingers into its arms. 

“NO!” Apple screamed. This wasn’t what she wanted! She needed a good animal, an animal fit for a princess. 

She leaned out the window again, calling for help. This time, it was locusts. She tried again and got mosquitoes. Again. Wasps. 

Over at the front, Lizzie had collapsed, clawing at her eye. Where her red heart usually was, a bloody outline had begun to show, and she was choking up blood as it splattered on the floor. 

Panicking, Apple did the only thing she could think of. 

“STOP!” she screamed at the swarm. Instantly, they all froze, awaiting her instruction. Unsure of where she got the energy, Apple pointed at the window, which had completely shattered. “Get out. Now.”

The animals made their way out in single file, like scolded children. When they left, Apple collapsed against the wall, exhausted and shaking. 

Kitty and Maddie rushed towards Lizzie, who was hunched over on the floor. With a wave of her hand, the card soldier returned to her, appearing again as a heart over her eye, and then she collapsed into Kitty’s arms. Apple watched the scene in horror. 

“I-I didn’t-” she stammered, looking around at the class. Where she had been expecting horrified looks, she instead found her classmates looking at her with something else entirely. 

Respect. 

“Looks like a princess-” the Pied Piper began. 

“-acts like a witch!” Rumplestiltskin finished, both looking ecstatic. “I believe we’ve found our Circus Crown winner!”

A red one appeared over Apple’s head.

-

The White Queen was a regal woman. She seemed to exude royalty, sitting impossibly straight at her desk as she regarded Raven, who was having a hard time trying to match her posture. A lifetime of slouching would do that to a person. 

“My life would be much easier if the School Master would handle these problems.” She said the word problems like it was a name, and Raven gave up on trying to sit up straight. “I do wonder. Tell me, how is a Raven like a writing desk?” 

Raven perked up at the question. It was one she heard many times before, from the Mad Hatter. 

“Both have feet.” She gave her standard reply, and the White Queen nodded, picking up a file from her desk. Raven just managed to catch her name on it as the White Queen began to flip through. 

“I have a school full of distressed Evergirls and boys, nymphs that are outraged, a dead gargoyle and teachers that are outraged and calling for your head.” She placed the folder down on the desk. “All because you ignored the warning to not go into the towers.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could make it quick,” Raven blurted out, cringing at the look the White Queen gave her. 

“Whatever after are you talking about, child?”

“When you kill me.” The White Queen laughed at that, which made Raven frown. Her death didn’t feel particularly amusing. 

“You aren’t going to die,” the White Queen said. “Goodness, wherever did you get that idea?”

Her face felt hot as she explained. “But I failed three classes. I just thought that was what happened when you, uh, when you fail. I mean, my dad would never tell me.”

“You didn’t fail,” the White Queen said, placing the folder back on her desk. “Raven, you have a gift. Granting wishes is particularly rare, and you ended up first in your class as a result of the stampede. You’re here right now because you defied a teacher’s direct orders.”

“Oh.”

“Indeed,” the White Queen sighed. “Since this was a first offence, your confinement in your room should be plenty of punishment. But I will warn you that, if this happens again, I won’t be nearly as understanding.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Raven replied quickly. 

The White Queen reviewed the rules with her, and Raven found herself spacing out, a noise from the window catching her attention. She leaned over to see a couple of the Everboys down below on the lawn. They were kicking something around. 

When she was sure the White Queen wasn’t looking at her, Raven leaned over a bit more, and paled when she saw what it was. 

A straw mannequin was being tossed around, with purple and black hair and black Never robes. The most telling thing was the eyes that had been sewn in the form of buttons. 

They were violet.

An arrow pierced the figure, skewering it to a tree. Daring dropped his bow, walking away, Dexter right beside him. 

“So, are we going to have any more problems?” the White Queen asked. When Raven shook her head, she smiled. “Perfect. Then I think it’s time you go join your fellow students for your next class.”

“Of course, your majesty,” Raven said, bowing. 

As she left, she glanced back one more time at the doll. The straw had begun to fall out of it, leaking onto the ground like blood. 

Chapter Text

Jack B. Nimble was an obnoxiously tall man. He seemed to blend into the trees surrounding the group, becoming one of them as he hopped around in front of his students. 

Only, he stuck out with a green jacket and black tophat. See, the class for Surviving Fairytales took place in the Blue Forest, and it was careful to live up to its name. Every tree, blade of grass, and flower was some various shade of blue. It was enough to give anybody a headache. 

“What are the five rules that separate Good and Evil?” he asked the class, raising a wooden staff in the air. He waited for a moment, tilting his head so his ear was facing the class. “No takers? Why, such a timid group I seem to have this year!”

Raven watched this display from the shadow of a tree, trying to disappear. 

Her luck with the Evers being nice to her had officially disappeared. Apart from Cedar and Cupid, none of them would so much as look at her. 

She managed to overhear the various reasons for this shunning from the whispers of her classmates. Some of the theories were offensive, some cruel, and some downright baffling. 

According to Darling Charming, she led the animals on a rampage through the school to take down her two brothers. This had prompted a subsequent rumour that Raven was only nice to Dexter Charming so she could cook him, which after hearing made Raven spark in indignation. Literally. She electrocuted a nymph passing by her. 

Briar had loudly proclaimed Raven a friendless loser who was just trying to ruin the Ever’s Snow Ball because she knew that no prince would want to go with her. 

Even Blondie was avoiding Raven. When she had tried to approach the girl earlier, Blondie just mumbled an apology and scurried after the rest of the Evergirls. 

Now she was stuck in a class she had little interest in, stuck in the same position she had been at home, only this time she was stuck with the people who hated her. If she had been a Never, she could have returned to her dorm after class with Maddie and complained about anything and everything. 

Instead, she would be heading back to a room far too big for one person, the empty beds only serving as a reminder of her loneliness. 

That wasn’t even the worst part. 

“I said I’m sorry,” Raven said.

Apple wouldn’t even look at her, nose turned up as she stared longingly at the Evers. With the light streaming through the trees, she really did look like a princess, the gold of her tiara softly illuminating her face. 

“Let’s recap, shall we?” Apple said, still staring straight ahead. “You steal my school-”

“I don’t want to be here either-”

“-get a flower from a prince-”

“Which I didn’t ask for-”

“-and then, come to my room and offer to help me back, only to see me humiliated by a giant wave,” Apple’s voice steadily grew louder as she continued to talk over Raven. “Only for me to find out that you were the reason I was stuck with my horrible roommates for a week . A week, Raven. Do you know how horrible cat grooming habits are?”

“Kitty isn’t that bad,” Raven said lightly, snapping her mouth shut at the glare Apple gave her. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be,” Apple huffed. Then, she stiffened up, spine as straight as the trees enclosing them. 

“What’s wrong with you now?” Raven asked, huffing a little. She was trying to apologise, after all. Apple should have been enjoying that, and instead she didn’t even seem to register Raven’s voice. “Apple? Hello?”

“Shut up shut up shut up,” she hissed at Raven quietly, smacking her arm with each repetition.

With Apple finally turning to look at her, Raven could see who she had been looking at, and felt her mood drop once more. 

“Well hello there, princess,” a honey smooth voice said. Apple turned, cheeks flaming red as she brushed off the black sack of a frock she was wearing. Raven hunched over a little more, glaring at their unwanted guest. 

Daring Charming. He was even more perfect up close, his teeth practically glowing white as he bared them in a smile that would have any princess simpering. 

Raven was very glad she was no such princess. 

“Oh my, hello there,” Apple replied, sticking out her hand for Daring to kiss, which he did with an elaborate swoop. Something was wrong with her voice. It was three octaves higher than usual, and had changed to a sugary sweet tone that any boy would love. 

“And what, pray tell, is a girl as beautiful as yourself doing in Never robes?” Daring asked, taking his time examining Apple. She practically preened under the attention, batting her eyelashes and playing with a strand of golden hair. Raven felt sick. “Especially with a witch.”

Daring’s eyes shifted to Raven, who continued to glare at him. She didn’t even see him, not really, only the shattered remains of the boy she had been trying so hard to help. 

“I wouldn’t be calling anyone a witch if I were you,” Raven spat at him, grabbing Apple’s arm. “Let’s get out of here. Trust me, you don’t want to hang out with him.”

“How dare you! As if you would be a better option?” Daring yelled. A few of their classmates had begun to look at them, and Raven pulled her hair in front of her face. 

“Better a witch than a murderer,” she hissed, pulling Apple towards her. 

“You two know each other?” Apple asked, head whipping between the two. 

“Enough to know that you deserve way better than him,” Raven told her. Daring seemed to take personal offence at that. 

“YOU IMPERTINENT LITTLE-” he roared, launching towards Raven. She moved towards him as well, ready for a fight. At least she would finally be doing something she understood. 

Their fists were extended, ready to connect with the other’s face when a boy launched himself between them.

Instead of hitting Daring, Raven’s fist ended up buried in the gut of Dexter. From his wince, she could tell that Daring’s blow had connected with his back, and he collapsed between them. 

“Dexter!” shouted Daring, kneeling down to check on his brother. “Hold fast! You have a prince’s constitution!” 

“I’m fine,” Dexter wheezed, shoving his brother off him as he stood up. He certainly didn’t look fine, grass stains on the knees of his uniform and legs that shook as he stood. “You guys are interrupting the class, though.”

They turned to see the group of Evers and Nevers staring at their little trio, each person with their eyes wide and mouths agape. 

“Oops,” Raven muttered. 

Jack B. Nimble was the one glaring the most at them. He looked ready to quit on the spot, heaving a long sigh as he looked at his students. 

“As I was saying,” he snapped. “There are five rules that separate Good and Evil. And it seems we have found volunteers to provide these rules for us. Daring, Dexter, Raven, Apple, if you please.”

Uh oh. Raven was constantly forgetting all the rules. Her mother had drilled them into her head time and time again when she was a child, making her rehearse every free minute that she got, but that didn’t mean that Raven would actually remember. 

“The Evil attack and the Good defend,” Daring offered, still glaring at Raven. Dexter was standing between the two, in case his brother decided to launch himself at her again. 

She would have found the gesture sweet if she wasn’t equally as mad at him. 

“The Evil punish,” Dexter offered, also staring at Raven. Try as she might to avoid his eyes, there was something so captivating about their rich blue hue. “The Good forgive.”

Exactly , Raven thought. Which is why I can’t forgive you .

But the way he said the line, it was like he was begging for her forgiveness, and he really did look sorry. 

For a moment, she almost wished she was Good, if only so that she didn’t have to stay angry. It was so exhausting.

“The Evil hurt and the Good help,” Apple offered, still batting her eyelashes at Daring. He stopped scowling at Raven for a moment to give Apple a ridiculously practised smile, making her swoon against the tree Raven had been leaning on before. 

“Two more, please,” Nimble remarked. With each of their proclamations, smoke came out of his wooden staff, writing the rules for the rest of the class. 

“The Evil take and the Good give,” Dexter said, still staring at Raven. 

She was resolutely keeping her gaze forward, scared that if she did look at him, her newfound willpower would immediately crumble. Jack B. Nimble wrote the rule down, and then stared at Raven. 

At least she had the easy part. It was, after all, the one rule she had never been able to forget. 

“The Evil hate,” she said, voice shaking in her effort to avoid looking at Dexter. “The Good love.”

Nimble sighed, looking between the four of them. “Well, at least you children know your basics. Indeed, all of these are the rules. But in practice, how are we to test these rules and show that we know them?” 

He scanned the group, waiting for an answer. When his students continued to stare blankly at him, he waved his staff through the air. 

At the front of the group, Cedar Wood and Lizzie Hearts had been standing relatively close to each other. Upon Jack B. Nimble’s movement, both changed in a poof of green smoke to look like nymphs. Their friends jumped back, retreating from the pair. 

One of the nymphs looked confused, the other indignant. 

“With these two looking identical, how are we to tell them apart?” Nimble tutted, shaking his staff the way a scolding parent would their finger. “In the woods, being unable to identify your enemy can be deadly! For this exercise, I will be letting you Evers and Nevers discern who is who. Top marks go to whoever is quickest!”

Another poof, and Cedar and Lizzie were back to normal. Both looked relieved, glancing warily at each other. 

“Now, who wants to go first?”

-

Apple’s foot tapped nervously on the ground as she waited for her turn. 

When Professor Nimble had asked for volunteers, she practically tackled a few Nevers to try and go, but he seemed to be ignoring her. After three rounds of that treatment, she finally gave up and waited for him to notice her. 

The audacity of a commoner to ignore a princess like her was grating on her nerves, but Apple just ground her teeth together and tried to bear it. After all, she would have been in his class either way. 

Plus, there were a few benefits to a mixed crowd. 

“So what do you do in your free time?” she asked Daring. He had yet to go, being given the same treatment as Apple when he attempted to volunteer, but Apple wasn’t complaining. She was determined to be in Daring’s trial group and win him over. 

“Mostly sword practice,” Daring shrugged. Apple couldn’t help noticing his broad shoulders, straining the seams of his uniform jacket with their muscle. He looked just like the princes in her storybooks as a child. 

She would make sure that, in The End, he was hers. 

“Sometimes Dexter liked to go on pirate expeditions,” he chuckled at the memory, “but he hasn’t done anything like that since he was a kid.” He noticed her staring at his muscles, flexing them like a peacock showing its feathers. 

With practised ease, Apple leaned in a little further, batting her eyelashes the way her mother taught her to. 

“I’m sure you’re a very good brother to him,” Apple simpered, twirling a golden lock of hair around her finger. “You must work out, too, to be able to wield a sword like you did at the Welcome Ceremony.”

“Please,” a girl laughed beside Daring. “That was barely sword fighting. The whole thing is practically a parade.”

“Darling, that’s enough,” Daring said, shoving the girl. 

Apple supposed she was beautiful. Her hair fell in perfectly teased tresses, her eyes an icy blue in comparison to Daring’s sky blue eyes, and her hair was a light shade of platinum blonde with blue streaks that made her look a bit like a cloudy sky. 

“Sorry about my sister,” he said to Apple. “These things aren’t for princesses to know about, as she’s very well aware.”

Darling just rolled her eyes, which then flickered to Apple, who felt herself stand a bit straighter under her gaze. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably under the attention. 

Deciding to ignore it, Apple stepped a little closer to Daring. “Well, I’m sure every princess has her peculiarities. We’re certainly not meeting under conventional circumstances.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Daring whispered to her. “When I get picked, I’ll make sure you’re in my group. If I pick you for Good, I can start making a case to get you out of those rags.”

“That’s so sweet of you,” Apple beamed. 

Internally, she cursed the loss of her suitcase when she arrived at school. Bone or not, one day she would roast a Stymph and serve it as a delicacy. At her wedding to Daring, perhaps. 

“Isn’t it just,” Darling said, raising an eyebrow at Daring. A look passed between the siblings that Apple didn’t catch. 

“Dexter Charming, C.A. Cupid, and Kitty Cheshire!” Professor Nimble called. 

Darling and Daring both turned to observe their brother’s turn. He passed with flying colours, which Apple wasn’t particularly surprised with considering that Kitty held onto her unnerving smile regardless of what form she was in. 

Raven went next. 

“Raven Queen, Dexter Charming, and Hunter Huntsman!”

The boy who had sliced a desk in half walked up to the front with Raven, the two joining Dexter as Kitty and Cupid walked off. Raven was strangely tense, although Apple couldn’t see a reason for it. 

Something was off about Hunter. His hair kept falling in front of his eyes, the hood of his robe pulled up over his head. 

But he wasn’t who Raven looked uncomfortable with. She kept fidgeting, glancing between Dexter and someone in the crowd. Apple tried craning her neck to see who it was, but she couldn’t catch a glimpse with all the students gathered around. 

A blindfold was wrapped around Raven’s eyes to obscure her vision while the boys were transformed. 

Professor Nimble tapped his staff to the shoulder of each of the boys, and with a poof of green smoke they were matching trolls. A couple kids in the crowd snickered. 

Personally, Apple was horrified. It was one thing for a Never to be ugly, but whichever troll was Dexter was equally as hideous! Something like that would be a horror beyond imagination. She tried to picture being likened to someone like Sparrow Hood in terms of beauty, and almost threw up. 

The trolls seemed a bit confused, staring at each other blankly. 

“So, how will you boys convince Miss Queen that you are Good or Evil? Remember, the objective is to trick!” Professor Nimble said, an edge to his voice betraying his evaporating patience. 

One of the trolls scratched its head, and then began talking. 

That’s the thing about trolls. Their language was absolutely indistinguishable from grunts if you didn’t speak it, and so to everyone in the class the troll seemed to be saying nothing at all. Raven looked equally as confused, although every now and then she would perk up. 

“That one meant coffee, right?” she said, her voice small and wavering. Apple was about to wonder how Raven could even understand them when she remembered that, of course, Raven had grown up around all sorts of monsters. 

Yet Apple was the one in the black robe. Her teeth ground together.  

The second troll began speaking as well, gesturing wildly with its hands as it yammered on. At the very least, the rest of the class seemed as confused as Apple was. 

The only one who seemed to have any idea about what was going on was Raven, who was nodding along as her head whipped between the two. Professor Nimble leaned in, looking far more interested than he had for the other students as he watched the trio. 

“So, Miss Queen?” he asked, sounding genuinely excited for the first time in that class. “Which is the Good, and which is the Evil?”

Raven stopped mid sentence, looking between the two. For a second, her hand seemed to extend towards one of the trolls, but she pulled it back so quickly that anyone who hadn’t been paying attention wouldn’t have noticed. 

“I’m not sure,” she muttered. 

Raven had always been a bad liar. It was terribly embarrassing for Apple to know that, considering that Raven was supposed to be the next great villain after her mother. After all, everyone was expecting it. But she would never be able to deceive people, because she always managed to look the most guilty when she was lying. Apple could read her like a book after all the time they had spent around each other. 

The only thing she couldn’t figure out was why Raven would lie. 

With a disappointed sigh, Professor Nimble waved his hand and the boys poofed back to their former selves. 

“I expected better,” Apple heard him mutter to Raven as she passed by. Raven seemed to grow a bit less visible after the words, the shadows almost morphing around her as she trudged back into the crowd, glancing forlornly in Apple’s direction. 

Apple huffed, sticking her nose in the air and looking away. If Raven felt like placing last in her classes, it was her own business. She could only hope that she would get a fresh academic record when she got to the school. 

“How about we have Daring Charming go next,” Professor Nimble called. 

Winking at Apple, Daring marched to the front of the class with his chest puffing out. 

“And to join him,” Professor Nimble scanned the crowd. “Apple and Darling, make your way up!”

A couple of Evergirls groaned in disappointment, and Apple couldn’t help wondering if Professor Nimble had been worried about them rioting if he chose one over the others. Either way, his decision was more than fine with her. Daring’s sister could afford her brother choosing Apple as a blow to her ego, and Apple wouldn’t have to compete against one of the princesses who kept eyeing him up like meat. 

She practically pranced to the front, basking in the jealous glares of Evergirls. When she reached the front, several of the Evers began whispering to each other, eyes flickering from her gold tiara to her rag of a uniform. 

It didn’t bother her. Future queens couldn’t be concerned with the useless gossip of those who were of lower rank, after all. 

Darling followed behind her, the Everyboys looking as infatuated with her as the Evergirls looked besotted with Daring. He muttered something to her as she approached, and she elbowed him in the stomach. When she reached the front, she glanced over at Apple, who wondered what the siblings had said. 

“Alright, here you are girls,” Professor Nimble said, tapping Apple’s shoulder with his staff. 

For a moment, she didn’t feel anything. Then, a pleasant cooling sensation washed over her, like honey trickling over her entire body. She felt the world grow smaller, or was she growing taller? 

Gasps rang out among the class, and when Apple looked down she gasped. 

Long green toenails dug into the ground beneath her, accompanied by equally green, warty skin. Her hands were massive, twice as big as her torso, and she had just about doubled in height, even though her back was hunched over. 

Darling looked far less disturbed by their predicament. She scratched a wart at the end of her long nose, long black hairs poking off of it in every direction. 

Apple gagged. 

They hadn’t just turned into trolls, they turned into bridge trolls. By far the ugliest of their kind, bridge trolls were also known for being Evil! That was the last thing Apple needed. She had been hoping for a unicorn, maybe a gryphon if she was feeling particularly desperate. 

Daring’s blindfold was removed, and he examined the two. Even though her face was burning with shame and embarrassment, Apple forced herself to stay calm. 

She was a future queen. She could do this. 

So Apple batted her eyelashes, trying to look as sweet as possible, despite her haggard outward appearance. It was just another obstacle. If she could survive Uglification, she could survive five minutes as a troll. 

Or so she told herself. Internally, Apple screeched about the blow to her dignity. 

“You shouldn’t try so hard to impress him,” Darling told her. She was staring at a stray butterfly that had perched on a tree. “That strategy will never work.”

“Would you help me?” Apple asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. “I would love some advice on how to win him over.”

Darling examined her for a moment, eyes scanning over Apple, who tried to straighten her posture as much as possible under the attention. Sighing, Darling looked away, biting her bottom lip. 

“Look, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” she said softly. “Evers and Nevers… there’s a reason they don’t mix.”

To the rest of the class, this exchange sounded like very loud grunting. From his spot on the ground, Daring’s head swivelled between the two girls as he scratched his head. 

From within the crowd, Lizzie Hearts’ tattoo grew a shade darker. 

“But I’m not a Never,” Apple said, feeling her patience slip. “There was a mistake, you see. The stupid stymph picked me up because it thought I was someone else, and now I’m trapped at a school I don’t belong in!” 

“I heard your story,” Darling sighed. To her credit, she sounded genuinely apologetic. 

It was too bad that Apple had no need for her apology. 

“So, what, do you not believe it?” she asked, feeling her frustration swell. 

“It wouldn’t be the first-” Darling cut herself off, glancing at her brother. “Nevers can be very convincing.”

“I’m NOT a Never!” Apple said, her voice growing more shrill by the second. 

“So you say,” Darling shrugged. “But things like this never end well. If you just keep your head down, I’m sure you’ll do fine at your school, and you can leave him to do fine at his.”

Darling continued speaking after that, but Apple’s ears were ringing, drowning out any sound. 

Until one voice broke through. 

“That’s the Ever!” Daring said, pointing confidently towards his sister. “That’s Apple.”

Before Professor Nimble could even get a word out, Apple tackled Darling into the ground. It shook under the weight of the two massive trolls, students screaming as they scrambled away. 

