Ever After High: Thronecoming

Chapter 14: Home Sweet Home

    It had been nearly a month since Thronecoming, and try as she may, Cerise couldn't get Daring off of her mind. But she had come up with a plan. Completely ignore his existence. It may have been rude, but she was desperate. Every time she saw Daring in the halls, she had a cruel reminder that she could never like him. Apple was always hanging around him, spending time with him between classes, and hanging out with him after school.

    She would assume that this was a good thing, seeing as she couldn't get close to him, and she would have a reminder(Other than him sitting at the Royal's table) that he was a stickler for his story and would end up with Apple ... But the sight of the student body president around the man she had danced with that night, made her angry. It made her madder than she had ever been in her life. 

    It took everything she had in her not to run over to the two Royals and tear Apple's hair out. And on a side note, it took just as much effort for her to refrain from tackling Daring and licking his face... Yeah, she would keep that part to herself. On a happier note, fall break was a few days from now, she would be able to ask her parents what she should do. 

    The days passed quickly, and before she knew it, Cerise was plunging feet first into a wishing well, basket in hand. A coldness rushed over her as she twisted and swirled through the endless torrent of water. After a moment she came out of the well with a POP! Shivering, she took a step towards a nearby village.

    She made her way through the village and towards a cabin a small distance into the woods. As she went, she got glares from many of the townsfolk. Even though it had been free information to both the Wolves and the Riding Hoods for a while now, the news that she was the daughter of both The Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding hood still caused an enormous amount of tension.

    Cerise slipped behind the cabin and to the back door, which was usually unlocked. Slowly, she cracked it open and stepped into the familiar living space.  Pausing she took it in, she hadn't been away from home long, but somehow, she still missed it. The worn furniture, the chewed on pillows, and most of all, the pictures her mother kept on the wall. Images of her and her parents covered every inch of it. Home.

    "I'm back!" Cerise called into the otherwise quiet house.

    Not even a moment later her mother came rushing into the room. Cerise held open her arms, waiting for a big, warm, motherly hug. But Instead the former Little Red Riding hood proceeded to examine her up and down. "Are you ok?" She asked with worry. "Are you hurt?"

    "No... Mom, is everything alright?" Instead of answering her, the red cloaked lady ran to the windows and made sure they were tightly closed. "Mom!" She yelled, getting her attention.

    "Yes?"

    "What's wrong?"

    Red Riding Hood slumped down into a tattered rocking chair and sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'm just getting paranoid is all."

    "About what?"

    "Sweetie..." She paused, contemplating what she was about to say. "I know you thought you had done the right thing by telling the village... everything, but it might not be turning out so well."

    "What do you mean."

    "The townsfolk say that they are fine with it, but I know that they're not. They get increasingly angrier every day. It's like making a stew and leaving it on the heat... slowly it boils, and then it bubbles over the edges. If we're not careful, we could have a big mess on our hands."

    "They can't do anything, I beat them in Basket Run."  Cerise wandered over to the couch and sat across from her mom. "They can't kick any of our family out of the village."

    "Yeah, but they can sure make our lives miserable while were here. I'm pretty certain that's why they havn't told Headmaster Grimm yet. They wanna beat us down themselves."

    "I though they were understanding... What changed?"

    "You." Cerise stared at her mother questioningly. "After you left to go back to school, they realized that it wasn't your fault you exist. They are starting to blame me and your father." She suddenly stood up. "A father who will be here soon. I better get started on dinner."

    She rushed off to the kitchen, obviously desperate to get away from the conversation. Cerise 's eyes followed her mother, but her body didn't. She just sat there, staring out the window. Her mother was obviously not telling her everything, but there was no way to get the information out of her. Little Red Riding Hood was a very strong willed woman.

    No, Cerise would just have to wait until the conversation popped back up again. Even if she would have to resort to tactics she hadn't used since she was a pup.