Ever After High: Secret Storybooks

Chapter Fifteen: Apple White

"Guys, there's something I wanted to tell you," Cedar said, not even huffing or puffing though we were racing up our fourth flight of stairs.

"What?" I coughed, feeling slightly asthmatic. {Ps, Apple isn't actually asthmatic. I took creative freedom here.}

"When I was in that story, it was some weird version of Peter Pan." Cedar's voice sped up to keep up with how fast she was moving.

"Weird? Weird how?" Raven asked.

"There was a rogue fairy who was harshly threatening this girl with a hook for a hand, and they were talking about some evil Peter Pan kid- it didn't at all sound like the story I knew," Cedar explained.

I was puzzled... It didn't sound like any Peter Pan story I'd ever heard either. "How did you get out?"

Cedar's arm joints squeaked as she shrugged. "I don't know. There was a flash of light and I got a weird feeling and then I was back here. No story completion at all."

Pretty soon we had reached Headmaster Grimm's office, and we barged in without being welcomed. He was working on some paperwork at his desk, thank godmother, he wasn't in any important meeting or something. "Miss Queen, Miss Wood, Miss White, is there a problem?" Usually I was all for the formality of diplomatic situations but we did not have time right now.

"Yes. There's been a terrible incident," I answered, knowing Headmaster Grimm trusted me the most of the three of us. "We were reading from a storybook at our campfire get-together last night and we were each transported into the stories we read." I paused to take a few deep breaths. "We noticed that each time we completed the story we were in, we were returned back to the campfire. Briar Beauty and Faybelle Thorn never returned, and they read from their own story. We assume it's because there is no prince to come and wake up Briar."

"We would send Daring in but it isn't true love so we doubt it will work," Raven added.

"So you are in need of Briar's Prince," the Headmaster said, getting up from his desk and lifting the glass case off the Storybook of Legends. He leafed through it looking for the Sleeping Beauty section of the book. On the page directly after Briar's and Faybelle's was a page that featured a photo of a kid about our age with a tan and jelled brown hair. I had never seen him before.

"You're looking for Julian Prince," the Headmaster said in a low, disbelieving voice.

"Where is he?" Cedar asked.

"I will contact him, but it might take some time. He does not attend this school."

"I thought going to Ever After High was mandatory if you have a destiny," I commented. That's what I've always known to be true. I thought I knew everything about this school, but I guess I don't.

"Mister Julian is not a rebel," the Headmaster began, but stopped to let out a big sigh like he usually did when talking about Raven, "but, he is very reluctant to join this school. He is supposed to be going here by the law of the Storybook of Legends, but he refuses."

Raven's face was red and her eyebrows arched inward. "What you're saying is if he refuses to help Briar, she's trapped? He shouldn't be allowed that much freedom. We all have to listen to the rules, he is no exception. Has Briar ever even met this kid?"

"She has, but only as a child. For once Miss Queen, I absolutely agree with you, but there is nothing more we can do to get him to transfer to this school." The headmaster picked up the old-style corded phone on his desk and dialed a number, and we took that as our cue to return to our friends and tell them what was going on.

On the way back to the campfire, Cedar told us she saw the names she'd heard in the strange Peter Pan version on application forms on Headmaster Grimm's desk. They were partially covered, but she saw "Tessie", the name of the fairy, "Hook", probably the last name of the one-handed girl similar to Captain Hook in the stories that we knew, and the only full name, "Preston Pan". So these kids were transferring. I was nervous but also excited. I love learning about new stories and new versions of stories, but what if they are some crazy, dangerous people? I tried to calm myself by thinking positively.

I just couldn't wrap my head around the concept of Briar's Prince, "Julian", not wanting to attend our wonderful school though. If he's a royal, why does it matter if he's not here? What does he have against this school? I pondered the idea that he didn't want to meet Briar. My best friend and a lovely person, I couldn't understand why anyone would not want to meet Briar. Our school was flooding with new students this year. Everyone else was accepting their responsibilities, why couldn't he? These frustrated thoughts built up inside me like snow builds up in the streets of Ever After during a harsh snowstorm.

All that we could do now was wait and hope that Julian would come to Briar and Faybelle's rescue.