“YOU TRICKED HIM!” Apple screeched. “YOU GOT ME ALL UPSET AND COMPLETELY CONFUSED HIM.”

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?” Darling howled, screeching when Apple bit her, and responding with a kick to Apple’s midriff. It felt unusually powerful for a princess, although Apple supposed that was due to the bodies they were in. “I’m just trying to protect my brother! Go find another prince if it’s that important to you.”

“And why should I have to do that?” Apple yelled, elbowing Darling, who had looped her into a chokehold. Squealing in pain, Darling’s arms loosened long enough for Apple to wrestle free and kick her in the shin. 

“OW!” Darling screamed, hopping on one foot away from Apple, who continued advancing. 

“I’m a princess! He’s a prince! And in case you haven’t forgotten, my mother is the fairest in the land!” Apple wrenched a branch free, the butterfly Darling had been staring at flying off it. She began to whack the girl, who grabbed a branch of her own. “And! I’m! Her! Daughter! Do you know what that makes me, genius? The fairest in all the land! Why would I be a NEVER?”

“Maybe you should reconsider what qualifies you for the job!” Darling yelled back, swinging her tree branch straight at Apple’s head. 

Apple’s eyes widened. The branch was on a direct collision course with her face, and would surely break her nose once it hit her. A broken nose! On a princess! What would people think of her?

But just before it made contact green smoke surrounded her, and she poofed back down to her normal size. 

Professor Nimble looked ready to kill the both of them. 

“In all my years, never have I seen such blatant disregard for the rules!” he screeched, going on a ten minute tirade about how each of the girls had failed at their assignment. At the end of it, he pointed his staff to their feet, metal shoes appearing on Darling and Apple. 

“Perhaps these will teach you some manners,” he hissed, stomping away with the rest of the class. 

Daring remained for a second, staring at the two in disbelief. “I can’t believe this.”

“It wasn’t-” Apple started.

“You,” he pointed at her, “really do deserve your school. And as for you,” his finger moved, pointing towards Darling, “well, you can bet we’ll be talking about this later.”

Even though it looked like the last thing she wanted to do, Darling kept quiet, staring at the ground. 

“I can’t believe I fell for it again,” Daring huffed, glaring at Apple before turning and marching after their classmates. 

Neither girl had much to say to the other after he left, so Apple inspected the shoes that had been magicked onto her feet instead. They were thick, metal, and chillingly familiar. She had seen them in a storybook before, one that her mother would read to her every night before bed. 

Apple’s face paled. “We need to get out of these!” 

“It’s no use,” Darling sounded much more defeated than she had a moment ago. 

“What are you talking about? We still have some time before they-”

Apple cut herself off with a scream. With the rest of the class officially gone from the clearing, the shoes began to heat to a burning temperature. 

“This! Is! All! Your! Fault!” she hissed, hopping from one foot to the other in an attempt to lessen the pain. 

“How is this my fault?” Darling yelped, pulling herself up on the branch of a tree to lessen the weight of her shoes. It didn’t do much for their heat. 

“I’m not Evil! If you hadn’t said I was, I could’ve been chosen by Daring and I’d be in the right school by now,” Apple moaned, doubling over as the heat of the shoes continued to increase. 

“If you think I’m going to believe you’re Good after that, then you must be mental!” Darling screeched, her fingers slipping off the branch. She landed with a thud in the grass, doubling over in pain. “OW OW OW!” 

“You- ouch- don’t know- OW- what you’re- AHH-” Apple fell over as well, her vision blacking out briefly from pain. 

They might have stayed there for hours or days, yelping and screaming in pain as they danced around on their burning shoes. The sun was rising by the time the shoes finally let up, both girls pulling them off with shaking hands. 

Darling was quick to leave, sprinting away from Apple the second she got the chance. 

Apple wasn’t nearly as quick, lying on the grass as she clutched her feet. She had no idea how Darling even managed to stand up. Her feet were so burned that even resting them against the grass hurt. 

A shadow emerged from one of the trees, violet eyes emerging from the dark. 

“What are you doing here?” Apple huffed. She wanted to be annoyed with Raven for not stepping in earlier, but she was in too much pain, groaning as another aftershock hit her and she fell against a tree. 

“I came to check on you,” Raven said, tugging on the end of her hair nervously as she glanced around. “You were out here all night. Are you, uh, feeling alright?”

“Does it look like I feel alright?” Apple snapped, wincing as she pushed herself up. She needed to lean her entire weight on the trunk of a tree to stand, but she managed to get up after a couple painful minutes of digging her nails into bark. 

“Right,” Raven muttered. 

“I need to get to my school,” Apple cried, unable to hold back a sob. The lack of sleep coupled with the pain of her feet were too much to handle, tears streaming down her face as Raven watched. 

“Can we stop fighting then?” asked Raven, still tugging on her hair. 

“And why would we do that?” 

“Because I have a plan.” Apple froze, staring at her friend with wide eyes. Raven’s grin was so wide that it seemed to shine from within the shadows, and her hope was so contagious Apple felt a small swell herself. 

“I’m listening.” 

Chapter Text

Through the mist, Apple waited impatiently for Raven’s arrival. Her feet had managed to heal a little, although they were still an alarming shade of purplish red. She could only hope that the colour would fade with time. It would be most unsightly for a princess to have ugly feet. 

“Hey,” a voice said behind her, making her yelp. 

“Don’t sneak up on people like that,” she snapped. “What if I screamed? Then I might be caught by those horrible wolves.” Even the memory of them made Apple shudder. 

“Sorry,” Raven said, running a hand through her hair as she glanced back at the School for Good. “Let’s get going. Before anyone can find us.”

They met at the clearing where lunch would usually be held between the two schools. It offered easy access to the Blue Forest, even if Apple still thought the plan was insane. She followed Raven into the forest, glancing behind her every few seconds to ensure that nobody was watching them. All she could see was the fog. 

“You’re sure this is going to work?” she asked. 

“We don’t have many other options,” Raven sighed, ducking under the branch of an indigo tree. “Getting an audience with a Dean won’t work. Apparently, unless you’re personally acquainted it’s near impossible.” 

“Don’t you know Baba Yaga?” 

“Yes,” Raven hesitated, looking over at the School for Evil looming over them on the other side of the bridge. “But if I snuck into Evil I’d get dragged back by the wolves before I could explain myself to her.”

“We could still be dragged back to the wrong schools this way,” Apple pointed out, lifting the hem of her robe as she stepped daintily over a stray azure log. 

“I never said it was perfect,” Raven muttered, biting her cheek. “But you want to be back in Good as soon as possible, right?”

Feet twinging at the memory of the shoes, Apple nodded quickly. If she had to go through another punishment like that, she wasn’t sure she would survive. 

“Then this is kind of our only option,” said Raven, pushing deeper into the forest. 

They walked in silence for a while, the tense air hanging awkwardly over the two girls. Apple knew she ought to apologise for getting so angry at Raven when she had been coming up with a plan the whole time, but she couldn’t bring herself to say sorry. Every time she was about to, the word seemed to get lodged in her throat, bile rising instead. 

It wouldn’t have been so terrible if Raven was also mad at her. But instead, the second Apple decided to stop being mad at her Raven seemed to brush the entire incident at the bridge away. She just seemed relieved to have been forgiven. 

Only Apple wasn’t sure that she had forgiven Raven. 

“Here we are,” Raven interrupted Apple’s train of thought as she pulled aside the dangling branches of a cerulean willow, revealing a small cove at the edge of the Blue Forest. 

Apple felt her teeth clench at the sight of the stymphs. The memory of those bony claws latched around her body as she was dragged towards the wrong school flared inside her. 

It was another reason she had been hesitant about Raven’s plan. The plan depended on the help of the very animals that got them into this mess. 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Apple supposed that Raven was trying to reassure her, but she could barely hear over the anger flooding her entire body, roaring through her ears and blocking out any sound. A hand touched her shoulder, making her jump. “Will you be fine?” 

“I am fine,” Apple snapped, shrugging Raven off. “Now, let’s get this over with.”

-

At first, things were actually going well. 

Raven was the first to approach the stymphs, at Apple’s request. They were supposed to react badly to villains, but Raven couldn’t exactly blame her friend for being wary around them. She probably would have reacted the same to going on the Flowerground again. 

Her hands were sweating, so Raven wiped them off on her dress before approaching the birds. She decided to wear her darker clothes, hoping it would be convincing enough to sway the School Master. 

If her mother could have heard her plan, Raven could only imagine the lecture she would be on the receiving end of. Villains never asked for favours, they just took what they wanted. But there wasn’t exactly much that Raven could do, so she could only hope that her mother would at least approve of her breaking school rules to get what she wanted. 

After all, her mother never cared much for the constraints of her school. 

“Hi birdie,” Raven whispered to one of the sleeping stymphs, reaching a sweaty hand out slowly to avoid scaring it off. The last thing she needed was her ticket out of the School for Good flying off because she startled it. 

Really, she wished that Apple would have approached them. Stymphs were notoriously vicious the more Evil a person was, so she could only imagine the reaction she would get as the daughter of the Evil Queen. 

“I, uh, I need your help. Please?” Talking to a sleeping bird made of bones wasn’t the most embarrassing thing Raven had ever done, but the longer the bird remained asleep the higher it climbed on her list. “We need to get to the School Master. You can do that, right?”

One of the bird’s bone wings shifted, and Raven froze. 

Slowly, the bones of the bird began to rattle as it stood, growing to its full height. As it rose, Raven couldn’t help thinking how easy it would be for the bird to stomp on her and kill her on the spot. At least it would be a quick death. 

The bird stared down at her, and she braced for impact. 

Instead, she felt something nuzzling her hand. 

“Raven!” Apple gasped. When she opened her eyes, she saw the beak of the stymph nudging her hand like a puppy. 

Hesitantly, Raven raised her hand, petting the stymph like she would any other animal. A deep purring sound began to rattle through the creature as it leaned closer to her. 

What the…?

“Why isn’t it attacking you?” Apple demanded, huffing behind her. 

“Maybe these ones are particularly friendly?” Raven mused. It sounded odd, even to her, but she couldn’t think up an explanation either. 

Her whole life, she was told by her mother about the stymphs and their foul temper around Nevers. Yet the stymph in front of her didn’t seem like it hated her. On the contrary, it was acting as friendly as any woodland creature would to a princess. 

Or any orc would to her. 

“Well if they like you then they’ll surely love me,” Apple declared, marching towards another stymph that was still sleeping. She shoved a hand out and waited. 

Raven watched, the stymph nudging her gently as she pet it. 

“Come on birdies,” Apple hummed, her voice sweet and light. “Time to wake up and help a princess! Doesn’t that sound fun?” 

One of the stymphs woke up, turning to Apple. She continued to hold out her hand like she was waiting for the stymph to kiss it in the same style as a prince. Her eyes were closed, completely trusting the boney creature. 

Which was why she didn’t see the moment the bird’s demeanour changed. 

“Uh, Apple?” Raven called, backing towards her own bird, who wrapped a wing around her protectively. 

“Shh, you’ll scare it off,” Apple hissed, opening her eyes. “Hey, Raven, are they supposed to spread their wings like that?”

Across the field, the two girls made eye contact, time halting for a moment as they looked at each other. Raven opened her mouth to yell, anxiety swelling in her chest, but no words came out. 

The stymph didn’t seem to have the same problem. It roared, its beak diving towards Apple to split her in half. 

She screamed, sprinting towards Raven, who had been standing frozen in horror. 

“RAVEN!” Apple screamed. 

The stymph followed behind her, snapping its beak as it tried to kill her. Apple ran towards Raven at full speed, and she did the only thing she could think of. 

Swinging a leg over the back of her stymph, Raven grabbed Apple’s hand, yanking her onto the bird as well. 

Alright, nothing to be scared of , Raven thought, panicking. It’s just like riding a horse. Right?

She kicked the sides of the bird, but it seemed that her friend wasn’t so keen on her with Apple on board. It squawked, bucking in an attempt to get Apple off and forcing both girls to cling onto it desperately. Which was far from comfortable, considering they were sitting on bone. 

“Why did you have to use these stupid birds?” Apple whined, slapping Raven’s shoulder several times. 

“They’re the only way we can get up there! And they’re going to work,” Raven could only hope she sounded more confident as she felt as the stymph continued charging at its fellow bird. 

Just as the two were about to collide, the bony wings that had wrapped around Raven extended on either side, and they lifted off the ground. The girls screamed as they finally achieved liftoff, no longer caring about being caught. Raven almost hoped they would be, if only to stop their nightmare of a night. 

“We’re going to die!” Apple cried into Raven’s shoulder. Just as Raven was about to agree with her, she looked at where they were headed. 

The stymph was taking them to the School Master’s tower, alright. With their trajectory, they were going to crash directly into the side of the stone wall. 

“UP, UP!” Raven screeched at the bird. Unlike a horse, there were no reins to yank on. 

It was probably for the best. Horses had always hated Raven. She got on much better with dragons. 

Still, the command seemed to work. Or the stymph got bored and decided to change direction. Whatever the case, Raven certainly wasn’t going to question her sudden luck as it rose higher, aiming for the window. 

The stymph bucked again, sending both girls flying right off its back and through the window of the tower. 

-

Apple landed flat on her butt, skidding across the floor of the tower. When she came to a stop, her robe was bunched around her knees and her backside was sore, but she was still in better shape than Raven. 

She tried not to laugh at her friend. Really, she did. But Raven had landed upside down on the wall, her face flushed red as the blood rushed to it and her arms and legs facing any and every direction. She tried to roll over, flopping entirely onto her side and sighing. 

“I swear that went differently in my head,” she said as she stood up. 

Apple rose as well, the two looking around the interior of the tower. It didn’t seem like a terrible place to live, if Apple was being honest. The ceiling was surprisingly high, arching above them and rounded, lined from floor to ceiling in bookshelves. There was no bed or bathroom, or any other indication that somebody had once lived there, but Apple couldn’t shake a chilly feeling that somebody was watching them. 

In the centre of the room, there was only one piece of furniture. A mahogany desk sat with a book in front of it, a red quill hanging over it, scratching away. 

“Is that it?” Raven asked, her voice breathy. 

Apple was about to roll her eyes and ask Raven what she was talking about when she saw the edge of the pen. Two swans were engraved on its end, the same swans that made up the logo for the school. 

“The Storian,” Apple breathed. At her voice, the pen paused, considering the two. 

They approached the desk hesitantly, the same way Apple would a wounded animal. It was hypnotising to look at, the feather swishing through the air slowly. Something about it seemed to call out to Apple, drawing her near. 

Before she could think through her actions, she felt her hand stretching towards it. The tip of the pen began to glow red as she approached, as if egging her on. 

“Apple!” Raven yelled. 

Apple’s finger was poised directly under the nib of the quill, and it was glowing hot red, inching towards her. At Raven’s voice, she snapped out of her reverie and drew her hand back just as the quill stabbed down, slicing into the table. 

“What the-”

The pen didn’t wait for her to finish, turning quickly to aim directly at her face. 

Raven tackled her to the ground, sending them both tumbling under the desk. The pend found them under there, too, and the girls rolled away from each other as they continued to dodge it. 

“What did you do!” Apple screeched, sprinting in circles around the room as the pen kept chasing her. 

“You were the one who was trying to touch it!” Raven yelled back, chasing the pen. She kept trying to grab it out of the air, but the pen evaded her each time. 

“Well why didn’t you stop me?” Apple whined. First the stymph and now the pen. If one more thing chased after her, Apple wasn’t sure that she would have the energy to evade it. 

Maybe she shouldn’t have thought that, because once she did she immediately tripped over the leg of the desk and splayed onto the floor. The pen raced towards her, and she shut her eyes, waiting for it to slice right through her. 

Instead, she was met with silence. 

Cracking an eye open, Apple was met with the sharp edge of the pen hovering an inch away from her right eye, perfectly poised to blind her. 

Instead, the pen seemed to be considering her. It tilted, Apple’s head tilting with it as they regarded each other. 

Then, the pen was shooting off, slamming the book it had been working on shut. Another book flew off of one of the shelves, knocking Raven in the arm as it landed on the desk. 

“Ow,” muttered Raven, glaring at it. 

“What’s it doing?” asked Apple, standing up once more as they approached the desk again. 

The Storian had begun writing on the blank page. Both girls leaned in to see what it was saying. 

“ Once upon a time, there were two girls. One Good. One Evil.”

“Is it writing about us?” Raven asked. 

“Even the pen knows we’re in the wrong places,” Apple sighed, glaring at the stationery that had almost killed her. 

“ The girls believed themselves to be destined to the wrong fate, and so sought to return to the path they believed was right. ”

“We don’t believe it, it’s the truth,” Apple yelled at the pen. 

“I don’t think it can actually understand you,” Raven said. 

“Well, isn’t this interesting,” a strange voice mused. The girls whirled around to see a man in a long navy blue robe and silver mask approach them. 

“The School Master,” both girls gasped in unison. 

From beneath his silver mask, his mouth curved into a smile around a salt and pepper beard. 

“It appears I have visitors.”

-

The School Master looked different to how Raven had pictured him. Her mother described him with such vitriol, she could only picture him as a regal king looking down on his subjects with a constant aura of detached disdain. 

Instead, he looked like any old headmaster would. His robes skimmed the ground, draping over his larger stomach. Curly white streaked hair fell around his face, a matching beard just visible from below his silver mask, green eyes glowing from below it. 

He may have looked like a kindly older man, but his smile immediately put Raven on edge. 

“I have seen many students come through these halls in my time,” he continued, approaching the desk. The girls backed away as he came closer, his hand skimming the edge of the book. “They train and they pray and bleed and cry. What for? A chance at a fairytale.” 

The Storian had paused, taking in the scene around it, and Raven wondered if it actually could understand people. 

“They work so tirelessly, all for that hope. Your parents were lucky. They got to reap the rewards of that work.” The light from the moon trickled into the tower, reflecting off his mask. “Few are that lucky. Yet here I am, with two first years who haven’t trained, haven’t worked at all, really. With the Storian writing your fairytale.”

The pen dipped down again, scrawling something else before flipping the page. 

“We came here for a reason!” Raven protested. “It’s our schools, sir. We’re in the wrong place!” 

That made the School Master pause. “The wrong school?” 

“Yes!” Apple yelped, elbowing Raven aside as she approached the School Master. Raven recognised that hungry look in her eye. She got it when she was trying to sweet talk adults. “A terrible mistake was made when we were at our field to depart for school. A stymph grabbed me instead of Raven, and she ended up on the Flowerground!” 

“Completely accidentally,” Raven added. Apple nodded. 

“That is interesting,” the School Master mused, stroking his beard. “A stymph making a mistake like that… it would spell quite the disaster, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly,” the girls sighed. 

“I will consider your plight then girls, if you can answer me this. Do you see the books along the walls?”

Raven looked around at the bookshelves. Identical leather spines were lined up in neat rows, gold writing along the spine the only differentiating feature among them. She couldn’t make out what each of the spine’s said, the writing too curved and hard to make out. 

Tentatively, Raven reached a hand towards the nearest one, becoming braver when neither the School Master nor Storian made a move to stop her. 

“A good pick,” the School Master said, his voice lilting. 

Raven cracked open the book, opening it to a painting. It was one she recognised, and had in fact seen rather recently. A dark haired girl was bent over a wishing well, mouth open as she spoke to it. 

“This is our parent’s story,” she said, her voice breathy. 

“What’s the big deal? There are millions of copies of it by now,” Apple huffed, glaring at the School Master. “And what’s with you, old man? The School Master is supposed to be Good. Why are you making us jump through hoops just so we can tell you something you already know?”

“Apple,” Raven breathed. 

“We’re in the wrong school! Even the stupid pen knows that much-”

“Apple!” 

“What?” Apple shrieked, finally turning to look at Raven. She held out the book, grabbing Apple’s hand to trace over the delicate writing. 

“This isn’t a copy,” she said quietly, glancing briefly at the School Master for confirmation. He said nothing, his face statue still as he watched the girls. “This is the original, isn’t it?” 

“Careful with that book, girls,” the School Master said, twirling his beard with a smile. “Destroy it, and you might just destroy your parents’ story.” 

Raven snapped the book shut and shoved it back onto its shelf, Apple helping her. 

“I thought those books were hidden,” Apple said. 

“Well, my tower is not prone to visitors. Except tonight, it appears,” the School Master said, watching the Storian as it continued scratching away at the paper. “The shelf you pulled it from is part of the books that have been completed. But you’ll notice there are other, nameless books.”

Sure enough, one of the impossibly tall bookshelves was lined with nameless books, the leather spines completely untouched. She wondered how she hadn’t noticed it earlier. 

She looked at the nameless books on their shelves, and then at the one currently on the table, the Storian’s scratching filling the silent room as it wrote on the book. 

The book that had flown straight from its shelf. 

“What about them?” Apple demanded. “Why is it all you people at this school speak in riddles? Can’t you make sense for five seconds?” 

“Ah, but I see your friend has figured out at least some of it,” the School Master said, his mouth curling under its mask. 

“That book,” Raven said, pointing to the desk with a shaky hand, “it’s not normal, is it?” 

“How astute,” the School Master said. “You said you wish to go to your proper schools, did you not? But you see, girls, I’m afraid my position on the matter has just become rather complicated.” 

“It’s not rocket science! Although that seems easier than getting you to do one simple thing!” Apple yelled. 

“You can’t, though, can you?” Raven said. Apple’s head whipped between the two of them as her face steadily grew more and more red. 

“Can one of you just tell me what you’re talking about!” she shrieked. 

“A fairytale,” Raven said. “We’re in a fairytale.” 

When the School Master nodded, she felt her stomach drop. A real fairytale. The thing her mother had wished for her since she was old enough to walk. But she was only a first year!

“Really?” squealed Apple. She seemed to share none of Raven’s panic, looking positively thrilled at the idea. 

“Indeed,” the School Master confirmed. “As the School Master, my responsibility is merely to preside over the stories and guard them. If I were to interfere now, it would have terrible consequences.”

“So I’m going to be stuck in EVIL? ” Apple shrieked. 

“For the time being,” the School Master nodded. “The Storian believes this is your starting point. There is nothing I can do.”

“How would we end up in the right place then?” asked Raven. 

“That would certainly be an interesting ending,” the School Master mused. “Where Good becomes Evil, and Evil becomes Good….”

“I’m not Evil!” Apple protested. 

“It would be difficult, of course.”

“Hey!” 

“But possible?” Raven interrupted. He nodded. “How?” 

