A/N: Play Movies by Conan Gray while reading this chapter, his music is so good omfg

Professor Camille Red's POV

Camille sipped on her Hocus Latte, glancing up from her laptop to see some of her students before—Apple, Raven, Vanya, and Holton. She nearly dropped her latte, startled. "You four gave me a fright! Grimm's sake..." She set down her latte and pushed up her red-rimmed glasses.

"Sorry, Professor Red, we didn't mean to startle you. But could you sign these permission forms?" Apple thrust a bundle of papers in Camille's hands, giving a strained smile. What in the world...? Camille shuffled the papers, raising her eyebrows. Raven was smiling nervously, Vanya gave an awkward thumbs-up, while Holton was just bored (probably forced to be there).

Camille read some of the papers, suspiciously finding overly flowery language and tons of loopholes that needed to be double checked. "And what are these permission forms for?" she asked simply, resting her elbows on her desk. These kids really take me for a fool. She'd be offended if she wasn't impressed.

Vanya smiled awkwardly. "Uh, for a student-supervised field trip! Field trips, technically."

"Totally safe though!" Raven added.

"Uh-huh." Camille skimmed some of the paragraphs, eyeing her students. This reminds me of my teenage years, she thought amusingly. Perhaps she would entertain her students a bit. "Well, what are these field trips about?"

"Just travelling to neighboring villages, you know? Got to get those photos for this year's Legacy Orchard," Apple nodded rapidly. "It's going to be supervised by us Royals, and we're very dependent."

"Of course, it's the Royals," Holton muttered and Vanya elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow!"

"That did not hurt at all," she deadpanned.

"I'm sorry, I don't think your name is Holton Hook," he shot back. Vanya and Holton huffed at each other, crossing their arms and looking away. Camille smiled to herself—she knew that story all too well, and how it ended too. "Look, Professor Red, we need you to sign off on these forms. It's something really important," he explained, "I know it looks bad, but this is critical."

"And this is safe?" she inquired and everyone nodded their heads. Let's hope this won't be a decision I regret, Camille thought as she signed each form with a fountain pen. "I am trusting that this is nothing that Headmaster Grimm wouldn't approve of," she said strictly.

"Grimm doesn't approve of anything," Holton said and Camille stifled a laugh. He's your employer, her mind reminded her. He'll fire your ass if you disrespect him.

"Holton, seriously, cut it out," Vanya answered as the group started to head towards the door. Holton was laughing while Vanya seemed audibly frustrated. Camille couldn't help but smile again. What it feels to be a teenager again... After that strange encounter, Camille reached for her phone, dialling a number, the contact picking up almost immediately.

"Good morning," she greeted. There was some shuffling in the background, which suggested Arthur had risen from his favourite chair and went to the kitchen to get himself some porridge. Arthur Osborn was the next Baby Bear, he claimed everything in the household needed to be "just right."

"Morning, Millie," he yawned.

"You fell asleep on the chair again." It wasn't a question. "Never mind that, how's my garden? Did you water the roses?" Camille was teasing him now, Arthur was far too forgetful to remember if he was keeping her garden back home alive.

"It's... well, I mean, your garden isn't dead yet," Arthur answered. Camille's eyes softened and she smiled a bit. While so focused on her career and actually getting hired by Milton Grimm, she had nearly forgotten who had inspired her to go into the education field in the first place. They used to attend Ever After High together, it was unlikely parting—a grumpy Roybel and an overly sunshine Royal. But they found that they balanced each other out, eventually leading to Camille becoming a Roybel. It's because of you that I'm still here standing, she thought.

"How did the conference go?" she inquired.

Arthur let out a sign over the phone. "I don't know, Millie. I gave it my best in my presentation on why bear traps and other inhumane hunting snares should be banned. Don't think the officials were convinced."

"They'll come around," Camille comforted.

