“How about right here?” Maddie asked, appearing out of nowhere and plopping down in the middle of the ground. She patted the ground next to her, and Raven sat. Maddie gave her a peculiar, questioning sniff. Then she spotted an enormous oak tree and scrambled to her feet.
Maddie hexpertly climbed the tree to the highest branch. “I have a bird’s-eye view of you. Except I’m using my own eye. We should picnic up here!” she called to her friends.
Raven and Cerise shared amused glances. Leave it to Maddie to find the most impossible picnic spot!
“We can’t get a blanket up there,” Raven called. “Even the birds don’t build their nests that high.”
“Fiddle-faddle!” Maddie held her nose and, before Raven could cry out in alarm, jumped off the branch, turned a somersault in the air, and landed smoothly on both feet. Then Maddie pushed up the sleeve of Raven’s purple top and ran her fingers down Raven’s bare arm.
“That tickles!” Raven said, squirming.
“Your skin is strangely rough… almost bumpy.” Maddie held on to Raven hands and peered at her fingernails. “Your thumbnails have gotten long.”
“Maddie, my skin is fine.”
Cerise gave her friends a curious look. Just then, her stomach let out a very loud rumble. “I’m hungry! I know a picnic spot. Follow me.” Cerise led them to a clearing. Pine needles covered the cool forest floor, and velvety, emerald-green moss grew on smooth rocks.
“This spot is spelltacular,” Raven said as she helped Cerise lay out the blanket for their picnic. She plopped down, ready to dig in to the delicious basket Red had packed for them, when she felt a peculiar sensation in her ear.
“Maddie! Why was your finger in my ear?” Raven demanded.
“I was measuring the hexact temperature of your earwax.”
“What-ever-after for?”
“You’re different today. Have you changed the direction that you brush your teeth? No? Are your leggings new? Is the royal purple more of a dark-magenta-meets-fig?” Maddie scrunched up her face. “You seem… I don’t know… Wonderlandian.”
“I do? Is that good?”
“Wonderlandian is tea-rrific, but you seem off-center, topsy-turvy, quite crooked.” Maddie gave Raven another big sniff. “I smell soap, but something dark and mysterious lurks underneath. Have you been under any bridges?”
“Do you smell this?” Cerise pulled a small spray bottle from the pocket of her cloak. She gave a spritz and the air clouded with the scent of garlic, cloves, and castor oil. “It’s my mom’s homemade bug repellent.”
“Tea-rrifically stinky! That’s it!” Maddie spun in a circle. “Or not. Who’s to say? Only the nose knows.”
Raven’s stomach tightened, and the weird feeling she’d been getting at home settled over her, leaving her with a now-familiar fluttery feeling in her stomach. Her mother had said that evil would bloom in her. Was it starting now? Is that what Maddie smelled? Raven shivered at the horrible thought.
“I’m off to the Hood bakery,” Mr. Badwolf called out as he strode into the clearing holding a wicker basket. “Red has been a pie-making machine. We’re giving away the hextras. Anyone up for a pie run?”
“Please don’t take all my helpers,” Red said, hurrying up behind him. “I need the food from the kitchen brought outside. Anyone want to lend a hand?”
“Between all of us there are eight hands, and that’s seven more than you need to brew a pot of charmberry tea!” Maddie declared.
Cerise laughed. “Mom, I think that means Maddie would love to help.”
“I’ll help deliver the pies,” Raven offered. A walk in the woods would clear her head. She wanted to stop thinking about evil sprouting like a beanstalk inside her. She followed Mr. Badwolf into the trees as Maddie and Cerise returned to the cottage with Red.
Raven panted as she worked to keep pace with him. Thorny bushes snagged her purple skirt. Twigs cracked and leaves rustled under her black patent-leather high-tops. She was amazed by just how quickly and quietly Mr. Badwolf moved.
He finally stopped by a tree filled with ripe orange-red persimmons. The tomato-like fruit glistened in the sun. “Where are we?” asked Raven, surprised to see little cottages ahead. Red’s cottage was nestled far, far away so they could live in peace.
“Hood Hollow,” said Mr. Badwolf. “These are Red’s people, before they turned on her. They’re not my biggest fans.”
