A page away, Daring Charming lead Apple, Maddie, and Briar into the school grounds of Ever After High. Cedar Wood stayed two steps behind them, bringing up the rear. It was just as well, the walk to their school had been spent in great breaths of awkward silence. A fog was thickly spreading it's way through the air, making the thick, obvious kind of silence even more obvious. Sometimes Maddie would chime in with a chipper non-sequitur to ease the growing tension in the group but even her colorful personality had been sobered by their morbid quest.

Still, the chipper girl was not to be deterred by her friends' frowny faces, or she wouldn't if she could even see their faces in this weather. If they were going to be grumpy, well that didn't mean Maddie had to be too! The teacup-shaped heels of her shoes clicked merrily on the rain-slick street, making a pleasant beat amidst the silence. Absentmindedly, Maddie began to hum a cheery melody in time to her footsteps. It was a song she and her father used to sing every second tuesday, at tea time (the second tea time of the day, of course). While it made her a touch nostalgic, it was a warm kind of nostalgia that made the dreariest of situations not seem as bad.

After repeating the melody several times, she heard a deeper baritone join her, humming the tune an octave lower. Out of the corner of her eye Maddie saw Daring nodding his head to the beat of her footsteps, humming in time with her. He caught her looking at him and gave her a wink before quickly turning his gaze back to the road ahead of them. Soon, more of her friends joined in the song; Briars deeper, honeyed voice joined her in the melody, while the more modulated Apple hummed an impromptu harmony in her polished soprano. Maddie could even hear Cedars flat, croaky notes every now and then.

Their footsteps had created a steady beat, marching in tandem all the way to the manicured lawns of Ever After High. The fog that hung over the land grew thinner around the school, and Maddie could finally see her friends. Her smile was stretched into a grin that would make a Cheshire proud, and her friends' smiles weren't half bad either.

They finished the final round of the song as the group reached the large marble staircase in front of the school, everyone seeming to be in higher spirits. Even Briar, who's mouth had been pinched into a frown ever since they'd met in the Habberdashery, soften slightly and was sharing a glance with Apple. The cheer they shared lingered until they reached the Headmaster's office.

Daring, the self appointed leader strode towards the large oaken doors and attempted to open them, but they didn't budge. He shot an anxious look behind him, and was met with a sea of uneasy expressions. Daring tried the handle again. "Headmaster? We come with urgent news!"

Maddie flounced to the doors, pressing her ear against the hard, shiny wood. From inside she could hear a frantic rustling of papers, as if someone was crunching them quite violently in an effort to clear them off a desk. She could also hear thudding footsteps, and a sharp yelp that was muffled by the wooden barrier between them. Maddie spoke into cupped hands in a sing-song tone, "Yoo-hoo, Headmaster Grimm! Are you playing hide and go seek in there all by your lonesome? You can't play that without some friends!"

"Go away! Go away, no questions please, I am very busy," came a voice from the other side. Daring tried the handle again, but it didn't budge.

"Okay, I'm gonna say it. It'd be really nice to have Blondie with us right now," Briar said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot in agitation. Or was it worry? Maybe her head was just a little wobbly, but Maddie could've sworn she'd seen Briar's hands trembling. Next to her, Apple sighed the daintiest little sigh imaginable, and kneeled down on the floor. She tucked a platinum blonde curl behind her ear.

"I really wish I didn't have to do this," Apple said, but shrugged in resignation. She took another deep breath, and then sung out. The sweet, simple melody filled the room, and fell down the stairs, calling the critters of the school to her. In a matter of seconds, the vocals were accompanied by the skittering taps of tiny paws. Half a dozen mice scampered up the tall staircase and arranged themselves at Apple's feet, standing on their hind legs and looking up at her with beady black eyes. Apple clapped her hands together happily, and beamed at the mice. She then laid her palm down on the stone floor and let the smallest of the mice climb into her hand.

"Hello, there! Thank you for coming. My friends and I are in a bit of a jam. Do you think you could be a dear and help us unlock that big door over there? It's very important," She spoke to the mouse as if it was just a secret between the two of them.

The mouse looked hesitant for a moment, and looked down at it's friends for confirmation. They seemed just as confused. The daughter of Snow White, asking them to break into the headmaster's office? Normally, Apple White was a goodie-two-slippers.

