[✔︎] 𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 ✫ POST-DESCENDANTS ONE ³

TWENTY NINE

Gino woke up the next morning, feeling as if he hadn't slept at all. He looked around at his friends who still were in deep sleep. He checked the clock on the wall. It was nearly ten in the morning, he had no idea how he slept so long.

He sat up in his sleeping bag, staring up at the ceiling. Something didn't feel right. He could sense right then and now. The door rolled up to the hideout as Sam, HJ and Gil headed up the stairs. Sam stood with her hands on her hips, looking around the hideout, frowning at the painting of Uma with an x on it.

Gil carried a bag over his shoulder, setting it on the counter. Gino looked at it quizzingly.

"You're the only one awake." Sam said. "That's cool. We stole you breakfast."

"Thanks." Gino said as he tried to keep his eyes from fluttering shut again. He couldn't sleep again. Something felt extremely wrong but he didn't know what it was.

Gino picked up a rotten apple, ignoring that it was in fact rotten and taking a bite into it. Sam raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing staring off into nothing as she delved into her thoughts.

"How'd you get that?" Gino asked, pointing to the scar that began at the end of her eyebrow to her chin.

Sam's eyes flashed gold, which confused Gino very much, but she just shrugged,

"How did I not notice that before?" HJ asked.

"Because we are all oblivious and were too focused on getting Gigi back to notice." Carlos said as he and the other VKs had awoken, all accept Jay.

"Where'd you get it Sam?" Mal asked, taking a bite into an apple but not being satisfied with how it tasted. They'd been in Auradon so little but it'd been long enough.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sam said, waving her hand dismissively.

"I swear I won't get mad." Evie said. "Who did it to you?"

"It's not important okay?" Sam said. "Drop it."

"We are not dropping it." HJ said. "When did it happen Sam?

Sam blinked rapidly which Gino assumed was to not let herself cry. Why she didn't want to let herself cry, he had no idea.

"He got mad that I was talking to Gigi." Sam began as Mal raised her hand up to call a timeout.

"You talked to Gigi?" Mal asked. "This wouldn't have happened to be the day she was meeting with Ben and came let."

"She said something about that." Sam said. "Why?"

"You're the reason she came here." Mal said. "You're the reason she got captured."

"I'm sure she didn't mean for it to happen." Gino said. "Let her tell the story."

"Then he came in and saw her on the screen when he lifted it up." Sam said. "They had a weird little conversation I didn't pay attention to. Then he hung up on her and asked me why I was talking to her."

"What he say after that?" Jay asked, looking up from the sleeping bag.

"He asked me what Gigi told me and what I told her when he very much knew what  because he was eavesdropping." Sam said. "I tried covering for her and he didn't like that I'd try to make up something and lie to him. He got really mad and that happened." Sam pointed to the scar. "Now we can go yeah?"

"I'm going to kill him." HJ muttered as they filed down the stairs.

"We can do that after we save Gigi." Jay said.

"We aren't killing anybody." Mal said. "We are going to let Sam finish this herself."

"Just because you don't like her doesn't mean we can't help her." Carlos said.

"She has to solve her own problems." Mal said with a shrug.

"You need to solve your own problems too." Sam said. "Don't you Malsy?"

Mal shook her head, leading them toward Mother Gothel's tower with a determined expression, ignoring what Sam had said, while it had flown over the others heads.

Gino began to worry about Gigi, wondering if she was okay. But something didn't feel right. This felt too easy. It was almost like they were walking into a trap.

Mal led them up the many flights of stairs, as they tried to remain quiet and tried to remain as hidden s possible. They could hear voices down the hall, each of them belonging to people Gino knew well. His parents.

"What are we going to do?" Rapunzel's voice echoed through the halls as the cackle of a witch was heard. Mother Gothel. Gino didn't want to admit but he was afraid of meeting the old hag. She had done so much to his mother. His mother still had nightmares about her time in her tower. Nightmares of seeing her again. Gino wanted to give the woman a piece of his mind, but at the same time he was afraid of her and what she was capable of. No matter how old she was.

Mal led them through the halls as if she knew where they were going which Gino doubted. Mal finally admitted defeat and let Sam lead them through the halls. Sam led them down a winding staircase, one that would lead them to the other side of the guards she claimed.

Gino smiled at her in gratitude when he saw his parents in their cell, the Stabbingtons having been called off by Mother Gothel.

"The family is all together now huh?" Mother Gothel said. "Rapunzel you did all the work for me."

Gino didn't know what she was talking about until he looked at his father who cradled Gigi, who was in deep sleep.

"The curse." Mal said. "It's been activated."

"Yes it has daughter of Maleficent." Mother Gothel said. "I suppose my work here is done. Gigi isn't going to be waking up anytime soon."

Mother Gothel cackled as she disappeared down the halls.

"Mom you told her?" Gino asked.

"It slipped from me." Rapunzel said. "I didn't mean to."

Gino knew she was right, but he couldn't bare to see his sister sleeping forever, no matter how peaceful she looked at the moment.