Chapter Text
Raven thought she would sleep on it. She left Briar’s dorm thinking, “I’ll know what to do in the morning. Everything will make sense after I’ve slept.” Then she crawled in bed and buried herself under the covers and tossed and turned until she got herself to pass out. Now, propped up on her pillows and staring uselessly at the electric violet numbers on her digital alarm clock, all she’s decided is that she’s seriously fucking stupid.
Her dream feels just as foreboding and urgent as it did when she sat up panting in the middle of the night. Last night’s conversations flood her thoughts, Maddie’s casual uncertainty and Briar’s wavering assurance blending into an unsettling cocktail that leaves her confused and queasy and so anxious she’s sweating. Reluctantly, she pulls herself out of bed, dawdling through brushing her teeth and picking through her closet as she mulls over the options she has for the rest of her future.
Option one: ignore the dream. She’s been on this road before — she worried and investigated and came out of it with a ripped page and a broken friendship. Why should some nightmare change something she’s been confident about for months? She knows Grimm has been lying to everyone. She proved it. She tries to tell herself this, tries to kill the voice in her head that’s saying she can’t know anything for sure, but it only gets louder. Is she really willing to bet the fate of Ever After on being pretty sure no one’s going to disappear?
Option two: sign the Book. March up to that stage on Legacy Day, scribble her name on that piece of paper, poison Apple and end up just like her mom. If she does this, she knows everything will be fine; she can be certain all of her friends will be safe. But an image of herself dressed in her mother’s clothes, reflected in the mirror kept in her castle’s dungeon, makes her feel dizzy and sick to her stomach.
Raven has two polar opposite choices, and she doesn’t feel any closer to knowing which is the right one.
She sighs, finally settling on a Tailor Quick T-shirt and a pair of black jeans. As she gets dressed, she studies the picture board above her bed. Her heart twists as she takes in pictures of her with Apple next to pictures of her with Maddie and Cedar and her other Rebel friends. No matter what, she’s going to be disappointing someone. She chews on her lip, staring at a picture of Cerise like it’ll magically give her the answers to all her questions.
Shit, wait, Cerise. Cerise’s parents rebelled years ago, and they’re still rebelling as far as Raven knows, and most importantly, they’re still here. They didn’t disappear. That’s just as much proof as anything. Rejuvenated, Raven tugs on a pair of sneakers and makes her way over to Cedar and Cerise’s dorm.
Cerise greets her with an inquisitive tilt of her head, readjusting the hood pulled snugly over her ears. “What’s up?” she asks.
“Hey,” Raven says. “Is Cedar here?”
Cerise shakes her head. “Swim practice. Why?”
“I need to talk to you about something. Can I come in?”
Cerise nods. She pushes the door open a little wider and Raven catches it, pulling it shut behind her once she enters. Cedar and Cerise’s dorm, much like Raven and Apple’s, is comically divided straight down the middle: Cedar’s neat bookshelves and tidily organized painting nook a ridiculous contrast to Cerise’s heaps of dirty sportswear and crushed chip bags and soda cans. Raven brushes Cerise’s bed off before sitting gingerly next to her.
“So,” she says, exhaling heavily, “I think I might’ve been wrong about not signing the Book.”
Cerise blinks. “Oh. Wow.” Her brow furrows, her expression tight and guarded. Raven can’t read her — she’s never been able to figure out what Cerise is thinking. “That’s… not what I expected you to say.”
“Yeah, I know.” Raven laughs weakly. “I’ve just been… confused, lately, I guess. And worried. And last night I had this dream, and it just…” She shakes herself, shivering slightly. “Anyway, I was thinking, and I remembered… Well, your parents rebelled, right? And they’re still here. I was thinking… Well, I just want to talk to someone who’s been in a similar position to me. Do you think you could get me into contact with your mom?”
Cerise takes this in, nodding slowly. “Yeah, okay. We’re actually supposed to have lunch today; you can just come with.”
Raven brightens. “Really? That would be awesome, thanks.”
They head to the picnic spot in relative silence, Raven occupied with her thoughts of destiny and rebellion and Cerise typically quiet and reserved. Red is already there when they arrive, a hood nearly identical to the one Cerise wears pulled snugly over her hair and a basket dangling from the crook of her elbow. She smiles brightly when she spots her daughter, pulling Cerise into a quick hug before greeting Raven. “Cerise said you wanted to talk to me about something?” she says as she spreads out the picnic packed into her basket.
