Mess of a Fantasy (Darise Ever After High Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Surprise, Surprise

Bookball practice was long, hard, and exhausting, but I was distracted the whole time. My best friend, Daring Charming, was hosting a party at his family's castle to mark the start of Spring Break, and I didn't want to have to tell him I couldn't go. I'd waited until the last minute, and it was just as painful as when I had first remembered that I had no one to take me to the party.

Don't look at me like that, he has a girlfriend. I don't know who, but, I do know he wants it to be a secret, or otherwise he would tell me.

It's not that I didn't want to go- of course I did. It's just that my parents couldn't drive me. Dad couldn't bring me for obvious reasons, and he and mom were going on vacation that night anyway. They weren't going to go if I didn't want them to, but my parents barely got to do this type of thing, so I told them to go and that I'd just hang out around the school campus over the break. I'd totally forgot about Daring's party, which made me feel awful, because I was the first person he'd asked to make sure I was free that day.

Practice was over, unfortunately. I was dreading what would have to come next. Tiny, Hopper, Sparrow, Hunter, Dexter, Daring and I packed up to leave practice. I caught up to Daring just before he slipped off the Bookball field.

"Daring, hey," I said, hoping he couldn't tell that I was very upset by what I would have to say next.

"Oh, hey, Cerise. What's up?" He said. He gave me a really serious look, one he normally didn't give many people, especially girls. He's usually all about charming girls, not being all serious and stuff. But I was different, I'd proved I wasn't any sort of damsel in distress. I'd passed out of that awkward place in which Daring didn't really care about who you were, he just flashed you a blinding white smile and sometimes threw in a 'charm you later'.

"I just wanted to tell you that.... I can't come to your party..." I sighed, holding back sadness.

He stopped walking. "What?" His backpack slid off his shoulder, pulling his gold EAH letterman jacket down slightly with it. His crown was tilted at the perfect angle so that the fading sunlight reflected off of it.

I stopped too now, looking down at my feet. I was a few feet ahead of him. "I don't have any way to get there. I'm so sorry." I turned so that he could see me, even with my hood up.

He stood there for a while, seemingly deep in thought. "Wait," he said, pulling out his MirrorPhone. "Hey, dad?" He started conversing with his father, and I waited patiently. At the end of the conversation, he ended the call with the press of a button. He looked up and smiled like a Cheshire Cat (well, the closest you can get without being Kitty Cheshire). The brightness of his teeth had stopped blinding me, I was used to it at this point.

I felt my expression harden. I looked at him questionably, folding my arms and shifting my weight to one hip. My basket was beginning to feel heavy on my arm.

"My dad said you could stay in the guest wing of the castle, if you want to. He's going to call and talk to your mother," Daring explained.

Whoa. "Okay. Wait, guest WING?" My jaw dropped.

"Well, you'd better get packing, we have to leave really soon to get there by dinner!" He shouted. He pushed his backpack back up on his shoulder and we started walking again.

"Who's packing?" Dexter appeared behind us. Oh. Awkward. Dexter is the only Charming I'm not totally friends with, but my good friend Raven really likes him (and may... Or may not....? be dating him) so I'm cool with him.

His twin sister, Darling, and I, are pretty good friends too though. She was one of the only other people who knew my wolf secret. I haven't even told Daring yet. I was looking for the right moment, and I wanted to make sure I totally trusted him before I did anything else.

"Cerise is going to stay in the Guest Wing of the castle this weekend," He repeated to Dexter.

Dexter nodded and said "Heh, that's cool. Wouldn't want you to miss the party! It's going to be hexcellent."

I smiled, but didn't show my teeth. Some days they look sharper than others.

This made me a cringe a little, actually. Daring is never afraid to show off his gorgeously white teeth, and I'm too afraid that if I so show my teeth, people will be freaked out over how sharp they look.

"Okay, well, meet me outside of the school in a half hour, I'll drive us to the castle," Daring told me. Oh right, I forgot he had his own car. Well, what didn't he have? He's the son of King Charming.

Maybe when we're in his car together, he'll finally talk to me about his girlfriend. I won't tell anyone, and I think he knows that I won't tell anyone, but he's nervous about it for some reason. If he needs someone to talk to, I want to be there. Who's gonna be there when this girl decides she doesn't want his heart anymore? I am, hopefully.

I walked up three flights of castle-style steps to my dorm on the third floor. It was the last door at the end of the hall on the right. I opened it with the key I'd painted red and stepped inside, shutting it behind me. Cedar, my roommate, was inside, sitting on her bed, drawing in her sketchbook.

I rushed over to my closet and began pulling some things out, including the outfit I'd picked out to wear to the party a few weeks ago, pajamas, and three more red hoods. "Where are you going?" Cedar asked.

Shoot. Cedar can't tell a lie. If I tell her, and someone asks her where I am, she will have to tell them I'm with Daring. They'll get the wrong idea- not everyone knows he has a girlfriend. A lot of people also don't care if it will stir up enough drama.

"...... Somewhere. I can't tell you where, it's a secret." That's the best I could come up with. I shoved some other clothes I'd taken out, a pair of black heels, black boots, and some makeup into my little red suitcase. I also put my toothbrush, hairbrush, and basket purse in next.

Should I bring a curling iron? I rarely curl my hair but.... Yes. Daring's family is rich, fancy, and high class. I need to impress, I guess. I plucked the dusty curling iron out of the bottom drawer of the bathroom counter and stuffed it in next.

"Curling your hair? Whoa, must be important!" Cedar laughed. I made sure not to forget my MirrorPhone, which had received two missed calls from my mom and one new hext from Daring. I hadn't checked my phone last since before bookball practice, so it was probably just a reminder. I'd open it later, I told myself.

I wheeled my red suitcase out of the room, shouted, "Bye Cedar," and shut the door. I called my mom back as I walked down the three stories to the school's entrance.

She just wanted to make sure I'd be okay with staying with the Charmings and then told me something else. "You'll be staying for the week, so you don't have to sit around campus while everyone is gone and do nothing!" She'd said. Shoot, I hope I packed enough clothes for that.