𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲

NINE.

Despite the small, confined space, Ruby felt like it was just her and Ben in the car together. Especially with the way he was staring at her as she desperately avoided his gaze and looked out the window. She wasn't the only one wishing to be anywhere else if the awkward way in which her friends were trying to act like they weren't paying attention was anything to go by.

"Ruby—" Ben started, his voice soft.

"No."

Ruby didn't want to do this. Not now. Not when they were in a car full of people, escaping the Isle. She had too much going through her head to even begin to think of what she could possibly say to Ben. She'd broken Ben's heart and he believed that she'd never loved him. She'd made him believe that. How could she ever make up for that? Did she want to make up for that?

It seemed like such an easy question to answer, because of course she'd want Ben to know that he had truly been loved by her. Frankly, she still loved that bloody king more than she was able to express in words. He deserved to know that. But, that didn't change her reasoning for breaking up with him in the first place. She wasn't right for him. Being in a relationship with her only put him in jeopardy, something which Uma had proven beyond all doubt. Ruby just couldn't go back to Auradon again.

The reason why came crashing down on her as they crossed the bridge and went through the barrier. Her veins were buzzing with chaos magic and her fingers tingled at the sensation of having magic running through her whole body once more. She let out a gasp and squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately to contain the magic that was threatening to overwhelm her.

"Ruby?" Ben spoke again, though this time he sounded worried, the concern practically dripping from his voice.

Despite having her eyes closed, she could almost feel the rest of her friends turn to her as well, no longer keeping up the pretence of not listening in or paying attention to them.

Ruby could only shake her head, eyes still screwed shut, as she clutched her head. She was fighting not to lose control of her magic. She couldn't. Not when she was in a car with all her friends and could seriously end up hurting them. She needed to focus. She needed to keep her magic at bay.

The problem was, it wasn't like the first time when she started feeling the chaos magic running through her veins. The first time, when she held Fairy Godmother's wand, it had activated the dormant magic gradually. Her magic had grown stronger and more present over time. Unlike now, as it all came crashing down on her at once. She barely had any control of it before, but now, more than ever, she felt like a ticking bomb, ready to explode.

Two small, gentle hands grabbed onto hers, pulling them away from her head. "Rubes, listen to me. Listen to my voice. Everything's gonna be alright." It was Mal. Her voice was completely calm. "Can you open your eyes for me, Rubes?"

Slowly, Ruby managed to pry her eyes open, one after the other, only to find Mal crouched in front of her. Mal gave her a small, rare smile and nodded. She was rubbing circles on the back of Ruby's hands with her thumbs and Ruby tried to focus on the movement in an attempt to distract herself from the chaos magic that was threatening to spill from her any second.

"There you go," Mal's voice was still calm and soft, lacking its usual snark or sarcasm. "Now, I know that it's a lot, but you can do this, okay?"

Ruby began shaking her head, "I can't. It's too much."

"Yes, you can. It's your magic, Rubes. You control it, not the other way around. It's part of you. You're in charge. You're in control."

All Ruby could think was that she'd never felt in control a day in her life, but she kept that comment to herself and tried to keep her magic at bay. "How are you so in control?" She asked instead, trying to divert her attention. She desperately hoped that Mal would have answers at to how to keep her magic from blowing up on her.