“They’re not mine, either.” The last time Raven had visited, the Hoods had taunted and jeered her for being the daughter of the Evil Queen.
All of a sudden, Mr. Badwolf lifted his head and sniffed the air. He stroked his heavy beard and his nose twitched. Then he grabbed Raven’s upper arm and yanked her behind the thick trunk of a nearby evergreen.
“Stay close,” he whispered before darting behind another tall tree. Stealthily, he wove from tree to tree. Raven concentrated on staying right behind Mr. Badwolf.
“You’re a natural at this,” he added quietly.
“What is this? Is it a game?” asked Raven.
“You could say that. Keep out of sight,” he warned. Then he was off again.
Raven followed, pleased that she could keep up. It was only when he scurried toward one of the Hood cottages that she hesitated. She watched in frozen fascination as he snatched a steaming pie cooling on the windowsill and tucked it into his wicker basket before darting away.
He ran toward another cottage. A pie also cooled on the windowsill, and he swiped this one as well.
Raven gulped as she realized what she was seeing. Mr. Badwolf was stealing the Hoods’ pies! This wasn’t a game. It was royally rotten and wrong.
She ran over to him in a huff. “Mr. Badwolf, we need to put them back,” Raven said insistently.
She opened the basket and reached for the top two pies. Their spicy persimmon filling smelled delicious.
“No!” he growled. “They can’t have these pies.”
Raven didn’t listen. All she could think about was giving back the stolen pies. She raced as fast as she could to the first cottage. She heard Hoods moving around inside. Mr. Badwolf was coming up behind her. Her heart pounded as she stared at the two pies in her hands. Which one had come from this windowsill?
She randomly chose one, balanced it on the sill, then raced to return the other to the second cottage. Back in the shadows of the tall trees, she bent over and fought to catch her breath.
“Normally, I’d applaud your evil, Raven.” Mr. Badwolf towered over her. Somehow, he once again held the two pies. “I understand that the Hoods are no friends of ours, but at times, we must rein in our dark desires. Your mother crossed that line, and look where she is.” He spoke in a grave whisper.
“You stole those pies!” Raven pointed at him. “I was putting them back.”
“The persimmons on the tree were glistening. They’d been contaminated by ogre sweat. When digested, an ogre’s sweat causes painful, itchy blisters. I took the persimmon pies to protect the Hoods. They are Red’s people, ever after all.”
Raven blinked in surprise. Mr. Badwolf had wanted to help the Hoods, and she had returned the poison pies. She could’ve hurt the Hoods if they’d eaten them. Once again, she’d tried to do good but ended up with evil.
Or almost evil.
She breathed out a sigh of relief, as Mr. Badwolf stomped the pies under his large feet and buried the remains.
Diary Entry
I’m spelltacularly embarrassed! Because Mr. Badwolf is a villain in his story, I assumed that everything he does must be evil. I shouldn’t judge people by labels. We’re not one-dimensional characters. Of all people, I should know that!
Luckily, Mr. Badwolf was chill about my mistake. And as we walked back from delivering Red’s hextra pies to the bakery, he clapped me on the back and happily congratulated me on my final assignment.
I got an A!
(Wow! It’s a good thing I found my thronework and handed it in.)
I did a happy dance right in fr
ont of my teacher. Crazy, right? But good grades are fairy important to me. Mr. Badwolf laughed. He liked that I was psyched about doing well in General Villainy class, which has never been one of my favorite subjects. He’s sure my grades will continue to improve if I work hard. Then he called me “a natural” at General Villainy. He said I was Born To Be Evil.
I stopped dancing. My mood darkened.
I want to hand back that A. I want him to give me a much worse grade, because then I won’t have to wonder if my mother has been right.
Mr. Badwolf noticed the change in my mood. He told me on the way back to the picnic that I’ve gone sinisterly sullen, that mood swings are a curse all villains endure!
I explained that I’m just conflicted. I want to do well in his class, but at the same time, I don’t. Something is happening inside me… or maybe it’s not.… Sometimes I get angry… I want to do good, but then it gets messed up.…
My words became all jumbled when I tried to explain. Maddie’s Riddlish makes more sense than I was making!
