The nine girls fell towards the center of a rather confusing sight. A circle of giant Storybooks of Legends with the spine toward the center. Cupid flapped her wings and she and Thalia landed softly.
Cupid straightened up and looked around. "Woah, what is this place?"
"Look at all the writing!" said Cedar, pointing out the various pieces of parchment on the floor. It was soon revealed that the girls needed to retrieve a page to get out. There was one book for each person, but they didn't know which book was their own.
The nine girls each selected one book randomly and were sucked inside. Thalia opened her eyes to see a scythe in her hands and Maddie living her life, as if she was watching a movie. There was a single lifeline strung in front of her and the scissors on her chains tingled.
She was in her own tale. Honestly, Thalia should have expected this. After all, only she could do this job. It had to be her.
She would have to "kill" Maddie. Suddenly, everything dawned on her. She already knew she'd be the one ending her friends' lives, but seeing it right then and there... she couldn't do it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at how carefree Maddie looked, even in her elderly years.
Thalia couldn't do it.
"The page. I have to find the page, and then I'll go back." She muttered to herself, nodding softly and wiping the tears from her eyes.
She looked around, moved every weird artefact, looked under the bed and in between the shelves. She even looked for secret places, but she couldn't find anything. Frustrated, she let out a loud groan. She wanted to curse out loud to whoever had the higher power. The scissors in her chain tingled again.
"No! I don't have to do it! It's not my job yet! Not my time!" Thalia shouted. Her hands ran through her hair, messing with it as she fell down again, in a corner of the room.
Maddie had gone to sleep a few minutes ago, she hadn't noticed Thalia going through her place at all. It's like I'm a ghost, Thalia had thought at first. The lifeline string shined once more, and the scissors felt heavier than before. She had gotten the message in the midst of looking for the parchment, but she had refused to admit it.
Thalia took in a quivering breath, her bloodshot eyes shooting up the figure of her friend. Her chest heaved up and down in slow, relaxed breaths. The Angel of Death pressed her lips together, trying to stop the shaking. She could taste the salt of her tears that had been running through her cheeks for a good few minutes now.
Looking down at her hands again, she gripped her scissors and stretched the string that was shining brighter than before. "I'm sorry." She managed to whisper with her croaked voice.
And with a swish, the blades cut straight through the lifeline. When Thalia looked up, Maddie's chest was unmoving, and the thumps of her heart had stopped. A new cascade of tears fell out of Thalia's ruby eyes, accompanied by a new set of broken sobs. The "movie" was frozen, unmoving like its main character.
Thalia didn't know how long she'd spent shaking hunched in the corner. It felt like an eternity. When she felt like no more tears could come out and she had caught her breath, she rubbed her face with her hands. She got up, doing her best to ignore Maddie's figure in her bed and neared the mirror. She freshened herself up the best she could, and then she turned back again, locking her eyes on the parchment that had appeared as soon as she had... killed Maddie.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the parchment and watched as her surroundings faded away in a shower of gentle light.
She appeared back outside the book where everyone but Raven, Apple, and Briar were waiting. Cupid noticed that her girlfriend's eyes were slightly swollen, almost as if she was crying.
Cupid watched as Thalia went over to Maddie and gave her a tight hug. Maddie giggled. "What's this for, Thalia?" she said, but hugged back anyway. Cupid made a mental note to talk to Thalia later.
"Wait a spell," said Blondie apprehensively. "Where's Apple?"
"Briar's story is the only one left!" pointed out Ashlynn.
"So if Apple has my story, and she fell asleep...she won't be able to find her page!" Briar gasped in horror. "I-I have to help her!"
"Briar, no!" said Raven, putting a hand around her wrist. "It's too dangerous!"
"I have to! She's my best friend!" cried Briar, wrenching her arm out of Raven's grip. She then entered the book. Raven tried to follow her to no avail.
After seeing her disappear, Thalia left Maddie's side to stand near her girlfriend. Cupid put an arm around her waist and Thalia leaned into her touch.
Minutes later, Briar and Apple returned with Apple's page. Everyone raised their pages to the ceiling and with a flash of golden light, they were out.
