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  CHAPTER 1

  It was the most important day ever after. Raven Queen’s purple-and-black skirt swished and her shoes clicked a rapid staccato against the Ever After High School floors as she dashed down the long hallway. Cedar, Daring, Blondie, Sparrow, Cerise, Briar, and Hopper all rushed to catch up. It wasn’t easy. Raven was moving fast.

  “This was no ordinary day for Raven Queen, the daughter of the Evil Queen. This was the day!” a Male Narrator explained.

  A Female Narrator added, “Raven was finally mastering her magic. Only she wasn’t using her powers in a way that would please her evil mother.”

  Brooke Page was part of the conversation as well. She remarked, “Well, you know what they say—you can’t judge a book by its mother.”

  The Female Narrator, who happened to be Brooke’s mother, laughed at the clever wordplay. “Cute, Brooke.”

  Cedar Wood, Pinocchio’s daughter, reached Raven first. “Raven, glad I caught you!” Cedar raised her hand. “I broke a nail and gave myself a splinter!”

  With a quick wave, Raven shot sparks of purple light from her fingers and—poof!—nail fixed, splinter gone. “No problem, Cedar. Good as new!” Raven said.

  Cedar studied her manicure and smiled. “Wow! Thanks, Raven!”

  Raven kept walking briskly. The sound of her heels echoed down the hallway.

  Goldilocks’s daughter, Blondie Lockes, caught up next. She held up a MirrorPad with a cracked screen. Breathless from chasing Raven, she said, “I dropped my MirrorPad, and now I can’t record my MirrorCast this afternoon!”

  Zap! With a blast from her fingers, Raven fixed the MirrorPad. She didn’t even have to stop walking. Blondie held the MirrorPad to her chest and grinned gratefully.

  Daring Charming, one of King and Queen Charming’s sons, also had a request for Raven. He scooted up next to her with his hand over his mouth. Raven gave him a quick glance and could see he was embarrassed about something.

  “I toasted marshmallows with dragon fire, and the soot stained my teeth!” Daring moved his hand away to show her his black-stained smile.

  With a small nod, Raven flicked her wrist and once again—poof! His teeth were as blindingly white as ever.

  Daring brought out his jeweled hand mirror and beamed at his reflection. Raven blinked hard from the glare.

  With each step she took, the group that followed Raven down the hallway grew. It seemed as if every student at Ever After High needed her right at that very moment.

  “Raven, help me!”

  “I’m next!”

  “My turn!”

  Raven told them, “Okay, you guys, as much as I would love to, I can’t do spells all day—” Near the end of the long hallway, there was a flash of red. Apple White, the daughter of Snow White, was walking slowly in her direction. Apple’s shiny, well-conditioned blond curls bounced with each step.

  Raven grabbed her. “Apple! I’m so late! You-know-who is going to have an epic meltdown!” Raven’s eyes were wide with panic.

  “Go, go, go!” Apple said. “I’ve got this.”

  Raven was grateful. “Really? I owe you one, Apple.”

  Apple smiled a vivid white smile, not as dazzling as Daring’s, but close. “That’s what friends forever after are for,” she said.

  Raven didn’t wait another second. She escaped down the hall and fled around the corner.

  Blocking the hallway, Apple intercepted Tiny and the Three Billy Goats. All three goats had managed to get their heads stuck in one of the Giant’s oversize jelly jars.

  “The Billy Goats are in a jam… and it’s my jam!” Tiny exclaimed, stomping his gigantic foot.

  “I’d be happy to help,” Apple said, surveying the situation.

  The Billy Goats bleated, “We need Raven—not you!” Their voices were muffled inside the jar.

  Apple sighed. This was not going to be easy.…

  Raven entered another hall and hurried past Darling Charming. Darling was playing cards with Lizzie Hearts, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, taking turns throwing them one by one into the hat of Madeline Hatter. Madeline just so happened to be the daughter of the Mad Hatter, and the fancy hat she was holding was one of many from her large collection of hats.