Guess what he thought my babble meant. Are you ready?
He thought I was confiding that I was evil ever after all!
He actually howled with joy.
Ugh! Total disconnect.
Then—here comes the thorny part—he said he hexpects I’ll hexcell at exploring my evil destiny in General Villainy next semester.
I DO NOT WANT TO EXPLORE MY EVIL DESTINY!!!!!!
Spell you later,
Raven
ild and woodsy tea party time!” cried Maddie when Raven returned to the picnic blanket. Mr. Badwolf had walked on to the cottage to help Red carry the last of the food. Raven tucked her legs under her as she sat between Maddie and Cerise.
Today, Maddie’s hat looked like a bird’s nest woven out of pink cotton candy. She reached inside the spun sugar and pulled out five teacups in a pale robin’s-egg blue. Then she pulled out tiny spoons and a matching teapot.
“The tea is a special blend of grass and bark with a hint of soil.” Maddie took a sip. “It needs a splash of dandelion wish.”
She cartwheeled over to a sunny patch of grass and plucked a dandelion. The once-yellow weed had dried into a white ball of fluffy seeds. Opening the teapot lid, she closed her eyes and blew in all the seeds. “Dandelion puff and stuff, sends wonders and wishes,” she sang.
“What in Ever After are you doing?” asked Cerise.
“In Wonderland, weeds bring wishes. Or is it fishes? I can never remember. Wait, the plural of fish isn’t fishes. It’s fish.” She smelled the tea. “Oh good. It isn’t fishy. It’s wish-licious!”
Raven laughed. Maddie always made her forget her troubles.
“Look what else I have!” Maddie pulled a cherry-red teapot trimmed with a black-and-white checkerboard design from her hat. A red ribbon tied into a bow topped the pot.
“So fairy fancy!” exclaimed Raven.
“My father picked it out as a thank-you gift for Red and Mr. Badwolf for having me at their home. He always finds the most perfect pots.” Maddie looked around. “Should we sip, or does a hat-tastic hostess wait for all her guests?”
“I feel so bad! I was in such a rush to get here that I forgot to bring a present.” Raven bit her lip. In truth, her father hadn’t been around to remind her, and her mother had never once given a gift as an expression of gratitude. The Evil Queen hexpected presents bestowed upon her, not the other way around.
“Don’t worry about it, Raven,” said Cerise. “You guys being here is the best present of all. We never-ever-after have visitors.” Cerise stood and headed to the cottage. “I’m going to find them before the tea turns cold.”
Maddie nestled close to the teapot. “I’ll keep it toasty until you return.”
“I really want to give them a present, too,” Raven confided once Cerise was out of earshot.
“That calls for a shopping spree-a-dee!” Maddie squealed. “Do squirrels have stores? Is there an underground mole mall?”
“I doubt it.” Raven’s shoulders slumped as she surveyed the miles and miles of trees. “I don’t think there’s anything to buy here.”
“Presents don’t need to cost money. Weave a blanket from spiderwebs. Catch a rainbow in a glass jar. Write a poem on a leapin’ lily pad.”
“You’re onto something.” Raven looked around, taking in all the options. “Those chipmunks’ cheeks are filled with nuts. How about a platter of mixed nuts? Maybe the chipmunks will share.”
“Toadstools! Sharing is caring,” agreed Maddie.
Raven knelt on the ground, waving the cute chipmunks over. They looked like the adorable woodland creatures that followed Apple White everywhere and happily did everything she asked. They even cleaned her room!
“Hi there. I’m Raven Queen and I wanted to talk to you about—”
“Ah!” The chipmunks gave a startled cry at the sound of her name. In a horrified rush, they scurried away as fast as their little legs could carry them.
“How royally rude!” Maddie shook her head.
Raven sighed. “It happens. Woodland creatures fear me. It’s the whole daughter-of-the-Evil-Queen reputation. What else can I find?”
Raven searched behind a row of holly bushes. She spotted a polka-dot ruffle mushroom, but what if it was poisonous? She tried to leap for a platinum moth, but it soared too high. Then a sparkle of blue growing by a fallen tree branch caught her eye. She leaned down and sucked in her breath.
