From the Ashes (A School for Good and Evil Fanfic)

Part 8: Snake and Moon

Dot sat alone at the rickety breakfast table, yawning as she picked at her chocolate jerky. Hester was right. It did feel like they were doing nothing, that they should be out in the woods doing something to help the kingdoms, but ever since the defeat of the Snake, all of the villains seemed to have gone silent. However, it seemed like only a matter of time until something came up, and after months of silence, it surely wouldn't be anything good.

"Hey Dot." Rebel's charming voice snapped Dot out of her thoughts. She turned to see him tapping on the window, grinning slightly mischievously. Dot's heart fluttered as she turned to open the window.

"Hey, handsome," she replied, opening the window and leaning out of it. "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Rebel's grin widened. "A little birdie informed me that Beauty and the Feast has reopened. They support you as the new Sheriff of the Woods, and now that both Robin and your father are dead, they have nothing to squabble over."

"And you're saying this, why?" Dot egged on.

"I made a reservation for tonight, and it would be just dreadful for a young man like me to show up alone. I was wondering if a lovely lady such as you would care to join me?"

"Of course!" Dot blurted. "Just warning you, though, my last date at Beauty and the Feast didn't exactly go as planned."

"What happened?" Rebel asked.

"My date drugged me, stole my keys, and let the Snake out of prison," Dot replied. "We don't talk about that."

"I'm quite sure that won't be a problem," said Rebel with another heart-melting smile. "See you there."

Dot waved as he retreated down the street. "How romantic," she sighed, staring after him as excitement rose up inside of her. "I have a date!" she squealed, spinning around the room. Maybe going to Nottingham hadn't been a waste of time after all, and maybe, just maybe, she'd finally find true love.

She slammed into someone as she spun in front of the doorway, knocking them both to the ground. The room seemed to tilt as she lay on the floor. "Oops," she said meekly.

"Get off of me!" Hester snapped, pushing Dot into the wall. (Double oops, Dot thought) "What the heck are you doing!"

"Sorry," Dot said giddily, rising to her feet. "I was just excited."

Anadil snorted from the doorway. "What for?"

"Rebel asked me to go to Beauty and the Feast with him later tonight!" Dot explained. Hester and Anadil shared a glance, not as excited about this prospect as she had hoped they'd be. She wasn't surprised, though, as Hester and Anadil usually avoided anything to do with romance. Outright, at least.

"You sure you trust this guy?" Hester inquired skeptically.

"I do," Dot confirmed. "Not everyone is as much of a lying backstabber as Kei."

"I think you should find out more about him before you go on a date with him," Anadil said, the last part a bit mockingly. "He could be planning to drag you into the woods and kill you tonight."

"Way to kill my spirit," Dot grumbled, crossing her arms. "And way to side with Hester, as always," she muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Anadil asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing," Dot spat. "And I'm going, whether you like it or not."

***

Dot spun in front of the mirror, ogling the wispy blue dress she'd managed to borrow from the baker's daughter. It was a bit tight, but the color looked great on her.

Her friends, however, seemed to think otherwise.

"You look like a blueberry," Hester commented when she walked down the stairs.

"An oversized blueberry with a bad sense of fashion," Anadil added.

"So this is how it is," Dot lashed. "I do something that you two don't like, making my own decisions for once, and you decide to insult me and destroy my self esteem, just like you always have. I thought we were over that!"

Hester and Anadil stared at her, looking a bit taken aback. They were saved by having to answer by Rebel's crisp knock.

"And if you'll excuse me," she continued, "my date is here. See ya, witches." She opened the door, slamming it behind her. "Those two," she sighed exasperatedly, turning to Rebel. He was dressed in a crisp green polo shirt and a pair of jeans, the casual look paired with his usual crisp smile causing him to look even more handsome than he did before.

"You three seem close, at least, almost like sisters," Rebel said as they started off down the street. "I wish I had that."

"I guess, if you mean that I'm the little sister who keeps getting shot down," Dot complained.

"I'm sure they'll come to their senses and see that you are as smart, brave, and beautiful as I see you."

Dot blushed. "No one has ever said anything like that to me."

Rebel grinned. "I'm glad to be the first."

They arrived at Beauty and the Feast only a few minutes later. It looked exactly the same as the last time she had been there, which, she realized, was only less than a year ago, although it seemed like ages.

"After you, Milady," Rebel said, opening the door. Dot sauntered in, trying to look as graceful as possible.

"Sheriff!" exclaimed the fox waitress. "What an honor. And who is your companion?"

"Rebel of Ingerthorn," Rebel replied with a bow. "I believe I have a reservation for two."

The fox led them to an elegant area beyond the main dining room, it's table laden with scented candles and golden silverware. Thankfully, the obnoxious song that the Beauty and the Feast birds used to sing was no longer a part of the experience, but the fox did remind them to pay in cash.

Dot savored the romantic atmosphere as well as the food, engaging in a light conversation with Rebel.

"What is it like back in Ingerthorn?" Dot asked after the second course was served. "And is it a kingdom or a mountain, because Hester and Anadil seem convinced it's a mountain in Bloodbrook."

Rebel's eyes widened, but only for a second. "I'm from the kingdom," he responded. "But there is a mountain with the same name. I don't know how your friends would know about it, the name of the mountain as well as those who live there is closely guarded."

"Witch coven, blah blah blah," Dot dismissed, going back to her food. As she looked down, however, she noticed something peculiar. On Rebel's arm was a tattoo of a crescent moon, a snake wrapped around the middle. It seemed oddly familiar, but Dot couldn't put a finger on why. "What does your tattoo mean?" Dot asked, trying to figure out where she'd seen it before and why it made her feel so uneasy. Rebel flinched, jerking away his wrist.

"It's-a family thing," he said, red in the face. He glanced nervously toward the door to the kitchen. "Dessert should be out soon."

Dot narrowed her eyes. Her friends were right, he was hiding something from her, something to do with his tattoo of a snake and moon.

A/N: This was posted a day early because I'm busy and didn't want to forget. Hope you don't mind.