Hellfire on the Other Side Book 3

Chapter 10: Shun

   Emilio and Stefani walk through the bayou, the quickest way from the main area of New Orleans to the area where Shane and Charlene live. "Ew! Why are we walking through this disgusting swamp? My clothes are gonna get stained!" Stefani groans. "I offered to carry you, and you refused," says Emilio, using his sword to slash away at the hanging vines obscuring their vision. "I may have underestimated just how gross the bayou is, but if the offer still stands, I'll gladly accept!" says Stefani. Emilio chuckles and sheaths his sword. "The vines seem to let up from here on out. I don't see why not," he says, picking her up. "You're such a good friend, Emilio." "I know." Emilio carries Stefani the rest of the way through the bayou until they reach dry land, where Emilio sets Stefani down. "Whew! You're a lot heavier than the last time I carried you," says Emilio. "Or maybe you just aren't as strong," says Stefani. Emilio gently pushes her onto the ground with a mischievous grin. "Hey! What was that for?!" Stefani shouts. Emilio shrugs. "Showing you that I'm still strong," he answers.

   Stefani nearly gets up to get even with Emilio when she notices a small, white rabbit in the distance. "Ooh! Cute bunny!" She springs into action as she chases the bunny. "Stefani, wait up!" Emilio calls out. "Of all the things she got from her mother, it had to be her love for animals." He follows her and the bunny into a large garden. His jaw drops at the astonishing splash of color. "Whoa" "Emilio! Over here! By the rose bushes!" Stefani's voice rings from afar. "Of course you're by the rose bushes," Emilio mutters to himself, heading towards the aforementioned bushes. Stefani squats down and stares at the bushes, seemingly looking for something. Emilio squats next to her and asks, "Hey, Stef, where'd the rabbit go?" "Somewhere in these bushes. Do you think there's a rabbit hole hidden here?" says Stefani. "It's likely," says Emilio. Stefani shoots him a smirk. "Wanna see if it's one of those rabbit holes, Mili?" Emilio backs up a bit. "I don't like when you get that look on your face," he says. He takes her hand. "But I know that once you do, there's nothing I can do to stop you. Let's go." Stefani smiles from ear to ear and enters the rabbit hole, followed by Emilio.

   After a long and thrilling fall, Emilio and Stefani end up in a strange, yet familiar place: Wonderland. "HA! I knew it! We're here!" exclaims Stefani. "And where exactly is 'here,' Stef?" Stefani gets up, dusts herself off, and throws her arms into the air. "Mili! We're in Wonderland!" "That's right! And just in time, too!" A familiar voice echoes from above. Cherise, in her cat form, lands in front of them, giving Emilio a bit of a fright. "¡Ay, dios mío!" he exclaims. "Blasted cat, I almost hurt you!" "Well, that's not very nice!You shouldn't hurt a friend, y'know," says Cherise. Emilio and Stefani exchange confused looks. "Oh, that's right! You haven't seen me in this form before! Hold on. Let me change into something more familiar." Cherise transforms into her human form, sparking a sense of familiarity in Emilio and Stefani's minds. "You recognize me now?" she asks with a giggle. "Oh, yes! That strange cat girl that told us about Shane and Charlene!" says Emilio. "What was your name, again?" "Cherise. Now, as I was saying, you're here just in time!" "Just in time for what?" asks Stefani. "The tea party! Follow me!"