Maddie and Raven pulled everyone along to the Vault of Lost Tales. When they got there, Bella and Brutta zoomed toward Thalia to greet her happily. Thalia handed her page to Cupid and hung back to talk to her ghost friends quietly.
After a bit, she went to go find the rest of the girls. She found them talking with Giles Grimm, brother to Headmaster Grimm. He complimented them on their bravery for facing those challenges.
"Especially you, Thalia," he said, turning toward the black-haired girl. Thalia was stunned. Had he been watching them all along? That must mean he saw-
"But, Mr. Grimm," Apple said. "If we weren't looking for the Storybook of Legends, do you know where it is?"
"No, but I know who took it!" said Giles.
"Who?" asked Cedar. Giles and Thalia looked pointedly at Raven.
"The Evil Queen," they both said at the same time. Giles sat them down and informed him of his past.
With all matters sorted out, it was time for the Thronecoming Dance. All the girls except Cedar and Thalia went to Briar's dorm to get ready. Thalia would have gone, but Daki insisted on styling her hair and helping her get ready.
Thalia's thronecoming outfit consisted of an ankle length funeral dress with puffy sleeves and a red spider lily instead of a carnation. Her ever-present Cloak of Shadows was around her shoulders. Her chains sat on her fingers comfortably. Laying on the table of her vanity was her masquerade mask. It was black, obviously with spider lilies engraved on the obsidian-like surface.
As she was doing her makeup, Daki was brushing her hair and pulling some of it into a neat twist. Thalia and the Upper Moons were also coming up with a plan to scare everyone. She had also made a plan with Cupid. She was also going to exact some kind of revenge on Headmaster Grimm tonight. It was going to be awesome.
When Cupid and the others had made their entrance, it was her turn. The lights flickered and a cold breeze came from the doorway. The strumming of a biwa was heard and Thalia's silhouette appeared in the doorway.
Everyone was frozen in fear once again as Thalia strode forward and removed her mask with the stick. Her deathly aura rushed into the room like a flowing river, scaring even Headmaster Grimm. Her eyes glinted red and her hair rose up, billowing around her to the breeze.
"One of you will die tonight," she bellowed, a sadistic smile on her face. Everyone trembled, wondering who would be the one to face her wrath.
Suddenly, she smiled an innocent smile. "Just kidding!" She then locked eyes with Headmaster Grimm, her eyes piercing into him. "Unless...." Headmaster Grimm gulped in fear and excused himself to go and make the welcome speech.
Cupid walked down the aisle and curtsied. She then offered a hand to Thalia. "Shall we?"
"We shall," said Thalia, taking her girlfriend's hand. It was time to enjoy the party. Headmaster Grimm took one more look at her before continuing with his welcome speech.
"Welcome!" After a terrible mic noise, fixed easily by Humphrey Dumpty, he continued. "To the Thronecoming Dance! Where we celebrate our ancestors' stories!"
Just then, the light changed to point at Melody, who would be DJing for the night.
"The King and Queen will be announced shortly, but for now, let's have some fun! Follow me!" A rainbow beam of light hit the central disco ball and the party started.
Thalia and Cupid danced until their feet hurt, and when the clock struck twelve, they both retired to their dorm room. They still had a make out session pending.
Breathless, they collapsed onto Cupid's bed. A cawing noise was heard and Shinigami swooped in with a letter. Together, they unrolled the parchment and read the letter.
My dearest Lia,
I don't mind if you make out with your girlfriend, but Enmu has informed me that you two were making out in Heritage Hall today. Really? In front of my portrait of all places? Try not to shove your tongue down her throat in front of a picture of me again, please.
From,
Your old man.
Thalia grew red in embarrassment at her father's words. Cupid giggled at her girlfriend's expression. "Moons!" called Thalia and the Upper Moons appeared in front of her. "Can you guys go beat Enmu up? He's really ticking me off. That homophobic piece of shit wanted to get into my father's good graces. Thank god Father isn't homophobic too."
"With pleasure," said the Moons. Then, the Upper Moons were gone. Trying to cheer her up, Cupid pulled Thalia into another kiss and Thalia happily kissed back.