Part 5 (1/2)
Grandma smiled, revealing toothless gums. aI love good compet.i.tion. I tell ya, I donat care if a Hood or a Wolf wins, so long as the game is fierce and dirty.a A Hood or a Wolf, Raven thought. They wonat let Cerise win as a Hood. Even if she crosses the finish vine first, theyall claim her win unfair because she has Wolf blood.a Raven hexted Cerise without looking, not even a glance at her hand. Jack would have been impressed.
RAVEN: need to win both ways. s.n.a.t.c.h the most baskets & reach finish first. because ur both wolf & hood.
Cerise didnat hext back. Probably because she was vaulting over a woman to escape a pursuing Wolf. But she raised her arm, as if waving to Raven, entered the forest at the side of the patha And disappeared. Raven smiled. That cloak of Ceriseas gave her the ability to slide between shadows. Hexcellent. At least the Wolfs couldnat spot her when she was in the forest.
And Hoods never entered the forest. After all, there were Wolfs in there. And now Cerise was one of them.
Then suddenly Cerise left the woods and streaked across the path. She leaped onto a Hoodas shoulders, knocking him to his knees, ripped the basket from his arm, and fled again.
This happened several more times: Ceriseas darting from the shadows of the forest, tackling a Hood, taking the basket, and escaping back into the shadows.
But the seventh time, someone followed her.
RAVEN: wolf on ur tail!
Immediately, Cerise turned back, vaulting over the head of Horribus Wolf. She was struggling to keep hold of ten baskets.
On the path, a Wolf s.n.a.t.c.hed the last basket from the last remaining Hood. Cerise was dodging in and out of the forest, pursued by Horribus. The rest of the Wolfs surged down the path toward the finish vine. Raven quickly counted baskets.
RAVEN: u have the most bskts
RAVEN: run run run Cerise left the forest and ran, a streak of red hood. The Wolfs howled and chased her. Horribus threw himself forward, reaching for her cape.
RAVEN: jump
Cerise jumped, launching herself forward, and Horribus narrowly missed. She was ahead of the pack, the howls and nips and growls on her heels. Raven had never seen anyone run so fast. Cerise should seriously go out for Track and s.h.i.+eld.
Horribus howled. A pack of wolves pounced. And Cerise ran just a little faster. She broke the finish vine in two, her arms full and rattling with baskets.
aIam the first Hood to break the vine,a she said, breathing heavily. aAnd Iam the Wolf with the most baskets. I decide my own fate.a Cranky Wolf and Brother Hood started to protest, but Grandma raised her hand.
aHave any of you ever seen a Basket Run as hexciting as that? Ever?a The vanquished Hoods and beaten Wolfs shook their heads.
Grandma laughed and slapped her knee. aBy my spectacles, that was something else, girl! You showed us what youare made of, sure enough. Baskets of scones, you sure showed us.a Red Riding Hood stumbled forward, her clothes dusty with dirt. She put out her arms and embraced Cerise.
aWhatas going on here?a a low voice bellowed.
Mr. Badwolf, Ravenas General Villainy teacher, came running down the path. He stopped short. aCerise! Your hood!a He indicated her exposed head, and she shrugged.
aItas okay, Dad,a she said.
Mr. Badwolf looked around, but no one was surprised to hear her call him Dad. Beneath his long hair and heavy beard, his eyes widened, his mouth opened.
aYou meanaa aThey know. We held a Basket Run trial. And I won. I will not be banished.a aI demand a recount!a Horribus Wolf growled.
Raven had followed Grandma down the watchtower ladder and heard her whisper now to Red, aYou should go, before things turn ugly. Iall try to soothe the snarls.a While the Hoods and the Wolfs held a basket recount, Raven and Ceriseas family hurried away. They settled in the still-dark house behind the closed curtains. Red brought out mini pecan pies. For a time no one spoke. And then Mr. Badwolf asked, aYou beat them all?a Cerise nodded.
aTen baskets,a said Red. aAnd she broke the vine.a Mr. Badwolf smiled, sharp teeth peeking out. And then he laughed. He laughed so hard he howled, and Cerise joined in.
Mr. Badwolf told Raven about how, when Cerise was a baby, they had to wrap all the chair legs with rubber to keep her from gnawing on the wood. Cerise told them how tired she was of pulling back at schoola”running slower, throwing shorter, trying to hide her wolf-enhanced abilities. Red tucked a lock of white-streaked black hair behind Ceriseas wolf ear and smiled as if she was just as full of love as the pies were full of pecans.
