Villains Rise

Chapter 10 -- Hey Rapunzel

The next thing I know, I'm at my doorstep. Our house looks the same, so I know the fire didn't touch it. But there's a solemn atmosphere to the house that alnost makes me want to turn away. I know it's because of me, though. I 'ran away' and left the house filled with sorrow.

I press the doorbell and pray that someone is home because I certainly don't have my keys on me. I'm not sure exactly how long I have until Owen follows me here and takes me back. Would he take me back? Please, someone be home.

The door creaks open and I take in an audible breath.

"Oh my goodness! It's Della! Get in here!" My mom exclaims and then pulls me inside before I can say a word.

Dad comes barreling down the steps once I'm brought through the doorway. The front door closes behind mom and Mason and Ash come running into the living room as well.

I'm surrounded in mere seconds, being tightly hugged and squeezed.

When they pull away, I catch my breath and observe how much they've changed in the past three days alone. Mom and dad have heavy bags under their eyes and their hair is in a tangled mess. They're both usually wearing business casual, but they're sporting t-shirts and shorts at the moment.

Mason is wearing what he would normally wear; a t-shirt and gym shorts. Although everything physically looks okay with him, there's a fog behind his eyes and a slump in his shoulders that says he's had to put on the brave face and carry the weight of the team.

Ash doesn't look at anyone but me. She's staring at me like I'm a ghost. Her dark hair usually hangs in her face and past her waist but she's tossed it into a sloppy bun.

"Where have you been?" My mother asks, exasperated, "We thought you ran away." She pinches the bridge of her nose, the way she always does when she has a headache.

"I didn't run away." I tell them, but dad intervenes.

"You've had us worried sick." He bites.

"I was kidnapped." I throw back at him.

Everyone is quiet for a full minute. The awkwardness settles in the room before mom breaks the silence. "Who kidnapped you?"

"Trident. I've been held captive by the Undergrounds."

Mason stares at me, "Trident took you?"

"Yes, his father is Black Light and his cousin is Mickey while Thomas is his twin brother. I can get into all of this later, but I really don't know how much time I have until Trident comes looking for me. So where's Jonas?" All of this comes out at a rapid speed, and I'm not sure they processed it all.

"He's in Kingsville, moping around. We looked everywhere for you, Del." Ash informs me, placing her dainty hand on my forearm.

Mason angrily snaps at himself, "I had a feeling you were down there the whole time. I had no idea how to get passed them, though, since it's been rumoured Crossfire is a traitor. Gosh, I feel like an idiot, I should've found a way!" Mason clenches his fists and grabs the top of his hair. Ash lays her other hand on his arm, consoling him.

"It's okay, honestly. I just need to fill you guys in on what I've found out. Do you know exactly where Jonas is in Kingsville?"

"Did they force you to dye your hair?" Dad randomly inquires. I roll my eyes, "People, help me out!"

Ash inputs, "He said he was going to some roof, I don't know."

I dash out of the house without another word.

With the lack of food I've had in the past few days, I'm running on fumes. The adrenaline of seeing Jonas is the only thing that keeps me going. His bright personality and charming smile drive me to run faster.

When I pass the sign that reads Kingsville, I make a few right turns to the building I almost lost my life on once. Jonas was there to rescue me. That building was where he admitted he knew I was falling for him, before I even acknowledged the fact myself.

He still lost the bet and kissed me first.

A smile creeps up on my face as I reminisce on our moments. As I approach the building, I see the outline of a person's figure. There must be a ladder on the side of the brick building if people are working in there. It's office hours, so they wouldn't let just anyone walk through without business.

I walk around to the side of the building to clearly see Jonas' legs swinging over the edge. Cringing at the thought of dangling over the edge, I hesitantly grab onto the first rung of the rusty ladder.

"Hey Rapunzel!" I holler out, "Let down your hair!"

The feet shift away from the side of the brick wall and I hear them scurry towards the ladder. Once I reach the top, Jonas is smiling over the edge with a hand extending to help me up.

As I reach the roof, I barely have time to catch my balance before Jonas embraces me in a tight hug. Why does everyone have such a tight grip when they hug?

"Oh," Jonas says, pulling away, "You don't want me to hug you?" He smirks and keeps me close to his chest. Jonas smells like a fresh summer day.

"What? No, I didn't mean for you to stop hugging-"

He grins from ear to ear, his dark brown hair ruffling as the wind blows. "It's okay, I had something better in mind anyways." I quirk an eyebrow up as he pushes his lips on mine.

The sweetness of this kiss brings a sensation back to my mind. Our first kiss. So innocent, yet so passionate.

Jonas leans back and my eyes flutter open to see him staring back at me. "What brought you back?"

"I didn't run away, Jonas. Trident kidnapped me." I almost whisper.

His eyes widen in surprise, "How'd you get away?"

"Well," I'm about to tell him I had the chance to run away but decided to stick around, that is, until I found out Trident was dangerous. I quickly scramble my thoughts so if Jonas is reading my mind he can't make any sense of them. "I don't know exactly how much time I have until he comes looking for me, so we need to get back to my house." I say with urgency.

Jonas nods, "Let's go then."

"I can't carry you on my back. I can barely carry myself." I inform him.

He takes my hand, "You don't have to worry about that. I brought my truck." I follow him down the ladder and he places his hands on my waist when I get to the bottom rung. I suppose I am stumbling a bit.

"You need to take it easy." He whispers in my ear and scoops me into his arms, bridal style, until we reach his truck. When he gently places me in the passenger seat after opening the door with one hand, he dashes over to the driver's side and hops in.

"How do you feel?" Jonas pipes up after a couple minutes of us driving through the early morning rush.

Looking over at the boy I'm finding I can't live without, I smile as I reply, "I feel like I'm going home."

A/N
Wow. It's been forever since I've updated. Believe me, it doesn't ever leave my mind that I have to write in this book, I just don't have the time to write these days. Hopefully this will get better soon, and I thank you all for being patient with me! I've also been struggling a bit with writer's block for the past couple of weeks so that's why I've put this chapter off for a while.

In other news, how do we like the reunion between Della and Jonas?!? Y'all don't even know how much I've missed writing Jonas' character! What do y'all think will happen next? Make sure to comment please!

Thanks for reading,
Always, Sunny