Part 2 (1/2)

aItas the Snow White fairytale that is special,a he said. aAnd you must play your part. Stories do have a way of working themselves out, but you need to let them and not thwart them at every opportunity.a aUm,a she said, afraid to say anything else and change his mind about the not-expelling-her thing.

aYou are staying because Iam giving you another chance. You will change your minda”eventually. And when you do, this little rebellion you stirred up will be squashed before it blooms.a Raven gulped. A response was bubbling up in her, but she wisely swallowed it down.

aNevertheless,a he continued, athere must be some consequences. During Study Ball, you will scrub the garbage chutes and think about destiny.a aIf Iam cleaning during Study Ball, when will I have time to do my thronework?a aPerhaps, if I keep you suitably busy, you wonat have time to rebel out of boredom! You are here to learn how to become a dark sorceress and follow in your motherasaa”Grimm shuddereda”aevil footsteps. Though, perhaps, not her exact epically evil footsteps. Ahem. So tell me, why, exactly, do you want to see Red Riding Hood?a Raven examined his face. Did he know what Cerise had recently confided in her? That Mr. Badwolfa”the same Mr. Badwolf who was Ever After Highas professor of General Villainya”was actually Ceriseas dad? Red Riding Hood and Big Badwolfas falling in love and marrying secretly were not part of the story. They did something that was crazy off-script. Now Raven had to knowa”did it work out for them? What happened to those who rebelled against destiny? Did their choice to rebel hurt others, as her choice seemed to be hurting her friends? How could she protect them?

aWell, itas a great cautionary tale about, you know, veering off the path,a Raven offered.

Grimm nodded slightly. She was on the right track to convincing him.

aIf Red had done what her mother had wanted and followed the path, she would have never met the wolf,a Raven said. And never fallen in love, she thought.

Headmaster Grimm smiled. aThat isnat the way the story is supposed to go, but I do get your point. It might be nice to discuss the regrets one feels for poor choices. Very well. One condition, though,a the headmaster continued, holding up a finger. aI want you to visit someone evil as well.a aWell, good role models for evil are rare, so maybea I could maybe talk to my mom,a said Raven quietly. Part of her longed to see her mother again just to ask her if shead done right. Another part was afraid but thought the talk would provide a timely reminder of why she would do anything to keep from becoming like her.

aYour mother?a the headmaster whispered. Only a handful of people in all of Ever After even knew that Ravenas mother wasnat dead but imprisoned far away in a magic mirror. Headmaster Grimm had sworn Raven to secrecy.

aYeah, well, I thoughta”a aMiss Queen, I hope that you are kidding,a he said. aThough I find it in very poor taste to kid about the Greatest Evil Ever After Has Ever Known.a aOfa of course,a Raven said. aSorry. That was silly to suggest.a Shead hoped head allow an extra MirrorChat this year, since he wanted her so badly to grow into her motheras role, but she shouldnat have risked asking. She winced, afraid head bring up expulsion again.

aYou will visit the Candy Witch,a Milton Grimm said. aShe is a villain who wholeheartedly embraces her role. Er, just try not to get near her oven.a aRighta okay,a Raven said. Raven knew the Candy Witchas daughter, Ginger, from school but had heard alarming stories about Gingeras mother.

aOff with you!a Mr. Grimm puffed, making shooing motions with his hands.

Raven was eager to oblige.

When she emerged into the hall, Maddie was sitting on the floor.

aYouare still waiting for me!a said Raven.

Maddie popped up and gave her a hug. aSometimes after talking to the headmaster, you get trembly and chin-quivery and even gloomier-Gussy. So I thought, maybe my friend Raven will need a hug.a Raven hugged her back. aI think I did. Thanks.a Maddie pulled a pink top hat off her head, stuck her arm in up to the elbow, and pulled out a hot cup of tea. aAlso this. Hugs and tea. Cures everything.a Raven sipped. The warm charm blossom tea felt like drinking down a hug. Though it couldnat entirely fill that hole inside her, aching with fear and confusion. Her mother would understand how it felt to be booed when she walked into a room. Though instead of working to better understand and lead her peers, her motheras solution would likely involve magic potions and zapping.

