Once We are Descendants

Chapter 88: Disappearing Act

It takes a moment for everyone to realize what's happened. The clearing is deadly silent as everyone's eyesight returns.

"Evie?!" Mal asks. She cautiously steps forward to where her best friend had been standing. There's no trace of her.

"Where is she?" Doug asks. "What happened?"

"She's completely gone!" Dizzy squeaks in panic.

"She disintegrated!" another voice calls out.

Of course, the son of Cinderella and Prince Charming has to turn the drama up to 11. "I knew it! I knew magic was a bad idea. Jane your mother was right to banish it! It's too dangerous. We all just witnessed Evie disintegrate before our very eyes... now who's going to tailor my suits."

"Is that all you care about?" Ben says, more concerned for his friend's well-being than... fashion of all things.

"Well, it's an obvious indication that magic is dangerous."

"Oh, shut up Chad," Jay moans in annoyance. "She didn't disintegrate..." he then pauses. He turns to Regina for reassurance. "Did she?"

"Of course not," the Evil Queen says with confidence. "That's not even possible."

"Well..." Rumple begins.

"Dad shut up!" Crystal snaps quickly, cutting her father off before he causes the tense atmosphere to bubble into full-blown panic. Why must he insist on being an agent of chaos? "She didn't disintegrate. My guess is she jumped and mastered a future lesson, the lesson of teleportation."

"Wait, we can do that?" Jay asks.

"Depends on your powers," Emma says. "Like the fairies can shrink and travel by wings. No doubt Mal can fly in dragon form... the Uma chick can probably do the mermaid teleport thing. Magic never leaves you without a way to travel."

"Wicked," Jay smirks.

"But we need to find Evie," Doug says. "Where could she have gone?"

"Hard to say," Regina says. "If she didn't know that she could teleport nor know where she was going..."

"She could be anywhere," Crystal finishes.

"Anywhere?" Dizzy asks in alarm. "You mean she could be at the North Pole?"

"No, no, nothing like that Dizzy," Emma says. "There's no way Evie would be able to teleport that far. We just mean anywhere in Storybrooke."

"Oh," the young VK says.

"We should split up and start searching for her," David says, taking charge. "I wish Red was here, she'd be able to track her down no problem."

Carlos looks down at Dude. "You think you can pick up the scent?"

"I can try," the loyal canine says, standing tall, ready for his assignment.

"We need something with her scent on it," Snow says.

"There's bound to be something back at the mansion," Regina says.

The Queen gets ready to poof away.

"I'm coming with you," Doug says, stepping forward.

It surprises her. "Okay, as long as you don't mind teleporting."

"I don't care, I'll do anything to find Evie," the son of Dopey says, a brave look across his face and a fierceness in his green eyes. It's a comfort to Regina that her alternate daughter had such a devoted partner.

"Bring an article of clothing back for a locator potion too," Rumple says, the imp already planning to go back to his shop to make it. "We'll use it to broaden our chances of finding her."