Ever After High: The Unfairest Of Them All Part 14

aApple, I am here,a Daring said, pausing to flash a smile so brilliant Appleas eyes started to water all over again. Then his arms dropped to his sides. aThough Iam not exactly clear what Iam doing. If you had a dragon that needed slaying, I could be courageous and victorious for you. But cleaning upaa aItas okay,a said Apple, abeing here is enough.a aIam here, too!a said Briar, coming in for a running embrace. aWow, I donat know what happened in here, but I know my Apple pie, and I know this mess must be killing you. Donat worry, weave got your back. Look at this!a Briar held up a red-and-white color-blocked dress. aThis used to be two dresses, and they were too messed up for Ashlynn to fix. But I designed a new dress out of the sc.r.a.ps.a aEnchanting!a said Apple, holding it up to her front.

Dexter came from Ravenas part of the room holding an armload of clothes. His face turned bright red, and he adjusted his gla.s.ses, dropping the clothing.

aRaven! Sorry, I didnat see you come in. I was just helping Ashlynn, I didnat mean to touch your private stuff. But I did happen to see you have the new Lady Yaga alb.u.m. Did you know sheas actually Baba Yagaas niece?a Raven and Dexter started sorting clothing while talking music. Briar helped Melody Piper set up her stuff to DJ the restoration party and then began hauling throw pillows in from her own room to decorate Appleas restored bed. One of the pillows bore an ironed-on photo of One Reflection. Blondie began placing everything back just right. Ginger brought in a fresh batch of cookies for a snack. Cerise ran in the door, bringing glue and new paint. Kitty disappeared and reappeared here and there, returning things to their places.

aApple?a said Holly, plucking out single hairs from her head for Ashlynn and the racc.o.o.ns to use as threads. aHey, I just wanted you to know, after you left Buff Castle, I talked to a servant therea"I think his name was Plum or something?a"and I told him what youad said. And he took your advice and arranged it so the castle bought produce from both farmers. One of them was so happy he cried.a aThanks, Holly,a said Apple. She felt near some happy crying herself.

Maddie gripped Apple in a sudden hug. aI smintered your balcony throne, and you still saved me. Thank you.a aOf course! Hey, Maddie, my worthy co-president, I want to make some changes at the school so what happened to you canat occur again. Will you help me draft a proposal regarding the proper conduct of a student trial?a aAbsotively, my distinguished co-president,a said Maddie.

Raven crouched down by Cedar, who was examining the kindling the hutling had made of Appleas wardrobe. Raven took a deep breath, as if afraid to speak what was on her tongue.

aCedar, I know you canat tell me a lie, and so Iave been afraid to ask you, but I need to know. Is all the bad stuff that happened after Legacy Day my fault?a Cedar winced, but she said, aSome of it. None of us are hermits living alone on a mountain. Everything we do affects other people. And you did a big thing. So, yeah, a lot of the chaos and anxiety and craziness the last couple of days was set in motion by what you did.a Raven nodded. aThatas what I was afraid of.a aThat doesnat mean what you did was necessarily wrong, and it doesnat mean youare to blame for the choices everyone else made, but you did affect it all in a big way, no question. Sorry, Raven.a Raven stood up and faced the room. aHey, everybody, can I say something?a Melody turned down the volume.

aI didnat want this to be my fault,a said Raven. aBut some of it is. Pretending otherwise is acting too much like my mom, who did whatever she wanted and took no notice of anyone she hurt along the way. Iam sorry that the backlash of my decision hurt many of you.a She glanced at Apple. Apple smiled back.

aI havenat changed my mind about not signing the book,a said Raven. aBut I know that many of you are feeling lost about what to do nowa"follow your destiny or write your own? I donat know all the answers, but Iad like to lead a support group, I guess. We can meet here once a week. Anyone interested could come talk about destinya"to follow it or nota"and if not, we can talk about what to do now. You know, lean on one another a bit, figure this out together.a aIall be there,a said Cedar.

aSo will I,a said Hunter.

