Ever After High: Secret Storybooks

Chapter Eleven: Raven Queen

{Sorry for another Raven chapter... But I promise you'll like it (or maybe you won't, it depends. I don't want to spoil it! Thanks for reading}

When my eyes finally fluttered open, I couldn't remember where I was. There was a dying fire beside me, but the surrounding air was still painfully cold. I stood up, feeling the need to brush myself off. The rags I was suddenly wearing were dirty and dusty, and covered in ashes from head to toe. I must have been asleep in front of the fire for a while.

"Hehehehe," a wicked voice cackled.

I jumped up. "Who's there?" I yelled, grabbing a broom to defend myself. I don't know where I am... But this could still be a dangerous situation.

"You overslept, you filthy peasant," the obnoxious voice, belonging to a girl with an obnoxiously large nose and stiff, ugly ringlet-curled hair revealed herself in the doorway. Another equally ugly girl appeared behind her.

Wait.... Ashes, rags, and two annoying ugly girls, presumably stepsisters? Why do I get the feeling this isn't Ever After anymore? Is someone pulling some prank?

"Woah," I said, twirling around to take in my surroundings again. "I'm... Cinderaven!"

"Ew, haven't you looked into a mirror this morning?" One of the girls laughed to the other, snorting as she did so.

Feeling confident that I knew how this story was supposed to go, I started sweeping with the broom I had grabbed in self defense and cleverly said, "don't you two have a ball to be getting ready for?"

"She's right. Plus, it is extra important that we not let her grossiness and dirtcake to rub off on us right before the night we meet the-" one stepsister said to the other, then they both sighed a not-melodic and tone-deaf-sounding "the priiiiiince...."

"Good luck with that," I said satisfactorily to myself, turning my back to the stepsisters as they clumsily tripped each other out of the room, and continued sweeping the remainder of the room.

***

For the next part of the story, i retreated to what I assumed to be my room, letting animal friends I could suddenly speak to and understand help me mend a dress for the ball. Unlike Cinderella in her traditional story, I did not have anything of my mother's here nor did I have an emotional attachment to any of the dresses, so I simply picked one and tried to make it better. Unfortunately, I'm not as savvy with a needle and thread as Ashlynn is, and the dress didn't come out so great. Honestly, it didn't feel that much like a major fairy fail, since it was just going to be picked apart by the stepsisters and stepmother anyway.

I undid the quick working ponytail I'd done up this morning and let my long black and purple hair free. I couldn't find a brush, so just left it tangly. Then, I braced myself and climbed the extremely long staircase all the way down from the attic, knowing that at the bottom, the stepsisters and stepmother would ruin my dress, I'd feel the sudden urge to run and cry, and then I'd go cry in the garden and my fairy godmother would appear to help me out.

Which is exactly what happened.

***

My brutal step-family was probably already at the ball right now. I dashed into the garden, collapsing onto my knees and into tears at the foot of the fountain that was in the beautiful, self-tended garden.

I wasn't sure where the emotion was coming from. It was quite possible that it was because I had no idea where I was or how I got there. I was on my own, with no one I knew around to comfort me. If only someone were here.... Like, like Dexter, or Cedar, or Cerise. Cedar would tell me that I'm the bravest person she knows, Cerise would say I'm cooler than food, and Dexter would probably say something really awkward but equally as flattering, then get embarrassed and try to fix it, and I would just blush and laugh.

"Don't be upset, child," someone said, making me jump and turn, even though I knew it would be the fairy godmother. "PS, I'm Kaylee Goodfairy, but you can call me Kay. Do you know why we're running through the story? I was busy and got plucked right out of the studio and into this place!"

"Hey, Kay, nice to meet you, and I'm actually not your Cinderella. My names Raven, and I'm the Evil Queen's daughter," I explained. Much to my surprise, Kay didn't seem frightened at all, just confused.

"I knew you weren't my future fairy godchild. I know Ashlynn Ella. I've never met her, but I've been watching her her whole life like I'm supposed to. I'm just wondering why you're here. I mean, not that I'm mad about it or anything, you're cool, just confused at what's going on," said Kay. Waving her wand as she spoke. Her long, straight brown hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore a simple purple tee shirt and black shorts. It wasn't what you'd expect a fairy godmother to be wearing, but since she's a fairy godmother in training, they must not be very strict about it. Plus, she had mentioned she'd been doing something else beforehand.

"I'm not sure either. Can we just get on with the bibbidy bobbidy boo already? I want to find out if anyone else I know is here," I said, hoping not to sound rude.

"Okay. Hey, by the way, you go to Ever After High, right? I saw the 'Prince', and he's a student there too. He's also not Ashlynn's Prince, I know that. His names Ian... Which you probably don't care to hear about..."

"Wait! What does the 'prince' look like?"

"Brown funky hair, a gold crown, thick black glasses, really nice blue eyes... Oh, and he was wearing a blue jacket and converse."

"Dexter!"

"Yes! That was his name!"

"Thanks, Kay! Oh, thank you so much! Thank godmother I have someone I know here!"

"You're welcome. Now let's get you ready for the ball."

I nodded, and stood up. Kay appeared to be thinking. I caught a glimpse of her shoes... Tap shoes? Then it occurred to me what she'd meant by "studio" earlier, and why she was dressed so informally. She was practicing dance! Duchess would like this girl. I had a feeling Ashlynn would too, having an interest in any type of shoe also.

Kay smiled, pointed her wand at me, and shouted, "bibbidy bobbidy boo!"

{Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter. REXTER FEELS. Oh, and how do you feel about Kay Goodfairy? She was based on someone I know who I saw today and therefor inspired this. She's a dancer.}
adisneydancer ;)