(2/4)

- - - - -

Over the course of the week, Cerise and you would start to actually hang out rather than somehow managing to coincidence

And needless to say, you both enjoyed it to no end

-----

"...and when she tried to show off, a magic bolt accidentally hit Faybelle"

Cerise, Briar, and you sat together during lunch. The former munched on her fourth sandwich as she listened to your story

Cerise: What did it do?

You drank from the water bottle you had before answering with a grin

You: It turned her into a singing frog for about twenty minutes

The girls snickered at the idea, but Briar leaned on you with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes

Briar: Did you record it?

Proudly, you brought out your MirrorPhone and played the video

You: You bet I did!

This time, it turned into full-on laughter, seeing the girl transform mid-cheer. This startled the nearby students, but none of you cared

-----

What started as casual meetings at the Castleteria during lunch, was quick to go beyond that

-----

Gingerbreadman: Go!

Following instructions, the students ran as fast as they could in what seemed to be quite an exciting race

It wasn't often that Gingerbreadman used the running tracks for his class, so it was natural that it drew a crowd

Amongst the contestants, of course, was Cerise, who unfortunately had to pretend she wasn't blessed with inhuman speed by her father's side of the family and humiliate the rest of the students

Daring would take weeks to recover 

From the bleachers, her friends cheered for the daughter of Red Riding Hood. You among them

Raven: Whoo-hoo! Cerise!

You: Yes, Cerise!

Briar: Get it, girl!

The girl couldn't help but smile at the cheers coming from you. Okay, maybe she could let go of her restraint just a little 

This, however, was more than enough to leave the others so far behind that Cerise managed to break the current record in that running track before the others were even halfway through

While every other contender tried to process what just happened, you and the others in the bleachers stood up and cheered for her with even greater excitement

As soon as she approached, however, a nearby Maddie threw her arms around her and pulled her in for a hug

You: Way to go!

You raised your hand, which the girl immediately high-fived with a grin

You: Also, guess what I got from the Castleteria

She perked at the sound of that and immediately laid eyes on the taco that you presented to her, earning a gasp from Cerise

Cerise: Thank you so much!

The girl took the taco and gobbled it down in two bites, with slight growling every now and then

-----

But of course, this sudden companionship caught the attention of some of your friends

And all of them being as mature as they were, drew their own conclusions instead of just asking what was going on 

...not like any of you would know how to answer anyway

-----

Cerise and you found shelter in one of the school's empty balconies. You took advantage of the night to get a better look at the stars

Cerise: I'm telling you. It looks like a dog if you squint hard enough!

You: You're bluffing

Cerise: Try it!

She reached to touch your shoulder to get you to see it from the right angle but after a brief moment of hesitation, she  ended up pointing at the constellation she talked about instead

Walking past this scene were Maddie and Kitty Cheshire, who promptly stopped when they recognized you. A smile grew on Maddie's face shortly after

Maddie: Aww!

Her friend placed a hand on her chin and grinned

Kitty: Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser~

Right after hearing these voices, the two of you turned around to find the Wonderlandians standing there

However, all they saw was a couple of teenagers sporting faces as red as can be

You: M-Madie? Kitty?!

Cerise: How long have you been there?!

She growled at the girls and lunged to attack them, earning laughter from them as they ran away, and prompting you to get up and chase after her

You: Cerise, no!

-----

Overall, it had been a great week 

...at least until Friday came around

...

It started when Dex and Apple got to her dorm. Dex was carrying a small pile of books while Apple was humming joyfully

Apple: Thanks again for helping me with those books, Dex. It's fairy considerate of you

Dex: Of course!

However, when they reached the dorm, a noise could barely be heard from the inside

Apple: Wait a spell...

She put her ear against the door and listened closely. She heard... groaning?

Apple: Raven? Is every okay?

The blonde knocked on the door, getting a grumble as a response

Dexter looked past the books he was holding and raised a worried brow at Apple

Dex: What's going on?

Apple: I don't know, but we're about to find out

Apple opened the door and found the lights were off, and the windows were closed. The source of the mysterious noise was none other than Raven herself, her roommate

Apple: Raven? Are you okay?

The girl approached her friend, who was still in bed and upon looking closely, she saw her disheveled hair, her slightly reddish skin tone, and even the complete lack of makeup on her

When Apple put a hand on Raven's forehead, she gasped at the sudden warmth

Apple: Oh no!

Her friend let himself in at the sound of distress

Dex: What's going on?

Apple: It's Raven. She's sick!

The boy put the books on Apple's bed and rushed to Raven's side to get a closer look himself. Only a few seconds were enough for him to see the severity of the issue

Dex: She's got a fever! I'll go get the nurse!

He left without as much as saying another word, rushing down the halls of the colorful school, gaining the attention of other students along the way

Namely, Lizzie and Briar

Briar: Hey, Dex, why are we running?