A streak of white slashed across the room, obscuring the view above, as if an eraser had been taken to the scene. Raven and Apple looked at it, then each other, and linked hands. The School Master’s eyes landed on their interlocked fingers, and he paused. 

“I see,” he mused. “Very well then. I suppose a riddle wouldn’t count as direct interference.” 

“More riddles,” Apple groaned.

“It shouldn’t be too difficult to solve,” the School Master reassured them. Raven didn’t dare believe that. “You see, you must prove to the Storian that you deserve your ending.”

The pen stopped its writing as another slash of white streaked across the room behind the School Master. Gripping her friend’s hand tighter, Raven moved a step closer to Apple as more streaks began to appear, slowly erasing the room as the School Master and Storian stayed in front of them, untouched. 

“What is the one thing Evil can never have, and Good can never do without?”

The Storian launched onto the page, writing at breakneck speed as the girls gaped at their headmaster. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Apple stomped, attempting to pull away from Raven to march towards the School Master. Raven stopped her, yanking her backwards. Apple turned, about to yell when she saw that she had narrowly avoided stepping on one of the white marks. 

“This isn’t fair!” Raven said, the girls inching closer together as more white streaks began to fill up the room. “How are we supposed to figure that out?”

“Why can’t you and your stupid pen just leave us alone and find someone else to write about,” Apple complained, clinging desperately to Raven as they lost more and more room. “Just put us in our correct schools! This never should have been a problem in the first place. Just look at who our mothers are!” 

The School Master seemed to find that amusing, his smile growing wider as the last bit of floor beneath the girls gave out and they were sent tumbling into the blank oblivion. 

“I am,” he said. 

Then, everything went white. 

Raven could feel her hands flailing around desperately, reaching for Apple and grasping air. 

She landed on something soft, and bolted up, mouth open to yell for her friend. But no matter where she searched or how loudly she yelled, Apple was nowhere to be found. She was back in her dorm room in Good, as if she had never left. She wondered how she had ended up back there, and what she was supposed to do now. 

Across the water, Apple found herself among her roommates, wondering the same thing.

Chapter Text

The classes at the School for Good seemed particularly torturous now that Raven had a puzzle to solve. It was a miracle she even managed to get out of bed. 

Her pink uniform seemed to mock her as she trudged into the hallway. It was too pink, too bright, and far too happy for Raven’s mood. 

She kept her eyes locked on the ground as she passed by mirrors, her skin prickling uncomfortably at their presence. At the very least, she could save herself the knowledge of what she looked like after a night of no sleep. All she had done after getting back from the School Master’s tower was toss around in her bed. 

Beautification seemed particularly humiliating. 

“Good morning, girls!” the Fairy Queen chirped as she glided into the room. Raven had noticed several girls attempting to walk the same way, although Darling seemed to be the only one so far who had successfully replicated the way the Fairy Queen walked. 

Her dress that morning was long, stretching across the length of the classroom. Girls around Raven gasped in awe. 

“How does she walk in that?” Raven muttered to Cedar. 

“A wonderful question!” the Fairy Queen said. Raven sunk further into her chair, slouching as she yanked her hair in front of her face. The Fairy Queen turned to see who had asked such a thing, and her face dropped immediately at the sight of Raven. “Oh, my dear! You must be more careful with your eye cream. You look like you haven’t even slept.” 

She continued talking, but all Raven could hear was the roar of embarrassment as she slumped into a ball, curling in on herself the way she always did when subject to attention. 

“If you aren’t sleeping well, I can brew you some Sleeping Nettle tea,” Cedar whispered to her. “My dad grows trees in our garden back home. It works wonders on insomnia.”

Raven managed a nod, wondering how Cedar’s father felt about cutting the leaves off trees that he used to be made of. 

“Today, we will be learning how to walk in beautiful gowns like these,” the Fairy Queen said at the front of the class. “You will need to be well practised for the Snow Ball!” 

Oh no. In all her panicking about the School Master’s riddle, Raven hadn’t spared a thought to the event that had been looming over her. 

A ball. 

She had never actually been to one, of course. The Evil Queen would never be caught holding an event meant for Evers. No, her mother much preferred the company of her soldiers in war meetings to the peaceful joy of a ball. 

When she was younger, Raven had wondered once or twice what attending such an event might be like. 

“Why don’t we host any balls, mom?” she had asked as a young child, sitting at her mother’s right hand side as she strategised for ways to invade Wonderland. “We’re royals. Isn’t that what royals do?” 

“Evers host balls,” her mother had snapped, violet eyes blazing the way they always did when she talked about Good. “They are meant to inspire hope. Evil has no need for such ridiculous notions. Hope won’t get you anywhere. Remember that, Raven. Only ambition will get you results. It will help you conquer the world one day.”

“Raven?” 

She jumped, turning to see a concerned Cupid tilting her head at her. 

“You looked sad,” Cupid said, glancing around. A few of the other girls had also noticed, sending sidelong looks to the two. 

“Careful,” Raven told her, trying to smile. It hurt her cheeks. “You’ll risk becoming a social pariah if you talk to me.” 

“They’re just being petty,” said Cedar. “I don’t know what all the fuss is about. Isn’t Good supposed to forgive?” 

Her voice came out louder than she meant it to, echoing over the class as it fell into silence. Raven noticed Briar looking particularly offended at the statement. She tried to remember what she knew of the daughter of Sleeping Beauty, but she couldn’t think of anything. Her kingdom was friendly with other Ever kingdoms, but they were also a fortress. 

Not that they didn’t have a right to their paranoia. Theirs had been a kingdom under constant siege from Raven’s mother, and if it hadn’t been for their thick walls they might have even fallen to her. 

“Oops,” squeaked Cedar, her wooden limbs creaking as she shrunk in her chair. 

“Perhaps if you girls were paying attention instead of gossiping,” the Fairy Queen snapped, sending a pointed glare towards Raven, “you might learn to apply some of those Good rules a bit better, hm?”

“Yes, your majesty,” the three girls chorused mournfully. 

Being shoved into an oversized ball gown and forced to glide in front of her classmates definitely wasn’t Raven’s idea of fun, but the Fairy Queen already looked mad at her, so she decided to play along. Who knew, maybe she would observe something that would help with the riddle. 

Darling went first, earning top marks for her flawless technique. The girl going after her groaned, and when Raven looked she saw Brooke Page waiting in line, eyeing the dress nervously. She looked strange, too, more unnerved than the last time Raven had seen her. 

She didn’t get time to wonder what that was about, Brooke’s name being called as Darling dropped the dress off quickly and ran back to her friends. 

Brooke fell over seven times before the Fairy Queen finally ushered her away. Briar could glide, but she kept on trying to sway like she was dancing, claiming that gliding was much too boring for a girl like her. Whatever that was supposed to mean. Ashlynn completed the assignment with quiet grace. 

Raven watched, thinking about the riddle. 

Technically, it could have been referring to just about anything, which was the most frustrating part. 

The one thing Evil could never have, and Good could never do without. 

She bit her lip, digging her teeth in as she tried to focus. There were plenty of things that were forbidden for Nevers. Smiling at people, being nice, any general act of goodness. Her mother had lectured Raven on any and everything a Never queen would need to be a true villain. 

But Good?

Looking through her classmates, Raven tried to think of something they all needed. All of their faces were clear, their makeup perfect, their smiles just wide enough to be polite without stretching their faces uncomfortably. 

All in all, her classmates were the definition of beauty and perfection. 

The rest of Beautification and Princess Etiquette went about as badly as Raven had been expecting. She managed to just barely avoid last place ranks in both classes, but something would have to be done if she wanted to avoid becoming a flower in her second year. 

If her grades transferred to Evil, then she couldn’t let herself get behind. Besides, she figured there was no harm in learning about Good. After all, one day she may use the knowledge against her Nemesis. 

So she kept her head up. 

Or tried to, because by the time Animal Communication rolled around the Evergirls had begun whispering about her again after she flew face first into a wall during waltzing practice. 

“It’s the first Animal Communication class we’ve had since Raven almost burned the school down!” Cedar said happily, oblivious to Raven’s increasingly foul mood. “I bet everyone can’t wait to see what happens this time.”

“Cedar, I don’t think that’s helping,” Cupid whispered loudly, nodding her head towards Raven, who had slouched even further into herself. 

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that,” said Cedar hastily. 

The White Queen was waiting for them at the clearing, looking incredibly uncomfortable among the grass. It seemed unnatural for her to be in such a natural environment, her perfectly pressed and spotless white robes belonging inside. 

“Maid Marian has been called away on family business,” the White Queen said, glancing every few seconds at a bird watching her from a tree. “Seeing as we are lacking in teachers who specialise in… the outdoors, the top ranked among you can go use the Groom Rooms. As for those of you who find yourselves lacking in marks,” a pointed look was sent towards Raven’s general direction, “you may reflect on why that is. Dismissed!” 

Girls dispersed in every direction, most of them flocking towards the school doors at full speed in a race to get to the Groom Rooms. 

Cedar and Cupid began talking, walking over to Blondie. When they looked back at Raven, gesturing for her to come along as well, she came up with a quick excuse about needing to use the bathroom and sprinted away. 

There was no way she was going to pass up a free period of exploration. 

The Gallery of Good looked the same as the last time she had seen it. Raven took her time getting there, checking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure that she wasn’t being followed. 

Knowing that she had no time to waste, she darted straight to the back of the gallery. The paintings were right where she left them, the last one drawing her in again. 

“Do you like it?” a voice asked. Jumping, Raven whirled around, an excuse poised on her lips when she paused. 

The man must have been a teacher from his attire, but he looked strange. His beard covered a burgundy suit jacket, while the rest of his hair stuck straight out of his skull, hanging in a halo that defied gravity. 

“Not my best work, according to some. I happen to think it’s charming,” he continued, his cane tapping the floor with each step he took. 

“It’s the only one with two girls,” Raven pointed out, taking a step away from the man. He wasn’t even looking her way, his eyes fixed ahead at the painting, a pair of gold glasses hanging from the end of a crooked nose. 

“The only one without a kiss featured, as well,” the man pointed out. “That seems to be the way all fairytales are heading these days.” 

“Is that bad?” Raven asked at the tone of his  voice.

“It is simple,” he replied, “to think that romance is the only place that love can be found.”

“Huh,” said Raven, allowing them to lapse into silence. The man seemed completely unbothered by her presence, scanning the painting with a strange intensity. “Who are you, anyway?”

For some reason, that made the man laugh. “I suppose I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I?” He held out a hand. 

“Giles Grimm, at your service.”

-

Nobody let Apple forget about the bridge troll incident. Overnight, her reputation had gone from the promising future of Evil to the worst villain in history. 

Truly, there was no one who could spread gossip like teenagers. 

In Uglification, she tried to focus as Sparrow and Duchess hollered insults from the back. They were learning about magical fabrics, which was useful regardless of her school. 

“Who can tell us what the properties of a gryphon skin cloak are?” Step 1 asked. 

“They allow you to jump off high ledges without it being a fatal fall, slowing down the process,” Lizzie answered quickly. She was by far enjoying Apple’s humiliation the most. The incident with Darling and Daring seemed to have inflated her ego significantly, Apple being left to suffer the consequences. 

“Maybe you could test it out sometime,” Apple mused. When Lizzie sent her a withering glare, she felt her own smile falter. Did she say that out loud?

Lizzie opened her mouth to retort-

“I see we have a volunteer to go next,” Step 2 said. LIzze’s jaw snapped shut, a smug smile replacing her frown. 

“Oh, no I didn’t-”

“What are the properties of snakeskin?” Step 1 said. 

Sweating, Apple wracked her brain. Her mother had taught her about nearly every fabric under the sun, sure, but she was a princess! Only the relevant fabrics to her standing were ever memorised. She’d only heard of snakeskin in passing whispers about foreign villains. 

“They make you… more slippery?” she guessed, feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment. 

“They make you invisible, genius,” said Duchess, cackling. “Man, the top rank’s going to be wide open!” 

“Good job, Duchess,” Step 1 said. “As for you, Miss White-”

“Princess,” mumbled Apple.

“-you may want to think about looking over your textbooks before class next time,” Step 1 finished, huffing. 

By the time she got to her History of Villainy class, she was ready to jump into the moat and try swimming over to Good. Anything would be better than coming in second to last in every class as her classmates mocked her. 

“Alright brats, stupid Grimm’s over at Good today, so you’re all stuck with me!” 

Apple had been wondering when she saw Rumplestiltskin missing in her Special Talents class. He had to stand on the desk at the front of the class to even see his students over their desks. 

“Let’s see,” he grumbled, flipping through a book that looked about the same size as him. “Alright, today we will be learning about the history of Ever After!”

The class let out a collective groan. 

“Whiners get sent to the Doom Room to spin straw for me!” Rumplestiltskin shouted. That shut everyone up. 

“Why do we even need an explanation?” Apple grumbled. “It’s not like anyone needs it. Everyone learns about this in primary school!” 

“Technically this is supposed to be our review class,” Maddie whispered to her. “Really, it’s just an excuse to tell the Readers about the school’s history.”

“Where is this school’s Reader, anyway?” Apple asked. She’d been so busy with her own troubles that she hadn’t spared a thought to anything else. 

Maddie just shrugged. “A couple people were placing bets on who it was, but now a rumour’s going around that whoever it was died.”

Shivering, Apple glared out the window at the School for Good. It was practically mocking with the way it sparkled in the sunlight. She could have been doing her hair in the Groom Room, and instead she was stuck hearing about possibly dead Readers!

“So, who would like to start us off?” Rumplestiltskin asked. When nobody volunteered, he huffed and bonked Duchess on the head with his cane. 

“Hey!” Duchess yelled. 

“I see we have a volunteer!” Rumplestiltskin replied. 

She looked furious about it, but there was nothing that she could really do to protest. Wolves hung around the doors of the classroom, ready to drag her off to the Doom Room at any moment, and she didn’t exactly seem in any hurry to return. 

Sparrow whistled as she walked to the front, Duchess elbowing him when she walked by his desk. 

Rumplestiltskin handed her the giant book, which she almost dropped at first. 

“Why is this thing so heavy?” she grumbled. 

“Maybe you’re just too weak to handle it,” Lizzie sneered. Flushing red, Duchess didn’t complain about the book’s weight again. 

“Long ago,” she started, in a shrill voice, “there were two brothers. One Good, one Evil. Although they were from opposing sides, they loved each other, and this love allowed them to remain immortal. Together, they ruled over Ever After for centuries until-”

“Duchess!” Rumplestiltskin snapped. 

“What?” she shrieked. It may have just been Apple’s imagination, but she could have sworn the feather in Duchess’ hair ruffled. 

“Read it seriously, or you’re spinning straw for a month!” Rumplestiltskin cackled at just the thought. What a horrid man. Duchess glared at him, venom clear in her voice, but merely coughed and continued. 

“Together they ruled Ever After for centuries, keeping the balance of our world in order as fairytales unfolded,” she continued, glaring at Rumplestiltskin. “Better?”

“Imagine how much gold I could get with you spinning straw for two months!” he giggled. 

Looking horrified, Duchess shrieked, “WHAT?”

-

“You’re my history teacher, aren’t you?” Raven asked. Giles nodded. His clasp on her hand reminded her of her father with how it was firm but gentle, allowing her hand to slip easily out of his after they shook. 

“It would appear that way, wouldn’t it?” he mused. “Now, I believe you owe me an answer as well, Miss Queen. Do you like the paintings?”

Raven started at the use of her surname, although she supposed it wasn’t completely improbable that a teacher would know it. Especially a history teacher. After all, she was getting constant comparisons to her mother. It was only a matter of time before someone at the School for Good recognised her. 

She looked around at the paintings. “They’re very beautiful.” She glanced over at her teacher. “Why are they in here?” 

“This is a gallery for shelved stories, and I’m afraid I’ve become one of them,” Giles chuckled. “You would be one of the few who actually like my paintings.”

“But they’re beautiful!” Raven gasped. “I wish I could draw this well.”

“They are pleasing to the eye, I suppose,” Giles said. “But my paintings have a bit of unfortunate luck attached to them.”

“Unfortunate luck?” Raven asked. 

“Oh! Would you look at the time? I must be off before your next class gets cancelled as well,” he said, rushing away. The sound of his cane echoed after he left. 

Raven looked at the painting of the two girls again. The longer she stared at it, the more she was sure that the answer to the riddle lay in the painting. But unfortunate luck? 

She had enough of curses. 

The class was buzzing with excitement when she walked in. When she set foot in class, however, the noise died down. She could practically feel the clock ticking on her time at the School for Good as she walked in, untucking her hair from behind her ear so she would have some respite from the stares. 

Cedar waved her over to a desk in the corner, and she was glad for the gesture. At least someone was on her side. 

Blondie buried her head further into her textbook, looking guilty. 

“Everybody thinks you’re trying to fail out and get put in Evil,” Cedar whispered to her the second she sat down. At Raven’s gaping expression, the wood on her cheeks darkened and she added, “A bunch of them were talking about it in the Groom Room.” 

“I didn’t mean to trample the school!” Raven sighed. “It was an accident.”

“Was it really?” Raven jumped at the voice, turning in her chair to see Rosabella Beauty staring at her, a strange intensity in her deep brown eyes. 

“Of course,” said Raven. “Why would I willingly do that?” 

Rosabella shrugged. “People can have their reasons. Why do people sell organs on the black market? Strange things happen.”

Gaping at her, Raven wasn’t sure whether she should be offended or relieved by the comparison. 

“Anyway, if you mean it you should probably tell people that,” Rosabella continued, oblivious to Raven’s shock. “Evers tend to miss apologies unless they’re told directly. Funny, isn’t it? We’re supposed to forgive and we’re the best at holding grudges.”

Something about the way she said, “we,” made Raven deeply uncomfortable. As if they were the same. As if Raven belonged . 

But if she belonged, where would Apple go?

“Welcome, class, to your History of Heroism!” Giles Grimm announced. He seemed more regal at the front of the class, demanding a kind of formality and respect that hadn’t been there before. “Now, let’s begin with attendance.” He looked up, adjusting his glasses. “Ah, but we’re missing half our population!” 

“What’s he talking about?” Raven asked Cedar, who opened her mouth to respond. She never got the chance. 

With a slam, the doors burst open and in gushed an army’s worth of princes. 

Principal among them being Daring Charming. Raven felt her teeth grind together at just the sight of him. Apparently she wasn’t the only one because Darling stood up the second he walked in, moving to a desk on the other side of the room from him. 

Huh. 

Ignoring his sister, Daring sauntered to the front and centre of the class, taking a seat directly in front of Giles. 

But someone else quickly drew Raven’s attention. 

“Dexter!” Cupid squealed quietly beside her. With her stomach churning, Raven sank a bit in her seat. 

For what it was worth, he looked terrible. The blue eyes that had gleamed at the Welcome Ceremony now looked practically grey, dark purple rimming bloodshot eyes. It was like he hadn’t slept in weeks. 

“Do the princes seem off to you guys?” Cedar asked. “Look, they’re all avoiding each other.”

Sure enough, it was obvious that something happened in the boys’ classes, because they were all settling on complete opposite sides of the class. When Dexter began making his way over to her, Raven ducked behind Cedar, trying her best to hide. 

“Hey Cupid,” he said, waving to her. Cupid looked ready to pass out from just that acknowledgement. “Cedar.” The wooden girl nodded politely as Dexter turned towards the last of their group. “Raven.”

Hearing him say her first name made her stomach twist, and Raven gave a curt nod in response. Cedar and Cupid glanced at each other, equally confused about the odd tension between the two, and Raven cursed that she wasn’t a better liar. 

“Can I sit?” he asked. 

“Of course,” replied Cupid instantly, before Raven could come up with a reasonable excuse to say no. 

At the very least, Raven had Cedar sitting on one side of her and Cupid on the other, so Dexter wouldn’t be sitting next to her. Instead, he settled next to Cupid, whose face was almost as pink as her hair. 

Turning back to the front, Raven noticed Rosabella frowning at Daring. She thought once more of the image Rosabella had conjured in the lake, and of what might have happened to drive the two apart. 

“Darling won’t even look at me,” Dexter sighed, staring miserably at his siblings. 

“Did you get in a fight?” asked Cupid. She sounded genuinely concerned, placing a hand gently on Dexter’s back. It was such a sweet, casually intimate gesture. 

Raven felt nauseous. 

“I see we have been joined by our future princes and kings,” Giles said at the front. “Now we may begin with our lesson! For today, we will simply be reviewing the general history of Ever After.”

When the class chorused in groans, he added, “We would not want our lovely Reader to misunderstand any history, would we?”

Brooke blushed when the princes took notice of her, the first time Raven had seen her smile that day. She sat a bit straighter in her chair, just like the Fairy Queen had taught them all, and Raven felt herself smile. Apparently Brooke caught on quickly. 

Giles proceeded to explain the history of their world. Nobody really paid attention, Evergirls whispering flirtations to the boys, while the boys yawned. Raven spotted several students in the back row napping. 

It was an old story, after all. 

The School Master used to have a brother. One was Good, and one was Evil. Everyone knew how the story unfolded from there. 

But Raven’s only other option was to watch Cupid flirt with Dexter, so she decided to pay attention. 

For centuries, the brothers ruled Ever After in peace, guarding the Storian, which wrote the stories of the Endless Woods. It was the pen’s writing that allowed it to keep the world moving, and the brothers’ love that kept the stories balanced. Evil won half the time, and half the time Good won. 

Then, Raven’s mother happened. 

A couple kids looked at her when Giles got to that part of his review, and she tried to look nonchalant. 

When the Evil Queen decided to wage war, she was assisted by one of the brothers. Everyone naturally assumed the Evil brother helped her. After all, what reason would Good have to assist the queen of Evil?

Nobody had seen it coming. After all, Raven’s mother had a story before she started her war. She poisoned her stepdaughter, who was then woken by a prince. But it wasn’t enough for the Evil Queen. She wanted more. More power, more land, more territory. 

Raven could still remember the look in her mother’s eyes during those war councils. Her dad never liked her sitting in on them, but the Evil Queen insisted that her daughter be taught how to lead a battalion from the best. At the time, it seemed like the best deal in the world. Raven would even get to skip school on those days, and as long as she nodded along to whatever her mother said, she was showered with praise. 

Then she grew up a little and realised that her mother had been killing innocent people in those raids. 

In her seat, Raven shivered despite the boiling classroom. 

Her mood only seemed to be dropping at the thought of her mother, and with no other distractions she was left contemplating the riddle. The one thing Evil could never have. 