"I promise it's for a very good reason," Apple said earnestly. She fluttered her eyelashes, and smiled a wide, sweet smile. After a moment's pause, the mouse nodded and squeaked in confirmation.

"Oh, thank you!" Apple cried happily, placing a soft peck on her companion's tiny head. She eased it down to the floor and it quickly headed for Headmaster Grimm's locked door. The rest of the mice followed it, one after another, and they each slid through the one-inch gap above the floor with relative ease. There were some scratching noises, scuttling, and a few agitated squeaks, but several seconds later the large oak door unlocked with a click, and was pushed open by a team of six spotted mice.

Apple knelt down again, personally thanking each mouse for the favor. When she stood up, she was met with raised eyebrows and shocked expressions. "What?" she said, "I thought I could channel some of my inner-Blondie."

"I don't mean to stare," said Cedar, "But, I never really thought of you as a girl who picks locks and has animal minions. Then again, I guess you can get anything you want if you just bat your eyes for it."

Apple chewed her lip, knowing the words sounded harsher than they intended to be, "Yeah, I guess so…"

They peeked around the door into Grimm's office. The room was a mess. Papers were scattered everywhere, and the books had been knocked from the shelves, lying face down on the floor. A pair of scissors hovered in the air, magically cutting several documents to bits. And huddled in the chair, with his knees pulled up to his chest, was Headmaster Milton Grimm himself. Sweat was dripping from his brow, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Maddie could see the corner of a blanket tucked under his desk. Was he sleeping in here?

"How did you get in here? Get out! I already told you I'm terribly…" The man looked up to see five of his wide-eyed students staring down at him, concern etched into their features. Maddie noticed that his chin was looking a little stubblier than usual. He ran a hand through his graying hair, composing himself.

"...Terribly sorry you have to see me in this state. What do you kids want? ...And wasn't that door locked?"

Daring and Maddie both strode up to the desk at the same time, and the Headmaster had no time to prepare for the flood of words that followed. With Maddie spouting off riddlish every other sentence, and Daring's over-dramatic prose, there was no making sense of anything they were saying. The only word that stood out among them was 'Blondie'.

The Headmaster sighed, "Ah, this is about Ms. Lockes. Yes, I'm quite aware. I've had reporters climbing through the windows trying to talk to me about it. My phone is ringing off the hook, and I haven't had a decent night's sleep in over a week! I'm doing everything I can to handle this mess."

Maddie shook her head, her multicolored curls whipping around her face. "No sir, no excuses! Then hen that sits on rotten eggs, hatch spoiled chicks and crooked legs. There are bigger things afoot!"

Cedar walked up to the desk, knees creaking. "Ever since Blondie was… um, eaten… No one's been feeling safe. Everyone's worried about their destinies, and whether or not something bad will happen! I know that I'm terrified, at least. We need to know what's going on!"

Milton Grimm sighed, shaking his head. "I appreciate you all coming, but I have more pressing matters to attend to. With this recent tragedy and the Legacy Day disaster hanging over our heads, there's no time to get to the bottom of this, my job is to clean up the aftermath."

"But you'll do something if we find anything suspicious, won't you? If we have real, hard evidence will you at least speak to the students about this? It could help put them at ease." Apple said, her voice laced with concern.

The Headmaster waved his hand "Yes, yes of course I'll get right on that after I finish with everything here. Now, off with you. And shut the door on your way out! If another reporter slips their way in here I'll tear my own hair out."

The quintet left the office, none of them feeling triumphant. Their shoulders slumped, and their eyes were cast downwards. Maddie could see her friends wanted so badly to be helpful. She truly loved that about them, how they all rushed to help whenever they felt the school was in danger. The least she could do was cheer them up when they were less-than-chipper. Squaring her shoulders to raise herself up to her maximum height of five feet and two inches, she pushed a grin onto her face. "Don't look so glum, chums! He's not the only person who can help us. We came here to talk to Giles, remember? Not his brother!"

Daring perked up at her works. "Excellent point, Maddie! I'm positive that Giles will give us the information we need The Headmaster was only the icing on the cake."

"Exactly," Maddie chirped, "You don't need icing to have a cake!"

There was a beat of silence before Cedar shrugged and said "Well, she's not wrong."

"Come on, you guys!" Maddie exclaimed, taking the lead as she headed down to the lower levels of the school. The others followed behind her, and though spirits weren't high, their heads were. The five young fairytales were determined to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.