Finally Heroes

Chapter Eleven

                By the time we reached Fairy Cottage, the sun had long set, and lantern light glowed from inside, spilling out of the window. Were it not for the fact we were chasing someone that posed a real threat to our safety and the entirety of Auradon, the place could have been inviting. But instead, the yellow lighting came of as deceitful and ominous. All of us pressed against two trees right by the path to the cabin, making sure no one was coming down it before we entered.

As quietly as possible, we all crept forward again, then allowed Mal and Ben to go toward the gate to get it open before the rest of us came to meet them. We all glanced at each other, taking one last moment to make sure everyone was on the right page, then Ben threw the door open. The rest of us had been ready to fight against Audrey, but the place had been completely abandoned. Not that it was completely surprising. If Audrey knew when we were in the armory, then I was sure she knew we were on our way to Fairy Cottage and abandoned ship.

Just to make sure, Jay ran up the stairs, while the rest of us checked behind furniture and under tables.

"She's not upstairs," Jay informed us as he came back down.

I sighed and leaned against the table, feeling slightly defeated. We'd come all this way, only to find out it had been a wild goose chase.

We all jumped suddenly as something, or someone, began banging on the closet door. I backed up a little, getting closer to Carlos and Celia as Mal and Ben glanced at each other, as though daring the other to open the door. Eventually, Ben made the move toward the closet, while Mal held the rest of us back. Ben removed the bar on the door, and in one, swift motion, he yanked the door open.

Chad sat on the floor, his knees pulled into his chest as he rocked back and forth, muttering to himself. His eyes were wide with some sort of trauma as he attempted to reassure himself.

"Chad?" Ben gasped, shocked.

What on Earth was he doing in there?

"I want my mommy," he whispered. Ben reached in and tried to help Chad up, but he flinched and backed away. "It's okay. What happened, buddy?" Chad glanced at all of us with wide eyes, as though he couldn't remember who any of us were.

"Hmm." He glanced at the man next to him, and straightened a little more. "Ben. Ben!" He gasped and got a little too close, putting a hand on Ben's beard. "Your face. She's gone? Huh?" He sneered at the rest of us, though none of us flinched. "The door is open. I'm free. Freedom! Oh!"

Without another word, Chad dashed out the door, like a dog freed from its cage after the owner comes home. When I thought about it, his response and mindset actually indicated something pretty dark, and for once, I actually found myself feeling bad for Chad.

"Freedom," Ben repeated, still slightly dumbfounded. Harry, on the other hand, just started to laugh, as would be expected. With no sign of Audrey and the lingering confusion of what just happened, all of us headed back out of Fairy Cottage. The next logical place to check would be the castle again. Maybe Audrey made her way back there. Still, we needed to meet back up with Jane, Jon, Doug, and Gil again, to see if that found Fairy Godmother... one way or the other, I suppose.

As we made our way back down the path, Carlos reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me closer against him. A blush crept onto my face, and I looked up at him, smiling. He had this strange smile on his face, similar to one someone would have when looking back on something nostalgic.

"What?" I asked, laughing a little. He shook his head and then kissed me on the top of mine.

"Nothing, nothing." I scoffed, knowing he was lying, but chose to ignore it. There were more pressing things than whatever was on Carlos' mind at the moment.