"Guess so. How's the job at EAH? Gosh, it makes me feel so old to remember we graduated Ever After High just seven years ago. Is Headmaster Grimm still a royal pain in the ass?" To that, Camille allowed herself to chuckle.

"He's my boss now, I don't want to get fired in my first year at Ever After," Camille chided before her thoughts flickered to Vanya and Holton. Interesting pair, she couldn't help but think. "You know, that's so ironic, I met these two students today. They were... a lot. They reminded me of us when we were in high school, as strange as it sounds."

"I was an asshole in highschool, it's painful to look back on it. I don't know how you put up with me then." Arthur sighed, a sense of regret hanging between the phone line. It was true, Arthur could be unkind at times, but he was a different person back then. Change was a real thing, it was just a matter if you had the will to change or not.

Camille took off her glasses, smiling fondly. "I suppose that's how the story ends anyways."

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

Ali Nimer's POV

The rest of the groups were leaving at midnight to whatever assigned location they had, but Raven and Apple had come to Ali, Vanya, Holton, and Daphne were there. "Look, you guys need to stay at EAH while we're away," Apple instructed.

Holton snorted. "And miss out on the action? No thanks."

Raven gave him a pointed look. "No, while we retrieve the missing pages of the Book, we actually need a group staying in Ever AFter High to investigate. Yeah, it might look good if we get back the Storybook of Legends to Grimm, but my name won't be completely cleared. We need to find who set the Lifairy to fire and stole the Book in the first place."

"But why us?" Vanya questioned. Ali supposed they were an odd bunch—a popular princess, a deceiving pirate, a nerdy mean girl, and a spoiled brat. Not to mention, Vanya and Daphne had serious beef with each other because their destinies clashed. The next Cinderella and the next Wicked Stepsister. Ali would bet five coins that they would only last a day before trying to rip each other apart. I should get some buttered popcorn while I'm there...

Apple explained, "Well, Vanya is fairly popular and well-liked among everyone at Ever After High. Holton, for some strange reason, knows the freshest gossip, rumours, and secrets. Daphne is the cunning, and undoubtedly evil intellect. Ali is the social butterfly and has connections to everyone in our school."

Daphne narrowed her eyes. "I can't tell if that was a compliment or insult."

"It was both," Ali affirmed, kicking up his legs on the coffee table in the Student Lounge. "I'm down for this shit. I mean, as long as it doesn't affect my party life." Ali had a vigorous partying routine, either attending or hosting big blowouts. Of course, he always got too drunk and distracted, ending with him spending the next day wearing sunglasses to hide his bloodshot eyes. Wash, rinse, repeat—every single day. Sure, he got in trouble with Headmaster Grimm a lot, but it was worth it. As long as my family doesn't find out, he reminded himself. That would be a nightmare to explain.

"Selfish bastard," Daphne muttered under her breath as Ali rolled his eyes. Of course, she is the one to call me selfish. Apparently, all Wicked Stepsisters needed to be a pain. "But I suppose this would look good on my higher education applications, so I'm also in." Who's selfish now? Ali thought.

"This will either end badly or terribly. I'm in," Holton grinned.

Vanya sighed dreadfully. "I mean, if it's to help Raven..." She nodded as Apple forced a smile. Ali glanced between the two Royals—well, one Royal, since Vanya now declared herself a Roybel—and sensed some sort of drama. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Hexcellent news," Raven concluded, "and you start investigating, well, actually, now."

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

They almost started planning right away in the Student Lounge, they were the only ones left since it was the evening. Violet and Fredrick were missing, they were sending off the Neverland group. Ali rested his head on the palm of his left hand, boredly listening to Vanya ramble on about theories.

"Firstly, we need to go to the scene of the crime," Vanya started out logically. Ali sat next to Holton on the sofa while Vanya stood next to a whiteboard that they had stolen—though, Holton claimed they merely 'borrowed' it—from Professor Rumpelstiltskin. "So the Lifairy?"

