The bus was quiet, in the relative sense.

One would expect a bus to be filled with students, making their way to school. Some would roughhouse with their buddies, throwing each other across seats while the bus driver shouted at them to stop. Some would whisper, trading secrets before the day began. Some would even sit in isolation, play games on their phones to make time fly.

However, only three occupants were inside. So, the bus, in the relative sense, was quiet.

The three boys, varying in age and temperament, were silent as the bus drove on. One slept as the other two watched the scenery fly by. The silence was only broken by the flipping of pages or the blips from a videogame. For anyone that knew them, it would be seen as uncharacteristically quiet. In a relative sense, of course.

Maybe it's time to fix that.

The bus hit a speedbump, causing it to jump wildly, the passengers startled out of their comfortable silence. The sleeping one fell to the floor with a crash and yelp, while the other two scrambled to keep their things from crashing down with him.

"Sorry about that boys," The driver said, looking behind him. The one on the floor was cursing up a storm, but it appeared that the other two were alright all considering.

"It's fine sir!" The boy put the bookmark between the pages, adjusting his beanie. "Our friend here is just fine, just took a little spill."

"What are you talking about Sockhead, I was just launched halfway across the bus!" Sockhead, better known as Double D, could only roll his eyes. "Eddy, would you please stop engaging in hyperbole and just sit down. We've had such a peaceful ride so far, could we please keep it that way?"

"Don't you patronize me, that freaking hurt." Eddy grumbled, moving between his friends. Running his fingers through his hair, he fixed it back into his usual style. "You go the time? How long have we been on this stupid bus anyway?"

"A month." Ed, the tallest of the group, said while clicking away at the buttons. At the stares of his two friends, he laughed he pointed at the console in his hands. "That what is says in my game."

"That does not denote the actual flow of time, Ed. It's only been four hours. Surprisingly long distance for a bus to take." Eddy groaned at Double D's explanation, hitting his head against the leather seat. "Are we even close to being there yet? Hey, buddy!"

The driver turned his head questioningly. "Something wrong, child?" Ignoring the pleas from his friend, Eddy continued. "How much longer are we going to be stuck on this deathtrap? Unless it's in the middle of nowhere, this shouldn't be taking so long."

"Not much longer." The driver turned his attention back to the road. "Just need to go through one more tunnel." Eddy groaned even louder, holding his head in frustration. "Why couldn't we have taken the van. At least I'm comfortable in that."

"He's got a point Double D," Ed said as the game let out a victory noise, letting him look away from the screen. "Probably wouldn't have taken a month to get here."

"I just said that- never mind." Double D pinched the bridge of his nose. "The schools said we had to take the bus here first. They never explained why, but they will bring the van over eventually. Something about being transported there 'properly'."

"And that didn't sound shady to you? Aren't you the smart one here?" Eddy cackled, shoving his friend jokingly. Double D could only roll his eyes. "I suppose that didn't sound right at first, but from I looked up about the schools, everything else appears to be legitimate." A pause. "Though, that was after some serious background research."

"Ugh," Eddy opened up one of the backpacks, rifling through it until he produced a couple of brochures. "By the way, who named these freaking schools? Evelynn Aster? Merston? I seriously don't these guys were anyone important."

"You should see the town names." Ed plucked one of the brochures away from Eddy, waving around the Merston one. "New Salem? That one just sounds awesome." What could only be described as a squee left Ed's mouth, looking extremely excited more than anything.

"You're excited that they named themselves after the town that burned witches? It's not even the same one!" Eddy threw his hands up into the air. "If you want to go to a place called Salem, go the actual one, you loony."

"You're just mad that you have to go to someplace called Bookend." Ed stuck his tongue out, though that only resulted in him getting a light punch to the shoulder. "Of course, I'm mad! How lame does a place have to be named after a book? Seriously, what kind of small-town stuff is that?"

"Eddy, we're from a small town. Besides," Double D made sure to grab both brochures out of his friends' hands before folding them properly and putting them away. "Both towns are practically intertwined, and the schools are not far from one another. So you don't have to worry about being separated, Eddy."

