Cerise Hood was running late. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, Cerise was a generally good student who did well in almost all of her classes, but it was the first day of second semester and the class that she was late to was General Villainy. The teacher of General Villainy, Professor Badwolf, would have her head-literally.

Professor Badwolf was a strict and unusually scary teacher, and that was saying something. In a school with evil stepsisters as librarians and crazy witches as counsellors, it could easily be said that the big bad wolf was the most terrifying staff member. Any and every student avoided him, except Cerise that was.

No one ever saw Cerise Hood visit Professor Badwolf's office, after all, why would she? She shouldn't've even been taking General Villainy, but Raven had asked her too. Raven was the only one who knew Cerise's secret, and she liked to keep it that way.

Unfortunately, however, running in the forest during your break period had its consequences, such as walking in to class two minutes late.

Cerise entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her, hoping to go unnoticed by the rest of the class. It didn't work. "So nice of you to join us, Cerise," Professor Badwolf roared, quite literally. He took out a detention slip and signed Cerise's name on it. "Tardiness will not be accepted in my class," he said and handed the slip to Cerise.

"Yes, sir," Cerise mumbled meekly, looking down out the slip in front of her. Her first day back after break and she had already received a detention from her father.

Not that this was anything new. Professor Badwolf handed out detentions on a regular basis to students who were tardy, or said something out of line, or spoke a little too loudly. Cerise stuck the detention in the bag and glanced around for Raven. She was sitting in the third row right next to Ginger Breadhouse. There wasn't a seat available anywhere near her. Raven shot her an apologetic look.

"Miss Hood," Professor Badwolf's voice cut through her thoughts. "Do you want another detention?"

"No sir," Cerise muttered and took one of the two empty seats that sat in the back of the classroom, underneath the leaky pipe that always dripped on the heads of the two unfortunate souls underneath it, or in this case just Cerise.

Cerise pulled her hood further over her face and took out her notes. She quickly began to copy the notes on the board, along with the rest of the class.

Prince Daring Charming, the future king of the land, hero of legend, and future kisser of Snow White, was having a very bad day.

It had all started when he had been woken up at an unseemly hour by a call from Baba Yaga's office, a sign which was never good. There, she had told him that he had to many Heroic credits and he needed to take something that would show that he had a broader pallet of interests. It was bad enough that she was taking him from one of his favorite classes, it was even worse that the class she had suggested(more like ordered) that he take was General Villainy.

He had told Baba Yaga that he was a Charming, a good guy, and didn't need to take General Villainy. She had laughed in his face and assigned him to Professor Badwolf's class anyways. Daring had stormed to Headmaster Grimm's office to tell him the terrible news, only to find that he was the one who had suggested it. One needed to know how one's enemies work, he had explained, and Daring had found his logic to be sound.

Alas, arguing with the headmaster had taken longer than Daring had expected, which was why he arrived to General Villainy three minutes late.

Daring put on his signature Daring Charming smile and strolled in to class, only to stop short in his tracks at the sound of Professor Badwolf's voice. "Is there something I can help you with, Charming?" the professor snarled.

"Ummm," the prince's cool demeanor crumpled just for a second, "I have been moved to this class."

There was a general gasp from the class, but Badwolf just rolled his eyes. He reached for something on his desk and scribbled something across it. "You're late. Do not keep this habit up or you will find your Saturday nights full." Professor Badwolf tore off a slip of paper and handed it to Daring.

Daring looked down at the paper, staring at it in astonishment. It was a detention. Never before in his life had Daring Charming received a detention. "Sir I think that you-"

"Take a seat!" Badwolf growled.

Daring swallowed and took the only available seat, located in the back of the classroom next to a girl in a red hood. Daring leaned back in his chair and sighed. He may have been the only Royal in the room, but at least he wasn't the only hero. The girl sitting next to him was the hero of her story.

He didn't really know Cerise Hood. Too be honest, he didn't really care to. The only thing that he really knew about her was that she had saved their collective backsides during the thronecoming bookball game. Maybe she would be helpful in this class.

Daring smiled and stared up at the old rusted pipes above him. Maybe he could pass this class without another detention. He flinched, his smile fading, when a drop of water landed in his eye. He could hear the girl next to him snicker quietly in to her hand.

"You can't come to what?" Briar Beauty's shouting rivaled Professor Badwolf's. Really, Daring was impressed.