Several other people voiced support as well.

aWhat a charming idea, Raven!a said Apple. aIall come to your support group, too, if thatas all right, just to lend a Royal voice to the discussion.a aOf course,a said Raven. aYour perspective will be an a.s.set.a aThank you,a said Apple. aIam eager to appreciate your perspective better. For instance, I understand that you value choice over destiny. But what if my choice is my destiny?a aUm, okay, you can still make that choice.a aIam not sure,a said Apple. aIf you donat play your part in our story, how do I get my Happily Ever After?a aThat might still happen,a said Raven, aeven without me.a aBut I think the Snow White tale is worth fighting for. All our stories are worth fighting for. If we donat retell them, they fade away.a aThe stories we write for ourselves by how we live our lives might be even better than our parentsa stories,a Raven said.

aWhy risk the loss of all the old stories?a asked Apple.

aCanat we retell them without living them?a aNot according to Headmaster Grimm. Besides, living them is a great privilege, as well as a guarantee for a particular life. Without destiny, thereas no guarantee of any Happily Ever After, not just for me but for all of us.a aWith destiny, many of us were guaranteed an unhappy ever after,a Raven said. aNow at least we can choose our own lives.a Appleas heart was pounding. aBut with choice there arenat any guarantees. Maybe no one will get a Happily Ever After now. Why gamble away the ones we had in exchange for possibly none at all?a aBecause before there was no chance that everyone would get that happy ending,a said Raven, her voice rising. aNow at least thereas some chance.a aA chance?a Apple said. aYouare willing to risk all those happy destinies for just a chance? How do you know if anyone will get aa"a aI donat!a Raven shouted. aNo one knows! This is life and we just live it and hope for the best!a Raven was even paler than usual, her eyes a bright purple, her hands clenched. Apple supposed she looked fierce: evil and powerful and scary even. But Apple kept picturing her as she looked hanging onto that hutling for dear life, hair wild, eyes wide, b.u.mping along as they crashed through the room.

And Apple giggled.

Raven looked incredulous. She opened her mouth as if to shout back, but instead a laugh came out.

And then Apple and Raven were holding each other, exhausted from their sleepless night, and laughing so hard Apple thought she might split her seams. The more they laughed the harder it came, till Appleas stomach hurt and eyes streamed. It had been a really long day.

Everyone was watching them, unsure if theyad lost their minds. Which was even funnier. And they laughed some more.

Apple wheezed, trying to get the laugh under control. Raven managed to stop first, though she was hiccuping now. Apple took a deep breath.

aWe both want the same thing,a Apple said both to Raven and to everyone in the room.

aYeah, Happily Ever Afters for ourselves and our friends,a said Raven.

aWe just disagree how to get that.a Cedar shook her head. aI still donat know what choice I should make.a aI think thatas okay, Cedar,a said Raven.

aIt most definitely is,a said Apple. aWe donat have to decide what our entire lives will be right now.a aWeare still in high school, for Grandmaas sake,a said Cerise.

aRight, we have plenty of time to make up our minds,a said Ashlynn.

aOr change them,a said Hunter. He cast a shy smile toward Ashlynn. aAnd this is a good place to be while I figure stuff out. I mean, all my friends are here. And the people I care a lot about.a aI care about the people here, too,a Ashlynn said, her eyes on her st.i.tching. aA lot. And if we donat have to decide everything right nowa"a aOff with their heads!a Lizzie suddenly shouted.

Apple stared. aWhy?a aOops, I meant to say, aHere, here,a a Lizzie said. aSometimes the wrong words come out.a aOoh, sometimes the wrong words can be the right words,a said Maddie, who was collecting loose feathers and stuffing them back into a pillow. aLetas play a game. At the same time, everybody say the first word that pops into your mind. One, two, three!a aFreedom,a said Raven.

aFamily,a said Cerise.

aColor,a said Cedar.

aFun,a said Briar.

aHandsome,a said Daring.

aMice,a said Kitty.

aDoors,a said Blondie.

aCroquet,a said Lizzie.

aRhythm,a said Melody.

aSnickerdoodles,a said Ginger.

aWhistles,a said Maddie.

aLove,a said Cupid. And Ashlynn. And Hunter. And Dexter, too. They looked at one another and laughed.

aFriends,a said Apple.