Well, her mother certainly seemed to have everything she ever wanted. Power, beauty, infamy, she had them all. 

“So, Dexter, what are your hobbies?” Cupid was asking beside Raven. 

Dexter looked at Raven before answering, as if asking for permission to. It was entirely bizarre. But what was even weirder was how Raven found herself nodding, granting it. 

“Have you ever catapulted cabbages?” Dexter asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement for the first time since he walked into class. 

Cupid giggled. “How would that even work? I mean, wouldn’t you get into trouble?” 

“You can’t get in trouble if nobody knows,” Dexter shrugged. 

Watching him explain the process to Cupid as she listened with a wide smile, Raven waited for the jealousy to sneak in. After all, she’d been jealous plenty of times before. Of the children in her town, able to make friends without being persecuted. Of her father, able to move on from her mother’s actions. 

Of Apple, even if she never liked admitting it. Of how excited Apple was to be a queen, to be Good, when all Raven had felt towards her future was dread. 

But Dexter looked so happy as he spoke to Cupid, and Raven thought that maybe she could be happy too. After all, now he was free to find his true love. 

With a gasp, Raven shot up out of her chair. 

“Something wrong, Miss Queen?” Giles asked. The entire class had turned towards her, her classmates looking very annoyed at the interruption to their lesson. 

“No, nothing,” she replied sheepishly. She looked at the clock, counting down the minutes until lunch when she could see Apple again. 

And tell her about how they were going to solve this riddle.

Chapter Text

Lunch really shouldn’t have been a joint event. 

Evers kept to their side of the Clearing, Nevers kept to theirs, and both pretended the other side didn’t exist. 

As for Apple, she was having a wonderful pity party by herself under a tree. When she walked into the Clearing, nobody so much as glanced her way, and Daring only huffed at the sight of her, turning away. 

By the time Raven found her, she was practically wilting. 

“Apple! I’m so glad I found you, I have great news about the riddle-”

“Is that a rampion salad?” Apple interrupted. Nevers were given crude pails of grey sludge for their lunch, but Raven’s lunch plate looked marvellous. And rampion salad was Apple’s favourite!

“Huh? Yeah, I guess it is,” Raven said. “Do you want-”

Before she could even finish the question Apple snatched it, digging in. After all, she would need strength to survive another twenty four hours with the horrible Nevers. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you actually scarf down a meal,” Raven remarked as she bit into her sandwich. Apple didn’t care about that. After all, carbs would only give her acne, and that was the last thing she needed. 

“Don’t get me started,” Apple groaned through a mouthful of rampion. “They treat me like a prisoner over there! How am I supposed to maintain a beautiful visage if I’m being fed gruel?”

“How… terrible?” Raven replied, apparently aiming for sympathy but ending more at sarcastic. “But I have good news for you.” 

“How could any news be good right now?” Apple moped, shoving another forkful of rampion in her mouth. Across the Clearing, she watched Daring flirt with a couple of the Evergirls. 

“I solved the riddle,” Raven said, smiling proudly. 

It took a moment for Apple to actually register what the words meant, but the second they did she turned to Raven, eyes wide. 

“Really?”

“Really.”

Apple tackled Raven in a hug, the few remaining leaves of her salad flinging onto the grass. By the time Apple finally let Raven go to let her breathe, her friend was entirely out of breath from her hug and wheezing. 

“You’re the best!” Apple squealed. “I never should’ve doubted you for a second, you genius. So what is it? Do I need to do charity work? Give to the poor? Be nice to my roommates for a day? I suppose I could, although it would be rather difficult and they don’t make it easy-”

“Apple!” Raven exclaimed, smiling. “You don’t need to do anything like that. I, uh, I know generally what the solution is. But I’m still not sure what we need to do to solve it.”

“Oh,” Apple deflated a little, but was back a moment later. “Well that’s not so bad, is it? We’ll just figure it out! So, what do you know?” 

Raven glanced over at the Everboys, shook her head and leaned in towards Apple. “The one thing Evil can never have and Good can never do without. I can’t believe it took me so long to realise, but it’s true love.”

True love. 

The thing every Ever in Ever After longed for. The thing Apple had been raised to find. 

“So what, I find my true love and this whole business is solved? That doesn’t seem right,” she sighed. “Fairytales need something more, don’t they?”

“Well, I suppose you need to prove it’s true love?” Raven guessed. “But I’m not sure what would count as proof.”

The girls sighed, defeated. As they thought about what to do, Apple found her eyes drifting back towards the Everboys. At home, boys used to fawn over her all the time! Every time she stepped outside she would have a bouquet thrust into her arms. 

No flowers were awaiting her anymore. Picking at her frumpy robe, Apple frowned. 

“It doesn’t even matter,” she moped. “I’ll never get the attention of a prince looking like this.”

Raven opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out.

-

Good Deeds was taught by the White Queen, who looked like she would rather be anywhere else. 

Or maybe Raven was projecting. 

Because she certainly would have rather been anywhere else. The rest of her lunch period with Apple had been spent with each of them updating the other on what they learned so far, so that when they finally returned to the correct schools they wouldn’t be behind. 

They decided to postpone thinking about how Apple would prove she found her true love. Neither girl could think of a solution, and at the moment it would only do more harm than good. 

Yet Raven was finding it was all she could think of. 

“Welcome to Good Deeds,” the White Queen said. Regardless of whether she wanted to be there or not, she was certainly distracted, glancing out the window every few seconds. “I’m afraid we will still be catching up to your other classes today.” 

She scanned the classroom in contemplation, then sighed and began lecturing. 

“Everyone’s talking about you and Apple eating together,” Cedar whispered to her as the White Queen continued talking. “Apparently you guys are friends? It’s bad luck to be friends with a villain you know.”

“Do you have paint on your hands?” Raven asked to change the topic. If it was possible for a girl made of wood to blush, Cedar did. 

“I, uh, I like to paint in the Groom Room during lunches,” she admitted. “The other Evergirls think it’s strange, so that’s the only time I can go and not be disturbed.”

The change seemed to work at distracting her, because Cedar was far more quiet after that. 

Unfortunately, that meant other people got a chance to be loud. 

A tap on Raven’s shoulder had her turning around, and her face dropped when she saw who it was.

“I never got the chance to actually talk to you earlier,” Dexter said. 

No, he certainly hadn’t. 

“Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m sorry about what happened,” he continued when Raven ignored him. Or tried to ignore him. It wasn’t exactly working. “Daring shouldn’t have done that.”

“Is that why you guys weren’t even looking at each other earlier?” Raven asked. 

It wasn’t meant to hurt Dexter, but she could tell it did. “We just had a disagreement.”

“It looked like a little more than that.”

“What does it take to apologise to you?” he laughed. The sound was so bright and innocent. The laugh of a boy who hadn’t seen how cruel the world could be. 

She wanted to bottle the sound. 

“Quite a bit, apparently,” Raven grinned back at him. For a second it was just the two of them, smiling at each other like there was no one else in the room.

Then, Raven’s eyes shifted just a bit, and she saw Cupid watching their exchange carefully.

Her smile dropped instantly, and she turned back around, whispering over her shoulder. “Right, well, I forgive you I guess. But you have to leave me alone. We can’t be friends.”

“Why not?” he asked. She groaned internally. She’d been hoping he would just let it go, but as usual luck was not on Raven’s side. 

“It’s not good,” she whispered back, trying to use Cedar to block Cupid’s view of her. “Villains and heroes aren’t supposed to talk to each other, and they’re really not supposed to be friends.”

“Then why are you friends with that Nevergirl?”

“That’s different.”

“Because she didn’t have a brother who killed a gargoyle?”

“Because she’s not a Never,” Raven snapped. 

“And you are?” 

“Of course.” 

“Why?” Why was he still asking her questions? Raven couldn’t catch her brain up to her mouth, blurting out the first thing she thought up-

“Because I’m the villain in our story!” she said, louder than she meant to. 

“I do hope everyone is paying attention,” the White Queen huffed, glaring at the two of them. Raven and Dexter both sunk in their seats, looking away from each other. 

Dexter waited about a minute after the White Queen began speaking again to start talking to her.

“What story?” he whispered, leaning over his desk so that his head was almost directly beside her. She refused to look at him, keeping her eyes fixed on the White Queen. Her grades were already on shaky ground, and the last thing she needed was a distraction. 

That’s all Dexter is , she reminded herself. A distraction . 

“None of your business,” she whispered back, trying to keep her mouth as closed as possible so the White Queen wouldn’t notice their conversation again.

“If it’s the reason you won’t talk to me then I think that’s kind of my business, don’t you?” 

“Not really,” Raven replied, gritting her teeth. 

“Just tell me what you meant.” His face moved closer to hers, his breath moving her hair as he talked. Raven ignored both of those events and continued staring at the White Queen.

“If you don’t pay attention you’re going to lose your Groom Room privileges,” Raven reminded him. 

“I don’t use it anyway,” Dexter said, moving so close that she could see the bright blue of his eyes in her peripheral vision. 

At the front of the class, the White Queen remained oblivious to their interaction. “Good Deeds are essential to a happy ending of a fairytale. Even if Good has been on a winning streak, there is no guarantee of you winning your stories.”

Raven snorted, making several people glare at her.

“Something to add, Miss Queen?” the White Queen asked, narrowing her eyes. 

“Not really,” Raven said, squirming under the attention of her classmates. “Just that, well, the winning streak is kind of a fact by now, isn’t it?” 

“The winning streak,” the White Queen huffed, “isn’t guaranteed to hold out any time soon, which is why Evers must be on their best behaviour at all times. We must try to uphold the ideals of Good at all times, so that when your story comes around, you may survive it.” 

“And what if my story already started?” Raven asked. 

“You shouldn’t joke about that,” Dexter replied quickly. When she turned, she saw him shake his head ever so slightly. There was still time to back down, say she phrased her words wrong. 

But Raven needed answers. 

“It’s not a joke,” she snapped, turning back to the White Queen.

“How exactly would you even know if your story had started?” the White Queen asked, glaring at her as she laughed in a high, fake pitch. “It’s not like you can see the Storian to find out, my dear.”

“But I did see it,” Raven pressed. “I went to the School Master’s tower yesterday,” gasps rang throughout the class, “and it started writing about Apple and I.”

“How would you even get in the School Master’s tower?” Briar asked, narrowing her eyes. 

“That’s not relevant, Briar,” the White Queen snapped before turning to Raven. For a moment Raven was sure she was going to explode, yell at her and question her in front of the entire class as she failed Raven and sent her to a fate worse than death. 

But then the White Queen sighed, and brushed off the skirts of her gown. 

“It is good to know that my class is so creative this year. Perhaps my Wonderlandian ways are rubbing off on you after all,” the White Queen chuckled. “Now to continue with the lesson.”

Raven opened her mouth to protest as the White Queen began lecturing again, but one look from her Dean and she snapped it shut again. 

The rest of the class passed in tense explanations from the White Queen as she reminded her whispering students that they weren’t allowed to talk in class. Dexter tapped on Raven’s shoulder again, but she didn’t turn around this time. 

After class the first years were called into the clearing. Apple and Raven found each other quickly. 

“What did you do?” Apple demanded upon seeing her. 

“How do you know it was me?” Raven asked. 

“Please,” said Apple, rolling her eyes. “Who else makes trouble in a school made for Good people? Every time something happens, it’s a good bet that one of us is to blame, and I haven’t done anything.” Cringing, Apple added, “For once.”

“I didn’t-”

“TAKE YOUR SEATS NOW!” Rumplestiltskin barked, smiling as he whacked some Nevers with his cane to rush them to their seats. 

The Never and Ever students clearly weren’t fond of being called together. Separating the way they had at lunch, the tension was tangible. Raven noticed Briar sitting front and centre with Ashlynn and Darling, while Faybelle Thorn kicked pebbles at her. Crystal Winter was in an odd face off with North Wind and Jackie Frost as they talked about the most important roles for winter. 

Still, Raven heard all about Rumplestiltskin from her mother, and for once she could agree with her on something. He was certainly as grumpy as she described him. 

“Get in line, students,” the White Queen said, ushering her students to their seats. 

“Where’s Maid Marian?” Apple whispered to Raven, scanning the crowd. “She’s not with the Ever teachers.”

“Got called away on a family emergency,” Raven whispered back. “My Animal Communication class ended up being cancelled because of it.”

“ Your class?” Apple asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Only for now, obviously,” Raven said quickly. 

“I wonder if it’s because of Sparrow,” Apple mused. 

“Sparrow?” asked Raven, but Apple wasn’t paying attention to her. The Evergirls and boys had noticed her staring, and were whispering about the two of them. Nudging her friend’s shoulder, Raven said, “Hey, it’s okay. You’ll prove them all wrong, right?” 

“Yeah,” Apple moped, suddenly far more quiet. Her eyes kept finding someone in the crowd, brow furrowing each time she did, but Raven couldn’t tell who it was. 

Baba Yaga and the White Queen gathered at the front of the Clearing, arms folded in front of them. 

Rumplestiltskin wasn’t needed to tell the students to be quiet this time. The second the Deans got on stage, the entire Clearing fell silent. 

“Good afternoon, students,” the White Queen said, smiling benevolently at her pupils. 

“Why we must waste time telling you all what should be common sense, I have no idea,” Baba Yaga scoffed, the White Queen elbowing her. “Ahem, anyway. It seems that lies have been spreading in school. Not my school, of course.”

Rolling her eyes, the White Queen continued, “We have gathered you to address a particularly distressing rumour going around as of late.”

“Distressing is one word for it,” Baba Yaga grumbled. 

“We would like to make it clear,” the White Queen said, raising her voice over Baba Yaga’s, “that first years should not be perusing the grounds after curfew without permission. Anyone seen doing so will result in immediate punishment.”

A bit late for that , thought Raven, shuddering at the memory of the stymph. 

“Additionally, we would like to remind everyone that first years cannot have a fairytale start,” the White Queen said, staring at Raven and Apple. 

Several other people, Ever and Never alike, were glaring at them. The two girls drew closer to each other, shrinking under their classmates’ glares. 

In the crowd, Raven saw Dexter sitting beside the boy Briar had wished for, Hopper. He was staring at her apologetically, although for once she couldn’t think up a reason he should be sorry. 

“Are these the troublemakers, then?” Baba Yaga asked, staring straight at Raven. “I would have expected a better tall tale from the daughter of the Evil Queen.” 

“It’s not a tall tale!” Raven protested, drawing the attention of the few students who had been ignoring the debacle as she sprang to her feet. “I’m a better liar than that!” 

“That’s really not something to be proud of,” Apple muttered. 

“Back me up here!” whined Raven. Looking over at the Everboys, Apple sighed long and slow before finally rising to stand beside Raven. 

“She’s telling the truth,” Apple confirmed. “A future Ever queen would never lie.”

For some reason, the statement made Baba Yaga grin. Raven couldn’t help noticing that her molars were filed down to sharp points that glistened like fangs in the bright afternoon sunlight. 

“It’s a shame you aren’t an Ever queen then, isn’t it?” 

As Apple opened her mouth to protest, a couple of wolves grabbed her by the arms and began to drag her away. Raven reached out to grab her, the two girls’ hands extending out for each other, fingertips barely brushing-

-only for them to miss as Raven’s arms were grabbed by a pair of nymphs. 

“Lying about such a serious occurrence is not fit for an Ever, Miss Queen,” the White Queen admonished. 

“But it’s not a lie!” Raven sobbed as she was dragged away, Apple nodding her head desperately. She saw Dexter in the crowd, catching a brief glimpse of his shocked face as she struggled against the nymphs before he was once again lost in the sea of students. “We really are in a fairy tale! I don’t know why, but it’s happening. Just believe us!”

“Please,” Apple added, kicking at the legs of the wolves who were dragging her away. Raven was about to wonder why she was so pale when she remembered how Nevers got punished for lying. 

Which brought back another memory. Of her lying in bed as a child, her mother reading her the disastrous tale of the Dark Fairy and Sleeping Beauty, and explaining the rule of fairy tales. The rule that usurped even Good and Evil. 

Someone must always die at the end of a story. 

And Evil was on a losing streak. 

“Please,” Raven begged, her voice rising in desperation as fairies latched onto her in place of the nymphs, carrying her up and towards her room. She tried to struggle, but their nails were pointed claws that dug into her shoulders with each movement. “People are in danger! Somebody could die, so why won’t you just believe us?”

Hazel eyes and a grey beard flashed through her mind. “Professor Grimm knows something! His paintings. I think he painted us, just ask him!”

The White Queen and Baba Yaga drew closer together at Raven’s words, scanning the crowd for a hint of a silver beard. 

But Giles Grimm was nowhere to be found. 

-

Apple was getting awfully tired of kicking wolves, so she decided she wouldn’t anymore. 

Her body was a dead weight as she relaxed every muscle in her petite frame, making the wolves drag her down to the Doom Room. It didn’t stall them as long as she would have liked, but it did delay her torture a little. 

Torture! Apple couldn’t survive that! She was a princess! 

Biting her lip, she hoped that her watering eyes weren’t too visible. Knowing the way that Evil worked, the wolves would probably be delighted that they made her cry before even getting to her real punishment. 

They threw her into the room, so she landed on her hands and knees, scraping both. 

In front of her stood the largest wolf she had ever seen. With translucent white fur and shining red eyes, it glared down on her, making her shiver. Clenched in his hand was a scroll of parchment that he opened as she staggered to her feet, the other two wolves slamming the doors shut behind them, locking her in with the Beast. 

“Apple White of White Kingdom, you have been summoned here for the following trespassing matters: Conspiracy to Commit Untruth and Dissolution of Assembly-”

“That wasn’t my fault!” Apple screeched. 

“As punishment for these crimes,” the Beast continued, ignoring her, “you will be subject to whatever punishment I see fit for the afternoon.”

Before Apple could back up, he grabbed her arm, furry claws digging into her beautiful, unblemished skin. The very thought of injury had Apple screaming as she yanked her arm back with all the force she could. For maybe the first time in her life, Apple actually wished she had muscle to pull away fully. 

“Lying is a very serious offence,” the Beast said casually, keeping one hand wrapped around her wrist as he scanned the weapons lined up on the wall. Every kind of torture device was waiting, and Apple could feel her face pale at the sight of them. 

“I didn’t lie,” she sobbed, trying and failing to pull away once more. “You’re going to bruise me!” 

The Beast stopped his scanning at her words to look over her once more. 

“Interesting,” he rumbled, his voice echoing around the dark chamber. Apple looked around frantically. Behind the Beast and his wall of weapons was a river, clouded with the grime of the moat around Evil. “Usually it takes longer to find a weakness.”

“What are you talking about?” Apple snapped, eyes fixed on the river. “Let me go! This is no way to treat a princess!” 

“Princess?” the Beast said, reaching out and picking an axe off the wall. “You’re a Never. There’s no princesses for Evil. Only tyrants and dictators.”

It was an odd thing to say about his own side, but Apple couldn’t pause to think as he plucked an axe off the wall and spun it in his hand. He chained one of her hands to the wall as she kicked at him, her tears falling freely. 

“I’m not a tyrant,” she sobbed. “I’m Good! I’m a Good person.” 

“That’s why you need this punishment,” the Beast said. “Pain makes you Evil. Pain makes you learn.”

“I don’t need to learn,” Apple yanked on the chain holding her wrist, trying to get away, but the metal didn’t budge. “I’m Good!”

“A shame that you don’t see, princess,” the Beast said, and for a moment his red eyes almost seemed to glisten with sympathy, “but you will be the most Evil of us all.”

He didn’t grab her hand, but instead her golden curls, raising them up. Apple’s eyes widened as the Beast raised his axe, what was about to happen dawning on her. She wrestled against the chain, but the Beast’s grip on her hair was too tight, not letting her pull away. 

The hair seemed to float as it fell to the floor. 

Apple’s hand was unchained, and she dropped to the floor, staring at her beautiful hair. The hair she spent hours labouring over to make look beautiful, even through the constant comparisons to her mother and bloodline. 

Shaking hands lifted her hair as she watched it slip through her fingers. She wasn’t crying anymore, a strange calm coming over her as she looked at it. 

The Beast was washing his hands off in the river, completely calm after what he’d done. It was of no consequence to him, just another day of torturing students. 

He didn’t even notice Apple's approach. 

The water splashed her elbows as she held his head down, unflinching as she finally overpowered him. It took less time than she imagined for the Beast’s body to go limp, blood seeping from his head where he hit it on the rocks of the river. 

When she let go the rest of his body followed him in, letting him be swept away by the current.

Apple walked out of the dungeon, smoothing her robe as she closed the door behind her. 

“I’m a Good person,” she said. 

The words echoed around the hall until they rang into silence. 

“I’m a Good person.”

Chapter Text

Raven was nowhere to be found when Apple showed up for Surviving Fairy Tales, but it was far from her greatest concern. She had no doubt that Raven was in her room in one of the Good towers while Apple had to face humiliation. 

“You look terrible!” Lizzie practically squealed when she saw Apple, who shrunk at her words. Kitty and Maddie, who had been standing beside her, both turned to look at her at the comment. 

Even Kitty looked surprised. 

“What happened to you?” Maddie giggled. “I thought princesses usually have long hair? Oh! Are you finally going to be a proper Never?” 

“I’m not a Never!” Apple said, her voice shrill. 

“You certainly look like one now,” Kitty said, her arm resting on Lizzie’s shoulder as she examined Apple. 

The Evers had finally noticed her entrance, and they seemed about as thrilled about her haircut as she was. Daring scoffed before turning away, which made Apple want to crawl into the grass below, while his sister’s eyes seemed to linger on her. 

That meddlesome sister. If she had just offered to help Apple, which any proper Ever would, then none of this would have happened!

Her brother nudged her, and she turned from Apple to talk to him, leaving Apple flushed with anger and glaring at her back. 

“Are you blushing?” asked Maddie, propping her chin over Kitty’s shoulder. 

“I’m angry!” Apple snapped, marching past their group. Kitty and Lizzie just shrugged, but Maddie wasn’t done with her yet, following after Apple. 

“What do you think will happen to Raven?” she mused, her brow creasing for a split second as her smile dropped. If Apple hadn’t been looking she would never have caught the shift in expression. “No flying the coop when the windows are barred.”

“Raven will be fine,” Apple said, tugging at the end of her hair. It wasn’t even cut evenly, the axe slice leaving the bottom of her hair shorter than the front, with skewed layers that didn’t suit her at all. “She knows how to survive. I’m the one you should be worrying about.”

“Well, you could certainly use the help,” Maddie giggled. When Apple glared at her, she smiled sheepishly and added, “Sorry.” 

