Project Chaos: Disneyland

Chapter Nine

Over the course of the next week, Teddy grew accustomed to life in the mansion. He took to the chores with ease, and continued to learn about life in Disneyland.

One morning, Teddy was back in the gardens with both Cass and Hayato when Janus suddenly appeared, striding down the path to the gate. Craning his neck, Teddy caught sight of a small group of people waiting to be admitted onto the mansion's grounds. At the front was Abraxas, his hair looking white in the sunlight.

"The captain's come for the supplies," Cass commented.

"This is where he asks what supplies," Hayato threw in. Teddy wordlessly flipped him off.

Janus unlocked the gate and held it open for the group of pirates. Abraxas led them through, his hair rippling behind him and heels clicking on the path. Behind him came the curviest woman Teddy could remember seeing, with bright auburn hair in a long braid over one shoulder. She was grinning, whispering something in Abraxas' ear before tossing her head back with laughter that echoed across the gardens. She had a cutlass on her hip and was holding a widebrimmed hat with a ridiculous plume in her hand.

Behind her came Blunderbuss and another pirate with his spiky brown hair held back with a bandanna.

"The captain's in a good mood," Cass observed. "Even though she's coming to see Grimm."

"Captain Redwing is –" Teddy started.

"The broad," Hayato cut in. "Put your tongue back in your mouth, we already watered the plants enough today."

Teddy lifted his eyebrows.

"What did she ever do to you?"

Hayato just rolled his eyes and continued weeding. Cass began explaining, as she usually did.

"Back before things got settled, Captain Redwing raided different rides for the supplies she needed. She kept taking the food growing on the mansion grounds, until Grimm arranged a treaty."

As the pirates headed into the mansion, Teddy took another look at Captain Redwing. There was a confident sway in her hips, and Teddy could see the coils of a whip hanging from her other hip. She looked like the kind of person who always found something to smile about, but at the same time, could put her whip and blade to skilled use if provoked.

The pirates did not reappear while Teddy worked in the garden, and the trio finished their duties with the usual amount of chatter and snide comments, the latter mostly between Teddy and Hayato.

After a delicious dinner prepared by Nick, who had somehow gotten into another fight, Teddy felt a pull towards the night air. Leaving Cass to bicker with Hayato over the correct way to play pool in the billiards room, Teddy took the familiar path to the front door, stepping out onto the mansion grounds.

The fog was heavier than usual that evening, flowing along the ground and lapping along the bases of the pillars. Teddy took a different path than the one that led to the front gate. Soon enough, tombstones appeared on either side of the path. A mausoleum rose up in Teddy's way, and he slowly walked around it, feeling the silence of the graveyard weigh down on his chest.

Pausing beside one gravestone, Teddy read what had been carved into the marble.

"Peter was afraid of the big, bad wolf."

The next one said, "Alice found a chamber with no windows and no doors." "Cooper lost his head at Leota's prediction." "Robbie: Beware of hitchhiking ghosts!"

Teddy straightened up with a shiver. These were the headstones of people who'd been taken by the mansion. His respect for the rules deepened.

"Only the troubled or incredibly foolish explore a graveyard alone at night."