Maddie stood back and squinted. aYou donat look expelled.a aIam not!a said Raven.

aAha! The tea worked!a The tower bell rang. Maddie ran off to Chemythstry cla.s.s. Raven finished her tea on the way to her Tall Tales lecture, taking a seat beside Cerise Hood.

aHey,a Raven said. aYou know what the lecture is about?a Cerise said, aSneaking, I think, ora”a aSkulking!a shouted Professor Jack B. Nimble, appearing at the lectern seemingly out of nowhere. Several of the teachers applauded.

There were lots of Jacks. Raven had a hard time keeping them all straight. The Sprat one was the easiest, because he was extraordinarily skinny.

aYou probably didnat know,a Jack shouted, athat I was here for a full! Five! Minutes! Before I spoke!a Raven winced. The megaphone mounted to the podium magnified his yelling till her ears squeaked, killing any hopes of a whispered conversation with Cerise. Raven slumped in her chair and pulled out her MirrorPhone.

aMisdirection!a he said, shouting now. aMagic for the nonmagical!a Raven found Ceriseas number and sent her a hext.

RAVEN: Hey C! loud, right?

There was a subtle buzz. Cerise checked her phone and then looked at Raven, eyebrow raised.

RAVEN:I know. using MirrorPhone in cla.s.s = bad, but I have spella good news!

aBehold!a Jack shouted from the stage. He was holding an egg.

aThatas my egg!a someone shouted from the audience. Several people gasped.

CERISE: Is news that Jack is done talking? ;)

RAVEN: HA! No. I get to visit ur mom for YD!

aAh!a Jack shouted. aBut did I take the egg five minutes ago, or just now? You donat know!a Raven noticed something in Cerise had slumped.

CERISE: cool

RAVEN: Like u to come with me if u can CERISE: ?.

RAVEN: Luv to talk to ur M about going off book, but not sure shead trust me with her secret. Unless u come?

aBut the skulk,a Jack continued. aThe skulk is about the shrouding of the self without sacrificing movement. Watch!a More people gasped, and Raven looked up at the stage again. Jack was gone.

aYou arenat being very sneaky,a someone whispered in her ear. Raven turned, and no one was there.

aAm I here?a Jack shouted from somewhere far behind Raven. Everyone looked and saw nothing.

aIf anyone looks this way, theyare going to see you using your MirrorPhone,a whispered someone behind her. She whirled to see, again, nothing. Curses, but he was good!

aHere I am!a Jack shouted, suddenly popping up in front of Raven. Raven shrieked, and everyone laughed or clapped. Jack smiled and looked around at everyone except Raven, but somehow was still whispering right at her. aStay unnoticed by looking somewhere else. Show focus on everything but what youare actually doing.a He walked away, waving at everyone, his voice receding. aAnd maybe learn to type blindfolded.aa aIall go with you,a Cerise whispered in her ear, and Raven jumped, off-balance from all the surprise whispering. aSorry,a Cerise said, slinking back into her seat, and her cloak.

aNo, donat be,a Raven said. aThank you! Weare going to have an amazing time tomorrow.a Cerise smiled, and the teeth that peeked out made Raven wonder how people hadnat realized that Mr. Badwolf was her father a long time ago.

Hey, Narrator!

Yes, Maddie?

Oh, hi! I was just wondering, why are you more talkative when Iam around Apple or Raven?

Well, theyare the point-of-view characters for this particular story. Narrators like to follow the characters who do the most stuff, and in the story Iam currently telling, thatas Apple and Raven. Itas a fascinating philosophy really, you seea”

Fascinating, yeah. So where are you going for Yester Day?