Jack B. Nimble was walking their group over to a collection of vines that seemed strangely familiar to Apple, and he paused when they reached the edge of the collection to turn back to his group.

“Today we will be going on the Flowerground,” he announced. A couple of Nevers groaned, while several Evergirls gasped in excitement, the Everboys smiling. “Please note that this is purely for transportation to our final destination; the Garden of Good and Evil.” 

A chill seemed to run through the class at even the name. The Garden of Good and Evil. It was where Evers and Nevers went to be buried at the end of their lives, a place reserved for those who had achieved infamy through their fairy tales. 

But Apple was practically ecstatic. She would finally get to go on the Flowerground! It hated Nevers, so if it didn’t reject her then it would be a sure way to prove she was Good. 

Her happiness lasted all of three seconds, before she remembered the stymphs. 

For the time being, she was stuck in Evil until the Storian decided she wasn’t a villain anymore. But until then, the world would be treating her like one. 

Sighing, Apple let the branches of the Flowerground wrap tightly around her. They would have to lock her into place so she wouldn’t get thrown off. 

“Evers and Nevers will be paired up for this assignment,” Jack B. Nimble announced once the Nevers were seated. 

Both Evers and Nevers began to protest, but Professor Nimble wasn’t paying any attention to their complaints as he began calling out pairs. After a few minutes of him yelling over people’s voices, the students seemed to realise that they weren’t going to change his mind. 

Maddie got paired with Bunny Blanc while Kitty got paired with Alistair Wonderland, both ecstatic with the pairs. Personally, Apple thought naming your child after the place he was born was a bit pretentious, but she kept her mouth shut since Maddie was sitting in front of her. 

Lizze was paired with Cedar Wood, the two looking surprisingly unbothered by the match. Duchess, who was sitting behind Lizzie, was paired with Daring. She looked thrilled, but he seemed positively miserable. 

Oh, well. At least Apple didn’t have to worry about her prince being stolen on this field trip. 

Unfortunately, she would soon find she had larger problems. 

“Darling Charming,” Professor Nimble called. Daring’s sister stepped forward, her hair plaited down her back. As Apple looked at her, she mourned the lack of Groom Rooms in Evil, because it was clear that Darling had been making good use of them. “You will be paired with Apple White.”

Both girls began to protest, but Professor Nimble had already moved on to the next pair, ignoring them. 

Several students snickered as Darling sat as far away from Apple as she could in their car, Duchess honking when her laughter grew too loud. The girls, for their part, were quietly staring anywhere but each other. 

“Figures I’d get the psycho,” Darling grumbled, picking at the hem of her skirt. Pink really wasn’t her colour. Maybe blue. 

“I’m not a psycho,” Apple snapped. “If anything, you’re the one to blame here.”

“What did I do?” gasped Darling, aghast. 

“If you just offered to help me,” Apple glanced back at Daring, only a couple rows away from her. There was no way to know if he could overhear her. “If you offered to help me win over my prince, then we wouldn’t have had an issue.”

“Real Evers know that no means no,” Darling huffed, glaring at her. 

“Real Evers are supposed to help people,” Apple retorted. 

Darling opened her mouth to respond, but never got the chance as their carriage lurched forward. Professor Nimble had finished assigning their pairs. 

The Flowerground waited for nobody. That was lesson number one in Apple’s house growing up. It rang true as, soon as Professor Nimble was seated, the car they were in took off at full speed. The girls had no time to speak, and watched the rows of vines that wove through the Flowerground as they travelled instead. It was only when they had arrived at their destination that they spoke again. 

“Telling you to stay away was helping you,” Darling argued. “Evers and Nevers can’t mix, that’s the first rule everyone in Ever After is raised with.”

“I’m not a Never,” replied Apple. 

“Then why did you have to get strapped to the Flowerground?” Darling snapped. 

Apple didn’t respond, fuming silently. 

The graves at the Garden of Good and Evil stretched impossibly far outwards, leading off in every direction, but one thing stayed consistent in all of them. Two gold graves would be positioned next to a single black one. 

Two Evers, one Never. Together and alone. 

The garden was supposed to be a sacred place, where only the most legendary of heroes and villains were laid to rest. Despite that, Apple couldn’t shake how uncomfortable she was at being surrounded by death. It even managed to shake away her annoyance with Daring’s sister, albeit only briefly. 

“Today we will be practising survival skills,” said Professor Nimble at the front of the class. “In your pairs, you will be finding meerworms, which breed in abundance here and can be found all over the woods. If you are in need of a desperate meal, they will come in handy! Please keep in mind that to complete this challenge, you must each eat at least twenty. If you do not work with your partner, you will fail immediately.”

The students looked like they wanted to complain, but they had learned better than to argue against Professor Nimble’s rules, and so set off to work. 

As Apple watched Duchess sashay off with Daring, she couldn’t help the swell of jealousy that rose up in her. Even if Daring had no interest in her, vital time that she could have spent wooing him was being wasted. Time that was quickly running out. 

Despite her complaints, Darling turned out to be rather cooperative. It seemed that the two girls could set aside a bit of hostility, if only so they could avoid failing. They set off to hunt for meerworms together, making quick work of the graveyard. 

Everyone seemed to adopt a similar attitude. Lizzie and Cedar managed to get five in the first ten minutes of hunting, Cedar eating hers quickly and without complaint, only cringing at the taste. Lizzie took some convincing, backing away from the ugly creatures initially and having to be reminded that it was for school. 

Maddie looked thrilled at the task, eating twenty without complaint within a few minutes, Kitty doing the same. Alistair and Bunny were purposefully drawing out their own meals, glancing at each other every time they had to swallow the worms. Apple could have even sworn she saw them holding hands at one point. 

When she finally found her own meerworm, she was initially ecstatic. But they really were disgusting to look at. Hairless and white and wiggling in her hand, Apple tried to choke back a gag at the thought of eating the awful creature. 

“I don’t see why they make princesses take this class,” Darling huffed, popping a meerworm into her mouth without issue as she continued her search. Apple was sure she was talking to herself, but listened anyway. “It’s not like we’ll ever use this.” 

“If you’re kidnapped in the forest, perhaps?” Apple suggested, still holding her meerworm at an arm’s length. 

When Darling turned to look at her, she snorted at the sight of Apple afraid of the tiny bug. “It’s not going to attack you.”

“I know that!” huffed Apple. She extended her arm a bit more. “I just think this is demeaning. I mean, really, do you think princesses should be eating bugs?” 

Darling looked at her funny, before saying, “You really think you’re a princess, don’t you.”

“Of course,” Apple huffed. Before she could think through her actions, she shoved the meerworm in her mouth and swallowed. 

It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, at least. A little slimy, but it went down quickly. She cringed at the feeling of it sliding down her throat, but once it was gone it did not seem like such a terrible process. 

“So if you’re really a princess,” Darling asked as Apple began to hunt for another, “and you really believe you’re in a fairytale, then does that mean you think your friend is the villain of your tale?” 

“Duh,” Apple replied, rolling her eyes. 

It was a fact of life, not unlike the air being breathable, or the sky hanging above. Her mother may have thought her silly for pursuing a friendship with Raven, but that was just because she, like everyone else, could never see the one thing that had seemed so obvious to Apple from the start. 

Her and Raven were meant to be in the same story. 

“Then if she’s the villain,” Darling continued, brushing off the skirts of her dress as she tensed, clearly uncomfortable, “and Evil’s been on a losing streak, don’t you think that spells bad luck?” 

“What are you talking about?” Apple grumbled, shoving another meerworm in her mouth with a grimace. 

“Just that someone usually dies at the end of a fairytale,” Darling said. That did get Apple’s attention, and when she turned she was surprised at the intensity she found in the other girl’s eyes. “And if your friend is really the villain of your story, then that means pretty bad luck for her, don’t you think?” 

Unable to stand Darling’s unrelenting gaze, Apple averted her eyes, letting them land on the nearest thing. 

Unfortunately, because they were in a graveyard, the first thing she saw was a grave. It was an Ever queen and king, lying side by side in a glass coffin, their image engraved in the headstone above them. 

“I just think it’s pretty selfish to choose your own happiness over your friends life,” Darling continued, unaware of Apple, who wasn’t moving. “If you want to be a real Ever, don’t you think you should try and help people? I mean, is this even what your friend wants?”

The Ever couple was portrayed on the day of their Happily Ever After, locked in an embrace as a witch burned in the background. 

“Of course,” Apple breathed, eyes wide and locked on the image. 

“She might be lying to you though,” Darling said. Ignoring her, Apple sprang to her feet. “What’s up with you?” 

“I need to go,” Apple said, her brain whirring so fast she was sure it was audible. Her entire body felt like it was thrumming with excitement. 

Darling, on the other hand, looked appalled at the idea. “You’re not ditching me! I’ll fail!” 

“Your grades can take one fail on them, can’t they?” said Apple, searching around for another form of transportation. “This is important.” 

Then, she did something completely unlike her. She grabbed Darling’s hand, pulling her so close that they were practically nose to nose. Her entire body felt like it was beating in line with her heart as she stared at Darling, hoping her desperation would shine through. 

“Please,” Apple said. 

Darling yanked away from her, bright red and glaring. Apple was sure she would be furious and yell at her, but instead she merely said, “Fine, but you so owe me for this.” 

“Deal,” grinned Apple. 

Darling watched her retreat down the hill, the once long mane of blonde hair that was now cut short bobbing off in the distance, and tried to calm the frantic beating of her heart. 

Meanwhile, Apple ran with a wild grin on her face. 

She knew how to prove her love. 

-

Raven was beginning to understand why solitary confinement was such an effective punishment. 

Her whole afternoon had been spent combing through her textbooks, looking for any sign of how Apple could prove her love to Daring. By the time the sky was turning orange, she was no closer to finding her answer, and threw her textbook across the room in frustration. 

It wasn’t that there were no clear answers on how Apple could prove her love, it was that there were too many. 

Princesses had developed entire textbooks on how to prove their love to their princes. They would dress up for them, give them things, have their animal friends serenade them. None of it would lead to a Happily Ever After, though. That seemed to rely on the prince, which would take forever with Daring’s obsession with himself. 

Just the thought of him made Raven grit her teeth. She had no idea what Apple saw in that guy. Every time she looked at him, she could only hear the sickening crack of his sword as it pierced the poor gargoyle boy. 

Still, if they wanted to get out of the wrong school they would need him, one way or another. 

Sighing, Raven fell back on her bed, feeling hopeless. 

That was when the window broke.

“Apple!” she said, jumping up off her bed. “How did you even get in here?” 

“Those stymphs are never letting me near them again,” Apple panted, pushing herself off the ground. 

“Your hair!” Raven gasped.

Apple stumbled to her feet, her once long curls now barely coming to her shoulders, cut unevenly around her face. It must have been killing Apple. Her pride and joy was her hair!

“Don’t mention it,” Apple grumbled, fluffing her hair around her face miserably. “Look, I know how to end our story.” 

“You do?” asked Raven. But she was still focused on Apple’s hair. 

Something had changed about her friend in the hours they had been apart. Her eyes seemed to be lacking their usual warmth and enthusiasm, and Raven couldn’t help feeling like there was something Apple wasn’t telling her about what happened in the Doom Room. 

“True love’s kiss,” Apple said. “That’s the key. That’s how this needs to end.” 

“You have to get Daring to kiss you?” Raven asked, sitting back down on her bed. Apple joined her, brushing stray leaves off her uniform. Despite her urge to ask Apple where she had been, Raven kept her mouth shut. 

“Apparently,” sighed Apple. She certainly didn’t seem sad about the idea. 

“But how are you sure that’s what will end the tale?” Raven asked, flopping down. “I mean, there’s so many different ways to end a fairytale.”

“It’s what ended my parents’ fairytale,” Apple said, fiddling with the end of her short hair. “And it’s not just them. Our class went to the Garden of Good and Evil today, and every Ever grave in that place had the same image on their gravestones. It was two people giving each other true love’s kiss. It’s the only way to really prove I’m an Ever.”

“But you haven’t spoken to Daring since you got turned into a troll,” Raven pointed out. “How are you going to get him to kiss you?” 

Apple sighed, laying down on the bed next to Raven. “That would be our next problem.” She pulled on the end of her hair, her eyes watering. “It doesn’t help that I’ve lost my best asset.”

“No!” Raven declared, springing up again. “We’re not giving up. This is just another obstacle, right? We’ve figured out everything up to now, we can figure this out too.”

“But he hates me,” Apple whined. 

“Because you got in a fight with his sister,” Raven pointed out. “Maybe you could start with her. Cupid was going to befriend her to get closer to Dexter. Who says you can’t do the same thing for Daring?” 

Sitting up slowly, Apple eyed her friend suspiciously. “What if I just make a bigger fool of myself?” 

“Come on, Apple,” said Raven, pulling Apple to her feet. “You’re the future queen of White kingdom, you’ve been taking Kingdom Management classes since you were six, there’s nobody in Ever After who wants to be Good more than you.” Ignoring the sting in her chest, Raven said, “You deserve this.” 

As Apple tackled Raven in a hug, she noticed her friend’s eyes were watering. The tears were gone by the time Apple pulled away, replaced with a wide smile. 

Looking at her friend, Raven brushed aside any doubts about what happened to Apple in the Doom Room. They would figure things out. Together. 

“I’m going to be a queen,” Apple said breathlessly. 

“What would Daring even look for in a princess?” Raven wondered, looking over at the walls of her room, painted with Ever couples embracing. 

“Leave that to me,” Apple told her, winking. “It’s my specialty, right?” 

“Alright,” Raven said, smiling. 

She pushed down the anxiety in her gut. 

-

Sneaking out of Raven’s room proved difficult. Apple had just ridden a stymph into her room, being tossed through the window, but that didn’t exactly provide a solid escape plan. 

Raven ended up helping her sneak out. They went through every secret tunnel the school had, ducking behind corners at the slightest hint of a nymph patrolling the halls. 

“You could get in so much trouble for doing this,” Apple had told Raven back in her room. “And attention isn’t really what we need right now.”

“Do you have a better plan?” Raven asked. 

When Apple didn’t respond, she knew the plan was set. 

The menagerie was at the top of Honour Tower. Apple had been scandalised at the thought of going into the boys’ tower after dark, but Raven insisted it was the easy way for her to get back to the proper school. Unable to see a proper alternative, Apple had agreed, albeit reluctantly. 

So she found herself in the Honour Tower, staring up at a mural of her mother’s story. Of course, there were countless murals of the same kind in Apple’s home, but it was different seeing her mother portrayed like that in her school. 

One day, Apple’s face could be the one painted on the wall. The thought made her spine tingle. 

She was so caught up staring at her mother that she completely missed Raven’s speech on what to do once she got through. 

“Just lie your way through, it worked well enough for me,” Raven finished, patting her shoulder. “And don’t worry, you’ve got this. I can’t help you when you get to Evil, and I’d give you my ability to blend into shadows if I could, but if you stay out of sight nobody should catch you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Apple reassured her. “You overthink too much.” 

“If you say so,” Raven sighed, brow creased with worry. Before Apple ran off, she pulled her into a tight hug. “Stay safe.”

“I know,” Apple said, squeezing Raven’s shoulder in what she hoped was a reassuring way before stepping through the well in the mural. 

Her stomach twisted at the knowledge of it being a well. Why did that have to be what she needed to launch herself into? It couldn’t have been a lake? Or perhaps a comically large cup of tea?

The memory of the time she almost drowned seemed fresh in her mind as she sank through the wall, her throat tightening the same way it had when she was drowning. All her trust was being placed into this magic, just because Raven thought it would work. 

And then she was falling. 

Magical painting transportation was definitely Apple’s least favourite form of moving. She felt like she was being rolled in a carpet and tossed down a flight of stairs, her stomach lurching as she closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the darkness. 

When she felt herself drop onto solid ground, she opened her eyes again. 

In Raven’s explanation, Apple remembered something about the well transporting her to the end of the bridge between the schools. Something must have gone wrong, though, because Apple was at the Clearing between the two schools. 

She was far from perturbed. If anything, this was a vast improvement from having to figure out how to scale the School for Evil to her room without help. 

Someone was rustling in the blue bushes, and Apple looked frantically for something close to her she could duck behind, but she had been dumped in the centre of the Clearing. There was nowhere to hide. 

“Stay back!” she said to the darkness. 

The moonlight shimmered on the pale silver armour as a man emerged from the blue wood, walking slowly towards her the way one would a frightened animal. He seemed to pause for a second, as if recognising her. With her heart pounding, Apple feared the person in the armour was Daring for a moment, but then he relaxed again. 

“Please do not fear, maiden,” the man said, extending a hand in the common courtesy of a prince. Apple extended her hand, allowing him to swoop down, bending in imitation of a kiss on her hand. It was the closest she had gotten to being treated like the princess she was since getting to Evil, and the action made her cheeks flush. 

“I’m not afraid,” she said, pulling her hand away quickly when the knight straightened up. “Who are you? Students aren’t allowed out after dark.”

“They are if they get teacher’s permission,” the knight corrected. “Am I to assume you don’t have teacher’s permission to be out, then?” 

Blushing, Apple said, “That’s none of your business.”

“Perhaps,” the knight agreed. “It would be bad manners of me to allow you around at night alone without an escort, however.”

“Oh, no really-” Apple said, afraid he would try taking her back to the School for Good.

“Allow me,” the knight said, ignoring her protests as he extended an arm. 

Apple knew what the correct course of action would be. Nobody could know she had been in the School for Good, especially a prince who may be friends with Daring. It would only hurt her chances of wooing her prince, and potentially get her sent back to the Doom Room. 

But as she watched the prince bend down to her level, extending an arm the way she had seen her father do to her mother for years, she couldn’t help blushing and accepting the escort. It had been so long since anyone treated her like a princess, and she had almost begun to forget that she was one. 

“You should be more careful from now on,” the knight told her. 

“I’ll try,” Apple said, breathless. She shouldn’t have been feeling so swept away. After all, she was spoken for! Her prince had been decided from the moment she laid eyes on Daring. 

But no one was around. There would be nobody to reprimand her in the morning, and so Apple allowed herself to relax into the knight’s arm as he guided her towards the Evil side of the clearing. 

“How did you know where I was going?” she asked when they reached her school, pulling away from the warmth of the knight. 

“Your uniform.” Apple felt her face flush again. Ugh, what was wrong with her! She couldn’t go about falling for every prince who crossed her path. For all she knew, the boy was a peasant, no prince at all!

Her mind screaming, Apple batted her eyelashes as she curtsied with all the grace of a proper princess. 

“Thank you for your kindness, kind knight,” she said, using the same bashfully alluring voice her mother had taught her to speak in when addressing princes. 

“It was no trouble at all,” the knight said quickly, waving his hands in front of him. Apple had to hold back a giggle as she watched how nervous he was. Perhaps he was not so fearless as he liked to present himself after all. “Get home safe… princess.”

Apple’s eyes widened at being addressed by her proper title. For a moment her mouth opened, ready to say something that was sure to ruin her plans altogether, but she snapped it shut quickly and nodded instead, smiling at the knight. 

As she rushed down the hall to her room, she tried to ignore her heart hammering in her chest. 

She was so preoccupied that she missed the knight taking off his helmet to watch her retreat, standing there for over an hour after she left. Long white hair blowing in the wind. 

You would think it didn’t belong to a prince at all. 

Chapter Text

If there was one thing that stayed consistent about Daring Charming, it was where he could be found during hours outside of class. The Groom Room had become a quick haven for the young prince, who spent his time there working himself into a sweat. Shirtless, of course. 

But to see him there so early was a sure sign that something was wrong. 

In fact, Daring was finding that everything seemed wrong lately. Princesses that looked like witches, witches that looked like princesses, and confusion spreading through his school like a virus. He had even seen his brother talking to the witch! Such shame couldn’t be suffered by a Charming, surely. 

The entire situation left a bad taste in his mouth. Worst of all was how the witch and princess seemed to be friends. There was no friendship to be found among Good and Evil, however. It was a lesson he had learned the hard way. 

A lesson those two would have to learn sooner or later. 

-

Raven was having such a pleasant dream before the screeching woke her up. 

Invitations to the Snow Ball had officially been released. 

Cracking open her door, Raven was subject to a world of mania and chaos. Bright colours flashed around as Evergirls hugged each other, talking at full volume in every colour imaginable swirled around the hallway. 

The Evergirls were already discussing what outfits and hairstyles they were thinking of. Everyboys names rang around the hall as they wondered who would ask them. 

Somehow, Cedar and Cupid managed to find her among the commotion, Blondie trailing behind them. 

Raven raised an eyebrow at Blondie’s appearance. 

“Uh, hi,” she said, fidgeting with a bobby pin as she avoided eye contact. “I wanted to apologise. About, well, everything.”

Cupid and Cedar were watching Raven closely, but she knew her actions would have been the same without them. Grabbing Blondie’s hand, she smiled. 

“I forgive you.” 

Blondie’s face broke out in a wide grin, her curls bouncing around her in excitement. “Are you really in a fairytale?” 

Raven sighed. “If I had Cedar’s curse, nobody would be doubting me.” 

“I’m not doubting you!” Blondie protested. “I needed to get my information from the source.” Whipping out a journal from her pocket, she began scribbling frantically on the pad. 

“Blondie finally got permission to start a school newspaper,” Cupid whispered to Raven, smiling at her roommate. 

With Blondie finally back, Raven felt a bit of the pressure that had been hanging over her lighten. Not a lot, but a little. Maybe just enough. 

The nymphs had to force the girls to finally get ready for class. It took three times as long as usual, girls talking through their walls about their plans for the ball. Raven got pulled away from her friends, sulking in her room as the conversation of Ashlynn, Briar, and Darling came into her room. 

After all, it wasn’t like she had anyone else to talk to who could help drown out the noise. 

“I can’t believe we’re actually going to the Snow Ball! Aren’t you guys excited?” Briar was asking as Raven yanked a brush through her matted hair. A night of staying up to help Apple sneak out would do that to a person. 

“Yeah, but do you guys have anyone you want to go with? None of the princes here really caught my eye,” Ashlynn sighed. 

“I mean, I already said I was going with Chase Redford at the Wish Fish pond,” Darling said quickly. She certainly didn’t sound excited about the idea. “He gave me his rose at the Welcome Ceremony, so I suppose he’ll ask any day now.”

“Yeah, but you also get proposals every day Darling,” Briar snorted. “At least I don’t have to worry. Hopper’s had a crush on me for forever after. There’s no way he’ll ask someone else.” 