  “Good luck today!” Lizzie called after Raven.

  “Have a wonderlandiful visit!” Maddie added.

  “And keep away from the glass!” Darling warned.

  Raven gave them a quick wave. “Thanks, guys.”

  Ever After’s Male Narrator tracked her movements. “Visiting Day. The day Raven gets to see her mother in her mirror prison.” He paused before adding dramatically, “And Raven was nervous.”

  Brooke replied, “I’d be nervous, too, if my mom were the Evil Queen.”

  Raven turned down a foreboding corridor and slowed her steps until she stopped in front of a thick, heavy wooden door. She took a breath to steady herself before entering.

  Milton Grimm, the headmaster of Ever After High, was sitting at a table, holding a clipboard. “Ms. Queen,” he greeted, handing her a quill. “Sign here and here and here. Now, remember, keep away—”

  “From the glass. I know, I know.” Raven raised the quill and signed her name in triplicate.

  The door she had to enter next was boarded up and tied down with crisscrossing chains. A large purple dragon was blocking the way. When Raven approached, the dragon rose from the shadows, growing to her full height and roaring loudly.

  Raven wasn’t afraid of Nevermore. Nevermore was her pet dragon, after all, here to protect her. It was what was behind that door that was scary. Raven stepped up to the ferocious beast and tickled her belly. Nevermore shrank to the size of a puppy, rolled over, and purred like a kitten.

  Raven gave her a little tummy rub. “Nevermore! Who’s a good dragon?” She looked toward the chained doorway and said confidently, “Don’t worry. I can handle Mom.”

  Nevermore grew a little larger, now as big as a medium-sized dog, and moved next to Raven so they were facing the door together. Raven raised her hands. Purple laser beams shot out from her fingertips, and—zap!—the chains popped off. Raven pushed open the protective door and, with Nevermore by her side, climbed the spiral staircase to the mysterious tower attic.

  CHAPTER 2

  The attic had cobwebs along the ceiling, in the corners, and atop the piles of junk around the dusty room. Slats of light filtered through rotten boards, creating spooky shadows on old blackboards, broken desks, and faded-yellow school supplies, long left behind. In the center of the room was the thing Raven was looking for: the magic mirror.

  Raven had managed to keep her nerves in check until this moment. She shivered as she stepped up to the mirror and saw the reflective glass shimmer like water in a pond.

  “Hi, Mom,” Raven said, swallowing hard. “It’s me.”

  In a puff of purple vapor, the Evil Queen materialized in the mirror’s reflection. She was wearing a sweat suit while working out on an exercise bicycle. The queen smiled a wicked grin when she saw her daughter.

  “Raven! There’s my little blackbird!” she said cheerfully. “I’ve been waiting forever after! Did you miss me? How do I look?” The Evil Queen raised one arched eyebrow unnaturally high.

  T
rying not to stare at the odd eyebrow, Raven pressed her lips together. These conversations were always a little awkward. “You look great, Mom.”

  “How’s school?” the Evil Queen asked. “Have you been a bad girl?”

  Raven searched her brain for something her mom would like to hear. “I should tell you I cast a horrible spell on my roommate, Apple White.”

  “Now, that’s what I like to hear!” The queen was impressed.

  But then Raven said, “I should… but I didn’t.” She shrugged. This evil stuff just wasn’t in Raven’s nature.

  “Oh, what’s the use in pretending?” her mother said with a sigh. “I know you’ve been using your powers for good, helping others.” She shook her head. “Where did I go wrong?”

  “I’m happy,” Raven said. “People like me, Mom.”

  The queen frowned. “No one ever took over the world by being nice.” She paused her workout and stared through the mirror at Raven. “Harness your evil before it’s too late, young lady.”

  That wasn’t Raven’s style. “Things have changed, Mom. It’s not like back when you went to school here. We can choose our own destiny.”

  The queen snorted. “I know one thing hasn’t changed: It’s better to be feared than forgotten.” She pointed a finger at Raven and asked, “How long have I been stuck in this mirror, and I’m still witch and famous?”