Raven nods, sitting cross-legged on the blanket. “I’ve been feeling like maybe I made a mistake when I didn’t sign the Book.”
Red frowns, and Raven’s struck by how similar her mannerisms are to Cerise’s. She wonders if Red is thinking something similar about her — does Raven furrow her brows just like her mother does?
“I wanted to talk to you because — well, you rebelled. You did it. And I just… I don’t know, I guess I just wanted reassurance or something. Like, you rebelled, and nobody died because of it. So I’m gonna be fine.” Her eyes flick up to meet Red’s — stormy gray, just like her daughter’s. “Right?”
Red ponders this, slowly taking a bite of a sandwich. “I mean… probably,” she says, eventually, and Raven’s heart seizes in her chest.
“Probably?” Raven repeats, voice thin and reedy. “What do you mean, probably?”
Red sighs, shifting uncomfortably. “I mean, technically, I don’t know. Baddie and I rebelled after we completed our story. We still signed the Book, we still… played our parts, up until the end.” She holds Raven’s gaze, eyes focused and intense. “I believe that you’re doing the right thing, Raven. I truly do. I don’t want you to make you think something terrible is going to happen, because I don’t think anything is. But I can’t tell you I know what is going to happen, because I don’t. No one has done what you did before. It was… brave, and incredible, and astonishing. But that also makes it unpredictable. Does that make sense?”
Raven’s breath feels too tight and too thin, flowing shallowly in and out of her lungs. “It makes sense,” she says quietly. The image of Apple fading right before her eyes fills her vision, almost as real and vivid as it was when she dreamt it. She blinks hard, exhaling shakily. She can’t let that happen. She can’t risk the lives of Apple and everyone else. If she can’t be sure, she’ll do whatever will make them safer. Even if it means losing herself.
She stands up, folding her hands into fists so they don’t shake. “Thank you,” she says. “I — that was helpful. And, um, thanks for the picnic.” She glances at Cerise, who’s studying her with a hard frown that makes Raven shiver. She looks away. “I’ll see you later.”
She makes her way out of the clearing, slowly till she knows she’s out of sight, then picks up the pace, sprinting toward the school. She doesn’t slow down even when her legs ache and her chest burns, not stopping till she finds Apple studying in the library. She pulls her roommate’s headphones down, breathing heavily, wildly.
Apple gapes at her, blue eyes wide and startled. “What — ” she starts, but Raven cuts her off.
“Apple,” she says, staring her down, “I need to sign the Storybook of Legends.”
When Briar finally steps out of her dorm around 1:15 PM, the halls are an absolute mess. Girls are gathered in tight-knit groups around phones and MirrorPads, wide-eyed and frantically whispering. Briar hears “ — can’t believe she’s going to — ” from one girl before she’s cut off by another hissing, “This is fucking insane.” Briar frowns, an anxious knot curling itself into the pit of her stomach, and shoves in the middle of a group of princesses.
“What’s going on?” she asks Rosabella, who’s craning over Darling’s shoulder to get a look at Justine’s MirrorPad.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Rosabella whispers back, barely glancing at Briar before leaning back over to try and get another glance. “All I know is it has something to do with Raven. The whole school’s going wild.”
Briar’s panic electrifies. She pushes through the group, ignoring a chatter of curses and protests, till she gets to Justine’s side and is able to snatch away the MirrorPad. “Briar, what the fuck!?” Justine tries to take it back, but Briar smacks her hand away, heart palpitating as she stares at the screen.
Blondie’s wide, manic grin stares back at her, a microphone waving erratically in front of it. “This just in, Ever After!” Blondie crows. “Raven Queen is going to sign the Storybook of Legends!”
Briar’s vision blurs. She stumbles backward, shoving the MirrorPad back into Justine’s arms and breaking back out of the gaggle of princesses. Her head is spinning, thoughts twirling around in a dizzying, confusing blur, and she feels her stomach twist, a familiar nausea trying to climb its way up her throat. She runs through the hall, her surroundings so fuzzy and unclear she can’t remember where to find her dorm, and slams right into Blondie, who’s holding a microphone up to her face.