All to quickly and unconvincingly, Eddy rolled his eyes and denied the statement. "I wasn't worried about that. Like anybody could tear us apart." It didn't fool anyone, if Ed's smile and Double D's chuckle was anything to go by. Desperate to move past the conversation, Eddy shouted to the front of the bus once again.

"Hey, are we anywhere close to that tunnel you mentioned earlier? We're dying back here." The bus driver laughed something akin to a cackle, not bothering to look back. "Don't worry, child, we'll be reachin' our destination soon. Just in the matter of three…" He trailed off, looking straight ahead.

Double D tried to look forward by looking through the window. "Looks less like a tunnel. Just a bunch of trees." He narrowed his eyes. "Strange, there shouldn't be a forest around here. Should be flatlands as far as the eye can see."

"Two…" The driver didn't seem to be paying attention to the Ed's, eyes focused on the road intently. If anyone of them had been paying attention, they would have noticed him tense as they kept driving towards the trees. They weren't far now, the road under them in sight.

"Who cares. Ed, what level are you on. I finished that a week ago, so I might be able to help." Ed shrugged, leaning the screen towards Eddy. "Level 15. I think I almost made it."

"Level 15?! That took me weeks to get there, how the heck did you do it in four hours?"

"One." The driver switched gears suddenly, causing the bus to jump and ending all conversations at once. The bus made contact with the dirt road, causing the bus to shift yet again, everything getting dark.

The screen of the game flashed out as Eddy fell on the floor once again. Everything was pitch black as a hum passed through the car, loud enough to reverberate within everyone's bones. The bus began to shake, with the engine pitching a loud whine.

"What the hell is going on?" Eddy yelled, scrambling to get off the floor. Climbing into the seat behind him, he grabbed onto Ed, who instantly grabbed him tightly. Double D, however, could only scramble to make sure everything in his arms stayed together, hugging to them tightly. The lights kept going in and out, slowing flitting more and more until…

Everything went back to normal.

"Sorry about that boys." The driver jovially shouted. "Went through a bit of a rough patch. Shouldn't happen again."

If he had looked behind him, he would have noticed the tangled mess the Ed's were in. The silence right after the fact was soon interrupted by the frantic scrambling to get off of each other. "Sockhead, you see anything outside that could have made that noise?" Eddy asked, whispering as he kept his eyes on the old man.

Double D made sure to look out the window and behind them for confirmation of anything strange, but could only see the forest surrounding them. "Nothing I can think of, Eddy." He couldn't even see the tunnel they supposedly went through, now that he thought of it.

"Aw man!" The two jumped as Ed finally said something, turning towards him. "Dude, what's wrong?" Eddy prepared himself for whatever Ed seemed ready to throw at him, looking intently at his friend.

"Look!" Ed thrusted the game console towards Eddy's face, having gone back to the start screen. "My game didn't save."

Many groans could be heard from the bus that day.

The bus turned around, driving off into the distance as the Ed's stared ahead to the towns below.

There was a very notable contrast to the two, similar to fraternal twins when it comes to similar layout but different structures. Like two architects, in fierce competition, decided to see which town they could build better with similar plans.

One could be called "gothic," mostly because the lack of a better description. The buildings, despite looking modern in infrastructure, looked almost three times older than the boys themselves. Creepy gargoyles on every tall building, shadows encompassing many areas, very few places seemed to have natural light pierce it. It looked almost like a cemetery than a city.

This was New Salem.

In contrast, was Bookend. With wide open spaces, with wooden houses that seemed to be stuck between traditional and modern. Parks with wide open spaces littered the area, with spots of communal gardens lining the area. While New Salem seemed comparatively dead, Bookend was crawling with nature, sunlight, and some strange sense of purity that radiated from it.

"…Well, isn't this like a "Tale of Two Cities."

"Eddy, you never read that book."

"Shut up, Sockhead." Eddy adjusted his backpack, looking over the towns with a critical eye. Why were they built so close together? "So, where are we going first? I'm going to that Evelyn Aster place, right?"