The itty-bitty flower’s shimmery purple petals were as sheer as fairy wings.
“Raven, where are you? We’re all back and there’s tons of food,” called Cerise.
“Teatime!” called Maddie.
Raven stared at the minuscule flower. Would Red and Mr. Badwolf appreciate its petite beauty? She thought of him holding it in his large, paw-like hands. He’d crush it. Hex no! She couldn’t give them such a tiny present.
If only it were larger and more impressive looking. If it were the size of a sunflower, that would really be something memorable.
Raven sighed. A flower couldn’t grow in a few minutes.
Unless… no! So far her magic spells had all had disastrous results.
She gently plucked the delicate flower from the earth and cupped it inside both palms. She decided there was no need to risk a spell backfiring in an attempt to make it bigger. She’d give it just as nature had grown it.
“There you are, dear. Can I make you a plate?” Red’s warm voice welcomed her as she returned to the blanket.
Raven’s eyes widened at the feast—there were jamberry sandwiches, watermelon-radish salad, beet soup, cherry pie, and Red-velvet cake. Everything was red! Mr. Badwolf poured tea, using the new red teapot.
Raven glanced down at her cupped hands. Suddenly, she regretted her decision not to make the flower larger. She needed a more impressive gift to show how happy she was to be here. She wanted this flower to be as big as the gratitude she felt.
Raven pushed her palms together, and a small explosion of magical sparks surrounded the tiny flower.
Diary Entry
Curses! It happened again. My magic backfired! I’ll tell you the details, but be warned: It’s beyond cringeworthy.
So I give this long speech thanking Red Riding Hood, Mr. Badwolf, and Cerise for inviting me, and I say I have a present for them. All this time, I feel tingling inside my cupped hands, almost like tiny pinpricks, but I figure it’s the aftereffects of the magic.
I dramatically open my hands. Now I’m hexpecting an enormous purple flower to spring up and for Red to gasp in delight. Instead, ants crawl from my palms. I’m not talking a few ants. Dozens—maybe hundreds—of ants invade the picnic!
Once again, dark magic + good intentions = catastrophe. What is wrong with me????
There’s an army of ants everywhere: in Red’s food, in Mr. Badwolf’s long hair, in the folds of Cerise’s cape, in Maddie’s nest-hat! I’m waiting for Red to cry out in horror, but she surprises me and says, “Ants at a picnic—how
perfect! You’re so thoughtful to bring them in my favorite color, too.”
Do you know what kind of ants are red, Diary? FIRE-BREATHING ANTS!
I had no idea what to do. I froze like a griffin in headlights. What a disaster!
Maddie to the rescue! With her face squished against the blanket, Maddie welcomed every last ant to the picnic. Then she pulled a tiny teapot from her hat for an ant-tastic tea party. She led the ants far, far away from our picnic and poured each an itsy-bitsy cup of super-sugary tea (ants love sweets).
I my friends!!!!
But seriously, what is going on with my magic and all these fairy-fails?
Spell you later,
Raven
rumbs sprayed from Mr. Badwolf’s mouth, and he slurped loudly as he lapped up the tea. Raven realized that if she didn’t chew faster, Mr. Badwolf would wolf down all the delicious pie and cake before she made it to dessert. Raven imagined the disapproving glare her mother would give if she were at their picnic. The Evil Queen had always taught her daughter, “It is okay to do bad things, but there’s no excuse for bad manners.”
Raven gave Mr. Badwolf a pass. He was, after all, part wolf.
After the last little morsel was polished off, he yawned. “How about a stroll through the woods as our meal settles?” he asked Red.
“We’ll be back soon, girls,” Red said as they walked toward the woods.
Cerise stood and stretched her lean calf muscles. “Anyone for a race through the woods?”
“Sure, I’ll give it a try,” said Raven. Cerise was the star of their school’s Track and Shield, so Raven knew she probably wouldn’t be able to keep up, but she didn’t care about winning. She was happy to run for fun.
“I’ll hop,” Maddie said. “Shall I wear my tap shoes?”
“I don’t think they’ll make noise on the dirt.” Cerise pointed out the path that led through the trees to a finish vine at the top of a hill.
Ever After High Page 4