“Briar!” Blondie says, and her voice sounds like a million needles are trying to stab their way into Briar’s skull. “Briar, what do you think about the fact that Raven is going to sign the Storybook of Legends at Thronecoming?”
Briar can’t speak. Her thoughts are going a million miles an hour, vomit is trying to crawl out of her throat, and holy fuck, has Blondie’s hair always been that fucking yellow? She grips the side of the nearest trash can and expels her guts unceremoniously. “Fuck,” she gasps, and promptly passes out.
When her eyes open, she sees Apple above her, golden hair a glowing halo around her perfect white face, red lips curled into a tender smile. “Briar,” she calls, soft and echoey.
“Apple?” Briar slurs, blinking harshly. Her vision snaps back into focus.
“What?” Ashlynn sits in front of her, brow creased in worry. “Briar, no, it’s Ashlynn. Are you okay?”
Briar groans, pulling herself upright and rubbing at her eyes. “Grimm,” she says. “How long was I out?”
“Only a few minutes,” Ashlynn answers, “but you were really out. You fell asleep right after Blondie walked over to you; she called me and I took you back to our dorm. I’ve been with you since. What happened?”
Briar shakes her head. Her throat is dry and her tongue still tastes like bile. “Can I have a glass of water?” Ashlynn sighs, but she walks into the bathroom and comes back with a half-filled glass. Briar downs it in one continuous gulp, then wipes her mouth, setting the glass on her nightstand. She takes a moment to catch her breath, then says, “Raven’s going to sign the Book.”
Ashlynn nods. “I know. Is that what this is about?”
Briar shrugs, looking away uncomfortably. “Sort of. Yes. I don’t know.”
“I mean, we talked about this last night,” Ashlynn says. “I thought you’d… figured everything out.”
“I never have anything figured out, Ash,” Briar replies weakly. “I don’t… I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t…” She takes a breath, then lets it out. “Raven was, like, running a movement, okay? Raven was the face of all this. Without her, it all just… falls apart. I can’t pick up those pieces, Ashlynn, that’s not me. I don’t know what to do.”
Ashlynn runs her tongue over her front teeth. “So… are you going to sign?”
Briar’s chest feels like it’s caving in. “I don’t — fuck, I don’t fucking know.” She shoves out from under her bed covers, folding her arms around herself and pacing quickly back and forth. “I don’t think I can follow my destiny. I genuinely — I just don’t think I can do it. I can’t sleep my life away, I can’t. But I don’t… I don’t know how to do what Raven did. The stuff she did, the thing she created… I can’t do that.”
Ashlynn studies her, brow furrowed. “I think the question you need to ask yourself is… which is worse?”
Briar exhales, stopping her pacing. “I want to live,” she says, voice soft and broken. “Nothing seems worse to me than spending my life in a fucking bed.”
Ashlynn nods, but before she can respond, they both stiffen. Because they hear a sob from outside the door, and they both know who it belongs to.
Apple is studying in the library when Raven comes barrelling toward her, eyes wild and vibrantly purple. She yanks Apple’s headphones down and grips Apple’s shoulders, and Apple’s heart is beating so quickly she can’t breathe. “What — ” she starts, but Raven cuts her off.
“Apple,” she says, “I need to sign the Storybook of Legends.”
Everything around Apple goes still and silent. One Reflection stops playing mutedly from her headphones, students stop fluttering in and out of the corner of her eye, nothing feels real to her except for Raven, standing in front of her, hands on her shoulders, telling her the words she’s wanted to hear for years.
“What?” she breathes, coming back to herself. “You — ”
“I have to sign the Book,” Raven repeats. “You were right, Apple, you were right. I’ve been so fucking selfish. I can’t — I can’t take the risk. I have to sign the Book.”
“Oh my Godmother.” Apple stands up, taking Raven’s hands in hers. “Are you serious?”
Raven nods emphatically. “Yes. I have to do it, Apple.”
“Okay,” Apple says, still feeling a little dazed. “Okay.” She lets out a bright laugh, the reality of the situation finally hitting her. Raven is going to sign the Book. Apple is going to get her Happily Ever After. She looks down at her and Raven’s clasped hands and grins, thinking, finally, they’re going to be like this, together, forever. Apple and Raven, Raven and Apple, Happily Ever After, the End. “Let’s go tell Headmaster Grimm.”
