Finding Alex | TLOS

Ch.1

"Alex?!" his voice cracked as he screamed the name of his sister. His voice could be heard from anywhere in the house.

Bree rushed past her boyfriend and slammed her body into Alex's lock door. When it didn't open, she groaned in frustration.

"Bree, let me handle it," Conner said, ruffling his hair. Bree handed him a bobby pin and he took it and inserted it into the door's lock. "Dang it," he muttered, and that's when he suddenly got an idea. He rushed back to his room and retrieved his wand. "Go get yours," he instructed, and Bree did what she was told.

Bree nodded and ran towards her room to get her wand. They stood in the hallway, determined to get Alex's door open. They counted to three and blasted her door. Bree and Conner gripped hands, and entered the room in a run.

Alex's loft bed had fallen during the storm, and Conner noticed that her window was open. Books were sprawled across the floor, each open and their pages ripped and torn. It was as if they were claw marks, and an animal had scratched at them. The Portal Potion was spilled everywhere. Alex was nowhere in sight.

Conner tumbled to the floor in exhaustion. "We were too late!" he said, his eyes wide with worry. "She's really gone." A tear slipped out of Conner's eye, and he wiped it, afraid to show weakness.

Bree crouched down beside him. "Hey, now," she said softly. "You don't know that. Maybe Alex went to The Fairytale World. Maybe she rushed out to the grocery store for a late night snack. She could've gone to your Mother's house for all we know!" But whenever Bree said it, she felt herself growing even more doubtful.

"No, Bree," Conner cried, kicking the nearest object and wincing in pain. "I know this potion. It's what my uncle used to travel into different literary stories. Alex hasn't just left; she's disappeared into one of these books." Conner sighed, not liking what situation Alex had just put him in. "We need to go into all of these books until we find her,"

Bree would've laughed at the idea if it wasn't such a serious situation. "All we need to do now is to alert everyone in The Fairytale World. We can't just go into every literary book in history, or we'd be 89 when we came out."

They both chuckled, but their laughter soon died.

"Alright," Conner said, nodding with such ferocity. "Let's go open the portal."

The portal to The Land of Stories was actually a mirror. Before Alex, Conner, and Bree had left The Fairytale World, Emerelda had given it to them as a gift. Instead of taking a week to transfer through the potion, it only took a few minutes. Only Alex, Conner, and Bree knew that it was actually a portal to another dimension. The three lived in a private dormitory at their university, back home in The Otherworld. Other than the three adolescents, there are sixteen other students in the dorm, but six are closest to them.

"You go first," Bree suggested, glancing around the room. "I just need to grab something first."

"Are you sure," Conner asked, but he wasn't really paying attention. The only thing on is mind was the whereabouts of his sister. "I could wait for you if you want."

Bree shook her head. "Don't bother," she said. "I'll be out before you know it."

Conner nodded. "Alright," he backed up and jumped into the mirror from a running position. He quickly disappeared from the room in a bright flash of light.

Bree gulped, her palms sweating. She was nervous for where Alex was. She didn't want to lose her friend in a span of a few seconds. Bree hopped up the stairs to Alex's room and grabbed a few books and what was left of The Portal Potion, just in case they needed it later on. Bree felt a little selfish thinking like this, but she wanted something to remember Alex by, just in case they didn't find her. Bree also grabbed her and Conner's wand.

Heading back downstairs, Bree quickly scribbled out a note to the rest of her dorm mates: Alex, Conner and I are on vacation. Don't come looking for us, we're fine. Don't eat all the good snacks, I'm warning you! Alert the professors of our absence, -Bree. It wasn't even much of a lie, just exaggerated a little bit.

While she was at it, Bree grabbed her bag and stuffed the books and Portal Potion into it. She glanced around at her Otherworld home, and jumped into the portal without another thought.

****

Bree met Conner on the other side. She stared around at her surroundings, noticing that they were in The Fairy Kingdom. Bree couldn't help but smile; she had definitely missed this place over the years.

Conner grabbed Bree's hand, and they walked throughout the kingdom and to the heart. It was a peaceful walk, as they stared up at the stars and twinkling lights of the fairies home. It was night, so only a few fairies wandered around so late. Once seeing the legendary heroes, every single fairy dropped into a low bow and curtsy.

Conner and Bree didn't pay them much attention, and walked straight to the palace without stopping. The Fairy Guards were asleep on the job, once again. Bree rolled her eyes and twirled her wand, and a big bucket of water appeared above the fairies' head. She glanced at her boyfriend, who chuckled, nodding for her to continue.

"Do it," he said, egging her on.

Bree grinned and twirled her wand. The water came pouring out, spooking the poor fairies who were now drenched.

Once the fairies realized they were not alone, they jumped up and bowed/curtsied. "We're so sorry, Lord Conner and Lady Bree. We didn't see you there!" The man fairy said. He had emerald colored hair that was shifted to look like a flower petal. He had startling grey eyes that burned into your neck.

Bree read his nametag and saw; SIR PETALS, HEAD OF SECURITY. "It's quite alright," Bree replied. "We really need to get to the palace. We have some urgent news for The Fairy Council, perhaps even The Happily Forever After Assembly."

The lady's fairies eyes lit up. She had pink hair, rosy cheeks, and was quite plump. Her nametag read; ROSALINE, SECTRETARY OF SECURITY. "Oh, yes of course! Go right in,"

Conner beamed. "Thank you, dears. But we really must be going. Farewell!"

Bree and Conner entered The Fairy Palace. It was dark, except for a room down the hall of the south wing. Bree and Conner glanced at each other, shrugged, and walked towards the room at the end of the hall.

Bree knocked on the door. No one came to open it. Bree knocked again. No one came. Bree knocked for the third and final time, just as the door swung open and almost hit her in the face.

Emerelda glared at the unseen visitors. "What?" She snapped.

Bree and Conner held back a laugh. "Emerelda, it's us," Conner said, getting back to business. "Bree and Conner?"

Emerelda's face lit up. "Oh, Bree and Conner! I'm so sorry! You look so...grown up! Anyhow, my siblings and I have been discussing some important matters. Come in, come in." she opened the door wider and Conner and Bree saw everyone in The Fairy Council. "What must we talk about?" Emerelda asked, sitting down beside Xanthous.

Bree gulped. "Alex has gone missing."