“What about my brother?” Darling said. Raven froze half way through brushing out a knot, grimacing at the way the brush pulled on her scalp. But she couldn’t risk the noise. 

“Uh, no offence Darling, but Dexter isn’t really my type,” said Ashlynn. Darling just laughed. 

“No, not him silly! Daring,” said Darling. “Besides, I think Dexter’s already planning on asking somebody.” 

“Really? Who actually caught his attention? I figured he’d be the one going alone this year,” Briar said, laughing. 

“Oh come on, have a little more faith in my family than that!” Darling laughed. “He’s still a Charming, after all. Although he was being vague about who he was asking. Maybe that girl who got his rose?” 

“But that was the Nevergirl,” said Ashlynn. Raven had begun to pull her uniform over her head, freezing mid action at the mention of herself. 

“Is she really a Never? Wouldn’t she have been thrown out by now if that were true?” Darling asked. Her voice was much lower as she asked, making Raven press her cheek up against the wall to hear her at all. 

“Yes, but if she’s in a fairytale like she said then the Storian might be waiting to see what’s true,” Briar pointed out. 

“I didn’t think you believed that story,” Ashlynn said. 

“Well it’s ridiculous, sure, but it would explain how that whole switch happened in the first place,” Briar said. Then, lowering her voice even more, added, “I mean, do you guys really think the daughter of the Evil Queen should be going to school with us while the daughter of Snow White is trapped with a bunch of villains?” 

“Ugh,” groaned Darling. A loud clang echoed on the other side of the door, startling Raven away from her wall. When she managed to press her ear against it once more, she had clearly missed part of the conversation. 

“-what the School Master wants then it must be right, shouldn’t it?” Ashlynn was saying, her doubt audible. 

“All this thinking is hurting my head,” groaned Briar. “Come on, guys, this day is supposed to be fun! We’re going to the Snow Ball. That’s the biggest party of the year!” 

“I suppose you’re right,” Ashlynn sighed. 

“Of course I am,” Briar huffed. 

And so their conversation spun back to boys and gowns, and Raven was left tugging her gown over her head and racing off to class. 

She really needn't be in such a rush. When she arrived at her Beautification classroom, the Fairy Queen was filing down three inch long nails at her desk, less than ten of her over thirty students present. 

“Raven Queen,” she announced when Raven walked in the door. “Please feel free to have a seat while we wait.” 

At least Cedar was there. 

Raven found she was seeking Cedar out more and more often. With Cupid, the stilted awkwardness of Dexter’s existence seemed to form an invisible barrier around them, and up until that morning Cedar was the only other person who would talk to her. 

Plus, if she was being totally honest, she liked that Cedar had to tell the truth. It made her feel reassured, knowing for once someone would just tell her what was going on without dancing around the subject. 

“All the girls want to look good to impress their princes,” Cedar whispered to her when she sat down. “At least Cerise doesn’t care about that stuff. I wouldn’t be able to stand having a roommate who asked for advice on her appearance. People always forget I have to tell the truth, and then they take it as an insult!” 

Cerise Hood. She sat at the corner of the classroom, seeming to bend into the wall with a practised ease Raven could only hope to achieve one day. A red hood was sewn into the neckline of her dress and pulled up over her head. 

Raven wondered what could cause a girl from a respectable family to shut everyone out like that. With the way Cerise acted, people would have thought she had a villain for a mother, not Little Red Riding Hood. 

“And I still have my own troubles to worry about!” Cedar continued. “I have no idea who I’m supposed to go with. I guess Nathan Nutcracker wouldn’t be a bad option, but everyone probably just expects us to go together because we’re both puppets. Who are you looking at?” 

“Oh, well, that’s not really-” Raven stammered, the door slamming open just in time to save her. 

The rest of her day passed in the same mood. In Beautification, the girls learned how to do their hair and makeup for a ball. Raven got scolded for putting on too much eyeshadow and blush, and making herself look like a clown, in the Fairy Queen’s words. 

“We’re trying to impress boys, my dear, not scare them away,” the Fairy Queen sighed at her. 

In Princess Etiquette they continued learning how to ballroom dance. Since it wasn’t a co-ed class, half the girls had to learn the boys’ parts, with the person dancing as the boy swapping for each dance. 

One good thing that Raven found was that she actually danced the leading part pretty well. When she had to be led she was absolutely hopeless, tripping over her feet and other people as well, but when she was leading she could hold her head up and actually found herself relaxing. 

That is, she would have relaxed if her partner hadn’t been Cupid. 

“Did you know Dexter’s a fan of art?” Cupid told her. “I’ve been talking to Hopper, and he’s roommates with Dexter’s brother Daring! I mean, how perfect is that? So I’ve been trading in romance advice for information about Dexter. There’s no way he won’t ask me now.”

Raven tripped, stepping on Cupid’s foot accidentally. “Sorry!” she yelped for the sixth time in a row. 

Cupid just smiled, although with how she was trying to hold back her pain it ended up looking like a grimace. “It’s alright. Everything’s alright, actually. I’m going to the Snow Ball with Dexter Charming!”

Princess Etiquette ended up being a very long class. 

By the time Raven got to Animal Communication she just wanted to lay in a corner and cry. 

At least Maid Marian looked like she felt the same. Her teacher slumped in, dark circles that looked more like bruises rimming her eyes. Even her cone hat seemed to be drooping, in as miserable of a mood as she was. 

“You will need to know how to dance for the ball,” Maid Marian sighed, tugging her veil further over her face. “Today, we will be learning how to use your abilities to communicate with animals so that they may aid you in this task.”

Raven ended up falling in the same water she’d seen Meeshell die in. 

Rosabella was the one who helped her up, Briar scoffing at the gesture. The sound made Rosabella’s eye twitch, but Raven had to give her credit for how well she held her composure. 

“Are you alright?” she asked a sopping wet Raven. 

“Yeah, I’m just perfect,” Raven grumbled, squeezing the water out of her hair. She did thank Rosabella for helping her, after she shook a bit of the moisture out of her clothes. 

Two people stayed away from the commotion of deers teaching ballroom lessons. In a corner of the field, Maid Marian and Darling spoke in hushed voices, glancing around every few seconds to ensure nobody was near them. 

Part of Raven wanted to sneak over and spy, but she felt a bit guilty for having already eavesdropped once that day. 

History of Heroism had Ashlynn’s mom come in to do a surprise lecture on ball etiquette, placing a special emphasis on arriving on time. 

Needless to say that by lunch, Raven never wanted to see a ballroom again. 

Apple didn’t look much better. She was moping in a corner, pushing her slop of a lunch around the pail forlornly. When she saw Raven approaching, she didn’t even smile, choosing to sight loudly instead. 

“My feet hurt,” Raven whined as she flopped beside her friend, landing on her tailbone. “Ow.”

“I can’t believe I’m missing the Snow Ball preparations!” Apple moaned, kicking her pail of lunch away from her. It seeped into the grass, turning the blue a pale grey. “Invitations got sent out yesterday, didn’t they.”

The second Raven’s invitation was visible, Apple snatched it out of her hands, scanning the pale blue paper hungrily. 

Well, Raven couldn’t blame her. The Snow Ball was something each Ever spent their whole lives waiting for. Thrown once a year, it was held after the Circus of Talents and the biggest celebration in the school. Especially with Good’s winning streak. Apple should have been chatting with other Evers about ballgowns and makeup. 

Instead, Raven was left stumbling around a school she was beginning to resent more by the day. 

“It even has the glitter butterflies,” Apple sighed, tracing the edge of the paper with her finger. She looked close to tears, so Raven extended a hand, letting it land awkwardly on her shoulder. 

“One kiss and it’s over, right?” she said. 

“Right,” Apple gulped. “Just one kiss.” 

-

Surviving Fairy Tales was quickly becoming Apple’s least favourite class. At least they didn’t have to go to a graveyard again. 

Still, being stuck in any class with Lizzie was becoming enough to ruin her day. 

“Today, we will be continuing our lessons on recognising Good and Evil,” Professor Nimble said, bouncing around at the front of the class. He wasn’t the only person full of energy. 

As if lunch wasn’t bad enough, Apple had to be reminded of what she was missing out on during her last class of the day. Evergirls chattered around her, discussing hairstyles and ball gown colours and skin care tips. All the things that Apple spent her whole life caring about! 

She let her head droop, her short hair falling in front of her face. Great. Another reminder of her fantastic life. 

“If I could have two volunteers?” 

Rosabella and Briar Beauty ended up being pulled to the front. They were cousins apparently, on their mothers side. How two people could be first cousins after one had been asleep for a hundred years was a complete mystery to Apple, but she didn’t have the energy to think about it. 

“Now, let us pretend that one of you is a Never for the sake of this demonstration,” Professor Nimble said. 

Glass coffins lined the field in front of the class, and Professor Nimble turned around, snapping his fingers. In a puff of navy smoke, Rosabella and Briar disappeared, reappearing in the coffins as identical maidens. 

“Any Good prince knows that a maiden in the forest must be kissed awake,” Professor Nimble continued, “but what are you to do if you find no maiden at all. What if she is, instead, a witch? Any guesses?” 

Daring’s hand raised. Apple practically preened at the sight of him. Of course her prince would answer questions in class. She would need to be with someone at least as smart as she was. 

“You must look within someone and see their true heart,” he said. A couple girls fainted, one landing directly in his arms. He waited until she stood up straight, then quickly moved away from her. Good. A proper prince should know better than to trust the first maiden to faint in his arms. 

“Very good!” Professor Nimble said. “Now, both of these lovely maidens are princesses, so a prince need not worry about encountering Evil in this example. But what would happen if, say, the entire class became identical?” 

Another snap of his fingers and blue puffs of smoke surrounded the rest of the class. All of the girls, Ever and Never, had turned into maidens identical to Briar and Rosabella. 

“Today we will be waking these maidens,” Professor Nimble continued. “A kiss on the hand will suffice. Each of you princes must look inside yourselves to differentiate Good and Evil. Girls, if you would please make your way to the coffins.”

Both Ever and Nevergirls looked nervous as they climbed in. Apple searched for Raven in the crowd, but couldn’t find her on account of her now having no distinguishing features. 

As Apple lowered herself into the coffin, she wondered how her mother must have felt upon waking in one. Snow White had always spoken about her story with fond nostalgia, but Apple couldn’t help but notice how cold the coffin was. 

“Now girls, you must remember to wish for the person you hope to attract,” Professor Nimble lectured as the Everyboys began skimming through the crowd, sticking to each other like a pack of wolves. “The stronger and truer your wish, the more chance that your prince will find you! Now, off you go.”

“This is no fair,” one boy complained. Apple peeked one eye open to see Sparrow Hood frowning with the other Neverboys. “What are we supposed to do? This is our class too!” 

Professor Nimble considered him for a second. “Well, I suppose you could join in as well. At the very least, it would give our girls some incentive to behave well!” 

The girls shuddered in unison as the Neverboys began to walk around with the Everyboys. 

In her coffin, Apple squeezed her eyes shut. Focus. She needed to focus. 

Daring Charming. His blue eyes, his perfect blond hair, his dazzling smile that could blind someone (literally). He was everything a girl could look for in a prince! 

Apple’s eyes squeezed tighter as she tried to focus on her wish. Everything seemed distracting to her, though. The crunch of the grass under the boys’ feet as they wandered through the coffins, the distant lecturing of Professor Nimble that was muffled through the glass, even her own breathing. 

Then, she began to feel something unfurl in her chest. At first, it seemed gentle and warm, the kind of easy true love that Evers toted. Relaxing into her coffin, she prepared for her hand to be kissed. 

But the longer it went on, the more she began to feel something change. The warmth began to boil, bubbling like a cauldron. Her comfort from the feeling twisted, turning into something darker. Something… almost Evil . 

Apple gritted her teeth. No! She was the daughter of Snow White. Her love was Good! She was Good!

Then a bang woke her up. 

Apparently, Sparrow had kissed Duchess’ hand, because she had turned into a swan and was chasing him around the clearing, honking her feathered head off. 

Then, the rest of the class erupted. 

As Duchess chased Sparrow, she knocked the other girls out of their coffins. Ever and Nevergirls alike were sent crashing into the boys around them, creating a domino effect of tumbling students. Professor Nimble was bouncing around trying to chase after the pair, but Duchess was relentless. 

Finally, she chased a cackling Sparrow into a bunch of bushes. The rest of the class watched for any sign of him in the still blue shrubbery. 

“AHHH!” he screamed, leaping out with closed eyes. 

“Ew! Why do you stink?” Briar’s voice came out of one of the many maidens as she waved a hand in front of her nose. 

“The skunk! A skunk got me!” Sparrow howled, stumbling around directly into Duchess. 

“Get off me!” Duchess shrieked, but it was too late for Sparrow to change directions. The two tumbled over, directly into one of the open coffins. With a snap it closed, locking them in together. 

The class watched in shocked silence as Duchess and Sparrow banged on the walls of the coffin to no avail. After a few minutes of their shrieking, Professor Nimble clapped his hands together, turning to his students with a strained smile. 

“Well, I think that serves as a good lesson to take these lessons seriously,” he said. “And a warning on what happens when Nevers try to imitate Evers. Shall we continue?” 

Things passed a bit more quickly after that. 

Briar was woken by Hopper, accepting his blushing hand out of her coffin. Bunny Blanc was woken by Alistair Wonderland, both unable to look at each other with their faces so pink. Dexter Charming woke up Cupid, who looked ready to faint as he helped her out of her coffin. Strangely, Dexter looked almost sad. 

Apple scrunched her nose up, focusing more. 

Daring Charming. Her perfect prince. The Ever she would spend the rest of her life with. 

She pictured the life they would have together after he kissed her back to the right school. They could return to her castle, ruling over her citizens as king and queen together in harmony. The perfect ending to her fairy tale. 

Her chest began to fill with the same warm feeling from before. This time, she was careful to keep it that way. Comfortable warmth spread throughout her limbs as she continued to think of her future as a ruler of her kingdom. She could see the faces of her admiring subjects as she presented their king to them. It would be perfect. 

A smile stretched her face as she relaxed into the coffin. Everything would be Happily Ever After once she won Daring over. 

Gasps rang out around her. Peeking open an eye, Apple felt her heart drop at the sight in front of her. 

Daring Charming was holding Rosabella Beauty’s hand, staring at her with wide eyes. Strangely, Rosabella seemed equally as shocked, even though she should have known that she would be picked. If she was truly wishing enough. 

After a moment of staring at each other in shock, Rosabella seemed to remember herself, snatching her hand away from Daring and hopping out of the coffin. His eyes trailed after her as she ran over to the group of girls who were already transformed back. 

Apple felt rage bubbling up inside her. Of all the injustices she suffered, now her prince had to wake some random princess instead of her? She was the one with a fairy tale! 

In fact, she was so focused on her own self righteous anger that she missed the next two maidens being woken. 

Ashlynn was transformed back by the brooding boy who had sliced an axe through a table in her Special Talents class. She pulled away from him initially, staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. But when he offered his hand, she took it, allowing him to help her gently to the grass. 

Nobody noticed her blush. 

Darling Charming, meanwhile, was woken with a swift kiss to the hand by Chase Redford. She accepted his offer to help her out with a disappointed frown. What she had hoped to happen, however, would remain a mystery. 

But the class was far too focused on Rosabella and Daring to spare a thought to the two events that had just taken place. All eyes followed Rosabella as she pulled a curled lock of brown and red hair in front of her face. It almost looked like she was trying to hide herself, which seemed utterly ridiculous to Apple. She had just been kissed by the most wanted prince in the entire school, and she was acting like it was some great chore!

Oh, well. She supposed that was what happened when one’s mother married a Beast. 

After another few minutes of princes transforming various girls in the class back to their original form, Professor Nimble transformed the rest of the girls back with a tap of his cane. 

Apple was so relieved to be back in her own body that for a moment she almost forgot about Daring going to another girl. Then she saw Daring approach Rosabella, looking almost guilty. That was strange. Whatever did he have to feel guilty about. 

Hesitantly, Daring extended a hand to her, but Rosabella just shook her head and ran back to her class. 

“I did not dismiss you, Miss Beauty!” Professor Nimble yelled after her. Then, with a shake of his head, “Class dismissed. You may all return to your towers.”

Apple walked back to her own tower in a foul mood, and was surprised to see that she was not the only one who felt foul. 

Lizzie’s eyes were red rimmed as if she had been crying, her bed sheets torn apart and her bed frame lying in various wooden chunks on the ground when Apple got back. She was ready to lecture Lizzie on proper roommate etiquette when she saw Kitty and Maddie. 

Kitty and Maddie, who, ever since she arrived, had a constant smile on their faces. Yet both were huddled in a corner, staring sadly at Lizzie as she glared at a piece of broken bed frame in her hand, the red heart around her eye pulsing sadly. 

-

On the other side of the school, Raven ran back into her tower, heart pounding in her chest. She was sure that no one had seen her switch her and Cupid’s coffins.

Wasn’t she? 

Chapter Text

When Professor Badwolf pulled them into the Blue Forest in the middle of their lesson, the Nevers knew something strange was happening. 

After all, the Blue Forest was reserved territory. It was meant to act as a safe recreation of the Woods, but it was only used for Surviving Fairy Tales. And that was not the only thing amiss. 

Baba Yaga stomped behind their class, whacking various students with her staff when they slouched too much, or spoke to their friends too loudly. Any excitement about a field trip ended up being quickly doused by her melancholy presence. 

Apple’s feet began to grow sore the longer they trekked. Her only shoes were the red heels she wore on the first day, her comfortable white hiking boots having been washed away with the rest of her clothes. 

“Where are we even going?” she groaned to Maddie, who was cartwheeling along beside her. Her turquoise hair bounced as she righted herself to walk beside Apple, grinning around at the trees surrounding them. 

“Don’t you know? Every villain needs henchmen, silly!” Maddie giggled. “How does a card tower tower with no cards?” 

“Right,” Apple said, nodding like she understood. 

It was odd. The more she hung out with Maddie, the more she almost felt like she did. 

At least she was walking near the front of the group. Baba Yaga had been lecturing her on ways to make her hair more greasy and she had been unable to stand it. Who would want greasy hair on purpose? Besides, Apple’s hair was incapable of becoming ugly. No matter how long she left it unwashed, it always bounced with the same shine. 

Maddie had accompanied her to the front, which she was grateful for, especially considering how much some of their classmates seemed ready to kill her. Top amongst those people being the girl slinking behind the rest of their class, eyes downtrodden. 

The regal way Lizzie Hearts once held up her chin was nowhere to be found as she slouched beside Kitty, whose ever-present smile seemed to falter the longer she looked at her friend. Something happened to Lizzie after the coffins, something neither Kitty or Maddie would tell her, and it was driving Apple nearly as mad as they were. 

Ever since she arrived at school she had been lacking in information, and her list of questions only seemed to grow by the day. 

Things could be worse, she supposed. That morning Lizzie had woken with her quiet sadness of the night before gone, a frightening fire in her eyes. Anger seemed to be rolling off her in waves, and Apple was more than happy to be far away from her. 

Finally, they reached a clearing in the woods. Tall navy trees surrounded them, the closest to black that the Blue Forest ever got. Even the shadows seemed to be larger in this section of the woods, creeping out at Apple from where they had once been hidden. She had been so focused on figuring out where she was going, she had completely missed how sinister the place had begun to feel. 

“Oh, this next part is going to be tea-rrific!” Maddie whisper-squealed beside her. How she still had such a blase attitude in the face of such dark woods, Apple didn’t understand. 

Baba Yaga made her way to the front of the class, glaring at the students gathered in front of her. Beside her, Mr. Badwolf’s teeth were bared in a truly terrifying pointed smile. He looked so much like the Beast when he did that, and Apple was quick to wipe her sweaty palms off on her black tunic. 

“Welcome, I suppose,” Baba Yaga grumbled. “You brats are about to experience something that you are entirely undeserving of. If any of you let it get to your heads, it’s a week in the Doom Room.” She paused to let them shudder, and considered before adding, “And I’ll turn you into a dormouse.”

“But that sounds wonderful,” Maddie whispered. 

“Not if you’re getting stepped on,” Apple whispered back. 

“Oh, to die a dormouse,” Maddie muttered wistfully.

“Now, pay attention before you ruin your chances of participating,” Baba Yaga snapped. Instantly, the mutters ceased, everyone turning their eyes towards her. 

“I would like to thank the Dean for that introduction,” Mr. Badwolf barked, stepping out in front. 

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Baba Yaga grumbled, rolling her eyes. 

“Today, you will be assigned temporary henchmen,” Mr. Badwolf continued, ignoring her. “To do this, you must be single minded in your beliefs! Each person will come forward and receive a beacon. When you do, declare your name and focus on what you want your henchmen to do.” He paused to let the information sink in and then, leaning closer to his students, added, “You must be careful what you wish for. They are powerful things, wishes. You may invite tidings you did not want upon yourself if you aren’t careful.” 

Apple shuddered, and she wasn’t the only one. Anybody who had been excited at the prospect of henchmen looked downright terrified now. 

What would she even get? If she had to be asked a month ago she would have said a deer, or maybe a songbird. But she recalled what the School Master said to her about her fairy tale. Her story thought she was Evil. Would that affect her pet?

Still shuddering as thoughts of goblins and the School Master filled her mind, Apple watched as Lizzie marched to the front of the class. 

Professor Badwolf took her hand, a small puff of smoke appearing in his. It was clear, but when he poured it into her open palm it turned the same deep shade of red that her heart tattoo did when she was upset. He muttered something to her, and she marched in front of the class to stare into the darkness of the trees. 

Raising her hand above her, she shouted her name. “Lizzie Hearts!” 

The red smoke shot straight in the air, shining bright red for a moment before vanishing. 

Everyone fell silent as the class leaned in, holding their breath as they waited. It seemed that time had gone completely still. 

Then, something moved in the trees. 

Lizzie fell backwards as something flew straight out of the trees and into her arms. Craning her neck to see above the people who shoved in front of her, Apple finally caught a glimpse of Lizzie’s new henchman. 

“A hedgehog?” she asked curiously, looking at Mr. Badwolf. 

“The henchmen will be animals,” he explained. “Real henchmen will come from your peers one day, but until you can lead an animal you will never be able to lead each other.” 

People clammered to go after that. 

Duchess was next, her smoke turning a light shade of purple to match her hair as she shouted her name. A black swan sauntered out of the forest, honking at her as she backed away from it. 