Blondie pa.s.sed out bowls of porridge sweetened with a great deal of honey. Maddie produced a tea party seemingly out of her hat. Melody played a jam with a really great beat.

Appleas dorm room was still a shambles. Some things would never be fixed, not completely. But there was porridge and tea, and friends that were trying. And Apple thought, Everything doesnat have to be perfect right now. For the moment, trying is enough.

She sipped her tea and felt warm. She found a hanger and hung up the first mended dress. Then Briar pulled her into the center of the room, and Apple took a short break from working so she could dance.

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NESTLED BETWEEN THE EPIC PEAKS, the jabberwocky flexed its wings. It was delighted to be free of its tiny gla.s.s prison, and doubly delighted to have found delicious bears to eat on its way up the mountain.

But things were wrong in this slithy, little land. The sun moved in a straight line, and things remained a certain size and shape no matter how the jabberwock looked or screamed at them. Its intention had been to find a spot or a clime, an angle or a time where rabbit holes were large and the jabberwock could be made small. It would have burrowed inside, eaten the rabbits, and slept, unnoticed, until it felt right again. But for all it spun and ducked and searched and clucked, it remained fearsomely large. For all it dug and flapped and poked and slapped, the mountains did not become molehills and the trees of the forest did not become broccoli.

Clearly, this was not Wonderland.

What a wretched and mimsy place the Great Manxome Jabberwocky had been released into, and it did not like it at all. Its foods of choice were misplaced and every Rule of Nothing was broken. Things would need to be done. Iron, tree, and stone would need to be torn and rent and broken and bent until this place became home or until home became this place.

Lights flashed in the valley below, and the jabberwock snaked its long neck around to look. This was a land of creatures of skin and fur. But no other wocks or jubjub birds or even a single tove. And so many two-legs that walked like Alice and Hatterfolk.

Yes. There had been Hatterkin spied at its escape from the Uni Cairn. And the scent of The Cat and sounds of the Card Queen, too. There were pieces of Wonderland here. Pieces it would move, poke, and prod until the Dull Wrongness of this place transformed into the Splendid Wrongness of Wonderland.

The jabberwocky yawned with a mouth the size of a castle gate. First, it would have a nap. Then it would find the Hatterkin. What had it been called?

The beast twitched and then closed its eyes with a smile. aMaddie,a it whispered, and began to snore.

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It was an honor to return to Ever After High! Ogre-sized hugs to the creative team at Mattel who brought this world to life, including Cindy Ledermann, Lara Dalian, Emily Kelly, Christine Kim, Robert Rudman, Julia Phelps, and Talia Rodgers. Thanks for letting me join your storytelling party.

Courtly bows and rakish winks to the Little, Brown team, including Erin Stein, Connie Hsu, Andrew Smith, Melanie Chang, Victoria Stapleton, Christine Ma, Christina Quintero, Tim Hall, Mara Lander, Jenn Corcoran, and Jonathan Lopes. My, what a crew! Surely you qualify as a coven.

This book would not exist without the wicked skills of Dean Hale, my partner in crime, punishment, storytelling, and everything else. All the good parts are yours, baby.

New York Times bestselling author SHANNON HALE knew at age ten that it was her destiny to become a writer. She has quested deep into fairy tales in such enchanting books as Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends, The Goose Girl, Book of a Thousand Days, Rapunzelas Revenge, and Newbery Honor recipient Princess Academy. With the princely and valiant writer Dean Hale, Shannon coauth.o.r.ed four charming children, who are free to follow their own destinies. Just so long as they get to bed on time.

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