Cadien Cheshire's POV

Lazily, Cadien rested on the croon of a tall tree, sitting on a sturdy branch. He laid on the branch's curve, Ever After High in the distance. The Enchanted Forest was the best place in Book End in Cadien's opinion because he always got to spy on the best people! Okay, it wasn't really spying, more like people-watching. Once he saw a couple's proposal—which he ruined since he later accidentally fell out of the tree—and also a bunch of EAH students doing their homework outdoors, which gave him free answers.

Below him, he heard rustles of leaves and peered down. It was Adelaide, holding a book hologram of a map. Hmm... He had never seen that sort of hologram before, it made him curious. Cadien's signature Cheshire grin appeared and he turned invisible, being able to observe silently. He wasn't a stalker, swearsies.

Adelaide came to a halt, closing the map hologram, waiting in place patiently for a few seconds. What's she playing at...? Suddenly, an entire well appeared and materialized. Wait! Cadien recognized that well, it was the Well of Wonders! Mother told him that it was the only remaining portal between the realm of Book End and Wonderland, but it was just a myth. Clearly, it wasn't.

All of a sudden, Adelaide glanced up. "You breathe too loudly, Cadien."

Ugh. Cadien reappeared, annoyed as he jumped down from the tree, landing on his two feet. A cat always landed on their feet. "To be fair, you didn't notice me for five minutes," he said with triumph. Hey, a win was a win in Cadien's books.

He approached the Well of Wonders, seeing the rainbow liquid inside. He tried to reach for the water, but it shrank away! Bah, what did he expect? It was Wonderlandian water, of course it was wacky. "How did you know where the Well of Wonders was? It was just supposed to be a myth," he told Adelaide.

"A gift from my mother." She held up the hologram book before peering inside the well. "You see, the Well of Wonders only stays in one specific place for a few minutes, but this map tracks it." Adelaide dipped her fingers in the well, and this time, it didn't shrink away. Seriously, well water?

Cadien didn't expect anything less seeing as Adelaide was the future Ruler of Wonderland, everything responded to her. From the red streaks in her hair to the heart-shaped beauty mark next to her Cupid Bow lips, she was a carbon copy of her mother. Just as scary too...

He had a rather vivid memory of Adelaide's harshness back in Wonderland. They were around twelve or so, there was a trial held at the Wonderland Courts. Cadien and his mother, notoriously royal pranksters, were in the crowd. The Queen of Hearts had prepared a singular test for Adelaide to hone her skills as future queen. "There are seven men in front of you, six have already been tried and found guilty of heinous crimes and one is innocent. Choose which of the six to execute." Then the Queen glared at AJ, who would be Adelaide's future advisor. "No help is offered, this is your judgment alone."

Cadien whispered to his mother, "How will they know?"

"Some royal nonsense," she replied boredly. "They'll stop her if she chooses the innocent man, everyone knows this, it's been over and over again—"

"Off with their heads." Adelaide's iron-wrought eyes sunk daggers into the eyes of each of the men in front of her. She didn't smile nor flinch, she didn't even blink. She was staring at them, her expression calculating. Cadien leaned a bit closer from the stands, observing her. No, she was wrong.

"My Princess, you haven't stated which of the seven is guilty—"

"Kill all seven of them."

"But—"

"Off with their heads."

It would only be discovered after the mock trial that Adelaide had indeed been right. The innocent man was just as guilty; he had gotten away with murder a few days before the judgement test. All seven men were slaughtered, their heads cut off. And Cadien didn't know it was some royal seventh sense, or reckless intuition that would eventually land Adelaide dead.

"Earth to Cadien?" Adelaide snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, bringing him back to the present day. In her hands was Claudia's diary, leatherbound and containing the most disturbing of things. "You need to stop spying on me."

"I wasn't spying, it's called people-watching."

"No, people-watching is out in the public."

"I'm not stalking you obviously."

"Hm."

"What do you mean hm?"

"You're so ridiculous sometimes." Adelaide flickered through Claudia's journal, snapping the occasional photo. She squinted as she accidentally zoomed in, cursing under her breath. It was rather amusing to see her struggle with modern day technology, but he finally decided to help her.

"You double-tap to zoom out. No, God, that's the filter button—"

"I knew that," she retorted as she put away Claudia's diary, bringing out her own. She sat down on the grassy hill, starting to write some notes mindlessly. When it became apparent that Caiden wasn't budging, she let out an exasperated sigh and allowed him to join. He peered over her shoulder, seeing what she had written.

Nightmares? Connected back to the journal. The Companion. Double-check the dictionary of Old Riddlish. Ask police & Grimm for updates. Thermo.

"So you're set on this, huh?"