Lizzie: Is this a new bonding activity?

Blondie: What's the scoop?

Nobody knew where the latter had come from, but anywhere that juicy gossip could be found, Blondie Locks was never far behind

Dex: Raven's sick! I need to get to the infirmary!

This earned a gasp from Briar, who promptly took the lead with newfound determination

Briar: Let's go! No time to waste!

Just a minute later, the students barged into the infirmary wing, with Lizzie Hearts ominously pointing forward as the door slammed open

Lizzie: NURSE! WE DEMAND YOUR SERVICES!

That would've been enough to force anyone into action...too bad there was no one in the room

Briar: Where is the nurse?

One by one, they entered the spacious infirmary wing but found not even one clue as to the nurse's whereabouts

Come to think of it, no one present recalled ever seeing the nurse. How had they gotten this far without one?

Cerise: Guys? What's going on?

The group turned at the sound of Cerise's confused voice

Blondie: Raven got sick! 

The young Hood's eyes went wide at this news

Cerise: What? How?

A collective shrug followed her question

Dex: We tried to get the nurse but...

He glanced over at the empty room. So much for that plan

Briar yawned before she spoke up

Briar: There's gotta be something we can do

The group tried their best to come up with a solution to this predicament

Dex: Maybe we could get Headmaster Grimm?

Lizzie: Not a good idea

Blondie: Yeah. He would somehow take the chance to turn this into a "why you shouldn't be a Rebel" situation

Dex: Oh come on, he isn't that bad 

Everyone stopped to look at him. He had never seen so many unamused faces

Fortunately, something crossed Cerise's mind, or rather, someone. She sharply turned to the group and pointed to the hall

Cerise: I have an idea, go back to the dorm!

Blondie: Why?

Cerise: I know someone who can help. I'll see you there!

With no time to waste, everyone ran in their respective directions. With this new goal in mind, Cerise started ruling out places where this person could be

...

You: The seas be ours and by the powers. Where we will, we'll roam

You were singing to yourself in the Lifairy, scanning through some books to proceed with the special Thronework for Potions. You would've done it sooner but you were...kinda...hanging out with Cerise

Anyway, you still had two days and a half! You got this

You: Yo, ho, haul together. Hoist the colors hi--

The door to the library was kicked open by a frantic Cerise, whose eyes were golden until she spotted you. The sheer force of it almost made you drop the books you held

Cerise: Y/N! WE NEED YOU!

She didn't even give you a chance to talk before you were dragged all the way to Raven's dorm, where a small crowd was waiting for you. It made you wonder how spacious these rooms really were

You: Okay, what in Ever After is going on and why is everyone here?

Apple: Y/N! Raven has fallen ill!

You raised a brow at her and made your way through the crowd to meet a still bound-to-bed Raven. You could hear her groaning as she slowly turned to you

Gently, you placed a hand on her forehead

Briar: How bad is it?

You: She's been poisoned

"WHAT?!"

The collective shock and horror from the group made you reconsider your words carefully. Poisoning was a very delicate thing around here. You sharply turned to the crowd and raised your hands in surrender

You: Calm down! It's most likely from spoiled food!

Kitty: Oh yeah, she ate a berry like, two hours ago! Her little dragon pet was going to get sad if she didn't

Everyone turned to the source of this new voice, finding Kitty carelessly lounged on top of Apple's mirror on the wall

You raised a brow at this statement

You: And you didn't think to tell others?

Kitty, however, just shrugged, earning a groan from you

Dex: Can you do anything, Y/N?

From the courier bag you carried around, you took out a small flask and looked at your "patient"

You: I can give her this universal antidote to poisons, but it will only keep her illness at bay for three hours...

Apple: What? Why?

Cerise helped you get Raven to drink the small concoction. She soughed upon feeling its effects

You: Due to her parentage, Raven has a slight immunity to magic and potions in general

Briar: Rewrite me if I'm wrong but, shouldn't that mean that she should be harder to poison?

Then, you glanced over your shoulder as you stored the flask away

You: Magic and poison are very different things, Briar

Briar:...fair

You: Besides, we don't know what kind of berry was it...

Slowly, you turned to Kitty as if waiting for an answer

You: Or do we?

However, Kitty shook her head

Kitty: Sorry

You: Wonder-iffic...

Cerise: Wait

Everyone looked at Cerise, who immediately grew nervous at the amount of attention directed to her, so she resorted to looking at the ground to avoid any eye contact

Cerise: Y-You said it's hard to make a potion for Raven, right? But not impossible

You: Yes, but I'd have to gather all the ingredients. That would take time and...

Then, you turned to Raven with a softer gaze as you cupped her face

You: We don't have much time before she gets worse

Apple: What if we gather the ingredients for you?

