C.A. Cupid/Diary

## Cross My Heart

I'm not a fairytale. I'm a myth. It's my purpose to help people find love. So why do I go to Ever After High, where love stories are prewritten? Like my wise Aunt Athena always says, "*With patience, unclear answers eventually reveal themselves.*"

Everyone at Ever After High has a famous story to follow, or a "destiny". Some stories end with everything going right—marry the prince, live in a castle and live "Happily Ever After". Then you have the other people... those who get the short end of the chapter. And that's the way it always was. You either had a Happily Ever After or you didn't. That is until Raven Queen questioned everything. She didn't want to follow in the footsteps of the Evil Queen. You'd think everyone with "Happily Ever Afters" would understand that, but it was quite the opposite. For the first time ever after, everyone asked, "*Do I follow my destiny or my true heart's desire?*"

So that's where I come in. Who better than Cupid to help people find their fairytale ending, right? What does it matter that I don't have one of my own? Don't get me wrong, I love helping others find love, but why can't I follow my heart? Can't I write my own "Once Upon a Time"?

## Chapter 1

It was Spring Break and I was back home at Mount Olympus. My father summoned me to his chambers. For the ~~un~~life of me, I couldn't figure out why. I aced my Biteology midterm, and my "love advice" show was ~~spooktacularly~~ spelltacularly popular! So imagine my surprise when he told me, "*You're transferring to a new school, where great change is about to come. They will need your guidance.*"

My heart stood still. I didn't want to leave my best ghoulfriends for someplace in the middle of an identity crisis. Dad couldn't even tell me where I was going. This was beyond clawful. It was a total fairy-fail!

Once I got back to school, I told my friends. They were sad I was leaving, but excited for me. After a surprise "Scarewell" party, I helped put the party decorations back in the school attic. Just as I was about to leave, I saw, in the distance, an oversized hat softly glowing. An alarm **GONGED** and the top of the hat flipped open, revealing a steaming cup of tea. I remember thinking, that's the maddest hat I've ever seen.

Next to the hat was an apple in a glass case. It looked dangerously delicious. When I stepped towards it the room grew wicked cold. It felt like someone was watching me. I spun around, and saw... myself. Well, just my reflection in a creepy mirror, but I swear my reflection hissed.

As I turned to run away, I tripped over a pile of books. One book was open to a picture of the most **GORGEOUS** fairytale prince I'd ever seen! It wasn't his perfectly heroic pose or his spellbinding smile... it was his eyes. Those enchanting eyes warmed my heart, and I instantly knew it was love at first sight. The title read, *The Charming Family Album*.

## Chapter 2

Father finally told me about my new school—Ever After High. Over the next couple of months, I studied their culture through father's looking glass. While I was going to miss my friends, this new school looked so fablelous!

They have these hexcellent classes where spellbinding princesses learn alongside wicked awesome sorceresses. One of the princesses can actually talk to animals! Then there's this other girl who can pull literally anything out of her hat, from a teacup to a unicorn.

My thoughts drifted to the prince in The Charming Family Album, when suddenly there he was! There was no mistaking those eyes... which, for some reason, he hid behind a pair of glasses.

Was this my Once Upon a Time? I know technically I'm not a fairytale, but I could be, right? After all, I was left on my father's front step, and not even he knows by whom. Maybe there was a different reason I was needed at this school. Maybe I'm actually from this place. It couldn't be coincidence, right? Could it be... destiny?

## Chapter 3

After summer, I was royally ready to start at my new school. I couldn't wait! This year would have a very special Legacy Day, where students would pledge to follow their destiny. It was gonna be a page-ripper! There was only one problem—"*It's not yet time for you to go,*" dad insisted.

Through the looking glass, I watched Orientation. The daughter of
 the Evil Queen learned she could call destiny into question. This has to be the moment! "*Not yet,*" dad stood firm.

Days passed into weeks, until one morning, dad came running with my already-packed suitcase, frantically shouting "*It's time! Legacy Day rehearsal... choice... destiny... they need you now!*"

Confused, I took a deep breath and stepped through the looking glass. The world became awash with color. I spread my new fairytale wings, and flew down to the school I would call 'home'.

## Chapter 4

"*Welcome to Ever After High, Ms. Cupid,*" Headmaster Grimm's teeth grinded as he grinned.

"*People just call me Cupid,*" I nervously laughed.