"Already two steps ahead of you; I checked out the Lifairy earlier today. Everything is reduced to ashes, I couldn't find any evidence." Daphne had almost said to taunt Vanya. She held up a bag of blackened ashes. "I can run some tests in Rumpelstiltskin's lab to see what sort of enchantment was used, but it'll take a while."

"Nerd," Holton coughed not-so-subtly under his breath.

Daphne narrowed her downturned eyes, a habit that Ali noticed she did a bit when annoyed. "Do you need a lemon cough drop? Because I have some in my purse after you catch these hands," she said threateningly, pointing an accusing finger at Holton. "For all we know, Hook is the culprit. Bet it'd make his daddy proud to cause chaos."

"He didn't," Vanya insisted before Holton could protest.

"Mhm." Daphne had an unconvinced expression on her face, crossing her arms across her chest. She had the glare of an angry mother, ready to scold her troublesome child. Suddenly, she rounded on Ali. "Do you have an opinion on this, Nimer?" she asked snappishly.

Ali raised his hands in defense. "Whoa, whoa, when did I get involved in this?"

Vanya stepped between Daphne and Ali before the conflict could worsen. "This is pointless bickering, guys. Look, the Lifairy isn't doing us any favours, so we have to move onto the next 'crime scene.' Headmaster Grimm's office. Though, I doubt he'll willingly let us investigate his office."

"Then we lure him out." Daphne snapped her fingers. "Good thing we have our choice of morons to select as a bait." She gestured to Holton and Ali. Ali pressed his hand over his chest, feigning innocence. "They're both good bait, one is always picking for a fight and the other is throwing rule-breaking parties every night. Pick your poison."

Ali sighed heavily. "Fine, I will be the bait because I'm so generous."

"Uh-huh," Daphne said unconvincingly. "Here's the plan..."

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

Ali's shit-eating grin wavered once he was seated in Headmaster Grimm's office. He sat on the uncomfortable chair that opposed Grimm's wooden desk where the headmaster was glaring at him. From the corner of his eyes, Ali spotted where the glass case was, void of the Storybook of Legends. Glass was shattered all over the carpeted floor, almost preserved like a crime scene.

"I heard of your Legacy Day party," Headmaster Grimm said strictly. "I am not pleased."

Let's hope I don't regret being bait, he thought. "Well, it was awesome. Really, you should have been there, Headmaster Grimm." Just to get on his buttons, Ali tilted his sunglasses down to reveal his bloodshot eyes, a result of too many hangovers. His head pounded with headaches, but Ali's motto was 'it was worth it.'

"There was booze?" Grimm asked icily, a tone of anger hidden in his gruff voice.

"Just a bit."

"Define what 'just a bit' means, Mr. Nimer."

Before Ali could speak, there was rapid knocking on Grimm's office door. Right on time, he thought. The door swung open to reveal an anxious Vanya Ella, her blue eyes wide with fear and nervousness. "S-Sir, there's a fight! It's Holton Hook and someone else," she squeaked and Ali was surprised at her rather well-done acting skills. "Sir, hurry! There was blood and everything!"

Grimm stood up, marching angrily out of the office, cursing Holton's name under his breath as he dashed away with Vanya trailing after him. After a few seconds, Daphne's head peeked into the doorframe, she had been waiting by the corner just as they planned. "Your plan worked," he said, standing up. "I'm surprised."

She snorted. "Next time, don't be." She marched over to the glass case, inspecting the glass shards of the broken glass case. Ali didn't know how this would be useful, but he supposed he should render himself helpful. Daphne brought out an ink pen, writing down notes on her wrist as she muttered in French. "Si l'angle n'est pas de quatre-vingt-dix degrés, alors il doit être obtus. Mais sous quel angle pourrait-il projeter le verre..." She sounded like a mad scientist scheming her next big experiment.

"What are you doing?" Ali asked, making her stop in her train of thought.

"Just thinking about angles."

