Cadien Cheshire's POV

"This changes everything then," he muttered to himself, holed up in his dorm. With no headmaster occupying Ever After High, all students were told to stay in their rooms until the next morning. Cadien glanced at the clock, 9: 30 PM. He exhaled a sigh, laying on his bed.

Detective Benson said it was likely that the same person who killed her had also drowned Claudia, the alignments and specific target were too similar. Both Wonderlandian kids, he commented. That's not a coincidence. The anomaly was Cressida Lockes, but he said there must be a rupture every once and a while. Three kills within three cooling periods. They were now dealing with a serial killer..

However, Grimm was already in custody of the police when Hadie was murdered, so he wouldn't fit into the timeline. He's not our culprit, Jack Benson told Cadien. Yes, he did try to exhort Bryony Pois and get Claudia Hatter's case to close early, but he did not kill any of the girls. So Milton Grimm wasn't a murderer, just a son of a bitch.

Cadien stood up and stretched, rocking back and forth on his feet. He needed to do something, Hadie had just died, he needed to help her even if she was dead. Sure, he disliked Hailee-Diane from time to time, but for her to die? God, it was awful. Plus, he wasn't sure how Normandy was at the moment.

Looking back at the moment when they stumbled across Hadie's body, Normandy had frozen up, her mouth slightly ajar. Cadien remembered each time when he teased both girls that they had crushes on each other. He didn't think it was a joke anymore.

What would Addie do? Cadien wondered, remembering that she hadn't been spotted since Hadie's death. Get that terrible thought out of your head, he scolded himself. There's probably a perfectly good reason why she's not back yet. He ripped a sheet of paper from his notebook, scribbling down some notes in his scraggly handwriting.

Grimm isn't the killer, AKA the Companion. So who is it? All victims are female, killed & attempted murder on EAH campus. Two out of three victims are Wonderlandian kids. Likely that the Companion fled Hadie's crime scene after killing her, cue the scream, and probably used a heavy object to strike Hadie in the head. Cue the blood and fractured skull.

What was Cadien missing? This would have been a whole lot easier if EAH just got better security and updated their cameras. Three girls were dead, there was no telling who was next.

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Alex Liddell's POV

Alex glanced around, blinking as his senses came back to him. "What in the world?" he muttered, realizing that he stood outside of Ever After High. The leaves on trees were gone and a cold breeze wafted past him. He shivered, pulling his coat together. "Why am I here?"

Then he saw her.

Claudia Hatter stood at the edge of the Forever Bridge, her face turned away, her black hair whipping in the wind. She is just a few feet away from Alex. "Claudia! Oh my Grimm, Claudia!" He could hardly believe it. He ran towards her, grabbing her by the arm. "Claudia, it's me! Alex!"

She turned around, her curious eyes flickering up to meet his gaze. "Alex...?" She sounded disoriented, like she just woke up from a fuzzy dream. She touched her forehead, rubbing her temples. "Wow, did I take a fall or something?"

He hugged her, relieved. "That doesn't matter, you're okay now!"

"What... What happened to me?" Claudia asked, her voice wavering.

"You—" Suddenly, Alex let go of Claudia, realization striking him right in the face. He remembered now; Claudia had died, she had drowned under the Forever Bridge. He stared into her eyes, seeing how blank they were. No spark of life at all. "No, no, please... Why? Why would you play tricks on me?" Alex was talking to himself now like a madman.

"What?" Claudia questioned.

"You're not real."

"Way to sound insensitive, Liddell," she scoffed, though the corners of her lips quirked upwards. Claudia still smiled the same, and it killed Alex. Why would his mind play such cruel games on himself? "I know I'm not real, your brain is just a tad bit screwed up. Trauma response, I bet."

He couldn't stop staring at her, the remorse pooling back in his stomach. Alex felt as if he had betrayed her. Why did he stop searching for answers? He got distracted, he needed his head back in the game. "I'm sorry, Claudia," Alex said, averting his gaze. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. "For everything. That day—the day before you died—I didn't mean to wound your feelings. I know, you only liked me as a friend, and I shouldn't have tried. You... You were in a bad place in your head at the time. I only made it worse, didn't I? I just admired you, I suppose, you were everything exciting."

"Hey, look at me, Liddell." Claudia leaned against the Forever Bridge, crossing her arms. "I'm not upset, I never was. My memories were... jumbled up that day, I pegged you for someone else." Someone else? Who? "I reacted badly, it could have gone a lot better," she laughed, her chuckles filling the void. "I do love you, Alex, but I think we both know what way I mean that. I'll still be there for you, you know? Best friends forever after and stuff."

Alex laughed. "Didn't think you believed in that 'Book End' crap."

She shrugged. "Who knows?" She glanced back at Ever After High. "How's my sister?"

"Coping, I guess. The recent deaths have sent her in a down spiral," he admitted, sighing. "All of us are trying to cope, move on, and try to figure out things." It still felt weird that he was talking to a non-existent version of Claudia. "Quicker than others."

Claudia's eyes softened. "You don't have to feel guilty, Alex."

"But I have to. I can't help it."