“Now you two can be best friends,” Sparrow snorted. She kicked his shin, reaching down hesitantly to pet the swan's head. When it leaned into her touch, a smile began to grow on her face. 

“Swans are elegant creatures,” she said as she walked by Sparrow, who had collapsed and was clutching at his leg desperately. “Not that a simple thief like you would understand.” Her swan seemed to nod along to her words, the two walking over to Lizzie, a foot of room between the two and their new animals. 

“Me next!” Maddie squealed, tearing away from Apple. Unsurprisingly, her smoke turned bright turquoise as she threw it in the air. 

Bright eyes scanned the clearing, her excitement beginning to dim the longer time went on with no animal coming to her side. “Did I do something wrong?” 

But just as she said that, a grey streak raced out from the bushes and swirled up her leg to land on her shoulder. 

She may not have been getting turned into a dormouse, but Maddie would get something close to her wish after all. 

“A mouse!” she jumped in excitement. “Oh, I love mice! What should I name you? How about a tea?” The mouse nodded. 

“You may name your mouse privately with the students who have already gone,” Professor Badwolf reminded her, ushering the excited girl towards Duchess and Lizzie. For a second, Apple could have sworn Lizzie’s angry mask slipped when she saw just how excited Maddie was to have her pet. 

“Who would like to go next?” 

Kitty got a caterpillar that was so slow Mr. Badwolf made her pick it up so their class wouldn’t be delayed. Sparrow Hood got a weasel, immediately starting a fight with Duchess over who had the lamer pet. Even the strange axe boy, Hunter, got a pet. 

His was a small squirrel that had far too mischievous of a personality for a boy as brooding as Hunter, in Apple’s opinion. 

What was most surprising to her was the gentle way he handled the small animal, as if he had done so a million times before and nothing could be simpler. It was far too kind for someone in a school for villains, and she couldn’t help wondering once more if he had been another mistake. 

So it went on and on until finally, it was her turn. 

Volunteers ended up parsing out after a while, leaving the few students left to be called up by name. She ended up being after Ginger, who had a hamster. Apple recalled that they ate their young, a fitting animal for the daughter of the Candy Witch. 

“Remember to say your name loudly,” Mr. Badwolf said as she scooped up her smoke. It turned gold, a fitting colour for her. If only she was in the school that colour belonged to. 

“I will,” she said breathlessly, still staring at the beautiful smoke. 

“Keep your mind clear,” he added. “Otherwise you will only bring hardship.”

His imploring eyes were missed by Apple as she raced to the centre of the clearing, her heart pounding. Would she attract an animal worthy of an Ever?

Her memory flashed back to the first day of classes. She had tried to whistle for a songbird only to receive wasps and bats. It was all she could do to hope things wouldn’t be repeating. 

“Apple White!” she said, announcing it the way her mother taught her. When in front of a crowd she had to project, and project she did. 

The gold shot out of her hands shining in a bright circle that almost looked like an apple from her perspective. Before she could wonder if the other students had seen their own shapes, the image was gone. With bated breath, she turned towards the forest. 

Everyone was watching her to see what she would attract. After all, she spent so much time saying she didn’t belong in the School for Evil. If she attracted an Evil animal that would prove her wrong, wouldn’t it? 

Something white streaked out of the forest, pouncing on her chest. She tumbled backwards, grateful that her robes were black and would not get grass stains from her landing. 

Her nose felt fuzzy. Pulling back, Apple opened her eyes to see the whitest fox she’d ever laid eyes on standing on her. Grey eyes stared at her, searching her. In front of such a lovely creature, Apple felt underdressed with only her tiara and heels to make her look nice. 

“Congratulations,” Professor Badwolf said. Her stomach sank at the way he smiled. “Foxes are notoriously bad luck.”

Apple didn’t reply as she got up, her new friend curling around her neck. Maybe foxes were bad luck, but that meant nothing to her. She would just have to prove her fox was Good, just like her. 

“I think I’ll name you Gala,” she said. Gala nuzzled into her neck at the name.

“Don’t think you can make an Evil animal Good,” Lizzie told her as she walked by. “That only ever ends badly.”

But Apple ignored her. Something was beginning to spark in her, a small flame that she needed to carefully nurture lest it leave. It felt something like hope. 

Her smile felt unmovable as she thought of her Happily Ever After. 

-

“Smile wider, Miss Queen.” 

The memory of an airless coffin wasn’t exactly helpful in fostering positivity, but Raven was trying her best. It just so happened to be that her best, like everything else she did, was not Good enough. 

That would be all for the better in a little while. People wouldn’t be surprised when she returned to Evil, and her mother would never know she had been in the wrong school in the first place. She could practically feel the weeks of tension melting off her body. 

“Not like that! Oh, I do hope you get a date to the Snow Ball dear,” the Fairy Queen sighed. 

Raven’s shoulders hunched at the mention of the ball. Right. The ball that Apple was currently trying to weasel an invitation out of Daring to. The ball she would not be attending, if everything went to plan. It never seemed to happen these days, but a girl could wish. 

So really she shouldn’t have been so miserable to see everyone frowning at her. It was good. One day they would be frowning for real reasons, and she had to get used to the vitriol somehow. 

“I don’t think you looked that bad,” Cedar whispered to her. It was a genuine compliment, considering she couldn’t give a false one. Raven wasn’t sure how happy she should be to receive it, however, considering the pitying look Cedar gave her as she said it. 

“We must prepare you for the Snow Ball, girls,” the Fairy Queen continued at the front of the class. “If you don’t prepare properly, you may fail.” 

In Princess Etiquette, the Blue Fairy made them spend the whole class in something she called, “waiting practice.” It was the most bored Raven had ever been, drifting off every few minutes. By the time the class ended, she was ready to go home. 

But then something wonderful happened. In Animal Communication, Maid Marian seemed to have some of the sparkle back in her eye. Trailing behind her, the White Queen marched with her chin held high. 

“Follow us, students,” Maid Marian called out, not waiting as she walked into the Blue Forest. 

Raven looked to Cedar, hoping her wooden friend would have some kind of an explanation, but Cedar seemed just as confused. With Blondie and Cupid already walking off in front, the two girls followed. 

They were led down a section of the Blue Forest Raven had never been to before. It was as wonderful as the rest of the woods. If Maddie had been with her, she was sure her friend would have had all sorts of lovely things to say about the colour blue. Instead, Raven was left wondering where they were going. 

The further into the forest the class got, the brighter it seemed to get. Azure blues turned to pastel until they finally emerged to a small clearing through the trees. Birds chirped from the trees, a couple landing on Ashlynn. 

Maid Marian made her way to the centre, the White Queen standing off to the side, huffing at the side of a white rabbit. 

“You really ought not to walk around naked,” the White Queen advised the small animal. “It is highly improper. Why, you don’t even have a pocket watch!” 

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Maid Marian said quickly, shooing the rabbit off with a worried glance at the White Queen’s sceptre. She had brought it into the forest to use as a walking stick, but had begun to wave it dangerously close to the tiny creature. Then, turning back to her class, Maid Marian continued, “Today is a day of great importance, students.”

With a wave of her hand, a small puddle formed in front of her, the water glistening unnaturally with magic. 

“Each of you will take a handful of water from this and throw it into the air,” Maid Marian said calmly, as if the actions she was describing were a totally normal afternoon for her. Then again, Raven didn’t exactly know a lot about her teacher. Maybe that was exactly what her afternoons looked like. “When you throw it, declare your name and think hard about the kind of heroine you want to be. You will then receive an animal sidekick to best assist with this wish.”

The students burst into smiles and conversation. 

“Remember,” Maid Marian said loudly, “that these animals will not be your final companions. That will end up being your classmates.”

Raven shivered at the grim reminder of what happened to the lowest performing students at the end of their school life. Being turned into her namesake didn’t really sound like the way she wanted to live the rest of her life. 

She wondered for a moment what happened to the other students who had succumbed to that fate. If they had moped the way she so frequently did. If they found peace. 

“Now, who wants to go first?” 

As expected, hands shot up into the air the second the words came out of Maid Marian’s mouth. 

“How about Darling Charming?” 

Darling had been hiding behind Ashlynn and Briar, who were both waving their hands around to get noticed. A couple girls pouted when her name was called over theirs, but Darling looked the most miserable. 

“So, we have to focus on our greatest wish?” she asked nervously. Her voice was high and delicate, the perfect voice for a perfect princess. She sounded almost like wind chimes when she spoke, inching towards the water slowly as if it would reach out and grab her. 

“That’s right,” Maid Marian said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Darling relaxed a bit at the contact. 

It was no secret that she was Maid Marian’s favourite, but Raven could only wonder how the two met. They seemed to be familiar with each other even on the first day of class, but Raven was certain that Charming Castle was a long way from the Sherwood Forest. 

Scooping up some water, Darling closed her eyes in concentration. 

“Darling Charming!” she shouted, tossing it up in the water. The water should only have travelled a foot or two in the air before dropping down. Normally it would have. 

Something strange happened when Darling tossed it, though. The water went up, up, up, and kept going until finally it reached above the tall trees reaching around the clearing, exploding in a burst of bright blue light.

The bushes began to rustle. Briar and Ashlynn walked forward, ready to huddle around Darling, but retreated when Maid Marian gave them a sharp shake of her head. 

With a bright burst, the whitest horse Raven had ever seen burst out of the bushes. With a beautiful silver mane, it shook its head, walking calmly towards Darling. 

Several girls looked nervous, several more looked afraid, and even Raven felt a little off put with the sheer size of the animal. Not Darling. She looked practically enchanted, walking toward the horse with a wide smile, her hand outstretched. 

“Sir Gallopad,” she said breathlessly. “Your name will be Sir Gallopad.”

“A fine choice for a fine steed,” Maid Marian said, her face beaming with pride. “Remember to always ride side-saddle, my dear! Now! Who would like to go next?” 

Rosabella got a small butterfly that she named Adelita, and was beaming as it flew around her, eventually landing on her shoulder. Ashlynn summoned a pet phoenix that caused her to fall back onto the grass when she first saw it, panicking about the poor bird being on fire. After some assurance from both Maid Marian and the White Queen that it was normal and the bird was not in pain, she named it Sandella. Briar pulled the most impressive feat of the lot, summoning a bright pink unicorn. With a delighted giggle, Briar declared that her name was Divacorn. 

“What animal would I even get,” Cedar moped beside Raven. “I mean, would my wish even work? It’s not like I’m a real girl.”

To be honest, Raven hadn’t thought about that. Not that she would admit that to Cedar. 

“I’m sure that whatever animal you get will be just as amazing as you,” she tried to reassure her friend. 

“I wish I couldn’t tell the truth,” Cedar sighed. “Cause that was super unhelpful. But I’m happy you tried! I promise. It just didn’t make me feel any better.” 

“Right,” Raven said, face burning with embarrassment. 

“Cupid, would you like to go next?” Maid Marian asked. 

Raven watched Cupid walk up. She wasn’t totally sure, but it seemed like she had been avoiding Raven all morning. In fact, the two hadn’t shared a conversation since the coffins. 

With a chill, Raven shook her head. There was no way she could know! Not when she had been so careful to not be seen! 

Right? 

Cupid looked so sad as she scooped up some water, tossing it into the air. Her monotonous voice barely even reached the students as she declared her name, her eyes unfocused. It was clear that she hadn’t actually been focusing on her wish. But could it be because of Raven? 

Galloping could be heard, and then Cupid was swept up in the embrace of a winged horse.

“Another horse?” Briar said. “This is getting to be a bit much, isn’t it?” 

“Horses are very heroic animals,” said Maid Marian.

“It’s a pegasus!” Cupid giggled, the pegasus in question galloping around the clearing with her on its back, making her sour mood lift up and away. “I’ll name her Philia!”

“A very fitting animal for a girl who is a goddess,” the White Queen simpered. “The shoe or the hoof; either way, what bliss?” 

“Very true, Your Majesty,” Maid Marian said as the class looked at each other in confusion. “Next?”

Her wooden limbs clattering as they knocked together while she shook with nerves, Cedar Wood stepped forward. People parted for her as she advanced towards the water. If she could have cried, Raven was sure she would have been. 

“Cedar Wood,” she shouted, her voice shaking. The water exploded in a burst of purple above her. 

Then came the woodpecker. 

“AHHHH!” Cedar screamed, running at full speed away from it. She hopped over Philia, slid between Divacorn’s legs, and hid behind Sir Gallopad. Adelita landed on her head, trying to reassure the panicked girl as best she could. 

“Miss Wood, I’m sure the two of you will become fast friends,” Maid Marian said with a laugh. Despite her light demeanour, Raven noticed how apprehensive she also looked at the sight of the crazed hummingbird. “These animals come to you for a reason, you know, and-”

A streak of red cut across in front of her, the hummingbird disappearing from sight. 

A few feet away from where the bird had been, Cerise Hood stood, releasing it back into the forest. It sped towards the trees at full speed, as eager to get away from Cedar as she was to get away from it. 

It was only after the bird flew away that Cerise seemed to realise what she had done. Turning around, she pulled her hood a bit further in front of her face to hide it from the inquisitive looks of her classmates. 

“It was bothering her,” she grunted quietly.

“Well, I believe you have volunteered to go next, Miss Hood,” Maid Marian huffed, looking very annoyed about her speech being interrupted. 

Cerise’s voice was barely audible as her water exploded in a burst of red. A small wolf came out of the forest, its head bowed as it glanced nervously around at the princesses. If Raven didn’t know any better, she would think the wolf was more scared of the princesses than they were of it. 

Strange, too. The eyes of the wolf matched Cerise’s exactly. 

Bending down, Cerise scratched behind the small creature’s ears affectionately. She seemed completely unbothered by the downright villainous companion she had summoned. Raven thought it rather impressive that she was capable of being so calm around such an animal, considering her mother’s story. 

“Carmine,” Cerise whispered to the pup. “I’ll call you Carmine.”

“A fitting name,” Maid Marian said, smiling nervously at the White Queen who was paying no attention to the display. Instead, she was holding a rose from one of the bushes in her hand and frowning at it. 

“We ought to paint these white,” the White Queen sighed. “Blue is such a melancholy colour. That Red Queen and I may not always agree, but her painted roses are a delight! What a sight!” 

“Quite so, Your Majesty,” said Maid Marian. 

As the two began to talk about different, lighter shades of blue they could paint the flowers, Raven tried to hold back her nerves. Sure, the Storian technically saw her as the heroine in the story right now, but that didn’t have to mean anything when it came to her pet. 

She thought once again of her old puppy. It had been such an adorable creature, small and docile and perpetually happy. If her mother had been locked away sooner, she might have been able to take the puppy out. Play with it. Have a normal pet for once in her life. 

That, of course, never happened. Eventually Raven learned not to fear the repulsive creatures of the dark. She even found comfort in them, sometimes. 

Once Maid Marian had successfully talked the White Queen down from having the entire clearing re-painted white, she turned back to her students, looking far more exhausted than she had a few minutes ago. She scanned the group, counting the animals among them. 

“Who’s left?” 

At least Raven wasn’t the only one to raise her hand. That would have been the peak of her embarrassment. Blondie was in front of her, the two of them making up the end of the line. Perhaps it would have been easier for her to get things over with immediately, but Raven was personally in no rush. 

“I do hope I get something interesting,” Blondie whispered to her in her usual quick manner of speaking. “A bear would certainly be good, considering my mother’s story. Just something I can report on, you know? It’s not everyday an editor has the opportunity to write about herself!” 

“I’m sure that whatever animal you get will make a good story as long as you’re the one writing it,” Raven said. Blondie jumped on her, tackling her in a hug that sent the both of them crashing to the ground. 

“You’re so sweet Raven! I can’t believe you’re the daughter of the Greatest Evil Ever After has Ever Known!” Blondie squealed, helping Raven up.

Me too , Raven thought. She wouldn’t dare say that aloud. 

But Blondie got her wish. A cute little bear cub that was as excited as she was. Seeing the two of them together, Raven felt her old familiar loneliness well up. 

“Next,” Maid Marian called. 

Slowly, Raven made her way up to the pond. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she advanced. It wasn’t like they had reason to trust her. Her record in Animal Communication seemed to get worse by the day. The Wish Fish were still a fresh memory, after all. 

When she cupped the water it turned into a soft violet shade. The colour of her eyes. The colour of her mother’s eyes. 

Closing said eyes, Raven tried to think of what she most wished for. At the moment, that would have been returning to Evil, wouldn’t it? 

Would it?

People always told her what she wanted. It had been the case her whole life. From her mother, telling her that Evil was the only option, to her dad, telling her that it paid more to be Good. Even Apple with her rants about their future fairy tale together. 

Now they had their fairy tale, and everything was upside down, inside out, and entirely topsy turvy. 

I wish to set things right, Raven thought. So that I can have my Happily Ever After, and Apple can have hers. 

She tossed the water into the air. With the amount of force she put in it should have fallen immediately, but instead it continued up and up until it reached into the sky, exploding in a beautiful array of purples. 

Everything began to shake. The ground, the trees, even the air seemed to move as something stomped its way through the trees. It made giant crashing sounds as it made its way through. 

The Evergirls, naturally, panicked. Grabbing each other’s hands they sprinted towards the school and, more importantly, away from whatever was walking towards Raven. Cupid hopped on Philia, pulling Cedar and Blondie onto her pegasus’ back and flew away with the two of them. Even the White Queen and Maid Marian fled, rushing away from the noise. 

Meanwhile, Raven was frozen. Not because she was scared, no, but because she knew those footsteps. 

Once, when she was a very small child, she had gotten to see the creature her mother rode into battle. She was not allowed on it, of course not, but her mother let her touch its nose. The beast was taller than any building, its violet eyes piercing and capable of invoking only terror. She could never forget the way the whole world tremored as it walked, crushing everything underfoot. 

The same way the world was tremoring now. 

When the dragon finally emerged into the clearing, Raven knew she had been granted her wish. The answer to her nagging questions stood in front of her, its dark purple scales glossy and made to blend into shadow. To attack under the cover of darkness. 

Raven reached out as her steed bent down, touching the end of its nose gently. Bright blue eyes stared at her, awaiting orders. 

“I know just what to name you,” Raven said to the dragon quietly, so as not to be overheard. 

“Nevermore.”

Chapter Text

“Is it true?” Apple demanded at lunch, craning her neck around. “Did you really summon a… you know what?”

“She’s just a dragon, Apple,” Raven chuckled, biting into the pastry Apple had given her after stealing her lunch. Apparently princesses were all allergic to sugar. “You aren’t going to summon her just by talking about her.”

“Still! Don’t you get how amazing this is?” Apple said, grinning widely. “This means at least part of the story still recognises our proper places!”

“Maid Marian said that an animal appeared when we wished for what we wanted most in our stories,” Raven said, picking at the corner of her pastry. 

“So you wished for Nevermore! Oh, it’s ingenious,” Apple continued rambling about how wonderful it was as Raven stared down at the pastry in her hands. 

Nevermore was back in her room, after Raven discovered that her new dragon could shrink her size. She thought it was royally cool. Maid Marian and the White Queen, not so much. Her poor Dean had fainted when Raven announced the name of her new pet. 

Even Cedar thought the name was a weird idea, not understanding why Raven would feel the need to name her dragon after a Never’s version of paradise. That was alright. Raven didn’t need understanding, she needed to focus on getting things back on the right path. She had been shown the answer to her problems, and she would make sure she didn’t let that go to waste. 

“Raven!” a voice squealed. Raven turned to see none other than Maddie Hatter running up to the two girls. 

“Maddie!” she gasped, sprinting up to her friend. It had felt like a lifetime since the two last talked, and in a way it was. They hadn’t had a full conversation since the start of the school year. 

“So I’m not crazy!” Maddie declared, looking around. “But we’ve had a full conversation, surely, haven’t we Raven bird?”

“What are you talking about?” Raven giggled, too happy to be in her friend’s presence to care about her antics. 

“These voices. I’ve started hearing them lately, but only when you and Apple are around. Wonderful, isn’t it?” Maddie giggled. 

To any other person, this may have looked like she was excited about hearing voices. Wonderful for most people was an expression of happiness. This was not the case for Wonderlandians, who used the word wonderful for anything they found wondrous. 

“Quite so!” Maddie agreed. 

“How have you been?” Raven asked her, ushering her friend to the little picnic Apple and she set up and ignoring her antics. 

“Oh so lonely without my lovely birdie to keep me company,” Maddie sighed with a smile, plopping down beside her friends. “How can I hear music without the ravens singing?”

“Ravens don’t sing,” Apple corrected her. “And you have me!”

“Yes, but you’re so serious and judgy,” Maddie replied with a wave of her hand. “One little mention of decapitation and it’s like we’ve ordered your execution!” 

“You guys were planning to kill me the first time we met,” Apple reminded her.

“Not so! Lizzie never beheads people,” Maddie huffed, crossing her arms. “Anyway, what’s this I hear about Raven’s new dragon? Wings and wings and wings! Will you be flying away?” 

“No, not yet at least,” Raven laughed. 

“Lizzie threatens to behead me every day just because I get better grades than her,” Apple huffed. 

“But here you are, head and shoulders!” Maddie retorted. 

“I’ve missed you, Maddie,” Raven sighed. Her new friends were lovely, but there was something about Maddie’s particular brand of madness that was one of a kind. 

“Why that’s so sweet of you!” Maddie said, tearing up. Not in reaction to Raven saying she missed her, but instead to being called uniquely mad. “What have you two been up to over here, anyway? You always huddle away like you have a plague.”

“Haven’t you heard? A witch and princess being friends is a plague nowadays,” Raven joked. 

“But we were about to start planning how to get ourselves out of the mess we’ve been dumped in,” Apple added. 

“How to get out?” asked Maddie. 

“Exactly,” Apple agreed. “You see, I need to woo a prince and get true love’s kiss in order to return to my proper school. It’s only that the prince in question doesn’t notice my existence.”

“How terrible,” Maddie sighed.

“Is it?” Raven asked genuinely. 

“The worst,” Apple sighed. “But hope isn’t lost yet! You see, I have a plan to win him back.”

“You do?” asked Raven. Apple’s plans hadn’t exactly worked out the best so far. 

“Yes, I do,” Apple huffed. “Don’t sound so surprised. Clearly, none of the tried and true methods of winning him over have worked so far, right?”

“Right,” chanted Maddie and Raven. 

“So he’s beyond logical reasoning,” continued Apple. Raven was pretty sure that wasn’t how that worked, but she kept her mouth shut and let her friend talk. “Clearly, this means extreme measures must be taken. Such methods are of course unconventional, but may be necessary in a situation such as this one-”

“What are you talking about?” groaned Raven, flopping onto her back in frustration. 