Now, all eyes were on you. You placed a hand on your chin as you thought about it. Then you looked back at Apple and smiled

You: Then we got ourselves a plan...but we should give Raven some space first

...

In another room, you had gathered the likes of Maddie, Briar, Blondie, Lizzie, Dex, Cerise and--

Briar: Dutchess? What are you doing here?

The moody ballerina known as Dutchess Swan just scoffed at the girl next to her.

Dutches: Y/N assisted me once

She crossed her arms as she looked to the side

Dutchess: I hate owing people favors

Finally, Apple and you entered the room with a small list in your hands and placed it on a table for everyone to see

Apple: Okay everyone, found ways in which everyone can help. So listen up!

You: First, we need everyone to stay in touch. Make sure your MirrorPhones are working properly

Everyone took out their devices and confirmed their status

Apple: Then, we need people to stay by Raven's side in case something happens!

She looked over to Dex

Apple: Dex, Lizzie. Could you help us with that?

Dex nodded, while the daughter of the Queen of Hearts thought on it

Lizzie: ...So be it

You: Kitty, could you keep an eye out for Headmaster Grimm? We don't want him walking into the scene

She purred with a mischievous grin, already loving her part. Apple let out a sigh, she wasn't fond of keeping things from the Headmaster, but you assured her it was necessary

You: Blondie, Maddie. Your job is to keep Milton as busy and as far from Raven's form as possible

Blondie: I got just the thing!

Maddie: So do I!

From her hat, she took out a small table, chairs, and tea. An emergency tea party, if you will

Apple: That leaves us with the ingredients...

She turned to you as you cleared your throat

You: I got most of the ingredients as it is, but there are some that are still missing, such as fairy dust

Briar: How are we going to get that?

Dutchess: Faybelle has some. She tried to use it for her General Villainy Thronework

You: Which is why your job is to get some of that fairy dust. I trust you'll find a way

The daughter of the Sleeping Beauty was about to object but found herself unable to. She had to at least try, for Raven, and for you

Dutchess: Come on. We have to find her

The girls left without saying another word, leaving you with Apple and Cerise

Cerise: What's next?

Apple: That would be my task

She raised a brow as you handed the blonde a small diagram

You: We need 30 feathers, from both crows and ravens, the more types of them the better

Cerise: That's...odd

You smirked at the girl

You: You'd be surprised

Apple stored the object in her bag and gave you a worried look

Apple: I just hope we can help Raven in time

In order to reassure her, you placed a hand on her shoulder 

You: We will, I promise

Apple took a deep breath and nodded 

Apple: Good luck

Without further due, she left the room

You: And that leaves us with the most difficult ingredient

Cerise: Which is...?

You: The Firecrown flower

You walked up to the window as you kept talking

You: It increases the potency of any potion by a lot. It's powerful enough to affect Raven, and it's our main priority

Ceruse: How do we get it?

You pointed at a small mountain in the distance

You: Fortunately for us, it grows on a mountain near the school

Then, you turned to the girl

You: Problem is, it's heavily guarded. It's a valuable flower after all

Cerise: So it will at least be a challenge

Her attitude earned a smirk from you

You: If you're up to it

Cerise placed a hand on her hip and smirked

"Absolutely"

_________________

After changing into something more appropriate for an adventure like this, you made your way to the small mountain where the Forecrown flower waited at the top

Cerise showed up with a red flannel that somehow managed to also have a hood attached to it, a white top underneath, and a black skirt with leggings and brown boots

Cerise: ...what?

You realized that you had been staring at her and immediately cleared your throat

You: You uhh, you look good

Her body tensed at the compliment and she was quick to look away, although with a smile

Cerise: T-Thanks. You look good too

As for you, you wore a black jacket with purple lining over a f/c shirt, ripped jeans, and boots

You: Thank you...

A smile of your own formed at the compliment, but you were now just standing there smiling like fools. At least until you remembered what you were doing in the first place

So you cleared your throat once again and gestured to the mountain

You: We should probably get going

The girl found herself nodding immediately and without further due, you ventured deeper into this area

You were welcomed by plenty of trees, although the fauna was nowhere to be seen, so it was unusually quiet

If anything, it reminded you to keep your guards up, for this place was--

Cerise: Look out!

She pulled you out of the way of some thorns being shot your way, only for them to nail themselves into a tree

You: Thanks

The girl nodded before you looked at the source. It was an enchanted plant protecting its home

Cerise: How do we go about this?

You: If possible, don't hurt anything. They are just protecting their home

With that being said, you took a small bag and blew yellow dust towards the plant, inducing it to a state of slumber

Cerise: You always carry that around?

You: Nah, just chose well what to bring here

You kept moving up, picking up the pace as time wasn't on your side for once, but plants like that one were hardly the only obstacle that awaited you on this mountain