"Correct." A shuffling of papers and Double D was reading over the pamphlet again. "It seems like a wonderful place and it seems like it has a good deal of history behind it, though I was unable to find that much information about it. The same goes for Merston as well, which we should head to right after Evelyn Aster to get you situated there, Ed."

"Awesome, I get New Salem! Score one for Ed." Pumping his fist in the air, the ginger Ed boy celebrated. "Ed, that place is creepy as hell. Why would… oh, wait, of course you wanna live there." Eddy mumbled to himself. A thought occurred a second later.

"Hey," Double D quit looking over the brochures to listen to his short friend. "You never told us what school you're going to. Which one is it?" He could only shrug. "Both, apparently. I'll supposedly be an intermediary and attend classes for both schools."

"Of course, you decide to two schools. Of course, you do." Eddy laughed and dodged Double D's attempt at hitting his arm. "Just messin' with ya' Sockhead. Good for you. Seems a little weird to me, though."

"Maybe so, but this is something that could go on a resume one day. College isn't that far away." Double D starts heading for Bookend, pulling out a map. Evelyn Aster wasn't that far and he was eager to get started. Ed and Eddy followed behind shortly, making sure to take in the sights.

"You make it sound like all of us are going to college." Eddy laughed, though it wasn't as happy this time around. "Eddy, I'm sure we could make it. There are various scholarships we could apply for beforehand." Double D gave him a look before turning back to the map.

"Still doesn't mean we have the cash flow to pay for all of it." A huff escape Eddy's lips, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. Ed looked up from his game once again. "He's got a point Double D. We're broke, right? Besides, me and Eddy aren't smart enough for college."

"Yeah!" A pause could be heard before Eddy piped up again. "Hey, who are you calling stupid, Lumpy?!" Eddy tackled Ed, trying to wrestle him to the ground. He didn't have much luck as Ed, the brick wall he is, only hugged him back with all of his strength. As the shortest Ed boy struggled to breathe, Double D only rolled his eyes at the display.

"Gentlemen, I understand if neither of want to go to college but saying we can't is quitters talk. As said before, scholarships are aplenty if we look for them properly. Let Eddy go now." At the simple command, Eddy was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. He grumbled for a few seconds but got on his feet with nary a word. Looking around himself, he kept making notes of the city after they passed each building.

"Hey," He couldn't help but ask one final question. "Does this place just reek of old money, or is it just me?"

Apple White, the heiress of the most renowned fairy tales in all the lands and the top of her class, was standing outside the headmaster's office, which was admittedly very strange.

While yes, she was a part of many different clubs and has worked closely with the faculty in the past. It wasn't that unusual, but for her, it was particularly strange since she had none of those meetings right about now. It was probably nothing, as she had assured herself on the way here, but there was one factor that was concerning her.

Primarily, it was the shouting going on behind the door that was making her anxious.

"Milton, I swear to you-"

"Swear what? I have done nothing wrong here and we both know-"

"Do not tell me what I know. You promised that-"

"Giles promised this, not me. I promised nothing of the sort-"

It had been like this for several minutes now and Apple was forcing herself not to squeeze her nails into her palms. She really wasn't looking forward into going in there, but she couldn't leave either. She was sure Milton had a direct line to mother at all times and her not being present would be on her radar in minutes.

As much as she didn't want to pry, she really was curious what the two were talking about. She didn't necessarily see who went in there, but she seemed furious with Headmaster Grimm for some reason. She hoped it wasn't anything serious. If it wasn't for the fact it would be seriously rude, she would eavesdrop more.

Too bad she had a reputation to uphold.

Before she could contemplate things further, things began to quiet down in the office, much to her relief. As she began to relax, however, the doors opened with a bang. With a huff and grumbling under her breath, a pale woman exited the office, heels clicking as she turned and walked down the corridor.

If her hair was only a bit longer, Apple would have almost mistaken her for Mother. While it was cut too short, her heart still skipped a beat.