They barge into his office without bothering to knock. Apple figures the situation warrants the momentary lack of her usual politeness. “Headmaster Grimm,” she says, breathless. She’s interrupting him, she thinks — Blondie’s sitting in the chair across from him — but she doesn’t care, too high and ecstatic to be tactful. “Headmaster Grimm, something wonderful has happened.”
“Miss White,” he says, scowling at her, “I am in the middle of a discussion with Miss Lockes. If you would please kindly — ”
“Raven’s going to sign the Book,” Apple blurts, cutting him off.
Headmaster Grimm’s mouth slams shut. His eyes dart to Raven, who’s standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Miss Lockes, please leave us.”
Blondie gets up from her chair and runs over to Raven. “Is that true?” she asks excitedly. “Can you give me a quote for — ”
“Leave us,” the Headmaster repeats. Blondie startles and scurries out the door. Headmaster Grimm’s eyes are still glued to Raven. “Miss Queen, please take a seat. Apple, you may attend to any other activities you have planned for the day.”
Apple falters, turning to look over at Raven. “What? But — ”
“Miss White.”
Apple exhales, exchanging a final glance with Raven before heading toward the door. She squeezes Raven’s hand before she leaves, sending her a big, beaming smile. “I’m so happy you’ve made the right choice, Raven.”
She steps out into the hallway and discovers it’s already swarming with students gathered around MirrorPads. She hears Blondie’s voice as she passes a group — “Raven Queen is going to sign the Storybook of Legends!” — and feels a tender warmth nestle into her chest. She wades through the crowd till she finds Ashlynn and Briar’s dorm, about to knock when she hears them already talking.
“So,” Ashlynn’s saying, “are you going to sign?” Apple feels the air go still in her lungs.
“I don’t — ” Briar starts. “Fuck, Ashlynn, I don’t fucking know.”
There’s rustling, like Briar’s stood up from her bed and started pacing. She does this when she’s anxious — Apple knows this because she knows Briar. She knows Briar loves to read but hasn’t so much as opened a book in years. She knows Briar’s coffee order is an iced hazelnut latte with cream instead of milk. She knows Briar sleeps on the side of her bed that’s closest to the wall so Apple can press tightly against her, scaring away all the brambles and nightmares that might come to feast on her. She knows Briar, she knows Briar better than she knows anyone. So how didn’t she know Briar didn’t want to sign the Book?
Briar continues: “I don’t think I can follow my destiny. I just don’t think I can do it. I can’t sleep my life away, I can’t.”
Apple’s breath hitches; she shoves her hand into her mouth so she doesn’t make noise. Her vision’s going blurry, unshed tears stinging her eyes and threatening precariously to spill over. She just got Raven to do what’s right. How are things falling apart so quickly? And it’s Briar, Briar who has always had Apple’s back, who has always been the person Apple has known she could count on above anyone else. Briar is willing to take away everything Apple holds dear. Apple doesn’t realize her hand has fallen out of her mouth till she hears her own strangled sob. The voices inside the room quiet, and after a moment, the door opens.
Briar and Apple stand face to face, eyes locking under the doorframe. Apple sees something in Briar’s expression, something scared and desperate and, somehow, betrayed. Apple shakes her head, gasping for air. “How could you?” she asks, voice so quiet it’s nearly a whisper.
“Apple,” Briar says. She reaches for her, but Apple steps away. She can’t feel Briar’s skin on hers, not right now.
“No, Briar.” She shakes her head again, and keeps shaking it. “No.” She can’t say anything else, another sob threatening to spill out if she opens her mouth, so she turns and runs, racing down the hallway like Briar’s a ghost, a haunting replica of a girl who used to share her bed. She slams into Raven, gripping her shirt like a lifeline and finally letting the sobs escape her.
“Apple,” Raven says. “What — ”
“It’s Briar,” Apple wails. Raven’s shirt is soft and she smells like chocolate plums. “Raven, please just hold me. I need you to be my best friend right now.”
Raven’s breath hitches. Her hands curl around Apple’s head, cradling her against her chest. “Okay,” she says. She holds her close.