"I could never be mad at something as silly as what you're thinking of," she chuckled, walking along the Forever Bridge. Alex followed her, making sure not to let her out of his sight. "Ruby's a nice girl, a bit screwed up in the head, but aren't we all?" She heaved herself onto the edge, balancing herself as she walked on the railing of the bridge.

"You're going to fall!" he shouted, alarmed.

"But I'll fall anyways, so what's life without a little bit of risk?" Claudia continued to stroll on the edge, maneuvering her way to maintain balance. She got further away from him, and Alex let her go. Claudia glanced over her shoulder, her face almost hidden in the growing mist, and smiled. "I'll see you on the flip side, Alex."

Alex sat up in his bed, gasping. Just a dream, just a dream, he told himself. He rubbed his eyes, sighing. Still, he had so much on his plate, he needed to get some weight off his chest. He grabbed his phone, typing out a message.

AL(@lost_in_wonderland): R u up?

A few seconds later, there was a reply.

BL(@bea-beans): Yea, why?

AL: Can we talk?

BL: Now? It's almost 10: 00 PM, which is past curfew.

AL: Plz?

BL: Alr, meet me in the Student Lounge.

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Matilda Hatter's POV

Tilly couldn't sleep lately, so she kept her nights mainly wandering Ever After High. She still needed to grapple with the thought of Hadie's death, it was shockingly horrifying. Someone violent killed her with intent.

She passed by the Student Lounge, finding the door ajar. Huh, weird. Tilly took a peek inside the keyhole, seeing the Liddell cousins there. Bea was up and pacing while Alex sat on the sofa. "It's a dream, Lexi," Beatrice said sternly.

"I know," he admitted, exhaling an exhausted breath. "But still, I can't help but feel like—"

"This isn't the best time," she cut him off sharply, looking distressed. What was wrong with Bea? Beatrice ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head. "I need to go, Lexi. I can't handle this right now." She tried to head towards the door.

"What? Bea, hold on. I just wanted to talk because—"

"I don't need more shit about your romantic problems," Bea replied, her eyes bloodshot now. She seemed rather upset, but Tilly didn't know why. "I have to go, Lexi, I'm sorry."

"But it's about Claudia and—"

"Can you stop?" Bea screamed, spinning around to glare daggers at Alex. Oh shit, Tilly thought. She had never seen Bea scream and get so angry at her cousin, it was unsettling. Alex was stunned, his mouth ajar. "Because every fucking time you talk about Claudia," Bea hissed, her eyes watering with unshed tears, "it makes me want to die."

Alex reached out for Bea, but she pulled away. "Don't, Lexi."

"Bea, it's going to be fine. Okay, okay, let's just relax a bit." Alex tenderly grabbed his cousin's arm, almost not to rock the boat. Bea's face was now wet with angry tears. What the hell is going on? "You can tell me anything, you know that, right? Even with everything going on with Claudia, Cressida, and Hadie."

Bea's face contorted until the tears sprang from her eyes again, spilling down her cheeks like two rivers. She let out a cold laugh, her voice catching in her throat. "Because I was in love with Claudia," she confessed, wringing her hands. What?! Tilly pressed her face against the keyhole, viewing the shock on Alex's face that he tried to suppress. "I know, it was shitty of me because I knew you liked Claudia too."

"What?" Tilly blurted out, stunned. Suddenly, both Liddells' eyes darted to the door where Matilda hid behind. She walked inside the Student Lounge, a bit ashamed. "Okay, fine, I was eavesdropping, I didn't mean to. Both of you liked my sister?" 

Eugh, that was sort of gross, but also what?

Alex glanced at Claudia, more surprised than upset. "So you and Claudia...?"

"I know, Claudia was open about her sexuality, she was lesbian. I'm still so fucking confused, and it didn't help that Claudia was bullied by homophobic bitches. So, yeah, we dated in secret," Bea sniffled, crossing her arms. Claudia and Beatrice were secretly dating? "And now she's dead."

Tilly didn't know how to process that. "Is that why you've been kind of cagey about her death?" she asked, slightly afraid.

"I know how bad it looks, secret girlfriend and all. So I didn't tell anyone about our relationship even after Claudia passed, it was just too much." Bea hastily wiped her tears away with the end of her sleeves, turning away from them to collect herself. Bea and Claudia were dating, Tilly repeated that thought in her head until it got stuck. They loved each other, but were too scared to reveal their relationship. She tried to sort that piece of information. "I'm sorry, I truly am."

Tilly glanced at Bea. "You know just as well as I do, I absolutely hate romance and couple-like shit, but this isn't something to apologize for." They worked well, fitting with each other like they were puzzle pieces. She gave Bea the biggest hug, her arms wrapping around her neck. "I'm sorry I haven't been asking how everyone else has been coping," she admitted. "I was too stuck-up in my own world."

"Been there, done that," Alex said, his eyes softening. "You're like my sister, Bea. I wouldn't have cared anyways, because I care about you." Beatrice laughed and ruffled his hair. "Okay, and we're back to nagging each other."

"Ugh, it looks like you Liddells apparently have a type," Tilly snorted.

A/N: God, these chapters are getting more awful, I might just take a break and figure out how to make my writing less sloppy. Also, I lied in the last chapter, turns out I need WAY more chapters to fully finish the story, so this apply fic isn't ending too soon. Bittersweet.