Sighing, Apple finally decided to walk into the office, feeling the tension wash over her in waves. Greeted by the site of her headmaster hunched over the desk, she heisted for a moment to speak.

"Headmaster Grimm? You were expecting me." At the sound of her voice, the headmaster was startled into reality. Fixing his hair and quickly sitting up straight, the faux confidence barely hid the exhaustion. "It's good to see you, Miss White. Sorry for the delay, I was just…" He looked at some of the papers on his desk in disdain. "…In the middle of something. I hope you weren't waiting long."

"Not at all." She had been waiting for fifteen minutes, but it would look bad if she complained. "I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier; I was just getting to know my new roommate."

"Ah, right." Milton blinked. "You and Miss Queen. Is everything going well? I was a bit surprised to hear that you wanted to board with her this year." The he didn't mention their story hung in the air.

"Oh, everything's going well. I'm not sure she liked how I decorated her side of the room, but everything seems fine." Apple fiddled with a loose thread on her dress, trying not to notice the look of disbelief on Headmaster Grimm's face. "I really do think this will give us an opportunity to know each other better. For the sake of our story."

"Hmm." It was a sound of disbelief, but she heard no objections from him. "I suppose if that's all, I don't see a reason to stop you. I actually called you up here for a different reason."

Headmaster Grimm stood up, dusting himself off. Apple tilted her head, curious. "Is there another club that needs opening, Headmaster?"

"Nothing like that, unfortunately." He waved off the question before setting his hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the room. "We're just receiving some… new students today and it looks like they'll need a proper guide. I was hoping as class president you would…?"

"Oh!" Well, that was an easy task for her. She was usually in charge of that anyway, so it wasn't that much of a surprise he would call her here. What wasn't normal about it though was he appeared to be a little apprehensive about this. "Is there something special about this? Usually you aren't this nervous about new students."

He tensed. "My fellow headmaster at the other school decided to try and commit to a new project of hers." He seemed to be gnashing his teeth, if she could guess. "These new students will be a step to having our school and the… other school begin to cooperate with one another. You'll be escorting three, but only two of them will actually attend our academy. One of them full-time, the other is a part-timer."

Now that was interesting. "Oh, that sounds nice to hear." She almost started skipping at the news. "It'll be nice to get over this silly rivalry. Any idea of what they'll be like?" The possibilities seemed endless! What stories would they star in? Do they have stories to be a part in or would they find out while they were here? How would their schedules divide up so they can work together for a better future for the schools?

"I don't actually know. She was quite tight lipped on the situation." Grimm grumbled some insults that she failed to catch. "They are boys and that is simply all I know. I'd be careful, though, I don't know exactly how well they'll behave."

"Not an issue, sir. I'll get right on it." In the hallway now, she began heading for the entrance of the school, humming a soft tune under her breath. The headmaster could only shake his head, pinching the bridge of his nose while exhaling.

"I feel a headache coming on for some reason."

Headmistress Bloodgood made sure to sip her coffee loud enough so the two students in front of her would hear. Looking over them carefully, noticing their nervousness and agitation, she carefully put the cup down, sighing softly.

Seeing Ms. Wolf and Ms. De Nile in her office was just another annoyance for today.

"Now, do I have to be the one to start this conversation? Or will one of you admit to why you're both here for?" She carefully said, twisting the cup in her hands carefully. Her eyes went over both students quite carefully. They didn't budge, however, deciding to make this more difficult then it had to be.

"Alright then." She clapped, causing the two to jump. "Let me start with a few questions then. How did this start exactly?"

Clawdeen Wolf decided to finally speak up. "Cleo wanted us to try the pyramid, even with Toralei having a busted knee. When it fell, she apparently decided it our fault and started yelling at us."

"Only because you and the rest collapsed before you even made the pyramid." Snorted Cleo de Nile, filing down her nails and checking them periodically. "Besides, I never specified who had to go at the top of the pyramid, Toralei could have easily went up there herself."