  “It’s true,” Raven reluctantly agreed. “Everybody fears you.”

  “Thank you!” Her mother leaned in to the magic mirror’s frame. “Get me out of here, and I’ll show you the way. We’ll rule side by side. It’ll be a great bonding experience.” She laughed. “Like shopping, only world domination. We’ll take over Ever After High together.”

  Raven took a step back. “Take over the school? Why would I want to hurt my friends? Don’t you get it? I never want to be like you!” She paused and then proclaimed, “I want to choose my own Happily Ever After!”

  The Evil Queen could actually see the anger coursing through her blood.

  Raven balled her fists and reared back, when suddenly Nevermore popped up. She was a little bigger than she’d been when Raven left her outside.

  Oh…

  She closed her eyes as she realized that her mother had very nearly tricked her. Nevermore had stopped her from making a terrible mistake.

  The Evil Queen hissed.

  Nevermore shrank down to puppy size and quickly ran to hide behind a pile of paint cans. She moved so fast the cans tipped, dumping paint everywhere. Raven scooped up the wet and color-coated dragon and cradled her like a baby.

  Turning to the mirror, Raven said, “Nice try, Mom. You want me to break the mirror. You’re not getting out that easily.”

  The crash of the paint cans had alerted Headmaster Grimm, who stormed into the room.

  The queen shrugged. “Can’t blame an evil queen for trying.”

  Grimm cleared his throat. “Visiting hours are over!”

  Raven turned on her heel and walked away without looking back. Nevermore, however, peeked over Raven’s shoulder and growled at the queen.

  She growled back, then threatened, “Oh, I’ll find a way to break this mirror. And then Ever After High will be facing a lot worse than seven years of bad luck.… Count on it.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Raven found her friends by the school lockers. She cradled the pint-sized Nevermore in her arms. The dragon was covered in bright paint, looking very sad.

  “I know exactly how you feel,” Raven said as she set her on the ground. Nevermore snuggled against Raven’s ankle.

  Holly and Poppy O’Hair, the twin daughters of Rapunzel, bounced up to Raven with their usual enthusiasm.

  “Hey, Raven,” Poppy greeted. “How was Visiting Day?” She knelt down to scratch Nevermore’s neck.

  Holly examined the mini-dragon and asked, “What happened to you, girl?”

  Raven shook her head. “Don’t ask.”

  Nevermore lowered her head, and big splotches of paint dripped onto the floor.

  “Someone sure needs a bath!” Poppy said, staring down at the rainbow-colored puddle.

  Just as Raven was starting to tell the twins what had happened in the attic, Blondie and Apple joined the group. “My mom really spooked Nevermore,” Raven told them. “And, well—you can see she wound up with a bit of a messy makeover.”

  With a miserable little sigh, Nevermore dribbled more paint around her feet.

  Raven said, “I tried to magic the paint off, but I just turned it to this—” She waved her hand and Nevermore’s colors glowed brighter.

  “Grooming? Sounds like a job for Holly and Poppy!” Poppy said.

  “The O’Hair twins!” Holly exclaimed. “We can groom Nevermore for you!”

  Raven was appreciative, but Nevermore looked less sure. She grew slightly, from the size of a puppy to that of a small dog, as they led her away for a bath.

  CHAPTER 4

  The Female Narrator said, “There she is—Queen of the Land, the Fairest of Them All, the mother of Apple White.…”

  The Male Narrator added, “The Snow White. She’s also a very powerful royal executive. She employs over seven hundred dwarves!”

  “Wow, she’s a total spellebrity!” Brooke Page announced as a pumpkin stretch limo pulled up in front of a beautiful castle and the chauffeur opened the queen’s door. A dwarf helped Snow White out onto the pavement.

  The Fairest of All Queens sauntered at a royal pace down a red carpet, then up a long white marble staircase into her sparkling castle. As she went, her dwarf business assistants handed her parchments with proclamations written in fancy script for her signature. Several bluebirds hovered around Snow White, chirping compliments in her ears.

