The End is Only the Beginning

1: Unknown

Chapter 1: Unknown
Cali Cassidy

Unknown: not known or familiar.

"What part of "girls go first' do you not understand?" My best friend Cherry shouted, waking me from my final summer night's slumber. I was all too aware of what today was. Our first year at our boarding high school would begin today, but it was also sixteen days since my dad disappeared.

I got myself up out of bed and located Cherry in the hall, attacking her cousin Rudy verbally through the bathroom door. My bet is that he hadn't even been in there five minutes yet. Cherry had one of the shortest tempers and lacked more patience than anyone I'd ever known, and I know some generally angry and impatient people.

"Hey, you can use the bathroom in my guest room if you want," I offered to her, not in the mood to listen to her growl at her cousin all morning. I wanted this to be as painless as possible.

"You sure?" Cherry asked, and I nodded. It couldn't be so bad. I could make the most of what I've got, it's a skill I've acquired from my parents over time. All I needed was the screen of my phone as a mirror. As for my makeup, we hope for the best.

As I applied some foundation and a pinch of pink blush, a thought occurred to me. Why didn't my dad ever take me or my mom with him? Surely, there had to be times when Storybrooke wasn't so bad. In all 15 years of my life, even though half my extended family lives there, I've never been. Mom says that ever since I was born, my dad has worried about going back. She told me the product of true love, such as myself, is a valuable thing, and there are too many bad people in Storybrooke to name that would love to obtain the power attached to possession of something as valuable as me. I couldn't really understand at the time why anyone would want to hurt me or my parents, and though neither of them have told me much more about my dad's side of the family, I've grown to realize they are truly, deeply concerned with my safety. I learned to trust my parents on this one. I just wanted to see everything... I was beyond curious. The people, the places, the magic.... I loved it. Dad didn't.

Even though my dad's intention when he graduated from Ever After High was to start his own family and steer clear of his previous one, he never learned to keep the two separate, yet at the same time did a great job of just that. I don't think my dad ever got a grip on family living. He was so used to running, so used to supporting himself on his own. With his independence and my mom's natural craving for it also, I am essentially the daughter of independence.

The difference between us, however, is the grounding. My father is a wanderer, my mother likes things stationary, and I'm somewhere in the middle. Because of me, my dad can't and doesn't wish to be traveling all the time anymore, but we do frequently travel to fulfill his built-up cravings sometimes. This was the life I liked. I could never imagine fending for myself from such a young age... The thought sent shivers up my spine.

"Cali?" Cherry's voice called. I'd almost forgotten I was preparing myself for the first day of school.

I turned around and saw fully dressed Cherry. She was radiant as always, wearing a red sundress with a cute hood like her mother used to wear (but not for the same reasons), a brown belt and tall brown riding boots. Her deep naturally wavy mocha-chocolate locks were separated to the sides of her head but still parted to the side. I don't know how my best friend managed to always look cuter than me without even trying.

"I'm done now, so you can get dressed," she informed me. "Are you wearing the outfit we bought at the mall last week?"

I shook my head. I decided on something with a bit more sentimental value. My go-to outfit sort of ran in the family... A slick red leather jacket (though, I may be sweating, but it'll be alright) and swan necklace were iconic pieces the girls liked to wear. I would wear them with a sweetheart neckline black dress and black wedge heels. I wasn't the tallest, only about 5'2", so wearing heels was something I had started learning to do as early as I could. Cherry on the other hand was around 5'8", and her twin brother Peyton, another one of my closest friends, is almost 6 foot and probably will be by the end of the year. I had to wear heels if I wanted to (almost) keep up.

Everything that happened after that was a blur. Before I knew it, Cherry, Peyton, Rudy, their other cousin Anita, and I were in the car along with more suitcases than I had ever seen piled together in such a small space in my life. I missed my mom already. Uncle Daring was driving us all to the school, where he would be part of a presentation he volunteered to give to the Legacy class every year on the first day. This time, with his own children in attendance, the King was more nervous than I'd seen him in a long time.

We arrived at the school, which is a castle on the outside but classrooms on the inside, in about a quarter of the time I expected. Uncle Daring turned the car off and turned to face us the best he could. "Now, kids, things are so different here from when we went. You have nothing to worry about. It's going to be hard at first because you won't be used to it but I promise you'll enjoy it." Uncle Daring shot us a most sincere smile and unlocked the truck.

All of the Badwolf/Hood cousins rushed out, eager to start the school year. I tentatively lingered behind. I didn't feel strong or brave today.

Peyton Charming took my hand and squeezed. "You're going to be okay, you know that," my best friend told me. I took a deep breath and nodded. The swan necklace moved against my chest with every breath I took.

"I just wish I knew," I whispered, before following Peyton into the school.

New Characters in this part: Cherry Charming, daughter of Queen Cerise Hood/Badwolf-Charming and King Daring Charming. Rudy Badwolf, son of Blaze Badwolf, and his cousin Anita Badwolf, daughter of Ramona Badwolf