"*Ms. Cupid,*" he continued, "*These are unusual times. Our school is facing chaos never before seen.*" He raised a stern finger, "*Choice is dangerous to destiny. You must help guide the students back to order. Do you understand?*"

I didn't. What was so bad about choice? The heart doesn't follow a prewritten script. Not wanting to make a bad impression, though, I agreed, "*Yes, sir.*"

"*Spellbinding, as you kids say!*" The headmaster bellowed a hearty laugh. "*Now, our most prestigious student will show you around. Ms. White?*"

I'll never forget the first time I met Apple White. Her golden
hair brightened the room, her apple-red dress magically shined, and birds sang to her laughter. She is, no doubt, the most fabulous one of all, "*You must be Cupid!*" She hugged me as if we'd been friends forever after. Instantly, I felt like I belonged.

Apple introduced me to everyone... even her roommate (and future villain in her story), Raven Queen. Lastly, I met Daring Charming, who everyone assumed would be Apple's Prince Charming. "*We're not dating though,*" Apple oddly insisted. "*I'm way too busy running the Royal Student Council, running the Charming Charity Club, running the—oh, hey, Dexter!*"

I couldn't breathe. It was him... the boy from The Charming Family Album. As he cleaned his glasses, I fell into his eyes—blue as Poseidon's sea, bright as Apollo's sun, and big as Mount Olympus itself. My wings absentmindedly flapped. As I lifted off the ground, Dexter shouted, "*Um... nice to meet you?*" For some reason, I forgot how to talk.

## Chapter 5

For weeks leading up to Legacy Day, Apple needed advice, "*How do I help Raven? If she doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends, she'll disappear! **POOF!***"

Raven had other concerns, "*Will people hate me if I don't declare my destiny? I don't want to ruin everyone's Happily Ever After.*"

So what do you do when everyone is looking for advice? Start a
MirrorCast advice show! Unfortunately, no answers came easily. Apple and the Royals were dedicated to their destinies, while Raven and the Rebels wanted to be free to write their own stories. Then, on Legacy Day, Raven made her decision, and it changed everything. In front of the entire school, she declared to write her own destiny. But she didn't go **POOF!**

To make things even more complicated, my heart had other things on its mind—Dexter, who needed my help, "*If I, you know, liked someone who I wasn't exactly destined to be with, what should I do?*"

Was he talking about me? Everyone here was so used to following their destinies, they didn't know how to choose. "*I wish there was a way everyone could just follow their heart,*" I wondered aloud.

"*Like True Heart's Day?*" Dexter cutely blurted, "*My dad told us about it. It's a holiday when you tell people how you really feel. There must be a book about it somewhere.*"

"*Dexter, that's perfect! If we can find that book, maybe everyone will open their hearts!*"
 I wanted to give him a hug, but instead he gave me a high-five. Yup... Dexter, the prince of my dreams, saw me as just a friend. Curse me! Can't a Cupid catch a break?

## Chapter 6

How could I let Dexter know I liked him as more than just a friend? One day I wore perfume Aunt Aphrodite gave me, but the smell of honey and flowers only attracted bees. Then I tried joining Dexter's Tech Club, but ended up short-circuiting the school's MirrorNet. ~~I even considered using one of my Cupid arrows.~~ No matter what I tried, he never got the hint. Maybe I was destined to be just his friend. I could still admire him from a distance though, right?

I was taking pictures for my muse blog as Dexter's Grimmnastics class played an exciting game of basket-ball. When Dexter made the game-winning shot, I felt a tap on my shoulder, "*Can we talk?*" It was Raven. She sat next to me, "*I'm worried about you, Cupid.*"

"*What do you mean?*" I asked as Dexter high-fived Hunter and waved to me.

"*The perfume, the Tech Club, the pictures of the boys Grimmnastics class,*" Raven waved at Daring, "*You haven't been acting like yourself lately.*"

I sighed, "*I guess I haven't. I... I have a crush on someone, but he doesn't look at me like that.*"

Raven hugged me, "*You know, a very smart person once told me, 'Follow your heart and everything else will fall into place'.*"

"*That's good advice,*" I laughed.

"*I know. It's what you told me before Legacy Day.*" As Raven walked away, I couldn't help but reflect. I needed to find the courage to follow my true heart. After all, even myths deserve a fairytale ending.