"Claudia was my best friend, she was everyone's. If there was foul play involved, I'm getting that justice for her." Adelaide narrowed her eyes and tapped on the Companion part. "The identity of the Companion is unknown, but I think that's how Claudia's death was so cleverly set up. Everyone is convinced that she killed herself because there was no sign of struggle—at least, physically, in the water—I heard from Matilda that the cops had found a thermo.

"And a tox report had come back; there was a kind of date rape found in the thermo. Except, the type of drug found in Claudia's thermo took time to set in, so it still leaves the victim with some form of consciousness in the beginning. There was no sign of sexual assault, so that's obviously not why the date rape drug was taken." Her eyes flickered back to the words thermo and liver spots. "However, the cops only found Claudia's fingerprints on the thermo, which only further proves their theory that Claudia committed suicide, but it also proves my theory could be correct."

Cadien's eyebrows went up. "What are you playing at, Addie?"

"In Claudia's entry, it seemed as if she trusted the Companion a lot. That means, perhaps on the night of her death, she didn't feel threatened when the Companion approached them. Maybe that's why there were only her fingerprints on the thermo," Adelaide theorized, tapping the pen against her cheek. Her brows furrowed, creased in deep thought. "But what are we missing?"

Cadien suddenly stood up, the gears rotating in his head like clockwork. "Let me paint this timeline for you—I know you think my ideas are stupid, but hold on," he said slowly, pacing around. His black-coloured tail swayed behind him. "Claudia meets up with the Companion, but it's cold outside, right? So the Companion wears thick gloves, but the meetup must have been scheduled abruptly if Claudia's hands were bare."

Realization struck Adelaide's face. "Claudia wore nothing but her day clothes. No jacket, not even the extremely chilly weather that evening. But the Companion came prepared; a sign of premeditated murder."

"Exactly. Claudia trusts the Companion, whoever they are, so she drinks willingly from the thermo. No signs of struggle, at least not on land." Cadien took a breather, gathering his facts before saying, "Tension was high that evening, but they talked, you know? The Companion had to wait for the date rape drug to kick in."

Adeladie stood up, horrified by the narrative's ending. "By the time that the drug set in, Claudia wasn't exactly weak, but she was too dazed. Too dazed to defend herself. That meant even the slightest, gentlest push could have sent her toppling off the Forever Bridge..."

"And into the depths of the water," Cadien finished. "Now, it's just the matter of figuring out who the Companion is."

୨ৎ──♤♡♢♧──୨ৎ

TW: Description of past suicide attempt.

Ajax Eliot Ace's POV

AJ plugged in his headphones, curled up on his bed as he pushed Play. Cressida Lockes' voice entered his mind as her honeyed words carried the opening introduction of her podcast; the MirrorCast. "Welcome back, HoneyBears, it's Honey." Her voice was softer, more reserved when she recorded the podcast. "Today, we're here to talk about the recent death, and alleged suicide, of Claudia Hatter. Hatter, aged eighteen and in Ending Year at EAH, was found dead under the Forever Bridge. Tox reports have come back after the autopsy, which revealed that Hatter had consumed a date rape drug—indentfication is still being researched—which led her demise."

AJ hadn't realized the tox reports or autopsy had come back. "Damn, maybe Cressida is good for something once." Though her claims could be faulty, she was one hell of a help when it came to details that Grimm wouldn't provide.

"On the MirrorCast today, we have my guest, Detective Bryony Pois, the current princess from Princess and the Pea. She is the lead investigator of the Hatter case, she will answer all questions," Cressida said as AJ sat up straighter. He had never heard of Detective Pois before.

Because she wasn't a homicide detective; she led teen suicide cases.

"You gotta be kidding me," AJ muttered.

"Hello, good morning, HoneyBears...? Is that what you call your listeners? Thanks to Cressida Lockes for accepting me onto the MirrorCast today. As of now, there's many angles to look at for the Hatter case, but suicide is the top one right now." Detective Pois then cleared her throat as AJ re-adjusted his headphones. "It's still all in the open, but it's clear to see that Claudia Hatter was a mentally ill and quite disturbed individual." AJ felt the anger boil under his skin.

"Wow, really, Detective?"

"Yes, Miss Lockes, we have reason to believe that Miss Hatter's death was pre-planned. Claudia was the next Mad Hatter, it was to be expected. Eventually, it must have been that insanity that caused her to take that leap off the Forever Bridge. She took an unidentified drug that made her sleepy, which is how most teen suicide cases end. A more peaceful and non-violent way to end their life, whether they're pills or a type of narcotic."

"So is this a PSA for teen suicide prevention?"

"Yes, it is, and—"

AJ pulled out his headphones, too frustrated to listen any longer. He didn't know what to think anymore, which only made him more angry. Was Claudia's death an accident or not? He didn't know what facts to look at. That stupid Cressida Lockes, he couldn't help but think. Yet, he couldn't blame her.The facts given by Detective Pois were concrete, their narrative could possibly be correct. Suicide or not, Claudia was mentally ill, her drawings proved so. She was in a bad place emotionally at the time, the storyline given by Bryony Pois fit.