And Raven was both happy and sad. Happy for Cerise and her family. And yet missing now more than ever a mother who could with a smile say how much she loved her. And a family that could sit around a table eating pie and feel content just being together.
Raven had never known that kind of a mother, that kind of a family. Still, she missed the one she had.
She pulled out her MirrorPhone and snapped a picture of Cerise with her dad and mom. Maybe the Hoods and the Wolfs would get used to the idea, and this family photo could be framed and hung on their wall for anyone to see. Maybe someday soon.
aI donat want to hide anymore,a said Cerise. aI finally feel free.a Red looked at Mr. Badwolf, who shook his s.h.a.ggy head.
aDad, please,a said Cerise.
aIf Headmaster Grimm found out, things could get a lot worse,a said Mr. Badwolf. aI could lose my job for going off script, but even worse, your mother and I could be banished along with you.a Cerise hung her head.
The alarm on Ravenas MirrorPhone beeped.
aWe have to be back at school in fifteen minutes! And I havenat visited the Candy Witch yet. Thanks, Mrs. Hood, Mr. Badwolf, but Iave gotta go!a She darted out the back door.
aRaven!a Cerise chased her. And caught up easily because, well, she was Cerise. aRaven, you are so awesome. Thanks for helping me stay hidden.aa She put her hood up. aFor now.a aButaa”Raven gestured to the villagea”awonat the news get out?a aHopefully not soon, not till my dad is ready,a Cerise said. aHood Hollowers never talk to aoutsiders,a and most of them donat have MirrorPhones, since they donat trust all this anewfangled magic.a So weave got time.a aIf anyone hears, it wonat be from me,a said Raven. aYour secret is safe.a aIt better be,a Cerise said with a smile, aor I will huff and puff and, I donat know, blow your house in. Or something.a aCan you do that?a Raven asked, impressed.
Cerise shrugged. aProbably. Huffing and puffing is in my DNA.a Cerise hesitated, then lurched forward, gave Raven a stiff hug, and fled back into the house.
Raven called after her. aEverything will be okay!a She wasnat sure that was true, thinking of food fights and Headmaster Grimm and Wolfs tackling Hoods. But she hoped it was true. If things could start to turn around in Hood Hollow, maybe change was possible at Ever After High, too. And if this family could be fixed, maybe her own could be, too. Raven shook her head, not willing to think about things that might just make her sad.
She started the travel app, jumped into the well, and popped back out in a remote part of the Dark Forest, which bore as much resemblance to the Enchanted Forest near the school as Baba Yaga did to Cinderella. Here, the trees were so tall they blocked out all sunlight, the needles on the evergreens a dim grayish green. Raven ducked as she walked to avoid the clutches of tentacle vines. A skinny squirrel scurried past, pausing just to hiss at her.
Beyond the wis.h.i.+ng well waited an edible house. Clear sugar-pane windows, gingerbread walls, a taffy roof slowly stretching down, the eaves and windows outlined with colorful candy drops and striped mints. A few bites were missing around the edges, and rain had left pockmarks on the snickerdoodle roof tiles. A spider had spun a large, sticky web in the crook of a candy cane.
aCompany!a An old woman threw open the graham cracker door. She wore a floppy black bakeras hat over her green hair, but her dress was powder pink and tied in back with a huge bow. The witch seemed to notice Ravenas gaze, and she smoothed her skirt.
aI thought this outfit might be less intimidating for company than a witchy wardrobe. I donat get a lot of visitors. I canat imagine why. Come in, precious, come in!a Raven knew the witchas daughter, Ginger, from school, and she was spella nice, not to mention a wicked good baker. Gingeras mother couldnat be as creepy as the story made her out to be.
aIam sorry I canat stay long,a said Raven, following her to the door. aDo you mind if I jump right in with a question? Iave always been curiousa”how did you escape the oven after Gretel pushed you in?a aKeep a rear exit on your oven, Miss Queen,a said the Candy Witch. aThatas my advice to fellow villains.a Raven frowned. Didnat that count as going off script? Hansel and Gretelas witch was supposed to die in the story. Perhaps variations on the story were okay so long as they happened off the page. Then again, Red and Badwolfas marriage had been off the page.
aAlso, work on your cackle,a said the witch. aA good cackle and a good oven escape hatch will pay you back in spades.a She cackled long and loud, then stopped suddenly, c.o.c.ked her head, and asked, aWould you say youad serve up better roasted with onions or simmered in a nice cream sauce?a Raven gulped.