Shhhhh

Chapter 8

Raven-

The glass was cold against her bare skin, so cold it burned. She welcomed the pain, because that was all that kept her from breaking down. A tear silently rolled down her cheek. What was Apple going to do? Inconveniently, Briar accidentally fell asleep. Or, was that on purpose? Suddenly, Briar shot up. "Guys! Apple just kicked everyone off the stage and made a forcefield around it she has a dart gun and syringe even Kitty can't get through the forcefield..." The brunette paused to take a breath. "She used another potion to make it dark in the room and stage the weird girl Galaxy is actually her pet Gala except with a potion to make her human..." Briar inhaled again. "And evil. I don't know anything else."

"Good job, Briar!"

"Thank's, Cerise.

"That was... really smart."

For Duchess to say something like that, it meant a great deal. Briar was obviously flattered. The pink-dressed gal smiled.

"That's great, but won't our..." Raven was cut off as Gala the human lifted her cage easily with one hand and Cerise's with the other. Raven was jostled and bumped around while Cerise got on all fours and snarled a snarl so feral, it scared even Raven, who knew her secret. Gala opened a door and stepped into darkness. Their cages slammed onto the ground and Raven soon heard the others' cages.

"Are you guys alright?"

"Frightened, but fine."

"Raven, of course I'm fine!"

"Sorry, Duchess."

"Bumped around and claustrophobic, but okay."

Before they could continue, they felt the coldness of a spell wash over them, rendering them voiceless and a ray of light suddenly shone on Apple, who was no longer wearing her original dress; it was the same, except it was now black and lined with red. She began to speak above the crowd with a magically enhanced voice. "Hello, I hope you have enjoyed the party tonight, because that time is over."

-Apple-

She paused before continuing. All eyes were on her. After all, the only light in the large room was shining on her.

"This is to show you that those who don't listen to me or follow their destinies WILL perish. First example, Briar!"

Separate spotlights shone on Briar and a chair with unfastened leather belts by the head, upper arms, wrist, waist, and shin areas. Hopper turned into a frog straight away and tapped on Cupid to turn him back so he could fight for his crush. Gala grabbed a struggling Briar and shoved her into the chair and fastened the straps so fast that the entire audience froze for a second. As Apple took out a dart gun loaded with three poison-filled darts, the crowd of students began to yell. Hopper was fighting to the front of the room, where the forcefield was. Apple raised the gun and aimed at Briar's heart. "This is for not supporting me as your BFFA!" she yelled. As she squeezed the trigger, an animalistic scream erupted from Hopper and everyone immediately parted so he could go to the forcefield. Despite the fact that he could never break it, he started pounding the black-tinted shield. But, the poison had already gone in before he could pound it once. He was the last thing Briar saw before she blacked out. He screamed and continued to pound, with tears rolling down his freckled face.

"Gala, put away." She pointed at Briar's lifeless body. Gala picked up Briar and put her in a pink-lined coffin that was laying down where Briar's cage originally stood. Sparrow came and began to pull Hopper away, saying "Dude, it's too late. Let her go." Hopper started to step back with Sparrow, until the evil witch on stage shouted, "Next, Duchess!" A spotlight fell on a frightened Duchess in an identical glass cage. Sparrow stopped and whispered in Hopper's ear, "Never mind." Both males resumed pounding and yelling.

It pleased Apple that she could torture people like this. As soon as Duchess was strapped into the chair, Apple aimed, saying, "This is for warning them!" Apple paused with a thoughtful look on her face. "Also, poisoning you is self-explanatory. I wonder why no one did it before me." She aimed and shot the gun and the frightened light in Duchess's eyes went out before her eyelids closed. Gala simply unstrapped her and laid her in a black-and-white coffin.

"Next, Cerise! But, first, I have a video to share." When no one quieted down, she screamed, "Shut up, you morons, or I'll kill you all!" They all froze and stared at the video that was now playing on the forcefield as if it was a giant movie theater. It showed Daring and Cerise kissing in the clearing (thankfully, Dexter wasn't in it). When it ended, new chaos erupted. Mostly, it was yells of So what? and Who cares!. Cerise was strapped into the chair, her eyes golden and her teeth bared in a snarl. Apple aimed, noticing Daring fighting his way to the front to join the other two males in pounding the impeternable forcefield, and screamed, "This is for stealing my prince!", and fired. Gala carried the lifeless girl to a red coffin (and, somehow, her cloak stayed on).

"And, finally, extra agony to a certain nerd in the crowd..." Pause for dramatic effect...

"RAVEN QUEEN!"

Suddenly, a war cry erupted from a single mouth near the back of the room. It was Dexter, and he was charging through the crowd like the devil was following him on horseback. Gala had so much difficulty carrying the fighting Raven to the chair that the currently black-haired girl nearly got away. Right when she was strapped in, Dexter slammed into the forcefield with his shoulder that the forcefield rippled. Despite the fact that his shoulder should have broken, he slammed into it again and again and again, but he was obviously losing strength.

"RAE!" He screamed, facing Raven, slamming until he could slam no more. The crowd watched his display in silence, surprised that the usually shy prince was capable of this when his older brother couldn't make the forcefield ripple even a tiny bit. Apple began pulling a vial and a syringe out of her purse...

-Dexter- (this one is POV instead of third person narration.)

I whimpered, unable to slam into the forcefield with my aching shoulder any more. Surprisingly, a lot of the people at the front had joined pounding the shield with me, Sparrow, Hopper, and Daring. I could do nothing except yell and curse as Apple poured the contents of the vial into the rather large syringe. She eerily walked over to Raven, who was still struggling. Raven, my Raven, started yelling. The tough Raven seemed as if she was about to break down sobbing. Her eyes finally met mine. She yelled, "Dexter! Help! Please!" I began to ram into the was with my other shoulder with new vigor. "Raven! I'm coming!" I screamed.

Apple started walking around my beautiful Rae, who now had tears in her eyes. Apple began speaking, and everyone froze, including me. Apple had just cast a spell that made us unable to move or speak, but we could still hear and see. Apple smiled a sinister, wicked smile and started talking.

"Raven Queen. You are the evil one, not me. This was caused by you, not me. If you promised to sign, three girls wouldn't be dead, and you wouldn't be minutes away from your death. Now, they are gone and someone will take your place as the next Evil Queen. Oh, well, nothing to be done now."

Apple sneered at Raven and pushed her head forward, exposing a pale neck. I watched as the evil girl rested the tip of the poison-filled syringe against Raven's neck. I wanted to cry out, knock the poison out of Apple's hand, do something, but I could only watch.

"Raven, this is for everything you did to me, to my story, to MY Happily Ever After!"

The needle sank through and the poison entered Raven as the spell on us wore off. I hear a scream so terrible that I wondered who it was - until I realized I was the one screaming.

And... CLIFFHANGER! Sorry, but you will have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happens to Dexven, Darise, Briar/Hopper, and Duchess/Sparrow! For now, please review! :-)