“A love spell!” 

She bolted back up again to make sure she heard right. Apple was looking at her with bright eyes, seemingly oblivious to the near heart attack she had just caused. 

“You’re joking, right? I can never tell when you’re being sarcastic with these things,” Raven said slowly. 

Frowning, Apple huffed, “Of course not! I would never joke about something so important. Now, your mother gave you her old spellbook, didn’t she?” 

“No,” Raven said bluntly. “Besides, her spellbook wouldn’t have love spells in them. They’re old magic, but not exactly a challenge because they never work. Plus Nevers hate love. She’d have whatever the opposite of a love spell is, though.”

“An un-love spell?” suggested Maddie. 

“Exactly!” grinned Raven. 

“Not helping,” frowned Apple.

Sighing, Raven looked at her friend. It was clear that Apple was going to try the plan, with or without her. 

But for once, she couldn’t choose the more difficult path. 

“Apple, you don’t need a love spell to win Daring over,” she said. “You’re smart, funny, and incredibly invested in the people you care about. Besides, a kiss won out of a love spell isn’t true love. I can’t help you with this.”

“Fine! I can figure out magic on my own,” Apple sniffled as Raven stood up. 

“Well, good luck then,” she sighed, walking away. Maddie bounced up beside her a few seconds later. 

“It’s never going to work, but you can’t miss if you never swing the flamingo I suppose,” Maddie said sadly, glancing back at a very obviously panicking Apple. 

“It’s not that I’m worried it won’t work,” Raven said, looking back as well. “It’s what happens after it fails.”

-

“Please, please, pretty please with cherries and vanilla on top?” 

“Ew! Who likes vanilla?” Lizzie Hearts huffed, slamming her croquet mallet down on the floor. “Off with your head!” 

Apple took a deep breath, trying to control her temper. It was no use. Raven had abandoned her to her own devices, and it turned out her own devices were running to the next best villain she knew for help. Like a villain would help her. 

But it wasn’t her fault! Princesses weren’t very involved with the world of magic. When Evers used magic, it was mostly the power of love to ward away Evil, but the love would already be established in those stories. Apple was just trying to get her foot in the door! What was wrong with that? Even Snow White needed her dwarves, after all.

“Come on, won’t it be a fun challenge?” Apple begged. “Love spells never work! That’s what everyone says, right? So how would they react to you pulling one off?” 

“Not on Daring,” Lizzie huffed, glaring at the wall like it would be next on her execution list. “Evil doesn’t dabble in love. Especially with an Ever, let alone the most popular Ever of his year.” 

It was the first time Apple ever heard Lizzie give Daring a genuine compliment. She didn’t even know her roommate had it in her. 

“Wouldn’t that make things even better? You would be proving them all wrong by using the most popular Ever of his year!” Lizzie tilted her head at the words, considering. 

“And why should I help you? A love spell like this isn’t going to be made cheaply, and queens don’t work for less than gold,” Lizzie said, haughty attitude officially restored. 

Apple wracked her brain for ideas. What did Lizzie want? She usually demanded anything she wanted right away, losing the need for guesswork. Which meant it wouldn’t be anything physical. 

Then, she remembered what Maddie said to her at lunch.

“I know!” Apple blurted out. Smirking, she said, “You want to be Class Captain, right?” 

Lizzie looked ready to break a tooth. “Yes.” 

“Well you certainly can’t do that while I’m here,” Apple said. “I’m in a fairy tale, remember? I’m built to have good grades.”

“I could always just kill you,” Lizzie snapped, gripping her croquet mallet a bit tighter. “Beheadings are a very common practice in Wonderland.”

“But we’re not in Wonderland,” Apple said, growing more confident as she spoke. “And even if you did kill me, there’s still plenty I could do to make your life miserable before that happens. I could paint all the hallways pink, or make you all have puppies for henchmen!| 

“Please stop,” Lizzie groaned. “This is so unbecoming of a Never to say.”

“So help me prove I’m not one.”

The two girls looked at each other for a long time. Apple could only hope that her desperation was shining through her eyes. 

“You said it yourself, right?” she added. “I was always meant to be a princess.” 

“Fine,” Lizzie snapped. Apple opened her mouth to thank her roommate when Lizzie held up a finger. “In exchange, you will be solely responsible for cleaning our room for the next three months, and bathing Shuffle after our croquet games.” 

Apple bit back the urge to argue for once, nodding her head. Lizzie’s pet hedgehog would always track dirt into their room after their croquet games. The two were insanely competitive. It had taken Kitty stealing Lizzie’s flamingo mallet for her to finally start bathing her pet. 

“Fine,” she agreed. If her teeth were grinding together, that was nobody else’s business. 

In the dark, Lizzie’s smile looked truly wicked. 

-

Raven stared at the wall of the museum. She was supposed to be studying, but it was impossible to focus when everyone around her only wanted to talk about the ball. Or their pets. There seemed to be two topics of conversation going around the School for Good lately, neither making Raven eager to join in. 

After all, what would she say about the Snow Ball? That she had no prince lined up and was looking more likely to fail by the day? 

Talking about her animal would be even worse. Nevermore was the sweetest dragon Raven had ever met, but that didn’t mean much when she had the appearance of any villain’s beloved animal and was named after Evil’s paradise. 

So she came back to the Gallery of Good hoping it might provide an answer. No matter what she did lately it always seemed to blow up in her face, so she figured hiding out would at least keep anyone else out of danger. 

“Nice and quiet here, don’t you think?” a voice asked. Jumping, Raven turned to see Giles Grimm limping over to her. He looked worse than the last time she saw him. His clothes hung looser, the bags under his eyes growing darker. 

“I’m sorry sir, I can leave-”

“Hush child, no use in leaving now,” Giles winked at her, looking up at the painting Raven had been admiring. 

“Still, I should be studying,” Raven said weakly, her resolve crumbling. “I have… balls to study for, after all.”

“You might be the first student I’ve heard to be unexcited about the prospect of such a dance,” Giles said, eyes twinkling. 

“I don’t particularly enjoy dances,” Raven admitted. “Do you?”

“Two left feet I’m afraid,” Giles said, tapping his bad leg with his cane briefly. “But from what I gather, the people who do attend are quite fond of them.” 

“That seems to be the case,” Raven agreed miserably. Even Dexter seemed excited about the idea. She had passed him in the hall, asking his sister for advice on which shade of blue would compliment his tie for a pocket square.

“Don’t look so glum, child,” Giles chided her. “You may yet find what took me years to learn.”

“What?”

“There is much happiness to be found outside of romance,” Giles said. He looked at the painting, the colours shifting under the setting afternoon light. “You have not figured out the way to end your fairy tale, have you?”

“You believe that I’m actually in one?” Raven asked. She couldn’t hold back her excited grin. Finally, an adult who actually believed that she was telling the truth! 

“But of course,” Giles said. “The entire world hums when the Storian begins to weave its tales. It is just a matter of who is attuned to hear it.”

It was strange to hear her teacher talk about the pen that had caused her so much trouble with such reverence, but Raven didn’t comment on it. She couldn’t do anything to risk losing his help.

“But, sir, even if that’s true I know how to end my story,” Raven said. “It’s true love’s kiss.” 

Giles just chuckled, his breath rattling. “So, finally you call it your story?” 

Raven’s mouth opened, ready to protest and say that wasn’t fair. But when she thought about it, she realised that she couldn’t actually remember ever having called her story hers. After all, she was just as involved with the tale as Apple was, wasn’t she?

“Yet you still have a ways to go,” Giles sighed. “Tell me, child, why do you think it is that every story you’ve seen ends with a true love’s kiss?”

“Because that’s what guarantees a happy ending?” Raven didn’t understand the question, although she suspected that Giles knew that already. 

“Not quite, but you’re close,” he laughed. “Your mother saw past the reasoning we have been given. Think of Alice. How did her tale end?”

“She came back home to her sister,” said Raven quickly. “But Alice was a Reader. I thought that wasn’t possible for people born in the Woods.” 

“No story has a set ending,” said Giles. “Alice was able to return home because she saw past the divides of our world. Of course, she quickly found her way back into the Woods with her sister, but that is not relevant in this case.”

“Isn’t it?”

“She had no true love’s kiss,” Giles said. “Think, my child. Your story belongs to your friend and you, but it is the two of you who must decide the ending. How do you want your story to end? With you becoming a villain? Is that truly what you wish?”

What I wish? thought Raven. 

“Nevermore came to me,” she said slowly. “That’s all the proof that I’m supposed to be a villain. Why else would I have summoned an Evil animal?” 

“Is your dragon Evil, or does she just appear that way?” Giles countered. “The two of you may be more alike than you realise.”

“I’m Evil,” Raven snapped. “I was born Evil, and I’ll die Evil. It’s in my blood.”

“Our families do not define us,” he replied, a far away look in his eyes. “They merely set the foundation for what we will become. You say you have accepted your fate, but there is no saying that it was ever fate to begin with.”

He leaned a bit closer to her, so that she could make out where the grey in his beard overlaid old, dark hairs. 

“What if there was another end to your story?”

-

“Alright, so I just fire this at his heart and he’ll be spelled?” Apple asked, pulling the string of the bow back. Lizzie slapped it out of her hands. 

“Not in here!” Lizzie roared. “You’re going to kill someone at this rate!” 

“Hush, you,” Apple said. She ignored how furious Lizzie looked, slinging the bow over her shoulder. 

Her roommates had been up for the entirety of the night before, disturbing her beauty sleep with their mutterings about ingredients for the potion. Everything needed to be perfect if they were really going to pull this off. 

Apple had every confidence in them, but none of them seemed particularly relieved when she told them that.

“And you’re sure this will work?” she asked again, fighting down the nerves in her stomach. 

“If this doesn’t work then nothing will,” Kitty purred. 

“How reassuring.”

“You’re the one who can’t even seduce a prince,” Kitty replied, disappearing until only her smile was left to hang midair. “I’d think that was the bigger concern.”

It was a good thing that she disappeared before Apple could throw water at her.

Lunch seemed to come around slower than ever. Every class Apple had to sit through felt like a lifetime as she gnawed on the inside of her cheek until it bled to try and keep down her nerves.

As things turned out, she had nothing to be nervous about. She did not get to try out the love spell that day.

It had been a wonderful idea in her head to bring Gala along to lunch. After all, the whole point of the pets was that the students would look after them at all times. So she had Gala perched on her shoulder, ready for Daring to love not only her, but her new friend as well.

Things didn’t unfold as smoothly as she imagined.

Raven was sitting under her usual tree and lit up when she saw Maddie. They had begun to eat together after Raven officially disapproved of Apple’s plan to win Daring over. That was fine. Maybe Apple didn’t need Raven’s help. 

Her foul mood must have shown on her face, because the second Gala saw Raven she leaped off of Apple’s shoulder, charging at her friend. 

“No!” Apple yelped, running after her fox. 

Raven turned at the commotion, eyes widening at the sight of the white fox charging at her. Behind the snarling animal, Apple ran towards her friend, yelling sorry over and over. 

Students parted around the three as they sprinted through the Clearing, an odd version of tag going on. Raven tried blending into a tree, but it seemed that Gala was using scent to detect her, because she found no safety in her usual shadows. The fox was ruthless, and by the end of lunch both girls were out of breath and utterly confused, Apple muttering apologies as she wrestled her fox back to her room. 

Once Gala was away from Raven she seemed to immediately calm down, which was the strangest part of the whole mess. 

Things went similarly the next day, and the day after that. Dexter and Daring Charming began helping the girls out, trying to battle the fox away from Raven, but it was no use. 

If Apple swooned at Daring’s prowess in fights, that was nobody’s business. 

By the end of the week, it had officially become an unavoidable problem. Raven was at the top of a tree, Daring trying to distract the fox as Dexter screamed at the fact that said fox had its claws digging into him, and Apple had officially given up hope of Gala winning over Daring as proof that she was Good. 

“Strange,” Baba Yaga muttered as she passed by behind Apple. She jumped at the sound of the Dean’s voice. “You would almost think… but no, it’s not possible yet.”

“What?” asked Apple. Apparently her Dean hadn’t expected her to hear, because she looked about as surprised to hear Apple’s voice as Apple had been to hear hers. 

“Nothing, nothing,” she snapped. “Now get your animal under control before you fail the class.” 

With that threat spurring her on, Apple was quick to take measures against Gala. With the help of Dexter and Daring, she managed to plan a way around her predicament. 

First, Raven ran behind a well, Gala chasing after her. Then, Daring knocked the fox into the well, and Dexter delivered the final blow in the form of a trap door.

Raven peeked up from behind the well after everything was done nervously. “Is it safe to come out?” 

“You’re fine,” Dexter assured her, offering her a hand. Ignoring the offer of help, Raven stood up and brushed off her pink skirts. 

“Okay, great, thanks for your, uh, help,” she said, eyes darting between Dexter and Daring. Apple felt a twinge in her stomach, like Raven wasn’t saying something, but she barely knew the brothers! That was ridiculous. 

As they walked away from the princes, Raven whispered to Apple. “You aren’t still planning on spelling him, are you?”

“He didn’t even look at me, Raven,” Apple sighed, glancing behind her. Sure enough, Daring was focused on some princess with red glasses when he should have been looking her way. “I don’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” Raven said with a surprising amount of venom, then stomped off to where Maddie was talking with a girl who looked to be made out of wood. Apple just huffed and marched back to her dorm. 

After all, Raven didn’t have to prove that she was Evil. It was obvious to anyone that looked at her. 

Meanwhile, all Apple had been doing was try to prove that she was Good. If there was only one way to secure that proof then, well, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

The next lunch, her plans were set in motion. The arrow was prepared, her quiver was loaded, and Apple set out with determination in her heart. 

“This isn’t going to work,” Lizzie hummed in a sing-song voice as Apple walked towards the Clearing. 

“When it does, you’ll be biting your tongue,” Apple replied through gritted teeth. 

Daring was sitting with a few of his prince friends. Apple recognised a few of them from the diplomatic retreats her mother would take her on as a child, while a few of the faces were completely unfamiliar. Whatever. It was of no importance to her. She would have plenty of time to learn their names once she got her happily ever after. 

“New life, here I come!” she shouted joyously, pulling the arrow back taught and releasing. 

It struck Daring dead centre. For a beautiful moment, Apple felt joy well up. 

Then the arrow bounced right back off. 

It ricocheted off everything, making students duck around it. Raven jumped behind a tree to avoid it, Maddie just managed to duck, the arrow going right between a couple of her teal curls, and Lizzie batted it with her croquet mallet. Finally, it bounced right back towards Apple. 

“NO!” Apple screamed, bracing herself for pain. None came. 

When she opened her eyes, a far worse fate awaited her. Bright red and shining on the breast pocket of her uniform. 

A red F. 

Chapter Text

Apple sat in her dorm room, thinking about what she would do next. 

Hello there!

She racked her brain for- hello? 

Who are you, voice? 

You can actually hear me? 

It seems that way. Nobody else can, though, at least not that I’ve discovered so far. I’m always discovering new things, so that may change. Who are you? 

Well, I am the Narrator of this story. 

Does that mean you’re narrating Apple and Raven’s fairy tale? Oh, that’s hat-tastic! 

I’m more a Narrator of everything that happens in Ever After and the Woods at large. Your school just so happens to be the focus of this particular story, but that doesn’t mean you’re in a fairy tale. I couldn’t tell you even if you were, anyway. 

Why not? 

Because I am a Narrator, Madeline Hatter. We are forbidden from spoiling the story. 

Oh, you know my name! That’s wonderlandiful. You know, you’re quite a smart Narrator. 

Thank you. 

If it’s going to cause problems with the story to tell me, then I won’t ask if Raven and Apple are in a fairy tale. Is it alright if I talk to you again though? 

I really shouldn’t discuss things with non-Narrators. It could make the story a bit difficult to tell, you see. 

I won’t cause any trouble! I’m very good at that. I’m also very good at solving riddles, singing the alphabet backwards, stacking mice on my head, standing upside down, and walking through walls. That seems to be only an occasional thing, but it’s so fun when it happens! Have you ever walked through a wall, Narrator?

I can’t say I have. 

Well, you should try it sometime. If we don’t get to talk again, then good luck telling the story!

Oh, I’m sure we will see each other again, Madeline Hatter. But thank you. Now, I really must be getting back. Ahem. 

Chapter Text

“It’s not funny.”

“I didn’t say it was!” 

“You’re laughing right now!” 

Apple tossed herself onto her bed. Glass was littered across the floor from Raven tossing herself through the window.

“Raven, did you see the way he looked at me?” Apple moaned, tossing her head into her hands. 

Unfortunately, Raven had no retort to that. If anything, she could only be relieved that Apple wasn’t taking the event of the earlier day worse. 

“I’m going to be stuck in this wretched school forever,” Apple groaned into her pillow. Raven felt a pang of sympathy for her friend. The fact that Apple had even lasted so long in the School for Evil was a surprise to Raven, who had been worried she would die after day one. 

“Not forever,” Raven reminded her, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. She had worn her cloak to cover her bright pink uniform, with her first day of school clothes becoming too dirty to wear around. The laundry was done by fairies in Good, but Raven didn’t dare risk losing her favourite dress to them. “We still have time to change the ending of our story.”

Apple sprang up from where she had been laying down. “You’re right. I’m Apple White, for crown’s sake! There’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Sure,” Raven said slowly, the manic gleam in Apple’s eyes making her nervous. 

She was shooed over to the window. “Quick, get out.”

“Wait, why am I getting kicked out?” Raven complained, holding onto the window frame as Apple tried to push her off the side of the building. “I thought I was over here to make you feel better! We still don’t have a plan for how you’re going to win over Daring.” 

But Apple just smiled at her. 

“What?”

“Just wait,” Apple said. “You’ll see.”

One climb down the side of Malice Tower and several hexes muttered later, Raven was back on the bridge between the two schools. Her reflection greeted her, looking furious. 

“What are you doing?” her perfectly polished persona asked. 

“Going back to the school?” Raven adjusted the cape around her shoulders, glancing nervously behind her. No wolves yet. “I thought that was obvious.”

“Not that,” her reflection snapped, perfectly done eyebrows pulling together to glare at her. With the makeup and glare, her reflection looked almost like her mother, making Raven hunch into herself. “Why are you just letting Apple do this?”

“Do what?” 

“Take away your happy ending!” The way her reflection said it, you would have thought it was the most obvious conclusion to the situation in the world. Raven couldn’t have been more confused. 

“What happy ending?” 

She was the villain in her story. The closest she would ever get to a happy ending was a life of solitude. 

Her reflection just sighed, the same way her dad did when he was disappointed. “So you still don’t get it.”

“Get what?” Raven asked, her annoyance growing. 

“You can’t be this clueless,” her reflection sighed. “Finger glows get unlocked in a week! You need to start planning.”

“I am planning,” Raven snapped. “Planning to get out of that,” she gestured towards the bright pink and blue towers ahead of her, “and back to where I belong. Not that you would understand.”

For a second, her reflection’s eyes softened. “Of course I understand. I’m you. But if you keep playing into her obsessions, you’ll only hurt the people who really care about you.” 

“Apple cares about me,” she muttered. 

“And what about Maddie?” her reflection pressed. “Cedar? Cupid? Dexter?” 

Raven glared at the pavement, fighting down the tears that threatened to well up in the corner of her eyes. It was easy. After all, she had plenty of practice from her childhood. 

“Nevermore is where I’m going to end up,” she said. “Alone.”

With a whoosh, she disappeared into the towers. 

Two blue eyes peered out into the darkness, watching her go.

-

Apple hadn’t made an appearance all morning, and by lunch the rumours about her were running wild. People saying she lost her mind and threw herself into the moat, people saying she was the one who was responsible for the missing Evil Reader and ate them, people saying she had a dozen warts to accompany her failing grade. 

That was fine. In fact, it was for once the preferred attitude for the school to have about her. 

She adjusted the tiara in her hair, and pulled the skirt down to the right length as she walked towards the Clearing. Perfect purple circles hung under her eyes from her sleepless night, but it would all be worth it when she saw the look on Daring’s face. 

As she smoothed her hair, she tried to imagine his expression. It would help her ignore how quickly her hands carded through her short locks. 

His perfect blue eyes would sparkle, his teeth would shine as he smiled at her, and they would ride off into the sunset towards her kingdom. Maybe. Possibly he would ignore her and talk to that girl in the glasses he seemed inseparable from lately. 

“Calm down,” she muttered to herself. “You’re Apple White. You can do anything.” 

At first, nobody noticed her walking in. People continued milling about their daily, horribly boring lives. 

Raven was the first to see her. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of Apple. Maddie, who had been sitting beside her, turned to see what she was looking at. 

After that, a domino effect took off, eyes finding their way to Apple as she sashayed through the Clearing until finally, Daring turned. 

He had been talking to one of the other princes who was wearing the boys uniform shorts with the blazer, an interesting fashion choice. To say the least. The boy did Apple a favour, though, elbowing Daring when he saw her walk in. 

Finally, her prince’s eyes fixed on her. 

Apple savoured the way his eyes raked over her, taking in every detail of her beautiful dress. 

Her entire night had been spent sewing every detail, until the loose sack of a robe she had been forced to wear turned into a beautiful gown. It hugged her waist, drawing in before blooming out into a round skirt that resembled her favourite dress from home. The red F from the day before was accompanied with some stitching that read: F is for Fabulous. 

Even her short hair, which she could still feel a twinge of disappointment at, was perfectly curled and styled just the way she liked it. 

She glided past the Everyboys the way her mother taught her, settling down next to Raven, Maddie, and Cedar Wood. 

“Is that allowed?” Cedar blurted out the second she got settled. “I mean, I thought altering the uniform was against the rules?”

“It doesn’t say that anywhere,” Apple purred. “Technically, everything I’ve done to my uniform is above board.” She raised her voice when saying it, glancing towards Baba Yaga, who had been staring at her, open mouthed. Upon hearing her, her Dean turned away scoffing. 

“Above board or not, is this really what you should be focusing on?” Raven asked. “You need to work on getting Daring’s attention-”

“Raven, stop being such a worry flurry! This is getting his attention,” Apple beamed at her friend, who looked dumbfounded. Grabbing the sides of Raven’s head, she turned her gaze towards the Evers' tables. “Look.”

Sure enough, every eye in the clearing was fixed on Apple. For the first time since arriving, she felt that if she opened her mouth to speak, everyone would actually listen to what she had to say.