A Story to Die For (Ben X OC)

There's No Place Like Home

"Not yet, and until we do, we have to stick to Plan A for now." Pearl reassured me. I let out a sigh, knowing that I would be betraying Ben's and even Jane's trust once I get Fairy Godmother's wand. I knew this problem could have been solved quicker if I had just told them the truth, but then the entire kingdom would know about the haunted mansion. Some of the ghosts here are not for entertainment, and a few of us might even scare them to death.

"What exactly is the committee trying to do?" Ben spoke out as curiosity got the best of him. "If the kingdom can help in any way possible, I would like to know." He said in a serious tone. The rest of us looked at each other, not knowing how to tell the prince our problem, but my mother decided to speak.

"We don't need any foolish mortals' help." my mother said in a harsh tone. "You think we are powerless because we are dead. That's where you are wrong." she continued as Pearl rested her hand on her shoulder.

"Please, Mrs...." Ben said, realizing he never learned my last name.

"Hatchaway." my mother and I said in unison.

"Constance, please, this boy is only trying to help not only us but your daughter as well." Pearl whispered. I never looked away from my mother as she let out a sigh as she leaned back into her seat. This was the first time I saw concern in her eyes. I made a mental note as I needed to thank Pearl for what she said.

"I'll continue to see if there is anything in the mortal world that says how we can fix our curse." I stated, trying to break up the tension that was in the room. I looked over to my mother, seeing how she was avoiding my presence now.

"Cassandra? How is the mortal world anyway?" Phineas questioned. He was always the curious one out of the three. My mother scoffed at his questions as she got up from her seat. I could tell that my mother wanted nothing to do with the mortal world as she began to walk out of the room. I wished I could do the same as Gus picked the perfect time to argue with him. Ezra tried to break up his friends as the fight grew. The three of them got up from their seats as the argument continued to get out of hand. I looked over to Aunt Sally as she gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Your mother dear is just worry about you." Aunt Sally said as she looked at me. That's all I hear about my mother, "she's worried" or "she just wants you to be safe." If that's the case, then she would have shown it by now. I stood quiet, causing my aunt to turn to Ben. "So Ben, tell me about the mortal world?" she questioned as I sat back listening to the two speak. I couldn't help but smile at their interaction as stories were being shared. "Cassandra, why don't you take Ben out the the graveyard?" Aunt Sally questioned. I looked over to Ben, and to my surprise, he was eager to witness the graveyard. We said our goodbyes to my aunt as he followed me to the back of the mansion. I noticed Ben looked in awe at the surroundings as he was viewing all of the spirits that haunt this ground. The laughter of the ghost around us was heard, each group having their own conversation.

"Over there is April December, and the bride next to her is Emily." I said as I pointed over to the two. "Oh! and over there are Rolo, Uncle Theodore, Cousin Algernon, Ned Nub, and Phineas known as the singing busts. Whatever you do, stay away from them unless you want to be annoyed by their songs." I stated as the five voices grew louder with their singing. I led Ben over to a tombstone as we took a seat on the grass surrounding it. Taking a look around to the ones I grew up with both in the living and dead state; I smiled to myself as they were family.

"Your life here is something I never expected to see." Ben said as he turned his attention towards me. "Honestly, I never saw myself visiting here again after what happened to Audrey, Chad, and I.'' Ben said with a small laugh. I gave him a confused look, trying to understand what he meant by again. I guess he seemed to notice my expression and told me a story about the three of them when they were younger. Turns out many of the royals heard of the rumors surrounding the mansion's grounds, and many of their children would come by as a dare to see who could last the longest in the haunted mansion. Chad, being Chad, wanted to face that challenge, and so the three of them came one evening; and yet at the last minute, Chad got scared soon, leaving Ben and Audrey behind near the gates. This story just proved why I can never tell them the truth of getting Fairy Godmother's wand. I was concerned about the kingdom finding out about us, but to them, we were a rumor... more like entertainment for them to test their bravery.

"Well, I guess fate waited for us to meet now instead of then." I said as I pushed Ben lightly away from me. Ben let out a laugh as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Cassandra? These past few days made me realize a couple of things about myself." Ben stated. A part of me wishes to crawl into a grave and get away from this conversation, but the other half wants to stay and hear what the prince has to say. "Once we get back to campus, I'm going to talk to Audrey and properly break up with her." Ben said as he grabbed a hold of my hand. "I also want to work on a relationship with you."

"Who knew a prince could be a heartbreaker." I said with a smile. Ben started to lean in for a kiss, and as much as I wanted that to happen, I stopped him. "First, you talk to Audrey, then maybe give the girl a few months before moving on so quickly." I said as my hand rested on his chest.

"I'm sorry." Ben said, realizing that I was right. "I should have asked how you felt first." Ben said. I gave the boy a smile in return as I laid my head on his shoulder. The feeling of guilt started to grow as I now know how Ben feels about me. Guilt for breaking off a long-term relationship. Guilt from lying to my friends. And guilt as I know I'll be breaking Ben's heart when the time comes. I sat there beside him, keeping this little moment as peaceful as it could be before chaos erupts once we get back to campus. I thought of my life in Auradon and how it has grown on me. A smile formed on my lips as I realized it had become a second home. The sun began to raise while the fog that once surrounded the land started to clear.

"It's time for us to go." I said as I stood up from my seat. Ben looked around, noticing the spirits around us started to depart as it was time for some of them to rest. I held his hand in mine as we walked back to the mansion. Once inside, Prudence welcomed us with a stern look on her face as she warned us to be careful on our way back. "Prudence, we'll be okay. Besides, if anything goes wrong, I'll leave Ben there to deal with the problem." I told her jokingly as I would actually be the one to protect Ben and I if we ever do get into trouble. I gave her a quick hug before walking out the door. The sunlight passed through the treetops as Ben and I walked through the forest as the mansion behind us grew smaller with every step. As I was thinking to myself, I remember a quote that Dorothy stated in her tale. The more I thought about it, the more I saw myself understanding her words, and I would agree with her; there's no place like home.