Rotten To The Core

We're Stronger Together

CHAPTER 41

"Help me, Ellie!" Celia calls out.

"Yeah, save your little friend, Ellie!" Audrey yells causing Ellie's eyes to turn blue.

"Celia!" Ellie yells as she tries to come up with a plan to save her.

"Ellie!" Mal says as she runs over to the girl.

"Mal, I'm so sorry. Please, help me make this right," Ellie begs with Mal as she holds out the ember to her.

"What are sisters for?" Mal asks with a smirk before her eyes flash green as she grabs the ember. Mal grabs Ellie as she is covered in purple smoke. Mal emerges from the smoke as a dragon with Ellie on her back. Mal flies to the top of the building to find Celia and Audrey. Mal blows a fire ball at Audrey, who uses the scepter to absorb it. Audrey then tries to zap Mal and Ellie with the scepter.

"Help me, Ellie! Mal!" Celia calls as Audrey grabs her.

"Careful not to fry your little V.K. buddy," Audrey taunts Mal, who then tries to ignite the ember with her flame.

"They don't stand a chance without the ember," Uma says as she and Harry watch from below.

"Help me, Ellie! Mal!" Celia calls again. Audrey then zaps Mal's wing causing her to start falling.

"We're stronger together," Uma calls as her necklace starts glowing and Mal lands on the ground. Ellie hops off of Mal's back before running in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Ellie asks panicked as she looks at Mal, who nods before holding out the ember to her.

"We're stronger together! I'm right here, Ellie! Regain your might and ignite. I'm right here, girl. I'm right here. Regain your might and ignite!" Uma chants as she walks closer to Mal and Ellie, who holds out the ember and it regains it's glow.

"Yes!" Harry cheers as Uma laughs excitedly. Ellie feels the magic course through her before her eyes turn blue and her hair goes into blue flames. Ellie looks over at Mal in shock before giving her a nod. Mal picks Ellie up by the arms before carrying her to the top.

"You want a piece of this, huh?" Audrey taunts Celia.

"No, no!" Celia cries as she cowers away. Mal sets Ellie down on the edge of the roof before flying away.

"Audrey, leave her alone," Ellie orders as she grips onto the ember, her flaming hair having disappeared. Audrey turns towards her laughing evilly.

"Or what?" Audrey asks before she tries to zap Ellie but Ellie uses the power of the ember to fight back as her hair starts flaming blue again.

"Go, Ellie!" Celia cheers.

"Go, Ellie! You got this! You got this, girl!" Uma cheers on from below. The ember starts to over power the scepter and with a yell from Ellie, the ember wins.

"Yeah! Come on!" Harry cheers before he and Uma hug. Mal is covered in purple smoke as she lands on the roof beside Ellie, who's blue eyes and hair fade away.

"Ellie! Mal!" Celia says as she runs and hugs Ellie.

"Celia. It's okay. I've got you," Ellie says as she hugs her back. Celia hugs Mal as Ellie walks over to Audrey, who hasn't moved. "Audrey? Oh, no." Ellie tries to use the ember to wake her before her father's voice plays in her head, 'You're only half Hades. The ember won't do everything for you that it does for me.'

Ben, Evie, Carlos, Dude, Mal, and Jay are no longer stone.

"Come on. Let's go," Ben tells them.

"She's slipping away," Evie says from where she sits beside Mal. Ellie sits on the other side of Audrey's bed, as they watch over her. Ellie shares a look with Mal and Evie before letting out a sigh.

"There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this, and that's Hades," Ellie starts to explain.

"Hades?" Ben asks as he interrupts her. "He wouldn't do it. I wouldn't risk it."

"Actually, he might do it for me, Evie, or Mal. He's our father," Ellie tells him causing everyone to look at her in shock.

"Okay. Well, I'll have to send guards to get him," Ben says as he tries to process everything.

"Maybe I can hitch a ride," Uma tells him. "The Isle is my home. Someone needs to be there to protect it."

"Well, then, you will need your first mate," Harry says as he walks over to Uma, causing Mal to look down sadly.

"The Isle will be in very good hands," Ellie tells Uma with a smile.

"Can I go, too? I wish I could be in both places," Celia asks causing Ellie to look down sadly. This was all her fault and she had to find a way to fix it somehow.

"I really think that Evie and Mal were right," Ellie says as she stands up. "And... I do think that we could've been friends. And I'm really sorry that I lied to all of you guys. You deserved so much better than that."

"You were just trying to do the right thing," Jay tells her with a small smile.

"Yeah," Uma agrees before Ellie looks over to her sister sadly.

"I get it," Evie says as she stands as well.

"Mal, do what makes you happy," Ellie tells her with a small smile.