   Cherise leads Emilio and Stefani to a long table, covered from end to end with teacups, teapots, and other fancy silverware. At the end of the table sits a young man with a big top hat on his head. "Ah! You're here! Glad you could join us!" he exclaims in a goofy voice. "Told you we'd be here!" says Cherise. "Um, who's that guy, and why does he seem like a total nutcase?" asks Stefani. "That's Matthew, son of the Mad Hatter. He throws the best tea parties!" "I most certainly do!" Matthew looks to the side. "And here comes another one of our guests right now!" Lizabeth came over, she hadn't been in Wonderland for a while and it felt good to be home. "Hey," she said giving a small smile. Ever since she, Umar, and Zack had become heroes, she hadn't seen any of her fellow Wonderlandians. Coming to Wonderland was a risk for her in case she ran into her mother or her mother's guards. "Lizabeth! How nice of you to join us! I made sure to prepare your favorite!" Matthew has an energy similar to his father's. Some may say it even rivals his father's. "Come, come! Have a seat!" Lizabeth nodded and sat down. She had been holding her tongue lately, she had been trying to control her anger. Not to mention, almost anytime she talked, she shouted, "Off with your head." Being her mother's daughter, it became a habit. Those were her first rules, after hearing them so much as a baby. Emilio and Stefani reluctantly sit down at the table and pick up a teacup. "So, do we start the tea party now?" asks Emilio. Matthew frolics around his large chair. "Oh, no no no! Not yet! We're waiting for our final guest! Some say that he's the descendant of a great warrior!" "Ooh! When will he show up?" asks Stefani. Shun appears, seemingly out of thin air, and sits at the table, his intense composure greatly contrasting the wild and playful atmosphere of Wonderland. Lizabeth titled her head at Shun, "Curiouser and curiouser," she said more to herself than anyone else. "My name is Shun. I'm the son of Shan Yu. The Hun warrior that went toe to toe with Mulan, but unfortunately lost," says Shun. "Oh no," mutters Emilio. "Stef, we're in the presence of a VK!" "Why would someone like him even be in Wonderland, anyway?" asks Cherise. "Let the tea party commence!" Matthew says abruptly. "We're here to talk about our current paths in the never-ending battle of good versus evil. Lizabeth, you're familiar with this place. Why don't you start?" "Place as in Wonderland or in good vs evil?" Lizabeth asked looking to Matthew, "Because I know enough about both." "Oh, I just figured that since Wonderland is your home, it would be best if you started the conversation!" says Matthew. "Oh," Lizabeth said, "Well, I'm afraid I don't know much of recent events. Especially what's been going on here in Wonderland. I've mostly been spending my time with Umar and Zack avoiding the Villain Society. But I guess one of the bigger things going on is, well, Clara Frollo's shift back to evil." "Oh, yes. We've all heard about that," says Matthew. We are all well-informed on the matter." He pours her a cup of tea. "A tragic day for heroes, a great day for villains. But us Neutrals couldn't give any less of a hoot!" Matthew chortles. LIzabeth nodded, "As a new hero myself, hearing about it was a shock. Though there is one Neutral who cares, Maleficent's son Markus. As Neutral, as he is, he sees in danger in Clara being a villain." "Well, good for little Markus!" says Matthew. "Okay. Who's next? Ooh! How about the young ones?" Matthew hops onto the table and walks over to Emilio. Emilio gulps. "I'm Emilio, son of Elena of Avalor. I'm following in her footsteps and joining the heroes. I'm currently training with the HAs," he says. Lizabeth took out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it. She hadn't had a smoke for a few hours and she liked to smoke when listening to people. She blamed Absalom's daughter, Abby who was the first person to give her a cigarette. Lizabeth was the one to introduce Umar and Zack to cigarettes. Matthew pours some tea into Emilio's cup, then scuttles over to Stefani. "And what about you?" "I'm Stefani, daughter of Sofia the First! And just like Emilio, I'm training with the HAs to become a hero! And I can also talk to animals." She was certainly more confident than Emilio. "Here, most animals talk anyways," Lizabeth said, "It was a shock my first time out of Wonderland and not one animal spoke." "Ah, yes. Here in Wonderland, talking animals are everywhere!" says Matthew, pouring tea into Stefani's cup. "I once stepped on a beetle, and its dying words were a vow to end my entire bloodline." The last comment causes everyone to go silent. "Anyway, onto our final guest!" He marches over to Shun. "What's your alignment?" Lizabeth looked to Shun, taking a puff of her cigarette. "Well, just a few days ago, I bumped into a couple of villains by the names of Midas and Eris. Then I did a bit of research and found out that they're the descendants of Merida and Elsa, respectively. I've heard tell of VKs turning good, but never thought about HKs turning evil," says Shun. Cherise hisses at the mention of Midas and Eris. "I recently joined their small group of evil. If history perceives my father as a villian, I might as well go the whole nine yards." Matthew pours the last bit of tea into Shun's cup. "Very interesting!" he exclaims. "Oh, off with your head," Lizabeth said, somehow not shouting it, "Why are all these people going villain after Umar, Zack and I betray the society?! Eris and Midas will probably try to get Jocelyn to have him in the society and that's just another enemy!" "The society? I've heard nothing about that," says Shun. "Yeah because technically Eris and Midas can't talk about it. They're connected to the original contract, I'm connected to the new one to allow me to talk about it. The Villain Society, or VS. It's a society for the villains, even the dead ones. Jocelyn, Jafar's daughter, and leader can bring their souls out of the Soul Realm, and once a year there is a week-long meeting where she brings back all the villains. But the original contract says if you tell anyone about the society, everyone you care about will be killed in a very painful death and you will be captured and forced to rewatch their deaths on an eternal loop, even after you die in the Underworld. If Eris and Midas convince Jocelyn to give you a chance, she can explain it more. She can talk about it being leader without any consequences. I can speak about it because Clara Frollo, as a hero, made a loophole contract for those of us who are stuck in the society but don't want to be in it. Once you join, you can't get out," Lizabeth explained.  Shun strokes his chin. "Interesting," he says. "Well, I hate to leave so soon, but I've finished my tea, and I have somewhere important to be." He gets up from the table and walks towards the exit. "Until we meet again!" says Matthew. "I should get going to Matthew unless there is something else you want from me. As much as I hate to leave Wonderland so soon, especially after just coming home, I do not need mother's soldier's finding me. If that were to happen, I would be forced into my arranged marriage by the next tea time," Lizabeth said.  "That will be all! It was great seeing you again, Lizabeth!" Matthew chuckles. "You too," Lizabeth said before leaving.

   Matthew sits back down in his chair. "Well, this tea party was quite exciting! Will you two be heading home, as well?" He gestures towards Emilio and Stefani. Bewildered by what had just happened, Emilio and Stefani remain silent, using only their slightly frightened faces to relay their answer. Matthew's face droops into a frown. "Well, until we meet again," he says. "Cherise, will you escort them to the exit, please?" "Sure thing!" says Cherise. "Follow me!" She leads Emilio and Stefani towards the Wonderland exit, leaving Matthew all alone at the table. "That Shun kid's up to no good. Even a madman can see that."