"She can't really do that if her leg was sprained. Maybe if you listened and let up on practice for once-," Clawdeen would have continued, but the glare Bloodgood shifted to her got her quiet. The smirk on Cleo's face at the action was quick to follow when the headmistress looked her way also.

"I don't care exactly who started it, I wanted to know what led to you two almost destroying the girls locker room." She didn't like being stern, but she was beginning to tire of dealing with their behavior as of late. "This is the third time this week you've publicly fought, and I am beginning to lose patience here, ghouls."

"But-," Cleo started for a second, but was immediately shushed. "I know that you two have some issues to deal with, but that shouldn't come at the expense of the school. I would suggest trying to get along in the near future, otherwise I will start to separate you two in a more permanent fashion. Including fearleading practice." Looking at Cleo once again, she narrowed her eyes. "Believe me, your positions aren't as concrete as you think."

Both girls sighed in defeat, looking to the ground. "Yes, Headmistress Bloodgood." They said in unison. They both shared a fierce glare for a second, but knocked it off immediately to pay attention to the teacher.

Bloodgood sighed. Troublesome as they were, thankfully the damage was only minimal. "As it is, you aren't in too much trouble. However, I will have to punish you to make an example. Ms. De Nile?"

The mummy straightened up into a prim and proper pose. "You will help fix the damages in the girls locker room and straighten things out. Also, you will apologize to your fearleading team as soon as possible. Not everyone bends to your wishes like your servants."

The grimace on Cleo's face was obvious, but she at least didn't complain out loud. She stood up and without as much a goodbye, left the room to finish her chore.

Clawdeen, nervous, awaited her own punishment as Bloodgood looked her way. "As for you, Ms. Wolf, I'm surprised how much your fighting with Ms. De Nile has escalated. Usually you're more levelheaded than this and don't let petty conflicts effect the whole team."

"Yeah, well she made it personal." Clawdeen crossed her arms and huffed. "We've been working our tails off these past few days and she's never satisfied. Somebody ahs to talk some sense into her."

"Hm." Bloodgood didn't appear to be amused. "I'm well aware of your history with her, Ms. Wolf, but that doesn't excuse property damage. Your lucky that it's such a common thing here, otherwise you'd be facing a worse punishment." She didn't particularly enjoy seeing the ears on top of Clawdeen's head wilt under her criticism, but at least the point she was making came across.

"Yeah, yeah." The werewolf only mumbled, tapping her foot impatiently. "You gonna tell me what the verdict is or should I just go help Cleo?"

"No, you two have fought enough for one day." Bloodgood took another sip of her coffee before standing up. "I actually wanted you to show around some new students that will be coming by today."

Clawdeens ears stood up at attention at the news. "Oh, we're getting some new monsters? I thought the school wasn't taking anymore applications until later."

"It's part of a project that I'm currently involved in." The headmistress motioned for her student to stand up. "We're getting two new students today, but a friend of there's will be with them as well. Three boys, so they won't be too much trouble."

"Anything particularly special here or are they just 'normal' students." Clawdeen questioned, pulling out her phone to text her friends. Might as well tell them she'll be busy later.

"Not particularly. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't know how to deal with other monster though, so don't be too surprised if they happen to act…" Bloodgood trailed off at the end, trying to think of the right word. "…Surprised to see everything. I would suggest going in 'human' form to keep things simple."

Clawdeen raised an eyebrow at this, but she didn't think to question it. "Okay. Weird, but I can work with that."

"Good." The relief was palpable on the headmistress's face, which only raised further questions for the werewolf. "That's the first piece of good news I've heard all day. They'll be coming here later today, so you can do whatever you please for now. I'll send a message when you're needed."

Clawdeen gave a quick salute before heading outside her office. Bloodgood sat down, exhausted by the encounter.

"Things seem to be working out for now." Bloodgood muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes. She caught sight of a picture frame caught face down on her desk. She quickly averted her gaze, sighing softly.

"This better work. I didn't put my career on the line for nothing." She said, moving out of her chair and out of her office in search of something to do before insanity decided to hit the school.