"I can't come to the party Saturday," Daring said, "I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?" Briar sputtered, "It's the first party of the year. I'm going to be there. Apple's going to be there. Ashlyn's going to be there. Hex, even Raven Queen is going to be there along with the rest of the Rebels. So tell me what you're doing Saturday that's so important?"

Daring winced. "Ihavetogotodetention," he muttered.

"Sorry, didn't hear that. What'd you say?"

"I said, I have to go to detention," Daring said a little louder.

Briar stopped walking. "Hold up, did you just say that you have to go to detention?" Daring nodded. Briar laughed. "Who on earth gave you a detention? Who would do that? You're, like, everyone's favorite student. Aside from Apple, that is."

"Professor Badwolf," Daring said.

"You don't even have him."

"I do now. Baba Yaga switched me to his class this morning," Daring explained.

Briar raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I have too many Heroics credits and need to diversify my interests. Her words, not mine."

"Seriously? Does she realize that you're a prince and not a witch, or villain, or whatever?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know what?" Apple asked coming up beside them, her blonde curls bouncing. Daring watched her. Just like him, she was the exact image of perfection. A match set, the two of them were.

"He's been switched from Heroics to General Villainy," Briar said.

"What!?" Apple seemed shocked, she probably was. Apple liked things to stay the same, which was funny considering that her roommate was Raven Queen. "Why?"

Daring shrugged. "Don't look at me," he said, and mentally cursed at Baba Yaga for making him take a class that he wasn't at all the least bit interested in. He would've taken Damsel-in-Destressing over General Villiany. At least there were cute damsels in that class. And they were always in need of saving, well, except Darling, who was taking the course because their parents had forced her to.

"What are you going to do?" Apple asked.

"All that I can do," Daring said, looking at his practically girlfriend, "attend the class."

"Are you sure? Because I can go talk to Headmaster Grimm."

"I already tried that," Daring said, "Apparently it was his idea in the first place."

"That's horrible. Why would he do that?"

"That's not even the worst part," Briar butted it, "He can't go to the party this weekend."

"Why?"

"Because he got a detention," Briar said, and Daring face palmed. At this rate, it wouldn't be long until the whole school knew.

"Sorry about earlier today," Raven apologized to Cerise.

Cerise glanced up from the Science and Sorcery book that they had been studying at her friend. Raven looked sincerely apologetic.

"It's alright," Cerise said, "He just has to be harsh on me, otherwise..."

"Yeah," Raven said, "I'm just sorry that you have to sit in that seat. I should have saved you one."

"It's fine," Cerise said, "Besides Daring Charming's getting the worst of it."

"Getting the worst of what?" Maddie asked as she entered Cerise's room without so much as a knock. Raven just smiled at her friend as Cerise shook her head. She knew that things were done a little differently in Wonderland, so Maddie wasn't accustomed to everything.

"You know that leaky pipe in General Villiany?"

"Yeah."

"Daring Charming's sitting right under it."

Maddie started laughing then stopped abruptly. "Wait, what is Daring Charming doing in General Villainy?"

Raven shrugged as Cerise said, "I don't know."

"I don't think that he would have signed up for it," Maddie said, "I mean, it's a class for villains," she sent a quick glance to Raven and Cerise, "and other people, who are not heroes."

"Hey," Raven protested, "I'm a hero."

Maddie nodded. "Which is exactly why you're in General Villainy."

"I'm in General Villainy because Headmaster Grimm's making me take the class," Raven said, "And besides-"

Cerise blocked out the two girls' voices and flipped through her Science and Sorcery book. Professor Rumplestiltskin would probably have a pop quiz tomorrow, he was fond of pop quizzes.

Cerise sat down in the empty General Villainy classroom. Her father wasn't back from dinner yet and none of the other students wanted to arrive early to detention. Cerise was always early because then she got some time to talk normally with her dad.

She leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. She slightly wished that she didn't have the detention. She was all for spending time with her dad, but there would be other kids in the classroom, plus all of her friends were going to Briar Beauty's party.

Not that Cerise really enjoyed parties. No. Her friends rarely ever got her to dance at all, but it was fun to talk and hang out with them. It was the only reason that she'd gone to thronecoming or the True Hearts dance. She rarely danced with any guys-she was too shy-but her girl friends always had fun at these things.

What Cerise was really missing was the moon. Saturday night was usually when she went running in the moonlight. Running faster than a horse was not something that she could do without weird looks in the day time.

Cerise's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone walking in the room. She turned around, half expecting to see her father trying to sneak up on her, only to find herself a few feet away from Daring Charming. He sat a couple seats away from her and Cerise returned to staring at the ceiling.

