Finding Alex | TLOS

Ch.23

"What do you mean she's dead?" Bree asked, tears in her eyes as she sat on Wanda's couch. Frenda was still out at the market, but Wanda had called her and told her to come home as quickly as she could. 

Wanda sighed. "Well, dear, it's hard to explain," she said. "It's been two years, and I still highly doubt that this had actually happened, until I look at all the evidence to convince me otherwise." 

"Well," Bree started. "How did she die?" she choked back a sob as she reached for a fresh baked homemade cookie. 

Wanda's lower lip trembled, and Bree noticed. "Oh my gosh...Wanda, I'm so sorry! I've just had a stressful few weeks and I forgot how hard this must be on you..." 

"No, no," Wanda objected. "It's fine. She was in the 'special room' and there was something wrong with the electrical wires hooking everything up. She was electrocuted and died on the spot." 

"Wow...I-I'm so sorry..." Bree apologized, feeling quite down herself. "I can't believe that that happened! I always thought she would live forever..." 

"I agree, it shocked me so much," Wanda said. "I'm over it. And we were sure to fix up the room after the incident so it didn't happen to Frenda or I." 

Bree let the first tear slip. And the second, and the third. "I'm not sure why I'm crying..." she mumbled. "I wasn't even that close to Cornelia, I only knew of her existence for a while..." 

"I know," Wanda said softly, enveloping Bree in a hug. "I know..." 

****

When Frenda arrived home, Wanda, Frenda and Bree walked to the 'special room'. They used the old fashioned computer that had modern cards slide into it-and some even from The Fairytale World and other literary worlds. Bree explained everything to her cousins. 

"The Lady of the Lake, huh?" Frenda commented, as she clicked away at the computer. 

"Yeah," Bree said. "She's planning on taking over Camelot, one star at a time!" 

"Wow," Wanda and Frenda said in unison. "So much has changed since we've been over there!" 

"You've been in The Fairytale World?" Bree asked, astonished. "How could I never know?!" 

"Yes," Wanda quipped. "Just a few months ago, actually." 

 Frenda started typing something furiously into the computer. Finally, a few websites came up and Frenda picked the third. 

The Lady of the Lake; in the myth of King Arthur. 

Nimue Evelyn Wildest, most known as the Lady of the Lake, was a troubled child growing up. Abandoned on the streets by her parents, she was brought to Camelot by a wizard; Merlin. They were both young and curious at the time, and Nimue fell in love. Unfortunately, Merlin didn't feel the same way. Heart broken, Nimue fled from Merlin and drowned herself in a lake, re-birthing herself into The Lady of the Lake. Now she wants to conquer Camelot, hoping it might impress Merlin. 

"Woah, seriously?" Bree cried, surprised. "All of this is for love?!" 

Frenda and Wanda shrugged. "Some people go as far as to hurt themselves for the ones they love. This is no different. Remember what the Enchantress became when she was heart broken?" 

Bree gaped at her cousins. "Now, that was bad." 

Bree bought a ticket to Florida on the first plane that was flying in, which was in a little less than an hour. Saying goodbye to Frenda and Wanda, she checked herself in and waited in the waiting room for the plane to show up. 

****

After explaining everything to his mother, he was sure she would know something about it. But instead, she just shrugged and said, "I don't know." 

"You don't know?!" 

"Hey-" She glared at her son. "I wasn't born in any of those worlds!" 

Conner rolled his eyes annoyingly. "Well I just thought-" 

"That your awesome mother would know everything?" Charlotte gushed. "Aw that's so sweet!" 

As Conner tried to protest, she embraced him in a hug, squishing Daisy in between them. 

The doorbell rang, and Conner patted Daisy on the head and went to go open the door. "Bree?" he cried, and she jumped into his open arms. "What are you doing here?" 

"I know why the Lady of the Lake is trying to conquer Camelot!" Bree beamed. "She's heartbroken, and she wants Merlin to love her." 

"Really?" 

"Yes." 

That's when Bree noticed Charlotte and Daisy. "Oh hello Charlotte," she waved. "And who's this cute little girl-whoa, she looks just like Alex!" 

Charlotte and Conner chuckled. "We know," They said in unison. 

"This is my adopted daughter, Daisy." Said Charlotte as she walked towards her kind-of daughter in law. "Do you want to hold her?" 

"Of course!" Bree has always loved little kids. Especially little girls. She cradled Daisy in her arms, kissing her forehead as the little girl began to fall asleep. She handed Daisy back to her mother and looped her arm around Conner's. 

"We better go, Mom," Conner decided, thinking about his friends in the other worlds. "I'm really sorry...Alex and I will be back soon, I promise." 

"You promise?" Charlotte asked, sad that her son was leaving so soon. She wasn't sure if she could trust him to keep the promise. He hadn't kept many of them before, however Charlotte knew it was for main reasons. 

"Yes," Conner declared. He side-hugged his Mom so he wouldn't squish his sister. "Have fun with Bob, bye Daisy!" 

Bree and Conner stood in the front lawn of Charlotte and Bob's house. "Wait-" Bree said, realization dawning on her. "How will we get to one of the worlds when Alex isn't here?" 

Conner groaned. "Oh no! We totally forgot about that." He thought for a moment. "Well," he started. "Now it's a time to see if twin telepathy actually works." 

Bree face-palmed herself, feeling very embarrassed for what was about to go down.