"Ah, so you're also a math nerd along with being a science nerd? Got it."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember you doing anything to help," she said indignantly, fuming. As a last ditch effort, Ali looked around carelessly as if he could find something that would help with their search. Suddenly, he spotted something odd on the caprented floor, so he stooped down. It was a fresh dent on the carpet.

"What is it?" Daphne questioned.

"It's a fresh dent. You know how things can indent itself onto caprent floors?" he said, squinting. "Unless Grimm wears high heels daily around his office—which I'd pay to see, of course—our culprit must have worn heels when they stole the Book." Ha! Ali was helpful.

Daphne let out an exasperated sigh. "Nimer, half the female population at Ever After High wears heels. Hell, I'm wearing heels." She gestured to her worn down black Mary Jane platform heels. "At least we know our thief is most likely female, but that doesn't narrow the search list down much."

Now Ali was slightly ticked off. Sure, he'd harmlessly flirt with Daphne from time to time—like with most of the school population—but it seemed as if she had a hatred for him. Not just him, but everyone around her. "Okay, why can't you accept that I saw something useful?"

She crossed her arms, glaring coldly. It made Ali feel numb, plus a bit intimidated, though he'd never admit that. "It wasn't slander, it was a mere observation, Nimer. It's basic probability and odds. The odds are against us, you should know that if we are to help Raven," she spat out.

"That is untrue and also—"

Suddenly, there was rapid knocking at the door again. "He's coming back! Abort the mission now!" Vanya hissed, arriving at the door. Shit! Ali snapped a quick photo of the scene on his MirrorPad before hightailing out of the office with Daphne and Vanya. While bolting the halls, Ali felt a sort of thrilling rush that he didn't quite feel at parties. It was gritty and just so real, the taste of troublemaking was so tangible.

Once out of sight and breath, Ali slid down the wall, taking off his sunglasses briefly and rubbing his eyes. "Oh. My. Grimm. That was so exhilarating!" he exclaimed, slapping his knees once he recovered, getting up. "We should go do that again later."

"Exhilarating? We could have gotten caught and suspended by Headmaster Grimm! Or worse; expelled!" Vanya cried out, panting. Perhaps she was too much of a goody-two-shoes to understand the absolute ride-or-die experience that had been.

"But we didn't," Ali countered.

"You all owe me." Holton arrived from the other end of the hall, clutching his bruised cheek with an ice pack. It was a swelling bruise, morphing into an ugly purple.

"Good Godmothers!" Vanya yelped, her eyes widening. "Are you okay?"

He rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I'm okay, princess?"

"The hell happened?" Daphne asked, her eyes narrowed. "You know you weren't actually supposed to pick a fight for the distraction, right?" When Holton looked away, slightly abashed, Daphne sighed heavily. She fumbled around in her pockets, producing a small vial, pressing it into Holton's palm. "It's a chemical tonic that I myself made and has been approved by Professor Rumpelstiltskin. Drink a teaspoon every hour until you go to sleep and the bruise will be healed by tomorrow."

"How do I know you're not poisoning me?" he asked skeptically.

Daphne threw up her arms in frustration. "Then I'd choose a stronger and faster-working poison to kill you," she shot back.

"Fair enough." Holton threw back his head and downed the entire tonic as if it was an alcoholic shot. Now that would have been more fun, Ali thought to himself. Holton's face puckered, sticking out his tongue. "Your chemical crap tastes gross."

"Are you tone-deaf or something?!" Daphne shrieked, startling everyone around her. She punched Holton in the arm, and it wasn't lightly, making him stumble back. If Ali wasn't still annoyed at her, he'd think that was kind of hot. "I said to take a teaspoon every hour until bedtime, not in one go! I don't know what the goddamn side effects are! Gosh, I'm surrounded by idiots."

"I'll survive," Holton insisted.

Vanya sighed. "Barely."

A/N: Foreshadowing is gonna go crazy 🤭