Yet, AJ couldn't shake the fact that something was wrong. It fits too well.

He noticed that there was a Q&A section in the live MirrorCast, so he decided to shoot a question. How can you say Claudia Hatter's death was suicide when there's only little informatin out at the moment? Where's your pile of evidence? Your article is propaganda at best then. There, that's how AJ would get them.

Cressida's voice appeared again once AJ put back on the headphones. "Oh, look, we've got a question. Huh... How can I say that in my latest article? Because I know how it feels to be in Claudia's position." Suddenly, AJ's heart started to sink. Now, he understood the reasoning behind Honey's article.

She experienced it all.

"Two years ago, I was at my lowest because I thought my dreams were nothing. No one wanted the student's shitty journalism, it kept rotting into the back of my skull. I tried to commit suicide, using the same method that Claudia did. Non-violent drugs that would induce my sleep, then I'd never wake up.

"But then my mother, Goldilocks, found me. I survived and never tried again, but the things I thought of when I was slowly planning to die." There was a soft, humourless chuckle. "But I'm glad I didn't die that fateful night two years ago, I'm glad that I got to live another day. Because I'm at the peak of my journalism career when I used to think I'd never make it." AJ closed his eyes shut as Cressida spoke the ending words of her MirrorCast.

"Remember; even if you're living, dying, or planning to, you are everything but powerless."

Powerless.

୨ৎ──♤♡♢♧──୨ৎ

Carmelo Spades' POV

"We're going down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories," Jace, his boyfriend, told Carmelo. He looked through the printed copies of Claudia's tox report and autopsies. He laughed and kissed him on the cheek lightly.

Tilly gave them an odd look. "Uh, ew."

"Sorry, Miss Aroace, we'll cut down on the PDA." They had started dating a few months ago, and Carmelo enjoyed every second of it. Of course, they were both blindly oblivious until one day, Claudia sat them both down for a tea party. Did I mention that Carmelo's in love with you, Jacey? Claudia asked so nonchalantly that they both choked on their teacups. Oh, by the way, pass the teapot. Maybe that's why they both were invested in Claudia's murder—she brought them together, they owed her that.

"Thank you," she mumbled, raking her fingers through her frizzy curls. Carmelo was rather concerned, it looked as if Tilly hadn't been sleeping very well during the past few days. Though, he suspected none of them had. I should cook Tilly a nice batch of casserole, he thought. When in doubt, bake a homemade casserole. Cooking was his love language.

Tilly was scrolling on her laptop, going deeper into each Ribbit page possible online. "Okay, you need a break from the internet, Teacups," Carmelo decided, shutting down the laptop. She gave him an annoyed look as he hauled Tilly to her feet. "Grab your coats, let's go outside in the school garden for a walk."

Five minutes later, they were outside in the Courtyard for a walk. Carmelo exhaled cold vapour, hooking his pinkie around Jace's. He watched Tilly walk ahead of them, feeling a twang of mercy. He felt bad for her, she was now stuck with a legacy that she never expected, not to mention she also had to grieve and investigate Claudia's death simultaneously.

Eventually, they soon ended up at Forever Bridge. Carmelo shifted uncomfortably as he watched Matilda approach the railing, staring out at the water. She's not going to fall, he convinced himself. Stop, you're being paranoid. "Do you think she knew?" Tilly's voice was distant.

"No one could have known," Jace said softly.

"But Claudia knew, she drew her own death in her notebook. God, that wretched notebook." Tilly's voice caught in her throat as she gulped. "She dreamed of it, I bet. But if she predicted her own day... Why didn't she do anything? Why didn't she save herself?"

I'm not taking any chances, Carmelo thought as he grabbed Matilda's arms, trying to get her away from the Forever Bridge. But she wouldn't budge, glued in place and her fingers locked around the bridge railing. "I want my sister," she croaked. "There, I said it, okay? I want Claudia back."

"Tilly, we all do," Carmelo said comfortingly, trying to coax her. "But we can't change every ending to each story. We just need to flip to the next page and hope it's a new chapter." Gently, he managed to pry her away from the bridge, averting another potential crisis. He sighed in relief as Jace gasped.

"That's it," he said, realization daunting on his face. "The nightmares and episodes of madness that Adelaide described Claudia having. I remember back in Freedom Year that there was a girl, an oracle, who claimed she could do similar things."

"Which girl?"

"Erzulie 'Zulie' Facilier, daughter of Doctor Facilier, graduated a year ago. She's into voodoo and practicing prophecies," Jace explained urgently. "I remember now, Zulie and Claudia used to be Chemythstry partners, I bet they still talked from time to time."

Tilly's eyes grew wide. "Get everyone together, we need to pay a visit to Zulie."