Rapunzel Bennett (Jackunzel)

Chapter 24

Zel was so excited she was unable to sleep the whole night. So when it came to waking up she did it quickly with a smile that couldn't be removed.
All of her daily tasks were performed with Zel grinning from ear to ear.
She straightened up her room, her sibling's rooms. She even prepared breakfast for the family, most of which were still asleep.
Her mother wasn't home but Zel didn't mind.
It only meant it would be easier to sneak away with Jack.

She waited for hours.
Her father and siblings woke up.
She sat at the counter, waiting.
He never showed up.

She was losing hope until she saw the doorknob twist.
It had to be Jack.
The beautiful idiot never knocked.
"Oh, darling, mummy's home!" Mrs. Bennett exclaimed as she burst open the door.
Zel furrowed her eyebrows and her expression softened.
"Sorry I'm late, I was a little busy. You know how work is, my little flower, don't you? Well, I am just exhausted so let's get going, shall we?"
Zel looked at the ground as she slowly got up from the highchair she was sitting on, "Actually, wait. I forgot to brush my teeth!" she excused while running into the bathroom.

Zel looked into the mirror at her irritated eyes and watched the redness forming.
She shook her head and turned on the faucet, splashing the running water into her face.
"Okay Zel, he's coming. Don't worry. You just... You just have to hold out a little longer. I'm sure there is a valid excuse for him being late."
Zel looked at the ring on her finger, "Surely he would never abandon me."
"Not... Not again."
Yes, Zel knew it wasn't her that Jack had left in the tower nor did he have any intention of never returning.
But she felt connected to the girl in ways she couldn't explain.

She won't lie, the thought that maybe she wasn't in love with Jack, but the idea of him and the past that she may have experienced with him had crossed her mind several times.
Much like she believed maybe Jack only like her for the same reason.
But she was willing to risk it.
And again, she didn't know why.

She opened the bathroom door after she was finished and reached for her bag beside the island.
"Oh, wait! I forgot something!" she fibbed, as she grabbed her bag and ran back into the attic.
She paced around the room pretending to fumble around looking for things.
"Flower? Is everything okay in there?"
"Yes, mother!"

"Zee?" Sophie asked as she entered the room.
Zel jumped, "Oh, it's just you." she breathed relieved.
"Where's Jack?"
Zel sighed, "Ah, he's... he's running a little late. I guess it's fair, we never really decided on a time." Zel paused, "He'll... he'll be here." she reassured herself.
"Of course he will. It's all he ever wanted."
"What is?"
"A chance."

Jack slowly opened his eyes only to find he was in a dark room with little light.
The ground he was lying on was solid concrete and he could feel the cold air radiating from the floor and walls, filling the room.
The smell, rusted metal.
This wasn't where he went to sleep.
It wasn't a place he recognized.
Jack had no idea where he was.
But he knew he wanted to go to Zel.
As his eyes slowly adjusted to the room he tried to look around for his staff and when he tried to get up, he was stopped.
Rusted chains we're tightly wrapped around his arms and waist.
He struggled to move around, "Zel!" he screamed as his voice echoed around the room.
He squinted at a hooded figure standing in the darkest corner of the space.
"Zee?"
He didn't quite get a verbal response. Not immediately anyway.
Instead, he got laughing, dark, maniacal laughter, so demented it would haunt him.
"Who's there? Why am I here?"
Jack heard a click as what little light in the room vanished.
A snapping of a stick and something being thrown to the floor.
He felt unnaturally cool breath hit his ear, "You wanted me to be the bad guy. Fine. I'll be the bad guy." a woman's voice whispered as someone unsheathed a weapon.
The weapon was stabbed into Jack's chest placed inside one of the holes in the chain. Both keeping him down and locking the chains in place around him.
Jack yelped and moved, only expanding the cut.
The figure laughed again and grabbed onto a rope hanging from the ceiling.
They pulled, opening-up a trap door.
Rubble fell into the room.
Jack squinted to see the scenery better.
It seemed to be surrounded in tiny rocks but there wasn't any snow.
It was early December and there was no snow falling from the sky or into the darkroom.
That meant either Jack has been here for months without realizing it.
Or he was somewhere it didn't snow.

Me being too lazy to actually put effort into the edit...