  Snow White laughed. In a high-pitched voice, she told the birds, “What a sweet thing to say. Your queen loves you, too!” Then, with precise movements, she turned to one of the dwarves at her side. “How’s the enchanted-cape collection selling?”

  The dwarf held up a foam board covered with sales numbers and a large arrow pointing up.

  “Hexcellent,” Snow said. “My daughter will live comfortably ever after.” She asked another dwarf, “By the way, how is Apple doing in school?”

  The dwarf showed her a different chart. It revealed that Apple had high marks.

  “Straight A’s! Perfect.” She asked another dwarf, “What about socially? How are her ratings?”

  This dwarf pushed up his glasses and raised a Popularity Flowchart. Raven’s arrow was up. Way up. But Apple’s was down. Way down.

  “Apple’s popularity is down?” Snow’s voice dropped octaves to a deep growl that caused the birds to tremble and fly away. “My daughter?” She pointed at the board. “And who is—Raven? This is fairy, fairy bad news!”

  A dwarf anticipated that Snow would want her MirrorPhone. He handed it to her right away.

  Apple White was at her desk doing thronework when her MirrorPhone rang. She peeked at the caller ID: MOM.

  “Once upon a hi, Mom!” Apple answered in a cheery voice.

  Snow White popped up on the chat screen. “Apple, I am fairy concerned about you.” She glanced around the dorm room as best she could from inside the phone. “Is that a sock on the floor? An untidy room leads to an untidy fairytale!”

  Apple quickly stuffed the sock into a laundry hamper. “Um, you called to tell me to clean my room?”

  “No.” She paused, then said, “There’s no easy way to say this, Apple pie, but… your popularity is down thirteen percent!”

  “I can explain!” Apple panicked. “It’s Raven’s fault.” She gave her mom a pouty face, lower lip trembling. “Everyone likes her now that she’s using her powers for good. Mom, it’s terrible!”

  Snow leaned in and filled the screen. “You need to be proactive, my little dove. Remind the world of our fairytale. Perhaps there’s some way you could nudge Raven toward evil?”

  “Raven’s not like that,” Apple insisted. Raven had decided to forge her o
wn destiny and not become evil like her mom. “And I wouldn’t do that.” Apple was resigned to live with the consequences of Raven’s decision.

  Snow chuckled, a low rumble from her throat. “Remember, she’s still her mother’s daughter. And so are you. I named you Apple because that poisoned piece of fruit was the best thing that ever happened to me! It’s how I met your father. And now I’m queen of the entire kingdom. So ask yourself: How badly do you want your Happily Ever After?” She left the question hanging for Apple to consider.

  “Mom, you know how much I heart our family tradition!” Apple said honestly. She gave her mom a “What can I do?” look.

  “Sometimes destiny needs a push, my sweet,” Snow said. “Tell a little White lie if you must. I’ll see what I can do from here to give you a boost.”

  Apple really did want to live Happily Ever After, but she didn’t want to lie to get it. She said, “I’ll think about it, Mom.”

  They hung up.

  Apple was staring at her phone, thinking about her mother’s call, when the door burst open and Raven came into the room they shared. Apple tossed the phone into a drawer as if Raven somehow knew what had just happened. She tried not to look suspicious.

  “Hi, Raven—how was seeing your mom? Are you feeling any eviler?” Apple asked.

  Raven plopped down on her bed. “What? No! Maybe. I don’t know. My mom does make me want to scream sometimes.”

  “That’s good! Maybe scream, and then explode something with dark magic.” Apple made a few suggestions of things Raven could blow up.

  “Hmm.” Raven considered how Apple was acting. Her friend hadn’t nagged her about being evil for a while. “Sounds like I’m not the only princess who got an earful from her mom today. So how is Mrs. White?”

  Apple sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Once a ruler, always a ruler. She’s worried I’m not following in her fairytale footsteps.”