𝓦𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝓘𝙩 𝓑𝙪𝙧𝙣, 𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗬 𝗙𝗜𝗖

𝓒𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝓕𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣

Tobias Earwicket's POV

Tobias splashed cold water onto his face, hunched over the sink in the boys' washroom at Wonderland High. Pull yourself together, he thought as he gripped the sink for support. A dozen thoughts swirled around his mind as he clenched his teeth. Shutting his eyes, he tried to block out the voices. His throat ran dry as his head pounded, on the verge of another headache. "Good Godmothers," he muttered, wiping the water droplets off his face with the sleeve of his sweater. Heading out of the washroom, he collided with someone.

His heart skyrocketed. "Oh my word, I'm so sorry—" His jaw dropped. "Melina?"

Melina blinked. "Tobias! Oh, hi, erm, hi."

Cue the awkward silence.

"Tobi, Tobi, look they're all back!" Katrina Cheshire's voice filled the empty hallways. Tobias glanced around, seeing that most of his Wonderlandian friends had returned. Maxwell Hearts, Chase Redforth, and Scarlett Rouge had also returned. Katrina wrestled Chase into a bear hug, her cat tail wagging from side to side. "Wait, we're missing two people."

Tobias squinted, pushing up his glasses. "Blaise Blanc and Vesperina Hatter."

"They're busy elsewhere," Scarlett filled in.

"How is Blaise by the way?" Rina asked briskly as they wandered through the halls of Wonderland High. It was their free period, but most students chose to spend it in the Courtyard. Tobias vaguely remembered Blaise's and Rina's breakup. It was the end of Freedom Year and the Wonderland Curse had only worsened.

I'm leaving Wonderland, Kitty, he had told her. You should come with me, the curse is a risk.

I'm staying, she replied. They had gotten into an argument shortly after that, though Tobias really didn't want to involve himself in that. By the end of the day, Blaise had left Wonderland and Rina had remained in Wonderland. She merely said, "It'll be good for him, you know?"

"Fine, just a whole lot... different," Melina amended.

"Oooh, how's Vespy?"

"Still mad, so she's doing fine," Maxwell replied as they came to a stop. He gestured to a new girl next to him. She looked as if she was foreign to Wonderland. "This is Dahlia Dopey, she's a newcomer. She's helping us on our mission."

Tobias greeted her awkwardly whilst Katrina stared at Dahlia. Unblinking, unfazed. She didn't smile, but she didn't quite back away. Dear Grimm, not again... The Cheshires claimed that they would sense bad omens as cats do, but Tobias didn't exactly believe her. Omens? Seriously? "Anyways," Tobias said quickly, steering Rina away by the shoulders. "What mission were you talking about?"

The voices in his head buzzed as Melina explained what happened in Ever After High. Panic rose and fell rapidly and repeatedly as he stared at her. He should apologize. No, but that meant he actually had to talk to her. But he would be an ass if he didn't. Stop arguing with yourself, Tobi!

"Book pages?" Rina asked, her voice snapping Tobias out of his thoughts. "Hmm, I think I've heard a few rumours, but you're not going to like it."

"Tell us," Scarlett urged.

"Word has it that mysterious pages arrived in the Chess Battlefield. The same battlefield that can only be used or unlocked in the scenario of war. War between the White and Red sides." Rina glanced between Melina and Scarlett. "If it's the Storybook of Legends' pages you seek, then you need to accept your destiny. You need to go to war."

"Hex no!" Melina and Scarlett said in unison. Maybe they had more things in common than they realized.

"Well, there's only one person who can unlock the battlefield without the war occuring."