"Hey," Cerise heard Daring say. She hadn't heard anyone else enter the room, so she looked around. It was only the two of them.

"Hi," came Cerise's timid response.

"Can we leave if he doesn't show up?" Daring asked.

Cerise shook her head. "You wouldn't want to do that. Professor Badwolf expects everyone to serve their detentions with or without him. One time these kids tried to cut out early-" Cerise drew a finger against her throat.

"Oh," Daring looked shocked, "So we just sit here even if he doesn't show up?"

"Pretty much," Cerise said, "Though you can leave if you want, but it's your funeral."

"Oh," Daring said again, and Cerise found it kind of funny, "See, my friend Briar has this party-"

"I know."

"You do?"

Cerise looked at the eldest Charming. "Do you think that I live under a rock?"

"No," Daring said, "It's just that you really don't seem like the kind of girl that goes to parties."

"I'm not," Cerise said simply.

"Then why'd you act like I was offending you?"

Cerise shrugged. "You're fun to mess with."

"I'm fun to mess with?" Daring sputtered.

Cerise just shrugged again, a small smile creeping on to her lips.

For someone who was missing the event of the week, Daring Charming was surprisingly okay.

He stared at the girl sitting a few seats away from him. Who would have known that quiet, timid Cerise Hood liked to mess with people? She hadn't struck Daring as the kind of girl that did that kind of thing. Then again, she hadn't struck him as much of anything. Though a lot of his friends hung out with her friends, they rarely ever talked. He had just ignored her.

"So, why aren't you at Briar's party?" Cerise asked.

"Same reason as you," Daring answered.

"First of all, I wouldn't be at Briar's party even if I didn't have this detention-"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Cerise replied sternly.

"So what would you be doing instead?"

"I'd probably be just wandering around in the woods," she answered.

"The woods are a dangerous place for a damsel," Daring said. Cerise shot him a venomous glare. "But you're not what I'd call a damsel." Cerise smiled as he said that. It wasn't a big smile, but it was a genuine one.

Daring stared at Cerise for another moment. She was strange. An incredibly odd individual. There was absolutely no reason for Daring to get to know her, yet he found himself wanting to. She pulled nervously on the hood of her cape and Daring realized that he had been staring for to long.

"What's with the cape?" Daring asked.

Cerise looked down at the cape that she was wearing. "You've read the story, right?"

"Yeah," Daring said, "Hopeless little girl gets swallowed by a big bad wolf and the woodcutter saves them." He was having a really hard time seeing Cerise as a hopeless little girl.

"Huntsman," Cerise corrected.

"What?"

"It's a huntsman that saves little red."

"So, Hunter will be the one saving you?" Daring was having a hard time envisioning Hunter saving Cerise. If anything, it would be the other way around.

"I guess," Cerise said, "I've never really put much thought in to it. I mean, one adventure and then I'm done. No castle or true love's kiss for me."

Usually, Daring would've bragged about his story now that Cerise had shared hers, but something stopped him. He shrugged. "Castles are overrated anyways."

"You're only saying that because you've never lived in a cottage. It's not what you would call roomy at my house."

"Well, my castle is sometimes too roomy."

"Aren't there, like, seven of you guys?" Cerise asked.

"Ten, actually," Daring said, "If you count the girls, which you probably would."

Cerise's head turned a minute before Daring's at the sound of footsteps entering the room. Professor Badwolf entered followed by the three billy goats gruff. He didn't apologize for being late, instead he just said, "These three were causing a commotion in the hall," and sat down behind his desk.

Daring stole one more look at Cerise before turning his eyes to the front of the room. He caught Professor Badwolf giving him the stink eye.

"Hey, Cerise," Cerise turned around to see Daring running to catch up with her.

"Hey," she said as he caught up to her and they started walking in sync.

"Briar's party is still going on. Are you coming?"

Cerise shook her head. "I'm going to the forest, remember?"

"Right," Daring nodded. He pause for a moment then said, "Just stay safe."

"You too," Cerise said as she watched Daring Charming walk in the direction of the party. She watched his broad shoulders and back, studying him. He moved with a strange agility and grace. She'd call it a charming thing, but his brother blundered about like an idiot, especially around Raven. Just before he vanished entirely, he turned around and waved at her. Cerise waved back. As his blond head disappeared from her sight, Cerise broke in to a sprint in the direction of the forest.